Bolton and Arsenal Draw

Well, well, well…a quick trawl through the internet would think that Arsenal fans had been to a different game than the rest of us. So much whinging, so many tears, so many excuses.

Let’s look at the facts. For the first 35 minutes, Bolton were by far the dominant force, creating chances and nullifying anything that Arsenal could throw at them. True, at the end of the half, Henry was gifted a chance that Meite managed to clear and Adebayor should have been booked for a blatant dive.

That was it…that was all Arsenal could muster in 45 minutes of football. Kev Davies was winning everything in the air and also managed to do it with, seemingly, his foot half hanging off. He had a great opportunity in the first few minutes. Campo had a great chance as well.

Arsenal were rattled.

On 50 minutes,a flowing Bolton attack resulted in Nolan stopping the ball and blasting it into the net.

Oh…now the Gunners woke up.

OK. On 78 minutes, Toure’s mis-headed attempt bounced over Jussi and into the net but that was about the only clear cut chance. Jussi made a few regulation saves but that was all. Meite and Faye dealt with everything that Arsenal could throw at them.

A lot of the Arsenal fans forums could only satisfy themseleves with saying how much more quality their side has over Bolton’s. They have a point.

But if you were to combine both sides on display last night, you’d see a fairly even spread between the two teams.

In goal? Jussi, everytime.

Centre backs? Faye and Meite. (Toure needs a decent partner and Senderos is pants).

I’d give Arsenal the two full back positions but only because Gardner is coming back from injury. He was one of the top 3 left backs last season.

In midfield, you’d have to pick Campo, Fabregas and Nolan. Rosicky plays well in patches but isn’t consistent and Flamini is a makeweight.

Up front, you’d have to have Henry, Davies and Anelka. Adebayor didn’t do too much and Walcott has got to turn promise into ability.

So that’s seven Bolton players and four Arsenal players.

Oh, of course, Arsenal fans would claim that their long list of injuries has affected them. So what? With the momney that Arsenal have, they should be able to cover. But even with the injuries coming back, you’d only replace Anelka with Van Persie and only then with an Arsenal fan twisting you arm up your back.

Bolton to win at the Reebok.