Red Bull Salzberg 1-0 Arsenal

Alright, our first loss of the preseason, but since it's the preseason it doesn't matter much. I didn't get to see the match yesterday, I really need to get Arsenal TV Online, but I'll just give you what I've gathered from highlights and such.

We started off with this lineup: Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Gallas, Traore-Hleb, Diaby, Denilson, Rosicky-Da Silva, Van Persie.

William Gallas was named the bloody captain! Are you effing joking Arsene!? The guy talks bad about his team the whole summer and we name him captain. Am I the only one mad about this!?

Anyways, Eduardo Da Silva had a good full debut, making good runs but his finishing was off.
Salzberg had a good chance right away, but they hit the post. Lehmann was beaten though and it served as an early warning.

Rosicky then sent Da Silva through right away but the keeper saved it. The next time he got it he took a dive in the penalty box, which you wouldn't want to see but there it was.

Diaby made a good run in the 26th minute, going through the entire defense but the finish wasn't there.

Denilson had a few long range attempts, but they were pretty much speculative. But it's nice to see someone shooting outside the box.

Half time came and the score was still 0-0. Not any great chances for either side but we had most of the possesion and Da Silva, Diaby, and Denilson were all looking good.

In the 58th minute came our best chance to score, when Hleb fed Bendtner in the box who squared for Da Silva right in the center of the box and but he sent his shot wide. It really would have been easier to score than to miss, but he did.

Fabianski had come on at the start of the second half and made a crucial error in the 65th minute. He came out to grab a ball in the air but went outside the area and had to drop it, with an opposing player right next to him. A bit of a sketchy moment for him and I think we can count him out as a potential starter this year.

Da Silva had another good run in the 70th minute, beating the defenders but once again failed to score. He held the ball too long and the keeper came out to claim it.

The goal came in the 76th minute. Red Bull had a few good chances but fumbled it around but finally they got in a shot from the edge of the area and Fabianski was out of position and it deflected off a defender and went in the back of the net. 1-0 to Salzberg. Quite shoddy defending and goalkeeping there.

After that not much happened, Da Silva missed another chance wide and Bendtner headed over the bar from a Hleb corner kick.

The match ended 1-0.

Man of the Match: Alexander Hleb - I'm sure a lot of people would say Eduardo Da Silva here, but I wasn't impressed at all with his finishing, which was really disappointing. Hleb was a constant threat, continually beating defenders with his skill and making good passes after.

Needs Work: Fabianski - He's definitely not ready to be the first choice keeper for Arsenal, and probably not even second choice. Almunia and Lehmann are both better options for the team at this point. He had some very nerve-racking moments.

That's about it for the match report.

I'm deeply upset about Gallas being captain of Arsenal. I know it was only a friendly but he has done nothing to deserve that honor. If William Gallas is named the captain of this club, I will never write on this blog again. I will go into hiding and never be heard from again because Arsene Wenger will have surely lost his mind. What do you think?

Also, Happy Birthday Gael Clichy! He's 22 today!

Cheers mates