The North London derby is considered one of the best games in the EPL each year because there are loads of goals, open end-to-end action and energy from the players. I really am trying to be objective BUT reveling in Arsenal's misery is so fun! LOL. Arsenal started the game brightly in a hostile environment but without a clinical finisher combined with SHAMBOLIC defending and Tottenham has jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead. The scariest part is that even though Bale has scored he has not impacted the game!
My question for Arsenal is how can you play a high line with the fastest team in the premiership? Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon who were quiet during the first 36 minutes, the strike with two IDENTICAL diagonal runs led to two goals in a 4 minute span before halftime (Szczęsny (the GK) needs to take his share of the blame as he was out too far and was beaten far too easily on both goals)). Mertesacker who just scored is a SLOOOOW centerback but he has managed to pull Arsenal back in the game. Don't get me started on Ramsey, he should not be starting maybe they feel pressure to play him since he just signed a long-term deal.
Second half: The game was simmering before but now it has come to a boil. Although the stadium looks big on TV, the pitch size is below average in comparison with other EPL teams and it only holds about 36k fans. Adebayor went off injured which could prove costly for Tottenham as the fixture list piles up. The last 10 minutes of this game has been boring for a neutral but Ramsey had a great opportunity to score the equalizer but his finishing is awful yet again. How many times this season is Wenger going to start Ramsey when he has lost all form and confidence? Arsenal players and their fans just do not believe they can win big games, 8 trophyless seasons and their squad's best players has taken its toll on them mentally. Dembele has gone off injured so Spurs are getting thinner and thinner before some major upcoming fixtures. Podolski, the German international, has given Arsenal a boost in the last 20 minutes but as a substitute his touch is a bit off. Referee indicates six minutes of added time (Dembele and Adebayor injuries). However, other than Lloris punching away a decent cross from Arsenal, the extra time was largely uneventful.
Tottenham wins 2-1! They take 3rd position in the EPL while Arsenal are 5th (5 points behind Chelsea). A huge swing in the race for the top 4 (which Wenger once referred to as another trophy). A far cry from the 5-2 away loss at Arsenal in November, when Adebayor was red-carded for a rash challenge in the 17th minute. In that game, Tottenham was leading 1-0 and looked most likely to score the second. They were then punished by giving away two goals before halftime which effectively ended any hope of Tottenham getting a result.
Looking forward, Tottenham have Inter Milan at home, then Liverpool away and Inter Milan away in the next 11 days. The last time Tottenham played Inter it was in the Champions League group stage, they were losing 4-0 at the San Siro when Gareth Bale introduced himself to the world with 3 second half goals (infamously torching Maicon with his incredible pace) to nearly snatch a draw. Arsenal, on the other hand, have a whopping 10 days off before their next game against Bayern Munich away (1-3 aggregate). In their last game at home against Bayern, they looked completely out of their element and were outclassed during the majority of the 90 minutes. I can't see them progressing with the second leg in Munich.
Happy Sunday! #NLDerby
Second half: The game was simmering before but now it has come to a boil. Although the stadium looks big on TV, the pitch size is below average in comparison with other EPL teams and it only holds about 36k fans. Adebayor went off injured which could prove costly for Tottenham as the fixture list piles up. The last 10 minutes of this game has been boring for a neutral but Ramsey had a great opportunity to score the equalizer but his finishing is awful yet again. How many times this season is Wenger going to start Ramsey when he has lost all form and confidence? Arsenal players and their fans just do not believe they can win big games, 8 trophyless seasons and their squad's best players has taken its toll on them mentally. Dembele has gone off injured so Spurs are getting thinner and thinner before some major upcoming fixtures. Podolski, the German international, has given Arsenal a boost in the last 20 minutes but as a substitute his touch is a bit off. Referee indicates six minutes of added time (Dembele and Adebayor injuries). However, other than Lloris punching away a decent cross from Arsenal, the extra time was largely uneventful.
Tottenham wins 2-1! They take 3rd position in the EPL while Arsenal are 5th (5 points behind Chelsea). A huge swing in the race for the top 4 (which Wenger once referred to as another trophy). A far cry from the 5-2 away loss at Arsenal in November, when Adebayor was red-carded for a rash challenge in the 17th minute. In that game, Tottenham was leading 1-0 and looked most likely to score the second. They were then punished by giving away two goals before halftime which effectively ended any hope of Tottenham getting a result.
Looking forward, Tottenham have Inter Milan at home, then Liverpool away and Inter Milan away in the next 11 days. The last time Tottenham played Inter it was in the Champions League group stage, they were losing 4-0 at the San Siro when Gareth Bale introduced himself to the world with 3 second half goals (infamously torching Maicon with his incredible pace) to nearly snatch a draw. Arsenal, on the other hand, have a whopping 10 days off before their next game against Bayern Munich away (1-3 aggregate). In their last game at home against Bayern, they looked completely out of their element and were outclassed during the majority of the 90 minutes. I can't see them progressing with the second leg in Munich.
Happy Sunday! #NLDerby
No comments:
Post a Comment