There has been much talk about how Arsenal has performed this season. Many though question how they will perform when they face stronger opposition like the "Big 4", believing they will crumble in the event of a loss. With this in mind, we head to the biggest week of the year where Arsenal face Liverpool and Manchester United and also face Sheffield united in the Carling cup in between these two games.
The Liverpool game came on Sunday midday and all the fiery power expected in the game was put to extinction when Liverpool showed up with a defensive formation with Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano. That Xabi and jAVIER have never played together in the same game because of their defensive likabilities, showed their intention to defend.
Even though all of us at the Emirates Stadium would have hoped this would be a feast of football with goals and thrilling play from the off, reality got into the way of fantasy in an opening half that failed to live up to expectations.As it turned out, the key man for Liverpool in the first half was Steven Gerrard as he did his best to chop down Arsenal's attacking intent at its heart, with Cesc Fabregas struggling to find the space he thrives in. Liverpool players went flying into tackles as there were about 9 sliding tackles in the 1st half of the game, this made chances few and far in between as arsenal were caged and Liverpool had little attacking ambition. At the end of the day, the game ended in a draw as arsenal grew in power in the second half as they were beginning to find more space as Liverpool grew tired. The goal to pull arsenal back was a well defined move, lovely placed on a platter by hleb for fabregas who had made a full field run to collect the well executed chip, that tore the Liverpool defence apart and poked past an hapless Reina. At the end, the result could have been said as fair but arsenal fans felt they could have gone home with the 3 full points. They left Anfield unscathed.
Next is a trip to Bramall Lane. Wenger is going to once again put his faith in a youthful side bearing the likes Denilson, Diarra, Fabianksi and giving debuts to lansbury,merida, gavin hoyte and Gibson. With the manager's confidence and their determination to impress and youthful desire, they tore Sheffield united apart scoring goals just when they are needed-As Sheffield was matching them in play. The first goal was a well taken scorcher to the top corner by Eduardo after good play by Eduardo. Seeing that goal reminded me that In Eduardo, we have a new breed of a striker who is a typical goal poacher, something we have not had in while. Ingenuity and a eye for a killer pass brought about the second. This goal just exemplified what Arsene was trying to teach at the club as ability to produce entertaining football was been thought at all age levels. The third was just a quick reminder that a new cesc was likely in the waiting, something the professor likes to do-creating a new player from an older generation. The game was a whole was satisfactory to the eye and gave lots of hope for the future.
Though, the real litmus test was not performed until early Saturday morning, the tension leading up to the game was quite impressive.
