Bradford 1 Arsenal 1 (3 – 2 pens.): Profligate, Pathetic and Embarrassing

There goes another trophy…

The morning after an Arsenal defeat.

A somewhat familiar feeling all season long. Unlike in previous times where Arsene Wenger was quick to attribute his shortcomings in the Capital One cup to the use of “kids”, lacking sharpness, poor refereeing decision or what have you, the boss summed up his team’s putrid performance stating that his team couldn’t convert their chances.

He had spoken about his intent to field an experienced line-up bearing in mind that his next game was a week away, and boy, did he field an experienced squad. Wojciech Szczesny was in goal protected by the same back line that kept a clean sheet against West Brom. Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla were handed rare Capital One starts alongside Francis Coquelin, with Mikel Arteta getting the axe.

I had a big problem with Arsenal’s attack as Lukas Podolski and Aaron Ramsey were tasked with providing support to Gervinho. I’ve never hidden my disgust in seeing Gervinho play strike for the Gunners and another appalling performance from the Ivorian has put him in my bad books for years to come, till he leaves the Emirates for another team that would settle for such mediocrity.

Early on, Ramsey and Coquelin tried to connect with some intricate passing play but Le Coq’s heavy ball was too much for Ramsey to control in the box. On the other end of the pitch, Nakhi Wells fashioned a chance for himself but Szczesny was equal to that challenge. Bradford hit Arsenal on the break with Per Mertesacker doing his best to intercept the ball but Szczesny showed great bravery to smother the ball to quell an imminent threat that Bradford forward line posed.

With one-third of the game gone, Wells nutmeged Thomas Vermaelen before hitting the deck in a familiar Premier League fashion. Bradford skipper, Gary Jones dinked a cross into Arsenal’s danger area and after a flick from Will Atkinson, the ball was thumped home by Garry Thompson, sending Valley Parade into raptures.

Cazorla lofted a cross for Podolski which was intercepted by Stephen Darby but Kieran Gibbs latched on to the ball before blasting his effort wide. Francis Coquelin was having a good game in midfield and drifted forward, evading a couple of markers before firing a shot that clipped the post. It seemed as if it was going to be one of those nights.

Late on, Arsenal’s best chance of the game arrived when some brilliant passing play between Wilshere and Ramsey teed up Podolski that cushioned a delicate pass to Kieran Gibbs. The fullback drilled the ball across the six-yard box that left the goalie for dead. With a gaping goal in sight, the center forward for the night, Gervinho, put his legs on the ball put it still managed to drift wide.

The frustration on his teammates were evident and I couldn’t hide my rage, as I broke my tumbler in my sitting room. That act incensed my uncle but in due time, the broken pieces of glass were swept away. Things I do for Arsenal.

Arsenal began the second half in a somewhat frantic fashion but their finishing let them down yet again. Cazorla did well to create a chance for Ramsey in the box but the Welshman’s effort went wide off the mark. Sagna teed up Coquelin on the right hand side but his cross into the box evaded everybody.

Arsene Wenger decided to take out Le Coq for the ineffectual Marouane Chamakh, that went on to have a shocker. Ramsey got himself a bleeding nose when James Hanson raised his boot recklessly but not maliciously. The boss went for broke by bringing on Tomas Rosicky and the Ox for Ramsey and Podolski.

One must tend to wonder what Podolski has to do to remain on the pitch. Gervinho was having another disappointing outing, yet he remained on the pitch while a player of Podolski’s quality was sent to the dugout.

Wilshere darted forward and fired a shot that was saved by Matt Duke. Shortly afterwards, Rosicky created a chance for Gervinho but he shot wide. When it seemed as if Bradford was closing in for a famous win, Cazorla swung in a corner that was headed back to his direction. He had a second bite of the cherry and his delicious cross found his skipper, Vermaelen, that spared Arsenal’s blushes with a much-needed equalizer.

phew!

Right at the death, Cazorla curled in a free kick that was saved by Duke. Within seconds, the Spaniard slammed in another shot that was saved by the inspired Duke, sending the game into extra time.

In extra time, Arsenal, like the Big Bad Wolf, continued to huff and puff but they couldn’t blow Bradford away because the little Bradford pigs built their defense on a brick wall. Gibbs had a shot that was parried to safety and Cazorla blasted another thunderbolt that beat the keeper but he had his woodwork to thank as the shot smashed the cross bar.

120 minutes of football wasn’t able to separate both sides, so they had to settle for the lottery of penalties. The last time I witnessed Arsenal play a penalty shootout was in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League Knockout Round against AS Roma. Bradford was in a more buoyant mood, as they had won three games with penalty shootouts this season already.

Nathan Doyle began the proceedings and dispatched his spot kick past Szczesny, despite the goalie guessing the right way and getting a hand to it. Santi Cazorla stepped up confidently and despite putting up a great show all night long, the Spaniard’s spot kick was saved by Duke. Bradford’s skipper stepped up and sent Szczesny the wrong way.

Within moments, Chamakh took the long walk to the penalty box and fired his shot to the post. After two penalties, Bradford was two goals to the good.

Stephen Darby had the chance to put his team on the driver’s seat but his disappointing spot kick was duly saved by Szczesny. Jack Wilshere knew that he had to score to give his team a glimmer of hope, and the young man sent the keeper the wrong way to make it 2 –1. Substitute Alan Cornell blasted his shot past Szczesny to make it 3 -1 and with the next Arsenal penalty being the most important, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain stepped up the plate to make it 3 – 2.

Ritchie Jones was given the chance to become Bradford’s hero by taking the final spot kick. Szczesny’s eyes were firmly focused on the ball and the big Pole did really well to make a great save. Despite having a horrible start to the shoot-out, Arsenal’s custodian between the sticks made two good saves to put his team in it.

Up stepped the captain, Thomas Vermaelen, the man that scored the equalizer that prevented Arsenal from being on the back pages for all the wrong reasons. He sent the goalie the wrong way…but he missed!

At that point in time, Bradford’s elation knew no bounds while it was a pretty familiar feeling with everyone concerned with Arsenal. Shame, disappointment, frustration, anger… you can add the rest to this list. As expected, the fans took out their frustrations on poor ol’ Twitter and if words could kill, Wenger would have been dead by now. They even created a trending topic #WengerOut

Another potential winnable trophy has gone beyond our grasp yet again and all we can do is sulk, sulk and errrr…sulk. The defeat epitomizes everything that is wrong with Arsenal right now.

Question? What stays longer in the CUP? A. Tea, B. Arsenal—
Gooner Daily (@goonerdaily) December 11, 2012

It’s high time I pull the plug on today’s post, I have a meeting in a bit.

Besides, there’s also life outside Arsenal.

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Bradford Preview: One More Step from Ending the Drought

Arsenal’s last Capital One Cup encounter was entertaining, enthralling and epic.

In all my years as an Arsenal fan, I haven’t seen a game that made me go through so many emotional phases like the game against Reading. I started the game with arrogance (simple stroll in the park, I thought), but that was quickly changed to a state of surprise (1 – 0), perplexion, bewilderment (2 – 0) and shock (3 – 0) before getting heavy doses of frustration and despair (4 – 0).

I began the second half with doubt (4 – 1), but it was changed to hope (4 – 2). At 4 – 3, urgency became my watchword and when Walcott made it 4 – 4, my euphoria knew no bounds. 5 – 4 was somewhat orgasmic,  but the equalizer was a bitter pill to swallow. After the final two goals that put the game beyond doubt, the only feeling I had was pride.

Arsenal’s reward for winning tonight would be a place in the semifinals of the Capital One cup but your reward could be plenty if you try to earn some money out of players rewards cards from this link right here like I did.

December is a very busy month from a footballing perspective and the games are coming thick and fast. The Capitol One offers Arsenal a very realistic chance of ending the club’s trophy drought and Wenger has stated that he intends to use an experienced squad tonight,

“We will have an experience squad at Bradford. We have a good recovery time ahead of the game at Reading on Monday. So we can use the players we want to use.”

The casualty list has a new recruit as it seems as if Olivier Giroud hasn’t recovered from that nasty kick he received on his back against West Brom. The regular absentees (Walcott, Diaby, Koscielny and Andre Santos) are still out and there are some youngsters (Yennaris and Miquel) that are in the list as well.

Wenger still has half an eye on Monday’s game against Reading but with fatigue creeping in, he’ll be odds on to tweak the squad a bit. With Vito Mannone just returning back to the squad, this game might come too soon for him so I expect Damian Martinez to get another run-out in goal. He didn’t fare too well in his last outing and he’ll surely have a point to prove, I guess.

In the defense, I see Sebastien Squillaci returning to the starting line up, but with Johan Djourou’s fitness not mentioned in a long while, one can only assume that he’s injured. With Per Mertesacker being an ever-present figure for the Gunners this season, he might be the player that would be axed for the Squid.

In the fullback positions, Carl Jenkinson will maraud the right flank with the young Jernade Meade strutting his stuff on the left. The youngster hopes for more chances to earn a new deal at the Emirates. Unlike some forwards that don’t want to sign da ting.

In midfield, I expect the same triumvirate that started in Greece to get another chance to stake a claim for a first-team berth. Francis Coquelin would start as the midfield enforcer with Aaron Ramsey manning the box-to-box role. Tomas Rosicky will further up the pitch as the primary playmaker. These three didn’t have much cohesion in Athens but I’m sure that they’ll give the fans a much-improved performance against a weaker Bradford side.

In attack, Arsenal doesn’t really have much options so we might see a Gervinho-Chamakh-Ox combo. Gervinho put up a spirited performance against West Brom on Saturday but his output on the final third was very appalling. Chamakh was a confused figure in Greece but he can find some solace in the fact that his only Arsenal goals this season came in this competition. The Ox was in good form against West Brom would want to continue that run.

Bradford might be a League Two outfit but this won’t be a stroll in the park for the Gunners. They are fighting hard for promotion into League One and they have the backing of a hostile crowd that will cheer their team on in Valley Parade. Bradford’s Curtis Good is relishing the prospect of playing the Gunners and we can bet that they’ll be at their best tonight.

A win would give the Gunners a chance to appear in the semis, which would mean that they’ll be two games away from another chance to play in Wembley. Hopefully, Koscielny and Szczesny won’t feature at the same time should Arsenal secure a final berth. We all know how that panned out in 2011.

Enjoy the game wherever you are.

Sayonara.

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Reading Aftermath, Theo Walcott and the Confused Giroud

Epic

Entertaining, enthralling and epic – these were the words I used to describe one of the most nerve-raking matches I’ve watched in all my years as an Arsenal fan. As I reiterated in yesterday’s post, Arsenal was successful in fucking up my mind, giving me several emotional states in one single friggin game.

As expected, the quarterfinal draws have been made and Arsenal will travel to npower League Two outfit, Bradford, that ousted Wigan Athletic on penalties. After winning the pulsating encounter against Manchester United, Chelsea has been rewarded with an away fixture against potential giant killers, Leeds United. Norwich defeated those Spuds to lock horns with Aston Villa while Swansea vs. Middlesbrough completes the quarterfinal round.

Judging from the last eight teams in the Capital One cup, Arsenal has a realistic chance of breaking its trophy drought with an early appetizer in the form of the Capital One cup which serves as the first trophy any English team can win in the course of a season. The Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League are usually decided in the climax of the season.

Arsenal’s fixture against Reading showcased the Gunners amazing mental strength, but it didn’t hide the fact that our defense had an absolutely torrid time, which is certainly a cause for concern. Despite shipping in five goals, Damian Martinez had his fare share of saves and howlers, and if I’ve been complaining about Mannone, I might as well get a chainsaw like Thomas Hewitt and tear Martinez with my words.

Ignasi Miquel struggled at left back and I was very surprised with Laurent Koscielny’s performance. He failed to connect with his defensive partner, Johan Djourou, and that own goal must have made his confidence to plunge downhill. However, Koscielny was unfazed by that error and went on to score a vital third goal for his team. He was also lucky to stay on the pitch because he made a few eye-raising tackles, even after been brandished with a yellow card.

Carl Jenkinson continued his fledgling performance for the Gunners and I must say that the technique he used in killing off Walcott’s goal that had crossed the line was lovely. If there were concerns over the ball crossing the line or not, Jenko’s slammed effort sent every Gooner into raptures as Arsenal actually scored four goals despite being 4 – 0 down in the first 38 minutes.

Marouane Chamakh also deserves a mention in today’s post. Despite being frozen out the team and clearly out-of-favor, the Moroccan has refused to let all get in his way and he put up a great performance for the Gunners as he actually scored two goals, a feat he hadn’t achieved since that 2 – 0 win over Wolves in November 2010 – a game fondly remembered for Lukasz Fabianski’s heroics.

Get  well soon lad.

You can’t actually utter a word about the Reading – Arsenal game without mentioning the undisputed Man of the Match, Theo Walcott. Walcott was a phenom on the pitch and in my honest opinion, this is definitely his best outing in Arsenal colors. The winger hopes for his team to carry this newly-found blistering form to the Premier League, starting with the crunch encounter against Manchester United.

Theo Walcott’s teammates have ran out of superlatives for him, and the most vocal Gunner has been Andrey Arshavin. The diminutive Russian has also stated that God played a role in the epic victory as well,

 “I did not think about when we had to equalise, I just felt that if we had the chance and God will help us, we will make a draw!”

“He helped us and that’s why we scored in the last minute.

“I have lost twice 7-1, once I lost 8-3 and once I won 9-3 and now 7-5. But this game was one I will remember always because it was from 4-0 down.

“I don’t think anyone here believed that we could come back, but we did it and we deserved to win.

“We showed spirit because you cannot come back from 4-0 down if you don’t have spirit.”

Arshavin went on to say that this is a game that he’ll never forget. of course Andrey, I don’t believe that this game will leave any sane Gooner’s memory in a long time, and if you didn’t watch this game, you’re on a very long thing. For the benefit of those that missed the game, here are the highlights of the 12-goal thriller.

Still sticking with Walcott, Arsene Wenger has hailed Walcott’s commitment and has finally stated that the winger is ready to lead the line for Arsenal but skeptics believe that Theo Walcott’s worrying contract situation hinges on regular first-team football, rather than the greens.

Judging from Walcott’s form this season, Arsenal fans will go haywire if he leaves the club on a Bosman, and everyone, including Jamie Redknapp, has urged the Arsenal hierarchy to make Walcott sign da ting.

The Reading – Arsenal game had everything; goals (obviously), improved performances, howlers, saves…you name it. However, there was a very hilarious moment when the French duo of Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin pelted their jerseys at the direction of the euphoric Arsenal fans celebrating Walcott’s dramatic equalizer.

After the game, some journos caught up with the hunky Giroud and he had this to say,

I thought that in cup games when you drew, there was a replay. Someone told me that!

“Luckily, I was able to get the shirt back OK – the fan gave it back to me quickly so I could start the game again.

“But after the game, I threw the shirt back into the crowd again after that.”

That someone must have told Giroud about the FA Cup, were you earn a replay after a draw but Giroud’s confusion is nothing, compared to Queens Park Ranger’s Stephane Mbia, that thought that QPR was a club based in Scotland.

We all get confused from time to time, I guess.

I can’t wait to watch Skyfall in the Palms today.

Sayonara.

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Reading 5 Arsenal 7: Entertaining, Enthralling, Epic

Please………sign da Ting

After getting back to winning ways against QPR, Arsene Wenger had the distraction of the Capital One cup in the form of Reading, before the crunch encounter against Arsenal’s eternal rivals, Manchester United. The gaffer named an 18-man squad that was going to play at the Madejski Stadium and as expected, there was a perfect blend of youthful exuberance and a few experienced old hags.

Young Argentine shot stopper Damian Martinez had another run-out in goal but he had a pretty experienced defensive line in the form of Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou in the heart of the defense, while Ignasi Miquel and the demoted Carl Jenkinson. Francis Coquelin and the Denchster, Emmanuel Frimpong manned the midfield holding roles with Andrey Arshavin playing in the hole behind the center forward.

In attack, Gervinho Olivier Giroud Lukas Podolski Marouane Chamakh…yes, Marouane Chamakh spearheaded the attack with the exciting Serge Gnabry and the pacy Theo “Sign da Ting” Walcott providing support down the flanks. For those that don’t know, the last time Chamakh started a game was way back in January, in the 1 – 0 victory over Leeds United, where King Thierry Henry capped his fairytale comeback with a va va voom finish.

From a neutral perspective, I didn’t expect the team to blend immediately as most of them haven’t played alongside each other for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t expect Arsenal to put up a very malodorous show in the first half.

Right from the onset, Nicky Shorey swung in a corner that was headed goalwards by Sean Morrison. With Lady Luck smiling down at Arsenal, the ball managed to hit the post, bounce off Martinez’s head before ricocheting away to safety. The warning signs were on glaring for Arsenal, at Reading grabbed the lead when Noel Hunt’s low drive was pummelled into the net by veteran striker, Jason Roberts, that had all the time in the world to pick his spot.

Shortly afterwards, it was an all too familiar feeling when Arsenal shot themselves in the foot yet again. Gareth McCleary fashioned a chance for Welsh fullback, Chris Gunter, and his low cross into the box was deflected in by Laurent Koscielny.

It is just me? Or does Koscielny have a penchant for scoring own goals. I know he’s French, like Pascal Cygan and Mikael Silvestre but the last time I checked, he wears the No. 6 jersey, instead of the No. 18 jersey that’s tantamount with own goals.

In rapid fashion, Arsenal was nursing a three-goal deficit when the Gunners failed to clear their lines properly, allowing an unmarked Leigertwood to shoot the ball with a goal-bound shot. Martinez’s response to the shot was equally pathetic, as he merely guided the ball into the net.

At 3 – 0, I was clearly shell-shocked, but a bad night became worse when Gunter, who was having the time of his life with the atrocious Ignasi Miquel, drilled in another cross that was headed home by Noel Hunt with some assistance from the woodwork. With all the defensive attributes and aerial prowess Koscielny and Djourou are renowned for, their collective performance in the first 38 minutes was a classic definition of the word – shite.

With Arsenal having it all to do, Chamakh, Koscielny and Gnabry all had efforts that weren’t good enough to offer the Gunners a glimmer of hope. Up stepped Theo Walcott, that waltzed through the middle courtesy of a brilliant assist from Arshavin before chipping his shot past Adam Federici in goal.

I don’t know what Wenger told his boys during the interval but it’s certainly the type of half time team talk you’ll give in Football Manager using an aggressive or assertive tone. You know, the usual, “Where’s the passion, lads?”, “Show me something else in the second half”…stuff like that.

Arsenal came out of their shells in the start of the second half as the Arshavin – Walcott connection almost reaped dividends yet again, but the side netting came to Reading’s rescue. Chamakh tried to make a claim for a penalty when Gunter was adjudged to have handled the ball but with the way referees have come under the spotlight, the man with the whistle, let sleeping dogs lie.

At the hour mark, Wenger brought on Olivier Giroud and Thomas Eisfeld (debut, yaaaaaay!) for Gnabry and the Denchster which turned out to be a move worth its weight in gold. Within minutes of being on the pitch, Giroud got on the end of Walcott’s corner to reduce the deficit to two goals, offering his side a renewed sense of optimism.

Get in!!!

Reading’s gaffer, Brian McDermott, made some tactical changes and his team matched the Gunners pound for pound as the minutes ticked away, much to the agony of Arsenal fans. Right at the death, Koscielny atoned for his embarrassing own goal with a powerful header and it’s worth noting that the way the Gunners ran with the ball to the center circle was faster than Usain Bolt’s world record.

Reading employed some time-wasting tactics and tweets like this saw the light of day,

https://twitter.com/Ebaminator/status/263394499026374657#

Then this happened,

Unbelievable

In a fashion not explainable to man, Theo Walcott stepped up a “hail Mary” strike (as Arsenal.com described it) to level the game at 4 – 4. Mali did it against Angola in a recent AFCON, Newcastle did it against us in the 2010/11 season and most recently, Sweden achieved the same feat against Germany in a World Cup qualifier.

While in sheer elation, Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin threw their shirts into the jubilant Arsenal fans before sheepishly having to request them back for extra time.

Sweden's coach: "We were 4 goals down against Germany, and we equalized. Greatest comeback ever"………Arsene Wenger: "BITCH PLEASE!"—
èη!gmá (@enigma106) October 30, 2012

Reading looked like a side bereft of confidence after throwing away a handsome 4 – 0 lead (yeah, we Arsenal fans know that feeling) and Arsenal continued to stamp their authority on the game. Two minutes before the end of the first interval, Walcott Giroud Chamakh, yes Chamakh, fired a shot from inside the six-yard box outside the box to give the Gunners a 5 – 4 lead.

4 – 0 down………..5 – 4 up……..wake me up, I'm fucking dreaming—
èη!gmá (@enigma106) October 30, 2012

Chamakh had a golden chance to make it six but he side-footed a tame effort to the goalie. Arsenal was made to rue that miss when Pavel Pogrebnyak nicked in an equalizer to change the scoreline of this epic encounter to 5 – 5.

Penalties beckoned but I wasn’t confident of Damian Martinez’s abilities so I said a quick prayer and hoped for another goal…or two. Behold, my prayers were answered in the best possible fashion as Walcott capped an exceptional game with a hat-trick that was no less than he deserved.

With Reading chasing the game for another scary equalizer (which they almost got), Chamakh put the icing on a well-baked cake as he chipped the hapless goalie to make it seven.

In all my years as an Arsenal fan, I haven’t seen a game that made me go through so many emotional phases like yesterday’s game against Reading. I started the game with arrogance (simple stroll in the park, I thought), but that was quickly changed to a state of surprise (1 – 0), perplexion, bewilderment (2 – 0) and shock (3 – 0) before getting heavy doses of frustration and despair (4 – 0).

I began the second half with doubt (4 – 1), but it was changed to hope (4 – 2). At 4 – 3, urgency became my watchword and when Walcott made it 4 – 4, my euphoria knew no bounds. 5 – 4 was somewhat orgasmic,  but the equalizer was a bitter pill to swallow. After the final two goals that put the game beyond doubt, the only feeling I had was pride.

What’s not to love about Arsenal?

Arsene Wenger has stated that this victory was a miracle, but I’m here to tell the world that it was entertaining, enthralling and of course, epic.

For those Gooners that missed this game for reasons best known to Aliens scared to attack the Earth because Chuck Norris lives, here are the highlights of the 12-goal thriller.

And for those Gooners that watched the game, we both know that it’s worth a second view.

Sayonara. 

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Goal Glut in Capital One Triumph and Wenger Responds to Walcott’s Pleas

Giroud finally breaks his duck

Yesterday night was pretty frustrating to say the least. Arsenal hosted Coventry City in the club’s Capital One Cup curtain raiser but the game couldn’t be seen for reasons best known to the King Cobra that died of agonizing pain five days after biting Chuck Norris.

Never in my life have I caressed my F5 button on my laptop as I stayed faithful to different websites that offered live commentary. My BlackBerry played its own role as well, as I delved into Twitter and remained there for the entire 90 minutes. There were a couple of hilarious tweets as well but Twitter was a nice place to be for a change, unlike last season when tweeps barraged players with all sorts of vitriol and abuse after frustrating matches.

After waiting patiently for the best part of 40 minutes or so, Twitter went haywire when Olivier Giroud scored his first goal for the club courtesy of some brilliant play from Andrey Arshavin and Francis Coquelin. I’d stated on Twitter that the Frenchman had no excuse if he didn’t find the net against Coventry and I’m sure that his confidence levels would have sky-rocketed to the Milky Way.

However, Giroud missed a chance to get a brace as his spot kick was saved by Murphy in goal. That’s Giroud folks, he scores when no one is watching.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain lashed in the second goal from what was stated as the pick of the bunch and I’m still waiting patiently for those Gooners on YouTube to show me some love. According to those lucky tweeps that saw the game at the Emirates, the Ox shot had some swerve on it as it went past Coventry’s custodian between the sticks.

Andrey Arshavin was believed to have had a stinker all game long, but he produced a moment of immense quality to slam in the third after some nice play from Giroud. Up stepped Theo Walcott, a player staking his claim to be Arsenal’s No. 9, and he sent Wenger a nice message with a brace on the night. Ignasi Miquel also scored his first Arsenal goal with a header.

It was also a night to remember as the Denchster, Emmanuel Frimpong, made his first appearance since rupturing a cruciate ligament in his knee seven months ago. There was also some game time to a forgotten figure at the Emirates, Marouane Chamakh, and the exciting Serge Gnabry made his debut as well.

I’ll still be on the lookout for the highlight’s of this fixture and I’ll paste the link on this blog, as well as Twitter and Facebook once I get it.

At the end of the game, Arsene Wenger stated in his post-match interview that his team needed to be serious…and they were serious. With Manchester City and Everton already out of the competition, the Capital One Cup offers Arsenal another chance to end the trophy drought and their cause has certainly been aided with the fact that Manchester United and Chelsea are locking horns in the Fourth Round. Arsenal will go to the Madejski Stadium to play Reading.

Wenger also lauded Giroud for getting his first goal and admitted that Arshavin stinks at the wings, and he aims to play the Russian captain in the hole behind the striker as the season progresses.

In the wake of Walcott’s brace against Coventry, many now believe that it’s high time the Englishman gets a run-out spearheading Arsenal’s attack in the coming games. Walcott certainly has the pace and the clinical finishing ability to be a centre forward but his poor ball control and decision making will certainly be a concern.

Wenger was asked on the matter but he has urged the winger to remain patient,

“I’m not against it, I’m not against it at all but we try and at the moment there is big competition up front, we have a different formula and the team is doing well.

‘His time will come for that and at the moment we have to be a bit patient.

‘He is a great finisher now, in front of goal he is really absolutely amazing.’

Wenger also revealed the club still has plans of retaining his services for the long term,

‘We want him to stay, I always said exactly the same,’ he said.

‘We are all professional and I always said that lets hope we can extend his deal and that is part of every professional situation.

‘I speak to Theo of course, we are always in touch with them (his agent) and you have to give us some time to try and sort that out.’

Walcott celebrating a goal against Coventry

The ball is certainly in Arsene Wenger’s court and it’s good to know that his players are giving him headaches for team selection. In just two matches at the Emirates, Arsenal has smashed in 12 goals and it’s worth noting that seven players have been involved in the goals with Theo Walcott notching up three.

And they said that we can’t score without Robin van Judas Iscariot and we can’t get assists without Alex Song.

How cute.

Speaking of cuteness, a 16.4 inch bronze statue was erected in the  Paris’ Center Pompidou modern art museum in honor of Zinedine Zidane for his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Now that’s deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeench.

Sayonara.

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