Arsenal Accused, Djourou Ashamed & Fabregas Out

Arsenal have had a rough week. If being well beaten by Barcelona in the Champions League wasn't enough to darken the mood around the Emirates, seeing rivals Tottenham progress a stage further really rubbed salt in the wounds. The amount of competitions Arsenal are now involved in has been halved in the space of a few weeks, and with Manchester United just around the corner in another winnable competition - the FA Cup, the next game will be massive for the season.

Manuel Almunia was one of only a few players who had a good game against Barcelona on Tuesday after he came on in the 19th minute for the injured Sczcesny, and from his busy goal, he watched his team mates closely. Like many others, he wasn't impressed. The Spaniard accused his team mates of lacking effort, and believed that if they did more and showed more fight in the game, they may have been able to snatch a win.

"Barcelona bossed us and in the second half we had players that were not running. We only needed one goal and with a bit more effort we could have caused them damage at the end.


"Even at 3-1, we only needed one goal and, well, you can't understand how there can be players that were walking. We were tired.


"It seemed that everything was lost but you can score a goal at any moment. So the only explanation I have is that we were so tired and the players couldn't give any more.


"And down to 10 men, it was double the effort. We came up against a Barcelona side that are the best in the world."

Almunia can't be blamed for his light criticism of the team - the now infamous statistic of a total of zero shots on goal will be and as been brought up by rival fans for years to come and Barcelona's domination in every area of the pitch was clear for all to see.

The match however did not come without it's controversies - the referee's decision to send van Persie off for shooting at goal after the whistle had been blown for offside the big talking point. Massimo Busacca, the referee in question, was called many things after the game, but his Swiss compatriot Johan Djourou even went so far as to claim a sense of shame:

 "I am Swiss and the referee was Swiss. I feel a sense of shame.

"He had no right to take a decision of that kind. It changed the course of the game. At this level of football you can not accept decisions like that.


"But you have to be honest and admit Barcelona deserved their win. Lionel Messi is an exceptional footballer, all the more so when he plays at home, and he does some amazing things.


"It is really hard to mark him. We succeeded in the first half. We were very compact and it was a real pity that we conceded just before the break."

Arsenal's next game will not be as hard as the last - that is for sure, especially in United's current form. United have lost their last two games against Chelsea and Liverpool, and in the absence of Nani after his deep cut on the shin, Arsenal will be hoping to make United's losing streak a miserable hat trick.

Arsenal will be without Fabregas however, after his suspect performance at Barcelona was explained by a recurring hamstring injury, as Wenger said:

"He will be out maybe for the next two games"

Sczcesny's injury - a dislocated finger - will also rule him out for the immediate future, and Almunia will fill in for him for the game against Manchester United. Robin van Persie will be available too, as he went off - admittedly in questionable fashion - but without an injury.

Time for a trophy for Arsenal, and time for a win against a big team. The victor in the weekends game will - I believe - go on to win the Premier League. It's going to be massive.

Arsenal Outplayed & Dominated by Relentless Barca

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Barcelona achieved 76% of possession against Arsenal. Need I continue?

When Barcelona have the ball and keep it, which they do tenaciously and in apparent ease, the opposition has very little chance of getting anything from the game. Arsenal attempted not a single shot on target. Not one. The utter dominance of Barcelona in all areas of the pitch meant that the absence of their two centre halves, Puyol and Pique was irrelevant in an easy win for the classy Spanish side (I use classy very loosely with Dani Alves, but more on that later).

Arsenal may say that they were hard done by, with a red card brandished to the hard of hearing Rob van Persie early in the second half as he shot wide after the whistle had gone for offside. His pleas that he could not hear the whistle due to the 95,000 screaming fans - a good defence - fell on deaf ears, and the referee decided to show the second yellow in an extremely harsh move which all but ended any fair competitiveness in the painfully one sided match.
Van Persie complained after the match of his red card:

"I think it was a total joke. How can I hear his whistle with 95,000 people jumping up? How can I hear it? Please explain that?"

"I can't understand the view from the ref. One second from his whistle to my shot is a joke. He has been bad all evening. He was against us. I don't know why he was here tonight, it's a joke.

"We feel betrayed, almost. We tried really hard. When it was 1-1 it was all to play for. But, in my opinion, the ref killed the game."

Even so, Arsenal were being controlled, pinned back, outplayed before the sending off, and if anything, Arsenal spent more time in the Barcelona half after the Dutchman's sending off. It was simply a story of the better side winning; I have never seen a game so one sided in possession and chances in the Champions League.

The first goal was inevitable. Wojciech Sczcesny went off early on after his first save of the game injured his finger. Almunia came on, and had a good game - probably Arsenal's best player, but he could do nothing to stop Messi from dinking the ball over him and swiping it into the back of the net for the opener.

In between the action, there was the odd pathetic dive. Diving infuriates me beyond belief, the replays shown on Sky making my fists clench in anger and jaw tighten in utter fury. Although so many footballers are at fault in this department, Dani Alves is one that so many times throws himself to the floor, clutching some part of his body - any part of his body all to con the referee. He gets away with it too. Maddening.

Arsenals goal was scored by Busquets - from a Nasri corner. Perhaps he felt sorry for them, wanted to give them a fighting chance - something to work with and hold on to. Probably not. But for all the intricate passing from Barcelona, their beautiful football was countered by a simple ball into the box, headed into their own net by their own player. A little ironic.

But Barcelona fought back with their wonderful football. Intricate passing, great vision, umarkable movement, all leavin Arsenal defenders on their rear ends, as the tricks and turns left them flat footed. Carved open, Xavi passed the ball into the net, as if it were his team mate, and wheeled away, jubilant. Onto the third.

The Arsenal box was occupied so often by Barcelona, and so it was only a matter of time before someone went down and won a penalty. To my diving hating relief, it was a penalty, fairly awarded for a Koscielny tackle which brought down the Barca player with a late, trailing leg. Messi duly stroked it artistically home, and the game was won.

The deserved winners march on in the competition, leaving Arsenal licking their wounds in preparation for a crucial clash with Manchester United in a far more winnable FA Cup tie. Time to pick themselves up and push on.

Nasri Could Miss Barca Game but Wenger Won't Buy

Samir Nasri has been Arsenal's best player this season, so Wenger must have been feeling his compatriots pain when the 23 year-old midfielder pulled up with a hamstring injury against Huddersfield in the F.A Cup. After chasing a long ball from the returning Almunia, Nasri pulled up, and every Arsenal fans' breath was held, hoping that it would be nothing serious, and Nasri would be back to terrorise the opposition defence in a couple of short minutes. But it won't be minutes that Arsenal will have to wait for Nasri's return, it will be weeks.

Wenger had risked Nasri for the game, and now admits his regret at doing so, as it looks as if the injury could rule Nasri out for the next thee weeks - that is including Arsenal's massive clash with Spanish giants Barcelona. But will Wenger buy a replacement for Nasri in the remaining day of the transfer window? Take a guess.

The Arsenal manager was reluctant to predict when Nasri would return, but had a go nevertheless:

"Nasri looks to have a serious hamstring injury. Usually it is three weeks. We have to see if it is a grade 1, it will be two weeks, so we will see. It is very difficult to predict.

"I have now regrets because the plan was to play Rosicky, but he was still too weak because he was sick, so I took the gamble on Nasri. It backfired, but he could have come on and that happened as well.

“We are at the stage of the season where we play so many games that to lose bodies is very difficult for us. But Samir is a big blow."

Arsenal play Barcelona on the 16th February, which means that if Nasri recovers in two weeks, he could play some part at least in the Champions League match. However, if it is three weeks out that Nasri must suffer, he will certainly miss Arsenal's biggest test of the season. It is so unlucky for Arsenal that the player who has been in such fantastically blistering form this season is the one who could miss the match that he could make such a difference in, and showcase his skills against the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and so on.

A familiar quote that passes Wengers lips nowadays is:

"No, we will not sign anyone."  

He has said it again.
Instead of splashing the cash on a player like Eden Hazard who has expressed his desire to play for Arsenal, Wenger will recall Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Henri Lansbury, who are currently on loan spells. This could irritate those Arsenal fans becoming more and more frustrated by the lack of movement in the transfer window, especially considering the big games coming up as Arsenal challenge for both the Premier League and Champions League in the next few games or so.


The calmer Arsenal fans with more faith in Wenger will once again respect his decision not to sign anyone in the January transfer window, and happily see the younger players step up and help to take on the big teams. Wenger has never been one for a knee-jerk reaction, but we will have to wait and see if his patience and relaxed attitude towards transfers pays off against such a good side in Barcelona without their top player in Nasri.

Premier League Transfer News

It's the start of August, and clubs have less than a month to haul their cheque book out of their designer suit pockets and splash the cash on the players that they believe will improve their squad and help them to win back some of the millions they spent and win some trophies along the way. It is also a time for newspapers to spew out ridiculous rumours which get every fans hopes up, only for us to be let down. So lets spoil ourselves and have an engaging but cautious look at the rumours that are circulating today.

Guiseppe Rossi is involved in an interesting rumour today. Apparently, Rossi could be on his way out of Villarreal, with a few clubs interested. However, those few clubs could be irrelevant because the player has a clause in his contract which allows Manchester United, his former club to have first choice as to whether they want to sign him or not. The price that United will be quoted however is £12 million. If United offer this, it would be even more perplexing than the players first name, as Ozil is also going for £12 million, and I would rather Ozil than Rossi.

Next, and former Arsenal midfielder, Mathieu Flamini, a man with an equally confusing first name, is interesting Premier League new boys Newcastle and the team still asking for a ridiculous £30 million for James Milner, Aston Villa. The Frenchman is currently playing for AC Milan, but after only starting 14 times last season, and often in defence, he feels unwanted, unloved, and wants to play more, so he sees a return to England as the perfect place to restore his career.

Arsenal are still trying to find some more defenders so they can play a 7-2-1 formation to protect Manuel Almunias goal. Oh, whats that? A new goalkeeper? Yes, Arsenal are interested in bringing German pair, Derdar Tasci (centre back) and Rene Adler (goalkeeper) to London to beef up their defence which is in dire need of beefing up as William Gallas and Sol Campbell have left - taking a lot of the beef with them. Many believe that Arsenals problem is that their defence is so poor, their goalkeepers make way to many mistakes, and those reasons are why Arsenal have had a poor trophy drought. So a new goalkeeper who isn't prone to mistakes and a solid defender added to the mix will do Arsenals title challenge the world of good.

Aiden McGeady seems sure to leave Celtic this summer, and Aston Villa could be his destination. The flying winger could be the perfect replacement for James "£30Million" Milner as Manchester City continue to struggle to prise Martin O'Neills firm grasping hand off of the amazingly overrated Milner. There is no doubt that if City finally do cough up the money for Milner, then Villa will have money to spend, and £10-12 million may be enough to see McGeady say goodbye to Scotland.

As Manchester City try and sell a few player, Olympiacos, Marseille and Fenerbache are the three clubs trying to buy Roque Santa Cruz, with no other reason than... he used to be quite good. Might as well throw in a completley stupid Manchester City rumor as well, but this time City aren't buying. I have no idea where this came from, but apparently Tevez is "depressed" in Manchester and Jose Mourinho wants to comfort him by offering him the chance to re-join Ronaldo at Real Madrid. Thats sure to cheer him up.