Cesc Fabregas produced a masterclass in midfield play against Blackburn last Sunday. Having assisted Arsenal's first three goals he decided to cut out the middle man and simply put the ball in the back of the net himself.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Too Many Kiss-related Puns?
Cesc Fabregas produced a masterclass in midfield play against Blackburn last Sunday. Having assisted Arsenal's first three goals he decided to cut out the middle man and simply put the ball in the back of the net himself.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
Monday, October 5, 2009
And It Showed...
I got my first proper look at Barcelona on Saturday, catching all of the second half of their game against Almeria. It was a rather unremarkable game but for one stand out feature:
Xavi and Iniesta were man-marked for the entire game, and it showed.
I don't know what the passing statistics were, but I doubt either of them have made fewer passes in a game over the past couple of seasons. They were basically irrelevant. Both of them!
Of course there are other factors to consider before one thinks that these two maestros can simply be man-marked out of a game. First of all, Iniesta still isn't match sharp. His fitness and touch aren't yet what they should be, and so when they are it will be a much tougher prospect to mark him out of a game. Secondly, Messi was going through the motions, content to win the game without really breaking a sweat. A focused Messi would have created space for the midfield duo by dribbling past players and causing general mayhem. Thirdly, Busquets did not play a clever game. He was the free man, yet he used the ball quite carelessly and was reluctant to try anything incisive. As soon as Toure came on, the midfield area was broken up by his sheer presence and directness, and more space was created.
Still, Almeria's tactics raise some interesting discussion points, and no doubt some of Europe's more illustrious clubs were paying attention to what they were up to. "I expect that many teams will copy our tactics here", said Almeria manager Hugo Sanchez. He may just be right.
No doubt also that Pep is well aware of this, and already coming up with a counter-plan. Shift Iniesta out wide as a nominal left winger? Bring Messi into the centre a la Champions League Final '09? Go high up to Ibra and have Xavi and Iniesta pushed further forward to pick up the scraps? Play the free man (Busquets/Toure/Keita) higher up the pitch, since no defensive midfielder is required?
Did you see the game? Any thoughts?
Xavi and Iniesta were man-marked for the entire game, and it showed.
I don't know what the passing statistics were, but I doubt either of them have made fewer passes in a game over the past couple of seasons. They were basically irrelevant. Both of them!
Of course there are other factors to consider before one thinks that these two maestros can simply be man-marked out of a game. First of all, Iniesta still isn't match sharp. His fitness and touch aren't yet what they should be, and so when they are it will be a much tougher prospect to mark him out of a game. Secondly, Messi was going through the motions, content to win the game without really breaking a sweat. A focused Messi would have created space for the midfield duo by dribbling past players and causing general mayhem. Thirdly, Busquets did not play a clever game. He was the free man, yet he used the ball quite carelessly and was reluctant to try anything incisive. As soon as Toure came on, the midfield area was broken up by his sheer presence and directness, and more space was created.
Still, Almeria's tactics raise some interesting discussion points, and no doubt some of Europe's more illustrious clubs were paying attention to what they were up to. "I expect that many teams will copy our tactics here", said Almeria manager Hugo Sanchez. He may just be right.
No doubt also that Pep is well aware of this, and already coming up with a counter-plan. Shift Iniesta out wide as a nominal left winger? Bring Messi into the centre a la Champions League Final '09? Go high up to Ibra and have Xavi and Iniesta pushed further forward to pick up the scraps? Play the free man (Busquets/Toure/Keita) higher up the pitch, since no defensive midfielder is required?
Did you see the game? Any thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
