FA: Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers | 28/01/07

[awooga83]

One thing i have started to feel and it isn't in anyway reflective on what happens but my confidence in the team is growing imeasurably.
Back to the unbeaten season and before with that team i used to feel when teams scored against us we would win i just knew it would come. For the last two seasons i haven't had that feeling i felt if a team scored thats it we were done we wouldn't even equalise. I feel we are starting to get that aura back i know we didn't win but Bolton are one of those teams i would have said we would have been finished if we conceded.
But today when we went behind even though we weren't playing well i just felt that we would score. The team is starting to get that presence and i think its filtering to other teams making them more nervous and giving us back some mental edge.

I know it doesn't always happen and we have seen games where we haven't scored but they were predominatly earlier in the season. But earlier i didn't feel we had the mental strength to come back we were often beaten when we conceded and i really feel its starting to turn and it is a great thing the team seem to be learning to never give up and adopting a you score against us we will definatly score against you which hopefully can be the basis for the same mentality we had earlier 2001-2004.

 

[phenn]

I think Baptista deserves a start. Adebayor played decent and worked his ass off, but Baptista looked pretty damn good when he came on. His skill once he gets the ball under control is effortless. He beat their guy at the byline like nothing. And he's so big. Very close to a goal for the big guy.

 

[morpho]

The irony is that we didnt play much worse today than in the begining of the season and yet it took people a whole 6 months to figure out that this site is crouded with mindless negativity... Arsenal is on the verge to find something pretty darn spectacular, but some gooners just cant handle "setbacks" or disappointments if you like... I have read so much crap, about the system we play, about WENGER, about Henry, about Gilberto, about Clichy, about Rosicky and recently about a 17 year old who was "unlucky" enough to get picked by the national coach... yeyeye, you can all hide behind your right to question, but frankly its getting pathetic in here...

 

[zerofeel]

Reckon its all psychological for us when we play our bogey team BOLTON.They were not fazed by us at all and knew right from the start how to stop us playing our game.Once we lost that rhythm,we somehow had a hard time getting back into the game.

Their defenders really played out their hearts and made Henry's and Ade's life hard.Henry didnt have a great game but we need Henry in the team because he is a match winner and can turn round a game on his own just not today.

 

[Dougan17]

it wasn't psychological at all, the midfielders were crap for the majority of this game with only fabregas providing a late bit of hope and flamini making some good runs off the ball. There were so many times where midfielders tried to dink it over the top or thread a pass through five bolton players that we just kept giving the ball back.

There was no quick counter, no play down the wings until after the goal, and little imagination on the ball. We've played like the ball is on fire for a long time now and nobody seems to want to hold onto it but sometimes when you're being given space to run parallel to the defense you have to do it to draw players out, not run for 10m and then try to thread a ball through. The worst at this is Rosicky, for all his talent, dribbling, speed with the ball, and ability he loves to dribble 15m sideways and then play the same pass into a defender that he could've played first-time to the same effect.

The lethargy from our forwards needs to end but they need to get the ball in, at worst, 50/50 positions from the midfield. Henry needs to run off the ball more but the midfield needs to run with the ball more as well, use the space they're giving you to drag players out of position.

 

[celestis]

We have to remember that our entire right side was out , which happens to be where a lot of our fluidity comes from not to mention by far our best DM and the Flammster seems to think that he is a attacking midfielder.

 

[tactica442]

There was no quick counter, no play down the wings until after the goal, and little imagination on the ball. We've played like the ball is on fire for a long time now and nobody seems to want to hold onto it but sometimes when you're being given space to run parallel to the defense you have to do it to draw players out, not run for 10m and then try to thread a ball through. The worst at this is Rosicky, for all his talent, dribbling, speed with the ball, and ability he loves to dribble 15m sideways and then play the same pass into a defender that he could've played first-time to the same effect.

Rosicky seemed only to realise his needs to speed up and up hs gear in the last 25 mins. It's amazing to see he can run and dribble at that pace.

Bolton are a mixture if English rugby players and experieced foreign mercenary. They preferred playing at their own pace as players like Campo and Speed can't cope high speed game in the whole game. So they foul opponents when they are off the ball. They even procastinating set-peices such throw-in and freekick so Davies can wind defenders up and the prolonged delay may catch defenders off guard. Too beat they, Arsenal will have to play high tempo game and not let them to play the rythme that suit their ages.

 

[marco]

thats us out of the cup really.
just rather have lost today so yids cant be the first team to win at the emirates./

clichy and fabregas our best players..
apparently henry played today just about to watch the highlights know to see if he actualy did!!!!

Feck thats a desperate statement Marco

to be honest with you all i was thinking about all game was the game this wednesday...and what it would be like were we too lose that..
the only thing about the fa cup which would have been good would have been to be in the first final at wembley.

no chance of me going upto bolton for replay.
first game i will miss in the cup in 6 years but once a year to the reebok is enough for me!

 

[Feis-al]

Are away goals applied in this case scenario, Someone let me know

 

[invisibleman18]

Feis-al - No away goals as it is not a 2 legged tie. It's a replay starting from scratch. The first match has no bearing on the 2nd.

Can't believe how negative it's been around here. It wasn't a great performance but I'm suprisingly actually pleased with the result. I mean, we actually didn't lose to Bolton for once, so I think that's a positive thing. We played **** but still came from behind to avoid defeat against a side who has the beating over us these days. And we are still in the cup, so it's not all bad.

 

[YuenBiaoFan]

A home tie to Blackburn awaits the winner of the replay.

I swear I think we DESERVE a cup given what horrible horrible cup draws we've had this season

 

[awooga83]

I can't believe Chelsea have another easy tie at home its beyond a joke and another premiership clash if we get through.

 

[Rohit]

Won't the game against Sp**s on Wednesday be our first game at home in the Cup ?

 

[Jkreffer]

True story. We really have had a horrible run considering all the teams we could have got. Still I would rather win the competition beating the harder teams...thats bout the only thing I can console another bad draw with!

 

[marco]

I can't believe Chelsea have another easy tie at home its beyond a joke and another premiership clash if we get through.

exactly they have been so lucky this year its unreal.
wycombe in carling cup and 3 home draws in the cup!
what a joke...

cant see us getting past bolton anyhow but its a joke we would have got blackburn!

 

[Rohit]

Another home draw for Utd. too,thats 3 in 3.

 

[Rahul]

Oh FFS another tough tie......IF we win that is....bollox

 

[vin de guerre]

I think there is a conspiracy against us. How many times do we need to play Backburn and Bolton in a season?
Its time to get the black pudding out and give them some ecky thump! :evil:

 

[Don Pacifico]

I think there is a conspiracy against us. How many times do we need to play Backburn and Bolton in a season?
Its time to get the black pudding out and give them some ecky thump! :evil:

I guess that's the 'magic' of the cup...

The second half of this season is certainly going to be an interesting test for our squad.

 

[Beany]

Another bye for Chel$ki but to be fair, Manure & Arsenal (subject to Bolton) have similar ties, which they should both win. And Spus have a 50/50 tie, though I'd give it to them on balance.

At least the really big pair offs (perm any of Chelski, Manure & Arsenal) will wait till at least the quarters.

Bottom line is that two of the "big three" look like contesting the final, this year. Which will be good for Wembley, if bad for football.