Ramsey was good last night.
Szczesny kept another clean sheet.
Udinese were pretty solid and useful.
Everybody was surprised by how positive Udinese were, for an Italian club playing a first leg away from home.
Bottom line: Udinese didn’t deserve to lose by more than 1-0.
Ramsey fired a superb cross to the near post, Walcott got there before Gervinho to score from two yards, expected more goals, more didn\’t come, lost Gibbs to a hamstring, then lost Djourou to a hamstring, then Carl Jenkinson came on at left back and did OK. Frimpong came on and gave Arsenal a bit more oomph.
It was an OK game and Arsenal won 1-0.
That was it really. Not much else to say.
Summer evening, early goal in 4 minutes, lots of empty seats, more empty seats than I\’ve ever seen at the Emirates. Attendance announced as over 58,000.
Really, honestly, summing it up in five words: Arsenal’s front three were rubbish.
Walcott will never improve.
The flaccid, tame, pathetic Chamakh should be sold for £3.
Gervinho will improve. He played in Walcott with a lovely pass at the end. But Theo’s shot was too obvious and Handanovic parried for a corner.
Mainly, it didn’t really feel like a football experience.
You go to the Emirates, you see some friends, you talk to your friends, you say the same things you’ve been saying for years, you laugh as well as grumble, then and you go home. It’s more of a social experience, a night out. Thousands of punters go to a stadium for a social experience watching a team that’s part of their identity and going there is one of their social habits.
It\’s a shame that the Emirates football experience isn’t compelling in the way that a good match should be. But many thousands still turn up and pay the highest ticket prices in the world and share their anxieties and then they go home.
Despite all that, I had a good evening. There was no booing.
It was nice to be there and have a few laughs and grumbles with the fans and see half of a 180-minute match.
The gobby Pole still reminds me of the young Schmeichel and the early goal was badly needed and the silence from Wenger is marvellous.
He refused to do a press conference!
Silence from him is a rare blessing.
MORE SILENCE, PLEASE.
I would love more silence from Arsene Wenger.
Improve your team and let the performances speak for you.
Don’t fill our screens and newspapers with piffle and piss-taking spin.
SHUT UP !
Sign four experienced players!
Don\’t say anything more until you\’ve signed four top players who can transform the team and make going to see Arsenal a football experience.
He won’t do that, of course.You know he won’t, I know he won’t.