Results for tag: Arsenal
Posted by:
Andy Gray
on Feb 14, 2011 at 12:11:45 PM
What's going on with Arsenal? We've seen some pretty odd things happening in their matches this season: a loss at home to Spurs when they were ahead, Cesc Fabregas allegedly making some accusatory comments to the ref during their recent match against Everton, Abou Diaby retaliating after a heavy Joey Barton tackle and of course... the subsequent loss of a four goal lead in that very match.
I think the answer is that the pressure is starting to get to them. The pressure of not having won a trophy for more than five years. Once they win one I wouldn't be surprised to see them go on and land more silverware soon after. But, until they get over the line, I can see the players and indeed Arsene Wenger getting frustrated and allowing their emotions to get the better of them. Especially when...
Posted by:
Andy Gray
on Jan 10, 2011 at 09:17:37 AM
Winning the FA Cup with Everton in 1984 was one of the proudest moments of my career so I know what the competition means. For this reason, it always astonishes me that clubs put their league status so far ahead of the cup in their list of priorities.
It is extraordinary that managers don't want to win the FA Cup. This is one of the greatest club competitions, it is watched all around the world and players everywhere dream of walking out at Wembley.
I understand the importance of league and European competition but if I was the manager of a team that could not win the title, I'd be going all out to get my hands on silverware. The FA Cup is a perfect opportunity for mid-table teams to grab some glory.
I find it incredible that teams don't want to give themselves a chance to win ...
Posted by:
Andy Gray
on Dec 19, 2010 at 05:21:48 PM
I'm probably not the right person to be talking about other people's penalties! During my career I took just five (I did score four of them if you're wondering) and that was due to a combination of always having other great penalty takers at the club and me just not fancying it. Give me a ball in motion any day of the week rather than a spot kick.
That said, I sometimes wish I had taken more as my career goals tally would have been considerably higher! Some players call them freebies and you can see why...
I'm not entirely convinced by [b]Wayne Rooney's[/b] new penalty run-up but I'm not so sure he'll be trying it again. It worked against Rangers but he had a bit of a shocker against Arsenal.
Luckily for him, it didn't make a difference in the end but I said in the post-match analysis...
Posted by:
Andy Gray
on Dec 13, 2010 at 09:24:20 AM
A word on Arsenal's title chances. I do worry that they lack a little Premier League experience and ruthlessness at the heart of their defence to go on and actually win the title this year, rather than just come close. But so far they've been so good in other areas that they've got away with it, which is why they're top of the table.
One of the things they've done particularly well is cope with injuries to key players. Robin van Persie, such an important player for Arsenal over the years with his skill, pace and goals, has only just come back after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. In his absence Marouane Chamakh has been brilliant, especially when you consider how difficult it is for strikers to make an impact in their first season in this league.
They've also been without Cesc Fabregas...