By Myles Palmer

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LAST NIGHT Arsenal lost 1-0 at Liverpool.

Jens Lehmann saved a penalty and almost earned a draw but sub Luis Garcia scored the winner in 87.

Arsenal's next game is Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

Real played a King's Cup semi-final second leg at home last night.

They were 6-1 down from the first leg, where Helguera had a nightmare and Diego Milito scored four goals.

But in the second leg they started like a whirlwind.

Cicinho scored with a rocket shot in the first minute, Robinho made it 2-0 in 4 minutes and then Beckham whipped a phenomenal bending ball round the last defender and Ronaldo threw himself forward to stab home from near the penalty spot.

A 4th goal by Roberto Carlos near the end, a thunderous shot after a short free-kick and a dribble, was not enough.

Real Madrid won 4-0.

Real Madrid failed by losing 4-0.

Because they lost 6-5 on aggregate.

ARSENAL'S ATTACK kept another clean sheet.

Why?

Because the "midfield" was Pires Gilberto Fabregas Ljungberg.

THAT IS NOT A MIDFIELD !

A midfield is Kanchelskis Ince Keane Giggs.

A midfield is Parlour Vieira Petit Overmars.

A midfield is Beckham Keane Scholes Giggs

A midfield is Camoranesi Emerson Vieira Nedved.

Against Bolton, Gilberto and Ljungberg were shocking. They were appalling. They were a disgrace.And after scoring that late equaliser, Gilberto said, "We can do a Liverpool !"

That is, have a bad season in the league and win the European Cup.

Last night Pires was invisible. Henry was putting the ball seven yards from himself and losing it.

Ljungberg grafted and was, on effort alone, Arsenal's third best player after Lehmann and Toure.

But his attempts to beat Riise were laughable.Once in the first half he tried to take on Gerrard, who took the ball off him so easily, as if he was a schoolboy.

As you know, Freddie has not scored a league goal this season.

That is partly because there is no midfield and no Bergkamp to play him in. But it's mostly because he's lost his pace. He is finished.And Gilberto is finished.

You can make a case for Freddie if he is playing with Dennis.

And I made a case for Gilberto when he was playing with Patrick Vieira.

But without Dennis, Freddie is redundant.

He is not a viable player without Dennis.

And without Patrick, Gilberto is redundant.He is not a viable player either.

FABREGAS was poor last night in a poor side.

He is a very good kid who might become a great player.

But here he was struggling against powerful adults who were over six feet and far more experienced.

What serious team in the world has a 21-year old and an 18 year old in key positions?

ABOUT 4 MONTHS ago we were watching an Arsenal away game on the box and it was an abysmal performance and I said, almost to myself," I never thought Arsene would lose the plot to this extent."

"He'll get it back, love," said Jan, reassuringly.

AFTER LAST NIGHT, I'm beginning to wonder.

After Bolton, Arsene said : We could have been two or three goals up.

A ridiculous comment which annoys fans.

After being pulverised at Anfield for 80 minutes, he brings on an attacking midfield player !!!!!

He should close the game out and snatch a point and be grateful for a point but he brings on an attacking midfield player.

He brings on like for like.

He brings on Hleb for Pires.

49 out of 50 managers would bring on Djourou - but he brings on Hleb.

And Hleb goes to sleep on the goal.

Or, rather, he looks the wrong way.

His instinct, his mindset, is to attack.

At the crucial moment, Hleb looks the other way to see what counter-attack opportunities are available.

He leaves Luis Garcia unmarked.

He turns his back on Luis Garcia, the jack-in-the-box poacher who has been brought on to score the goal that wins the game.

And when the German saves from the German, Lehmann stopping a rocket shot by sub Didi Hamann, the ball goes loose to Garcia with Hleb looking the other way and Flamini yards away and Senderos unable to make the block.

The pointblank shot by Luis Garcia hits Lehmann in the ribs and goes into the net for 1-0 and three points to Liverpool.

Feb 15, 2006

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