By Myles Palmer
It’s all in the mind. It must be.
Chelsea don’t beat Arsenal because they don’t believe they can beat them.
As a game of football Sunday’s 1-1 draw was the tamest Chelsea-Arsenal match for ten years.
Before the game I thought Chelsea would be better than this. I was sure Hasselbaink would play – and score.
Thought ZENDEN would be zippy, menacing. But he was rubbish, did nothing. One shot two yards wide!
If JFH had played he would have scored two or three.
Because the Arsenal back five were all over the place, not just for the Zola 40-yard free-kick which was allowed to bounce three yards from goal and go past David Seaman.
If Bould and Adams had been playing one of them would have headed that ball to the halfway line.
KOLO TOURE is fantastic and reminds me of David Rocastle.
At the West Brom game I saw a twentysomething guy with an Arsenal shirt with ROCASTLE printed on the back.
That set me off thinking about Rocky, who was such a big- hearted player and such a nice lad. He would have loved to work with Arsene.
Toure reminds me of Rocky because he is a gifted dribbler who tackles hard.
He is a competitor who plays with skill, fire, energy, passion – a huge appetite for the game.
Most dribblers, like McManaman or Limpar, don’t tackle.And most tacklers don’t dribble.The two talents don’t usually go together.
SOME GOONERS have been telling me it was a magnificent performance because Arsenal were without four world class players, and lost Edu injured, and had Vieira sent off- and still outplayed Chelsea after giving them a goal start.
True, but tbe overall display was a long way short of magnificent.
The team can play a lot better than this and when it does Arsenal will get more than eight points from four games.
VIEIRA was unlucky to be sent off. But he handled it well, very coolly.
First yellow, he didn’t touch Zola.
Second yellow, GRONKJAER saw him coiming.
Having watched 20 replays of that challenge, Gronkjaer saw Vieira coming and knew where his foot would be and kicked it and shouted in pain and catapulted backwards like a stunt man.
And Andy D’Urso, being a muppet who reffed the whole game badly, sent Vieira off.
D’URSO should be sent down to the Nationwide for a season, as URIAH RENNIE was.
Rennie took a long look at himself and stopped being a superstar and came back as a good ref.
GILBERTO was excellent, despite losing Edu to injury and Vieira to a red card.
Strong mobile player, reads it well, was mopping up the ball that Vieira and Zola both missed, already a master of the simple early pass.
In six months, maybe less, Gilberto will be a giant metronome, setting the tempo for every match.
And he will love playing with Robert Pires because Pires is always, always there when you need him.
And Pires doesn’t give the ball away. So he gives his midfield partners less work to do, not more.
TOURE started the move for the equaliser, COLE crossed beautifully, Wiltord hit his shot into the ground, Cudicini parried and TOURE headed in from one yard.
Great to see another goal from one yard, after ALIADIERE’s last week.
Afer that I thought Arsenal would win, even with ten men.
But KANU is hopeless when Arsenal are down to ten men -he is so static it’s like playing with NINE men.
I thought Arsene would bring on JEFFERS and go for all three points.
Best player was SOL CAMPBELL – and he was carrying a hip injury which has put him out of England v Portugal on Saturday.
While Wenger keeps saying Arsenal are the best team in the counytry, and getting better all the time, RANIERI keeps talking down his side, lowering expectations.
The result is that Chelsea don’t believe in themselves enough.
Overall,as I say, a pretty dull game at the Bridge.
Tonight’s Liverpool v Newcastle game was much more fun.
Didi Hamann played so far forward so it was obvious he was gonna score the first goal.
Michael Owen had a nightmare,missing five sitters before scoring from a penalty to make it 2-0.
Sheer stupidity by the reckless Greek, holding down Hyypia.
Bobby Robson then went for a powerplay by bringing on 3 subs with pace: Jenas, Bellamy and Robert, whose silky left foot created two goals.
First he slipped it Bellamy, who set up Gary Speed for 2-1.
Then he fizzed in a corner for Shearer to head home for 2-2.
Best player on the field, by a country kilometer, STEVEN GERRARD.
ITV executives can’t wait for Newcastle’s Champions League games.
They will all be 3-3 draws !!!!
Dabizas and Bramble will get torn apart by smart strikers, but the Magpies will run and create and always be great to watch.
Good luck to them. And to Sir Bobby.
Sven and Tord were at Anfield.
They must know they can’t beat Portugal by playing good football, even though Portugal only play properly for 45 minutes out of the 90 in friendlies over here.
Sven needs a win and might STILL think he should play Heskey rather than play football.
Heskey doesn’t control the ball, he only protects it from tackles by putting his huge bear-like body between opponents and the ball.
He muffed two headers tonight, both from close range.
HESKEY is a nearly-man who is part of the problem, rather than part of the solution.
But will Sven own up on Saturday?
I’m not holding my breath on that one.
Sven has a helluva lot to do if he’s gonna impress me now, after the feeble, negative, ultra-defensive way England played in the World Cup.
Yes, it was hot and humid, but it was hot and humid for the Irish as well.
2nd September 2002.