PLAYA RATINGS

ALMUNIA
Fumbled one swerving long-rang effort but otherwise looked faultless and made one impressive save from Pauleta’s shot.7

SAGNA
Caught out twice but generally much more solid defensively than Eboue. Conservative going forward, but that should come7

SENDEROS
Can’t remember a single mistake, which is obviously a really good thing. Looked sharp and made the right decisions.7

TOURE
Fine on the whole. Wish he would sometimes eschew the spectacular for the simple, whether it be in tackles or clearances or whatever.7

CLICHY
Massive reserves of energy, he won loads of early corners and looked like he was on speed in the second half when linking up with Traore. Splendid.7.5

FABREGAS
Feisty as ever in the midfield, he was fine in a first half where we created very little, which is why his rating is knocked slightly.6.5

DENILSON
Played the whole game and was largely fine. That said, there is a danger of placing too much on his shoulders too soon. Not convinced he and Cesc in midfield are strong enough.6.5

FLAMINI
Did his best on the right in the first half and it wasn’t really good enough. Then got on the end of the Bendtner knock-down and finished really smartly. Subbed at the break.6.5

RVP
The odd decent moment but a little rusty overall, which is completely to be expected. Subbed at the break.6.5

DIABY
Pretty useless on the left before the break, he looked miles better when moved central. Which is a really good thing because as far as I’m concerned if he makes it, it won’t be as a wide man. At the heart of our renaissance in the second half.7

BENDTNER
Quiet until he knocked the ball down for Flamini to score on the break but then got really involved, scored and got himself into some good positions. Missed a penalty and a couple of other chances but the important thing was he was there. Promising first appearance at the Emirates.7

HLEB
Played the second half in front of the midfield and behind Bendtner and did well. Looked sharp, was crucially incisive and won a penalty by running at the heart of their defence.7

TRAORE
Generally spent the second half running around like a mentalist, getting down the wing and causing trouble for PSV. Raw but very promising.7

EBOUE
Playing right midfield and therefore freed from many of his defensive duties, he excelled. Drove at the defence, got to the byline, crossed low and caused havoc. Also put a coupl of tasty high crosses in.7.5

HOYTE
Usual solid stuff. Overlapped well.7

GALLAS
Though it was not the first time he’s been beaten to the ball at the near post, it would be harsh to blame him for the goal. Looked solid I thought. No complaints.7

RANDALL
Anxious to impress in the short time he had on the pitch, he did fine. May get a little longer tomorrow and will be interesting to see how he does.7

Full time: Arsenal 2 PSG 1
Flamini 45, Bendtner 68; Luyindula 79

Conclusion: I for one was pretty pleased with all this. Sure, the first half was disapointing. But we were miles better in the second half. I’m not going to do playa ratings now etc. They’ll come either later or after tomorrow’s game for which I’m not going to be able to repeat today’s commentary. Cheers for reading.

89 mins: Eboue gallops down the wing and crosses well. Bendtner crosses and then Hoyte shanks over on his left foot from the edge of the box. Full time.

87 mins: Hleb, Bendtner and Denilson link well but the ball through is smothered by the keeper.

86 mins: Song was involved earlier in the pre-season but no sign of him today.

85 mins: Hoyte and Eboue lin well. Eboue feeds Bendtner but he scuffs his shot over. I think he’s had a very positive afternoon despite missing a couple of chances.

85 mins: I’m loathe to tempt fate, but could this be another 2-1 at the Emirates?

84 mins: It was good work by Hleb mind to win the penalty.

83 mins: Which Bendtner sees saved. Low but not near enough the corner. A lesson learned.

82 mins: Alex Hleb brings the ball down, runs at the defence, pushes the ball past the defender and is fouled. Penalty.

79 mins: GOAL! 2-1. Randall and Traore are stretched down the left and PSG work the ball well. Luyindula gets in front of Gallas to flick the ball past Almunia. In fairness, it was a very well worked goal and to blame anyone too much (even Gallas) would be harsh.

79 mins: On Bendtner, he was quiet in the first half. But then he knocked the ball down for Flamini to score. And in the second half he’s played really well. And scored.

77 mins: Randall is running around full of energy. He condedes a free-kick that is not defended brilliantly by Hleb on the edge of the box. Gallas clears.

76 mins: Clichy and Traore are running around like they’re on speed. As I say that Alan Smith tells us Clichy has a tight calf. He’s replaced by Mark Randall who will presumably go on the left wing, with Traore at left-back.

75 mins: Clichy and Traore link well and then so do Eboue and Hoyte. Promising stuff.

74 mins: Mulumbu for Ngoyi for PSG.

73 mins: I’ve no idea wht game the commentators have been watching. We agree that we weren’t up to much in the first half. But since half-time I think we’ve played well and deserved to score another. They are being strangely negative.

72 mins: As we win another corner, reader Bill points out Henry never would have scored that goal. True.

70 mins: The goal was really pleasing and apt reward for Bendtner, who as I have been saying, has been much improved in the second half. The kind of goal wee need to score this season. Diaby puts in a good challenge. But the shot comes in. It swerves in fromt of Almunia who can only parry it. Senderos is alert to clear.

69 mins: PSG break forward, Traore fouls and gets a yellow card. PSG were in a decent position. From the free-kick we leave Pauleta all alone at the far post but Almunia saves well from his shot. Corner cleared.

68 mins: GOAL! 2-0. From the corner, Bendtner beats the keeper to the ball. It drops to the floor and he stabs it home. Ref quite rightly gives the goal. Lovely stuff.

67 mins: Lovely move and another shave for Bendtner. Eboue was involved and the low ball was just cut out before it reached the Dane.

66 mins: PSG win a generous corner. Hleb makes life difficult for the man at the near post and it’s a goal-kick.

63 mins: Clichy plays a lovely ball in for Bendtner who skips the other side of his man but places his shot wide. On the minus side, Henry would have scored. But on the plus side, it was a good run and Bendtner has looked good this half. PSG look dangerous but Senderos’ block takes the sting out of the shot.

Luyindula then fires wide.

62 mins: Nice ball from Eboue to Bendtner but he is crowded out (not his fault).

62 mins: So far, Senderos looks sharp.

61 mins: Winger cuts inside Traore but Clichy sweeps back and Gallas does the rest.

60 mins: I think Traore may have switched to left-back with Clichy ahead of him. Perhaps they’re interchangable.

59 mins: I know it’s only pre-season but it was certainly nice to see us actually get the first goal. It seems to have done us no harm whatsoever.

58 mins: Midfield two are Denilson and Diaby, with Hleb ahead of them, Traore left, Eboue right and Bendtner on his own up front.

56 mins: Diaby gets stuck in with a Vieira like tackle in the middle of the park. Nice to see.

55 mins: I reckon Sagna will be first choice at right back. Hleb chips the ball for Bendtner who takes it well on the chest but is crowded out. Is gaining confidence.

54 mins: Hleb is playing in a central role, which seems to be suiting him. Good skill wins a free-kick. Strangely, we look more balanced. Denilson’s free-kick is headed by Gallas but he had no chance of getting enough power on the header.

52 mins: Eboue puts in a nice cross from the free-kick and Bendtner pulls off his man to get a good header in. It gets blocked however.

51 mins: Eboue is causing trouble down the right (in a good way).

50 mins: And he puts in a lovely cross but it eludes everyone.

49 mins: To answer questions, Sagna looked solid I thought despite two dodgy moments. Almunia looked sharp. Gael Clichy probably best player so far.

47 mins: Denilson returns. The good news is Diaby is now in the middle, though I’d have liked to see him link up with Cesc there. Bendtner is on his own up front with Hleb and Traore and Eboue supporting. Eboue bombs forward and puts in a decent cross.

It’s an odd front four.

45 mins: Cesc, Flamini, RVP, Kolo and Sagna replaced by Traore, Gallas, Eboue, Hleb and hoyte. Denilson is injured. Fell on his left ankle and doesn’t look that great.

First half:

16.21: Six minutes late, we’re ready for kick-off.

It’s Diaby left, Flamini right.

2 mins: Diaby conceded a free-kick after taking his eye off the ball. Toure was focused and ehaded out.

3 mins: The crowd, this is amazingly big for a hardly cheap pre-season kickabout, appreciate some neat passing. But a lack od width sees the move peter out.

4 mins: I’d like to see Diaby with Cesc in the middle. Not convinced Denilson or Flmini with Cesc is powerful enough.

Cesc releases Clichy who bombs forward. Bendtner is in the box. Cross cut-out for a corner taken by Denilson that eludes everyone.

Stewart Robson called Bendtner “one-paced” during the DSalzburg game. Let’s see if he’s right.

6 mins: Clichy bombs forward again and his so-so cross is cut out for another corner.

7 mins: Kolo gets a flick on it but the ball trickles a yard or so wide of the post.

Almunia’s haircut is ridiculous. He looks like Alan Smith’s lesbian lover.

9 mins: Clichy wins a third corner. We’re at least trying to use the wings, which is promising. The corner just eludes Toure (I think). Someone unpronouncable for PSG drifts offside.

10 mins: Clichy clatters his man.

12 mins: RVP has been quiet. But then he often is isn’t he? And I don’t mean that in a bad way.

13 mins: A flowing break forward but RVP just overplays his ball for Sagna and it drifts out.

13 mins: Bendtner does well to win one in the air. Flamini, who I do think has his uses, is not a right winger.

14 mins: Sagna drifts forward, gets caught upfield and the PSG winger plays in his striker who slams it wide. Not great but we defended well enough that it would have taken a great shot to score.

15 mins: A long ball over Sagna and he fouls his man a few yards outside the box. Didn’t look great but I don’t think it was any great disaster. Other than the past two minutes he has looked solid. And he compltes the clearance after Kolo only half heads a cross away. A bit of pressure from PSG.

17 mins: Cesc goes to ground and concedes the corner, which is headed out by Toure. The ball is never properly cleared until Kolo shanks it out again.

18 mins: Really good chance for PSG as the quartet of Denilson, Cesc, Senderos and Kolo go sleeping. Shot is dragged wide.

20 mins: We’re yet to create anything decent. Thoughthree early corners was good because corners are a cheap way of scoring goals.

21 mins: Clichy crosses to the far post but Flamini shanks his shot down into the ground. A poor effort - though it would have taken an incredible shot to score.

23 mins: RVP slaloms forward and is fouled a yard outside the box. Probably a good outcome as he was on his right foot. Will he have a go from the free-kick? You’d think so.

24 mins: Lovely technique, lovely pace. But over by some distance.

25 mins: Flamini does his best down the right but runs out of skill.

26 mins: Pauleta gets past Denilson a little too easily. Almunia saves.

28 mins: More good link-up by PSG and a shot wide. They look far more creative than us.

28 mins: Diaby makes a decent run down the left but his cross deflects up in to the keeper’s arms.

29 mins: Bendtner trys to go past his man but is blocked off. Was never going to get a penalty for it so should have carried on rather than looking for a foul.

30 mins: Cesc is having a bit of needle with one of their midfielders. Quelle surprise.

32 mins: RVP and Bendtner link well but the ball just escapes the Dane. Commentators say heavy touch but I was more impressed by the movement in the first place.

34 mins: Toure goes for an acrobatic clearance when he probably could have done things simpler. It flies up and Pauleta’s crafty lob is turned over by the sharp Almunia.

36 mins: The winger wins a free-kick out of Diaby. Slightly amateurish defending. PSG win a corner from which the header flies wide. The defending was all a bit last year there.

40 mins: A rare break from us peters out because we don’t have enough men forward.

42 mins: Another PSG break that Almunia smothers.

45 mins: GOAL! 1-0. So I was just writing my half time report and suddenly we score a goal that makes a complete mockery of everything I was going to say. Clichy whips the ball in, Bendtner knocks it down intelligently and Flamini, rushing in David Platt like, scores with a really smart finish. How bizarre.

Half time. This is what I was going to say: We’ve created sod all. But it’s a pre-season friendly so a) it doesn’t matter b) rushing to conclusions is pointless. I’m not sure we’ve learnt a lot we didn’t know: Diaby and Flamini lack width on the wings. Cesc and Denilson is a slight midfield combination. Bendner is still raw.

Preamble:

The team is: Almunia, Sagna, Clichy, Toure, Senderos, Flamini, Fabregas, Diaby, Denilson, Bendtner and Van Persie.

Other than Flamini in for Gilberto, the midfield quartet is the one that started in the last game at the Emirates against Chelsea. In short, it has no width. The absence through injury of Rosicky and Walcott is a reminder that both are a little brittle and suggests that maybe we do need another wide man.

However in fairness to Arsene Hleb and Eboue are both on the bench and this is the only time in the season when we’ll play twice over two days.

APOLOGIES for the frankly piss-poor layout - like a screwed up teenager Goodplaya.com has been having ‘issues’ today with its images.

What I’m trying to do is draw some kind of a photographic comparison between 2007 and the 2002 FA Cup final. You might well argue that dwelling on how Freddie’s very sexy (in the everyone wanted to copy it sense) red go-faster stripe has been replaced by a slap head is the kind of detail that belongs in a girlie mag. You might also ask why this blog should care about Thierry Henry’s facial contours.

this is the caption that could

hopefully

spread over a couple of lines

Picture by John Smith

And you’d probably be right. But I maintain they tell a story. Look at that Cup Final photo and ask how often we’ve seen Freddy wheel away in delight like that in the past couple of years? Then ask yourself when was the last time you saw the same look of unconfined joy on Thiery Henry’s face?

In a way nothing encapsulated the spirit of 2002 more than that Cardiff goal. It was a summer where anyone who could vaguely pull-off the red stripe in their hair (and a fair few who couldn’t) did. But like that red stripe, those days are gone and it’s time to move on.

I should just add that I can’t fault Arsene’s judgment on the two transfers. He was right to want to keep Henry and he was right to let him leave. And he was right to call time on Freddie too.

Update: Freddie’s comments this afternoon are a real shame. Contrary to the tosh he has come out with, the facts are these: We wanted to sell Freddie in January, we wanted to sell him in May before Henry left and we wanted to sell him after Henry left. We wanted to sell him because for two years he has no longer been good enough for us.

For weeks this summer (and long after Henry left) Freddie did the whole loyalty thing, insisting he wanted to stay. It was patently obvious he was swimming against the tide of Arsene trying to ship him out. It was pathetic in a way but I didn’t want to say anything because to do so seemed harsh.

His agent even said:

Then he insisted he couldn’t play for another English team out of respect for the fans. What utter tosh. Like any of us would give a toss whether he played for Milan or Man City. Funny how when all of a sudden personal terms were agreeable he felt able to move to a club who we are generally indifferent to but who we dislike more than Man City for one thing.

His comments are disingenuous and they betray a lack of respect for the fans who paid his wages for so long. They are also appallingly disrespectful to Arsene Wenger. Freddie will know they will get “Arsenal in crisis” on the back pages tomorrow even though the truth is so blatantly differnt: he was dumped because he was no longer good enough. He fools nobody.

Moving on to the dreaded takeover stuff and of all the weekend reports the thing that most caught my eye was the number “76″. That’s how old Bernie Ecclestone is and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that after reading his comments I didn’t console myself with the thought that he might not have much longer.

Sorry if that offends but so too does someone whose opening gambit when asked to comment on the all but confirmed reports he is sniffing around the club was to say: “I’m interested in anything if it’s cheap enough”.

I suppose it’s reassuring that Keith Edelman, no stranger to football and it’s finance, has the sense to realise:

Ecclestone, by the way, is only three months off 77. Just saying.

Before we move on to a bit of site news, about a week ago Ian Wright said this about SWP’s possible move to Spurs:

Now, frankly I don’t care what SWP does and while I’ve great affection for what Wrighty did in an Arsenal shirt the media pundit Ian Wright leaves me indifferent. But being called “small-minded” by a Talk bloody Sport pundit? That’s pushing it.

Finally, at the end of this marathon post, it’s time for a bit of site news. In recent weeks the blog’s comment section has essentially been vandalised. It’s not for me to comment on the overall quality of the site, but I think it’s fair to say that for two and a half years the quality of the comments posted by readers were top notch. Posters were rational, articulate and willing to listen to each other. I was always amazed how well it policed itself. But no longer.

And something has to change because at the risk of sounding like George W Bush, the good people are leaving and the baddies are taking over. I know there will be those who will treat any system where I approve comments before they appear as completely anti what the internet and blogging in particular is all about. And they’d be right. But what’s happened to the comments board is even worse.

So what is the solution?

The easiest one is that those people who are responsible for the problems (and I think they know who they are) just stop.

If not, I’ll have to approve every post before it is published. Which will ruin things for everyone. It will do the site no favours, it will give me more work, it will irritate the genuine posters and it will even annoy the vandals because there will be no way for them to communicate with each other and what they say will never appear.

The way I see it, when it comes to Arsenal on the internet there are probably three kinds of comment boards:
1) Forums where everyone can open a thread and it is expected that people talk about what the hell they like, Arsenal related or not.
2) Boards such as the excellent Arses, where it is the very randomness of the vaguely Arsenal related chat that gives the place it’s unique flavour.
3) Blogs such as this where discussion specifically centres round the blog postings, where comments are part of a general discussion rather than a debate between two people and where things are just a little bit more random.

I realise number three sounds kind of stilted and boring. But that’s how I and (I think) most readers like it. So please respect that.

A CLEARER picture of what has gone on this summer is beginning to emerge.

Arsene’s most telling quote was to say:

That statement, coupled with recent reports on Henry’s personal life, confirm what I alluded to towards the end of my piece at the time of his departure. In short:

a) Henry was not shunted out in the way Vieira was.
b) Wenger had every intention of Henry being involved this season and no intention of selling him.
c) Matters completely separate to football (and for that matter completely separate to David Dein’s departure too) also played their part.

So is Eduardo the replacement for Henry or for Baptista? If it is the former, then is Bendtner the replacemtn for Baptista or Aliadiere? Will we buy another attacker? Or is Eduardo, RVP, Adebayor, Bendtner and possibly Walcott enough?

I don’t know. But what is clear is that irrespective of Arsene’s kind words, we’re trying to flog Ljungberg. Freddie’s claims that he could never play for another Premiership out of respect for the Arsenal fans is touching, but surely I’m not the only person who wouldn’t lose it completely if I saw him wearing the blue of Manchester City?

In midfield, the late back Gilberto will likely be replaced by one of Diaby, Flamini or Denilson for the first few games. For me Denilson and Cesc is too lightweight and Flamini should not be considered first reserve. That leaves Diaby. For me, if Arsene is not willing to trust him in the middle, then we need to invest in that great football cliche - an engine room powerhouse.

At the back, Sagna’s signing has raised eye-brows over who plays at right-back. If Arsene is serious about pushing Eboue into midfield, then to leave Justin Hoyte as the unchallenged first choice right back would be too much, too early in my opinion. So more competition there makes sense.

Sagna’s arrival also gives another option at left-back. On which note, I hear Traore could be farmed out on loan for a while to gain experience.

A LITTLE over two months after a performance at Pompey that pretty much summed up our then failings, football as it matters returns at Barnet today. I went three years ago (when we were unbeatable) and it was the footballing equivalent of watching mixed doubles featuring a couple of stars in the intimacy of an outside court at Wimbledon.

All very nice. But today my viewing will be restricted to watching on Arsenal.com, which I need to join this morning.

The new signings appear unlikely to play, though I guess Fabianski could. Whether Eboue appears at right-back or right midfield will be interesting too.

And it’s good to see Flamini still involved. Put simply, used correctly he is an asset to the squad and a good player.

Fabregas staying is clearly to be welcomed. There has been concern in some quarters about whether we let him speak to Madrid/he spoke to them anyway. I think you have to be pragmatic about this: if Madrid or anyone else are interested in a player they are always going to ensure their interest becomes known.

And the reality is we seem to be moving rapidly towards a time when if a player wants to leave, they can. I know a lot of you will disagree totally with me, but I don’t think it a bad thing. If they want to leave then so long as a proper transfer fee is sorted out why not?

It happens in every other industry (except usually without the transfer fee).

Take Fabregas. When he signed that seven year deal did anyone seriously believe it meant an end to all transfer speculation involving him until 2013? I think not. But what it does do is to give him the assurance that we are willing to invest heavily in him and it gives us the insurance of a transfer fee were he to leave.

But it doesn’t mean he won’t leave. I imagine he has been told that when it is the right time we won’t stop him. For Henry that was this summer. For Cesc, it was not. To go now would have been far too early and by the time he was 27 he could have ended up at Bolton or Man City, like Anelka did.

With Cesc, there is no rush and as has been pointed out - he has yet to actually win much with Arsenal. Of course, when he actually leaves will depend on how Cesc develops and how successful we are. But I’d say 23 or 24 is about right.

In the meantime, rather than panicing every summer that he could be off, we should learn to live with it. In the vast majority of cases big players end up leaving when it is time to leave and staying when that time has not yet arrived.

Take Henry. Contrary to his own belief, Myles Palmer (who has started referring to himself in the third person) was just one of many fans who never really felt Henry would leave a year ago but thought last month’s departure was the right moment.

A LITTLE over two months after a performance at Pompey that pretty much summed up our then failings, football as it matters returns at Barnet today. I went three years ago (when we were unbeatable) and it was the footballing equivalent of watching mixed doubles featuring a couple of stars in the intimacy of an outside court at Wimbledon.

All very nice. But today my viewing will be restricted to watching on Arsenal.com, which I need to join this morning.

The new signings appear unlikely to play, though I guess Fabianski could. Whether Eboue appears at right-back or right midfield will be interesting too.

And it’s good to see Flamini still involved. Put simply, used correctly he is an asset to the squad and a good player.

Fabregas staying is clearly to be welcomed. There has been concern in some quarters about whether we let him speak to Madrid/he spoke to them anyway. I think you have to be pragmatic about this: if Madrid or anyone else are interested in a player they are always going to ensure their interest becomes known.

And the reality is we seem to be moving rapidly towards a time when if a player wants to leave, they can. I know a lot of you will disagree totally with me, but I don’t think it a bad thing. If they want to leave then so long as a proper transfer fee is sorted out why not?

It happens in every other industry (except usually without the transfer fee).

Take Fabregas. When he signed that seven year deal did anyone seriously believe it meant an end to all transfer speculation involving him until 2013? I think not. But what it does do is to give him the assurance that we are willing to invest heavily in him and it gives us the insurance of a transfer fee were he to leave.

But it doesn’t mean he won’t leave. I imagine he has been told that when it is the right time we won’t stop him. For Henry that was this summer. For Cesc, it was not. To go now would have been far too early and by the time he was 27 he could have ended up at Bolton or Man City, like Anelka did.

With Cesc, there is no rush and as has been pointed out - he has yet to actually win much with Arsenal. Of course, when he actually leaves will depend on how Cesc develops and how successful we are. But I’d say 23 or 24 is about right.

In the meantime, rather than panicing every summer that he could be off, we should learn to live with it. In the vast majority of cases big players end up leaving when it is time to leave and staying when that time has not yet arrived.

Take Henry. Contrary to his own belief, Myles Palmer (who has started referring to himself in the third person) was just one of many fans who never really felt Henry would leave a year ago but thought last month’s departure was the right moment.