2012 - its the end of the world! (or...year)

Super cute celebration from Theo and Gibbs. Source: Tumblr

Perfect end to the year.

A great morale boost for the end of the season.

We may not have leapfrogged anyone up the table, but it was a positive ending to the year and positive for all the players.

Theo in particular was of course a standout.  His hattrick was incredible. His last goal in particular was great, even though it could have been a penalty. It was a beautiful goal! He has truly grown into a mature player, and was excellent playing up front. He is fast, and his skill was Henry-like against Newcastle.  Last season a lot of people were writing him off, apart from Wenger and RvP...who always stood by him and said Walcott was invaluable to the team. Even though he-who-must-not-be-named is gone, Walcott is still here and would be a massive loss if he leaves the club. He needs to sign a new contract.

Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta had a quiet day in the midfield, but were still setting the pace and providing the metronome and rhythm for how the game was to progress.  This was not as good in the first half, but they fell into a rapport in the second half, especially towards the end. I am loving this midfield combination more and more every time they play together.

Our defense was the real low point. At the beginning of the season I thought that Bould had tightened up the defense and we had a lot of clean sheets, but now it is a bit dodgy.  I think Arsenal missed the influence of Per Mertesaker (get well soon, BFG), and Vermaelen is having an inconsistent season. A new years resolution is definitely to improve and solidify our defense.

As a gooner, I was flipping my lid during this game. It was ridiculously exciting. My lucky number is 7, so I was so excited. Perfect end to the year.

Bring on 2013 and the rest of the season! :D

xoxo Gooner Girl

ps. How funny was Wenger and his zipper? Classic.

Poor performance, poor result

Aaron Ramsey against Norwich. Photo: Telegraph.co.uk

Norwich have given us all a reason of why having less internationals on your team is a good thing.

Norwich only had two players away on international duty, while Arsenal had 14.

Arsene Wenger (who celebrated his birthday yesterday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENGER!) said that having 14 players away proved we had very good players on the squad, but they were tired.  Cazorla especially was not the light, fast genius Arsenal fans have become accustomed to. By contrast he looked tired, as did a lot of our internationals. The international break meant we were disjointed, tired and didn't gel as a team.

However, no excuses. We can complain about the international break all we like, but we really should be beating teams like Norwich.

On the day, we played badly. We had more chances, more ball, and more possession, but we couldn't do anything with it.

Norwich should be commended for an absolutely fantastic performance, especially defensively. 

Arsenal will need to step it up before our mid-week Champions League match against Schalke.  The game should be interesting, it could go either way, but Arsenal will need to play a lot better than we did this weekend.

xoxo
- GoonerGirl

Every win counts!

Theo Walcott celebrates his goal. Image: Arsenal.com

Solid performance by Arsenal this morning...well the game was at 5.30am for me so I consider it the morning.

It is vital to win games like this. Some could argue "It's only West Ham". But the reality is in the premier league every point counts, and 3 points is 3 points, doesn't matter if its against West Ham or Manchester City.

The goals:

1-0: Diame 21
The great thing about this goal (looking at the positives here) is it wasn't a defensive blunder, more of a fantastic strike by Diame. He will be a dangerous player for West Ham. One could argue Aaron Ramsey should have defended better, but Ramsey's forte is not in defense, and the strike itself was deadly.

1-1: Giroud 41
Giroud's equalizer was incredible.  I was so happy he finally scored in the Premier League. It was a great left-footed jab too...Podolski with a fantastic assist. Kind of came out of no-where too, the reflexes he had to just prod the ball into the back of the net was just top class.  It came at the right time, too. I think it was great for Arsenal to equalise before the break, get a clean slate and make it even going into the second half. It made a difference mentally as well for Giroud to be the one to score, as he gained a lot of confidence and helped set up the 2nd goal.

1-2 Walcott 77
Walcott's goal was clean, composed and fast.  Set up by well Giroud, the goal confirmed Walcott's danger when he comes on as a super-sub. He makes such an impact, providing free space, speed and skill. It was a textbook Arsenal counter attack, which I always love to see.  Our counter-attacking ability was what kind of made me fall in love with Arsenal in the first place, which is why I rate Theo so highly as a player.

1-3 Cazorla 83
What can I even say? Top class. Too good. Cazorla is something else. Solo effort goal, fantastic finish, so well deserved. If we had paid double the amount we did for Cazorla, he'd still be a bargain. He is just magical on the field.

Overall there were a lot of positives to take from the match.  Still things to work on, of course. We are shaky at defending set-pieces, I get nervous for every corner.  But we got the 3 points, 3 goals, and confidence boost.

Good work gunners!

Now, I suggest you stop reading now if you don't want to read my little soapbox moment, although it is still football related.

ESPN Australia and NZ have not brought the rights to La Liga this season. This is incredibly disappointing and disheartening to football fans in the southern hemisphere. So tomorrow, instead of showing El Classio, they will be broadcasting College Football.

2 of the best football teams in the world are playing tomorrow, and we in the Southern Hemisphere miss out.

I understand the arguments around cancelling La Liga. It probably doesn't get as much interest as the EPL. I understand that. Its a two horse race. No one can really deny that either. But that does not mean that fans of Barcelona and Real Madrid should have to suffer.  I see lots of children here in New Zealand walking around in Barcelona and Real Madrid shirts, just as many as I see in Manchester United shirts.

They are global teams. Global brands even. There is a significant public interest to watch La Liga games.

Well, I can livestream it. But it is not the same! Television should be showing La Liga games, and it is just a joke that they think it is not worth buying for an Australasian audience.

In other news I need to get less passionate about Arsenal. I told my friend I was going to shove a Spurs fan as I walked passed him yesterday (joking...sort of) and then his friend said to me "That's not very nice."
Me: "He's a Spurs fan..."
Him: "Oi bet you're f***ing Arsenal scum"
Me: "Psssssshh, go gunners!" while I was walking away.

I'll get myself into trouble one day...

xoxo
- Gooner Girl

Negative Gooners and why negativity is pointless

I see a lot of negative gooners after every defeat. I understand this. When we lose, emotions are raw. I always feel drained, as if I've been running for 90 minutes with the boys. I'm emotionally exhausted.

But on my twitter feed, and my facebook, and various comments online all I see is "typical Arsenal" "same old arsenal" "f***ing giroud" "f***ing wenger" and that is just a selection of the more mild responses.

We lose one game, and the fans abuse Wenger and the players.

We lose one game, 2-1, to the current Champions League winners and team at the top of the EPL, and the fans give up hope. "Wenger out."

We lose one game and the fans give up.

We lost one game. One game. Imagine if the players themselves had that attitude? We'd never win. Ever. If the players had that attitude, they'd retire from football, think they were losers, and then get a job cleaning toilets at McDonalds.


That isn't how they became Premier League footballers. They became profession footballers through hard work, dedication, and not giving up.

Fans who have these types of negative attitudes about football and can't see the positives from the game...they're the same type of people who hate their jobs, get angry at their families, and genuinely aren't happy in their lives. They want to give up when they fail.

Failure is hard. It hurts. It hurts a lot sometimes. But how can you ever have success without the risk of failure? Failure is what makes success satisfying.

I'm not saying take football less seriously. Because take it seriously. I take it seriously. Too seriously, some would say. I'm emotionally distraught after a loss. But I channel that into positives and optimism. What can we do to improve? What are the positive sides? Where to next?

All I'm saying, is don't judge a season by one game. Don't judge a team by one game. Don't judge a player by one game.

Keep positive. Keep calm and carry on.
Love,
KiwiGoonerGirl

First defeat of the season...and why it isn't so bad.

Koscielny had a shocker in defense. Image: Mirror

Arsenal suffered our first defeat at the hands of Chelsea, in the first big London derby of the season. Chelsea are top of the premier league, and they have been playing really well, so this was always going to be a tough game for the gunners.

However it was a disappointing game. We conceded 2 goals cheaply, with poor defense, both off set pieces. Overall our defense this season has improved under Steve Bould, but we should have been better. Koscielny had a shocker, with two errors leading to the 2 goals.

Gervinho was good to get us back in it before the end of the first half.  We were fairly even in the 2nd half with a lot of attacking motion, but too many shots off target. It gets to the point where its great to have a shot, but shooting from too far out of the box and over the top of the bar is just pointless.  After the 2nd goal from Chelsea, which never should have happened, they parked the bus and just defended the rest of the game.

Olivier Giroud. His chance at 90+1 was disappointing. He really had a massive chance to score there, and once again he missed it. Giroud seems to be struggling in front of goal, and he never seems to be in quite the right place.  He had a beautiful bit of skill to get the ball into the box and into position, but the strike itself was...well...you saw it. It should have been the equaliser.

We cannot afford to get complacent and lose these big games.  While this defeat hurt, especially as it was the first defeat of the season, there are still positives to take from it.

Gervinho put in a good game. Cazorla was once again classy in the midfield, but he couldn't find a finisher, or someone to finish for him.

Carl Jenkinson is also a player who is starting to impress me. He had a few errors in that game, but overall his defense was fairly solid and he provided some good assists (which went to no-one, but there is promise there). A promising young player.

Ramsey had a good first EPL start of the season. He is maturing as a player and seems to be creating a lot of chances in midfield.  He works hard, he tries hard, and he doesn't give up when he is under constant criticism. He isn't meant to be a striker, and he does need to work on his accuracy, but he was really solid today in midfield. I am excited to see how he will collaborate when Jack Wilshere comes back.

Overall, a disappointment. I was pretty gutted. Giving away all 3 points was hard, when the two goals were avoidable and Arsenal didn't play horribly overall.

But its only the first loss of the season. We can build on this, learn from our mistakes and move forward. Come on you Gunners.

Keep positive.
Love,
KiwiGoonerGirl

First home win of the season!

Convincing win by the Gunners today. 6-1. We lost our clean sheet record, but we gained a lot of confidence, and most importantly 3 points and 3rd place on the EPL table!

Before the game, I was slightly worried. I personally wasn't thinking Southampton would be an easy win. Although they are the bottom of the table, they put up a huge fight against both Manchester clubs, and almost beat them both. So Arsenal did fantastically well to score 6, and I'm so happy we had a convincing home victory.

My personal highlight: Podolski's free kick. Arsenal? Scoring off a set piece? That's right, surprised? It was a great goal.

I was particularly impressed with several players.

Santi Cazorla: What a player. The way he passes the ball, prefectly weighted, always knowing where the gaps are, when to pass, when to hold on to the ball. What an influence in the midfield. He really dictated the pace of the first half especially, and while he didn't score he really made an impact to the team.

Gervinho: For once he was quick, sharp and on the ball. He created chances and scored 2 goals (the credit for the second should really be given to Ramsey, who made an immediate impact when he came on as a substitute). His finishing still needs to improve but I think scoring twice will give him the confidence boost he needs.

Kieran Gibbs: A lot of Gooners are saying Kieran Gibbs had a great game. It is true, and he could almost count two goals to his name, both own goals were created by him (if you've seen the game or the highlights, you know what I mean). My concern is that he is a Left Back, not a striker, and while it is fantastic he is getting up there, against a more penetrating offensive line up, such as our upcoming fixtures versus Manchester City and Chelsea, this is worrying.  Gibbs is not quick enough to get back and play in his position, as a defender. So he must be confident but cautious. Still, he is only young, and improving every game. Today, he had a good one!

I was disappointed with Wojciech Szczeny. He had a disappointing game, by his standards.  The couple of weeks off contributed to his poor form. Meanwhile Mannone did nothing wrong in the two games he started and put in a great couple of performances. Szczeny had a bad game today.  He conceded a goal he really should have saved, made a few poor clearances and was overall off his game. Against a better side, he would have been punished a lot more for his errors.

Until next time!
You know you love me,
xoxo Gooner Girl

Internationals

Diaby: Injured again...on international duty. (Photo: AP)

Ah internationals. A great time for the Gunners to represent their nation, and score some goals. And pick up injuries...

Diaby. After an absolutely fantastic, man of the match performance against Liverpool, he gets himself injured.

Muscle injury or "discomforts". This seems familiar, another Gunner with incredible potential struggling with injury. Maybe he'll eventually have a full, fantastic season and then leave us after 7 years? No, not funny, sorry. (Speaking of you-know-who, he is also injured).

I wish I got more into internationals, but half the problem is they're not really broadcast on New Zealand television. Also they're in the middle of the day, or the morning on weekdays, so I'm not at home to watch them.

I've only seen the All Whites - the New Zealand National Football Team, thrashing Solomon Islands 6-1 and Spain beating Saudi Arabia 5-0. Great return by David Villa, and the first goal by Santi Cazorla was fantastic.

Other than that I've had no football to watch, or blog about.

I did see the awesome goal by Arsenal Reserve, Conor Henderson. If you haven't seen it, its a long range goal and its absolutely fantastic.

Apart from that, no more international news. Internationals are over now, so we can all get back to the main focus: Arsenal!

Our next game against Southampton should be a good one. They're fighters, they want to win, and they want to play football. I don't think Arsenal fans should be complacent about Southampton, they put up a good fight agaist both Manchester clubs.

Looking forward to it! Maybe Giroud will do a Theirry Henry and break his duck?
Til then,
You know you love me.
xoxo - GoonerGirl