What a weird game that was.
1-0 down after as poor a 45 minutes as as we’ve seen all season, yet a couple of changes in personnel and a huge shift in attitude saw Arsenal run out 3-1 winners after goals from Samir Nasri, Robin van Persie and substitute Theo Walcott.
Arsene Wenger’s team selection for this match was absolutely baffling. And that’s putting it lightly. Mikael Silvestre made his debut in place of William Gallas, which was expected, but the decision by the manager to replace the injured Bacary Sagna with Alex Song instead of Emmanuel Eboue at right-back was ridiculous. It was an ignorant decision by a manager who should know better.
Song looked completely out of depth on the right – understandably so, mind you – and the much more intelligent, not to mention obvious decision would have been to play Eboue at right-back and start Walcott on the right wing. That would also have allowed the far more robust Song to start in the middle of the park alongside Cesc Fabregas and given the little Spaniard the defensive support that he requires to wreak havoc magic in the final third. As it was Song, Eboue and Denilson each struggled, Arsenal found themselves a goal down at the break and Wenger was made to look a fool.
Fortunately for the manager and team, an injury to Toure forced significant changes at half-time. Song moved to partner Silvestre in centre, Eboue was pulled back and Walcott was thrown on to the right side of midfield. It shouldn’t have taken an injury to Toure to bring about these changes but I got the feeling that had the stand-in captain been able to continue then Arsenal would not have gone on to win the match.
As it was, he did, and things improved almost immediately when Fabregas’ corner was eventually turned home by a low shot by Nasri. He didn’t hit the shot perfectly but it was low and on-target and in most cases that is better than the high and wild method practiced by van Persie. Perhaps the Frenchman’s shot will have tought his Dutch counterpart a thing or two about what works with regards to putting the ball in the net.
Things got even better for us on 70 minutes when van Persie nodded Arsenal into a 2-1 lead. Despite Everton packing 10 men behind the ball Fabregas was able to pick his way through to find Emmanuel Adebayor, before the big striker’s neat feet allowed Fabregas to fire a shot on goal. Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard parried and van Persie pounced on the rebound, heading neatly into the corner to send the crowd wild. From that point the result was never really in doubt and Walcott put the icing on the cake with a superb third after exchanging passes with substitute Abou Diaby (yes, you read correctly) and shooting through the legs of Howard.
My feeling at the end of the match were a combination of relief and frustration. Relief because we’d fought from a goal down and picked up three points to keep pace with Chelsea and Liverpool. Frustration because we never should have been a goal down in the first place. As I said earlier, Wenger’s team selection was just plain wrong and he was so nearly punished for it. Bigger teams will eat us for dinner if Wenger puts out another team like that in the future.
A lot of supporters, myself included, have spoken about the defensive frailties that this current Arsenal side have, particularly in the centre of defence. But while Toure and Gallas have not really clicked I’m convinced that with Silvestre and Johan Djourou as back-up we have the players necessary to form a tight, strong, committed central pairing. However, I’ve also come to the conclusion that Wenger needs to admit that Toure-Gallas just does not work and give something else a try.
The relatively serious nature of Toure’s injury will almost certainly force a change in personnel for a sustained period. I just hope that Wenger has the balls to refrain from throwing Toure straight back into the side if his replacement does a good job in his absence. I was disappointed to see Djourou shafted from the team after a highly commendable start to the season and I would be even more upset if Silvestre or Djourou was removed under similar circumstances.
Perhaps even more of an issue than the central pairing is the debacle that is the manager’s decision to keep playing Denilson alongside Fabregas in the middle of the park. Last season Mathieu Flamini made such a huge impact because he was so fit, aggressive and reliable that he made Fabregas a better player. The Spaniard trusted his partner to hold fort in front of the defence and that allowed him to get forward and make an impact in the final third.
I get the feeling this season that Fabregas just doesn’t trust Denilson and it is badly hindering his attacking game. Statistics aside, the Brazilian continually appears to be one pass away to giving away possession and just doesn’t tackle or track back with the same determination that Flamini consistently did last season. Denilson is pulling Fabregas further away from the attack and putting unwanted pressure on the defence and I feel it will be a huge problem as the season progresses.
Now it might seem like I am blaming Denilson for all of this, but I’m not. I’m blaming Arsene Wenger. He is the one persisting with the Brazilian in the defensive midfield role and he is the one responsible for the decrease in Fabregas’ overall performances and the general shakiness of the Arsenal defence.
The buck stops with him and he is the one who needs to make the appropriate changes if this Arsenal side are going to kick on and challenge the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United for the title. Wenger needs to bite the bullet and accept that Denilson is just not working and give one of Diaby or Song the chance they deserve to be the type of player that this side has desperately lacked so far this season.
Anyway, that’s it for today. I hate to sound so negative after a 3-1 win but I just feel that Wenger’s team selections made this game far more difficult than it ever should have been.
Update: To end things on a more positive note, I give you this joke: What does a triangle have that Spurs don’t have? I think you can work it out…
Have your say on Wenger’s selections and the comeback win over Everton by leaving a comment.
i think you are incredibly negative, paranoid, besserwisser etc. but thats just my opinion xD
it seems like ppl expect arsenal to just run over every team and have no difficulties.
there was also some complaints that arsenal didnt win ugly. well, they kinda did vs everton but that wasnt good enough either was it?
did you read/hear wengers reasons for selecting the team like he did? those were very sound reasons, and it was kinda unlucky that it didnt work (3-1 says it did).
what miserable lives people must have when everything is just a reason to complaint.
your sincerely in love for life, Norseman xD
I think that just about nails it all on the head.
I’m not sure where Denilson will fit in, in the bigger picture. Ramsey is looking very good and will surely be a regular midfielder sooner rather than later and yes, Diaby or Song couldn’t be a worse partner for Fabregas than Denilson is.
Shame, as Denilson is a good player, just sometimes it’s not the right time or place for some players.
@ Subterraneo – I like Denilson as a substitute for Fabregas. They’re virtually the same player. Denilson is not a defensive midfielder though.
@ Norsman – Fair enough. I rarely complain though, but I really feel Wenger got this wrong. I found it most frustrating and it was only when the change was enforced did things turn around. I also don’t expect Arsenal to run over teams every time they play but this was a game that was made more difficult than it should have been.
why should everton be so easy? why should hull be so easy? they take down other teams too, and i would be much, much more embarressed if arsenal lost vs tottenham!
i wouldnt use the same team as arsene wenger. i would probably do the exact same thing as you just said in your article. but arsene watch these players play every day. he is a tiny bit more experienced than us at this, and when i read his arguments for why he started with the team he did. i found myself agreeing.
I can understand what Norsman is trying to say and to be quite honest, that was my reaction as well. The title says it all. If it was a win, he didn’t get it all wrong did he? It depends on how you look at it. If the three points concern you, then it was a great game (of two halves mind you). If how you get those three points concern you, then you’d be right to worry.
I’m not saying this to validate our win but even Liverpool barely ended up beating Wigan.
@ Norseman/Gunnerhead – Fair enough. I’m delighted with the three points but the Denilson situation HAS to change. It just has to. He’s just not a centre-midfielder. In my opinion Song should’ve started there with Eboue on the right and if that had happened I don’t know if we would have gone a goal down.
we might have gotten two goals down. who knows? the most important thing now is to get van persie in the form of his life so i can enjoy this season big time! he will reach 30 this year!
@ Norseman – That’s true, we might’ve. Van Persie in the form of his life? Was I watching a different game? I thought he was a little bit flat.
cause he is not yet xD he is the most talented player at arsenal. and if he can reach his maximum potential then you will be blown away!
van persie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCepc7H8s1E
far, far too harsh on Wenger imo.
– As for the team selection on Saturday – I agree. It was the wrong decision to play Song at right back. The main reason for it not working was however not Song’s inability to play at right back (and you could plainly see that this is not his position), but the extremely poor and irratic performance of Eboue in front of him. Eboue drifted into centre midfield all the time and refused to cover Song which made it extremely difficult for Song to do his job.
– Walcott would have come on anyway. Wenger sent him to warm up after 20 minutes and it looked like he was actually going to bring him on before half time already. He changed his mind however and brought him on at HT for Kolo.
– But as for Wenger’s insistance to play Denilson, he didn’t have many other options I’m afraid. Diaby was injured up to this point and Song was away for the Olympics at the beginning of the season and struggled with a few small injuries since which denied Wenger the option to actually change much in midfield. With Song now fully fit and Diaby returning to fitness I am confident that Wenger will do the right thing and drop Denilson. Denilson is a decent back-up for Cesc, but he is not a defensive midfielder. At least he isn’t yet.
I completely agree with Spanish when he alludes to the fact that Denilson is not a DM and doesn’t complement Cesc. I think Wenger brought this on himself by playing him from the start of the season and after winning games and a couple of decent performances from the young Brazilian, Arsene decided that he couldn’t drop him. However, against decent sides Denilson is likley to be exposed in a defensive sense. I suspect that he was always going to be holding that spot until the return of Diaby who unbelievably has the most top flight experience out of all the pretenders.
But for my money even Diaby is not the answer as his defensive work isn’t fantastic either and he has a tendency to daydream and become oblivious to slide-rule passes that a proper DM would read. What Diaby does offer is a presence in the centre of the pitch, some physical stature. He is a better fit than Denilson, but in January I would cerainly make a move for Yaya Toure if he is indeed surplus to requirements at Barca following the purchase of Keita. There is someone who has the experience yet is still only 25, has the physical presence and the ball winning ability and distribution to allow Cesc to feel comfortable in an attacking sense. And he is Kolo’s brother. And he wouldn’t cost the earth. He’d be perfect.
good post Spanish. I think you got everything pretty much spot on and I agree with TDP that althought Diaby is not really the answer to the DM problem, at least he gives us a physical presence which Denilson cannot. song is probably the closest thing we have to a genuine DM but whether he is good enough is open to debate.
As long as song isn’t ever used at RB again, I’ll be happy.
@ gazzap – Thanks mate. Occasionally it bothers me when people come on and say I’m complaining too much. I think I complain very little but when I think something has really gone wrong then I like to have my say 🙂
Spot on mate. I don’t know whats wrong with Arsene. He is getting it wrong with his formations and team selections. How could he play song at right back if he already had eboue. Now that diaby is back lets hope that he can form a good partnership with cesc. I’m also looking forward to the silvestre-djourou pairing. Injuries to gallas and toure may actually be a blessing in disguise.
Actually, you are wrong, the Denilson problem is the same as the Centre back problem. It is the positioning of Toure and Gallas that has been the problem opening up holes in _their_ defence, rather than Denilson not performing as a defensive midfielder.
If anything, Flamini, gave those guys an easier time of it. He worked incredibly hard, harder than he should have to, to cover up the mistakes from the CBs. Remember: you started complaining about that partnership after Toure came back from the cup of nations, which incidentally was about the time Flamini went out injured, wasn’t it?
I think no matter who plays in DM, this problem will remain until Toure and Gallas sort themselves out.
@ Mabel – I think it’s definitely a combination of the two. Either way, Flamini was grossly underrated by most fans and the club I feel.
hey…gooners….i’m happy as every body on the win….but on the selection,,,i don’t uderstand why le boss opted for song while there is eboue on the left back…and denilson????….what the the hell was he doing in the field….happy to see diaby back…i think he will hold the ball like hleb used to do in da future and he will solve the flamoney problem in there….see ya
if you dont use…. all the time… it will be easier to take your posts a bit more…serious…
just a tip xD
Players improve with games. By January we might see a different Denilson. I think he should be left to play, but stick Song in their to provide the appropriate cover to the defence.
The advantage of Denilson playing is that should cesc miss games, as will be the case later this season, then his replacement will have enough game time under his belt to replace him.
Relax gooners, the season is not yet lost. This Sunday, Liverpool and Chelsea will play out a bore draw, then when we win our game we shall be on their tail. So it’s not all together lost.
Walcott needed to rest. You’re right, Song should not have played there. For me, I would play Gavin Hoyte at right back, with Eboue just infront of him.
We were bound to win any way, so we lost a good opportunity to blood in players lest later in the season their contribution is needed. Look at ManUre, they played Rafael at right back, because they knew, that had West Brom won the first half, they had enough fire power to come back in the second half and nick it. That’s what we needed to do.
@ JohnW – Chelsea’s almost second team crumbled Middlesborough and Liverpool’s first team (minus Torres) just beat Wigan so I think it’s a chelsea win there.
Song at RB, AW is losing it, Eboue should have played there and Walcott on the RW. Now Diaby is back I hope to see him partnering Cesc and Denilson dropped to the bench. Ramsey is another option in midfield however he is an attacking minded player. Hope to see Vela, Ramey, Diaby and Djourou play tomorrow v Fenerbahce.
I dont know why all of you are after Denilson. It just seems to be that all of you like the way we played last season and you want to only see that way..
This season I feel Arsene is trying out a new way of playing where there wont be a definite defensive midfielder. Both the center midfield players will do that by turn so that the opposition doesnt get a chance to target a single player. Moreover the wide players drift in and the centre midfielders drift out so as to create a fluid midfield where its difficult to mark players. I feel thats what wenger’s trying to achieve. Till now it has given mixed results but I feel in due course that will result in very fluid game of football when the strikers(ade drifting out wide, RvP playing deeper) join this fluid midfield..
Playing Diaby or Song in the defensive midfield role gives ur additional defensive solidity but it takes away our attacking flair to some extent. This will surely be employed when we play the 4-5-1 formation on some tough away games.
This is my feeling when I watch the game. I’m not sure whether I’m right or not.
Before the beginning of last season, most people didn’t care if Flamini left or not. He, due to his desire to play his preferred DM position and tireless engine, excelled from the very first game. Denilson is playing out of position if viewed as a straight replacement for Flamini, but something that we may all be overlooking is that he is the ONLY first team player who was not out on international duty for the past fortnight and Cesc is still recovering from a very short off season. Denilson’s ability to attack more reliably (and with more end product) than Flamini is a plus, and even though his defensive abilities are not the same as Flamini’s, they do complement Cesc’s if they are both able to communicate their intentions so the other can cover the defensive area of the midfield.
Having a healthy Diaby and bringing Song into the midfield mix when necessary will help, but none of the options currently available in the squad is ever going to be a one for one replacement of Flamini. His energy, stamina and willingness to make a well-timed, fully-committed tackle separates him from all the options at Wenger’s current disposal.
That all being said, as I have read elsewhere, we didn’t win anything last season, so maybe a move in a different direction was necessary?
Well put IndianGooner.
I don’t understand the “Denilson-bashing” at all. He has been the most productive MF so far this season.
The myth that arsenal needs a DM to sit infront of, and protect the defence would be correct if, and that is a big if, Arsenal were playing a “traditional” way, which they are not. The only arsenal players who stay where they are supposed to be in the “traditional” way of playing are Almunia and the subs.
How in the world will the DM protect the “back-4” when the back 4 are the most advanced players, running around in the oposition’s penalty box all the time?
maybe we should start by asking them to stay where they could be given the protection, at the back.
Cesc does not need another player to make him better. He is just having a bad patch of form, which I think is now over.
with 2 changes in defense, it was wise to play Song at RB because you want someone to stay back there in defense more, not to be caught out, untill the new central partnership gain some understanding. If you start with Eboue there he will want to go forward all the time, leaving the central pairing to cover more for the FBs and at that time they barely have any understanding. I was expecting the change to come after the break though, more as a positional change and not a sub.
You could also sense that Clichy was more cautious when going forward and I think he was under instructions to make it easier for Sylvester-Toure. AW was playing safe with Sylvester’s first competitive match for a long while, having a standby central defender in Song parked wide Right where he will work with Toure and also shielded by Eboue, should Sylvester-toure not work out, he could swap Sylvester and Song in midgame without making a sub. I noticed Clichy spent some time drifting in the middle.
Unlike the 4-4-1-1 @ Sunderland, I think AW lineup on Saturday makes a lot of sense.
There are also some “not so positive” reviews of RVP which I think are just plain harsh. Yes he hasn’t scored 20+ goals yet this season, but what he gives our team is what even Torres can’t. He is outrageously skilled, an outrageous shot,and some of the best timing and positioning of any striker in the EPL. he lacks the speed and power of Torres but then RVP is not the main striker, so he doesn’t necessarily need those two, with what he already has. I will pick RVP over any other striker in the epl. He has been unselfish recently that is why his tally is taking a hit. Amr Zaki is an impersonation of our very own DUDU(with size differences).
With our Mini-DUDU (Vela)and probably the second most efficient striker behind DUDU, Bendtner lurking around, you need your MFs to be more adventourous and overwhelm the opposition with sheer abundance of skill and numbers upfront, hence pegging them back that is why I think the Denilson-Cesc partnership is perfect. The way our team set out nowadays we have 6 bonafide goal threats at any given moment, Ade,RVP,Theo,Nasri,Denilson and Cesc, plus the occassional Gallas, Sagna,Clichy and Toure causing some mischief.
We need some continuity for it to work and when it clicks, it will be an experience to behold.
“I’ve also come to the conclusion that Wenger needs to admit that Toure-Gallas just does not work and give something else a try.”
Fry, Wenger wont even admit his policy of not buying experienced players are why we havent wont a trophy, i doubt he’ll ever swallow his pride and say that pairing wont work even if we gave him pure facts to why it doesn’t. His pride is what hurts our chances of winning. Just as if Eduardo wasnt hurt, im sure he’d keep RVP and Ade out there even though neither of them can score worth a damn, the think Wenger not really giving Vela a go is justice to my statement since Vela has proved when he’s come on he can make things happen, he looks comfortable and as shown in other games he can score.
Taygoon you are correct in the wrong sense, “an outrageous shot” is right but its outrageous because sometimes you dont know what the hell he is looking at or where he thinks the goal is at times. Placement, a lot of times is better then power and trying to go throught someone instead of around, but someone has not told RVP that.
The first 45 was as painful to watch as any…. But as I’ve been saying all season Theo works best as an impact player off the bench. I’m not saying that he shouldn’t start any game, ever. Just that if he’s showing signs of going off form maybe the manager should be proactive in playing him off the bench. Silvestre was good, Diaby was good, when he came on.. Nasri better not be injured.
Bear out
Is it wrong to wish the injuries sustained could last a little longer…..all of me says yes but with Toure and Gallas out and Djourou fit again he could come in to partner Silvestre…Bendtner would mean Vela moves up a place in selection terms and a fit Diaby means a stronger midfield pairing with Fab. however im guessing that all concerned are fit again after the CL match…so itll be back to normal for AW.
How longs Rosicky out for…i reckon he could make the difference now.?
I definitely understand what everyone is saying about giving Denilson more time. I need to make it clear that I don’t think Denilson is a poor player – I just don’t think he is the right sort of player to partner Cesc in the middle of the park. Arseblogger put it really well yesterday when he said that Denilson’s job (essentially) is to make Fabregas look good. That’s what Flamini did last season and that’s why he was so underrated while Fabregas won awards and scored goals.
I don’t think we need a defensive midfielder like Makelele or Mascherano, so to speak, but a player like Anderson. Aggressive, hard-tackling and there to make the attacking players around him look good. I think Diaby can be that player and I think Song is a good back-up. But in my eyes Denilson will never be that player. He should be a replacement when Fabregas is injured and nothing else. If the manager wants to rotate the pair to keep them fresh then I think that’s fine, I just don’t agree with the decision to play Denilson as the more defensive-minded of the two.
Thoughts?
@ Panda Bear – Nasri is fit for Turkey, as is Bendtner and Djourou.
@ LuxinBrasil – I think Toure is the only longish-term casualty. I think it could be good for the side though, I’ve been wanting a Gallas-Djourou/Silvestre partnership for a while now so we’ll see how it goes. My reputation is on the line 🙂
as usual SF!!!…….do you think other than the obvious with Flamini…we actually missing Gilberto as well……Clearly the captaincy thing and his age were why he was cleared for Panithinaikos but he might have proved useful until we find a long term solution centrally!
and, although its according to the BBC….Toure is only going to miss the CL match….im leaning towards a Toure/Djourou match myself anyway.
Hahah Lux.
Can I just say ‘thank-you’ to everyone who has commented on this post. Everyone’s words are so detailed and thoughtful that it makes me proud to call this my blog.
Keep it up guys and we shall attract like-minded football souls! 😀
I’m sorry but this is so over blown and out of proportion.
Given the injuries that have ravaged our defense I think Wenger did the right thing.
Everyone here seems to forget that Everton are actually a damm good side and they work bloody hard. They have quality players and a good set-up and deserved the lead going into the break. Give them the props they deserve..
The only issue is our depth, it is a problem and one that I think Wenger will address during the January transfer. I have complete faith in him and all you doomsayers let me just remind you we have still had a good start to the season. Its as if a good majority of you like to just whinge all the bloody time and enjoy it when Arsenal slip up.
“Mathieu Flamini made such a huge impact because he was so fit, aggressive and reliable that he made Fabregas a better player.”
I say wenger’s got to give toure a crack at pairing with fabregas. He fits all that criteria 🙂
then maybe a gallas – silvestre/djourou partnership can begin?
Where does Rosicky fit in when he returns? On the left and moves Nasri next to Fab? Seems like that is too offensive minded… Will one sit on the bench… And whats the word on Eduardo?
@ MoMONEY – You’d think that rotating Rosicky and Nasri, as well as Walcott and Eboue is the way Wenger will do it. They are four good wingers and could definitely do the job. Alternatively, Rosicky could be used behind the strikers every once in a while to give Cesc Fabregas a rest.
@ Tom – Wenger won’t play Toure there. He’s said time and time again that he’s not fit enough to be a central midfielder. I guess we just have to trust this judgment.
Rosiscky is a perfect footballar when he is fit to play. The question is can he recover fully after this terrible injury. I hope so. Personally I like Rosiscky very much. I remember Arsenal playing beautiful game when he was in form last year before he broke himself. Arsenal fan’s disappointment with Rosiscky is understandable. He was supposed to be a Pires replacement but have been in the hospital more than Edu-gun. It has been bad luck for Arsenal and player himself. One day if we can have Rocky and Edu fit to play and in top form we will have the best attack in England at least. Just my wishes…..
Wenger should now do something to get balance in center midfield and defense. Toure being out for few weeks is the best chance to try new combination. Gallas/Silvestre combination might be the best for many reasons. Gallas good on the floor and Silvestre good in air(at least good than Gallas/Toure) is one reason. Both being french might help. Also Silvestre left footed and Gallas right footed. I like Toure better than Gallas but it will be hard for Wenger to strip his armband. So lets try Sily/Gily… Djourou, at least for this season is still young to start, he will be in contention for the first place for next seaon cause he is good in air.
Defensive midfield: Arsene must sign someone who can tackle and who has loads of energy, someone like Flamini. Personally I do not like Yaya Toure but he will certainly do better than Denilson/Diaby/Song. Toulalan and Veloso are the top picks to chose from. I would take any defensive minded central midfielder who has fast reaction, can tackle, make a pass and has high tempo(Like Flamini).
Team against Fenerbahche:
Almunia
Eboue-son Silly Djourou Clichy
Sonngg(plz)
Walcott(king) Diaby Nasri
Cesc
RVP
This is not the best formation for Arsenal to play many games. But today we play against a team who give everything in their home turf. They deserve respect from last season when they won aganist Sevilla, Inter and Chelsea at Istanbul. They are under pressure to win this game so they will attack. We need to have a defensive balance to stop them. Song is just guarding defensive. With walcott and nasri on the wings and Cesc releasing perfect through balls we can score. This season they have struggled with their defensive combination same like us. So we have to take advantage of their defense and score few goals. Our defense should perform better and we have to take our chances to score cause there will be very few chances. Ade is not in my team because we cannot afford missing shitters against this team in their ground. In case if we go down 0-1 before halftime we can bring Ade for Song and be more offensive. Many people are predicting for a high-scoring draw but I believe we can win if we defense well and take our chances.
It will be a great match to watch and can’t wait for it: 12 more hours”””””
P.S. Voting for CESC CAPTAINCY.. Come on Wenger-son!!!!
Does Wenger ever reads the comments from the fans.We goner have have some heart attack very soon.This Arsenal team sometimes is a torcher to watch.Im nolonger a confident person like i used to be fduring the times of pires and Henry.On the other habnd i cannot abandon myself from aRSENAL.i really like this team. I feel Mr. Mourhino should be on the stand by to take over fromm wenger.We have agonised and its becoming unbearable.Wenger is very selfish.Why cant he splash that cos its not his.really, i will end up hating him
THULA how could u even think of morinho coaching arsenal? that is so GROSS n should never be thought about but any sane gooner!morinho would convert our lovely team(not necessarily squad)into a bunch of lousy rugby players!
RAMUGUNNER ur squad line-up is good though i wouldn’t
leave out ade from th lineup simply coz we are never threatening upfront without him. i think this fixture is a tough one but we may escape with a one goal win if not a draw..
SF: I will have to disagree with the both you and arseblogger that Denilson, or any other player for that matter, should have the task to make anyone “look better”. We need both Denilson and Fabregas to DO THEIR JOBS and earn their paychecks. If Fabregas is as good as I believe he is, he does not need a chapperone or someone to hold his dress for him.
We are getting to a point that we want Cesc to look good instead of wanting him to be good. Heck we might as well pluck him from the field, plate him with 24 karrat Gold with platinum trimmings and put him in a giant glass cabinet inside of AW’s Walk-in safe.
We want goals,we want assists, we want inteligent plays from all our players and so far Denilson has been better than Flamini in all of just 8 games. Cesc will be fine. If he sucks we can still gold plate him for we love him so much.