This was only a friendly match, despite being called the Emirates 'Cup', and in his post-match press conference, Arsene Wenger said: "I don't give too much importance to the result. It is more important to find a connective rhythm." But when Arsenal went two goals up and threw away the advantage to draw 2-2 against Boca Juniors, having been in control for a huge chunk of the 90 minutes, there was still a crushing feeling of déjà vu for all Gunners fans.
Wenger's refusal to dwell on his side's defensive lapses after the game gave way to praise of Arsenal's impressive new-boy, Gervinho and the inevitable conjecture over the futures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. "Nothing has moved since Friday," said Wenger - which is no surprise, as it has only been 24 hours.
Common belief is the former will, eventually, leave and the latter will, for another year, remain. Despite his desire to join Barcelona, an injured Fabregas was in attendance. "No money would get Cesc out of here, if he wants to stay," were the telling final five words from a bullish Wenger.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, Nasri did little to dispel his doubters. He played the entirety of the match, even handed the captain's armband in the second half, however, this was not one of his better outings, with little coming off for the Manchester City target, who has less than 12 months to run on his current contract. It would be bold, though, to suggest he looked uncommitted, perhaps just not entirely focused.
But when one wonders what Arsenal might lose, it is human nature to forget what one already has. You're scrabbling around looking for your keys, but at least you have your wallet, safely tucked away in your back pocket.
The wallet, in this case, is Jack Wilshere. On the evidence of his pre-season performances thus far, the contentious decision to keep him out of this summer's European Under-21 Championships looks a wise one, certainly for the player, and, more importantly, for his club. He looked fresh, and his feet skipped lightly off the turf. Wilshere was a thorn in Boca's side for the 45 minutes he played, drawing several fouls; they simply couldn't get to grips with his speed of thought. Arsenal's opener came from a Gervinho assist to a Robin van Persie finish, but it was Wilshere who ignited the attack.
With Wilshere supreme in the centre, eyes were otherwise mostly on the only major summer signing for the Gunners thus far, Gervinho - the home fans keen to gauge his quality for the first time up close. The Ivory Coast international is a direct sort of player, happy to take on defences and that could prove a valuable weapon in the season to come, as it can be a frustrating process watching Arsenal pass sideways against a side set up to suffocate them.
Gervinho demonstrated an end product for the opener, and skinned an opponent on more than one occasion. Reflecting on his performance, Wenger said: "Gervinho is a good addition to our squad. Gives options on both sides and through middle. He can integrate well."
Defensively, there has been much pining for a brute of a centre-half. There's a belief Arsenal are crying out for a giant of a stopper, hence the links with Blackburn's Christopher Samba and Bremen's Per Mertesacker. But, and this might be tempting fate, this match served to remind that the pair would be a very un-Wenger-like buy. The French coach likes his back four to play the ball out from the back and Laurent Koscielny, signed from Lorient last summer for nearly £10 million, is evidence of that principle.
Koscielny, who had a mixed debut season in England, was excellent in his distribution versus Boca before his exit. (Hence, talk of a swoop for Everton's Phil Jagielka, more technically adept than Samba, sounding more plausible).
If Arsenal seek to replicate the Barcelona style, they do not need a centre-back unable to turn over the ball swiftly enough for them to manipulate possession and, ultimately, the opposition. It just wouldn't work. This run-out was also evidence of the need for the Gunners to obtain a defender with some pace. They continue to play an awfully high line, and that was exposed a handful of times by their opponents. Indeed, in the second half, the home side did little to convince that defensive concentration has improved as Sebastien Squillaci, whose reputation continues to plummet, and then Johan Djourou saw rudimentary errors punished.
The Gunners conceded a higher proportion of goals from set-pieces (53.5%) last season than any other team in the Premier League. And on Friday, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny indicated a unified determination to right those wrongs. He said: "You might see a little change this weekend in our tactics [with set pieces]."
In Arsenal's defence, which lined up zonally, it was less set-piece mishaps and more a matter of fading that led to Arsenal's throwing away of the two-goal lead. Wenger may claim that fatigue played its part but, while this was indeed a physical exercise at this stage of the season, some Arsenal fans have run this same 90-minute path all too often.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Emmanuel Frimpong
The 19-year-old is a physical unit. He was tough in the tackle, making many of those over the course of the 90 minutes. He's a natural replacement for Alex Song, but beyond that it could be argued Arsenal are sparse in that holding area, following the departure of Denilson and Abou Diaby's injury. Frimpong, though, will want to make a significant impact this campaign, after missing the entirety of last season following a serious knee injury.
ARSENAL VERDICT
Hard to read too much into the result itself. Nasri's underwhelming performance will likely grab the headlines, despite Wenger's best efforts to down play the matter of his future. "I play the players who are available, and Nasri is available. So I play him," he said. Absentees from the game included Thomas Vermaelen, Wojciech Szczesny and Tomas Rosicky, but they will be involved on Sunday versus New York Red Bulls.
BOCA JUNIORS VERDICT
They were hardly in the game until Arsenal let them back into it. Juan Roman Riquelme was the household name on show, and he duly caught the eye with some fancy flicks. Their participation was littered with much fouling, in particular the first half. Such was eagerness of the tackles, it was surprising that Arsenal chose to arrange a game so close to the proper season against Boca.
Source: James Dall, ESPN Soccernet on 30 Jul 11
Showing posts with label Boca Juniors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boca Juniors. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Arsène Wenger still has work to do as Boca Juniors claim a 2-2 draw
Regarding Nasri, who has a year left on his contract and is interesting Manchester City, Wenger informed him for the first time publicly that he should make a decision. "In the next 10 days it has to be clear on that front. If you ask me, do I want to keep him, I say yes. But he needs to be committed to that as well."
Wenger had included Fábregas in his ultimatum of 10 days, but, pressed on this, he softened the stance. "I don't give them 10 days, the transfer period is until 31 August. Ideally, we go into big games in the next two weeks, so in the next two weeks we need to sort our problems out, but there is no specific deadline of one day or 24 hours."
On Friday, Wenger had stated that, despite Fábregas wanting to leave for Barcelona, he would not be allowed to do so for less than Arsenal's valuation, with the Catalan club so far not returning with an improvement on their £27m bid earlier this summer.
Yet Wenger conceded that Nasri, if he does remain beyond September, could walk away next summer for free. Asked how much of a concern this would be, the manager conceded the point. "It's not ideal for us, of course, on the financial side, but, on the sporting side, he is an important player," Wenger said.
Gervinho's performance in a first-half cameo against Boca had suggested he may prove a vital performer this season. Yet, while the 24-year-old has a directness so chronically missing from these parts recently, Arsenal's concession of a two-goal advantage indicated their old problem of defensive brittleness may yet haunt Wenger's men again.
Once more, Fábregas was not included because of a hamstring problem – he is yet to feature this pre-season and may never again do so - while Nasri lined up in his familiar wide-left berth. This was a starting XI that missed Wojciech Szczesny, Alex Song, Bacary Sagna, Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs from the strongest Wenger might field.
At its head was Gervinho, the £11m signing from Lille whose first telling contribution was to create Robin van Persie's opener. Peeling away from his central attacking position to the left, Gervinho took possession from a clever Jack Wilshere pass before pinging in a cross that Van Persie smashed home.
After the break, the substitute Aaron Ramsey smacked home Arsenal's second with his first touch, but the Gunners' flakiness then showed. A mistake by Sébastien Squillaci too near goal allowed Juan Riquelme to find Lucas Viatri, who pulled the first one back for the visitors.
Next, Johan Djourou let Pablo Mouche mug him, then slide home beyond Vito Mannone. Wenger claimed he was not concerned by the lapse, but he has some hard thinking to do on a few fronts.
Source: Jamie Jackson, The Guardian on 30 Jul 11
Wenger's reaction to the Arsenal 2-2 Boca Juniors match
on letting in two second-half goals...
You never want to concede goals, but overall I do not give too much importance to that. What is important for us it to find a collective rhythm. When we could we managed to play at a good pace for 60 minutes, after it was much more difficult. It was expected, we came back from a training camp in Germany with heavy work and I knew that the second half would be much more difficult.
Boca Juniors are a good team and we got caught counter-attacking when were 2-0 up and we tried to build up the game, but when you are tired you miss some passes and were a bit more under threat.
on the lessons he has learned...
That we can score goals and Gervinho is a good addition to our squad. He is very interesting because he gives us options on both sides and through the middle. He can integrate well with our team. Also we have some improvements to make in some areas, especially the way we win the ball back. On set pieces we were not convincing today, but overall it was quite positive.
on Gervinho...
We can be extremely dangerous on the counter-attack with the players we have, we have Walcott who was not involved today, we have Gervinho and with the midfield we have I believe we can be very quick in the transition to go forwards, so that is always something very interesting. He can add that.
on the commitment of Nasri and Fabregas…
I don’t know. I play the players who are available and Nasri is available so I play him. Yesterday, I made a check up of all our situations and, I must tell you, nothing has moved since yesterday. Not one way, nor another way.
If Fabregas is committed to this Club and wants to stay, no money will get him out of here. We are not in a position where we need to sell our players. We want to keep our players. We are not looking after money. We want the players to stay here, from our side that is clear.
on the possibility of Nasri leaving for nothing…
It’s not ideal for us on the financial side but, on the sporting side, he is an important player. We have to deal with the situation one way or another. In the next ten days we have to be clear on that front.
on the futures of Nicklas Bendtner and Emmanuel Eboue…
They are both on the verge of a move but nothing has been concluded with anybody. I don’t have any club in mind for Nicklas Bendtner because we are far from having done anything with anybody. I cannot give you any club because we have given him the permission to move.
on keeping Nasri at Arsenal…
If you ask me if I want to keep him, I say yes. But he needs to be committed to that as well. I don’t give them ten days, the transfer period is until August 31. Ideally, we go into big games in two weeks, in the next two weeks we have to sort out problems out. There is no specific deadline of one day or 24 hours. It’s not like you shoot a shuttle into space. Sometimes it’s very quick on that front and sometimes it’s very slow.
on Juan Mata...
If I translate your question you are asking that if the two go do we need to sign one then of course. They are two exceptional players and that's why personally I want to keep the two.
If I was the other players I would think 'I have a good opportunity to play'. If you have been a football player you never cry when somebody goes. I just told you 'let's be relaxed', if you want to start a crisis before the start of the season I can understand that but I don't see the need. We have played a football game today and it was enjoyable, so let's come back tomorrow and enjoy another one.
on whether he might change his captain...
We sort any problem out when we have a problem. At the moment the problem is to play good football tomorrow. Fabregas is not in my mind because he will not play tomorrow. I don't see why I should worry about that.
on Jack Wilshere...
It was always the plan to take him off - at half time he was coming off and Ramsey was coming on. The substitutions were decided before the game and I added a fifth at half time because I saw that the game would be physical and we have another one tomorrow.
on Fabregas being at the game...
Cesc loves deeply this club, he loves deepy as well Barcelona. That shows you that an honest player can love two clubs at the same time. He cares about this club and that's why I hope he can keep him.
Source: Arsenal.com on 30 Jul 11
You never want to concede goals, but overall I do not give too much importance to that. What is important for us it to find a collective rhythm. When we could we managed to play at a good pace for 60 minutes, after it was much more difficult. It was expected, we came back from a training camp in Germany with heavy work and I knew that the second half would be much more difficult.
Boca Juniors are a good team and we got caught counter-attacking when were 2-0 up and we tried to build up the game, but when you are tired you miss some passes and were a bit more under threat.
on the lessons he has learned...
That we can score goals and Gervinho is a good addition to our squad. He is very interesting because he gives us options on both sides and through the middle. He can integrate well with our team. Also we have some improvements to make in some areas, especially the way we win the ball back. On set pieces we were not convincing today, but overall it was quite positive.
on Gervinho...
We can be extremely dangerous on the counter-attack with the players we have, we have Walcott who was not involved today, we have Gervinho and with the midfield we have I believe we can be very quick in the transition to go forwards, so that is always something very interesting. He can add that.
on the commitment of Nasri and Fabregas…
I don’t know. I play the players who are available and Nasri is available so I play him. Yesterday, I made a check up of all our situations and, I must tell you, nothing has moved since yesterday. Not one way, nor another way.
If Fabregas is committed to this Club and wants to stay, no money will get him out of here. We are not in a position where we need to sell our players. We want to keep our players. We are not looking after money. We want the players to stay here, from our side that is clear.
on the possibility of Nasri leaving for nothing…
It’s not ideal for us on the financial side but, on the sporting side, he is an important player. We have to deal with the situation one way or another. In the next ten days we have to be clear on that front.
on the futures of Nicklas Bendtner and Emmanuel Eboue…
They are both on the verge of a move but nothing has been concluded with anybody. I don’t have any club in mind for Nicklas Bendtner because we are far from having done anything with anybody. I cannot give you any club because we have given him the permission to move.
on keeping Nasri at Arsenal…
If you ask me if I want to keep him, I say yes. But he needs to be committed to that as well. I don’t give them ten days, the transfer period is until August 31. Ideally, we go into big games in two weeks, in the next two weeks we have to sort out problems out. There is no specific deadline of one day or 24 hours. It’s not like you shoot a shuttle into space. Sometimes it’s very quick on that front and sometimes it’s very slow.
on Juan Mata...
If I translate your question you are asking that if the two go do we need to sign one then of course. They are two exceptional players and that's why personally I want to keep the two.
If I was the other players I would think 'I have a good opportunity to play'. If you have been a football player you never cry when somebody goes. I just told you 'let's be relaxed', if you want to start a crisis before the start of the season I can understand that but I don't see the need. We have played a football game today and it was enjoyable, so let's come back tomorrow and enjoy another one.
on whether he might change his captain...
We sort any problem out when we have a problem. At the moment the problem is to play good football tomorrow. Fabregas is not in my mind because he will not play tomorrow. I don't see why I should worry about that.
on Jack Wilshere...
It was always the plan to take him off - at half time he was coming off and Ramsey was coming on. The substitutions were decided before the game and I added a fifth at half time because I saw that the game would be physical and we have another one tomorrow.
on Fabregas being at the game...
Cesc loves deeply this club, he loves deepy as well Barcelona. That shows you that an honest player can love two clubs at the same time. He cares about this club and that's why I hope he can keep him.
Source: Arsenal.com on 30 Jul 11
30 July 2011: Arsenal 2-2 Boca Juniors, Emirates Stadium
Arsenal had to settle for a draw on the opening day of the Emirates Cup after letting a two-goal lead slip against Boca Juniors.
Robin van Persie converted a cross from the impressive Gervinho to open the scoring before half time and Aaron Ramsey added a second within a minute of the restart with a venomous strike from the edge of the box.
Boca looked beaten at that point but two goals in three minutes from Lucas Viatri and Pablo Mouche hauled them level with Arsenal found wanting at the back on both occasions.
The tournament hosts probed for a winner but could not find a way past their rejuvenated opponents. Indeed they needed a smart stop from Vito Mannone to hold onto their point.
Either way, this draw sets us up nicely for Sunday’s clash with the New York Red Bulls - and a certain Mr Henry. The MLS side beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in Saturday’s opener so a point is all they need to leave London with the silverware.
Arsène Wenger and his squad had travelled halfway round the world and back again since they last set foot on their own pitch and, fittingly, Thin Lizzy’s ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ blared from the Emirates speakers before kick off.
For players and fans alike this now traditional staging post on the pre-season trail represents a fresh start with new hope to cling to as well as a new kit to admire. There were a couple of new faces too with Gervinho and Carl Jenkinson handed their home debuts.
Elsewhere Emmanuel Frimpong - resplendent with new Mohican haircut - was paired with Jack Wilshere in midfield, Armand Traore got the nod at left back and youngsters Kyle Bartley and Benik Afobe were named on the bench.
Boca’s star turn was Juan Roman Riquelme. The old-school playmaker is winding down his career now but his rhythmic play is still a joy to behold. Riquelme’s touch plus the drums, whistles and exuberance of the Boca fans brought a flavour of Buenos Aires to north London.
There was controversy before the first minute was out.
Gervinho, starting on the right, danced towards the box and found Wilshere inside it. The England man was clipped but referee Martin Atkinson gave nothing. There would have been more than raised eyebrows had this been a competitive fixture.
Gervinho made that happen and it was soon clear that he was the main danger. Within minutes the Ivorian, quick, lean and explosive, left Facundo Roncaglia for dead with one sway of his hips and sent in a low cross that Van Persie couldn’t quite sweep in at the near post.
Meanwhile, there were warning signs at the other end.
Dario Cvitanich looked to get in behind Arsenal’s centre-back pair and did so twice, only for poor control to scupper Boca on both occasions. Another alarm bell rang when Juan Insaurralde rose virtually unmarked to head a corner just wide.
But all in all chances were at a premium, so much so that the tournament’s first Mexican wave was spotted before the half-hour mark. It had yet to make a lap of the ground when most of the crowd was on its feet to celebrate an Arsenal goal.
Gervinho was the instigator again, springing down the left before sliding a teasing ball into the box for Van Persie to gobble up. The Dutchman still knows where the goal is and clearly he is already on the same wavelength as the Club’s most recent signing.
That was the last we saw of Gervinho but his two cameos in an Arsenal shirt have certainly whetted the appetite. The new boy was one of five to make way at half time as Wenger brought on Carlos Vela, Ramsey, Sebastien Squillaci, Mannone and Marouane Chamakh.
Ramsey has looked in the mood all summer and he needed less than a minute to double Arsenal’s lead. Vela’s mazy run was stopped illegally on the edge of the box but, to his credit, Atkinson played advantage and Ramsey smashed the ball past Agustin Orion. Quite an entrance.
Andrey Arshavin, granted extra time on the pitch to build up his match sharpness, was the next to threaten with a bustling run through the centre and a shot that was blocked.
But Boca emerged from their shell and served notice of what was to come when Viatri forced substitute keeper Mannone into an athletic one-handed tip over.
With 22 minutes left the Argentina international was given another chance and this time he made no mistake. Sebastian Squillaci was robbed in possession and a square pass found Viatri to lash the ball into the top corner.
Suddenly, we had a contest. Boca scented another goal and it came just three minutes later when Mouche got the wrong side of Johan Djourou and evaded Mannone before sliding in the equaliser.
Emmanuel Eboue came off the bench to fire a half-chance wide of the far post as Arsenal went in search of a winner. But Boca finished strongly and Mannone had to scramble to his right to keep out Riquelme’s free kick five minutes from time.
Source: Chris Harris, Arsenal.com on 30 Jul 11
Robin van Persie converted a cross from the impressive Gervinho to open the scoring before half time and Aaron Ramsey added a second within a minute of the restart with a venomous strike from the edge of the box.
Boca looked beaten at that point but two goals in three minutes from Lucas Viatri and Pablo Mouche hauled them level with Arsenal found wanting at the back on both occasions.
The tournament hosts probed for a winner but could not find a way past their rejuvenated opponents. Indeed they needed a smart stop from Vito Mannone to hold onto their point.
Either way, this draw sets us up nicely for Sunday’s clash with the New York Red Bulls - and a certain Mr Henry. The MLS side beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in Saturday’s opener so a point is all they need to leave London with the silverware.
Arsène Wenger and his squad had travelled halfway round the world and back again since they last set foot on their own pitch and, fittingly, Thin Lizzy’s ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ blared from the Emirates speakers before kick off.
For players and fans alike this now traditional staging post on the pre-season trail represents a fresh start with new hope to cling to as well as a new kit to admire. There were a couple of new faces too with Gervinho and Carl Jenkinson handed their home debuts.
Elsewhere Emmanuel Frimpong - resplendent with new Mohican haircut - was paired with Jack Wilshere in midfield, Armand Traore got the nod at left back and youngsters Kyle Bartley and Benik Afobe were named on the bench.
Boca’s star turn was Juan Roman Riquelme. The old-school playmaker is winding down his career now but his rhythmic play is still a joy to behold. Riquelme’s touch plus the drums, whistles and exuberance of the Boca fans brought a flavour of Buenos Aires to north London.
There was controversy before the first minute was out.
Gervinho, starting on the right, danced towards the box and found Wilshere inside it. The England man was clipped but referee Martin Atkinson gave nothing. There would have been more than raised eyebrows had this been a competitive fixture.
Gervinho made that happen and it was soon clear that he was the main danger. Within minutes the Ivorian, quick, lean and explosive, left Facundo Roncaglia for dead with one sway of his hips and sent in a low cross that Van Persie couldn’t quite sweep in at the near post.
Meanwhile, there were warning signs at the other end.
Dario Cvitanich looked to get in behind Arsenal’s centre-back pair and did so twice, only for poor control to scupper Boca on both occasions. Another alarm bell rang when Juan Insaurralde rose virtually unmarked to head a corner just wide.
But all in all chances were at a premium, so much so that the tournament’s first Mexican wave was spotted before the half-hour mark. It had yet to make a lap of the ground when most of the crowd was on its feet to celebrate an Arsenal goal.
Gervinho was the instigator again, springing down the left before sliding a teasing ball into the box for Van Persie to gobble up. The Dutchman still knows where the goal is and clearly he is already on the same wavelength as the Club’s most recent signing.
That was the last we saw of Gervinho but his two cameos in an Arsenal shirt have certainly whetted the appetite. The new boy was one of five to make way at half time as Wenger brought on Carlos Vela, Ramsey, Sebastien Squillaci, Mannone and Marouane Chamakh.
Ramsey has looked in the mood all summer and he needed less than a minute to double Arsenal’s lead. Vela’s mazy run was stopped illegally on the edge of the box but, to his credit, Atkinson played advantage and Ramsey smashed the ball past Agustin Orion. Quite an entrance.
Andrey Arshavin, granted extra time on the pitch to build up his match sharpness, was the next to threaten with a bustling run through the centre and a shot that was blocked.
But Boca emerged from their shell and served notice of what was to come when Viatri forced substitute keeper Mannone into an athletic one-handed tip over.
With 22 minutes left the Argentina international was given another chance and this time he made no mistake. Sebastian Squillaci was robbed in possession and a square pass found Viatri to lash the ball into the top corner.
Suddenly, we had a contest. Boca scented another goal and it came just three minutes later when Mouche got the wrong side of Johan Djourou and evaded Mannone before sliding in the equaliser.
Emmanuel Eboue came off the bench to fire a half-chance wide of the far post as Arsenal went in search of a winner. But Boca finished strongly and Mannone had to scramble to his right to keep out Riquelme’s free kick five minutes from time.
Source: Chris Harris, Arsenal.com on 30 Jul 11
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