Emirates Cup Musings + RBNY & PSG Players of the Day

Arsenal vs. Boca Juniors 



A good performance from some, but disappointing overall

Arsene Wenger named a fairly strong side to start this friendly, with Van Persie, Nasri, Wilshere & Gervinho all starting. In the opening exchanges, of what turned out to be quite a mardy affair, Arsenal seemed to be just about on top. Earning some fairly soft free kicks in some decent positions, the Gunners failed to capitalise, the score remaining at 0-0 for almost half an hour, before Gervinho burst down the left flank, whipping in a low cross for Robin Van Persie to gobble up at the near post which got the entire stadium - mid Mexican wave - on it's feet to celebrate; Arsenal's first home goal of the 2011/12 campaign. I must be said, that with 2 goals and an assist to his name from just 2 cameos, Gervinho has made a very good start to his career in N5.

At half time, Wenger made 5 of the 6 changes the Emirates Cup rules permitted him to Mannone, Squillaci, Ramsey, Vela and Chamakh replacing Fabianski, Koscielny, Wilshere, Gervinho and Van Persie. Two of these substitutes had an immediate impact, Vela surged forward, and used some clever footwork to reach the edge of the box, before cutting back to Ramsey who slammed home from 25 yards. Sadly all this was undone by two moments of defensive uncertainty from Arsenal (now when has that happened before?!!) Boca's first came from a Squillaci mistake, the ball landing up with Lucas Viatri who hammered the ball home. This was followed 3 minutes later by a Johan Djourou mistake, he botched a slid clearance and Pablo Mouche took his opportunity with aplomb, smacking the ball home, totally ruining Mannone's day.

Traditional Arsenal flaws let us down again, and it was disappointing to see the lack of urgency or desire that the side had at 2-2 with 10 minutes to go. I appreciate that it was only a friendly, however it was similar to the performances of the end of last season, so I feel that it is something which is a cause for concern if this continues into 2011/12 proper.

New York Red Bulls vs. Paris Saint-Germain



NYRB's Dax McCarty in action vs. PSG



With all due respect, the day's first game wasn't fantastic, the Red Bulls were a fantastically organised team, playing in a rigid 4-1-4-1 formation, and defending with a tenacity which Arsenal could certainly learn from. Their goal was taken well enough, Estonian Joel Lindpere finished a New York break well. He beat the offside trap nicely, and was slipped through on goal one-on-one by Roy Miller, and slotted home nicely from 12 yards.

As a complete neutral, I took the opportunity to look at the players and tactics on show, rather than getting particularly into the game. I have decided on a standout player from each side (in my opinion) and will write a little about each of them here.

Dax McCarty - New York Red Bulls (pictured above): I felt that McCarty was the Red Bulls' best player by some margin. The right footed midfielder seemed to be more creative than much of the rest of the Red Bulls' midfield. I also felt that his passing was more accurate, and that his first touch was also superior to his teammates. Many of their best moves flowed through him. Although as a side the Red Bulls probably would be mid-table in the Championship, I feel that McCarty would fit in well at a mid-table Premiership club, such as Aston Villa or West Brom.

Jeremy Menez - Paris Saint Germain (pictured below):

PSG's Standout Man, Summer Signing: Jeremy Menez

Signed by PSG from Roma this summer for £7m, I was really impressed by Menez on his PSG debut. The 6' centre midfielder showed some real skill and creativity in the second half, following what I felt was a fairly anonymous first period for him. Wearing the same boots as Samir Nasri, he certainly was played at a level higher than all the other players on the pitch. Despite only scoring 4 from 38 in Italy last season, his creativity fashioned some real chances for a disappointing PSG side. Where McCarty is a player who I feel could play mid-table, I feel that Menez is a player who wouldn't look out of place with a cannon on his chest. At £7m too, I feel that PSG really have bagged themselves a bargain.

Were you at The Emirates today? What did you think of the games? Let me know your thoughts through Twitter (@Goonernl) or the comments below.