Written by George Sezer Sunday, 12 September 2010 17:41

GunnerTalk Blog

By George Sezer

It is sad that I will be starting my blog in a negative fashion after another good win but I strongly believe that unless we do something about the thuggish nature of our game, we will have to endure many more disastrous international tournaments like the World Cup a couple of months ago. When are our football managers, coaches , referees and last but not least the media going to wake up and understand that the football in this world has moved on and unless we change our mentality towards to the beautiful game we will be left behind?

They kept going on about how unfair the sending off of Cahill was for his unnecessary two feet off the ground, from the behind launch at Chamakh but not commenting about serial fouler Kevin Davies 4 separate yellow card offences which he was carded for only one of them. What about the one of the ugliest challenges you likely to see on a football pitch by that one of the nastiest players in the game? Robinson’s assault on Diaby; was not even given as a foul, it could have broken his leg in half and it wouldn’t have been the first time since he joined us.  

To make the matters worse so called football commentators insistently mentioned that the game was much closer than the score line suggested. I don’t know if they were watching a different match but from what I saw from the game they were very lucky to lose only 4-1. It could have been easily double that figure if Arshavin and Rocisky were wearing their shooting boots. It made me laugh when a Match of the Day BBC journalist commentating on arsenal highlights could only master the words “oh! He squeezed it in, I don’t know what happened to the goalkeeper, I don’t know if he meant it” when Song delightfully dinked the ball over their keeper from an acute angle. That is how you make a fool of yourself as a football journalist.

The game as a whole was mostly a one sided affair as our style of football was too much for Bolton to handle. Arsene Wenger in knowledge of this fact before the game made quite a few changes to the line up. Both fullbacks were rested along with Diaby, probably our Champions League game in mind. That meant our back four of Eboue, Squillaci, Koscielny and Gibbs played together for the first time and the very able Wilshere replacing the French midfielder.

Only few minutes into the game Rosicky set the tune of the match by playing a great through ball to Arshavin. The little Russian was slightly unlucky when his low drive was saved by Bolton’s reserve keeper’s legs. The Czech international, playing on the right side of the midfield in place of injured Walcott, had another very good game. If he stays injury free, we might at last see what a gem of a player he is. He also gives us very different option to Walcott as he likes to cut inside more often to play his lovely through balls and likes to shoot from a distance like the one he narrowly blazed over the Bolton’s crossbar.

Our first goal came courtesy of a great diagonal cross to the back stick from Wilshere. Man of the match Fabregas clever cutback from impressive young Gun’s cross was bundled in by our new recruit Koscielny for his first ever Arsenal goal in the 24^th minute.

Strong play by Chamakh found Rosicky in his favourite inside right position and of course a trademark through ball from the little Mozart set Arshavin free only to be called offside, wrongly. Great strong run by our captain ended up with a tame shot saved easily by their keeper followed soon afterwards. Clever dummy by Wilshere after good work by Chamakh gave Rocisky a great opportunity to add to the score line but his shot was weak, Arshavin’s finishing wasn’t any better when he was put through by yet another great Fabregas pass. Our captain marvel was at it again when he spun the Bolton player in the centre circle and played a brilliant through ball to Arshavin who made a great run but the Russian shot narrowly wide as chances came and went in the first half.

The way the football is, their equaliser came from one of their very rare ventures to our half. A high ball (what else?) caused all sorts of problems for our defence. Koscielny’s effort  to head back the ball back to Alumina fell short, their winger Lee sneaked in and crossed for Elmander to head into our net just before the break.

Second half started in the same fashion as the first, Fabregas running things in the midfield, looking like coming back to his best. His magnificent pass over their defence put Chamakh clean through but his shot was saved brilliantly by their rookie goalkeeper. The world cup winner made sure that it was not going to be one of these days by chipping a great cross, after a short corner, towards far post for Chamakh to head home our second goal in the 60^th minute.

The goal was a signal for Wenger to make our first substitution by replacing impressive Wilshere with Diaby. Poor French international lasted only 18 minutes before he had to be withdrawn after that awful challenge by Robinson to be replaced by Denilson. Sandwiched between all these was the sending off of Cahill which supposed to have changed the outcome of the game according to the so called experts. Are they having a laugh, there was only going to be a one outcome of this game, regardless of the sending off. They should have been down to 8 players in my opinion anyway.

We kept pounding their goal, Fabregas finding Arshavin after a strong run through the midfield who in turn found Rocisky bearing down from the right, another great chance went begging when the little Czech shot wide from close range.

Alex Song started the move that ended up scoring our third goal himself with that delicious dink in the 78^th minute. It summed up his all action performance, great defensive work and still found time for few sorties to opposing 18 yard.

We saved the best until last, after replacing Chamakh in the 83th minute Vela, who by the way looks a different kind of animal, chased back and won the ball in the midfield and started the move that was kind of football poetry, a fantasy football every fan in the world should drool about. Over a 20 pass and move passage of play, starting with Denilson-Fabregas-Song triangle, back to Squillaci, another triangle involving our midfield trio before ball finding its way to our right back Eboue who involved with another triangle with Song and Denilson, the ball ended up with our left back Gibbs via Vela who in turn found Fabregas, after a swift 1-2 with Denilson the excellent Spaniard produced a perfect lobbed through ball in front of Vela who bent his run brilliantly to stay on side. At that point I was begging him to finish this magnificent move and he duly obliged by opening his body and planting the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

What better way to put finishing touches to a football game and my blog.

Till next time.