A roundup of the midweek Carling Cup Round 3 matches:

Tuesday 25 September 2007

Arsenal 2 Newcastle 0
I didn’t watch the match, instead opting to tune in on an audio stream but it sounded darn good from an Arsenal perspective. Newcastle fielded a pretty full strength side and I admit, I was worried. Having reached the final last season, I saw where the optimism came from but I didn’t think it all too wise to favour us against Newcastle, who would be going for the Carling Cup all guns blazing. As expected, our line up was a mix of back up members of the first team and younger players we don’t get to see too often – the likes of Eduardo, Diarra, Fabianski, Traore, Denilson, Walcott and Bendtner playing a part. The second half saw us fail to find the net time and time again as we increased the pressure. It seemed at one point that this was going to be another case of lacking that edge in front of goal, that was until two late goals were fired past Newcastle, one from Bendtner and the other a screamer I’m told from Denilson. That’s brilliant news and just demonstrates the depth we have at Arsenal in the squad, a lack of depth being a criticism constantly thrown at us.

Blackpool 2 Southend 1 (aet)
A Blackpool side who find themselves ninth place in the Championship rung six changes in preparation of facing league one outfit Southend. Having seen many an error in the goalkeeping department of late (and I know how they must feel on this one, what with being able to boast we have Jens Lehmann in our squad) Rhys Evans was given a chance between the sticks, a decision that quickly went the way of Southend for just six minutes in he was at fault to give away a penalty, which Southend’s Matt Harrold easily converted. Finally, after several spurned chances, Blackpool got their equalizer in the 80th minute by way of Scott Vernon, taking the match into extra time. It then looked set to go to penalties until a late goal, scoring late goals being a recent habit of Blackpool’s (the Arsenal comparisons continue,) was scored by experienced defender, Jackson.

Burnley 0-1 Portsmouth
Portsmouth had most of the chances, many of which fell to Nugent, but it wasn’t until the 69th minute of the game that the 0-0 deadlock was broken, Nugent latching onto a ball from Mendes and firing home into the far corner of the net. The goal was not without its controversy, for it was felt by Burnley that Nugent had used his arm to bring the ball under control but it was legitimately given by the referee and so Burnley’s complaints were to no avail.

Luton 3-1 Charlton (aet)
Alan Padrew had always said he wasn’t too fussed about the Carling Cup and that promotion was the only priority. He made ten changes to the team that beat Leicester in their last league fixture. Even so, Charlton took the lead inside only four minutes, Dean Sinclair the man to hit the mark, before Luton staged their slow comeback. It was Steve Robinson who forced extra time for Luton before they finished the job with another two strikes – courtesy of Mathew Spring and Drew Talbot.

Manchester City 1-0 Norwich
More late goals, in this instance Georgios Samaras being the one to score, and in the 89th minute too. In what I’m told was a less than enthralling encounter, the £6M signing, who Sven attempted to off load to Middlesbrough in the summer, will have done wonders for his confidence with that strike. He after all hasn’t scored since January for City and even though he hasn’t been playing much, that kind of drought is bound to affect your confidence.

Reading 2-4 Liverpool
Fernando Torres hadn’t been played in Liverpool’s past two Premier League encounters, with thanks to Rafa’s rotation policy, both of those encounters ending in frustrating draws. Torres perhaps proved against Reading that he should’ve played in those games, as he scored his first hat trick for Liverpool to beat Reading in a thrilling 4-2 result.

Sheffield Utd 5-0 Morecambe
Sheffield United brushed past their opponents with seeming ease, two a piece netted by Luton Shelton and Billy Sharp while Lee Hendrie scored the other. Not all’s been going right of late for Sheffield Utd, what with a number of players having been shown the door in the Summer but a 5-0 win should help them to regain some confidence, no matter whom the opposition.

West Brom 2-4 Cardiff
In an entertaining first half, at least where Cardiff were concerned, the away side were 4-0 ahead with only thirty minutes gone, with much thanks to Robbie Fowler, Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink and Trevor Sinclair, its aging ex Premier League stars. West Brom fought back but their two efforts were only consolation goals. West Brom’s first defeat at home this season.

Wednesday 26 September 2007

Aston Villa 0-1 Leicester
Martin O’Neill endured defeat by a former club, Leicester, in another tie decided by the single goal, this one put away by Matt Fryatt. Villa made changes to the side that beat Manchester City at the weekend but still thought they could put one over on a side lying 21st in the Championship. They could not it transpired and as a result have been sent home early, any League Cup ambitions they harboured now burnt to ashes.

Hull City 0-4 Chelsea
It’s hard to criticize Chelsea for a 4-0 victory and at the same time hard to praise them. They met expectation is a better way of putting it. The game was memorable for both Scott Sinclair and Avram Grant – Sinclair nicking his first senior goal and Grant his first win at the club. The rest of the score sheet was made up by a Kalou double and a Steve Sidwell finish. The bad news for Chelsea is that Wright-Phillips was taken off with a knee injury, which doesn’t sound hugely serious, if it’s any consolation.

Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Everton
James McFadden and Yakubu made up the scorers here to give Everton a comfortable pass into the next round. From the sounds of things, Everton were never at threat and were always expected to win the game, which they did so.

West Ham 1-0 Plymouth
Dean Ashton, who recently has highlighted himself as an England option in light of injuries to both Michael Owen and Emile Heskey, is said to have scored a stunning winner late on, in the 2nd minute of injury time in fact, in another tie that was only in the dying minutes prevented from going onto extra time. More good news for The Hammers is that Scott Parker made his debut. He’s a good player and West Ham will benefit from his return.

Blackburn 3-0 Birmingham
David Bentley, Matt Derbyshire and Roque Santa Cruz got in among the scorehseet for Blackburn, against fellow Premier League competitors Birmingham. You get the impression that having made eleven changes from the side that held Liverpool to a draw at the weekend, Bruce had no plans of taking the cup seriously, preferring it would seem to concentrate on the Premier League campaign ahead.

Fulham 1-2 Bolton
In a game that was taken to extra time, Bolton finally forced the winner, much to the delight you would imagine of Bolton Boss Sammy Lee who’s struggled as of yet to fill the boots of his predecessor, Sam Allardyce.

Manchester United 0-2 Coventry
Now there’s a score I’ll bet you won’t see too often. Ferguson sent out a youthful Man Utd result and Coventry gladly repaid his faith with a 2-0 victory, to which no one should be all too bothered about. You Can’t consider it too much of a shock exit, it is after all the carling cup and Fergie was never going to take it too seriously.

Tottenham 2-0 Middlesbrough
Relegation battling Tottenham (oh how I love saying that!) managed to beat Middlesbrough though it’s unlikely to be enough to ease the pressure on Jol to perform should he fail to repeat the victory in future Premier League fixtures. Gareth Bale and Tom Huddlestone were the scorers.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Fast approaching is Round 3 of the Carling Cup, which of course means that the bigger guns are about to join in. What I am to discuss here is just how important the cup competition is, if indeed at all and mainly how the big guns should treat it because it’s something opinion is largely mixed on. You get some managers who go out to win every trophy while others treat it as a learning experience for younger members of their side. It’s also treated as something of a Mickey Mouse cup by supporters, what with having to be in the shadow of the FA Cup.

We all know and recognize the FA Cup as England’s premier cup competition. Well there need only be one. What the League Cup offers though is another way into the UEFA Cup. For the big four, it shouldn’t have to be seen as much of a big deal. They already have to concentrate on three competitions, this should be left to the sides who want UEFA Cup football and even then, it’s not everyone, what with a number of clubs preferring to concentrate solely on their league campaign.

You all should know by now that I’m an Arsenal fan. However, don’t think me biased for believing Arsenal last season showed just how a big club should treat the competition – as a learning curve for some of its younger players and a chance for a selection of back up players to get more football under their belts. It’s not making a point out of a competition that is useless to Arsenal, rather, it’s making use out of the competition. Not only that, but it’s made it exciting for the fans too. I now genuinely look forward to Arsenal’s League Cup campaign because I look forward to seeing some new talents on show. Denilson even won a place in the first team after his Carling Cup exploits last season.

Mourinho was one that tried to win all, despite the competition’s lacklustre reputation. And yet if you wanted to treat it as something worth winning, all you’re doing is squandering a perfect opportunity to rest your first team players. Not just that but if Wenger played the first team in the Carling Cup I wouldn’t be too interested. The line up he chooses usually involves players I haven’t seen much of yet, it becomes quite an exciting prospect. Much more so than it would if we treated it as a competition to be won.

So here’s me looking forward to The League Cup, something genuinely worth competing for if you’re a mid table club and want some silverware, if a little second rate, and UEFA Cup football next season. For us clubs who consider ourselves part of the ‘big four,’ I hope it’s treated by all as an opportunity to test some new talent. Coverage of the cup will be here, with me undertaking that particular task. So more soon.

Also See: Carling Cup 3rd Round Draw (2007/2008).

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It’s always nice to get a clean sheet and score several goals, no matter who the opposition. This is nothing to get excited about however, for it was only Derby, albeit a Derby side who managed to somehow beat Newcastle in their last match.

Still, away from home they’ve already lost heavily to both Tottenham and Liverpool. There is no question that we always should have been gunning to add more misery to Derby’s surely relegation bound season and we did just that. It was a good result, a good performance but let’s not overreact here, Arsenal played Derby, not Man Utd.

Also something to point out: four of our six league wins have been at home. Away, we beat Tottenham and drew to Blackburn (though you have Lehmann to thank for that.) We’ve played some strong teams but we’ve had it a bit easy in terms of home games so bare that in mind. Next week Arsenal travel to Upton Park to do battle with an in form West Ham and that won’t be easy.

Adebayor continued his goal scoring form with a hat-trick. For the record, I’ve always thought Ade an important player for us, even last season when he had his share of the critics. He wasn’t just a half decent third choice striker, he added something different to our game and was a hardworking physical presence up front. He just wasn’t the best finisher or rather, lacked the composure to put the ball in the back of the net. Composure’s largely a confidence thing and now everybody’s favorite Togo striker has found the net several times his confidence has shot up. That’s the real bonus I saw we were going to get out of this game. Confidence.

One player lacking in confidence is Theo Walcott. Not lacking in ability, nor potential, but in confidence. He’s showed he’s capable of making some excellent runs, combining some dazzling dribbling with lightning pace but at the moment there’s no end product to his game. That’s a lack of confidence. Theo really needs a goal or two to find his form and he will do, eventually. I have faith in him anyway and I think Le Boss does too.

Diaby put in a better performance on the wing than we’re accustomed to, scoring a cracker to get off the mark for Arsenal with his first goal, of what I hope will be many. Wenger explained post match that the change in performance was due to him not having been playing much. He claimed the same is true of Walcott and that his poor performance was due to not having played much recently and maybe we’ll see a better Walcott in his next performance, which I expect will be in the week against Newcastle in the Carling Cup. Wenger’s usually right so that’s good.

Fabregas scored again, showing just what a phenomenal player he now is. And he’ll only get better with age and experience. I fully expect him to be up there competing with Lionel Messi for World Footballer of The Year gongs in the future. I also fully expect a battle to keep Cesc at Arsenal for I fear now he’s become this good, Madrid and Barca will come calling. Not that he has any reason to go, especially if we prove ourselves as title challengers once again. The only way is up for us and Fabregas is one of the players at the heart of that.

So a good result then and a strong performance against a not so strong Derby. It’s expected to be honest but it’s good that we’re living up to expectations. It’s good that we’re scoring as well. Last season we couldn’t find the net. It’s a problem we’ve rectified, with goal scoring responsibly now being shared across the squad as opposed to relying on Thierry Henry, who might I add I saw for the first time tonight in another club’s shirt – Barcelona’s. He missed a sitter and was unlucky with another, finding the post but he looks a shadow of the player he once was and I don’t think it’s merely because he’s adjusting to a new team and is still ‘finding his feet.’ He’s still good, with something to offer but no longer is he the Henry of old, mainly because he’s beginning to lose that frightening pace he once possessed.

Arsenal were right to sell, something I felt at the time and something I continue to feel, more so now that the team seems to be performing better in his absence.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

RearGunner from ArseRant writes:

The news that I’ve been expecting for a while has arrived – we have indeed officially signed Bacary Sagna, a move that I’ve voiced my confusion over and one that intrigues me greatly for he is a right back, or at least, that’s the position in which he’s played predominately throughout his career, and we already have Eboue, Hoyte, and Kerrea Gilbert, newly returned from his loan spell at Cardiff.

I wasn’t certain of the former’s future actually, harvesting my own reservations about whether we should be in the market for a replacement. Eboue started the season well, performance wise, but his antics and behavior on the pitch was intolerable, his form then dipped also. All thoughts of getting rid were put to rest however when Eboue and Hoyte were both signed to long term deals. But here we are, having signed a new right back and having shelled out too good a deal for a player who will merely be a back up. Wenger had the following to say on his new purchase:

We are delighted to have signed Bacary Sagna. He is a very capable defender and has played consistently well for Auxerre in recent seasons. He plays mainly at right back, but can also play along the defence or in midfield. He is strong, quick and enjoys defending but also has a good offensive side to his game. He has a fighting spirit and will be a very good addition to our squad.

The suggestion that he can play along the defense or in midfield hints that Sagna’s role next season might not be limited to right back, which sounds about right. I’d guess that Sagna will also be used as cover for Clichy (Traore not yet being ready) and maybe additional midfield cover.

Where Eboue is concerned, I’m not sure he’ll be all too happy about playing second fiddle though I think that’ll be down to who excels more. Sagna I suppose is bought in to compete with Eboue for the right back slot while providing cover elsewhere. There’s also talk that Eboue could be moved up the wing, which could work though with Walcott and Hleb available, I can only think his appearances in such a role will be rather limited.

As I say, interesting and yet confusing stuff. I do wonder what Wenger will do with the two of them when the season kicks off. Meanwhile, Sagna himself had something to say and that was:

It is great to be joining Arsenal and I’m excited to be playing alongside many great players. I know Abou Diaby from our time together at Auxerre and also Gael Clichy and Mathieu Flamini from the French Under-21 team. Also Arsène Wenger is a major reason why I have signed for Arsenal. He is an excellent manager with a fantastic record and I am really looking forward to working with him. I’m also looking forward to playing at Emirates Stadium and winning trophies for the Club and all the supporters.

All good. It’s nice that he knows a few of the players already and seems to get on with Diaby rather well, from what I’ve heard, in particular.

With the arrival of Sagna though it makes me think that someone will have to make way. We have Hoyte and Gilbert too you see. The obvious one to go would be the latter. On loan to Cardiff next season, I didn’t see all too much of him, but what I heard was positive, some going as far to suggest that he’s a better option than Hoyte. Still, Hoyte improved a lot last season and was very recently given a new long term deal. Despite rumors of Reading and a couple of others sniffing around, perhaps preparing to test our resolve, he’s a decent player who can provide additional right back and left back cover. We might see him leave next season, I think, merely because he’ll want to seek first team football but for now, the obvious candidate for the departure lounge would surely be Gilbert, who’ll probably be farmed out on loan again with a view to the move being made a permanent one.

For now, I can only guess. Next season I suppose all will become clear. Welcome to the new lad though. Wish him all the success at the club I do.

Read more: Bacary Sagna – an Arsenal player.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News