Arsenal vs. Villareal

Another solid Arsenal display in Europe last night was disappointing only because we did not score more goals. Villareal can complain about a possible penalty, but Thierry Henry's first half strike should not have been flagged off-side. Apart from a couple of long-range free kicks, Villareal did not produce any real chances. Arsenal, on the other hand, had several opportunities to shoot from the edge of the box but never managed to test their 'keeper. Something to work on in training, Mr. Wenger.

I was interested in the press reports from the Villareal camp after the match. They complained about the possible penalty, of course, but mostly about the Austrian referee, Konrad Plautz. I think the referee had a pretty good game. Personally, I would have liked him to book at least two Villareal players for feigning injury. Several of their players were carried off on stretchers, but somehow they all managed to recover as soon as they left the field.

Fernando Roig, the club president of Villareal, was quoted as saying, "Everyone could see that the referee made some bad decisions. Not only did he not award us the penalty when José Mari was fouled, but he never showed them a single yellow card."

What an odd thing to say. Could it have been because none of the Arsenal players did anything to merit a caution? The Villareal players certainly did; the rugby tackle on Thierry Henry was outrageous. Let's hope we don't have a Latin referee in the second leg.