French Fried Hamburgers

The first Arsenal match of the new Champions League group stage was last night and the Gunners pulled out a 2-1 win over a 10-man Hamburg. The Arsenal went ahead on a penalty kick that was smoothly slotted home by captain Gilberto (rather than usual penalty taker Henry who was out with a foot injury). The penalty came from a foul by the keeper on Robin van Persie inside the box. At first look it seemed a clear cut penalty and the GK was the last player between RvP and the goal. The keeper was sent off and the burgers went down to 10 men. When looking at the foul in slow motion replay, there may not have been substantial contact, but considering the angle of the ref, the speed of the play, and the possible contact, there wasn’t much the ref could do. If I were a Hamburg fan I’d probably be pissed off, but that is because you hardly agree with a sending off in these circumstances, though that is what the ref is supposed to do. Lehmann was sent off in the CL final last May for a similar incident, so there you go.

Anyway, the team looked pretty good with the midfield doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Robin looked good as well and hopefully the knock he picked up trying to keep the ball in bounds half way through the second half isn’t too serious and he can play on Sunday against the Mancs. Toure went off with a knock as well, but he should be back for this weekend too. Rosicky also played very well and ran all over the place. Plus he had the second goal which was a cracker from over 30 yards out. Shots on goal do pay off!!! Hopefully this will continue by him and others, which helps to keep defenses honest.

The big weakness I see right now is the back line. Toure played well but came off after about ½ an hour. Hoyte came on for him but shifted to left back with new signing Gallas moving to CB (his best position). Gallas looked alright, but Hoyte and Djourou still have a lot of work to do and experience to gain. Eboue was OK, but his runs forward don’t seem to end up accomplishing anything and his crossing is horrible. Flamimi came on later in the second half to help shore up the right side as a result. Getting the injured defenders back (Lauren, Senderos, Clichy, Toure) will help tighten up the defense and provide some much needed depth.

Now, the next match is a big one for the Arsenal as they travel north (along with all the ManU fans) to Old Trafford and a showdown with the Mancs on Sunday. This will be a crucial match as the Gunners really need a win. It will be really hard to pull one over on the Reds at their home stadium, but it is vitally important for the morale of the team and will set a tone for the rest of the season. If anything, we need to get a draw, though this won’t help much as far as the table is concerned. I think the Gunners have it in them to pull it off and the back 4 will be key. We’ll see. I wish we still had Keown for matches like this.


The rain has finally stopped here and I may try to mow the lawn tonight. The grass is a bit high and as a result the neighborhood kids are playing Marco Polo in the front yard.

Tomorrow is Friday people, so get ready. Or at least make sure you stop by the liquor store. See you there.

Adios.