Carling Cup

Gooners

A very good showing by the 2nd stringers. You can clearly see their naivety and inexperience in key areas and moments of the game. But they need to learn and the CC is just the place to possibly iron out any flaws they may have. We know where the real targets are: Premiership and CL. Even the FA Cup is now serving as baptism of fire for the young Gunners although Wenger has placed a little more impetus on winning it.

Diaby

He is a talented player, but his head is not there yet. He holds the ball too long too many times. Not just for this match but has developed this bad habit in previous matches as well. Reminds me of RvP when he first arrived. More interested in keeping ball and showing off than doing the simple stuff. But we know he can cut it in the center of midfield and the quartet of Cesc, Flamini, Diaby and Denilson could well complement one another.

Denilson

Last season, he was a beacon of hope as Cesc II. This season he looks out of focused. His passing looked rushed and his positioning has been poor at times. Maybe it is the expectations we have of him and as a result some pressure to perform has been placed on his shoulders. Like Diaby above, he has bags of talent. I wouldn’t be surprised if the real Denilson shows up in the 2nd leg of the CC.

Walcott

Is it me or is his development taking longer than expected. I am not expecting the world from him but I would expect his decision making to improve. He still shows too much eagerness to go forward every time rather than be aware of what is around him. But he has started to take on players from a stand still position and using his burst of pace to beat them. With opposition teams playing so deep, he will not have the luxury of running to a through ball everytime. That is why I always fancied RvP over Arjen Robben as the latter relies heavily on his pace whereas the former relies on his guile. And we know which type of player has a longer life span.

Another positive about Walcott is the timing of his runs. An example is last night. How he got between the Spurs defence was a real striker’s nose for goal. Although it was a lucky goal, I will take them and celebrate it just as furiously as a well crafted goal because what goes around comes around.

Djourou

He worries me. I thought he would come back with some defensive experience and gel with Senderos ala playing for Switzerland. Instead, he looks shaky and indecisive.

Hoyte, Justin

I would think he will start as center back with Senderos in the 2nd leg after last night’s performance. Although getting ahead of myself, may even be pushing Senderos for a start next to Gallas in the Premiership in Toure’s absence. A much better performance.

I can’t wait for the 2nd leg. Spurs could have, but didn’t punish us last night. The young players would have learnt from this.

Gunner6