COLUMNIST KEN BUCKLEY

From My Seat: Arsenal (h)

By Ken Buckley :  30/12/2007 :  Comments (40) :

A 4-1 reverse at home in a game in which I thought we played the better football over the piece but lost out to both experience and power.

The opening half was ours and although Arsenal played the pass and move game we expect we closed them down and played our equivalent of their style to such an extent that it brought us a goal and no-matter no-one knew who had scored we were one up and going well. It could and should have been two but you can't make an Osman out of a Neville who produced a right back's shot when he should have netted.

The half was going well for us when with six minutes to go and after much gesticulating from Wenger they abandoned all semblence of the Arsenal way and went direct. We held out until the break without really being able to get out of our area, Arsenal were more like Bolton of old than I have ever seen them.

This approach was continued at the start of the second half and within a couple of minutes a long hoof unsettled our defence and Eduardo slotted home.

Arsenal were now in cup-tie mode and ten minutes later another hoof found Bentner who played in Eduardo for his second, both of these goals I am sure the manager would think were preventable.
We tried hard to respond but never tested their keeper and after 70mins the manager tried a change that I have to say I didn't agree with. He took off Hibbert who I thought had been one player able to stand up to and withstand the pressure and replace him with AJ whilst moving the ineffectual Neville to right back.

I was hoping he would replace the well-marshalled Yak along with Neville with Vaughan and AJ go 4-4-2 with Cahill in centre mid to at least try and use the channels to turn their rearguard and at least test the underworked keeper. He didn't and perhaps that's why I am a fan and not a professional manager.

Three minutes later Bendtner was sent off for a stamp down AJ's shin via a second yellow when many thought it should have been straight red. Wenger's response was to replace Eduardo with Adebayor when many would have shored it up and this paid dividends when another hoof saw the ball go back toward our box with Howard to pick it up or Yobo to clear, neither did anything and Adebayor got between them 3-1 game over.

By now the Arsenal tactic of winding our players up was in full flow they knew exactly what they were doing and it worked when Arteta offered an elbow toward his pal Fabrigas which he took in theatrical style. Red card, three game ban.

Arsenal continued in the same vein by breaking play up with fouls and goading our players into committing fouls and then in injury time put their only worthwhile move together which saw Rosicky leave Howard stranded and the ball in the bottom corner.4-1 .

Final whistle but no boos around Goodison just a show of solidarity with chants of EV-ER-TON.
Overall I thought despite the scoreline we did well but Arsenal left us with lessons to be learned when playing in the big arena.

They showed us the utmost of respect in terms of team selection and had enough experience to know how to win ugly and frustrate and recognised a team that demanded such non Arsenal like actions, in short they approached us as a top four side.

For my part I thought the manager could have done better with substitutions and as for a man of the match I couldn't split Hibbert, Carsley or Lescott.

Although we lost 4-1 at home I didn't feel despondant as I thought with an addition of a powerful central midfield playmaker and a wideman in the mould of Kanchelskis we can go places.
I wish the manager the best of luck in his search for the missing links and also thank him for a good show in the first half of the season.

UP THE BLUES

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