Morning all and it’s a very quiet morning too.
We’ve said all there is to say about the Bolton game and now it’s onto Slavia Prague tomorrow night. The manager’s pre-game press conference doesn’t take place until later this afternoon so we should have plenty to talk about tomorrow. Which is not much good for today’s blog though. There are a couple of little things though.
Lassana Diarra joined Arsenal on deadline day and bar a Carling Cup appearance has barely figured at all. He’s now played more for his country this season than for either Chelsea or Arsenal, a situation he calls ‘ridiculous’. He says:
I’m not stupid. If I come to Arsenal and my situation is the same as at Chelsea, then I should have stayed at Chelsea. If I come to Arsenal, it’s to play. In a few months, I’ll have to decide what I want to do.
His frustration is understandable but he must have known how much strength we had in the central midfield area when he signed. On the other hand the manager knew the players he had before he signed him too so there must be some kind of plan there. Fabregas and Flamini have been a fairly fearsome combination this season and when Gilberto can’t even get in the side then you suspect Diarra is going to have be patient a little bit longer.
Robert Pires has blamed Barcelona’s style of play for Thierry Henry’s slow start to his career there. Don’t particularly care about that but what was lovely to see what Bobby playing so well against them this weekend. After the disappointment of being substituted against them in the Champions League final he has now scored a winning goal against them (last season) and he won two penalties on Saturday as Villarreal won 3-1. Next time he’ll force a hat-trick of own goals or something. He’s having a good time out there and it’s nice to see.
Staying in Spain Carlos Vela made another substitute appearance for Osasuna but could do nothing to prevent a 2-0 loss to AlmerÃa.
It’s Arsene Wenger’s 58th birthday today but there’ll be no mad party in the Wenger household. It’ll be a glass of wine, perhaps, then he’ll settle down with the missus to watch Newcastle v Sp*rs, which sounds more like cruel and unusual punishment than a birthday celebration. Nevertheless, happy birthday Arsene.
Right, that’s about it but never forget Arseblog is the blog that keeps on giving. This week we’re running a competition to give away three Football Manager 2008 goodie bags which consist of a mug, a keyring, a water bottle and, of course, a copy of the game itself.
To win one of these fine prizes simply answer the following question: Arsenal signed Robert Pires from which club?
Was it:
a) Lyon
b) Marseille
c) Monaco
Answers via email to [email protected] and the winners will be announced on Friday. And the competition is open to everyone, no matter where in the world you live.
Also, you might have heard about the Arsenal Opus. You have a chance to win one of those as well and it’d be an amazing thing to have. Please click the banner ad underneath this post for more information on that and watch out for more information coming up this week.
Right, that’s it. Have a happy Monday.
