By Myles Palmer
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Mallorca 1 Arsenal 0
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I listened to most of the game on Capital, only saw highlights, stayed up late watching newscasts of the New York/Washington terrorist atrocity, forgot to tape the whole game from ITV in the middle of the night, and got a report today from a friend who was at the game in Palma.
Capital’s Tony Gale is consistent.He always says that Thierry Henry does not get in the box enough.
Jonathan Pearce reminded him that he had said that Arsenal did not create enough chances, even against Middlesbrough, A GAME THEY WON 4-!
Gale said that Ashley tackles rashly and the kid has to learn quickly.
It’s a real shame for Ashley, who has achieved so much in a short time.
But he must learn that when a player gets inside him and is about to shoot, kicking him is suicidal. The guy might shoot wide. He might shoot over.Seaman might save it. If he delays, another defender might block.
So Cole must stop clattering opponents in the box when he is not within playing distance of the ball.
That tackle, which gave away a penalty and got him sent off after ten minutes, did not, in itself, lose the game.
But it made the next 80 minutes very, very hard for ten players who were 1-0 down away from home.
The Danish ref Mr Knud Fisker was 50 yards off the pace when he wrongly gave Henry a yellow card for diving, after Nadal brought him down just inside the box.
The ref was wearing a yellow shirt, the same colour as Arsenal’s shorts.My mate said, “We passed to him time and time again.”
Managers should have the right to make refs change their strip. Wake up, UEFA!
Boavista’s performance in the 1-1 draw at Anfield was similar to Mallorca’s.
Small, skilful young attackers, very lively and hungry, supporting each other with runs, flicks and short passes, making space and options and angles for each other – PLAYING AS A TEAM.
It’s the collectivity of these teams which allows them to hold and beat teams containing eleven internationals.
They can beat teams containing Henry and Wiltord because they have better habits than Henry and Wiltord.
My friend, a very good judge of football, said that Seaman and Lauren were very good, but the other nine players were ineffective.
Personally, I was amazed that Arsene did not start Kanu in a 4-3-3. I thought he would keep the system as it was at Chelsea, but with Kanu instead of Bergkamp.
If he was going to play just two strikers I thought he would revert to his favoured Champions League partnership of Kanu and Henry.
But since he is trying to unload Kanu, he apparently does not want to start him.
Van Bronckhorst admitted at the weekend that he was not playing well.He gave the ball away for the goal. He should have passed the ball simply back to Campbell but he dithered, got robbed, Arsenal were exposed and the penalty was conceded.
Jeffers looked promising in the last 15 minutes.
Everyone said he missed two late chances but that’s an exaggeration. The first one he skied was a half-chance and if he had kept it down the shot would have been blocked by two defenders.The second one was a near-post run onto Parlours low cross. The ball beat his foot by a whisker six yards out, bounced and went past the far post.
That’s football. If Jeffers had started a couple of games he would have scored the equaliser from that chance.
Five games left in this Champions League group. Schalke lost 2-0 at home to Panathinaikos, so they will come to Highbury on Wednesday off a home defeat in Europe.
But Arsenal play at Fulham on Saturday.Let’s hope Henry and Wiltord show Saha and Marlet why they are first choices for Roger Lemerre’s France.
Fulham might be better than Schalke, but Arsenal need to beat both.
REAL MALLORCA (4-4-2): Leo Franco; Olaizola, Nadal,
Nino, M Soler; Campano, Marcos, Engonga (Vicente,
67), Ibagaza (Novo, 44); Luque (Paunovic, 78), Eto’o.
Subs not used: Miki (gk), Carlos, Cristian Diaz, F
Soler.
ARSENAL (4-4-2): Seaman; Lauren, Campbell, Keown,
Cole; Pires (Parlour, 78), Vieira, Van Bronckhorst,
Ljungberg (Jeffers, 70); Wiltord (Kanu, 70), Henry.
Subs not used: Wright (gk), Grimandi, Inamoto,
Upson.
Referee: K Fisker (Denmark).