A replay we didn’t need and as with our two recent cup ties, there was plenty of going-in speculation regarding the squad Arsene would name tonight. Our starting eleven consisted of Szczesny, Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Gibbs, Song, Nasri, Denilson, Arshavin, Chamakh, Bendtner. Shea, Clichy, Eboue, Cesc, Jack, Theo, and Robin made the bench up. I had hoped to see Djourou (if possible) and Cesc rest, with no starts for Denilson or Bendtner. As I remember, the Song/Denilson midfield tandem failed to do much of anything, plus Chamakh and Bendtner could not get out of each other’s way, last time they started together.
But…Arsene’s call, so we had to hope for the best. It was nice to see Samir with the armband this evening, undoubtedly recognition for his outstanding form this season – and relative importance to our side, and Samir responded with a man-of-the-match performance.
Unlike the first tie, we got off to a quick start this time. In the fifth minute, we put a nice passing move together, Gibbs to Chamakh to Arshavin, who set Samir up to finish smartly past Schmeichel. The goal seemed to kick us into gear, the passing became crisper and we moved the ball about well, looking for a quick second goal. On 11 minutes, a Chamakh header from point-blank range force and excellent save from Schmeichel. Leeds had a chance for a counter-attack, but Kos neatly cleared a Gradel cross into our box. Within a minute, Arshavin ended another attack when he shot over the bar. He topped that two minutes later by failing to make contact with the ball after Chamakh put it on a plate for him, barely two yards out!
Now the wasted chance count was starting to rise and a sense that we might pay for not converting them began to creep in. Arshavin got another crack a few minutes later, firing in a low shot which Schmeichel had to push out for a corner.
On the half-hour, another gilt-edged chance: Kos started the move with a fine pass to Sagna, who took the ball deep and crossed for Bendtner, who contrived to miss a simple tap-in! Cue Sagna to show our front three how it is done! Our erstwhile, not-known-as-a-goalscoring-threat right back collected the ball on the right hand edge of the area, took a touch, and blasted it straight into the net.
Being Arsenal however, we don’t make things easy – two minutes later, Leeds got a lifeline as Johnson found the net with an unstoppable shot from 30 yards out. Dean and his crew missed (ignored?) a foul on Arshavin in the buildup but it was a wicked shot, nevertheless. We tried to respond quickly but Chamakh, who along with Arshavin, desperately needs a goal, couldn’t react quickly enough to Gibbs’ cross, allowing Schmeichel to collect. The last few minutes of the half featured a series of poor free kicks and we took a 2-1 lead into the break.
Even though we were leading and playing much better, our forwards had wasted far more chances than they had converted, so I hoped at least one (Bendtner was my choice) would not emerge for the second half. Predictably, there were no changes.
We got the second half underway and fashioned an immediate chance to restore a two-goal margin but Schmeichel cleared Song’s close-range shot for a corner, which we did nothing with. When was the last time we scored off a corner?
That cued a good spell of possession for Leeds, ended when we raised the tempo for a sweeping move that ended with Snodgrass clearing the ball just as Arshavin was set for a tap-in. On the hour mark, the latter shot the ball into outer space, ending a good move. Perhaps it is only me, but maybe supporters would give him an easier ride if he wouldn’t show that annoying smirk following a squandered chance.
Five minutes later, we had a narrow escape, as Gradel – Leeds’ best player on the night – got free down the right and sent an excellent cross into our box. Fortunately, Paynter was not in position to reach it. The pressure from Leeds mounted and they started to find more success getting the ball to our half and putting crosses into our box. Substitute Somma had a chance to score with his first touch, but the ball glanced off his knee and over the bar.
With the initiative rapidly slipping away, Arsene was finally roused into action. Cesc and Robin were introduced for Arshavin and Chamakh on 71 minutes. Why Bendtner, who gave us absolutely nothing for the previous 71 minutes, was allowed to continue is a mystery.
Within two minutes, Cesc went narrowly wide with a well-taken free kick. Then with 15 minutes to go, my whipping boy Bendtner made his contribution – he put a peach of a cross in to Robin at the back post and the latter simply had to time his leap to guide the ball into the net! Then the former reverted to form, getting caught off side as Cesc tried to spring Gibbs with a through ball. With ten minutes to go, Grayson made his last roll of the dice, bringing Sam on for Arsenal loanee Sanchez Watt. Clichy replaced Nasri on 83, as we looked to shut up shop and pick Leeds off on the break. The third goal pretty much deflated Leeds and their sting was gone by this point. We had a couple of chances to add to the scoreline.
Leeds had a late foray into our box during the four minutes of injury time, but nothing came of it. The final whistle went right at around the minimum four minutes, and we could look ahead to the fourth round tie versus Huddersfield Town.
So a good overall performance and we put this tie to bed. To my knowledge, we have not picked up any additional injuries, we got a confidence-boosting result and some of our squad players got some very valuable match minutes. As much as I do not like the incessant rotating Arsene has recently been doing, I am coming around to the thought that is as much as for giving match minutes to our squad players, as it is about resting our first-teamers.
As the season wears on, injuries and suspensions will inevitably hit and we will need our squad players to step in at a moment’s notice. So outings like this are critical towards providing these players those minutes. I still do not think that Chamakh and Bendtner are an effective pairing and I am not sure of the value of playing Song and Denilson together. If Song is going to start, why have Denilson in the side? If Denilson starts, shouldn’t Song be rested? Nevertheless, we will have to take these opportunities as they come.
The one aspect that disappointed about this evening was our poor finishing. 1-3 flattered Leeds, and we had enough quality chances to score double that. But this is what happens when three of the four starting forwards are desperately short on both form and confidence. They have to work through this, and the only way to do so is throw them out there and have them keep trying until it comes off.
It was only a couple of weeks ago that Robin was missing chance after chance – didn’t he miss a hatful at St Andrews? Arsene stuck with him, and now he is back in form and scoring. I think a scrappy goal is all Arshavin needs – certainly he tried hard tonight, and his work rate was good, but nothing came off. His problem looks to be almost entirely confidence, so hopefully he will score that scuffed goal on the weekend, start banging them in, and will get more starts.
As harsh as I have been on Bendtner, perhaps it is no coincidence that he improved literally as soon as Robin replaced Chamakh. While one superb cross will not erase the memory of an indifferent 93 minute/59 second performance, it seemed that – at least for that moment – Bendtner and Robin had a semblance of an understanding. Bendtner and Chamakh once again did not seem to work.
Chamakh is now a concern – his goal return has completely dried up. As he played every match, he started to look more and more jaded. Arsene finally gave him an extended break as Robin was back and now Chamakh looks as though he cannot get into any sort of rhythm. Hopefully it is just a matter of him getting timing and sharpness back.
For Chamakh and Bendtner, however, I would suggest they are more likely to find their respective forms playing with Robin (Theo and Samir on the flanks) than with each other.
The defence played very, very well. Szczesny was his usual commanding and assertive self, and our back four was solid all the way through. I don’t think there is any doubt that Sagna’s return made a huge difference. We restricted Leeds to only seven total shots, two of which were on goal. They had some dangerous-looking moments where they were perhaps a pass or cross away from a quality chance, but on just about every occasion, our defenders anticipated and got to the ball first. Even when Leeds were in the ascendancy, I did not sense any panic in our defenders…
Credit has to go to Leeds for playing their part in an exciting cup tie. They had a right go at the Emirates, came back at us when we went 2-0 up and threatened to equalize again just before Arsene brought on Cesc and Robin to shut the door.
They emerge from this tie with credit and can now concentrate fully on their push to regain Premiership status. Good luck with promotion, and as the saying goes, “We shall meet again…”
I thought we attacked and defended well, won the match, and while it is never perfect, this one was pretty good, if I may say so…
Written by oliver
Morning all…
Harsh on Nikki oliver, i thought you were gentle on him…. One good cross…
His marking when Leeds had a throw in was dreadful, one occassion he plonked himself in front of Song who already had his own player then stood shouting for somone to mark a free leeds player….
that free leeds player was his to mark and guess where the throw in went….
Wheater has signed for Bolton…… Confirmed this morning..
I have a bit of a morning today, have to go off out again and won’t be back until lunchtime 🙁 🙁
Did the thought ever cross your simple little mind that Shava isn’t smiling because he’s happy about missing chances? You would like to see him roll on the floor and cry, perhaps?
When I see him smile after missing a chance, what I see is the smile of a man greeting friends who have come to condole him on the loss of a child. There is no humor in it, instead it is the smile of a man who’s trying his best to be brave in the face of great adversity. And you slag him off for it.
Far too lenient on Denilson methinks. I really cannot see what value he brings to the side, again last night all he did was jog around the centre circle, not tracking any of Leeds midfield, being at least few seconds off the pace for every ball. Surely when Ramsey’s fully ready he will replace Denilson in that role.
Thought Sagna was magnificent last night, bombing on at every occasion and getting back!!!! Mr Eboue, take notes please!!!
I don’t share your concerns over Chamakh. A wonder save from Scmichael was the only reason he didnt score. And his ball retention, link up play and work rate are vital for our style of play. He should be miles ahead of Bendtner in the pecking order. And if he plays games he’ll score goals dont worry about that. If we are short with injuries he could play through the middle and RVP could move out wide.
Spot on Alan S. Denilson spent the whole game ball watching and pointing. What the f**k are you pointing at you donkey. The worst moment was when going for a 50/50 with Howson he dived in two footed because it was beyond him to win a hard challenge in the centre of the pitch. Totally off the pace. It was dangerous and reckless. This guy is a liability and has been around long enough, time should be running out for him.
Morning all,
Sagna showed how much we’ve missed him, Nasri was superb Gibbsy and Djourou have improved alot.
Denilson was poor with his passing, arshavin’s low on confidence, Bendnter was asleep till RVP&Cesc came on 🙂
It was never going to be a stroll in the park and Leeds were a tough nut to crack but glad the boys played as a unit
Morning all Chamaka is improving Nikky was average and AA was just AA
I’m agree with the opinion maker. Three matches off for Sagana was fantastic for improve his performance.
The Law! I would say you should chill out.
We won , AA needs to relax, his smile has got nothing to do with his game but you dont have to be rude to our Mr Oliver.(HE wrote a good post as always)
Anyways i support Wenger giving everybody a game time , i cant remember the last time we had our squad this full.
I am just waiting for MAnure Utd and MAnure Shitty to start loosing points.
The Gunners are coming.
Afternoon all,
SD, spot on, no need for rudeness…..
oliver, sorry you had to be subjected to a couple of insults – just do what i do, ignore them, it’s very easy to criticize, not so easy to write such a balanced, fair and honest post as you have done… thank you
Zenit want AA back…..
morning all…thanks sd and rico, for having my back here. no worries, i just ignored the comments – that particular individual did not even read everything i said, just took exception to a solitary comment he/she did not like…i stand by what i said about arshavin.
Hi oliver – thanks again for the post, its a fair and balanced write up, i feel for AA, he’s definately trying but something is wrong – but once it clicks we’ll see him back to his best. The difference with him and den/nik is we have seen AA on fire, sadly the same cannot be said for the other two…..
Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby is on the comeback trail and hopes to feature for the Gunners in the next few days.
The 24-year-old France international suffered a calf injury in the 2-2 draw with Wigan on 29th December but believes he should be able to resume full training this week.
After earlier missing nine weeks with an ankle problem, Diaby has only made nine appearances for the Gunners this season and he cannot wait to get back involved.
He is targeting a return either in the Premier League clash with Wigan on Saturday or next week against Ipswich in the Carling Cup or Huddersfield in the FA Cup.
hi rico…i would have preferred neither denilson or bendtner starting last night. regarding the latter, i think we need to give chamakh the bulk of the opportunities – and get him jump-started – before bendtner. it should be fairly simple to get chamakh going again, but i cannot say for certain, as he has been with us for only a half-season so far…
Hi all.when den/nik are on fire they’d be actually burning up.AA is trying.the goals will come.he had another assist again.
Sagna is a man machine!he could actually tackle a tank.man i love that guy!he along with nasri have been our best and most consistent players.
thankfully it didn’t backfire last night oliver, i though Song was immense last night again, he is so strong yet makes it all look so very simple – outstanding display…. like you said though, why start with him and denilson baffles….
frimpong must be very near back to training, would be good if he’s back for the last two months of the season..
Speaking of nasri did you see the smug look on his face when he scored?it was like he was saying ‘im nasri and better than you all’…he has a swagger about him.playing street footy in marseille has really made him a ball magnet.14 goals and still half a season to go…
Hi KT 😆
Sagna is a beast, he has to be one of the best RB’s in football right now, he has really grown this season, same as Nasri – if we can keep the main bulk fit, we’ll be in for the best chance in a few years of a trophy of even two…
Good to see a few goals scored against barca last night…
Player of the season in the EPL at least is our Nasri…
k, den “on fire”? i volunteer to douse him with kerosene then…
I also loved the look on the eyes of rvp and cesc when they were coming on.it was like they were smelling blood and were ready to devour the lambs…
i would love to get frimpong fit and available for selection. i think part of the problem with den is that he knows he is the only cover for song, and has an automatic starting berth when song is not selected – or, as in last night, sometimes starts alongside song. i wonder how den would play if he had someone pushing for his actual squad place?
Rico rio said the same thing on twitter.nasri has really grown up.my manc mates hate him but we know they’re jealous.
regarding diaby, if he is ready to go, perhaps huddersfield would be the ideal tie for him to get back on the bench. i would hope to see ramsey get some an appearance ahead of diaby, however…
Oliver i have seen crazy things said about denilson.he is being blamed for:Sarah palin/global warming/economic meltdown/JFK’s death/betrayal of the son of God/floods…its fair to say he is not a fan favourite at the moment.
DIABY!!!I hope he does a TRIABY before the end of the season.hope this time his brain and feet coordinate better.
k, i wouldn’t go so far as to blame him for something like governor palin – as an american, i can say she is in a class of her own…
suffice it to say, however, that denilson is not a fave of mine either. i just don’t think he gives us that much. i’ve acknowledged previously that i think he is ill suited for the dm role that arsene has shoe-horned him in to – and i still think that is the case. but i think he is often lazy, inattentive, and is often one of the reasons we stutter when we should purr.
when fabianski eventually becomes eligible for selection, i am interested to see what arsene does – fab has done much better than i thought he could this season, but szczesny is giving us even more at the moment. a few weeks ago, i would have said no-brainer for fabianski to reclaim his starting berth. now, after watching szczesny the past few matches, i do not think it is quite that simple.
there is a body of evidence – particularly from the end of last season – that suggests arsene is extremely loyal to fabianski…if this is actually the case, it probably is that simple for arsene. i would argue that szczesny at least deserves consideration for keeping his starting place.
They are very jealous KT and he’s all ours…
Denislon knows its only eastmond too oliver, that’s why he has such a comfortable life, but a true pro would be trying to oust Song, not settle for second palce….
I really hope Diaby can stay fit and get on and show us just how good he is – but staying fit his his biggest battle…
one thing is for sure, we now have two much better keepers fighting it out, so much so, there isn’t so much calling going on in the footie blog world for a keeper to be signed – right now all we need to make this squad great is a CH, DM and a clinical goal scorer….
Villa are thinking about making a bid for Almunia….
Boo!!! Days like this, it’s all sunshine and good fuzzy feelings being a Gunner. 🙂 🙂 🙂
oliver, I don’t think Chamakaka and Bendy complement each other’s styles either; there’s just something off about the pairing. Of course this is said in the hopes that the more they play together, the more instinctive and fluent their exchanges would be.
Nik does himself a disservice by bigging himself up and failing to deliver. I thought last year, his work ethic had really improved but his performances of late has not particularly reflected any of that progress. Chamakh, on the other hand, has a fantastic header, but needs to work on how to expand his repertoire. He will come good, I feel. 🙂
rico, next they will be asking about adebayor – nothing to them and almunia, i promise you that…
hiya agag…nik would do himself no end of good by shutting it, putting his head down, and working his hardest and doing his best in the opportunities he has been receiving. the onus should be on him – and any other squad member – to make it impossible for arsene to drop him. that is how szczesny appears to be going about his business…
plenty of talk from him. he delivered when he came back into the squad towards in the latter half of last season – and apparently while carrying a groin injury…that was then – he has done nothing now to suggest he should be in the first team.
Hi Guys,
Not supposed to be on my laptop as I am still struggling with some stupid virus, but just popped on to say; excellent Post Oliver, I’m proud I encouraged you to take up the cudgels (with plenty of paragraphs .. of course). 🙂
They have an interesting NYC Arsenal supporters club report on AFC’s website that you may like.
Rico, good work, hope to be able to return tomorrow. 🙂
Boooooooooo, agag 🙂
Agree re Nik telling the world he is the best, sadly that does not get backed up by his performances, even I could have crossed that ball to RvP last night 😉
oliver, we may laugh about Lardybayor, but City are selling him for £9M, Villa could afford that amount 😉
How can a club just ‘lose’ £16 million in a year is beyond me……
oliver, I must admit, I liked how the match commentators wanted us soooo badly to lose. Eggs on their faces and all that. 😀 I am, clearly ungracious even in victory. 😉
It’s often the loudest voices that make the littlest sense. Nik and Vela have to work particularly hard when they are given the opportunity to play. With our first choice striker now match-fit, they have to play infinitely better than they recently have.
Hi RA, after you had gone off to close your eyes yesterdya I realised you must still be unwell, what virus have you had?? What ever it is I hope it soon leaves you….
Hey, rico. Howdy? Sami is sooooper. He’s the player we cannot do without at the moment. 🙂 I know who my clinical goalscorer of choice is. Haha. The one who’s walking it alone in Liverpool. Where is the Console Him List? I’d like to sign up. 😉
Oh and, how impressed are you by Robin/Robin’s thighs?? I told ya, those scoring boots were just warming up. 🙂
Most of the time the commentators on ITV were really complimentary about us….
Mind you, they even said that Nikki worked really hard on the right all the game… Don’t which replay they were watching 😉
Hey agag, i’m good thanks – I like the console him list, may have to add a widget just for you know who 🙂 and Villa of course…
Robin was on fire, his thighs agag, i didn’t watch his thighs……. (much) but you are right, those boots were just a warmin’, now they need to stay simmering until the next game… 🙂
hi ra…hope you feel better soon.
yanks introduced rafael soriano in the bronx this morning. turns out – and francesa and several others alluded to this when the deal was announced – there was a difference of opinion within the organization about doing this deal. cash was opposed to it – on price and the first round draft pick surrendered to tampa bay. levine and the steinbrenners wanted this deal – perhaps as the next best thing after being snubbed by lee – and so it was done. the comments at conference suggest there is no lingering problem between cash and the ownership group, so…
now the next order of business is the rotation. pettite looks increasingly unlikely to return, burnett is a huge question mark, leaving cc and hughes as the only reliable starters.
rico, he has only himself to blame for this. he’ll be quietly flogged off somewhere for next to nothing, probably with city picking up a good portion of his wages in order to get him out of their dressing room. his case can prove a useful example for any players we have who think they have “arrived” before their actual time.
One thing i like about nasri is his composure in front of goal.most of his goals this season have been put in the top/bottom corners giving the gk no chance.cesc especially should take note.
Afternoon all, good write up Oli,
Just wanted to add my 2 penneth,I do try and be fair on players that have lost their edge, and realise that if you knock them you can look a right mug the next day, but in Bentners case i don’t care if it comes back and makes me look a mug, one cross and although a great one, i don’t rate this guy at all. I am beginning to get very uptight with Arshavin too, these two players lose the ball so easily and do not fight enough to get the ball back, they are both very reliant on their team mates to undo their errors, i know some of you have these guys as your favorites, but even you must realise their times up. I would just like to add, after watching young Czezsney for a few games, he appears to me that he doesn’t command his area, our defenders often expect him to help them out, but he doesn’t like to come off his line, i was getting to like Fabianski and would like to see him back, rant over. Well done the rest of the team great result in a hostile arena
Hi agag/RA.RA get well soon.Sagna,eboue and clichy had a competition on who would score more this season.sagna has two absolute scorchers but the other two the less said about them the better…
agag, forgot, how rude of me, hows you??
Hi Steve – wow, didn’t expect that re Chesney, i thought the only thing he’s really lacking is his kicking, honestly thought he had a pretty good game last night…
Kaspers kicking though showed him up a bit 😉
I did flinch a couple of times when Leeds whipped in a couple of low crosses that could have easily been buried, thankfully their players finish like Bendy ….
Feel better, RA. 🙂
KT, agree with your assessment of Sagna and Eboue but as for Clichy has had a decent run of games. Hasn’t figured in any clanger. He’s been pretty solid, imho.
rico, re Czezs,
just an observation, probably come back on me, but i still prefer Flappy
Re Clichy, last few games, much much better – i hope he carries on that way too, both he and Sagna went through a blip, if Clichy grows in the same way as Sagna has, we’ll be laughing…
Steve – no worries, that’s whats called an opinion, and i truly respect yours… 🙂
Hi, Steve. I am less confident about Bendy than I am about AA. If what it takes to release their goals floodgate (I am fond of hyperboles, yes) is a couple more cup matches, I don’t mind them being played. But the aforementioned plus TR7 do need to score and soon. It should do wonders for their shot egos. Poor fragile boys. 😉
rico, I am well, just a bad kind of busy. 🙁
Hi Agag,
just as well i’m not the manager, we wouldnt have anybody left, but they are struggling
agag, you are always busy 🙁
😆 Steve but look on the plus side, if you were manager, we’d have Torres, Villa, Melo and a few others 😉
Wise words from such a young one…..
Kieran Gibbs has backed Cesc Fabregas’ leadership qualities by insisting he has a wise head on young shoulders.
Arsenal captain Fabregas found himself at the centre of a story concerning his abilities as a natural leader earlier this week following an interview given by team-mate Denilson.
Any talk of a rift was quickly played down by Denilson, Fabregas and manager Arsene Wenger, with the main gist of the comments lost in translation from Brazilian to English.
And Gibbs has now offered his support for Fabregas, saying the Spaniard has been a great help to him off and on the pitch.
“I’ve spent quite a bit of time with him, away from training as well and for such a young person he’s got such a wise head on him,” said Gibbs.
“He’s helped me greatly and I can only thank him for that.”
“I’ve been in and out and haven’t played many games on the trot, so I’m just looking to keep injury free and stay on top of that,” said the left-back.
“It has been a nightmare, I won’t lie. It’s been annoying, frustrating seeing your team playing all the time and going there and limping off after 15 minutes.
“But I’ve got a few games under my belt now, so hopefully I can put that all behind me and keep going.
“The way the boss rotates the squad has also definitely helped me. I’ve no arguments with how he does that, he does it very well.”
I have been a bit critical of the rotation system, and still not an admirer of it, but if the players are happy with it, so be it, i just want the best team winning every time we play. Perhaps i’ll follow netball!!!
http://werenotfamousanymore.blogspot.com/2011/01/leeds-united-1-3-arsenal-top-four.html
There’s my Arsenal match write up, from a Leeds fan, Let me know what you think Arsenal fans!
Ha ha Steve, try cricket, that’s fab – I’m about to dust down my whites and get back into training, I need just one or two more matches so i can truly say goodbye to my favourite playing game….
Hi Sean, good to see you on a gooner blog, we are friendly here aswell….
I thought your boys did you proud, you are too good to be in the Championship and hopefully you will get back to the PL next season.
Sadly for your team, it seems you missed the chance at The Emirates but on that day we got lucky – you defended strongly and were aided by some shocking finishing by us but i don’t say that to take anything away from Leeds…
Good luck to your team, get promotion and then we can meet again next season…
You are by no means a Championship side, no way….
Guys/Gals, I’m off for the day…
You all enjoy the rest of your day/night, be good and catch up tomorrow….
Night all..
Hi guys. Been busy all day.
Why do we still allow Nik B to play?
Have to give AA credit, he never stopped trying and that is all you can ask when a player is out of form.
Great win and now, let’s win the next one etc etc.
evening guys…
ive been back at work this week so havent been around much
good post oliver, some un called for critisism earlier from some bloggers i must say…i regret not being around i love a good row up 😉
il just say, was at the game last night…our boys did well elland rd is a couldren of hate, always has been it can be very hostile, last night was no different and the lads didnt let it phase them..a sign of a strong mentality..
the leeds fans were in awe of nasri, he cannot be marked in that form hes unplayable..sagna is playing better than he did in 08, the power the pace the sheer beastness of the man he ran his flank all night
gotta add also that leeds fans gave nikki some stick, to say his ego is massive his mental strength is shit..he was none existant last night, no movement no nothing, the cross aside he did naff all and the leeds fans let him know all night
they were singing ‘thats why your 52’ at him from the start and he collapsed…
AA tried hard for once but his touch his edge his overall AAness has left him..hes shot to bits…
good performance and the home tie v hudds is a nice reward…two divisions down we can make 9 changes and not worry i think…
also must add..
disagree with chamakh, oliver..
im not worried hes working hard hes just been rested too long hes not match sharp his game will return with minutes but he doesnt work with bendtner..
nikkis movement is none existant it was like playing with 10 men chamakh was having to cover more ground cos that lazy pratt wouldnt run
he was subbed instead of nikki cos he was fucked where as nikki didnt run all night so he wasnt even in a sweat..
in other words..nikki drags chamkhs game down..they cant play together chamak has to do all the work..
Morning, anyone around??
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