Know Your Football New Haven

Arsenal vs Argentina’s Boca Juniors in the Emirates Cup ended in a 2-2 draw. Arsenal took an early 2-0 lead through Robin Van Persie & Aaron Ramsey. But it has to be said that they conceded two very soft goals to let Boca back in the game. With Cesc Fabregas watching from the stands, that can’t have been impressive from his perspective, especially with his transfer from Barcelona still looming. Arsenal have no problem scoring goals, it’s conceding them that seems to be the problem. Gervinho looked lively during the match, playing in Van Persie for Arsenal’s first goal and giving the Boca defenders a fine test. But it’s unknown how he will fair against tougher Premire League defenders who are faster & aren’t afraid to jostle him for the ball. This draw at home will feel like a loss to Arsenal fans, who have to ask some serious questions about their defense this close to the Premier League season.

In the Barclays Premier League Tour of Asia Final Aston Villa play Chelsea in a contest that was lately dominated by the Blues. Josh McEachran scored his first Senior goal for the Blues just 39 seconds into the match after a scramble in front of goal that left Shay Given defenseless against the rebound after pulling off a wonderful initial save. Fernando Torres scored a fine redirected goal with his first touch after coming on barely a minute before. Drogba & Torres were paired up front for the second half, with Torres looking more like his old self while Drogba seemed a bit sluggish in pre season. The usual suspects: Lampard, Terry, Ivanovic, Malouda, Kalou all looked impressive as Chelsea lifted their first trophy of the season on the asian tour.

Real Madrid vs English Championship (second division) side Leicaster City was always going to be one way traffic. Real took the lead with an early goal, and Karim Benzema knocked in a second after a calamitous bit of defending by Leicaster which left Peter Schmeicel fuming for the second time that day. The gap in class was evident in this one.

In the marquee match up of preseaon Manchester United took on FC Barcelona in a rematch of the Champions League Final. It was an exciting match between the two clubs, with United scoring first when Danny Welbeck sent a perfectly timed ball through to Nani whom slotted home cooly under Victor Valdes. Thiago would equalize for Barca with a brilliant goal, the 23 year old is one of Barcelona’s most exciting prospects for the season after coming off an Under 21 European Championship win with Spain along with United goalkeeper David de Gea. A vintage Michael Owen goal would seal United's victory. It must be said that Barcelona fielded a weakened side without the likes of Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, or Lionel Messi, but nothing can be taken from United’s redeption of their Champions League Final loss even if it is only preseason. The day was full of festivities at RFK Stadium in Washington DC, including Kobe Bryant & US WNT's Alex Morgan sporting Barcelona colours in a charity match.

Aguero-less Manchester City dominated in their second match of the Dublin Cup against Italian side Inter Milan. Mario Balotelli redeemed himself from last week’s inexcusable gaff on their U.S. tour to put City up 1 - 0, the wayward Italian showing quality & form when focused, tour apart the Inter defense. Edin Dzeko added a another after a brilliant piece of passing play from David Silva who is looking to have a big season for City with Champions League football on the horizon. Silva is looking to make his mark at City and distinguish himself from other players vying for places in La Seleccion. Balotelli added another header to complete the embarrassing rout of Internaziole, fueling even more speculation of Wesley Sneijder’s unrest.

Arsenal hosted MLS side New York Red Bulls in the Emirates Cup on Sunday, looking to lift the trophy for the 4th time with a win after Saturday’s disappointing draw. Things looked to be going the Gunners way with a goal from Aaron Ramsey. The match marked the return of Theirry Henry to the Emirates who came came close to scoring against his former club with afree kick which buzzed over the bar. Arsenal were guilty of squandering some glorious chances to put the game away and were made to pay for it by a New York equalizer in the 89th minute. The result gave New York Red Bulls the Emirates Cup, becoming the first club club outside of Europe to lift the trophy. Sunday’s match also compounded Arsenal’s embarrassment of failing to win on their home ground against non European opposition, as they were booed off the pitch by their home crowd. Even worse for the Gunners, Jack Wilshere picked up an ankle knock that should keep him out for at least a week. He has been by far Arsenal’s brightest player.

Out of all Premier League contenders going into the 2011-2012 season, Liverpool have been the most disappointing with their preseason form. After making some big money signing early on in the window, LFC fielded a line up including the likes of Henderson, Downing, Adam & January signing Andy Carroll looking to provide the goals against Norweigan side Valarenga. Things did not go according to plan, to put it lightly, with Liverpool falling behind 2-0 inside 25 minutes. In fact, Valarenga dominated the first half and had most of the meaningful possession. Liverpool looked to be going forward with no real purpose & their sloppy passing and positioning yielded no goals until Andy Carroll managed to pull one back with a headed effort that might have been called for hand ball.

It wasn’t until the second half introduction of Alberto Aquilani that Liverpool ever looked like scoring. The Italian swung in two corner kicks that resulted in Daniel Agger headers to put the Reds up 3-2 in 88th minute. But like Arsenal, Liverpool have been conceding goal after goal in preseason, and Valarenga equalized with a fine strike to earn themselves a draw. Liverpool must be disappointed with the performances of their new signings, who appear to have no defensive prowess whatsoever in midfield, resulting the backline being criminally unprotected which lead to Liverpool conceding 3 goals in each one of their 5 preseason games to Guandoung, Malaysia XI, Hull City, Galatasaary, & Valarenga. Makes you wonder how they plan on stopping the likes of City, Chelsea & Man Utd. Time will tell what the impact of Liverpool’s new signings will be, but there’s no guarantee that they will ever get that time in a Premier League season that is shaping up to be the hardest yet for the 6 sides with a chance at winning the title and qualifying for the Champions League