AC Milan 4-0 Arsenal

ROBINHO: Two goals for Milan

Former Manchester City man, Robinho, struck twice to to put an end to Arsenal’s Champions League dreams as AC Milan ended Arsenal's unbeaten run against Italian sides to an embarrassing end.

Former Tottenham man Kevin-Prince Boateng’s stunning strike in the 15^th minute put the Rossonieri ahead before Robinho doubled and then trebled their lead.

Ibrahimovic scored a penalty in the 79^th minute to kill off the game beyond doubt and in doing so ensured that he has scored in every Champions League game he’s played in this season. Ibrahimovic made a nuisance of himself from the kick-off and looked every bit the player he says he is, creating and scoring goals tonight.

Arsenal had a good chunk of the possession in the opening ten minutes but their good spell ended there. Boateng’s strike of the night from the right-hand side rattled the underside of the bar and then the bottom of the net, leaving Szczesny helpless and Arsenal were 1-0 down before they knew it.

The pitch didn’t do either team any favours but it could be suggested that the wide-flanks, where the worst of it was, would affect Arsenal’s play more than the home side.

Arsenal’s defence were at their poorest since the start of the season and Milan’s front three of Ibrahimovic, Boateng and Robinho ran them ragged.

If things couldn’t get worse for the Gunners’ back line, Laurent Koscielny, who was their best defender by far and away with Vermaelen having a torrid time, had to be replaced with Djourou just before the break.

AC Milan were troubled by their own injury problems and manager, Allegri found himself having to bring on Urby Emanuelson for the injured Clarence Seedorf just after the 10 minute mark.

Robinho made it 2-0 before half time heading home a perfectly chipped ball from Ibrahimovic from five yards out.

Half time saw changes made from Arsenal and a final Champions League appearance for Thierry Henry who replaced the lacklustre Theo Walcott.

But the change didn’t rectify the problems and Robinho doubled his tally for the night after an unfortunate Vermaelen slip on the edge of the box allowed him the space to pick his spot and smash his effort towards goal.

Arsenal very nearly got one back just after the 60^th minute when Henry and Van Persie teamed up to create a rare Arsenal chance which forced a save from ‘keeper Marco Amelia.

The French maestro flicked the ball up with his heel for the prolific Van Persie to strike it on the volley but Amelia did well to tip the shot round the post.

Szczesny’s first save came in the third minute of stoppage time when he was forced to stop a later strike from Pato. Four Milan shots hit the back of the net and the other ten were off-target.

Arsenal have an important couple of weeks ahead with the FA Cup game then Tottenham and Liverpool in the league. If they continue to perform the way they did tonight then their season will be over sooner rather than later.

What's Arsenal's problem?

Arsenal find themselves dumped out of two competitions in less than a week and suddenly the Gunners’ chances of silverware are decreased significantly and now every league game is a cup final, almost (and we know how well Arsenal do in cup finals!). Now, don’t get me wrong, the title race is far from over but do Arsenal have what it takes or is there something of a ‘mental block’ when it comes to obtaining a trophy?

Arsene Wenger may not be highly regarded as one of arsenal’s problems and rightly so but the manager must take responsibility for his teams failures at some point. When players are under-performing and being accused of lacking in effort it’s easy to blame individual players but one must question how much of this attitude is down to the managers style and motivational tactics. For example, it’s difficult to imagine a player under the likes of Ferguson or Moyes playing a full game in a lacklustre fashion without it being pointed out to him, to put it mildly.

Arsene Wenger has seen a number of players come and go over the past 5 trophy-less seasons yet, all the squads seem to have the same problem. Wenger has said before that if his team are losing or have been defeated he never uses the hairdryer method; instead they are made to sit and contemplate their mistakes. This is, no doubt, a tactful and subtle approach yet, it does seem slightly childish to me, like the naughty step or silent treatment method employed by parents.

Perhaps Arsenal would benefit from a more mouthy and brash assistant coach, someone to tell them when they’re flailing around arse over tit. Someone to provide some steel and some of the ‘English grit and determination’ that we’re so often reminded of. Could Wenger’s method be too intellectual for a football team?

Barcenal v Arselona Pt. 2, Round 2.

 Arsenal are in Barcelona followed by fans in great numbers ahead of their much anticipated Champions League tie against the Catalan giants. It wont be easy, many of the players will still be haunted by the memories of last year’s clash at the Camp Nou when Arsenal, having fought back from a 2 goal deficit at the Emirates to take a 2-2 score line to the Camp, were demolished by Lionel Messi. Arsenal even took the lead through Nicklas Bendtner and spirits were cautiously high until Messi hit four in front of the Barça faithful.

This time it’s different, Arsenal take a lead into the second leg and Wenger’s side will be looking to and find that special something in Catalonia. Many walk the streets, serenaded by the winding paths of the Barri Gotic, some search for life itself or love, romance or beauty; everything and nothing. Although Arsenal’s task is more definite in a footballing sense; a coming of age and exercising past demons the reality of beating Barcelona by playing total football is poetry in motion and it would indeed be a thing of great beauty.

Both sides are hindered with injuries/suspensions so the changes will be rung. Expect Busquets to partner Eric Abidal in the centre of defence in the absence of Puyol and Gerard Pique who is suspended. This is, no doubt, pleasing for the Arsenal team but lest we forget the attacking line up likely to be Villa, Messi, Pedro, Xavi and Iniesta. As for Arsenal, with the exception of Alex Song who is definitely set to miss out, Van Persie and Cesc Fàbregas will have late fitness tests prior to the match with, Arsenal captain, Fàbregas, “90% likely” to start. Jack Wilshere, the man who received rave reviews in the Catalan press after his performance in the first leg when he did not look out of place when up against the world’s best, has declared himself fit via his twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/jack_wilshere) account.

Walcott missing out is a bigger blow than the possible absence of Van Persie. The winger can punish teams with his pace especially a team like Barcelona who often play a high line. Arsenal will not only miss his ability, they will miss his presence; he terrifies defenders. No defender enjoys playing against pace and Walcott would really give the Barça defence a reason to be fearful.

The Arsenal defence have their work cut out for them in the shape of Leo Messi, Pedro and David Villa. Although little praise has befallen Koscielny and Djourou for their solid performance at the Emirates, the Arsenal centre-backs took control of their area and put in a sturdy performance against the tricksters. They must put in a similar performance but that wont be enough, Arsenal will need Lady Luck on their side too.

Without a doubt, it’s going to be a beautiful game and a very different one from last year’s encounter in that both teams have grown. After Mourinho’s Inter Milan beat Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final last season the Special One claimed: “You cannot play their way and win”, Arsenal will be hoping to prove him wrong tonight.

Premier League Round Up

Arsenal Hit The Top

Arsenal are top of the league after their win against Fulham at the Emirates. United sit just one point below The Gunners’ with a game in hand after their game against Blackpool was called off due to the bad weather. Despite the win, Arsenal fans remain frustrated at the inability to keep a clean sheet. It has been almost a month since Arsenal kept the opposition off the score sheet in the league when the beat Wolves at Molineux. With Thomas Vermaelen out until January at least the Gunners' will have to continue with operation we'll-score-more-than-you. However, usually the league winners consist of the team who have had the best defence throughout a season which might worry fans slightly. Next up for Arsenal is Manchester United at Old Trafford and although Samir Nasri has been outstanding there is talk of Cesc Fabregas returning to fitness in time for the match which would give Wenger's side a huge boost.

Hughton Down and Out

He's even got Newcastle hair

Newcastle United sack Chris Hughton and appoint Alan Pardew. I know what you're thinking. Me too. What on earth is going on? This is a difficult subject to comment on since it's not a decision that  can be made sense of in footballing terms. Pardew, having last been sacked by League One side Southampton must have jumped at the chance to manage a Premier League club. So, why did Hughton get the boot? “Lack of Premier League experience”, claims Newcastle owner Mike Ashley. I would like to know how much Premier League experience you need to take a newly promoted team to 19 points before Christmas including wins over rivals Sunderland, a 6-0 win over Aston Villa and a victory at the Emirates. It seems that, inexplicably, Ashley has been looking for an excuse to sack Hughton for some time now. How are new managers supposed to gain relevant experience these days if not given the chance? Alan Pardew’s reign at West Ham United ended in sacking and saw West Ham through their worst run in 70 years, not all-in-all great experience one might think.

Dutch Courage for Liverpool

Liverpool completed the weekend’s fixtures on Monday night when they made easy work of an under-strength Villa side at Anfield. Ryan Babel started the match in a central forward role and the young Dutchman finally looked as if he may live up to all the hype after all – something which never looked likely under Rafa Benitez. The forward was lively and showed exceptional skill when he controlled the ball with a deft touch of the shoulder while on the turn and then smashed it across Brad Friedel into the net in what was Liverpool’s second of the evening. The importance of Dirk Kuyt was again reiterated; the first goal coming from a corner which Kuyt won after chasing down a nothing ball and forcing the Villa defence to concede a corner which lead to the opening goal for The Reds. As Liverpool get back to full strength hopefully a better reflection of Roy Hodgson as a manager will begin to shine through.

Arsenal's Case for Silverware

Arsenal, somehow, managed a 0-4 destruction of Newcastle United in the Carling Cup last night despite looking somewhat disjointed and unconvincing for the most part. Having said that, Newcastle never looked overly threatening throughout the match and whenever they did have a decent chance Szczesny performed brilliantly.

A lot has been made of Arsene Wenger taking the competition more seriously in terms of the strength of squad he fields now that Arsenal seem to be desperate for silverware. However, the team who lined up to face Newcastle last night is not much different from the side who were beat at Eastlands in the quarter final of last year's cup. There were four of the same starters last night as there was last season, arguably, if Wilshere and Ramsey were available that would make six. Gibbs was injured for last season's game, as was Djourou and Nasri started last season's clash against Liverpool so given the circumstances, I don't think the team is all massively different.

The most notable priority shift in Arsene's mentality is not so much the starting line up but, the bench; there is now first teamers such as Fabregas, Arshavin and Sagna occupying bench for the competition.

With Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City out of the competition there is a real chance that Arsenal could give it a good go this season and I think Wenger is very keen to take advantage of the situation.

The only question is, how much would change if Arsenal won the League Cup? It has been well documented that Wenger has previously used the League Cup to give the youngsters some much needed experience however now it seems that he cannot afford to do that to the same extent.

Would Arsenal really be able to silence their critics through one League Cup victory? I suspect not, but what it would bring to the club is a winning mentality, something that captain Cesc Fabregas said his team lacked recently.

Very, very few of these Arsenal players know what it feels like to win anything (and, I'm not counting the Emirates Cup!). This group of youngsters has not achieved anything together resulting in a lack of confidence when it comes to getting over the final hurdle. I suspect that should they lift one trophy, even if it is the Carling Cup that they may go on to win several, not necessarily in the same season but soon afterwards. 

Theo Walcott, who scored two goals last night, believes this too, saying: "Our fans have been desperate for us to win a trophy and the players have as well.  Hopefully we can win the Carling Cup and it will be one of many."

Bendtner's Back

Nicklas Bendtner was on target for Arsenal last weekend, scoring his first of the season, and aiming to back up his recent boasts of supreme fitness. Some reckon he's a bit of an arrogant so and so but this blogger thinks he might just be the real deal.

Arsene Wenger admitted that Bendtner's groin had been troubling him for some time and that we had not yet seen Nick at “full fitness”. Despite his somewhat constant injury setbacks and the fact that he has never been first choice striker (apart from the end of last season due to several injuries within the squad), Bendtner netted his 50^th Premier League goal against City after coming on as a sub at the Emirates.

Since his niggling injury, through which he played at the World Cup for Denmark when he probably shouldn't have, Bendtner has watched Marouane Chamakh relish in the role of Arsenal centre-forward in his three month spell on the sidelines.

Chamakh's adaptation to the Arsenal team and the Premier League has been seamless and he is looking like a fantastic all-round option for the Gunners. He adds the height that Van Persie does not and the speedy link-up play which Bendtner can, at times, lack.

Bendtner, however, has time on his side and still has a lot to learn. His feud with Adebayor was well documented and even boiled over onto the pitch at White Hart Lane during that infamous Carling Cup game.

Learning from Chamakh, rather than pitching himself against him, will do the young striker a lot of good. He has a similar physique but does not always use it to his full advantage, the Morrocan on the other hand holds the ball up well and usually turns the defender only for them to foul him.

Bendtner has been watching Chamakh and has commended him on his smart positional play, "As well as scoring goals he works hard when he doesn't have the ball which I like."

Positional play is something Bendtner is praise for by his manager. He is an intelligent player and he knows that he does not possess the gift of pace, as Walcott and Rosicky do, instead he has to make up for that by getting himself in good positions.

"I like Marouane. As a team-mate he's been really great. I hadn't trained with him until very recently but he seems like a good guy, a good football player and - on what I've seen so far I think he has done really well", Bendtner added.

It seems as if he has welcomed the competition that Chamakh brings and realises that no matter how good he believes himself to be that there is always room for improvement. The Dane also stated that he could play in any of the front 3 positions and would be happy to be deployed however Wenger sees fit.

Nicklas looks set to start the Carling Cup fixture against Newcastle at St. James' Park in his preferred central position and will be hoping to show Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal fans what they've been missing.