Bergkamp, Ljungberg, Shevchenko – the same old story

WHEN you lose a yard, you stop scoring.

We’ve seen it with Bergkamp and Ljungberg, and we now wonder about Shevchenko.

Gavin Peacock, talking about Sheva on BBC Interactive four weeks ago, said that when you make a well-timed run in Serie A, you’re in on goal, but in the Premiership you’re not.

ON FRIDAY, Arsene Wenger was asked : Is the Premiership now a young man’s game ?

“In some positions, yes, like up front. Unless you are an exceptional talent because the defenders and full-backs are all strong. As soon as you lose a bit of pace, you are in trouble, unless you have exceptional physical qualities, like Thierry Henry – he will still be a top player. For a guy with normal pace, as soon as he drops a little, he has no chance.”

READING are better than Watford or Charlton, so Sunday will be tough.

Reading is Steve Coppell, Reading is Sonkjo and Sidwell, Reading is a very competitive outfit who have taken ten points from their last six games, Reading is organisation and shape with bite, Reading is Wigan with more skilful strikers, Kevin Doyle and Seol Ki-hyeon

Reading battle for every ball, so Arsenal will have to battle for every ball.

Clearly, Arsenal are in the results business. They know they have to win this game. Especially if Man United beat Liverpool and Chelsea beat Portsmouth.

Didier Drogba is the irresistible force right now, but Linvoy Primus and Sol Campbell may be immovable objects.

Can they stop him? Can two giants stop a big, fast No.9 who can spin and score from outside the box?

By Myles Palmer

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Bolton 0 Arsenal 2

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Ljungberg 36, Wiltord 44

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I was never worried in the first 35 minutes, although the performance was predictably uptight,inhibited,apprehensive.

Dennis Bergkamp was cool and purposeful while others twitched and made sloppy passes.

I could see him calculating some different geometry because Wiltord was playing wide left.

Then King Dennis provided two fabulous assists and the title was all but sealed.

It was first-goal Freddie, yet again, bending those runs.

A six-pass move that took 36 seconds, box to box, and Bergkamp and Ljungberg made the move as well as the goal.

Bolton attacked, Keown intercepted, volleying the ball to Bergkamp just inside his own half.

He found Ljungberg, who burst down the left and passed in for Wiltord’s near-post run.

Wiltord did very well to hook the ball across the goal, Vieira picked up, found Bergkamp 25 yards out, and he held the ball in front of three defenders for an eternity of seconds before slipping a sublimely weighted pass into Freddie’s crafty run.

His right foot shot, first time, went in off the post : a perfect finish !

After the first goal, confidence flowed, fluent one and two touch football was played, and while Bolton were honest and made a game of it, there was only going to be one winner.

Freddie Ljungberg, by my reckoning, has scored the first goal 12 times for Arsenal this season.

What an achievement by a mighty atom who missed 12 games in Jan-Feb-March!

I reckon he has scored the first goal 12 times while Henry has scored the first seven times.

So Freddie has scored 16 goals and 12 first-goals.

But I don’t think all of those 12 were the first goal in the game.

Statto, please help us on that one.

And how many of Freddie’s goals has Dennis made? Lots!

It’s partnership made in heaven, the most classic combination since gin & tonic, since Malcolm McLaren & the Sex Pistols, since Simon & Garfunkel, since Brian Clough & Peter Taylor, since roast beef & Yorkshire pudding, since Romeo & Juliet, since Thelma & Louise, since Humbert Humbert & Lolita, since Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Swede.

AFTER THE GAME Arsene said, “We have not done it yet, but we are close now and we will win it, and we want to do it as quickly as possible, no matter where it is.

“It is a long, hard season and we want to do it if we can at Old Trafford, and I think we can.

“It is a big, big game for both teams but we want to finish well away from home because we have had a remarkable season away from home.”

CARDIFF?

If Arsenal play to their maximum, and Chelsea play to their maximum, Arsenal will win on Saturday.

Think of it this way : no English team has prevented Arsenal scoring this season.

And what better time to play an FA Cup Final than when you’re on a roll, with a record-breaking 11 straight Premiership wins ?

BOLTON : Jaaskelainen; Barness, Bergsson, Charlton, Nolan; Farrelly,Frandsen; Bobic (Ricketts 56), Djorkaeff, N’Gotty,Wallace(Johnson 62).

ARSENAL : Seaman; Adams, Cole, Ashley, Keown; Edu (Dixon 67), Lauren, Ljungberg, Parlour, Vieira; Bergkamp (Kanu 70), Wiltord(Campbell 90).

Ref: Dermot Gallagher.

30th April 2002.

LEVERKUSEN v Man United on ITV tonight?

I fancy United for the same reason Arsenal beat Bolton : they have far more experience of pressure games.Semi-finals are very, very tense.

Van Nistelrooy has been ropey in his last four games, so he is due a decent game.