A new season and already yet another London based robbery. We limp away with nothing when for a good part of the game a draw was the least we could expect. Thank you very much referee. Forced through circumstance (i.e. the complete lack of a partner for Shearer) to play with a midfield heavy formation the enforced option was actually working for us. Scott Parker buzzed through the midfield like a man urgent to prove what Chelsea had been missing. Emre continued to show good touches, Jenas, while still not showing anything that makes him the next great English midfielder the press would have us believe, was solid enough. Dyer and Bowyer continued their good preseason form. At the back the Taylor-Boumsong partnership actually looked vaguely solid (and can Bramble find his way in once fit?). The only real problem was a very lonely looking Shearer, doomed by lack of support. Still, the midfield did their best and we probably had the better opportunities.
Then came the intervention of Mr Bennett, a referee surely live in far too close proximity to Arsenal to be allowed to officiate such games in the first place? Urged to greater tackling effort moments before by his manager Jenas put in a robust, borderline yellow card challenge on Gilberto, who rolled around like he'd been caught in a bear trap (Jenas actually took the ball. This was a challenge that in the good old days before things became almost non-contact wouldn't even have been a foul. I still blame the 1994 world cup going to the US for this. There was far to much pampering of their non-contact ideas then which has simply continued). Television replays showed that Bennett couldn't even have had a clear view of the challenge yet he had no hesitation in producing a red card (without even consulting his assistant), a decision which clearly baffled both sides. His later, post-match, decision to change the card to yellow simply goes to show how poorly he understood what had happened in the first place. From that point on the shape of the game was, logically enough, much changed.
Arsenal spent the rest of the game trying to break down a spirited and plucky rear guard action. One of the positives we can take from this game is that the spirit evident in the hopeless situation against Deportivo was once again showing through. Indeed, the entire game had been played with a team spirit remarkable give our past problems. That was not to save us though as eventually the referee intervened once more to award a penalty. N'Zogbia's defending in the box may have been a little inexperienced, and ultimately costly, but any touch to Llundberg certainly wasn't as great as first appeared.
The penalty dispatched we at least tried to get forward, though with Shearer's earlier withdrawal we were doing so without a striker. Inevitably all the attempt allowed was for Arsenal to produce a characteristic quick break and place an unfair reflection on the scoreline.
At least Arsenal are out the way now and we can look forward to the opening home game. The team actually seem to be working together, with something resembling pride. It's almost as if they care. There are still big gaps in need of plugging though. The lack of anybody alongside Shearer cannot continue if we are to have hope of winning many games.
(@14:08)
