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Bicycle-kicking Arsenal have had a bumpy ride, but WHAT A GOAL!
WHAT a goal. Quite simply, what a goal.
Arsenal might not make it to the final four of the Champions League, they might not win anything at all this season. There is even a chance that they might not even finish in the top four.
But what a goal, what a fudging goal that was.
Emmanuel Adebayor’s acrobatics in Villarreal on Tuesday night was a moment of sheer class. If Pele had bicycle-kicked in a goal like that it would have been hailed as one of the greatest of all time.
We all know that Adebayor is a bundle of frustration, a misser of golden chances. If he had taken all of his one-on-ones and sitters this season, Arsenal might even be in the title race.
But this was something extra special, the kind of goal to blank the memories of all those lame attempts from earlier in the season. People moan about Arsenal too often trying to score the perfect goal, but when it clicks together, this admirable attempt to win in style is spectacular.
They have already scored some magnificent goals this season: think Robin van Persie’s impossible volleys against Liverpool and Everton, Eduardo’s deft, swirling strike in mid-air against Burnley and Andrey Arshavin’s magical first Gunners goal against Blackburn. Adebayor’s effort was even better.
If only the big prizes were won for fantastic goals, Arsenal would win everything hands down.
TUESDAY night saw a major step backwards for Arsenal fans.
Just as they were beginning to realise that Emmanuel Adebayor is a world-class clown, he pulls out an incredibly important and well-taken goal, which will no doubt mask the fact that he’s not very good. He’s all right at heading the ball when there’s no one marking him, he’s all right at finishing if he can have at least eight attempts on goal, and he’s all right at holding the ball up, well at least when he isn’t falling over like a baby giraffe.
Basically, he’s no Nicklas Bendtner, Arsenal’s best striker ever, bar none, ever.
So the Gunners continue to stumble through Europe for at least another week, burying this season’s underachievement under a false hope of European success.
Meanwhile, Spurs continue to bumble through the season showing our current inadequacy brazenly. A sign of our improvement under Harry Redknapp is that the late crumble at Blackburn came as a surprise and a disappointment, as opposed to six months ago when going a goal up would have been the surprise.
Anyway, let’s look to the future. Cesc Fabregas will be off to Spain, William Gallas off to his first day at school, Bendtner off to the PFA Awards and perhaps a return for Stefan Freund at the Lane. Wouldn’t it be glorious? |
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