Fulham 1 Arsenal 2 (August 12, 2007)
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0 commentsI want to start by mentioning that Arsenal's season opening win against Fulham at the Emirates is one of the most entertaining games I've seen in some time- and up and down tempo, plenty of chances and a thrilling, comeback finish. A real pleasure to watch!
Some observations on Arsenal-Fulham:
The departure of Thierry Henry will not be a crippling blow to Arsenal, but Arsenal's incredible ability to create chances and their chronic inability to capitalize on them could prove costly as the season goes on. The Gunners were held scoreless for the first 82 minutes of this match, although they could have at least two or three goals on the board. Despite creating several excellent goal-scoring chances, Arsenal had great difficulty finishing off their chances. On the bright side, however, several of Arsenal's attackers seemed much more willing to shoot the ball.
Tony Warner, Fulham's back-up keeper who called upon to start just 10 minutes before kick-off, turned in an absolutely sparkling goalkeeping performance. For over 80 minutes, Warner stodd tall in the Fulham net, making a host of outstanding saves. His performance was worthy of far more than a hard luck defeat.
The play of Nicklas Bendtner, Arsenal 19 year-old Danish striker, may be exactly the kind of change-of-pace this club needs. A departure from Arsenal's fluid passing and beautiful build-up style of play, Bendtner is a physical, pragmatic striker who seems more concerned with putting the ball in the net than most members of the Arsenal team.
Theo Walcott still has a long way to go. For all of his skill and his blinding pace, the teenage sensation does not yet seem to have a knack for making the correct decisions in the flow of the game. He's breathtaking to watch and still has a lot of time to develop, but if he doesn't make strides soon, it could be slightly worrisome- remember, even in his teens, Cesc Fabregas was a natural creator and brilliant decision-maker.
All in all, this was a fantastic game to watch, with few lulls in the action and plenty of skill on display. It will be very interesting to see how Arsenal perform next Sunday against stiffer competition, when they travel to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rover. As for Fulham, they played a very competitive game and probably deserved to come away with a point. They will next take the field on Wednesday against Bolton Wanderers.
Date
August 12, 2007
