by Leonmc0708 » Fri Apr 09, 2004 7:37 pm
Right lads, I hope you have all voted, and that you do all hate me . . .
Just got back from the game today, and I have a few observations.
1) Arsenal today was a dangerous game, the old cliche, the wounded beast and all that. Think about this for a minute, who are the best team in England right now, Arsenal right ? Do you think that Arsenal are going to be beaten three times in one week? No neither did I. The best result in all honesty we could have hoped for was the draw. A win would have been out of this world, but I travelled to London this morning hoping we could contain Arsenal and get a draw. In the end we were beaten by a better team, and more importantly by the best player in the World right now.
2) Gerard Houllier has got a major problem. If he seriously thinks that the best way to overcome the best attacking side in Europe is to leave the best defender we have at the club on the sidelines and play a failed average midfielder at the very heart of the defence, then he is seriously mistaken. I have not spoken to anybody who understands GH's resoning or can see any logic whatsoever in Biscans selection. Obviously the only real argument for giving the lad a game is if he plays outstandingly in training, and merits his chance in the first XI. However if this is the case, and Houlliers thinking behind the selection is based on this then the man must be blind, having seen him cost us countless games this season. I am not having a go at Igor here, all he can do is play to the best of his ability whereever the gaffer selects him, the problem is that his ability is limited. The buck stops with Houllier here.
3) Tactically, GH needs to take a real good look at some tapes of games, and think long and hard about his instructions to the players during games. In the first ten minutes today, Liverpool were rampant. Our best form of defence is undoubtedley attack. Houllier clearly instructed the players in the event of scoring a goal that they should sit back and defend it. Totally wrong. Heskey then became totally redundant, and this and this alone gave Arsenal the impetus to equalise.
4) Thierry Henry's goal, when he dribbled through and slotted home was simply a wonderful goal. A number of supporters around me simply applauded the brilliance of the man. In football, when you are honoured to see skill, even if its the opposition you just have to admire it. Do you remember when Barca taught us a lesson in the Champios Leagus at Anfield a few years ago with a marvelous move for that ex-arsenal players goal (name escapes me). The Kop simply applauded the brilliance.
I could really sit here till Monday and go on, but all in all, the lads played well, a better team beat us.
FAIR PLAY TO THE ARSENAL
JUSTICE FOR THE 96
