Yes, I know that at the end of the day we have only ended up with just a draw but I feel very encouraged for the future because of the players that did not play last night i.e. Ljungberg, Keown, Wiltord, Jeffers, Van Bronckhorst, Edu and to lesser extent Toure, Aliadiere and Svard. With a bit more luck last we could have won that match and be 8 points ahead.
All I can say is that someone is going to get a pasting sooner or later and wouldn't it be nice if it was Newcastle?
Here are my ratings :
Seaman – Had a great game because he didn't have that much to do but the saves from Owen were critical; cannot be blames for either of the goals 8/10
Lauren – As usual good at going forward but defensively this was one of his poorest displays; does anyone know what happened to him just before Liverpool scored their first? He looked injured and lost - 6.5/10
Cole – Ashley in my opinion has now become the number one left back in the premier league without a doubt; last season he was great offensively but he has now become a very sound defender and his speed has really surprised me. He had a great game and I am sure the 2 week rest that he had will ensure that he continues this great form to the end of the season – 9/10
Cygan – He is currently the target boy of many of our fans but I thought he had one of his best games in an Arsenal shirt; he still needs more time to get used the pace of the English game but I have confidence in him – unlucky not to have scored his first goal when his header was cleared off the line - 7.5/10
Campbell – Not one of Sols best games which shows that he is human after all; one of his mistakes almost lead to a Liverpool goal and Heskey won too many high balls for my liking. I am not worried however because I know that it was an one-off. 7/10
Vieira – What an immense display by a guy who is back to his best. Is there a better defensive midfield in the world ? He was back defending (how many headers did he win from corners and free kicks ?) one minute and the next beautiful passes to Henry and Bergkamp. The other main encouraging point was his communication with the players, encouraging them, instructing them to take positions during free kicks etc. – 11 (eleven)/10
Gilberto – I now feel that we have at last found a replacement for Petit; he is a wonderful player who seems to be everywhere. One minute he is helping the defence and the next he is through on goal; had a great shot pushed round the post by Dudek – 8/10
Pires – He deserves 9/10 just for that back-heel to Henry but he was much more than that; he gave the ball away a couple of times but then you would expect a couple of bad passes when a player gets so much of the ball. When Bergkamp made that brilliant pass to Henry, Pires was about 10 yards inside the Arsenal half yet he managed to be first to the ball from the rebound. What about the time when he lifted the ball over Gerrard and then he sent Henry through? – 9/10
Parlour – For me Parlour had an a quite game; he wasn't terrible but its now becoming obvious to me that Parlour is a better central midfield than on the right. His problem is that he has to get passed Vieira, and Gilberto first. – 7/10
Bergkamp – You all know what I think of Dennis and he certainly didn't let me down last night; has there been a better pass this season than the one from Dennis to Henry that lead to the first goal – 9/10
Henry – Can you imagine how the opposing defenders feel watching him on this form ? the way he kept going passed the Liverpool defenders is absolutely incredible. In just over 20 meters the defenders seem like 3-4 metres behind him when they had started level. We must make the most of watching players like Henry because god knows when we will see another like him – 9.5/10
All I can say is that someone is going to get a pasting sooner or later and wouldn't it be nice if it was Newcastle?
Here are my ratings :
Seaman – Had a great game because he didn't have that much to do but the saves from Owen were critical; cannot be blames for either of the goals 8/10
Lauren – As usual good at going forward but defensively this was one of his poorest displays; does anyone know what happened to him just before Liverpool scored their first? He looked injured and lost - 6.5/10
Cole – Ashley in my opinion has now become the number one left back in the premier league without a doubt; last season he was great offensively but he has now become a very sound defender and his speed has really surprised me. He had a great game and I am sure the 2 week rest that he had will ensure that he continues this great form to the end of the season – 9/10
Cygan – He is currently the target boy of many of our fans but I thought he had one of his best games in an Arsenal shirt; he still needs more time to get used the pace of the English game but I have confidence in him – unlucky not to have scored his first goal when his header was cleared off the line - 7.5/10
Campbell – Not one of Sols best games which shows that he is human after all; one of his mistakes almost lead to a Liverpool goal and Heskey won too many high balls for my liking. I am not worried however because I know that it was an one-off. 7/10
Vieira – What an immense display by a guy who is back to his best. Is there a better defensive midfield in the world ? He was back defending (how many headers did he win from corners and free kicks ?) one minute and the next beautiful passes to Henry and Bergkamp. The other main encouraging point was his communication with the players, encouraging them, instructing them to take positions during free kicks etc. – 11 (eleven)/10
Gilberto – I now feel that we have at last found a replacement for Petit; he is a wonderful player who seems to be everywhere. One minute he is helping the defence and the next he is through on goal; had a great shot pushed round the post by Dudek – 8/10
Pires – He deserves 9/10 just for that back-heel to Henry but he was much more than that; he gave the ball away a couple of times but then you would expect a couple of bad passes when a player gets so much of the ball. When Bergkamp made that brilliant pass to Henry, Pires was about 10 yards inside the Arsenal half yet he managed to be first to the ball from the rebound. What about the time when he lifted the ball over Gerrard and then he sent Henry through? – 9/10
Parlour – For me Parlour had an a quite game; he wasn't terrible but its now becoming obvious to me that Parlour is a better central midfield than on the right. His problem is that he has to get passed Vieira, and Gilberto first. – 7/10
Bergkamp – You all know what I think of Dennis and he certainly didn't let me down last night; has there been a better pass this season than the one from Dennis to Henry that lead to the first goal – 9/10
Henry – Can you imagine how the opposing defenders feel watching him on this form ? the way he kept going passed the Liverpool defenders is absolutely incredible. In just over 20 meters the defenders seem like 3-4 metres behind him when they had started level. We must make the most of watching players like Henry because god knows when we will see another like him – 9.5/10