A curse of new stadium??

Derby County, Leicester city, Southampton, Sunderland and Millwal. What is the similarity of those teams? Some people might have noticed from the title. The answer is that those teams are all victims of the so-called curse of new stadium. Above teams used to be regular customers in Premier league. However, after building new stadiums, they have been staying in the Championship, rather than enjoying the benefit of their new stadium.

Arsenal also seems to suffer from a curse. But, it looks like it is a tiny bit different kind of curse with the curse that above teams are having. Arsenal just can not score.

Well, say so is likely to be not convincing because, so far they have two 3 goals scored games against Sheffield United and Watford. However, their several games against Middlesboro, Everton and Lokomotiv Moscow, made me to come up with the new kind of a curse of new stadium.

The reason for that is, in those games, Arsenal missed, unbelievably, so many chances, though, they perfectly control the games. If it had happened only in two games against Everton and Middlesboro, I would think that it is due to beating them up 7:0 in Highbury in two seasons ago and the last season. That poignant memory made them to only defend all the time. But, after watching the game against Lokomotiv Moscow, I felt something weird.

The curse stemmed from their opening game against Aston Villa. That game did seem that it is one-way traffic. Arsenal players were giving Martin O’Neil’s players a soccer clinic. However, Aston Villa scored the first goal with their corner kick among their 3 shoots. After that goal, they did not look like they are into go forward. Whereas, Arsenal hardly could score their equalizer through having 12 times shooting with 10 corner kicks.

Situations were getting worse. In the game, against Middlesboro, Arsenal had 17 shoots and 16 corner kicks but scored 1 penalty. In contrast, Middlesboro had 2 shoots and 0 corner kick but they scored a field goal. Moreover, Arsenal scored 1 free-kick goal through shooting 20 times and taking 13 corner kicks, against Everton in Emirates stadium last Saturday. Whereas, Everton scored the first goal amongst their 2 shoots which are all their shoots during the entire game.

However, the highlight and most unbelievable game was last Thursdays’ Champions league game against Lokomotiv Moscow. Rosicky and Fabregas missed their chances as if they are haunted by ghost. Furthermore, not only Rosicky and Cesc, but also Henry, Gilberto and Van Persie all did seem like they are hoodoos.

“We were looking at each other and wondering how we didn't win,” he said. “We
had enough opportunities. At one point the Moscow centre back looked at me and
said, 'there is only one team on the pitch". Arsenal skipper and captain, Henry, said.