American international Jozy Altidore has finally opened his account in the English Premier League. The Hull City forward found the back of the net after 31 minutes in his club's shock 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Saturday, breaking an over year-long drought since he last scored a goal (November 2008 with Villarreal).

Football can be a funny ol' game. You can (in your mind) be playing the best football on the planet, and then along comes a team shorn of their best attackers (transfered away) and defenders (ban / injury), a team that everyone has derided as going downhill, and then you're taught a footballing lesson to rival.

I'd love to say that I feel sorry for Emmanuel Adebayor but I just can't.
The man has completely and utterly fucked himself. His career at the moment is right in the balance and it appears that nobody wants him.
It seems Manchester City, his employers, do not want him and even that shlaaaaaag Harry Redknapp, who tries to turn all his clubs into mini-Arsenals, has turned a blind eye.

There is only so much that one can take from another human being before one snaps.

I have immense respect for the man from a footballing perspective; he has put so much into the British game as we know it, reforming the entire drinking and dietary culture around the game and contributing a new attacking flair with a dogged defensive solidity.

Manchester United has gone crashing out of Champions League, having succumb to the left foot of Arjen Robben. On this episode of the EPL Talk podcast, I am joined by Laurence McKenna for our mid-week review show, talking about United's capitulation and Arsenals ouster at the boots of Lionel Messi.

Why have one Spanish giant chasing the Emirates skipper, when you can have two!

Join CaughtOffside's World Cup 2010 Fantasy Football League and win £5k!

Real Madrid are preparing to offer as much as £10 Million more for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas but even that may not be enough to persuade the Arsenal board to allow Fabregas to leave The Emirates.

Ring any bells?

There are several dozen infuriating things about yesterday, all of them still fizzing away in my brain. It might be cathartic for me to list them but it would tip you all so far over the edge that it would be cruel.

But the thing I find most worrying of all, worse than the defeat itself, which had to happen one day, is the continuing seam of mental frailty that runs through this team.

Arsenal really do look like they are getting the gestalt. Last year, the line on them was that they lacked the reinforced steel behind Cesc Fabregas in midfield. Mathieu Flamini shortsighted decision to leave for AC Milan meant that, although a cliche for so long ,when it came to describing them, the phrase 'a soft touch' was condign.

Arsenal really do look like they are getting the gestalt. Last year, the line on them was that they lacked the reinforced steel behind Cesc Fabregas in midfield. Mathieu Flamini shortsighted decision to leave for AC Milan meant that, although a cliche for so long ,when it came to describing them, the phrase 'a soft touch' was condign.

What can only be described as a fantastic week of football took place, with massive matches we have seen the resurgence of some teams, and the downfall of others.
Arsenal - Manchester United


A match which will inspire Manchester United to charge for the title no doubt, a fantastic performance by the red devils buries Arsenal's title hopes.

Arsenals title hopes were once again on a knife edge until Nicklas Bendtner grabbed a 93rd minute winner to secure a 2-1 win against a plucky Hull side, who played the whole of the 2nd half with 10 men.

The victory takes the Gunners joint top, level on points with Chelsea having played a game more.

Never will have an away draw in the Champions League tasted so bitter. The first half of this match was men against boys. Barcelona battered Arsenals goal, and only a mixture of Manuel Almunia, goal line clearances and poor finishing stopped Barca going in at the break 4 or 5 to the good.

Has this season been the worst ever for quality and consistency, I think so. I haven't known a season which has been so unpredictable, there has been more twists and turns in the title race this year than I care to remember. Arsenal looked like strong contenders and this was despite losing to Chelsea and Man Utd home and away.

I have admired Cesc ever since he pulled on the red and white way back in 2003 he has in abundance something Theo seems to struggle with, "Awareness". He either has a third eye or a memory that can judge 20 players positions at the blink of an eyelid and pinpoint the positions where they are going to be before they get there.

Arsenals third easy win of the pre-season last night was marred by the sight of Johan Djourou limping off in the first half. The French centre-back has only just returned to playing after missing the whole of last season through a knee injury. With Gallas, Senderos, Silvestre and Campbell all leaving Arsenal this summer, Djourou was [.

By Ollie Irish

First in the alphabet... first come May?

Goalkeepers Arsenal are a top-four team without a top-four goalkeeper still. A top-four keeper is one who makes very few mistakes, and therefore one who, crucially, inspires confidence in his defenders.

This afternoon the 20 English Premier League clubs across the length and breadth of the country are in the process of making their final preparations for the opening day fixtures of the 2010/2011 English Premier League season. The first round of Premier League fixtures are set to take place this weekend, and it seems that 2 of the newly promoted teams are set for a baptism of fire with tough away games on the cards.

The news that 'keeper Manuel Almunia will have to be removed from betwixt their sticks for tonight's Champions League game with FK Partizan Belgrade due to a niggling elbow injury is reason enough for many-an Arsenal supporter to allow a feeling of womb-like warmth spread through their internal cavities however, when the accompanying caveat of the Spaniard's enforced absence hits home like a Polish atom bomb, all misguided pretences of renewed security are hastily chastened.

Shakhtar vs Arsenal preview by Phil Gregory Off the back of a deserved late winner against West Ham at the weekend, Arsenal are off to Eastern Europe. Not usually the most lucrative of hunting grounds for us, a solid victory in Belgrade earlier in the European campaign hopefully marks a new beginning for Arsenals travails [.

Arsenal surrendered a 2 goal lead in Saturdays lunchtime derby with Totthenham Hotspurs, allowing Spurs to score 3 unanswered goals in the second half. The Emirates Stadium was buzzing at halftime as Arsenal fans celebrated a 2-0 lead. But the second half was a different story and people are now wondering if the Spurs squad has finally surpassed the Arsenal team in quality!