From this blog's description, easy to tell that Ashburton groove is nowhere in my neighborhood and that I only got to read of the Tottenham riots in the media. All the same it's the NLD and I hate Tottenham.
Infact as Gooner, the most distasteful event the past seven years is not the kick in the bollocks by lady luck in that Carling cup final, neither is it the 8-2 at Old Trafford nor is it the Paris Champions league final. Though, the later comes close. It is that the Spuds got to be part of European soccer's A-List event the year past.
Across the blogs, newspaper back pages and on the at times vain commentaries on cable sport television; today's NLD which marks Arsene Wenger's first match in his 16th year at Arsenal is nothing more than a marker of the race ahead for the last ticket to that very ticket that Arsene himself reckons ahead of the World Cup to be the premier event in world football.
Probable Starting 11: Szczensy, Sagna, Mertersacker, Song, Gibbs, Frimpong, Arteta, Ramsey, Walcott, RvP, Arshavin
Subs: Gervinho (if not fit to start, if not completely fit- Ryo/Park), Alex the Ox, Benayoun, Santos, Miguel, Fabianski, Chamakh
A class B ticket you might call it as part of the Terms & Conditions is the small requirement to navigate the qualification match to prove your pedigree (as the feeling is that the class A tickets are a preserve of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea- in that order).
For Arsenal, it would be a 15th consecutive appearance at the dance graced with such fine dames as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Ac Milan chance. For Tottenham the second, but more importantly a chance to show just how long their d*cks have grown; apparently long enough to be claim the “Top Dogs” of North London title.
Towards this end, the Spuds have a host of cheerleaders. The pundits, analysts and bookmakers. They even have 13th man:Dean- if the referee as is expected, continues his impressive performance against the Gunners.
Yet again as has been every match since that 2005 FA Cup final, to the world it's up to Arsenal to prove themselves. To The Arsenal, just another step towards being the best club in the world: very much a road race or city marathon is to a long distance runner targeting the Olympics gold medal.
It is easy to pick out the conflict in perceptions. For one, Tottenham's key threat today lies in Adebayor. A player whose relationship with his old club epitomizes just what, at least as far as general perceptions go, the problem with Arsenal is.
The shot yourself in the foot that has been going on at the Emirates. It appears, the end game of the extensive top of the world scouting network at Arsenal is just to do precisely that: pick out the best ,hidden in the nook and crannies of world football, give them a Cinderella makeover and sell them to the shinning prince the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City.
Today at White Hart Lane, Arsenal will show the football world that systems will always beat individuals. It is the system of play that has kept us among football's elite the past 14 seasons. It wasn't Flamini, Helb, Toure, Adebayor, Clichy, Cesc or Nasri.
More importantly, just how complete the system is given the slew of young guns expected to take the next step towards football legend status: Szczensy, Ramsey, Frimpong, Coqeulin, Alex the OX maybe even Ryo might get his chance.
Maybe I ought be less bullish. It is said that Tottenham have a “strong” squad. The pundits reckon strong enough to make the top four. Or maybe because all the talk from our noisy neighbors has been all “how this is the time to finish above Arsenal “. Probably because the Spuds recent form has seen them sit two pints ahead of us with a game in hand.
Tell you what none of that impresses me, the top four? That is the bare minimum at the Emirates every season. Finnish above Arsenal? Please, I wouldn't want that for ambition. Recent form? Well it's a derby, to much for home support and the form book.
Maybe it's because I am Arsenal Damu. So I ask again: Free will as described by Einstein? The product of intelligent advertising meeting sophisticated market segmentation? The irresistible allure of a universal Darwinian trait that of hardwired competition; whose expression only gets remodeled by time but never muted? An emotional connection as vaguely understood as love?
My prediction:3-1 to the Arsenal. RVP brace with the gloss of a young gun to finish off.
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