Monday, April 30, 2012

Stoke City 1 Arsenal 1

Asked if the draw against Chelsea was a point gained or two points dropped after the London derby last weekend, Arsene Wenger answered that it could only be found out at the end of the season. Is the draw against Stoke a point earned or two points dropped? Thanks to Newcastle's heavy defeat at Wigan, the point kept us in control of our fate. If we win the remaining two games, we can still secure third place regardless of other results.

We needed all three points to consolidate our place for a top-three finish, which has more significance after Chelsea had sealed their place in this season's Champions League final. However, games at the Britannia Stadium have always been tough, as the stats (P4, W1, L3) showed, while other big clubs also dropped here this season. Although the run of three games without win hurts, a point from the Britannia Stadium may not be too bad. Certainly it could have been worse, especially considering the fact that we were 1-0 down just in 9 minutes.

There are positives to take from this game. Firstly, RVP scored his 28th goal of the season to extend the gap to Wayne Rooney on the top scorers table. More importantly for the team, it was his first goal from open play in seven games.

Secondly, our performance in the first half was quite encouraging after the lacklustre display in the last two games. We saw Arsenal's trademark one-touch passing and the game was entertaining with high tempo, intensity and commitment. When Vermaelen said prior to the match that the team's focus would be on playing their own game with quick passing, we doubted if Stoke would allow it. It was a pleasant surprise that Stoke was more open than expected, certainly a lot more open than Wigan and Chelsea were in our last two games. During our attacking spells in the first half, we created a lot of chances with a number of good inventive ideas and link-up play. This was refreshing after the last two matches, in which Arsenal's attack appeared to have lacked cohesion.

Thirdly, we showed our resilience again. Stoke's early goal didn't damp our spirits. Within just 6 minutes of conceding the goal, we got a deserved equaliser, ending the first half in ascendancy.

Also, our defence didn't look intimidated by a physical Stoke side, looking solid in set-pieces.

However, despite all the encouraging signs in the first half, our second-half performance was rather disappointing. We couldn't maintain the tempo and intensity we demonstrated in the first half. Also, our players made things too complicated unnecessarily both offensively and defensively. They passed around or tried little one-twos, when they should have simply taken a shot. On the defensive side, they tried to do too much with the ball in the dangerous area, when they needed a straightforward clearance.

An interesting fact is our passing success rate was a mere 79.8%, well below our average of around 84%, despite their flowing football in the first half. Is this the result of the contrastingly sluggish second half performance? Incidentally, our overall possession was 62.9%.

We felt Stoke fans' jeers at Aaron Ramsey unacceptable. He was the victim of a horrendous tackle, which could have ended his professional career and certainly put his career back by two years. Any football fan should only be pleased to see a player, who has overcome such a horrific injury, back on the pitch, playing as if nothing had happened on the very same ground. We are glad that Alan Hansen condemned Stoke fans' behaviour on the Match of the Day. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Talking about Aaron Ramsey, how wrong we were about team selections. After Arsene Wenger had ruled out Abou Diaby from the starting line-up due to his illness during the week, Ramsey's inclusion in the starting XI was widely expected. Actually, this turned out to be one of Ramsey's better games. He upped the tempo of his passing in line with the rest of the team and showed his commitment in tackles, which was brave of him, considering what happened here two years ago. As Rosicky emphasised the importance of the balance in midfield before the match, he and Ramsey shared attacking and defensive responsibilities very well. Upon the introduction of Diaby in Ramsey's place, which was probably written in the script before the kick-off, the tempo of the game seemed to have dropped. At this moment in time, improved Ramsey appears to be a better option as Arteta's replacement than rusty Diaby.

We were not happy with Wenger's decision not to bring on Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Frenchman might have relied on the experience of older players in such a tight game, but we want to see more of the promising 18 year-old.

The next two fixtures will be absolutely must-win games for us to secure third place. With the trickiest game of our run-in now out of the way, let's hope that our players will get the job done. It would be nice if RVP can add more goals to his tally and maintain his position at the top of the Prem top scorers table in that process.

Player ratings

Szczezny: 7
He looked solid after conceding the early goal. Made a good reflex save of Jerome's powerful shot.

Sagna: 7
Although he was guilty for Stoke's goal by allowing Etherington a space to put in a cross, his performance was solid otherwise. Made a crucial clearance just a couple of yards off the line. He also put in an excellent cross, which Gervinho's famous forehead failed to make a contact with.

Koscielny: 7
Solid.

Vermaelen: 7
Solid.

Gibbs: 7
Often involved in attacking, going forward. We were worried that he might be caught out, but he was quick enough to get back.

Rosicky: 8
Our Man of the Match. Delivered a few brilliant crosses, one of which set up RVP's goal.

Ramsey: 6
His decisions to have a shot were good, but his finishes left much to be desired.

Song: 7
Covered the back-four very well, while dominating in midfield.

Gervinho: 6
Missed a couple of glorious chances. His adaptation progress is agonisingly slow. He was a regular starter and looked to be becoming an integral part of the team before the African Cup of Nations, which hampered his progress largely.

Benayoun: 7
Had some chances and made good runs to get in dangerous positions. His link-up play with Rosicky was a part of the build-up to RVP's goal.

van Persie: 7
Back in some form. Scored a winner. Unlucky not to score a goal, when his header was denied by Begovic's fine save.

Subs

Diaby: 5
73rd-minute substitute for Ramsey. He still looked rusty.

Chamakh: 5
Came on the pitch in the 78th minute to replace Gervinho. He did a good job of holding the ball against physical Stoke defenders, but unfortunately that was all he did.

Santos: 5
83rd-minute substitute for Benayoun.

Referee

Chris Foy: 4
He was poor on the following three key moments: (1) Benayoun should have had a penalty, (2) a free-kick should have been given just outside of the box, when a Stoke player forming the wall handballed Vermaelen's free-kick, and (3) Whitehead should have been given a yellow card, which would have seen him sent off, after Christ Foy had played advantage.






Monday, April 23, 2012

Arsenal 0 Chelsea 0

Under the normal circumstances, a draw against Chelsea wouldn't have been too bad, but Saturday's result was disappointing for a couple of reasons: (1) we should have been able to beat a weakened Chelsea side and (2) all three points would have cemented our position for a top-three finish.

Not just the result, but our performance was frustrating as well. Again, too many players were not at their best. Arsenal started the game in a cagey way. Passing was negative, going either backwards or sideways, and the pace was slow. After the defeat by Wigan, their aim seemed to have been not to concede an early goal rather than to score one. Apart from the last five minutes of the first half, we never found our rhythm. However, overall, we had better chances, hitting the woodwork twice and dominated the game with 56.7% possession. Unfortunately, both sides lacked quality in the final third on Saturday (I cannot believe I said this with RVP playing upfront) and it wasn't an exciting game.

We are surprised to hear that Wenger had expected an open game, based on his assumption that Chelsea wanted to win as much as Arsenal did. It was widely known that Roberto Di Matteo would be resting a few key players with the priority given to the Champions League and Drogba was reportedly injured (Surprise, surprise. He is now fit for Tuesday night's clash with Barcelona). It was obvious that Chelsea would park the bus in front of goal and look to attack on the break, just like they did and will do against Barcelona.

We were not happy with Wenger's decision to replace Rosicky at the time as he looked the only person that could offer a creative spark. However, after the match Wenger revealed that the Czech Republic national team captain woke up sick that morning and played through illness. Wenger had no choice but take him off as the midfielder conceded at one stage that he could not run any more.

Another talking point among the fans is once again the inclusion of Ramsey in the starting line-up. He was often caught in possession as he tended to dwell on the ball too long. Obviously he wasn't comfortable playing in Arteta's place.  However, we have to admit that he worked hard to track back and win the ball back. He played better later when he moved to a more advanced position after Diaby's introduction. Ramsey is so out of form. To keep playing him out of position does not seem to do him and his confidence any good at the moment. As soon as Diaby or Coquelin has regained their full fitness, they should take Arteta's place, with Ramsey used as a sub for Rosicky.

On the more positive note, our defenders, particularly Koscielny, played well. He is easily our Man of the Match. Keeping a clean sheet was one of few positive results coming out of this game.

The gap to the fourth-placed Newcastle has now diminished to only three points and we have played a game more, which means we have to keep an eye on other results, as well as winning all the remaining three games (Wenger reckons we need to win at least two). However, with Newcastle still to play against Manchester City, depending how the title race pans out after next week's Manchester derby, there is a strong chance of Newcastle dropping points. Also, Newcastle and Chelsea will have to play each other. Great news over the weekend was Tottenham's loss to QPR, which meant the gap to the north London rivals slightly extended to six points. In this context, a point taken from Saturday's Chelsea clash may look more like a point gained rather than two points dropped.

Our next game is against evil Stoke, whose sole mission is to stop their opposition playing football (What's the point of having Stoke in football?). We have failed to break down the stubborn opposition defence in three games (against QPR, Wigan and Chelsea) recently and haven't been at our best for the last two games, which is a worry. Wenger told his team to relax and play their football, but Stoke will do everything to stop us playing our football without doubt. Although the next game is unlikely to be an exciting one, we just have to get the result we want this time.

Player ratings

Szczezny: 7
With Chelsea registering only two shots on target and their finishes not clinical enough to threaten our goal, he had little to do, but he was pretty solid.

Sagna: 7
Solid.

Koscielny: 8
Impressive performance. His tackle to deny Sturridge's shot was well timed and proved to be crucial.

Vermaelen: 7
Solid.

Gibbs: 7
Worked hard, going forward and as well as coping with Chelsea's counter attacks.

Rosicky: 7
He was the only player that could offer some creativity. Replaced by Diaby due to illness in the 65th minute. Hope he can recover by the next game.

Ramsey: 5
This was his 100th game for Arsenal. Considering the fact that he spent 10 months on the sidelines and he is only 21 years old, it is impressive, indicating Arsene Wenger's faith in him. He scored 9 goals in 100 games (to put it another way, during the course of his 100 appearances for Arsenal, nine unfortunate celebs have died).

Song: 6
He battled hard and won the ball only to give it away. His defensive display was impressive, but his passing let him down.

Walcott: 5
Replaced in the 60th minute. Apparently, it was him who insisted to stay on after he sustained a hamstring injury. His season for Arsenal is almost certainly over. Losing a player at this stage of the season is always a blow without doubt, but not as big a blow as the loss of Arteta. He has been very inconsistent of late and we have the Ox, Gervinho and Benayoun (and Santos as seen in this game) as wingers.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 5
Made occasional runs, one of which led to a free-kick, but other than them, he was almost anonymous.

van Persie: 5
Hasn't scored from open play for 7 games. After scoring against Wolves for the first time in four games, he stated that the goal "drought" hadn't bothered him at all because he believed that goals would eventually come as he had had chances to score during those four games. Now it is a worry that he cannot score when he has chances. In this game, he had a few chances to score, which he would have buried a few weeks ago. With his chief assist provider, Walcott, now sidelined, RVP's goal scoring form is in serious doubt. Wayne Rooney has closed the gap on the top scorer table to just a goal after his double strikes this weekend. Hopefully, RVP will add more to his goal tally and end the season as the Premier League's top scorer.

Subs

Gervinho: 6
60th-minute substitute for Walcott. Made an impact when he came on. Some good link-up play with RVP.

Diaby: 5
Came on in the 67th minute for Rosicky. His display appeared to be somewhat rusty. He was booked and some of his passes were poor. Hopefully, he will step up his game over the next three games and fill the void Arteta left. 

Santos: 6
Made an impact, by making runs on the flank.

Referee

Mike Dean: 4
He brandished too many yellow cards. We should have been given a penalty for Cahill's push on RVP in the box.


Thursday, April 19, 2012

2012 End-of-the Season Beach Party

We have made the front page of the Post newspaper.

Please click on the photo below to enlarge the image


Alternatively, you can read the article on the Post website.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Arsenal 1 Wigan Athletic 2

With the defeat at Loftus Road still fresh in our memory, it is easy to compare this game with it. Both opponents are fighting for survival. The scoreline was the same. They took a lead as a result of our defensive errors. However, we think Arsenal actually played better this night than in the QPR game, but Wigan played better than QPR and us.

Obviously, the most damaging factor behind the loss was the two early goals conceded within a minute of each other. They were the result of a series of mistakes. The build-up to the first goal started with RVP's poor corner. Wigan's clearance was then met by Sagna's loose header, on which Wigan did not fail to take advantage. Arsenal defenders, who were high on the pitch, ready to receive the corner, were totally caught out of position. Arteta may have been the deepest player on the pitch, but he could not even walk, signalling for a substitution. Szczesny made a right decision to come forward to the edge of the box, but he was beaten to the ball.

Sagna was unable to stop Moses from crossing for the second goal. Djourou did nothing to prevent McCarthy stubbing a shot, which Szczesny failed to gather and allowed Gomez to tuck the ball into the net.

These mistakes were "horrendous" according to Arsene Wenger, but we were also unlucky because during these minutes we suddenly found ourselves playing with 10 men after Arteta had succumbed to injury. We didn't see the incident in which Arteta sustained an ankle injury, but the subsequent events, including two goals, happened so quickly that we didn't even realise Arsenal were one-man down until the camera showed Arteta having a treatment off the pitch.

The early two goals had a detrimental effect on the deat without doubt, but we should still have been able to outscore Wigan. We think the real decisive factor lied in our attack.

We started the game very well, but Arteta's injury changed everything. In the post-match interview, Wenger explained that Ramsey wasn't ready when Arteta took himself off the pitch and as a result, the team had to play with 10 men much longer than they had liked. Ultimately, it cost us dearly.

Being a natural central midfielder, Ramsey was an obvious choice for Arteta's replacement, especially with the urgent nature of the substitution, but he is an attack-minded central midfielder and often plays in a more advanced position. He was hardly an ideal replacement for Arteta. In fact, he didn't seem to understand his role. The Welshman didn't possess Arteta's fluency and accuracy in distribution. Perhaps he played his usual role, but that upset the balance of the team set-up.

If you remember how well Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain played in midfield against AC Milan alongside Rosicky and Song when we had mini midfielder crisis, he could have been an interesting option instead of Ramsey, but we would never know.

We still looked to be able to win the game or at least take a point at the end of the first half, especially just after Vermaelen scored a goal. We created enough chances to score another goal and had momentum to do so. The team's desire to win the game was embodied by Vermaelen. At the same time, Wigan's defence showed a gaping gap we could have capitalised on. After the break, we had very bright moments and could have scored an equaliser, but it was jut not our night. How Satos' deflected shot missed RVP and then went through between Walcott's legs is beyond our belief. Wigan had tightened up their defence afterwards.

It's always disappointing and disheartening to see our team outplayed by the opponents. We don't think we lacked urgency. Wigan just defended so well that we could not get through their defensive wall. Too many Arsenal players were below-par to beat a good Wigan side as well.

We would like to mention the referee's appalling decisions. They were inconsistent and even one-sided. He blew the whistle so often he interrupted the flow of the game, especially when Wigan players went down. On the other hand, he didn't even give us a free kick against Figueroa's challenge on Walcott, even though it was clear that the Wigan defender made no attempt for the ball. Also, Andre Marriner took too long to penalise Al Habsi and Wigan for time-wasting. Such behaviours should have been stopped much earlier as they had started it in the first half.

Arsene Wenger called the defeat by QPR "an accident" and we have seen how Arsenal responded to it in the Manchester City game. Hopefully, we will see a similar kind of reaction this time around in the Chelsea clash on Saturday. We have Koscielny back from suspension, which is a massive plus. Although Arteta's injury seems to be serious and he could be sidelined for quite some time, fortunately, Diaby and Coquelin started full training this week. They should present more suitable options as Arteta's cover than Ramsey. Although it sounds a little feeble just after the home defeat, we are still on a decent home form. We always play better against top teams than lower-table clubs.

Obviously the loss to Wigan is a big blow for our bid for third place as we were looking to cement our position by extending the gap to Tottenham and Newcastle to eight points. We are still five points ahead of them, having played a game more. Yet, a top-three finish is still in our hands.

We have to see how Chelsea's Champions League game against Barcelona on Wednesday turns out and how it affects Saturday's league game physically and mentally. Let's hope the mid-week game will take some energy and sharpness out of the Blues for Saturday, but the result will be just good enough to keep their hopes alive for the second leg so that they may be tempted to rest some key players against us ahead of next Tuesday's clash with Barcelona.

Player ratings

Szczezny: 5
He could have done more to stop Wigan's second goal. Made a good save to stop the game going beyond our reach.

Sagna: 5
He had trouble coping with Moses all night.

Djourou: 4
Unconvincing defensive performance. Nearly scored, though.

Vermaelen: 7
He showed his determination to win. Scored his sixth goal of the season. Not a bad record for a defender who missed two months of the season.

Santos: 5
Typical Brazilian defender's performance. Good going forward, not reliable defensively.

Rosicky: 7
He was all over the pitch in the first half. Set up Vermaelen's goal via a brilliant cross. Faded in the latter stages of the second half.

Arteta: N/A
Suffered an ankle injury early and was replaced in the 8th minute by Ramsey. If he was rated by the impact he could have made had he stayed on the pitch, it could be 8. His impact on the team was obvious by his absense. He could have kept the whole team together by keeping the shape. He was sorely missed.

Song: 6
Tried those incisive passes of his with no success. Played a central defensive role after the Ox replaced Djourou in the 74th minute. Not at his best.

Walcott: 5
Very quiet. Couldn't get behind Wigan defenders.

Benayoun: 7
Made two very good headers, which forced two excellent saves from Al Habsi.

van Persie: 6
Not his best game. He fired a powerful long-range drive, which was a good effort, but too straight at the keeper. Although his goal drought ended in the last game, it is a worry that he seems to have lost his magical touch which have saved us from dropping points a quite few times this season.

Subs

Ramsey: 5
There is a superstition or conspiracy theory, whatever you call it, going around among some Arsenal fans. When Ramsey scores a goal, a famous person dies within a couple of days. Apparently, those famous people include Osama Bin Laden, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston. Whether they are major celebs or minor ones, sadly people die everyday whether Ramsey scores or not. With the latest news about the health of a certain pop legend grabbing the headlines for the last couple of days, it wasn't too difficult to imagine what those fans would have said if Ramsey had scored on this night. Fortunately for the pop legend, and unfortunately for Arsenal, Ramsey didn't score.

Gervinho: 5
60th-minute replacement for Benayoun. Had a quiet game. He didn't have cohesion with the rest of the team, but in the latter stages of the second half, none of Arsenal players seemed to have it, as Arsene Wenger described it as "we dropped our level, lost our team play, our cohesion and tried too much individually".


Oxlade-Chamberlain: 5
Made a good run, but could not get through Wigan's defence.

Referee

Andre Marriner: 4
Poor.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Arsenal 3

Despite what the scoreline might suggest, we felt that it wasn't one of Arsenal's best performances. We were disappointed because after we watched Arsenal commit themselves in the whole 90 minutes and put in an impressive performance against Manchester City, we expected a similar display this night. With two goals inside 11 minutes and a numerical advantage, we were looking forward to goals galore. One may say that Arsenal controlled the game, but at Las Mimosas bar, we didn't feel totally comfortable until Yossi Benayoun scored the third goal to seal the victory in the 69th minute as Wolves threatened our goal. If their finishes were more clinical and had it not been for Szczesny's two brilliant saves, we could have ended up surrendering a 2-0 lead. It was disappointing to see Arsenal taking their foot off the gas when they could have pushed further to score more goals.

However, the more important thing than the performance was the result. After the costly lessons learned from the defeat by QPR, there was no sign of complacency seen in Arsenal's performance. They started brightly and executed the game plan (i.e., getting an early goal) precisely. Three points put us firmly on course for a top-three finish, opening up the gap to Tottenham to five points.

There is a discrepancy in possession rates. BBC believes the Wolves/Arsenal possession split was 50:50, while Sky Sports thinks it was 28.1% against 71.9%. We feel that Sky Sports figures are more credible. According to Sky Sports, Arsenal's passes totalled 828, a whopping 90.1% of which were successfully completed. Perhaps based on these stats, most of the media seemed to have rated Arsenal's performance as solid.

There were some positives from this game which looked like one of Arsenal's routine wins. Arsenal claimed the fourth clean sheet in five games. As Koscielny started a two-match ban, Djourou came in in his place to form a central defensive partnership with Vermaelen, which worried us prior to the match. With another game left for Koscielny to serve his suspension for, a clean sheet was encouraging for our back-four.

RVP's goal drought ended after 444 minutes of the Premier League games, which was a relief, but without a goal from our goal-scoring machine, we have managed to win three games—not bad for a so-called one-man team. His first goal in five games also marked a goal against a 17th different opponent out of 19 Prem sides this season. Only three players, including our own Ian Wright, had achieved this remarkable feat before him. He could have established a new record if he had scored a goal against Manchester City on Sunday.

In-form Wigan awaits us in the next fixture. Some may say that it is a bad time to face them on the back of their defeat of Manchester United and their spirited performance against Chelsea. However, Man U's defeat is likely to serve as a warning for us. It is a good example to show that anything could happen in football and how important it is to keep producing a consistent performance till the end of the season. One slip-up can suddenly change the whole picture of the title race. The same thing can happen to the top-four finish battle. We need all our players to play at their potential in the next game.

If we beat Wigan on Monday night, we will be 8 point clear of Tottenham before they play their next Premier League game on Saturday 21 April or the gap could be as massive as 12 points if we beat Chelsea earlier on that day. It will put a huge pressure on the top-four finish rivals. But let's look at only one step ahead each time.

Player ratings

Szczezny: 8
Made two excellent saves. Especially, the one that denied Kevin Doyle's close-range header was out of this world. Wenger praised the young keeper for his alertness.

Sagna: 7
His crossing was not at its best this night, but a reliable display by our most consistant player.

Djourou: 7
A few clearances were dubious, but he did his job OK.

Vermaelen: 7
Solid.

Santos: 6
Lost his mark a few times.

Ramsey: 6
Missed a few good goal-scoring chances.

Arteta: 8
Dominated the midfield.

Song: 8
Provided an assist for Benayoun by cutting the ball back, after latching onto RVP's pass.

Walcott: 8
He used his pace well and posed a threat to Wolves defenders all night. Earned a penalty and scored a goal.

Benayoun: 8
He was always in a dangerous position. A well-taken goal from the edge of the box.

van Persie: 8
It was an untypical penalty for him, who usually smashes the ball into the back of the net. It is nice to see him try something new. It was a very cool penalty. Played good one-twos with Walcott: one that led to the penalty and the other that set up Walcott's goal.

Subs

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
76th-minute substitute for Walcott. Made little impact.

Jenkinson: 5
Replaced Sagna in the 84th minute. Jenkinson's involvement was somewhat expected as we had heard Sagna was doubful. We were saying that we didn't mind him before the match, but we weren't very impressed with how much space he allowed Wolves players to have in and around the box at times. Perhaps he needs more playing time.

Referee

Neil Swarbrick: 5
Apparently this was the young referee's 10th Premier League game and the first Arsenal match to take charge of (no wonder he didn't look familiar to us). His penalty decision was spot-on, but even for us, Arsenal fans, the sending-off of Bassong looked too harsh.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Arsenal 1 Manchester City 0

This game presented Arsenal a perfect opportunity to demonstrate how they could respond to the previous week's disappointing defeat to QPR and they did it in an impeccable fashion. Arsenal kept their concentration and urgency almost through the entire game. This match didn't turn out to be a goal fest as RVP expected (in the Arsenal matchday programme, he wrote it might end up 5-5!), but it was a quick and intense game. Overall, it was a very good match from the Gooners' point of view. In a way, I was a little bit disappointed as a football fan, as Manchester City's attack was toothless. It could have been a more competitive and better game, but all credit should go to the Arsenal players, who kept the possession well with complete determination and commitment and didn't let City play their football.

All stats showed that it was Arsenal's comprehensive victory, despite what the scoreline might suggest. We had a 64.3% overall possession, 5 shots on target vís-a-vís City's none and an 81.6% passing success rate (slightly lower than Arsenal's average) against City's 74.9%. If all the chances that we had had been converted, it could have been a goal fest as RVP predicted, albeit lopsided.

Luck looked like a more likely spoiler for us rather than Man City's attacking players, when RVP and Theo hit the woodwork and Vermaelen inadvertently cleared RVP's goalbound header off the line. No such luck as Manchester United and Chelsea enjoyed earlier this weekend came our way. Man U, Chelsea, and Arsenal all had offside goals, including Chelsea's both goals against Wigan, but ironically enough, the closest of all was disallowed, while the blatant ones stood. However, this resilient Arsenal had already gone to win the games from similar situations quite a few times. And they kept going until the final whistle was blown. Even after they scored the precious goal, they didn't take foot off the gas.

City's dashed title hopes and Balotelli's behaviour dominated the headlines, but here we focus on Arsenal's performance. We totally outplayed an expensively assembled City side in all departments. Especially our midfield excelled. The ultimate goal came from Arteta's solo effort, but all the players worked hard and produced an inspired performance as a team, which made a difference from a Manchester City side on that day.

There was just one change in the starting XI from the side that faced QPR. Benayoun came in for Ramsey. Although I disagree with the aggressive criticism targeted by many fans at Ramsey, I thought Benayoun should have been considered as a starter against QPR in Ramsey's place as he has often played on the left flank (certainly more often than Ramsey) and can be relied on defensively. After his gutsy performance against Tottenham, he deserved another start.

When Arsenal had finally found the net through Arteta's exquisite strike, Las Mimosas bar, our usual venue, erupted in cheers, followed by "1-0 to the Arsenal" and other Arsenal songs. It was just like being at the Emirates. We were looking for the figures of our members on the TV screen, who were actually at the Emirates on that day. They must have thoroughly enjoyed their opportunity to watch one of Arsenal's greatest performances this season first hand.

We have the last mid-week fixture of the season on Wednesday, facing a struggling Wolves side. With 6 games remaining and our sights firmly set on third place (i.e., an automatic Champions League qualification spot) and finishing above Tottenham, we cannot afford to repeat such a below-par performance as seen against QPR. We look forward to another excellent display on Wednesday night.

Player ratings

Szczezny: 7
Some poor distribution, but his decision was spot-on when he dashed out of his area to kicked the ball out of Balotelli's path. Made a fine save of Aguero's close-range effort. With Man City registering no shot on target, he had a relatively quiet afternoon in comparison with Joe Hart at the other end of the pitch.

Sagna: 8
Defended bravely despite two nasty challenges by Balotteli.

Koscielny: 8
Solid. Along with Vermaelen, he kept Balotelli and Aguero quiet throughout the game. The 10th yellow card of the season he picked up this afternoon means he will be suspended over the next two games against Wolves and Wigan, which is most inconvenient for us. We would probably have to do with Djourou for those two games. The only consolation is that Koscielny will be available for the big London derby in two weeks' time.

Vermaelen: 8
Solid. Didn't put a foot wrong defensively in this game. Missed a great chance to score.

Gibbs: 7
His crosses were disappointing on this day. Replaced by Santos in the 56th minute.

Rosicky: 8
Maintained his excellent form.

Arteta: 9
"One of Arsene Wenger's August panic buys" showed his class through his sublime shot, which followed a deft interception and a wonderful run.

Song: 8
Carried on after Balotell's dreadful challenge and battled hard as usual. His lofted pass which is becoming his trademark this season, found unmarked RVP, whose header unfortunately hit the base of the post.

Walcott: 6
Had a quiet game.

Benayoun: 8
Missed a few glorious chances, but got involved in most of attacking moves. Made an important block in the box as well.

van Persie: 8
Unlucky not to score. His effort was denied by the woodwork for the seventh time this season. Stats show that he is the second unluckiest player to hit the woodwork most often after Suarez in the Premier League this season.

Subs

Santos: 7
56th-minute substitute for Gibbs. Did his job, but it was a bit disappointing that he wasn't as effective going forward as expected. Made little difference to Gibbs, hence the same rating as Gibbs'.

Ramsey: 6
Replaced Benayoun in the 78th minute. Some compare him with Chelsea's Sturridge in terms of selfishness in front of goal, but it's unwarranted. So far Ramsey's decisions whether to pass or have a shot haven't been wrong. If any, he is guilty of not having a shot like the other Arsenal players. His problem is composure in front of goal and clinical finishing, which he is fully aware of. That said, in this game, he may have made a mistake to take a shot himself, when RVP was screaming for the ball in the middle of the box. Did he know that RVP could have been the fourth player to score 17 different Prem clubs in a season if he had scored against Man City? (This can be still achieved if RVP scores against Wolves) On the other hand, he could have justified his decision if his finish had been more clinical. However, people tend to forget that he is only a 21 years-old whose progress was severely hampered by a horrific injury and yet to have a full season as an Arsenal first-teamer. There is no doubt about his talent and potential, if you look at his goals before the injury and his movement this season. He wasn't made Wales captain before Gareth Bale for no reason. It is too soon to say that we should sell him.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
Came on the pitch in the 86th minute for Walcott. Too little time to make an impact.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

QPR 2 Arsenal 1

Arsene Wenger's post-match analysis summed up the game: "It is very frustrating because they left us the ball and waited for our mistakes. We took the ball, did not do a lot with it and made the mistakes. At the end of the day that made the result." We had plenty of the ball (with a 67.6% overall possession), but we didn't do very much with it. Especially, watching Arsenal pass around away from the box was very frustrating.

As Arsene Wenger said, it is difficult to single out any reason behind his side's poor performance. It is still a mystery to us why this team played so badly against AC Milan in the first leg and Sunderland a few days after that in the FA Cup tie. However, we try to discuss what may have been behind Saturday's below-par display.

We felt that the players didn't look like they wanted it and Wenger seemed to agree with us by admitting that his side lacked commitment. However, it is difficult to put a finger on what was the exact reason behind it. Going into this match, Wenger refused to kindle the media notion of his side being favourite for finishing third or envisage the possibility of overtaking Manchester City. He was fully aware of the difficulty of facing a side battling for survival in the top-flight football. He may have thought he had prepared his team properly for this game, but players did not seem to be quite as focused on this game as their manager was. In his later interview, Wenger admitted "Maybe we sensed it would be easier than usual and once you have that in your heads it is difficult to come back to reality." So, complacency may be the culprit.

The players had had a week break since the last match, including two days off from training. Fatigue and heavy legs were no longer excuses. Instead, now the gruelling schedule including mid-week fixtures is behind them, the week-off might have taken the edge of their competitive spirit.

We are a bit surprised to read Wenger's post-match interview because he didn't blame the pitch. We were arguing that probably the narrow pitch helped QPR keep their defence compact and led to our players struggling with judgement on long passes, a few of which went astray. However, asked about the pitch in his post-match interview, Arsene answered that the pitch is not smaller than any other pitch, although he acknowledged that the pitch was bad. We saw our players slip quite a few times, including Vermaelen's unfortunate one that led to QPR's second goal. However, Wenger did not blame anything else other than his side's disappointing performance for the loss, which was refreshing and good to see.

There were two changes to the starting XI from the last game. Fit again Koscielny came in for Djourou, which was great news for us. The other change was Ramsey in place of Gervinho. Wenger seemed to have expected the same kind of game as at Goodison Park and relied on the central midfielder's all-round, defensive in particular, capability rather than the winger's pace. Some criticise Wenger's decision but we can see his intention. The difference from the Everton game was that we made mistakes and were punished for them.

However, what we couldn't understand was the reason Arteta was subbed. In our view, he was Arsenal's best player on the afternoon. Every ball went through him just like when Fabregas was playing. He was the hub of the team. We understand Arsene desperately wanted to add more attacking power in the shape of Oxlade-Chamberlain at 2-1 down with 9 minutes left to the end of normal time, but he should not have done that at the expense of Arteta. When we won a free kick on the left-hand side a few yards outside the box in stoppage time, how much we missed Arteta on the pitch!

We don't know which hurts us more, the result or the performance. The result was a big blow as it has ended our fantastic run of wins and the league table has suddenly started looking very tight around us, with Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham all bagging three points and narrowing the gap. Saturday's performance crashed our belief in the consistency that the team have built up over the recent months. Let's hope it was just an off-day and it will not happen again for the rest of the season.

We shouldn't overreact to the defeat. Yes, our performance was disappointing because we know by now that our players have qualities to beat any team when they play to their full capacity. We wouldn't say that we deserved a win because we were the second best side, but we don't think we played as badly as some fans slag off. In fact, we were quite confident at half time that we would be able to win this game just like we had done four times in a row recently. The way Arsenal finished the first half, with Theo's equaliser from seven minutes from the break, was promising. Unfortunately, the second half didn't really pan out as we hoped. It is silly to speak doom and gloom now. These things happen and with seven games left to play, maybe it's better to happen now than later. Hopefully, the players have learned how important it is to commit themselves to each game.

The next game is a massive one against second in the table, Manchester City. We have been producing better performance against top five/six this season and our home form is fairly decent with only two league losses to Liverpool and Manchester United (on both occasions, we were unlucky), while Manchester City's away form is on the patchy side. Hopefully, all the players will be well prepared for and fully focused on this big game.

Player ratings

Szczezny: 6
Many seem to believe he had little to do with QPR's two goals, but he didn't even move for the second one. He didn't leave the line to claim the ball in order to make his defenders life easier. He is a good stopper, but he needs to dominate in his area.

Sagna: 7
Maybe not his best game, but he was still a consistent player.

Koscielny: 8
Did a hard job reasonably well alongside hapless Vermaelen.

Vermaelen: 5
Had a terrible game.

Gibbs: 7
Although our left-hand flank was exposed a few times, he did OK. He went close to score his second league goal in a row with a header, which went just past the far post.

Rosicky: 7
Nearly set up a goal for RVP. Made a good effort for a goal.

Arteta: 8
He had a tough treatment by QPR players, but battled for the ball bravely.

Song: 7
Unlucky with some passes, each of which could have been one of those killer passes of his, with a fraction of difference in weight (This is the example of what we are talking about by "we didn't play that bad"). His vision was good.

Walcott: 8
Scored the equaliser. Made some good movement, but we don't think he was as effective as he should have been.

Ramsey: 6
He was taken off in the 69th minute for Gervinho, but we believe that it was part of the game plan.

van Persie: 7
He wasn't given much space and under such circumstances, he sometimes dropped a bit to play other players in. He made a beautiful move to prod Walcott into space just inside the box. Unlucky not to score from the one-on-one situation with Paddy Kenny, who denied RVP's chance with a brilliant save. Our worry is that he hasn't scored for three games. Has he gone off the boil? As Rooney has crept up in the top-scorer table of late, we hope he will start scoring goals again, although goals coming from other areas are welcome.

Subs

Gervinho: 6
69th-minute substitute for Ramsey. Made little impact.

Oxlade-Chamberlian: 7
Replaced Arteta in the 81st minute. Lively. Earned a free-kick in the dangerous position.

Chamakh: 5
Came on the pitch in the 82nd minute for Gibbs. Santos might have been more of a goal threat to QPR than him. Poor substitution. His first contribution was to give away the ball (this was the same as Santos last week, though). He is clueless as to where to play or which space to go into. Although we appreciate that he saved the first half of our season last season when RVP was injured, unfortunately, there is no space for him in this team.