I'm sure by now you will have read somewhere about the alleged booing received by Thierry Henry at Saturday's game. Reading Arseblog this morning, the actual truth of the matter really made my blood boil a little.
Fucking journalists. I honestly don't know how they can get away with it, let alone look at themselves in the mirror every morning. Some of them are just absolute scum, and abusers of the fourth estate and its responsibilities.
Moving on, sneaky Kolo Toure actually signed his new contract ages ago, in the summer no less. Makes me wonder why the club decided to announce it now though.
Arsene has warned the lads against complacency and cockiness in tomorrow night's game against CSKA, saying that we were over confident when we flew over to their gaff. We certainly need to take the match very seriously, as three points here and at least a point against Hamburg would alleviate a tricky last tie away at Porto, with the following Premiership fixture being away at Chelsea, which a couple of the boys could really use a breather for.
There's a little piece in the Guardian about Nicklas Bendtner. It's not extensive but it's a decent article which comes away thinking he's a rather good player. I also think he' a rather good player.
Well, we got a point from an infuriating 90-some minutes against Everton on Saturday, but football was the real loser.
I was looking at some stats and, if they are to be believed, we had 78% possession. That's just ridiculous, and makes the fact that we only scored one goal (from a set piece) all the more frustrating. It was a good goal from RvP on a day when Thierry didn't really turn up, although I thought Howard, following on from some heroic saves from Fabregas and Rosicky, might have done better when he got a hand to it.
Their goal was, once again, down to a moment of comic defending, where Tim Cahill (of all fucking people, he's probably the most dangerous man in the team after Johnson) was left unmarked at a corner, it hit him and he then fired home from a yard out. Typical of our home performances this season, give the opposition one good chance early on, they take it, we spend the next 70 minutes trying to break down two rows of five. We are going to have to accept that some teams are going to play that way against us. We all saw what happened to Reading, a side who have been playing very well at home, when they decided to play football against us rather than stick eleven behind the ball and kick us and waste time, so maybe it was predictable that Everton would do this if they managed to go a goal up.
However, Everton are a top six side. Everton have been playing well this season. Before the weekend's fixtures only Man Yoo had scored more league goals than Everton. And yet they still play the way they did. I suppose in some ways it's a complement that a side like Everton are so afraid of us, but it's worrying and a trend that's likely to continue. It's just a shame that both our new big lads, Adebayor and Baptista, were our injured on Saturday. It would have been good to see how they could've knocked the shape out of the Toffees.
The rumours linking us with a bid for Huntelaar just won't go away, as we're now being tipped to make a £12m offer in the near future. I still don't see it myself. Henry, van Persie, Adebayor, Walcott, Baptista and Aliadiere as well as Bendtner and Lupoli to come back, how on earth could Huntelaar even make the bench, let alone start a game?
Speaking of buying strikers we don't need, young Swiss lad Julian Esteben has linked himself with a move to the Arse in January, stating that we've had him watched a number of times. Again, I don't see it.
Arsene says he's in no hurry to sort out his new contract, which I suppose means we'll have to wait for next summer, and endure a whole host claims from other teams that he's signed pre-contract agreements to leave and go manage elsewhere. Wonderful.
Not a lot going on this morning before tomorrow's game against Everton.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh (insert your own racist quote in the picture opposite) officially opened the new stadium in the Queen's absence (she had to pull out as she, or maybe the Duke, had done something to her back) and after touring the Arsenal Learning Centre and the Arsenal Museum met Arsene and the boys pitchside. Considering our over publicised integration of different creeds and colours from all over the known world, you'd have to think there's a story waiting to come out about something stupid his nibs will have said.
Injury news for tomorrow is the same as it's been for some time, with the added addition of Adebayor (that's some lovely alliteration) following Tuesday's League Cup fixture with the Baggies. The good news is that Diaby is on the road to a comeback, as he's back in training in a month, and says he knows what a hard job he's going to have breaking into the first team now that Arsene's bought two centre mids (three if you include Rosicky) since he last got a game. I've liked what I've seen of Diaby, and whilst I think he lacks Vieira's spirit I think he could become a similar player technically and positionally.
Everton have been doing well this season, and only Man Yoo have scored more league goals than they have (we've scored the same number, 15), and it'll be important not to take the game lightly. That said Arsene's almost certainly got an eye on Wednesday night's game at home against CSKA. Both are games that we really need all three points for, to keep our momentum going in the league and to get closer to safe passage through the group stages of the Champions League and avoiding needing to get something from our last game away at Porto. As most of the first team has had a rest during the week I'd expect to see a strong side tomorrow, with the only queries about what happens at the back, with Clichy and big Phil making it through Tuesday's game unscathed. I think we may well see something like this, but who knows.
I received the new Pro Evo in the mail yesterday (it's always nice when Play get you stuff before official release) and had a quick bash last night. They've made the dribbiling a bit more fluid compared to last year's, which felt quite rigid, but defending and shooting have both had the difficulty cranked up. Still, steered the Arse to consecutive victories over the Mancs. Nice to see that Arsenal are a licensed team again, so proper kits. Might have to do some editing though because Fabregas isn't close to what he should be.
We've drawn this weekend's Premiership opponents, Everton, away in the next round of the League cup, which is a shame as I was really hoping for a home tie so I could get along to the Grove and see the kids in action. We'll just have to hope they pull a repeat performance of their demolition of Everton in the same competition a couple of years ago and for a home draw in the next round.
Official injury update on Manu Adebayor is that it's a groin strain and that he's likely to be out for a minimum of three weeks, and with YTW already publicly assigned to the wings by Arsene it looks like RvP will have a regular spot up front with Thierry and Aliadiere will get an opportunity to impress from the bench.
I have to say that I've always been impressed with Aliadiere's attitude. He's been at the club five odd years, has never made the breakthrough whilst being severely hampered by pretty much every injury under the sun, he's been willing to go out on loan wherever Wenger's told him to and he's still determined to make it at Arsenal. Apparently his approach to training is top notch and it could well be his attitude, as well as his undoubted but as yet unrealised potential, that has persuaded Arsene to keep him onboard when most youth players who haven't made the step up by 21 are shown the door. I hope he does prove himself this season, as next season it's likely that both Bendtner and Lupoli will be back and gunning for that fourth striker spot.
The Online Gooner is following up on a REDaction initiative to delegate a song to be sung at the Arsenal before games to get the crowd going and build up the team. He's suggested "The Green Green Grass of Home". Now, I applaud the sentiment but this really isn't the way that this works, and to me it sounds like trying to create history where you have none. It's the sort of thing that Chelsea would do. You cannot create history. The reason that "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Bubbles" and the like are embrace by the fans is that they happened organically, and gradually established themselves as staples of the match day experience. You cannot enforce a crowd favourite, it just doesn't work that way. The Arsenal crowd is so good at coming up with chants (my current favourite is "Chim-chimery chim-chimery chim chim, cheroo. Who needs Sol Campbell when we've got Djourou?") we don't need to resort to Chelski-type history building in the singing department, although if a few more fans would actually join in on the singing, that'd be grand.
Speaking of the Online Gooner, they've found someone who's "come into some seats from Highbury", you know, the ones the club couldn't seel to the fans because of the traces of asbestos which, whilst not at harmful levels, stopped the club selling them due to environmental and health and safety restrictions. Quite why we were allowed to keep these seats at Highbury in the first place is a good question. Decidedly dodgy.
Two goals from perennial underachiever Jeremie Aliadiere sealed a solid win in a tricky away to to the Baggies, who have been in storming form since their managerial shift around, and sees Arsene's second string through to the next round of the league cup. As I didn't see the game here's a decent report in the Guardian, although they seem to think Armand Traore is a striker.
I do like seeing big Phil in that number 6 shirt.
By all accounts we played well, and the kids tried to emulate their older peers by playing sweeping, passing football which is great so see. Wenger's footballing philosophy is not restricted to the first XI, and if any youth player wants to get into that starting line up they know the way that they have to play to get there.
Footage of the goals below. I particularly like Aliadiere's turn whilst he's on the left wing before he bursts into the box to win the penalty.
In YAMA's patented loan watch, both Nicklas Bendtner and Seb Larsson got on the score sheet to hand under pressure Blues boss Steve Bruce a welcome win over Premiership strugglers Sheffield United. Any fixture which results in Neil Warnock getting stuffed 4-2 is fine by me.
In other news King Kolo has signed a new "long term" contract and I'm pleased as punch. Kolo is without doubt in my top three favourite players at Arsenal at the moment, his infectious enthusiasm, determination, high level of ability and all around top bloke-ness makes him such an asset to the club and long may he remain in the red half of north London.
And lastly Arsene is obviously a big YAMA fan, as he's come out and said he plans on playing Theo on the wings for the next couple of season until he develops a little more, as I've been banging on about for a while. Personally I think he needs to develop quite a lot more physically before he'll be able to ride the kicks and heavy challenges of the Premiership. Yes he's rapid, yes he may even be quicker than Thierry, but everyone forgets that Thierry's 6"1 and bloody strong.
Baggies / Kolo / the Godfather / some poor Spanish chica
Looking ahead to tonight's game against the Baggies at the Hawthorns, it looks like Arsene is going to put out a more experienced side than he usually does for such games, with hints that the starting line up could look a little like this (forgive the star on Denilson, stupid BBC website doesn't have him in the squad so I had to add him as a fantasy player).
Looking at it it's a very strong team, compared with the almost exclusively youth sides we've tended to put out in the past. I think this is mostly because there are a fair few players that are coming back from injury and need a competitive game (ie not a reserve game) with not too much riding on it. It's also probably because so much of our squad is now made up of such good young players. If you take Almunia out of that team there's not a player over 23.
Arsene has said that he quite fancies winning the three-eared jug this year, as it's the only domestic trophy he hasn't won. Whilst West Brom are on a good run of form at the moment I expect this side to turn them over, with Clement, Phillips and Gaardsoe all missing for the Baggies. I'm going to stick my neck out and say 2-0 Gunners.
In other news Kolo wants to stay forever, which is nice. I've said it before but Kolo is one of the most underated players in the Premiership, a fact which is only just beginning to be recognised by Messrs Hansen and Gray, and therefore all the non-thinking parrot-talking football "fans" out there. My dad was telling me about an argument he was having with my uncle (a Man Yoo) fan) about how Toure only looked good because he's African, he's got a good engine, and apparently runs around like a headless chicken. Seriously. I'd have him over Rio "you've been merked" Ferdinand any day of the week. Good goal on Sunday by the way. Shite celebration.
Vito Mannone is back from his loan spell at Barnsley with a knee injury. I'm desperately hoping that Vito proves he's the business and eventually becomes our first choice number one because I quite fancy having a goalkeeper who I can call "the Godfather".
Another of our on loan youngsters, the very highly-rated (and justifiably so) Kerrea Gilbert, is facing a three-match ban following his red card at the weekend. It's the first time he's had a real discipline problem and he was definitely antagonised, so let's hope we don't see more of this in the future. I've got high hopes for the boy, and in my opinion he looks a better prospect than Eboue or Hoyte.
Wenger won't be buying in January apparently. We've all heard that before, but maybe he means it this time. I think we're covered everywhere with youth and experience except for left back, and we've got five players who can conceivably cover there, even if we don't have a dedicated and experienced left back.
And finally, something a little lighter. Have a look at this video.
It's the bit when he gets up, looks down at her with a certain level of disdain, and then walks off that marks him out as a grade A bastard.
Arsenal ran out 4-0 winners on Sunday in what many had thought would be a tough game in the Royal county of Berkshire against a solid Reading side who had caused both Man Yoo and Chelski problems at the Madjeski. In contrast, we blew them away.
Now don't get me wrong, I quite like Reading, I really hope they stay up and I think they will, but on Sunday we made them look very, very ordinary. We were superb, our passing and timing sublime, and at times our movement was just mesmeric.
Of all our players I'd say Cesc was the best on the pitch, and it's really scary when you have to keep reminding yourself that the kid's just turned 19. I honestly can't imagine how good he's going to be in his mid-20s. Paul Merson was doing punditry for Sky on the game and said that, in his opinion, Cesc is going to be the best player in the world before long. Lionel Messi might have something to say about that, but certainly in that central midfield position I can't imagine that there's going to be another player who can touch him. Some of his passing was masterful, his composure under pressure was awe-inspiring, and his vision was just top drawer. Bravo, Senor Soler, bravo.
Another player who put in a cracking performance was my namesake, Tomas Rosicky. I'm thinking of spelling my name like that from now on. Every time I watch this guy play I take to him a little more. he's just such a good player, he's got a great range of passing, vision, touch, awareness and, although it deserted him to some extent on Sunday, a belting shot on him. He was at the centre of everything along with Fabregas and really dictated some great play. His ball for Hleb's goal was masterful.
Speaking of Aleksandr, he didn't have a half bad game himself, and this leap of celebration with Rosicky was entertaining of itself. He took his goal very well and did fantastically to set up RvP, who had a poor game all round, wasting posession and shooting very poorly when given the opportunity. However he really couldn't miss after Hleb exchanged a neat one two with TH14, took a lovely touch to go past the defender and then neatly pulled the ball back to allow van Persie to stroke him.
All this blogging and not even a mention of Thierry's two goals. Both were created by Fabregas, the first after Fabregas, put in by Hleb went to the byline and pulled back for Henry to execute an exquisitely cushioned finish. The second was a penalty won by Cesc after he ran on to a Thierry through ball. TH14 scored off the right-hand post.
We took our foot off the gas in the last 20 minutes and really lost any shape we had, with apparently no one playing up front, with Thierry and the subbed on Adebayor mixing it in midfield, which made it difficult for any of our substitutes to have an impact, particularly Young Theo Walcott, who would probably have liked to have had the opportunity to do something in a game in his home county, with his whole family looking on.
One sub who did make an impact was Alex Song. Seriously, if I was Flim Flam, or any other player who could fill that central role, I would be livid that this joker was getting a game ahead of me. In the 15 minutes he was on the pitch he made so many errors of touch and judgement they could have filled a whole 90 minutes. Why Wenger persists with him I do not know. I hope sometime soon it becomes apparent to me, and every other Arsenal fan.
A good result, 3 points away at home which is more than most teams will get from a trip to the Madjeski and now a nice rest for the first team, with League cup action midweek.
There's a transcript of Arsene's speech at the AGM over on the ANR, but I think the most telling part (apart from thanking Dennis, Sol and le Bob for their service, but not a certain Mr Tweedy), was when he talked about what he feels Arsenal Football Club stands for:
"I think Arsenal is about values, character, under difficult circumstances sometimes - David Dein always reminds me, we never do things easy at Arsenal, and that's proved to be right many times. It's the kind of character you need to be successful at the club. It's the first time we are in the new stadium and I feel in the future we must not forget that we are responsible for the kind of character that this club has been built on."
Bravo sir, bravo.
On to the boy Fab, who is tickled pink to have agreed new terms with the club. It's no secret to anyone in the reasonably football-literate world that Arsene is planning on building the next Arsenal side around him. He will be our metronome, so to speak, as he will be dictating the rhythm of our game, and will be the one player, post-TH14, to make us tick.
Sunday's tie at Reading is a tougher test than many might think. They almost beat Man Yoo, were very unlucky against Chelski (that double Fat Frank deflection) and are a good side with a number of ex-Arsenal lads who will be up for the game. Inparticular, one Steven Sidwell, who I can still remember captaining the Arsenal youth team to glory two seasons running. It was clear then that if he had to leave Arsenal for regular football that he was going to have a career at the top end of the game, and I'm chuffed he's done as well as he has. Being voted best player and second best player in the Championship in consecutive seasons shows I'm not the only one who thinks so.
It'll be interesting to see the line up Arsene puts out for Sunday's game. With our midweek game next week being the League Cup, there's no desperate need to rest players, but at the same time we need a win and some of the guys who trekked out to Moscow and back will undoutedly be a little jaded. I imagine Rosicky or Fabregas, possibly both, will be given a breather, and Adebayor will start up front. But we'll just have to wait and see.
A one nil defeat to CSKA Moscow on a cold night in Russia means that the Arse drops to second in the qualifying group behind the former commies. I didn't see the game due to the early kick off, and after accidentally finding out we'd lost one nil (thank you very much Kings Cross station) was quite abhorent towards the idea of watching the game, although I did see Thierry's disallowed goal. It's hard to tell from the angle we've seen it from, but I'm fairly sure it was a perfectly good goal and should have stood.
From all accounts it wasn't a great performance, but then for some reason we've never done the business in eastern Europe. It's not the end of the world like some people are talking, I'm very confident that we'll do them at the Grove and am positive that we'll top the group once all games have been played. Everyone just needs to calm down.
There's a nice piece on Fab Muamba's current run at the Brum from the Birmingham Evening Mail. It's nice that for all our outstanding young talent, some of them (even by way of DR Congo) are English, and on that note Kerrea Gilbert is still performing brilliantly at Cardiff.
Rumours of us being interested in Huntelaar, the young Dutch centre forward. Can't see it myself, what with Thierry, RvP, Adebayor and Walcott, and the boy Bendtner from next season.
Ronaldinho has tipped Thierry to be his major competition in the upcoming European Footballer of the Year festivities. It would be ironic if Henry were to win it this year, as I feel that each of the past three years he has been better, but I suppose he did get to a Champions League and World Cup final, even if he did end up on the losing side in both.
In a little under eight hours we'll be kicking off in Moscow. What with winter already having descended and them being three hours ahead it'd be no fun to kick off at the usual 19.45 GMT, as this would be 22.45 over there and there's more than a slight possibility that one or more of our players would literally freeze their bollocks off.
It's going to be a tough game, we all know that. Arsenal are famous for underperforming when playing away against sides in eastern Europe (I remember one game in the mid-90s when an Andrei Schevchenko-led Dinamo Kiev took us apart 4-1) and to be honest, with six points already in the bag, I'd quite happily take a point from this game. However I'm sure Arsene will be going all out for the win, as he should, but how will we line up?
With the in form RvP coming off the bench on Saturday rather than starting, I'm hopeful that he will be partnering Thierry up front, rather than Adebayor. That said, it may also hint to a slight deviation in formation. I think Arsene might revert to the 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 that served us so well in Europe last season, moving van Persie out to a wide right or left foward position similar to his usual role with the Dutch national side. I think we might see a team that looks a little like this.
With Lauren and Eboue out, Flamini and Senderos turning out for the reserves last night, and Clichy still lacking match fitness, I think we'll see an unchanged back line. Rosicky and Fabregas were so good against Watford I doubt we'll see them drop out, and Gilberto is still the only real option in the holding role, although Denilson is in the squad for tonight's game. It's a shame Baptista is out because this is the sort of game I'd like to see him in, a tough, battling away tie in Europe. Hleb won't play as high up as he's pictured here, but with Freddie injured and Walcott still being handled with kid gloves (no pun intended) I think he'll line up wide right, with RvP wide left and Thierry as the one bonafide striker.
In other news Gael Clichy is confident that Arsene's new crop of young Guns has what it takes to dominate Europe. I like to see that kind of confidence, especially from a player who's had so many problems with injury affected his progression.
Morning and apologies for my MIA turn during international week. No excuses, I honestly just couldn't be fucked.
Saturday's game saw us take all three points off the glory glory hornet boys, who gave a decent account of themselves and had some half chances due to our continuing shakiness at the back, but we really played some wonderful one touch football at stages and fully deserved the win.
Injuries forced quite a few changes, with Hoyte switching to right back in the absence of Eboue, Gallas to left back and Johann Djourou coming back into the middle. The knock that Freddie picked up with Sweden meant that Rosicky switched to right mid and Young Theo Walcott took his first place in the starting line up on the left wing. He played for an hour and gave a really good account of himself, playing one particularly juciy pass for Fabregas, who rounded the keeper but couldn't apply the finish from an acute angle. He also had a great run and shot in the second half which was only a foot or so over the top right corner.
Our movement was, at times, breathtaking, but it took a set piece and own goal from Watford's Stewart to open the scoring, Adebayor nodding on Cesc's free kick and Stewart beating Kolo to the ball to put through his own net. Henry added a second on the cusp of half time when he took a great touch on a bouncing through ball from Jens to race past the defender who had been on his shoulder and finish low to the left with his left foot. The game was put beyond doubt when Fabregas played Henry in during the second half, with Thierry unselfishly squaring the ball for Adebayor to put the ball in the empty net. Three nil, and it didn't flatter us.
RvP didn't start the game (although he came on as a second half sub for Rosicky) which surprised me considering his red hot form at the moment (4 goals in his last 3 games for club and country), but this may be because Arsene is saving him for Moscow. Adebayor certainly doesn't deserve to be starting ahead of him on merit, but if the games you're missing are against relegation favourites and the games you're playing in are tough away fixtures in the Champions League, you wouldn't be too worried.
Thierry was looking back to his impudent best (he had said it would be October until he was back firing at near to full strength) with some cheeky back heels and one particularly outrageous bit of footwork where he let two defenders run across him, only to knock the ball between them, wait for them to run past and then waltz into the box. The resulting shot was also only just off target, and it would have been a lovely goal. So nice I've put it below.
Not much other news about. More ramblings on Franck Ribery wanting to joing in January, but nothing more concrete than the last 43 times we've heard this. I'll do more of a Moscow preview tomorrow.
First post in a week, mostly because there's a complete lack of stuff going on, partly because I've been so busy (was on my way to, in, and on my way back from Darlington all Thursday, par example) and the little Arsenal news that has come my way, such as Double D being named the new chairman of the G14 group of clubs, has come on days when there's been fuck all else and I couldn't be bothered to post on one tidbit.
Today isn't a lot more interesting to be honest, although there's international action to catch up on for all our players who have been stolen away by their respective national football associations for two sodding weeks.
My boy, R to the v P, scored Holland's only goal on Saturday to snatch a draw for the Dutch against Bulgaria, a game in which Dirk "a face not even a mother could love" Kuyt came off injured. Speaking of injuries Freddie was withdrawn from Sweden's 2-0 victory over Spain early in the second half, and details over the extent of the injury have not yet been made clear. Thierry hit the post for France as les bleus went down 1-0 to jocks. Rosicky, Jens, Cesc and Hleb all turned out for their nations.
And that's about it. Mijatovic says Madrid still want Cesc. Theo's current long-term goal is to go to the next World Cup and actually play a couple of minutes. Tomas reckons that the win at Old Trafford will prove to be the turning point to our season (so that's all wins from here on out). Marlon King's a Gooner but plans to take all three points off us at the weekend (hard cheese Marlon).
Two goals from my boy Robin saw us take all three points from Charlton at the Valley in a 2-1 win. It was a good game, both sides had chances that they didn't take, and the Addicks should have had a penalty for a handball by William Gallas, but overall I think we were good value for the win so, after winning five on the bounce, we now have to wait two weeks for our next match thanks to the cunting International break.
Going forward we looked fantastic. Henry, Fabregas and Hleb in particular were knocking the ball around in little triangles with ease, popping quick, neat passes to each other and creating numerous chances. Cesc himself was probably the guiltiest in not scoring on Saturday, he had two very good chances, a header from an Henry cross the best.
Charlton scored when a long ball to Hasselbaink found the Addicks striker patently not offside, and out back for was all over the place. He squared for Bent to beat Lehmann without an Arsenal defender within ten yards of him, and no one was particularly trying hard to remedy that. It was a shocking defensive lapse to be honest. That said, it gave us the opportunity to come from behind to win a game in the Premiership for the first time in over a year (really, it's been that long since we conceded first and went on to take all three points), and that's what we did.
RvP's first goal followed a lovely move. The ball was played down the right to Henry, who megged a Charlton defender to find Hleb, who turned two defenders inside out with some lovely footwork before clipping the ball across to Robin. One touch to take the ball under control, another to slide it past the keeper, and we were back to 1-1.
Then, just after the break, van Persie scored one of the most technically brilliant goals I have ever seen in my life. Hleb released Eboue down the right, who whipped in a meaningless ball to the edge of the box, not an Arsenal player in sight. Then Robin burst past a Charlton defender, leapt three feet in the air and caught the ball on the volley whilst it was coming across him with his left foot, blasting the ball into the top right hand corner. You have to see it to believe it. Think back to that di Canio goal that won goal of the season about five years ago. This was better.
I think we all knew that van Persie was capable of this type of goal. He's already scored some crackers in his Arsenal career, including two in an FA Cup semi against Blackburn, and another against the same opponents in the league. Last November he scored eight goals in eight games and was named Barclaycard Player of the Month before a spate of injuries interrupted his development. I think if he can keep fit and scoring he will mature into the consistently class player that we know he can be. He's got so much going for him: tall, powerful, fantastic shot, intelligent football brain, remarkable touch and technique, and an arrogance and air to him that I like to see, Dennis had the same temperament. What Dennis didn't have is the petulance that can plague Robin at times, and he needs to shift this.
Further problems have been cited concerning whether Thierry and Robin can play together, with some alluding that their styles don't complement one another. I liked the fact that Thierry was the first across to congratulate Robin for his wonder strike, and I hope that they can continue to play together. He's also got a habit of scoring the spectular, missing the mundane, and he really should have had a hat trick from Saturday's game after missing Thierry's low cross.
