Player Ratings - Arsenal v Kiev - Sent From Mobile Phone

Atishay Agarwal usually sends over his player ratings after every game but his lack of internet connection in India has meant he soldiered on and sent it via his mobile phone instead. Good effort Atishay. So for authenticity (not laziness)…I have left any spelling mistakes/format etc as it was sent.

By Atishay Agarwal

Manuel Almunia - 6 - As has been the case so far this season, he
wasn't really tested with many shots on target, especially with
Bangoura's crazy shooting. I hear some of those balls are still
orbiting Earth as we speak. Our new No.1 gave away the direction of
his dive too early on the penalty, though.

Bacary Sagna - 5.5 - I agree completely with the lad that it wasn't a
penalty, but he should know better than to stand behind his man in the
penalty area with his hands around him. Otherwise too, he had a mediocre game.

Kolo Toure - 6 - He did well for most part of the game, barring a
slightly shaky phase in the second half. Helped restrict their
forwards to shots from distance.

William Gallas - 5 - Okay, i know i might get a pasting for this,
considering he scored the equalizer (which would have gone in without
his touch), but it was his schoolboy-ish error that led to their
attack before the penalty. Even after the goal, his defending was very
poor for the next fifteen minutes. Everyone is now going ga-ga over
his leadership qualities because he scored in the dying minutes, but
being the captain, he needs to cut down on the costly errors he makes
every now and then.

Gael Clichy - 5.5 - He had a poor outing, and was caught out of
position many times. Should have done better to prevent the cross
which led to the penalty as well. In short, both our fullbacks are yet
to rediscover their form of last season.

Theo Walcott - 7.5 - We've often been criticized for not putting up a
fight when facing 'roughing-up' tactics, but Theo did more than just
fight, he stood up and and set up the equalizer in the dying minutes. Was clearly targeted by
their left back just like Reyes was by Neville a few years back, the
difference being that Theo's got the stomach for a fight.

Denilson - 6 - The young Brazilian is somewhat of a mixed bag at the moment, with one iffy performance following every good one. he was a shadow of the player he was at Ewood Park, and could soon lose his place in order for Song to get a decent run.

Cesc Fabregas - 5.5 - Well, he doesn't look himself at the moment. Either he's carrying an injury, or he's too tired. In all, he looks jaded, and not even half as involved in general play, or even goal celebrations, as he used to be. Half an hour into the game, my friend asked, "Where's Cesc?" That says it all.

Alex Song - 7 - I wanted to see him play a full match, and I was impressed. I think he has the qualities that are required for a CDM, and he gave a very good account of himself in Kiev. Got stuck into challenges, and kept it simple with his passing and movement. One could immediately see that we were more susceptible defensively once he came off. Want to see him start an EPL game now.

Robin Van Persie - 7 - To be fair to the lad, he was placed on the left wing, not the position he usually plays in for us, so it was never going to be a classic Van Persie performance anyway. What impressed me was his commitment to the cause, and that he kept trying right till the end. He needs to get the right shooting boots on though.

Emmanuel Adebayor - 6.5 - Again, like Van Persie, tried all he could throughout the game, and could have got on the scoresheet, if Gallas hadn't literally snatched his goal! Anyway, he still misses chances like he did last season. But he gets so many that he's bound to score many. Good effort.

Subs

Emmanuel Eboue - 6.5 - Was on for just twelve minutes, but gave us a little more pace in attack.

Nicklas Bendtner - 5 - He didn't do much to be honest, and needs some more playing time to get his confidence back.


Carlos Vela - NA - Cant rate him for just two touches, can I?

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Away Victories Key To Confidence and Progression - Fantastic Reaction To Fulham Defeat

Watch tonights Champions League (including Arsenal v Dinamo Kiev, Manchester United v Villarreal, Juventus v Zenit Petersburg and Real Madrid v FC Bate) live streams from our LIVE VIDEO STREAMS PAGE.

By Richard Popple

The last time I wrote an article was before the international break when we put in the most abject performance and got beaten by Fulham. This early season defeat seems to have acted as a wake-up call to the squad who have since won three games and scored 11 goals. A pretty impressive response from this young team. With the merry-go-round transfer window firmly behind us, it’s a relief that we can all get on and enjoy the football without worrying about who’s coming and going. All the negative vibes surrounding Wenger’s lack of transfers this summer seem to have been temporarily washed away in light of the recent victories but two more away games the next five days represent a stiff challenge.

Tonights’s game in Kiev in my mind is not as important as the trip to Bolton on Saturday. Of course it would be wonderful to keep the winning streak going and I am confident that we will, but I would be happy with a draw. Anything less than a win on Saturday however would leave us trailing Liverpool and Chelsea by a possible four points and we don’t want to slip behind early on. The game in Kiev tonight I believe is an excellent opportunity to let some of the younger fringe players get involved. According to reports Nasri, Eboue and Clichy are all struggling to make the trip. I hope we will get to see Slivestre for the first time. He will provide excellent experience and champions league knowledge. I think Eboue should be replaced by Vela with Walcott moving back over to the right. I think Bendtner will start up-front giving one of Adebayor or Van Persie a breather before Saturday. It would also be good to see Ramsey given an opportunity to play with Fabregas in the centre of midfield. Jack Wilshere made Arsenal history on Saturday at Blackburn and I hope he will get a chance to impress on the European stage.

In terms of qualifying out of the group I don’t think Arsenal will have too many problems. It is a tough group but at the Emirates I fully expect three wins and we will do enough on our travels to progress. The league fixtures though should remain the priority. If Arsenal can stay in touch with leaders until Christmas then we will challenge again. Like last year we have been lucky with our early season fixture list and it gives us an opportunity to put a lot of early points on the board. Towards the end of the season we have some very tough games, so it is vital that we continue the good start we have made to the season.

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Does Arsene Wenger really trust his young players?

By Richard Popple

(I have been on holiday for two weeks in the jungle of Mombassa and had no internet access. This article was written on the 26th August 2008 so please take this into account when reading Richard's article)

After a very disappointing defeat at Fulham there has been what can only be described as panic amongst many Arsenal fans. Having read some of the fans forum boards and articles on various websites it is clear that there are many who believe this could be Arsene’s last season. After two games the managerial guillotine is already beginning to be sharpened and the unthinkable thing is, is that Wenger is topping the bill at the moment. Sanity however will prevail, and in most fans eyes and the boards he remains the only man to take the club forward.

The most alarming factor in Saturday’s defeat was the lack of desire and creativity shown by the team. It has been painfully clear in season’s past that we could be beaten on our travels by tough, physical and aggressive opponents. However, Fulham didn’t play like this at all. They didn’t even play that well themselves. They worked very hard for each other and put the Arsenal midfield under pressure. Our midfield forgot how to pass the ball and if Denilson has a future at the club past the end of this season I would be very surprised. Having exploded onto the scene two years ago he has become an increasing enigma. He is a young man who simply does not play enough football. But he is clearly not good enough to dictate the midfield in Fabregas’s absence.

It has been well documented that we have a long injury list at the moment. The bench we had on Saturday was very young indeed, but my worry with Wenger is, does he really trust his young players to be up to the job? During his post-match interview he openly admitted that Kolo Toure is not fit and is not playing with confidence. The defender is still recovering from malaria so why play him? Johann Djourou played against both West Brom and FC Twente. In both games we kept clean sheets, yet Wenger was not prepared to play him against Fulham. Why? Simply he doesn’t believe Djourou is up to the job. This is not the only example of double standards regarding his younger players. Aaron Ramsey is a £5m signing who we were told would be fighting for a first team place. Fighting obviously means sitting on the bench whilst the first 11 struggle to a 1-0 defeat. Why was the teenager not introduced? Denilson and Eboue were awful and even if Ramsey had done nothing, what was there to lose. Again, Wenger betrayed his trust of the young player. Jack Wilshire at just 16 is a very young man indeed, but why would you include him in the first team squad, expose him during the pre-season tournaments (during which he was fantastic) and then leave him on the bench?

Anyone would think we have an abundance of defenders judging by the amount we are allowing too leave on loan. I understand that the players need experience and in the case of Armand Traore it is fantastic that he will be playing premiership football with Portsmouth. In the case of Senderos though, his future at the club looks bleak. I’m not sure what the reasoning behind loaning him out is. The move to Milan has the option to go permanent next year and Arsenal are obviously going to try and trigger that clause. If this is the case, why not sell him now and get some money for a replacement. With 6 days to go in the transfer window, I for one am not holding my breath that we will bring anyone else in. I truly hope we do, but what is more important is that Wenger trusts his young players. If he doesn’t, then why would he have put so much impetus on nurturing players over the past 5-6 years?

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