By Myles Palmer
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THE MOST interesting aspect of Saturday’s stylish demolition of Portsmouth was the interplay of the front three.
Their movement was superb.
As you know, great movement generates great passing.
At Fratton Park it was Freddie, Thierry and Jose who caught the eye.
As always, Freddie is much better on the left.
His flicked pass gave Reyes the chance to shoot after 74 seconds – and he hit the crossbar.
Thierry scored two, Freddie two, and Kolo one.
Toure romped up from the back to join in the attack and when Sol touched the ball to him he turned and buried a low shot just inside the post.
You can be sure that Sol is proud of that assist.
Henry’s sharpshooting was surreal on the fourth goal.
The sponge-booted artiste took his sidefoot shot very early and it bounced and flew over the glove of the diving Shaka Hislop.
With Gilberto on the right, Arsenal had three who could tackle and three who could score by interchanging smartly.
It was almost 4-3-3.
Although Reyes did not score, he was marvellous.
He knows when to run towards the ball – and when to run away from the ball.
That is how moves are created, that is how goals come.
Yes, Reyes has played the game for years.
But to be this mature, at this level, at 20 – that’s genetic.
He got that in the womb, not on the training ground. And Arsene knows that.
Reyes has said, “Mr Wenger has given me freedom at the moment. I’m sure he’ll tell me how to play inside the team soon but, just for now, I am let free.”
An interesting line : he’ll tell me how to play soon.
A young Spaniard is waiting for a middle-aged Frenchman to tell him who to mark.
Being young and happy, Reyes doesn’t realise that, in football,it’s always now.
He thinks that his new manager has let him play freely, for now.
In the future, he expects to be less free.
The lad hasn’t twigged that it’s always now in football.
Chelsea was now. Chelsea again was now. Portsmouth was now.Training on Tuesday morning is now. Wednesday night against Celta Vigo is now.
If Arsene likes what Reyes is doing, why would he inhibit him?
We usually say that all players can be improved by coaching.
But this kid knows what to do. He hardly wasted a ball against Portsmouth.
Not many players who are exciting, like Reyes, are also economical.
Many exciting footballers are ball-losers.
The individualistic player is often a ball-loser.
He plays with flair, but his flair takes him outside the framework of his team – and he loses the ball.
I said this as soon as I saw Reyes play 20 minutes as a sub : he instinctively knows where to run.
He knows where to run, where to pass, when to hold the ball for another split-second, when to accelerate, when to stop and play it square, when to dribble from the centre circle to the edge of the box, when to nip in and pinch the ball on the halfway line and give a simple pass.
HE IS ONLY 20 and he’s been here five minutes. He’s finding his feet in a new team, a new style , a new league – but he does very few silly things.
His decision-making is excellent.
And I don’t think you can teach that. You either have it, or you don’t.
Reyes does not need a lot of coaching. He just needs to play in a good team.
The best thing you can do for a great footballer is : give him another great footballer to play with.
Over time, Jose Reyes will get better and better.
Some stats are worth mentioning.
Arsenal are in their 24th FA Cup semi-final. They have 18 consecutive wins in the FA Cup.
And they are nine points clear in the Premiership and unbeaten in 28 league games this season.
DID YOU SEE Cassano’s goal last night?
The striker was meteoric in Roma’s 4-1 win against Inter Milan.
He scored the first goal in 44 and then flicked in Mancini, who sprinted a long way and cut inside to hit the second in 63.
Vieri volleyed expertly for 2-1 after a Martins shot spun across the six yard box off a defender.
Cassano then spurted goalside of Cordoba, who brought him down for a penalty which Totti took. Toldo went the right way but the ball was hit so hard that it went in off his wrist.
No keeper could have saved that penalty.
Cassano then turned Helveg inside out and gave Mancini a goal on a plate for 4-1.
Cassano has the supersubtle feet of a young Charlie Nicholas and the powerful ankles of a mature George Best.
He has speed, skill, strength. And he has something else, something rarer. He has audacity.
Cassano is the only footballer now playing in Europe who might score the preposterous goal Charlie Nicholas scored against Switzerland, where he cushioned a 50-yard ball on one instep and smashed it in from 20 yards with his other foot.
He is astonishing. He is Kenny Dalglish with John Barnes’s pace.
Roma’s first goal was the best : Cassano raced onto a fantastic pass from Totti, between Cordoba and Cannavaro, two of the most adhesive markers in world football.
He holds off Cordoba, the steeliest defender in Serie A, and strokes his shot past Toldo.
BRILLIANT ! STUNNING ! An incredible goal !
Will he have a long career like Baggio, Del Piero?
Nobody knows.
Let’s just enjoy him doing special things in 2004.
March 8th 2004.