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Is Arsenal's title challenge drifting away?
With yet another two points lost, the young Gunners are stuttering to obscurity while Manchester United eloquently march towards the Premier League crown.
by Ed Bottomley on 16 March 2008
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Are Arsenal's inexperienced youngsters choking in the Premier League title race
Whereas Arsenal’s youngsters looked infallible in their 2-0 win at the San Siro they have been displaying a worrying trend in the Premier League, drawing with Birmingham, Aston Villa, Wigan, and now Middlesbrough.
This tepid quartet of results is threatening to damage the Gunners' title hopes, not through the dramatic derailment of defeats, but through the slow erosion of their points tally. It has been four games now that Arsenal have had to make do with the meagre ration of one point when their title appetite can only be satisfied by three.
Perhaps even more worrying than this recent trend for drawing games, is the fact that they have also occasionally come as last-minute scrambles, saving games from the ignominy of defeat. Against Aston Villa one point was salvaged from the wreckage by a last-minute Nicklas Bendtner goal, and Saturday's point at home to Middlesbrough came courtesy of a late Kolo Toure leveler.
Comments (51)
by Frank on March 16, 2008
We have indeed screwed up in recent weeks but i am confident we can win the big games, it seems we manage them better than bloody Boro!
by craig on March 16, 2008
i seem to remember an arrogance of the arsenal fans at old trafford singing we will be back in may for the title, thinking to my self how will this result have affect on the title race, i think we have our answer, and lets not here about edwardos leg having ther damage, i will remind you of last season when we lost neville to a bad tackle from gary speed, he broke his ankle, as a captain he is recognised as the most experianced person and most influential person we have, as we did last season against bolton you have to get on with it, like we did against bolton andwin the game. SAF did not whine about it and carry it on like aset of cry babies like the arsenal fans have,youhave a small squad deal with it, youare so quick to bum wenger up about howhe spends so little in the transfer market,you cant have it both ways, ""great arsene does not spend much then whine whine scrike cry cry we only have a small squad boo f*cking hoo im a petty arsenal fan" now lets have a look at the run in, cheslea next at fortress stamford bridge, where no one have won in the premier leage for 3 seasons against an on form cheslea wit there talisman john terry back, nil points there, then against liverpool in the champions league which again is a team who have knocked out inter milan the italian champions who are in form against an arsenal who does not know how to find the back of the net at the moment. out of the champions league and again nil points and finally back to old trafford for a re run of the F.A. CUP finally out of the title race. wha wha waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
by Saad Siddique Bajwa on March 16, 2008
dude dis luks ominous 4 gunners....u no once u start drawing games at dis rate den its xtremly hard 2 gt back on track....rmembr wat hpnd 2 blues last yr wen dey startd drawin in absence of JT,cech,carvalho....de cud nvr pose a threat again 2 utd.spurs wil b beatn by chelsea(revenge of course) and b4 the clash at bridge both teams wil b on equal points....im backin chelsea 4 league....and i'v got dis stupid(but sexy) feeling dat we're goin 2 moscow dis yr...
by AndrewUnited on March 16, 2008
I firmly believe that this is the time united will show their superior squad strength. Arsenal and United have been fighting for this title side by side, the whole season, and i've always felt like it would come down to the strongest squad. United have rotated a lot in midfield and that has worked as a plus. Arsenal haven't been able to do that as much, thus United have the advantage now. It will truly be exciting, but Í think United will snatch with some ease these last months, wih maybe a lead of 5 points come the end ..
i dnt rmembr wachin a single asnl game in wich de'r undr da mat and de r nt fiting wid odrs or da ref.....carling cup final last yr is da best xample....here evn craig shudknow dat ur cryin ovr neville.....derby almst gt u bustd just coz ferdinand din play....imagine bein widout him,vds 4 3mnths....dis is wat da blues got thru last season and dis season aswel....and still in hunt....and wid still a "fresh" squad i cnt w8 2 c JT lift dat big cup in russian summer...
on March 16, 2008 on March 16, 2008
Maybe but if Arsenal win all there games they win the title. None of the three top teams are playing well I mean 1-0 against Derby hardly steamrolling the title get real
Since you're so clever, think back a year ;) .. We had Ferdinand out with a groin strain for 1½ months. Vidic was out too, therefore we had to play with heinze in middle with brown. Evra and O'shea (and sometimes Fletcher) at back positions. Our second striker, Saha, was out for half the season so we had to play Ole gunner, who'd just come back from 3 years of injury. Plus our captain has been out for a year now. We still managed to win the title, so i think you should sit down, and read your stuff before making claims about Chelsea and their heroics. Maybe you should spend a little more (is that even possible?) on your squad.
listen mate, you want to know our injuries last season, you forget that ferdiant was out for a month at the end of the season and vidic broke his collar bone but here is the list and we still beat you. ole gunna calf, neville broken ankle, vidic broker ncollar bone, van der sar calf strain, louis saha just about everything lol, park knee surgery, alan smith broken leg,silvestraknee ligament, rooney broken foot, rio ferdinand groin, giggs fractured cheek bone, our team went though the wars more then you mate
do the maths mate, if we beat bolton at old trafford, even if you do win all your games you will still loose on goal difference and i would rather take a one nil win at derby then a draw at wigan or a draw at birmingham lol
Very possible because Arsenals owners didn.t borrow £660 million pounds to buy the club unlike the Salford Red Socks. Instead of spending £30 million on a centre back man U should have brought two at £15 million each. then. Instead of buying Rodney you should have bought two strikers or brought them through your acadamy..
Craig Are you mystic Meg? How can you work out the goal difference.
Please, that is complete nonsense. Rooney was and is one of the best talents around. If we want to get that, we had to splash the cash. You just don't find talent like that and 'put it through your academy' . Same with Rio, He's one of the best defenders around and we got him. You can talk about your silly academy too. But we all know that you onæy snatch away other clubs talent. Stealing 15 year olds from spanish clubs. pathetic.
They owed Arsenal for the Overmars deal.
by Bill Banon on March 16, 2008
Game over for a team of inexperienced youngsters. I bet on Chelsea to overtake Arse and hopefully edge Utd in May. Maybe the double in Moscow for the Moscovite Abramovich
by DW on March 16, 2008
Don't write us off yet, we didn't buy success but built our team from no-name brands. Watch out for an unknown next season called Carlos Vela. As for this season it will be an interesting game next weekend against the phoney russian franchise!
by alromeb on March 16, 2008
Am a gooner but not blind. My ever optimist fellow gooners must be stoned or something. Actually, thats what I felt after Wigan last week!
actually mistic meg is my antie and she has told me we willhave a higher goal difference lol. on a serious note, i would keep your head down about the board mate, the galziers are very annoying at putting my season ticket up every year but they give SAF the cheque book and david gill a free hand, your russian owner and he is the largest share holder mate before you start wants a blocking vote which is 25% why do you ask? well at 25% he can block transfers stop new contracts being issued, etc etc, all he has to do is grind it out for one season and your board will be forced to sell. now this man is worth about 5 billion twice what the glaziers are worth but does that mean its sat in his bank, no it does not its invested in his mining and other business and i dont need mistic meg for that, no billionaire has all that money sat around they invest it to make more money (p.s. i am a hartered accountant and money is my life so i amqualified to give my PROFESIONAL OPINION on this) if your club is now valued at a billion wheredo you think he will get the money from, i willtell the same place stan karonke the american as borrow it,then what will happen to those season tickets at the emarits they are already more expensive then what old trafford charge now, your owners are greddier then the glaziers. so before you open your mouth i would sugest you keep your heads down shut up and keep you fingers crossed, or just like liverpool fans two seasons on you may end up with egg on your face, lets face it glaziers run man u10 times better then hicks and gillett and we have twice the debt.and as for the other half wit on about rooney and rio, lets see how well your acadamy players do against a run in of liverpool 3 times fortress stamford bridge and old trafford, lol the safe money is with rio ferdinand rooney, hargreaves, scholes ], giggs, nani and ronaldo not your 17 year old moaning rogs and africans who hie behind a bad tackle for 8 dropped points oh by the way ever seen a poor bookie, no and they rate man u to win it
Wheres the likes of n n and co? Tried telling you lot you beat a washed up Milan team and you lot were having none of it! since then you have failed to beat Birmingham, Wigan and Middlesborough which is more like relegation form! Face facts your team of foreigners really arent as good as you lot thought and had a bit of your profits gone into team affairs rather than the buisness known as Arsenal, you would be in a healthier position! Its quite funny really bearing in mind Arsenal supporters have been taunting Liverpool fans about their current league status, yet now Liverpool surely look better set up for the CL showdown and Arsenal look to me like a third place finish is the best they can hope for!
What does a hartered accountant do? Does he work for your antie? Glazier didn't just borrow to buy man U he unloaded all his other debts on Man U as well . Usmanov would need 51% to do what you suggest he dosn't even get a place on the board unless he is invited.
by Sergio Spatieri on March 16, 2008
I just love the Ars innit, anyting dem manc & chelsbums is dishing we gonna take it, all the way for sure my friends. Vaseline to sponser da boys next season. does any blood out der no wot da word gooner is actually meanin ?
by k