Free Kicks - 4 December

If Arsenal Stinks, Then What About Tottenham???

It's been no secret that Arsenal has been struggling of late. Regular readers are I'm sure overly aware of Bryce's joy in Arsenal's recent misfortune. On the heels of consecutive losses to Bolton and West Ham to cap off a dreary November, the Gunners welcomed rivals Tottenham to Emirates Stadium on Saturday. After a horrid start to the season, Spurs had rebounded in November and managed to climb away from the likes of Newcastle at the bottom up to mid-table. Without an "injured" Thierry Henry on Saturday (more on that later), certainly this was Spurs time to take points off their bitter rivals, right?

Well, not so fast. I guess you could say that order was restored in the universe at least for one afternoon, as Arsenal put quite a whooping on their North London rivals. Emmanuel Adebayor opened the scoring by beating the Tottenham offside trap, and stand-in captain Gilberto slotted home two penalties in a 3-0 win that saw Arsenal return to 3rd place. While no one knows which Arsenal team will show up in this weeks pivotal games against Porto and Chelsea, at least everything was right again for one day.

Video: Adebayor scores for the Gunners



But Where Was Thierry?

As previously mentioned, Arsenal captain Thierry Henry missed the North London derby. The official explanation given is that Henry is suffering from a neck injury. However, sources report that manager Arsene Wenger is instead benching his off-form superstar for a few weeks, using injury as an excuse to keep the British press from blowing the situation out of proportion. The Sun newspaper (which Bryce refused to read when I bought it in Europe - what a snob!) reported last week that there was a rather nasty "bust up" between the manager and his star forward when Henry learned he would not be playing against Tottenham. Henry certainly looked healthy enough while celebrating Arsenal's goals on the sidelines. So what's going on?

Henry has been terribly off-form all year. Perhaps his body has not recovered from last year's gruelling campaign, which included a run to the Champions League final and World Cup final. Or perhaps he has grown complacent at a club that has coddled and catered to him, and now that he's committed his future to Arsenal he's taken his foot off the gas just a bit. He has scored seven goals this term (two from the penalty spot), but has not been his normal dominant self. He has drifted out of games more than usual, and is not linking up well with his partners up front. With Arsenal's inconsistent form and perceived lack of leadership (Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira, where are you?), one could argue that his value as a captain could be questioned.

Arsene Wenger has given Henry a free pass his entire career. Could he finally be getting tough with his captain? It's been suggested that Henry was benched, not injured, for the games he missed in September at Hamburg and at Manchester United (both Arsenal wins, coincidentally). And evidence - Henry playing 90 minutes at midweek at Fulham - suggests he is well enough to play now. Will he get the message? Or are Arsenal, who looked as good on Saturday than at any other point all season, better off without Henry?

Win or Go Home

Four of Europe's top teams, including both of last year's finalists, a former champion, and the second best team in Italy, all could be out of the Champions League by midweek if results don't go their way. Seldom has the Matchday 6 had such drama. But by day's end, we will know if the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Roma will make it to the knockout stages.

For Barcelona, it's simple: win, or go home. If Barcelona does not take three points from Bremen, the reigning champions will not be defending their title come Matchday 7. Arsenal top their group, likely will need at least a draw at Porto to move on. Man Utd also need a draw at home against Benfica. Roma's qualification for the Round of 16 is in doubt with talismanic captain Francesco Totti missing Tuesday's game at home against Valencia. Roma likely will progress with a draw, but that will be no easy feat against Valencia. Chances are that at least one of the four will not make it past Matchday 6. Who will it be?

The Mighty Gaucho

We rarely talk about college soccer in the United States here at Bookable Offense. But I have a special place in my heart for the UCLA men's soccer team. I got my break as a sports writer covering the team while in college, which also doubled as my first real exposure to soccer. So really, without the exposure and fondness I have for the UCLA men's soccer team, this very website that you know and love might not exist!

This past weekend, the Bruins (that's UCLA's mascot, for our international readers) attempted to win their fifth national title and record 100th athletic championship for the university at the College Cup. With a team of mostly freshman and sophomores, it was a big surprise that UCLA made it to the College Cup this term. But in snowy, frigid St. Louis, the Bruins put a whooping on fourth-seeded Virginia 4-0.

That set up an all-Southern California showdown on Sunday against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. I never knew there were many Argentine cowboys in the Santa Barbara area, but we'll take their word for it. The Gauchos were an even bigger surprise to make the title game than the Bruins. But unseeded UCSB took an agressive approach with the talented Bruins. The Gauchos dictated the tempo, got an early goal, and then stayed agressive. UCLA could barely muster a shot, and their forwards got zero service. The result was a deserved 2-1 victory, the first for the UCSB program. Congrats to the mighty Gauchos!

And that will do it for any mention of collegiate soccer for another year!

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