Archive for July 21, 2010
Barnet vs. Arsenal – Here we go again!
After two months off, club football finally returned (for me at least) this weekend, with Arsenal’s traditional season opener against their North London neighbours Barnet.
Arsenal usually begin every season with this fixture, played in very good spirit at Barnet’s Underhill Stadium, and it’s usually just an opportunity for the manager to check on the players’ fitness, give the youngsters a chance to stake their claim for the first team and get the season started on a positive note. In seasons past, I would read about the game every July and it always seemed like a fun occasion. So this year, when the tickets came up for sale, seeing as I had nothing else planned for the weekend, I decided to go.
Barnet is a borough in the north of London and was apparently famous for having a horse fair in the 16th century, called the ‘Barnet Fair’, which was the term used in cockney rhyming slang for ‘hair’. That’s why the word barnet is associated with hair and hairstyles even now. Barnet Football Club, nicknamed ‘The Bees’ because of their orange and black kits, currently plays in League Two, the fourth division in English football. On paper, the game should be a no contest but the Arsenal players were just back from vacation while the Barnet guys had been in training for a while and also, the game would feature a lot of untested Arsenal youngsters. Last year, the game had ended 2-2, so it had the ability to surprise.
So it was that on this lazy Saturday afternoon, I set out for Barnet, ticket in hand and the promise of a successful season ahead. I took the tube to High Barnet station, where I met up with a friend and together, we made the short trek to the local pub (‘The Old Red Lion’, I think) and grabbed a quick beer over random football chatter before walking down to the stadium.
The ground was tiny and as result, had the benefit of making you feel really close to the action. It seemed to be a family occasion, with lots of kids running around. There were plenty of Arsenal fans, eager to see the new signings along with the returning favourites. None of the players who were at the World Cup would be there, so the big stars on show were Andrey Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky, Thomas Vermaelen, and Theo Walcott. Apart from them, the team would be made up of youngsters mainly, including the exciting Jack Wilshere, hotly tipped to play a starring role for England very soon. It’s fair to say, however, that most of the fans were curious about seeing the new signings, Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny, and finding out how they would fit into the side and playing style. I had a seat in the second row from the fence near one of the corners, so Arshavin and Traore were bombing towards me throughout the first half.
As he usually did, Arsene Wenger named a mixed team for the first half. Lukasz Fabianski in goal, the young Norwegian centre-back Havarad Nordtveidt at right-back, Koscielny partnering Vermaelen in the middle and Armand Traore on the left. In midfield, Emmanuel Frimpong was the defensive midfielder while Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere pulled the strings and fed the front three of Jay Emmanuel Thomas, Jay Simpson and the mercurial Andrey Arshavin who is as dazzling as he is frustrating. Jay Emmanuel Thomas is another youngster who’s made headlines for his versatility. (He can apparently play as a centre froward, central midfielder and as a centreback, equally comfortable in all three roles!)
Arsenal started the game on fire and I’m not even sure if Barnet had touched the ball before a great passing move saw Rosicky slipping in Arshavin, and the cheeky Russian stepped around the keeper and slotted in for an easy goal. 90 seconds on the clock and Arsenal were 1-0 up. They continued in the same vein throughout the 45 minutes, and the outstanding performer was Frimpong, the Ghanaian (who is also eligible for England) international, who looked like an absolute monster – flying into tackles, breaking up the play and giving the ball to Rosicky and Wilshere to wreak havoc. Wilshere was quite superb and Jay Simpson was the lucky recipient of his brilliance as Jack fed him twice for simple goals. Arsenal were 3-0 up at the end of a great first half for all the Arsenal fans, who would’ve been pleasantly surprised to see the team looking so fresh and fit. Koscielny looked calm and composed on the ball but unfortunately, wasn’t tested too much at all. There will be sterner tests ahead and at this point, one can only hope that he’ll be up to them.
All the players were substituted for the second half, with the new team again a good mix. Vito Mannone in goal, Craig Eastmond at right back, Johan Djourou and Igansi Miquel in the middle of the defence and rising english star Kieran Gibbs at left-back. In the middle, the ‘next Steven Gerrard’ Henri Lansbury, Conor Henderson, about whom I didn’t know anything, and Samir Nasri. Up front, Dutch youngster Nacer Barazite, who’s scored against Barnet in each of the last three seasons, and Theo Walcott were joined by Marouane Chamakh.
The second half was considerably less exciting than the first, with the players taking it easy. Nasri capitalised on a defensive error to score, Walcott had some good runs and Chamakh had some nice touches but overall there was little else of note. Mannone was replaced by Wojciech Sczezsny midway through the half, but neither had anything to do. Personally, I was most pleased about seeing Johan Djourou, who missed all of last season through injury, back in action. He seemed fit and had a very solid 45 mins indeed.
Overall, it was a glorious way to spend a Saturday afternoon and from the Arsenal point of view, it a very tidy performance to start off the pre-season. With a couple of new signings, a genuine title bid is definitely on the cards. So, hopefully, some exciting times ahead! 
