By Myles Palmer
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THIS WEEK there is a lull.
No Arsenal game till Bolton on Saturday.
A week of training for the boys and a week to gather their thoughts and focus on the job and work with Adebayor, practicing how to give him the ball and where to give him the ball.
Arsene is on form, having picked the right team to beat Birmingham.The manager must have thought : If Birmingham score first, we could be in deep trouble. But if we score first we could be OK.
Pennant would have destroyed Larsson, so Reyes had to work back to help him.
Gilberto was the right call because his experience was needed.
JENS LEHMANN really stepped up to the plate.
Playing behind a back four of babies, Lehmann took more responsibility than ever before.He showed huge belief in himself and his team and made the left-handed save that won the game.
The chance came from the kind of bombardment that we expected.Keeper Maik Taylor launched a huge goal clearance to Chris Sutton, who went up with Djourou and Gilberto.
Just before the ball arrived, Djourou clattered into the back of Sutton and the ball flew off Sutton’s left arm into the chest of Heskey, who nudged it sideways into the run of Jarosik, who smashed a thunderous shot – and Lehmann made the world class save that gave Arsene’s babies the belief to grab three points.
I’VE ALWAYS SAID Thierry would stay and I fancy him to sign this week.
That will give Gooners a boost before the Bolton game, which Arsenal will win.
Sol is back in training but Arsene might keep the same team.
Never change a winning team ?
When Senderos gets his fifth yellow card, Sol will be restored to the defence and by then Toure could be back in harness alongside him.
THIERRY could be a playmaker for the next four years in the Emirates, a roaming assistmeister who makes 25 goals a season and scores 15.
Like Riquelme, but more prolific
He could play in Walcott, play in Adebayor, play in Diaby, play in Van Persie, play in Reyes, play in Pires if he is still there next season, which I think he will be.
A FRIEND saw Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-0 and said they never needed to get out of second gear.
He said Crespo’s movement is worth the price of admission.
He also said the pitch was bobbly, sandy and rutted, which makes it very hard to keep possession.
Since Deco, Messi and Ronaldinho play a lot of five and ten yard passes in triangles, he reckons Chelsea will not mind a horrible pitch for the Barcelona game.
Tomorrow night Chelsea have the FA Cup replay against Everton, so it will be interesting to see how the pitch plays then.
That game is on BBC1 at 8.05pm.
Feb 7, 2006