Playing without Patrick

Middlebrough massacre: a pivotal moment

by Myles Palmer

FEATURES

FRED STREET PROFILE

ARSENAL'S AGM

PETIT - ANNUS MIRABILIS

KANU - THE ENIGMA

NICOLAS ANELKA SPEAKS

KABA DIAWARA

OVERMARS SLICES THE BLADES

THE KIEV ANALYSIS

BRIAN GLANVILLE - GOONER

THE LETTERS FILE

DON HOWE INTERVIEWED

BLACKBURN REVIEW

SPURS DISSECTED

OLEG LUZHYNI

WILL SUKER FIT IN?

REACTION TO ANELKA

MORE THAN A GAME

NICOLAS ANALYSIS

ST.ETIENNE AND MONACO

THE ARSENAL AGM - FULL WRITE UP

SUKER - PROF POACHER

SOLNA ANALYSIS

FIVE REASONS: ARSENAL COULD WIN IN BARCELONA

CARLTON AND ITV UPSET US AGAIN

JEKYLL AND HYDE PLAY THE NOU CAMP

BUBBLE BURSTS - WEST HAM REVIEW

BARCELONA REVISTED

This was the best Dennis Bergkamp has played since the FA Cup semi-finals against Manchester United seven months ago.

He was more fiery, focused and pro-active than he has been all season.

The key question before the Middlesbrough game was whether the disappointing Dutchmen would raise their game to compensate for the absence of Patrick Vieira.

Football is a team game, and the team is eleven from a squad of 20, but this game was a pivotal moment in the season.

Whatever the manager says about any absentee being just one man, playing without Patrick could easily develop into a problem, especially if the opposition score first.

But not last Saturday. Because Dennis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars came roaring out of the blocks and destroyed Middlesbrough, who were without their left wingback Christian Ziege and stopper Gary Pallister.

We saw a Dennis Bergkamp who had re-invented himself as a powerhouse centre forward. He was playing more like a No.9 than a No. 10, almost like Jurgen Klinsmann, ready to sprint clean through the opposition's back line and score punishing goals.

Bergkamp made the first goal and scored the next two goals and won the penalty for the fourth goal and had no involvement in the fifth.

The action started with a Petit freekick which skimmed the bar. Then Boro centreback Steve Vickers was injured and youngster Robbie Stockdale replaced him after 13 minutes.

Overmars scored after 24 minutes, after Bergkamp had slipped a pass behind the defence. He closed in and beat Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer comfortably, as he used to do two seasons ago. Parlour had a cross-shot which hit the post.

Then Bergkamp lost the ball to Juninho 25 yards out, won it back by stepping across so that the little Brazilian just bounced off him, then turned and curled a typical shot into the far corner.

Kanu made a crafty dribble and laid the ball back to Petit, whose shot came back off the far post.

Bergkamp put Ljungberg in but the Swede lifted his shot over the bar.

After 47 minutes Ljungberg touched the ball through the defence and right back Curtis Fleming just stood and watched dopily as Bergkamp accelerated into the space, not even attemping to chase him.

Bergkamp, now in overdrive, took one touch and sprinted straight at goal.The angle was narrow, the big keeper was close to him, the margin for error was tiny, but he tucked it sweetly past Schwarzer, showing the kind of surgical accuracy he sometimes demonstrates when the adrenalin is flowing.

Dave Seaman had little to do but was lucky when his clearance hit Juninho, hurting the little man. Juninho then took a pass from Gascoigne and flicked Colombian powerhouse Hamilton Ricard through, but he was just offside.

Overmars replied with a tricky turn and a rocket shot which Schwarzer parried.

Then Bergkamp's mid-air backheel hit Festa on the arm and fell to Kanu, who blazed wide after 60 minutes. But referee Neale Barry awarded a penalty. Very harsh!

Festa was close to Bergkamp, not expecting a backheel, and had no time to remove his arm.

Overmars took the penalty and Schwarzer pushed his shot onto the post. The ball rebounded straight back to Overmars, who netted without celebration for 4-0.

Matthew Upson, who had come on for Grimandi after an hour, made the kind of mistake we hope he will never make when the score is 0-0.

Upson waited to see where a ball would bounce, rather than going for it, and Ricard went through and thumped home a left foot shot.

So it was 4-1 after 66 minutes.

Nelson Vivas came on for Dixon (70), and Davor Suker replaced Bergkamp (74), and Schwarzer made a good save on the line from an Overmars snapshot.

Suker, wide on the left, then started the move which supplied the coup de
grace. His cross to the far post was almost perfect, although it required Vivas to improvise efficiently by jumping at an awkward angle to chest the ball. He did this very well and, although he landed off-balance, he knocked it back instantly to Overmars, who stabbed a left foot shot across Schwarzer and into the far corner.

His first hat-trick for Arsenal!

Suker then had a shot saved and a shot wide, and Tony Adams picked up Arsenal's only yellow card of the day when he was fractionally late with a sliding tackle on sub Andy Campbell as he broke down the left wing.

When the freekick was cleared, Ince shot and Seaman made a good save.

Kanu, who had done some wonderful things, shuffled and hit a fierce shot which Schwarzer tipped over.

So that was it. A stylish efficient team effort, five goals, two shots against the post, half a dozen good saves by Schwarzer.

Freddie Ljungberg, playing in central midfield in the first half and switching with Parlour for the second, had his finest game of the season.

Ljungberg is a far better player than he has looked recently. His so-called "violent conduct" at Spurs, for which he has been suspended for three games, was the most tame, feeble "violence' seen since the Premiership started in 1992.

Middlesbrough, a team who are among the best of the also-rans, had been annihilated, as they were on April 24th at the Stadium of Light when Arsenal won 6-1.

Strangely enough the first goal in that game was scored by Marc Overmars from a penalty. And that was the last time he scored in the Premiership.

The stats, handed round by press aide Dan Tolhurst, showed the full extent of Arsenal's domination: they had 21 shots with 16 on target.

That's a high ratio on target. A very high ratio. It is 76 % on target. Good shooting, boys!

Middlesbrough had 5 shots, 3 on target.Arsenal had 11 corners, Middlesbrough one. This wasn't a match. It was a massacre.

Tuesday 24th November.






	Middlebrough massacre: a pivotal moment by Myles Palmer				FEATURES FRED STREET PROFILE ARSENAL'S AGM PETIT - ANNUS MIRABILIS KANU - THE ENIGMA NICOLAS ANELKA SPEAKS KABA DIAWARA OVERMARS SLICES THE BLADES THE KIEV ANALYSIS BRIAN GLANVILLE - GOONER THE LETTERS FILE DON HOWE INTERVIEWED BLACKBURN REVIEW SPURS DISSECTED OLEG LUZHYNI WILL SUKER FIT IN? REACTION TO ANELKA MORE THAN A GAME NICOLAS ANALYSIS ST.ETIENNE AND MONACO THE ARSENAL AGM - FULL WRITE UP SUKER - PROF POACHER SOLNA ANALYSIS FIVE REASONS: ARSENAL COULD WIN IN BARCELONA CARLTON AND ITV UPSET US AGAIN JEKYLL AND HYDE PLAY THE NOU CAMP BUBBLE BURSTS - WEST HAM REVIEW BARCELONA REVISTED
	This was the best Dennis Bergkamp has played since the FA Cup semi-finals against Manchester United seven months ago. He was more fiery, focused and pro-active than he has been all season. The key question before the Middlesbrough game was whether the disappointing Dutchmen would raise their game to compensate for the absence of Patrick Vieira. Football is a team game, and the team is eleven from a squad of 20, but this game was a pivotal moment in the season. Whatever the manager says about any absentee being just one man, playing without Patrick could easily develop into a problem, especially if the opposition score first. But not last Saturday. Because Dennis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars came roaring out of the blocks and destroyed Middlesbrough, who were without their left wingback Christian Ziege and stopper Gary Pallister. We saw a Dennis Bergkamp who had re-invented himself as a powerhouse centre forward. He was playing more like a No.9 than a No. 10, almost like Jurgen Klinsmann, ready to sprint clean through the opposition's back line and score punishing goals. Bergkamp made the first goal and scored the next two goals and won the penalty for the fourth goal and had no involvement in the fifth. The action started with a Petit freekick which skimmed the bar. Then Boro centreback Steve Vickers was injured and youngster Robbie Stockdale replaced him after 13 minutes. Overmars scored after 24 minutes, after Bergkamp had slipped a pass behind the defence. He closed in and beat Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer comfortably, as he used to do two seasons ago. Parlour had a cross-shot which hit the post. Then Bergkamp lost the ball to Juninho 25 yards out, won it back by stepping across so that the little Brazilian just bounced off him, then turned and curled a typical shot into the far corner. Kanu made a crafty dribble and laid the ball back to Petit, whose shot came back off the far post. Bergkamp put Ljungberg in but the Swede lifted his shot over the bar. After 47 minutes Ljungberg touched the ball through the defence and right back Curtis Fleming just stood and watched dopily as Bergkamp accelerated into the space, not even attemping to chase him. Bergkamp, now in overdrive, took one touch and sprinted straight at goal.The angle was narrow, the big keeper was close to him, the margin for error was tiny, but he tucked it sweetly past Schwarzer, showing the kind of surgical accuracy he sometimes demonstrates when the adrenalin is flowing. Dave Seaman had little to do but was lucky when his clearance hit Juninho, hurting the little man. Juninho then took a pass from Gascoigne and flicked Colombian powerhouse Hamilton Ricard through, but he was just offside. Overmars replied with a tricky turn and a rocket shot which Schwarzer parried. Then Bergkamp's mid-air backheel hit Festa on the arm and fell to Kanu, who blazed wide after 60 minutes. But referee Neale Barry awarded a penalty. Very harsh! Festa was close to Bergkamp, not expecting a backheel, and had no time to remove his arm. Overmars took the penalty and Schwarzer pushed his shot onto the post. The ball rebounded straight back to Overmars, who netted without celebration for 4-0. Matthew Upson, who had come on for Grimandi after an hour, made the kind of mistake we hope he will never make when the score is 0-0. Upson waited to see where a ball would bounce, rather than going for it, and Ricard went through and thumped home a left foot shot. So it was 4-1 after 66 minutes. Nelson Vivas came on for Dixon (70), and Davor Suker replaced Bergkamp (74), and Schwarzer made a good save on the line from an Overmars snapshot. Suker, wide on the left, then started the move which supplied the coup de grace. His cross to the far post was almost perfect, although it required Vivas to improvise efficiently by jumping at an awkward angle to chest the ball. He did this very well and, although he landed off-balance, he knocked it back instantly to Overmars, who stabbed a left foot shot across Schwarzer and into the far corner. His first hat-trick for Arsenal! Suker then had a shot saved and a shot wide, and Tony Adams picked up Arsenal's only yellow card of the day when he was fractionally late with a sliding tackle on sub Andy Campbell as he broke down the left wing. When the freekick was cleared, Ince shot and Seaman made a good save. Kanu, who had done some wonderful things, shuffled and hit a fierce shot which Schwarzer tipped over. So that was it. A stylish efficient team effort, five goals, two shots against the post, half a dozen good saves by Schwarzer. Freddie Ljungberg, playing in central midfield in the first half and switching with Parlour for the second, had his finest game of the season. Ljungberg is a far better player than he has looked recently. His so-called "violent conduct" at Spurs, for which he has been suspended for three games, was the most tame, feeble "violence' seen since the Premiership started in 1992. Middlesbrough, a team who are among the best of the also-rans, had been annihilated, as they were on April 24th at the Stadium of Light when Arsenal won 6-1. Strangely enough the first goal in that game was scored by Marc Overmars from a penalty. And that was the last time he scored in the Premiership. The stats, handed round by press aide Dan Tolhurst, showed the full extent of Arsenal's domination: they had 21 shots with 16 on target. That's a high ratio on target. A very high ratio. It is 76 % on target. Good shooting, boys! Middlesbrough had 5 shots, 3 on target.Arsenal had 11 corners, Middlesbrough one. This wasn't a match. It was a massacre. Tuesday 24th November.