Loan watch: Pedro in focus + Weekend round-up

Seven young Arsenal players are on loan at other clubs in order to gain experience. They are Mark Randall and Kieran Gibbs, who are at Burnley and Norwich respictively, Jay Simpson is with Millwall whilst Fran Merida, Carlos Vela and Pedro Silva are all in Spain with Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Salamanca. Vincent van den Berg is with Go Ahead Eagles. Keep up to date on their progress here…

 

Each week we take a look at one of the loanees’ games in detail. This week: Pedro

                 Hercules                                                     

—————————-Unai Alba———————-

—-Junama—–César———-Diego Jaume———Edu Albacar—

—-Marino——Rodri———-Farinos————–Sendoa—-

————–Tote—————-Navarro—————–

                                   Salamanca                                                       

———————-Pagola———————————–

Ganan——–Pelegrin————-Catala———-Pedro Botelho

Cristian Bustos—–Bruno———-Isaac———-Postigo

—————Quique Martin———David Rodriguez

Pedro began the game at left-back, playing just behind Postigo as Salamanca travelled to face a Hercules side one place above them in the league. Pedro’s time in Spain so far has been hampered by injuries, so it was nice to see the left-back start.

  The game began in a lively manner with both sides creating chances early on. First David Rodriguez came close for Salamanca before Hercules striker Navarro forced a decent save out of Pagola.

  After the early pressure, Salamanca’s big break came. Pedro released Postigo who found Quique Martin and the striker found the back of the net. Salamanca were ahead after just 14 minutes.

   Salamanca doubled their advantage on 32 minutes when defender Catala found the back of the net. It looked to be all over.

  However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Salamanca and Hercules came back into the game. Salamanca commited a foul in the area, referee Perez Riverol pointed to the spot and up stepped Farinos to score.

  The crowd at the Rico Perez sensed an equaliser and Pedro had to be alert on several occasions to prevent Farinos from scoring again.

  Salamanca had some attacking breaks of their own. Pedro was allowed to roam free down the left flank but his cross was cleared, whilst Quique Martin came close.

 With time running out, Hercules piled on the pressure and Pagola had to be alert at his near post to deny Navarro. Times were getting tough for Salamanca and Pedro was caught out of position a couple of times, but thankfully his fellow defenders were on hand to mop up the danger.

      Then, disaster struck. With just two minutes of normal time remaining, winger Sendoa scored to equalise for Hercules. Salamanca had held on for so long, and were good value for their lead, but unfortunately they couldn’t hold on.

     It was a shame for Pedro, who, a couple of defensive errors aside had a pretty decent game.

Then Perez blew his whistle and the match was over. Two dropped points for Salamanca who were so close to a win.

Full time: Hercules 2-2 Salamanca

Here’s  a look at how the other loanees got on this weekend.

Kieran Gibbs- Norwich 1 Blackpool 2

Norwich saw their hopes of gaining a play-off place fade into the distance after a 2-1 home defeat to Blackpool. Kieran played 90 minutes as the Canaries went behind to a Steven McPhee strike after quarter of an hour. McPhee doubled his and Blackpool’s tally six minutes before the break with another goal. Jamie Cureton grabbed a goal for Norwich from the penalty spot in the second half, but Blackpool held on for the win.

Jay Simpson – Millwall 0-1 Bristol Rovers

Jay Simpson played the whole game as Millwall’s dreadful season took yet another turn for the worse. Playing up front, Jay struggled to create mant clear-cut chances and Craig Disley snatched all three points for Bristol Rovers right at the death.

Mark Randall – Burnley 2-2 Watford

Mark Randall was left on the bench as Burnley were held at home by Watford. The visitors took the lead through Darius Henderson, before Robbie Blake equalised for the Clarets. Jordan Stewart looked to have won it right at the death for the Hornets, but Blake struck again late on to salvage a point.

Vincent Van Den Berg – Go Ahead Eagles 1-2 Helmond Sport

Vincent played just under an hour as the Eagles lost 2-1 at home to Helmond Sport.

Fran Merida- Real Sociedad 4 Xerez 2

Two penalties from Prieto looked to have won it for Sociedad, but Xerez pulled level through Yordi and Calvo. Diaz de Cerio sealed the points for Sociedad six minutes from time before Garratano added another five minutes later.

Carlos Vela- Villarreal v Osasuna

Kicks off at 7pm (UK time)

Vela is in the Osasuna squad and could be up against former Arsenal players Robert Pires and Pascal Cygan.

One to watch: Conor Henderson

Midfielder Conor is a product of the Hale End Academy and will be looking to impress in his first season as a full time scholar next campaign. Liam Brady regards Conor very highly and it’s easy to see why. He likes to dominate games in the centre of midfield and can also push forward to score stunning goals, in the style of Frank Lampard. He has skippered the u-16s on many occasions and has earnt the respect of his team mates. He has pushed onto the u-18s this season and made a handful of appearances, playing in his preferred position of central midfield as well as out on the wing. A tough tackling, no-nonsense player, Conor is always up for a challenge and doesn’t let anything get in his way. He has represented both England and Ireland at Youth level but has now reportedly decided to play for England. He has been watched by scouts from several London clubs, including Chelsea and West Ham. However, Arsenal have fended off speculation regarding his future by reportedly slapping a £1 million price tag on him, and tying him down to a scholarship deal.

More on yesterday’s game

 

Man of the match: Rhys Murphy

How it works:

For every match they play in the Reserves and u-18s, the Arsenal players are given a rating out of ten. At the end of the month, the player with the highest average rating for that month is named as the Player of the Month. Players must have featured in at least three games in the specific month to be in contention for the award.

An in-depth look at the player ratings

Wojciech Szczesny- 6- Made some good saves under pressure from the Norwich attack.

Anton Blackwood- 6- His mistake almost led to a Norwich goal, but otherwise a composed performance.

Luke Ayling- 5- Worked hard but was constantly beaten in the air.

Jay Thomas- 7- Filled in at centre-back but still found space for bursting runs from midfield

Cedric Evina- 5- Not his usual self and looked a little nervous

Jonas Rasmussen- 4- Weak in the tackle, poor passing and overall a dissapointing display. I have watched him a few times now and honestly I can’t see what all the hype is about.

Emmanuel Frimpong -5- Employed his usual tactics of attempting to wind up the opposition. He looked calm and composed but was outmuscled by Norwich’s physical team.

Craig Eastmond- 6- Another solid display. He has proved his versatility this season and is very hard working.

Jack Wilshere-6- He seemed isolated on the left of midfield, where he has been playing recently. Had a couple of decent efforts but perhaps should have scored.

Gilles Sunu- 6- Proved that  he is a team player by constantly winning headers in the air to knock down to Murphy. Didn’t get any clear-cut chances.

Rhys Murphy-7- Was the best player on the pitch but was frustrated by refereeing decisions.

Subs:

Conor Henderson- 6- Perhaps should have scored but looks a decent prospect

Luke Freeman -6- Looked lively when he came on, but didn’t have any significant impact.