Arsenal News 24/7Writer: Brice Coffer 
Date:Wednesday July 29 2009
Time: 5:52PM
UK time is: 19:07:43
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Arsenal Team News: Hannover 96
As the news of Kolo Toure signing for Citeh is breaking, Arsenal are playing Hannover 96 in Germany. Cesc Fabregas gets his first start, and Vermaelen and Gallas are paired together once again.
Starting XI: Mannone, Eboue, Vermaelen, Gallas, Traore, Song, Denilson, Fabregas, Arshavin, Bendtner, van Persie
Bench: Szczesny, Sagna, Djourou, Ramsey, Silvestre, Eduardo
The game is being shown live on Arsenal TV Online right now.
Next match is in the Emirates Cup on Saturday against Atletico Madrid.
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Your Comments
Any stream link for me to watch this game?
jess_farenesh
we can't give those out on here jess, sorry
TPowell
Yea there is a link to ATVO in the article. There is probably other free links, but we are not able to post those on here.
gunnerkid107
anyone with ATVO, please let me know how Vermaelen looks out there, now that Toure is gone, he just became that much more important.
TPowell
they're wearing those white kits with stripes
jaelle
that's not what i meant jaelle, haha just kidding
TPowell
Some silky touches by Thomas there. Goal for Fabregas. Brilliant assist by Robin.
gunnerkid107
I just turned it on, and the first thing i see is robin turn to find Cesc to score. Perfect!
ArsenalRob
Bendtner is playing on the right with van Persie alone up top. 3 centre mids once again. I'm not a fan of the 4-5-1, but Arsene seems to like it at the moment. By the way, no Rosicky. Something's wrong there. He hasn't played in two weeks now.
gunnerkid107
LOL, TP! You can always get a fashion comment from me. :-) They just don't look Arsenal out there with those kits. I can handle the blue kits, not these (with grey shorts too). Beautiful goal for Cesc!
jaelle
4-3-3 looks good
ajwb
GK, Rosicky may just be sore from the hard training in Austria, but I agree it's a bit strange. On a brighter note, Song just keeps on impressing me more and more. Whether we sign another DM or not, Denilson has to watch his back.
ArsenalRob
Is Cesc playing the deepest of centre mids?
gunnerkid107
As for the kit, you would've thought we'd at least keep the red-current shorts from last year's 3rd kit. This just doesn't look like an Arsenal kit at all.
ArsenalRob
Maybe so Rob. But arsenal.com puts out new pictures and a news bulletin every day, and I haven't seen him in either of those in over a week.
gunnerkid107
Rosicky's absence is a worry. I'm curious as to why Almunia has played only 1 game in pre-season so far.
jaelle
BTW, TP, so far Vermaelen has had very little to do. Hannover can't get the ball from us.
jaelle
Can't you just imagine this kit on a gray english day... how depressing will that image be? haha
TPowell
Wow, what a great tackle from Traore!
jaelle
yeah jaelle, i figured that's why people haven't had an opinion on him so far this pre-season, our defence just hasn't really been bothered...
TPowell
I really like this 4-4-3. We're less easy to break through down the middle, and we're not loosing much width either, as our forward players are always looking out wide for space and of course our fullbacks go forward. I'd love to see more of it in the PL.
ArsenalRob
AR, was just thinking the same thing. I've had mixed feelings about the 4-3-3 but I've been warming to it, esp. because it's not so easy for opponents to break thru.
jaelle
we are playing a poor side.... we can't base anything on these games - when everton rip us apart first game of the season we'll see how bad we are defensively.
Dan_83
Gallas is showing why we still need him. There was a bit of confusion between him, Vermaelen and Mannone just now, and Gallas quickly reacted and got rid of the ball.
jaelle
Also, the fact that all of our offensive players can play in different attacking positions and able to switch around they'll be very difficult to pick up.
ArsenalRob
Nicky's too enthusiastic, he just got booked for a needlessly bad challenge. What's the matter with Traore? AW's subbing him off with Silvestre.
jaelle
True Dan but our players can still get injured. Song was just the victim of a very bad tackle.
jaelle
Hope Song's OK too. They both look like minor injuries for now though. Btw what are the consequences of getting booked in a friendly? (If there are any)
ArsenalRob
I don't think they mean anything, AR, other than they can get sent off in this particular game.
jaelle
Is it just me or are the 'benches' in this stadium litterally like park benches, or are they something else? Also, doesn't Eboue seem to be enjoying himself at RB...
ArsenalRob
thats because eboue is *****
Dan_83
Is it Dan? Could you explain that please?
ArsenalRob
explain that eboue is *****? think he explains it himself doesnt he?
Dan_83
AR, Eboue seems to be enjoying himself very much. He's very positive, making some great runs and great passes. And no, Dan, Eboue is not s-h-i-t.
jaelle
Dan is *****e
TPowell
no need to get personal is there? Eboue is a diving cheat - cant shoot misplaces too many paces... what is there that is any good about him?
Dan_83
No Dan, I'd like you to explain how Eboue playing well makes him *****, as you previously suggested.
ArsenalRob
haha, Dan I was just playing around, mainly i wanted to join in on having my words censored... of course you're entitled to your opinion
TPowell
he is playing a crap team in a friendly - he does nothing but cheat and give the ball away in the prem - u cant win the title with players like him
Dan_83
I'd have to disagree there. If i wrote my reasons i'd have to write an essay, so I'll just agree to disagree. One thing though, remember him at RB in 2006. Nominated for European defender of the year. Players who just cheat and give the ball away don't get that accolade, even if the nominations are often a bit unusual, that would be pushing it.
ArsenalRob
he was ok in 2006 - but then he didnt have to pass as much or dive to win free kicks - he is never a midfielder and if he isnt going to replace sanga..... he'll moan and be unhappy on the bench so there is no need to keep him.. i hate cheats, and when he dived in the champions league final i've never forgiven him
Dan_83
2nd half: Djourou, Sagna, Ramsey on / Bendtner, Gallas, Cesc off.
jaelle
I wanted him gone at points too Dan, but after the incidents at Tottenham and vs Wigan, he looks a different player, attitude-wise included, and would like him in the squad. I don't think there are many better squad players than him. In fact, I don't think there are many right backs at all in the league who are better than him. If he's unhappy though, I agree - let him go.
ArsenalRob
Oh, and Mannone's off, Scsezny's on. And Sagna's booked.
jaelle
RVP looked like he was in serious pain there. I too wanted Eboue out for a long time, I thought he was useless and didn't like his antics. But he's cut out those antics from his game.
jaelle
We're having to do a lot more defending in this half and the Djourou/Silvestre pairing are not up to it. They've allowed Hannover to get past our defense far too easily.
jaelle
Ridiculous booking for RVP, totally undeserved.
jaelle
This referee is a *****er. That's all I'll say about him.
gunnerkid107
RVP needs to calm down! He's going to get sent off!
jaelle
jaelle, the challenge was poor to be honest. There was nothing too wrong with the reaction (from haggui's reaction), but he did catch him. Yellow is debatable, but not rediculous. Hope he doesn't get this wound up in the prem.
ArsenalRob
Captain Dudu!
ArsenalRob
Eduardo on, RVP off.
jaelle
It doesn't help that the ref's being a *****.
ArsenalFan01
AR, RVP's booking didn't come from that bad challenge against Haggui, it came from a later challenge where RVP barely touched the player. RVP's bad challenge on Haggui was retribution but that's no excuse.
jaelle
Arshavin's been pretty poor so far in pre-season, though I'm guessing he doesn't take pre-season matches too seriously (and there's the added strain of intensive training).
ArsenalFan01
Yeah, the ref's an idiot.
jaelle
oh, must have missed that. I wouldn't have been surprised if he was booked for that one though, a 50-50 decision for me. Interesting to see Forsell. He had some talent.
ArsenalRob
Saying that though, he's still the only player in midfield/the forward line who can take the ball and run at people (apart from Eboue and Vela, but they're not starters and Arshavin's decision making is much better) and cause excitement that other players don't.
ArsenalFan01
2 injuries seriously?!
ajwb
Only Gallas and Senderos have shown any ability in organizing our defense. Have yet to see any of that from Kolo, Silvestre, Djourou, Song, Vermaelen (tho of course we've seen very little of him).
jaelle
I really hope that Kolo leaving will encourage Senderos to stay.
ArsenalRob
Brilliant first half, but this has been a ***** poor second. And that's describing it nicely.
gunnerkid107
I think our players just want to go back to their hotel. They look rather exhausted mentally as well as physically. I mean there aren't exactly many tourist attractions in where they were in Austria. Even as pros, hardcore football for 10 days solid must be draining.
ArsenalRob
2 injuries ajwb? are yu serious who all got injured? and why isn't Rosicky there, i hope we see him in the Emirates Cup..
luckys_10
2 injuries ajwb? are yu serious who all got injured? and why isn't Rosicky there, i hope we see him in the Emirates Cup..
luckys_10
2 shots on target the whole game, both from us. What a thriller...
ArsenalRob
Yeah, very poor 2nd half.
jaelle
Traore and Vermaelen got injured. Second half was crap but Atletico on Saturday should be more entertaining. I hope Senderos stays as well, especially if we don't buy another central defender. I'm still not fully confident in Djourou and Silvestre's played exclusively at left back so far, so maybe Wenger plans to play him less at centre back which could be a possible sign of a new centre back, but in truth it's probably just 'cos Clichy and Gibbs are away.
ArsenalFan01
wtf how serious is the injury to Vermaelen? wt happened?
luckys_10
the 433 works well because it is not a 4231 with Cesc off the front man - the only reason why i disliked it. he needs to have a free role, but understand that he is best running from deep, not standing off van Persie. We were terrible in the second half but Eboue was never going to do what bendtner did, and Ramsey aint no Fabregas. Very impressed by Vermaelen, i would say he does organise the defence well.
Tom14
Verm looked fine, just a knowk that was not worth risking.
Tom14
I'm still undecided on Vermaelen. He didn't do anything particularly wrong, but as a whole our defensive line-up still looks shakey. Of course, no matter how good the player is, it will take time for that defensive balance to settle in. I sometimes worry about Cesc in a 4-4-2. When he plays too far forward, he isn't as effective, and we don't dictate the possesion as well, but when he drops too far deep, we can struggle to hold the ball upfield. in a 4-4-3 with Song and Den, Cesc has more freedom to move as he pleases, and we have the numbers up front to keep posesion in advanced areas.
ArsenalRob
I'm not in favour of the name Verm, Tom. Sounds too much like germ, worm or sperm.
ArsenalRob
Where is Rosicky?
bootoo
I think a 4-4-3 is a very novel formation indeed ArsenalRob.... I'd like to see us try that in the Prem
gaylord
I really think we missed Ade up front tonight.............!!!!
Cockney Rich
i agree with Rob, Tom, thanks for the defender BTW!
and someone get a spellchecker; it's City. You'd think education would be better in such a rich town as London...
severedgein
Yeah I agree CR. There was a noticable gap in our side today. Bendtner tried hard, and did manage to grab one noticable offisde, but lacked the lack of effort.
ArsenalRob
No probs severedgein, thanks for the £15 million. I can't slag you off as much as I could for the Ade transfer, because I really like Kolo, but honestly, he's not the answer you've been looking for. You're going to need at least 1 more CB. We had problems with Toure and Gallas at the back last season. I'd expect you will have more with Toure and Dunne.
ArsenalRob
Arseblog tweeted after the match that Eboue was waving dramatically to the travelling Arsenal fans and he tossed his shirt and boots into the crowd as if he was saying goodbye. Off to Florence I suppose.
gunnerkid107
hink we only 'missed' Ade or 'anyone' when we went 4-4-2 in the 2nd half after Bendtner left... the 4-4-2 was rather flat and didnt leave us with avenues to explore... too many cul-de-sacs..
ENCORE LE 4-3-3 !!!
gaylord
actually GK, it wasn't that dramatic at all.... it was at the end of ATVO's full match highlights, he just gave some kid his boots then tossed the shirt he got from a Hannover player into the crowd, no big deal at all. Of course that's not to say he isn't leaving for Fiorentina ;)
TPowell
The Irishman tricked me with his tweeting! Lol. I turned it off at the final whistle as I couldn't watch it any longer. The last 30mins was so dreadful that I had been wanting to turn it off for a while!
gunnerkid107
Also severedgein, I don't know if you've ever been to Manchester but I have. I could have sworn by the way they were saying 'city' it was spelled 'citeh'. Haha ;)
gunnerkid107
Looked to me like Eboue was definately waving goodbye. He made a point of it
d11gunner
I think there could be something in that theory Gk and TP. He was the only player noticably giving such appreciation to the crowd. I really hope he stays, though. I enjoy having him at Arsenal, and he's a very good RB. Our players also tend to refer to him as a good guy to have around, and we seem to be selling a lot of those recently. Hleb, Flamini, Gilberto and Toure all had good characters and it would be a shame to see another one leave.
ArsenalRob
i was at the game and it did look like a farewell to the fans. he seemed very down and was the only one (apart from Sczeczny) to come and share a few moments with the fans. Everyone on the team was gloomy from the off, even when they left the hotel. I don't know if that's standard stuff, but i didn't like it a tiny bit. Clichy, Rosicky and Diaby were running laps prior to the game and none of them were supposed to play. Robin got in trouble by having an argument with a **** from Hannover who kept kicking him so our Dutchman retaliated in his typical style. that's why eddy came on. Vermaelen suffered a knock and we played the last 10mins a man down. An unexciting event overall, but good work out for the players. Finally, Eboue played very very well, so did Traore. Where's Fabianski?
G4L
I don't know, I didn't think there was anything to it at all, but what do I know? haha. I too would really like him to stay, a very high quality backup RB and an average RM. And like you say AR, he is ALWAYS referenced by others as a good teammate, certainly someone who should be kept around...
TPowell
G4L, how did Rosicky look running? Weird question I know, but did it look like he was harbouring an injury?
gunnerkid107
I have had alot of ups and downs with Eboue, and I am still annoyed with him for his 'stupid' sending off at Spuds. As a right back, I have no problem with him. He is quick and competitive, and communicates well with the other boys at the back. However, he is NOT a right midfielder, and lacks the quality that we need in there. In a weird way, I have always thought that he would make a half-decent CB. I would like to see him stay, but will not lose any sleep if he goes.
Cockney Rich
Tomas looked fine, just like Diaby and Clichy.They did some sprints too, nothing seemed to be bothering him.
G4L
Lovely worked Goal for The Arsenal, nice to see Cesc on the scoresheet. But imo we should have scored more in the 1st half, as the 2nd half was fairly average.
Roll The Grove Cup!
hackneyval
What do people make of Vieria coming back? On one hand he is a legend and will add some experience to the team. Song & Denilson could learn of him. On the other hand, he left on a high and i wouldnt want him to come back and ruin those memories like a kevin kegan etc.
paul_ownz
I'd rather that than have those memories permanently tarnished by seeing him in a tott..... a totten....... no I can't say it.
GunnerBlood
By the looks of it you can't spell it either. Im sure its spelt W A N....
paul_ownz
Rosicky injury setback apparently. Look at my big surprised face.
Little Dutch
Think the injury LD is a 'minor' one. He reported a slight groin strain after the Barnet game, and although he has trained 'lightly', it needs to be fully rested before it will go away. Should be another 2 weeks and he will be in 'full' training. Here's hoping.....
CockneyRich1
Yesterday I saw with my own eyes Tomas Rosicky run at least 3 laps at the AWD Arena in Hamburg prior to the game, than some sprints and stretches with Neil Banfield. He looked quite fine to me.
G4L
I seen that to G4L,he did look ok. My post was based on an article I had just read in the German newspaper, Das Bilde. He had given them an interview as there were a few Borussia Dortmund fans travelling to see him play.
CockneyRich1
So Rosicky's minor injury must have happened after he did all this running in Hamburg?! Maybe our medical team just won't take any chances with him, so if he said that after his run he felt not 100% they have then pull him out of the Hanover96 game.
hackneyval
it happened during the Barnet match, but his quotes suggest it is nothing, we are just being extra careful.
Tom14
He will play in the Emirates cup.
paul_ownz
still unconvinced with Vermaelen,and am still hoping and praying we bring in some new faces. 2nd half was totally unwatchable. Rosicky will be fine and he will have a great season.
D'arsassin
I don't think Rosicky was "injured" ...from what him and AW said in the interview just sounded like muscle soarness and they both seemed very confident that he'd be playing once the season starts. I hope Clichy gets a run in Emirates cup because it's been a good while since he's played with the boys. Also i'd like AW to decide his defensive partnership! If it's Verm (and yeh that's a horrible nickname) and Gallas then i think they should get as much pre-season time in together as possible. They need to know how each other play in the real thing.
FuiKaka
Is Vermin a good suggestion for a better nickname?
ArsenalFan01
no
ArsenalRob
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