Saturday, May 16, 2015

Arsenal 2014-2015: May

Monday, May 4, 2015 3PM EST Arsenal at Hull
Arsenal face last season's FA Cup final opponents in a rare Monday afternoon match. Despite the goalless draw with Chelsea, Arsenal head to Hull on a run of ten matches without defeat. Based on current form, this should be an easy three points for the Gunners, but of course no team can ever be taken for granted.








The final score of 1-3 flattered Hull. Arsenal had 68% of the possession and had almost three times as many shots on goal as Hull. Arsenal owned the first half and the game was pretty much done and dusted by the time half time rolled around.



Hull frustrated Arsenal for the first 25 minutes of the match but Alexis Sanchez broke the deadlock in the 28th minute with a sensational free kick that was deflected right in to the Hull goal. Five minutes later it was Aaron Ramsey's turn and Arsenal had a 0-2 lead. Before the half ended, Ramsey played provider for Sanchez and Arsenal went in to the break with a three goal lead.


Perhaps sensing that they had done enough, Arsenal seemed to concentrate on maintaining the ball in the second half rather than running up the score. This was a bit frustrating as Arsenal are now level on points with Manchester City but trail the billionaires on goal differential by two goals. Arsenal do have a game in hand, however.



A lapse in concentration led to a Hull goal on a header from Stephen Quinn in the 56th minute, but the end result was never really in any doubt.



An added bonus was the return of Jack Wilshere late in the match after having been out of action since November. 


Arsenal's form continues to impress and Sanchez has now scored 24 goals for Arsenal this season. He's definitely Arsenal's player of the year!


In addition to the win, Arsenal fans were treated to the 20th annual St. Totteringham's Day celebration!! It's Happened Again!








 Monday, May 11, 2015 3PM EST Arsenal vs. Swansea 




 Swansea have become something of a bogey team for Arsenal so a trip to Wales will provide a tough test for Arsenal. The Gunners have been on an amazing run so confidence heading in to this match is high. 



Arsenal hold the upper hand over Sheikh Mansour's team so hopefully they can return to London with all three points.






Frustration, disappointment and overall disgust are the feelings all Arsenal fans must have felt after this match. Despite dominating the match from beginning to end, it was Swansea that walked away with the points. As if it was deja vu, the same player that handed us defeat at Swansea earlier in the season, came off the bench and scored the winner late in the match. Bafetimbi Gomis headed home in the 85th minute and that was that.


Arsenal had been on a fantastic run and of course it was bound to end at some point, but to lose in this fashion was a reminder of some of Arsenal's recent shortcomings. The team has had a tendency over the past few seasons to dominate possession, shots on goal and corners, yet end up without all three points. This one really hurt as on paper Arsenal should have taken the match. Unfortunately, Arsenal's finishing was missing and the needed goals never came. One lapse in concentration and Swansea scored. It was a frustrating match that needs to be seen as a blip as the club looks to finish in the top 3 and of course win a second consecutive FA Cup.








Sunday, May 17, 2015 Arsenal at Manchester United
Arsenal hold the upper hand over Manchester United for third place, however, it's time that Arsenal gave Manchester United a defeat in front of their home fans. How Arsenal lost to this team at the Emirates earlier this season, is beyond me. The tide has turned and Arsenal are the superior team...it's time that they showed that. It'll be nice to give Judas a beating with his beloved Manure and watch LVG babble in his post match interview.

 Here's to nothing less than an Arsenal victory!





Once again an Arsenal match versus Manchester United proved to be less than satisfying. Despite the fact that Arsenal have a better team and should have easily handled LVG's bunch, the Gunners went in to the half down 1-0. 

 The introduction of Theo Walcott in the second half added a bit of pace to the Arsenal attack and the breakthrough came in the 82nd minute when a deflected Theo Walcott cross gave the Gunners an equalizing goal. The goal was credited to ManUre defender Tyler Blackett as an own goal. Regardless Walcott had a lot to do with it and the match ended 1-1.

 While it was disappointing in the end not to defeat LVG's club, the 1-1 draw guaranteed that Arsenal retained their spot above ManUre in the table. All in all, it was a good point away at Old Trafford.











 Wednesday, May 20, 2015 2:45PM Arsenal vs. Sunderland


Arsenal's game in hand sees Sunderland visiting the Emirates. On paper this should be a slam dunk and a victory is exactly what is expected. Arsenal are in the top 3 and Sunderland are hanging on by a thread to avoid the drop to the Championship. 

 Confidence is at a high heading in to this match and expectations are for a convincing Arsenal victory.






A match couldn't be more one sided than this and yet still be completely frustrating. The stats show that Arsenal dominated the game and should have been comfortable winners:
  • Possession: Arsenal 75% Sunderland 25%
  • Shots: Arsenal 28 Sunderland 7
  • Parking The Bus: Arsenal 0% Sunderland 100%


 Sunderland went in to the match knowing that a point would be enough to secure EPL survival and to their credit they had a game plan and stuck with it. Arsenal were on the attack throughout the entire match, but Sunderland kept their defensive shape and kept Arsenal from getting the breakthrough goal. 

 In the end it finished 0-0 and Sunderland celebrated as if they had won the league. The point for Arsenal pretty much locked up third place, but overall it was a pretty frustrating afternoon as Arsenal still had hopes of finishing second and the three points would have been deserved.

 One more EPL match and then it's on to the FA Cup Final.
Sunday, May 24, 2015 10AM Arsenal vs. West Brom












AFTER







Saturday, May 30, 2015 12:30PM EST Arsenal vs. Aston Villa FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium




The last match of the season and what a big one this is. As the current holders of the FA Cup, Arsenal have the chance to retain their trophy with back to back FA Cup victories. The mood heading in to this match among Arsenal fans is confidence with a bit of caution. We've been down this road before and been left disappointed on numerous occasions. Even last year's FA Cup victory was an emotional roller coaster as Arsenal fell behind the inferior Hull by two goals only to come back and win the cup 3-2.




This year though, Arsenal are heading in to this match with a head of steam and a lot of confidence. Despite a bit of a speed bump with the Swansea and Sunderland matches, Arsenal got back on track with last weekend's final EPL match of the season versus West Brom. The return of Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott to the starting lineup proved a master stroke and the only problem Arsenal are facing heading in to the FA Cup Final is which players should be starting. That's a nice problem to have.



So fingers are crossed and viewing plans have been made. Here's to back to back FA Cup Trophies with a victory over Aston Villa!















What a performance from Arsenal!! Back to back FA Cup Championships it is for the Gunners after a display that can only be described as AWESOME. 


This one was watched with other NYC Gooners down at O'Hanlon's on 14th Street and First Avenue and even 2 hours before kick off the place was packed!


For all the grief he has taken all season from pundits, haters and the #WengerOut brigade, Arsene Wenger showed that he knows exactly what he is doing. His decision to reward Theo Walcott's brilliant performance versus West Brom last weekend with a start over Olivier Giroud paid off big time.


Arsenal's breakthrough didn't come until the 40th minute, but despite the time it took to get on the score sheet, it never looked uncertain as to which team would come out victorious. Theo Walcott's left footed shot in to the left corner of the net got by Shay Given and Walcott's reaction was pure joy. (Based on Wenger's decision to start Theo and the player's reaction to scoring, it looks pretty likely that Walcott will be signing a new Arsenal contract).


Arsenal went in to the break 1-0 up and confidence was high. Of course, a one goal lead is never enough to put all nerves at ease. 

Five minutes in to the second half, Alexis Sanchez gave Arsenal fans a reason to lose the nerves and start getting ready for a celebration. The sensational forward scored an absolute screamer that was just simply amazing! The Mirror described it like this:



But if Villa thought they had got away with a first-half chasing relatively unscathed, Sanchez took their breath away – along with the watching nation's oxygen supply – with a moment of magic five minutes after the restart.


Drifting in from the left flank, Sanchez hit a swerving, dipping missile from almost 30 yards that kissed the underside of Given's crossbar on its way in.


For half a second, there was a stunned silence at the east end of Wembley, where Arsenal supporters formed a bank or primrose yellow, and then the penny dropped in the fruit machine.
Sanchez had scored one of THE special FA Cup final goals, an absolute rocket. Think of Roberto Di Matteo's instant hit for Chelsea after 42 seconds against Middlesbrough 18 years ago and you get the picture.

For anorak value, Sanchez was only the second Chilean to score in the FA Cup final – the other was George Robledo for Newcastle against Arsenal 63 years ago.

But his first season at Arsenal has amounted to 25 goals, 13 assists and a trophy in 52 games. An absolute steal, even at £33 million.


 The BFG, Per Mertesacker, was left unmarked on a corner in the 62nd minute and headed home the third.

Giroud came on as a sub in the 77th minute and got in on the act in added time. The Ox (also on as a sub in the 90th minute) sent in a cross which Giroud side footed home for Arsenal's fourth!


Seconds later the celebration was on and the singing inside of O'Hanlon's matched that taking place at Wembley. 









































Sunday, May 31, 2015 Arsenal FA Cup Victory Parade

























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Saturday, April 11, 2015

Arsenal 2014-2015: April

Saturday, April 4, 2015 7:45AM EST Arsenal vs. Liverpool



The international break is over and after two weeks off it's back to Premier League action. Arsenal have been in great form and the proof is in that fact that Olivier Giroud and Arsene Wenger won Premier League Player of the Month and Premier League Manager of the Month, respectively.


In order to keep the momentum going, Arsenal will need to put Liverpool in its place and hopefully exact some revenge for that humiliating defeat at Anfield in February 2014. Liverpool had been the "in form team" heading in to the last round of fixtures...however, after being defeated at home by ManUre and seeing captain Stevie G. being sent off after less than one minute, that feel good vibe seems to have dissipated. In addition to Gerard missing out on the trip to the Emirates, Martin Skrtel will also miss the match after he somehow stamped on ManUre goalkeeper David DeGea (Skrtel pleaded innocence, but the video doesn't lie).



Arsenal need this win to show Liverpool that the Gunners are the real deal and to seal Liverpool's fate of fighting an uphill battle to finish in the Top 4.









Now that's what you call a first half showing! Liverpool might have had a couple of moments where they looked dangerous but once Arsenal made their breakthrough with Hector Bellerin showed that he's more than just a defender and skipped through the Liverpool "defenders" as if they were invisible to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead. From there it was eight minutes of pure joy!



Ozil was fouled and punished Liverpool with a brilliant 25 yard free kicks that Mignolet was unable to stop in the left corner of the Liverpool goal. For all those whining that Ozil has been invisible, this one was impossible to miss.


Right before half time, Alexis Sanchez got in on the action with a thunderbolt of a shot that was beyond amazing. The half ended 3-0.




 








The second half was more pedestrian with Arsenal keeping Liverpool at bay and concentrating more on the defensive aspect of the match.


In the 76th minute, Bellerin fouled Raheem Sterling in the box and Jordan Henderson stepped up and scored past a diving David Ospina who came close to keeping the shot out.



Liverpool had a lifeline but to be honest there was never any doubt who the winner would be.



The final nail in the coffin came from the EPL's March Player of the Month, Olivier Giroud, who scored a powerful goal to keep his name in the spotlight. In the end it was an impressive 4-1 Arsenal victory!















Saturday April 11, 2015 12:30PM Arsenal at Burnley
Arsenal head in to this match as the in form team in the EPL. What a refreshing change it is to hear nothing but accolades being spoken about Arsenal while Liverpool and Manchester City are being talked about as "crisis" clubs and labelled "bottlers". 




Arsenal have won seven straight EPL matches and look set to make it eight today as they take on Burnley. Burnely have put in some impressive performances this season, but they still sit in 19th place and are facing relegation. On paper this should be an easy Arsenal victory, but as we've all come to experience there are no easy matches at this level and no team should be taken lightly.


With 63 points, Arsenal find themselves in second place seven points behind Chelsea who still have a game in hand. Several weeks ago it was all about Chelsea and Man City battling it out for the title. Now, it's Arsenal that are trailing Chelsea. While it's unlikely that Arsenal could catch Chelsea, the fact that this is even a part of the conversation is amazing considering the doom and gloom and constant Wenger Out whining from some of the fan base earlier this season.

 With the Sheikh's 4th place team facing ManUre tomorrow, one or both of those teams will lose points which further help's Arsenal's cause of finishing as high as possible in the league.









Another three points for the Arsenal after a well deserved 0-1 victory. This one was a bit of a different Arsenal performance, but just as equally enjoyable. Instead of running rampant and trying to score the perfect goal with every possession, this match was more about ball control and not giving Burnley a chance on the ball. It was a defensive masterclass.




In the past a single goal lead would have been a nerve wracking, heart attack waiting to happen for fans. This was not that. The one goal lead was almost equivalent to a three goal lead as Arsenal looked poised, confident and impenetrable throughout the match. Burnley may have had one or two instances where they caused a moment of fear, but overall they were unable to break through the Arsenal defense and put any significant threat on the Arsenal goal.




It almost looked like Arsenal weren't even trying to score a second goal. Not to disparage Burnley, but at times it seemed as if Wenger used this match to try a different game plan. After Aaron Ramsey's goal in the 12th minute, it was as if the Arsenal offense had done its job and the team now practiced ball control and defense to close out the next 78 minutes. It was almost like a kids' game of keep away at times. More goals would have been enjoyable, but this type of performance was a throwback to the glory days of the 1-0 to the Arsenal/Boring Boring Arsenal days when the team was a dominant force. I like both sides of this current Arsenal team.




Onwards and upwards things are looking good. Hopefully tomorrow the Manchester derby will result in 22 red cards and a boring 0-0 draw. Plus if the planets align perfectly maybe the Queens Park Raisins can somehow beat Chel$ki!













Saturday, April 18, 2015 12:20PM EST Arsenal vs Reading at Wembley Stadium FA Cup Semi-Finals



 The defense of the cup continues today. Arsenal take on Reading at Wembley for the right to head to the club's second straight FA Cup Final. On paper this should be a no brainer for Arsenal, but as we've seen in the past no club should be taken lightly.



Arsenal fans will be out in huge numbers so here's hoping that Gooners will get to go home happy.







In the end, it's another FA Cup Final for Arsenal as they defeated Reading 2-1. However, there was a lot of uncertainty, nail biting and angst leading up to the final whistle.



It took a while, but Arsenal made a breakthrough in the 39th minute when Alexis Sanchez scored from close range. Arsenal took a 1-0 lead in to the half and everything seemed to be going to plan. That changed, however, in the second half as Arsenal were unable to add to their tally.


In a rare start, goalie Wojciech Szcesny, made a mess of a Reading cross allowing Garath McCleary to equalize in the 54th minute.


Despite having 72% of the possession and almost double the amount of shots on goal, Arsenal were unable to take the lead.




The match went to extra time and in the 106th minute, Sanchez scored what would be the winning goal as his shot slipped through the hands of Reading keeper Adam Federici.



It wasn't pretty, but the victory will see Arsenal defend their FA Cup Trophy at Wembley on May 30th.







 Sunday, April 26, 2015 11AM EST Arsenal vs Chelsea
What is there to say other than it's time for Arsenal to show Chelsea that they won't be bullied any more.  I am so sick of Jose Moanrihnos stupid press conferences and digs at Arsene Wenger. The man has no respect and the media kiss his ass as if they are afraid of him.




When I first started following Arsenal in the late 90's, it was Arsenal that always came out in these matches. I'm hoping that we can start to turn the tide back to the way it used to be.



While it's still technically possible for Arsenal to win the title, it's unlikely that Chelsea will blow their lead. Regardless, a win would be a great way to give Chelsea a message for the future and of course it would give Arsenal the points they need to secure a top 2 finish.


Fingers crossed.


















The bad news is that Arsene Wenger's wait for a victory over the egotistical one continues. It's now been 13 matches without an Arsenal victory over Chel$ki. On the good side, however, Arsenal kept Chelsea off of the score sheet and the match ended in a 0-0 draw.



Arsenal had the majority of the possession, but that is pretty much what Moanrinho prepared for. It was the usual Chelsea parking the bus routine and despite Arsenal's best efforts, Chelsea's 10 defenders kept the Gunners off of the score sheet.



It was pretty funny to hear the Arsenal fans chanting "boring, boring Chelsea" at the end of the match....especially because it pissed the egotistical one off.


The draw ends Arsenal's run of eight straight victories, but the unbeaten run continues and Arsenal are in good shape for a top 2 finish if everything continues going good.






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