Bleacher Report - Articles by Subir Shrestha

Burnley Beat Manchester United 1-0: Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo Missed

Subir Shrestha — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:07:53 -0400

As an Arsenal fan, few things could have been more enjoyable today than watching Burnley beat Manchester United.

United's hard earned 1-0 victory over newly promoted Birmingham on Sunday, and their surprising 1-0 loss to newly promoted Burnley today, have cast serious doubts on their chances of defending the title.

As always, there is more to the scorelines than meets the eye, and "newly promoted" does not tell the entire story.

Birmingham may be a newly promoted team, but they did possess the stingiest defence in the Championship, conceding a measly 37 goals in 46 matches. To put things in perspective, the average goals conceded in the Championship was just over 56. Burnley are a newly promoted team as well, and their goals against column reads 60.

But, that was against Championship opposition. This is supposed to be Manchester United, the team that scored 68 goals in 38 matches.

What is pleasantly surprising is United's toothless attack and inability to score. Owen seems to have taken off his shooting boots right after preseason. Berbatov has shown glimpses of his undoubted talent, but not more than that. Rooney seems to be the only real creative as well as their attacking threat—although Giggs does provide some creativity as well.

Last season, Ferguson had Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored goals and had a ton of assists. And due to his constant threat, he was able to draw defenders with or without the ball, allowing his teammates some additional space.

Ferguson also had Carlos Tevez, who contributed his fair share of goals and assists and provided the kind of energy that could rally an entire team.

One can only wonder what the scoreline would have been with either member of the duo on the team.

Historically slow starters, the Red Devils don't usually show up until the third or fourth match into the season. With an extremely favorable bunch of fixtures to kick off their campaign, they had as good a chance as any to start strong and show their intent of defending the title.

Fortunately, they have done none of the above.

Valencia and Owen do not even come close to replacing Tevez and Ronaldo, and unless the likes of Nani, Carrick, Fletcher, and Anderson really step up, we might see another Manchester at the Champions League next year.

Why Arsene Wenger Should Buy Miguel Veloso

Subir Shrestha — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:27:57 -0400

Because, we need a quality defensive midfielder.

And, we have some money.

And, it would be money well spent.

The 4-3-3 formation that Wenger deployed against Everton allowed Fabregas more freedom to attack, leaving most of the defensive duties to the two remaining midfielders.

I believe that this is where Fabregas is at his devastating best, controlling the tempo of the match, providing that killer pass and scoring the occasional goal.

But I have a feeling that this is only half the story. Our current injury list completes the other half:

Samir Nasri
Thomas Rosicky
Theo Walcott
---------------
Abou Diaby
Johan Djourou
Lukasz Fabianski

On regaining their fitness, the first three injured players listed above would surely be pressing for starting appearances.

Walcott could start for Bendtner, but my gut tells me that at the very least, one of Denilson or Song would be sacrificed for one of Nasri or Rosicky.

This would probably call for a slight shift in formation, with Wenger reverting back to a 4-4-2 or a variation of it, with Arshavin acting as the second striker, moving into the "hole" position, two of Nasri, Rosicky and Walcott on the flanks and Fabregas in the center with either Denilson, Song, or Diaby.

And what about when Eduardo regains full fitness? Someone else will probably be injured by then, but that would be going beyond the scope of this article.

Denilson is more of an attacking midfielder than a defensive one, and I am not totally convinced by Song or Diaby.

Which brings us to the natural, logical, practical conclusion—Mr. Wenger, please buy Veloso.

Why Veloso, and not any one else? Frankly, any solid defensive midfielder would do, but the real question is why not?

Veloso is young (23 yrs old), technically gifted (youtube link—check out the clips on the side as well) and foreign.

And should Wenger decide to play 4-3-3 (or any other formation for that matter), Veloso would eliminate the need to have any more defensive midfielders, and assure that the back four are well protected.

I think that I read somewhere that Sporting would let him go for about 17 million (can't remember where, so forgive me if I'm way off), which might seem a bit expensive for Wenger's taste, but is worth every penny/cent/paisa in my opinion.

I cannot think of a better way to spend that money, except for this.

Gunnerism X: What Do Nicklas Bendtner and Emmanuel Eboue Have in Common?

Subir Shrestha — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 02:21:52 -0500

1. They play for the Arsenal.

2. They should not be playing for the Arsenal.

I know that the season is far from over (the last match will be played on Sunday, May 24), but given the sad state of our current position in the league (although I am not in the least bit worried of finishing in the top four), my mind cannot help but wander in search of a happier place.

And that happy place is next season, when we offload Bendtner and Eboue.

Hardly have I seen either Bendtner or Eboue ever put in consistent performances. They have one or two good matches and that's it. For some reason, though, Wenger seems to have a soft spot for the two.

Yes, he is the boss, and he must have seen something in them that he swears by them. Or could it be that Mr. Arsene is too proud to admit that they are not as good as he thinks they are?

In any case, although I doubt these signings, I do hope that Wenger is right.

When we have Adebayor (who I feel will stay with us next season because he really has not done enough for another club to want him that bad), Van Persie, Eduardo, and Walcott vying for the two striking positions, I really don't see Bendtner anywhere in the picture.

With young Jack Wilshere—and to use the word "young" in the context of Arsenal, one really has to be young—knocking on the first-team door, it would be in everyone's best interest for Bendtner to ply his trade elsewhere.

The same goes for Eboue. Wenger has not even found the best position for him. He is the "utility" guy who is far too inconsistent to be deployed at right back, cannot deliver a half-decent cross from the flank, and gives the ball too easily when he is operating in the center.

His confidence is quite easily shattered and seldom has a decent shot on target.

He has some potential though. His pace is undeniable, and every once in a while, he makes those marauding runs through the length of the pitch.

The only position that I see Eboue having any sort of positive impact is the holding/defensive midfielder role. If anyone can mould him into this position, it is Wenger.

Bendtner and Eboue are only just the beginning. None would be happier than myself if we managed to get rid of Alex Song and Silvestre and secure the services of a combative defensive midfielder, like Yaya Toure or Miguel Veloso, in their stead.

Let the fire sale begin...

Gunnerism VIII: One Nil To The Arsenal

Subir Shrestha — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:55:24 -0500

The stage was set. It was the second leg of the Champions League first round knockout. Milan had never lost at the San Siro to English opposition. They were also seven-time Champions League winners. Arsenal, on the other hand, had never won it.

The game took off right from the starting whistle. Both sides came in attacking on all frontiers. Arsenal and Milan exchanged spells of possession, before the Gunners took over.

After the break, Milan started throwing away possessions like it was their job. They were bound to get punished for it eventually. One simply cannot afford to give Arsenal any more possessions than they already own in matches. Credit to Milan for holding out so long, but the famous Italian defense finally buckled under immense pressure in the last ten minutes.

The scoreline was not indicative enough of Arsenal's complete dominance of the game. I remember at least three other clear chances where we should have scored.

First, Diaby shot Adebayor's lay-off far wide and off target. Then Fabregas hit the crossbar. Then Senderos latched on to Clichy's cross, only to "pass" it straight to the keeper. Then from the six yard box, Walcott tried to square the ball further in to God-knows-who when he had only the keeper to beat.

Granted it was not the best of angles, but given his hype, he should have done better. The kid has got a lot of pace, as was evident when he breezed past the Milan defender to set up the second goal, but he still has a lot to work on.

Now on to the absolute highlight of the match. In the 82nd minute, with the score tied at 0-0, Arsenal opened their account, and there couldn't have been a better one.

Out of nowhere, a perfectly taken shot from around 30 yards out—struck low and curling in to the only place that the tall Kalac could not reach—the bottom right corner of the net. It was only fitting that the player to score was Fabregas. Big players do big things in big games—that's what makes them big in the first place, that is what defines them. In case anyone had forgotten, he showed once again what he is capable of.

Hopefully today's goal will be a confidence booster to Cesc, who had been suffering a recent dip in form in the Premier League.

Speaking of form, my two qualms from the match were the performances of Eboue and Senderos. I am not quite convinced by their talents. They seemed ineffective on the pitch. Almost all of Arsenal's attacking and creativity was coming in from the left, with Diaby linking up nicely with Clichy and Adebayor, who played up as the lone striker.

Senderos had another shaky performance—almost handing a goal to Inzaghi, but for Clichy's timely intervention, and missing a gilt-edged chance on goal. We badly need a reliable central defender that we can count on.

The refereeing was below par and very questionable. There were some dubious calls—namely Hleb's yellow card. There was definitely contact between Nesta, who was coming in from behind, and Hleb, who was racing into the box.

There was still some good news in the fact that RVP was on the bench. It can only mean that he is back from his long and haunting injury and fit to play again.

As far as Milan's performance goes, Pato failed to make an impression, and while Kaka' showed glimpses of what he is capable of, he was hardly ever a serious threat. Maldini, one of the greatest footballers of our generation, played his last European Cup game.

Towards the end, Milan looked tired and deprived of any options whatsoever. Arsenal looked the hungrier of the two, and definitely played like it as well.

If anything, today's game was a clear indication that while Ancelotti faces the two tough tasks of contending for the Champions League place in the short term, and rebuilding the team in the long term (if he is not sacked at the end of the season), exciting times lay ahead for Wenger's entertaining Arsenal.

In the end, youth had prevailed over experience. Today's game marked the transition for the Gunners to the next level in the competition, and as a team.

And when the final whistle blew, if you strained your ears enough, you could hear it in the stands—"One Nil To The Arsenal..."

Gunnerism VII: Before You Write Off Arsenal...

Subir Shrestha — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:29:17 -0500

Before we begin, let me just say this—I am a sore loser. Now that you’ve read the disclaimer…

It seems as though the recent string of events has everyone jumping on the United-will-win-because-Arsenal-isn’t-good-enough bandwagon.

Hold on a second there, guys. You can’t just kick us out of the race like that and I’ll tell you why.

Does anyone seriously think that the Gunners are just going to go down like that?

Alright, we drew to Aston Villa—so what? They’re a good team, supposedly England’s future (that may not be saying too much about England’s future, but let’s not go there).

And I am blaming this on the injuries. Yeah, yeah, they’re a part of football, and Wenger should have built a bigger squad, and blah, blah, blah.

But it was Phillipe “Mr. Inconsistent” Senderos who unsurprisingly managed to score an own goal. He is too much of a hit-or-miss player to be trusted in the center of defense.

So the only goal scored against Arsenal would never have happened had Toure been there. That’s it. End of story.

In my last Gunnerism, I’d said that RVP would be back for this game, but I was wrong.

It seems as though Wenger is being overly cautious with this one. But he should definitely return, along with Rosicky and Toure, for our outing against Wigan next week.

With the squad almost back to full strength, we should have enough depth to challenge for the Champions League, and win the Premier League.

Apparently, Arsenal has played the most games of any team in Europe this season. I think it currently stands at a staggering 43 games as of March 3^rd, 2008 (I read this somewhere, but cannot remember where, and am unable to direct you to the source).

This could explain why the team seems a bit out of sorts of late. More games means more fatigue, greater risk of injury to players, more playing time for the remaining players means which leads to more tiredness and so on.

But that is about to change. United has a packed few weeks coming up.

Arsenal are out of the FA Cup while United are not, which means more games for United. This could potentially stretch Ferguson’s resources thin, although they have a huge squad.

Let’s now look at remaining the Premier League fixtures and predict how many points each of the two teams will get away with from the fixtures.

First, United:

Bolton (Home) 3

Derby (Away) 3

Liverpool (Home) 3

Aston Villa (Home) 1

Middlesbrough (Away) 3

Arsenal (Home) 1 THE match of the season—could possibly be the decider

Blackburn (Away) 3

Chelsea (Away) 1 You simply cannot beat them at Stamford Bridge

West Ham (Home) 0 United's Bogus team for the season

Wigan (Away) 3

-------------------------------------

Total Points 21

Grand Total 85

Now, the Gunners:

Wigan (Away) 3

Middlesbrough (Home) 3

Chelsea (Away) 1 Same as above

Bolton (Away) 3

Liverpool (Home) 1

Man. United (Away) 1 Same as above

Reading (Home) 3

Derby (Away) 3

Everton (Home) 0 For argument’s sake

Sunderland (Away) 3

--------------------------------------

Total Points 21

Grand Total 86

Although they have one more home game and one less away game than Arsenal, United still face a slightly difficult set of fixtures.

If you cross off all the common fixtures (home and away game issues aside) United will have to face Villa, Rovers, and West Ham, while Arsenal will have to face Reading, Everton, and Sunderland.

I know that there is a huge generalization in my argument, but I decided that it was justifiable based on the fixtures. In any case, such generalizations had to be made for the sake of comparison.

This week’s crucial draw against Villa could have given us the slightest of margins. Else, it would be a sad day to see two teams end the season with the same number of points, and one lift the trophy based on goal difference.

So there you have it: The season unfurled, the champions crowned.

I said it when the season started, and I still stick by it. Arsenal will win the Premier League, and I’ll be celebrating when the season ends.

Gunnerism VI: Looking on the Bright Side at Arsenal

Subir Shrestha — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:31:47 -0500

After the game, my friend said to me: "What’s happened, has happened. Stop crying about it (like Gallas did at the end of the game)."

Easier said than done. I punched him in the face.

Referees usually get more abuse than they deserve, and I usually am not one to blame the referees. But given the circumstances, I simply cannot help it.

Now pick on me all you want, but I felt that Mr. Mike Dean was loitering around too close to the ball when we were on the attacking third. Could it be that he was intentionally trying to break Arsenal’s flow of play?

Hoping to get any kind of incriminating evidence against Mr. Dean, I “googled” his name and guess what Wikipedia told me? He had been indefinitely suspended from refereeing for his involvement with a betting syndicate!

All right, all right. He was only lending his name to a horse racing syndicate, but it still is a big deal, even more so if you’re a Gooner.

That may not be a fair judge of his refereeing abilities, but he also did not call Nafti out for tugging Adebayor’s shirt. And if you note where he was standing—right there—he could not possibly have missed it. And if he did miss it, well, then that is just poor refereeing on his part anyway.

To be fair, I am willing to accept his decision to award the penalty against Clichy as an honest mistake.

Now that all the bad blood is out of the way, let us see what we can look forward to.

This game might as well have been Theo’s breakout game. His brace should give him a decent boost of confidence, which we can use a bit of. For the second goal, he used his pace beautifully and topped it off with a cool finish.

One can only hope he performs on a more consistent level, and if he uses today’s performance as a springboard to build up on his skills, he should come good. And given today’s performance, there is no reason why he shouldn’t.

And now, it is finally time to introduce Mr. Wenger’s “new signing”: Robin van Persie. And if my sources are to be believed, he should feature next week against Aston Villa, if not Milan.

After being injured for who knows how long, RVP’s return could not have come at a more opportune time. Eduardo is out, Bendtner still has a long way to go, Adebayor seems to be suffering a slight dip in form, and Walcott is learning the tricks of the trade out wide.

I believe that he will be the deciding factor in the coming weeks. His trickery, skill, and ability to link up with Fabregas and Hleb should be enough to keep the Red Devils at bay.

And if you’re a Gooner, don’t worry. What’s happened, has happened.

We have reached a new low; Gallas’s reaction said it all. If anything, today’s events will further fuel our motivation for the final push.

I can see them bouncing back from this eventful day as champions, and lifting the trophy, for Eduardo.