EPL Week 4: Adebayor Gets Hat Trick As Arsenal Crush Blackburn Rovers 4-0
September 15th 2008 03:04
It's been a tough start but the Gunners are slowly climbing up the standings after disposing of the Blackburn Rovers by the score of 4-0 with two goals in each half. Although the scoreline makes it look like a convincing victory, there were both good things and bad things about Arsenal's performance.
First, the good stuff. Coming off an impressive display during the World Cup qualifyers, Walcott looks a lot more confident with the ball now. He made a superb run and delivered and nice pass to Van Persie on the first goal, and spent the whole afternoon running past defenders who couldn't stop him. I used to complain about Theo always doing the same thing which was running down the wing and crossing. Saturday, he went to the other side of the spectrum by often trying a shot when an extra-pass was the better option. I hope he'll find the perfect balance between the two. Secondly, Adebayor finally found the back of the net, potting three goals Saturday including a penalty-kick won by Eboue of all people. Fabregas was Fabregas, the master of the midfield; nothing much to say about him. Oh, and Wilshere came in late in the game. He didn't really make an impression but I was glad to see him.
Now, the bad part. As good as the Gunners look when they're going forward, their defense is a complete mess. Every time the opposing team attacks, you have the feeling that something will happen or someone will screw up. They haven't met a powerful opposition just yet, but the two clean sheets are hiding a serious lack strength in center defense. In midfield, I'm still not convinced by Denilson. He needs the playing time to get some experience, but his numerous giveaways will prove fatal against a strong midfield such as Chelsea's. Third, Adebayor needs to time his runs more properly. He wasted several of Fabregas' beautiful passes by stepping in an offside position. I've never seen a player get as many offsides as Adebayor got on Saturday. He needs to watch that.
If Blackburn had a stronger attack, they could've gotten one or two strikes past Almunia. As it is, Arsenal will be happy with the win which puts them in the top four for now.
You can check out the highlights HERE
Arsenal's line-up: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Gael Clichy; Emmanuel Eboue (Aaron Ramsey, 81st), Cesc Fabregas, Denilson, Theo Walcott (Alexandre Song, 63rd); Robin Van Persie (Jack Wilshere, 83rd), Emmanuel Adebayor.
First, the good stuff. Coming off an impressive display during the World Cup qualifyers, Walcott looks a lot more confident with the ball now. He made a superb run and delivered and nice pass to Van Persie on the first goal, and spent the whole afternoon running past defenders who couldn't stop him. I used to complain about Theo always doing the same thing which was running down the wing and crossing. Saturday, he went to the other side of the spectrum by often trying a shot when an extra-pass was the better option. I hope he'll find the perfect balance between the two. Secondly, Adebayor finally found the back of the net, potting three goals Saturday including a penalty-kick won by Eboue of all people. Fabregas was Fabregas, the master of the midfield; nothing much to say about him. Oh, and Wilshere came in late in the game. He didn't really make an impression but I was glad to see him.
Now, the bad part. As good as the Gunners look when they're going forward, their defense is a complete mess. Every time the opposing team attacks, you have the feeling that something will happen or someone will screw up. They haven't met a powerful opposition just yet, but the two clean sheets are hiding a serious lack strength in center defense. In midfield, I'm still not convinced by Denilson. He needs the playing time to get some experience, but his numerous giveaways will prove fatal against a strong midfield such as Chelsea's. Third, Adebayor needs to time his runs more properly. He wasted several of Fabregas' beautiful passes by stepping in an offside position. I've never seen a player get as many offsides as Adebayor got on Saturday. He needs to watch that.
If Blackburn had a stronger attack, they could've gotten one or two strikes past Almunia. As it is, Arsenal will be happy with the win which puts them in the top four for now.
You can check out the highlights HERE
Arsenal's line-up: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Gael Clichy; Emmanuel Eboue (Aaron Ramsey, 81st), Cesc Fabregas, Denilson, Theo Walcott (Alexandre Song, 63rd); Robin Van Persie (Jack Wilshere, 83rd), Emmanuel Adebayor.
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