Arsenal 7 Blackburn 1

It was reported prior to the match that a section of Arsenal fans were planning to put black bin bags over empty seats at the Emirates on the match day as a protest against the Club's lack of transfer activities in the January window and ambition. The suggested action could have seriously undermined the players' morale before the match. The fans should get behind their players when they are not playing well and their confidence is low. In spite of the report, there were no black bin bags seen in the stadium. There were more empty seats than usual (the official attendance was 59,643), but in light of the London underground disruption and the expected bad weather later on, this was not totally attributed to the recent disappointing results. In fact, there were a large number of empty seats seen across the Premier League clubs, including the Etihad Stadium, the home ground of the current league leaders, due to the winter storm that hit the Britain on this day. Talking about attendance, our attendance at Las Mimosas bar was relatively low this afternoon, perhaps, due to the early kick-off.

If any fan had missed the game for the cause of the protest, he or she would have deeply regretted it. This game could be one of those games to be talked about in the years to come. There were certainly some memorable moments: RVP's hat-trick, Oxlade-Chamberlain's first (and second) Premier-League goal(s), and Thierry Henry's last minute goal in his last game at the Emirates (Arsene Wenger stated he might extend his loan deal, but he would definitely not stay for the home game against Tottenham).

This game was a must-win game not only because we hadn't won for the last four league games, but because we had a score to settle. Blackburn beat us 4-3 at Ewood Park which was a game we shouldn't have lost. With two own goals and an off-side goal, Blackburn didn't deserve to win that game.

We have been quite happy with the team's response to the midweek's disappointment. When Blackburn equalised through Pederson's brilliant free-kick, it was easy to succumb to the ominous feeling of collapse when confidence is low. We saw it happen time and time again last season. Instead, Arsenal carried on attacking and put themselves in front through RVP's second goal in 6 minutes after conceding the equaliser. Within 2 minutes, the Ox scored our third goal to put the game to bed. Arsenal never took the foot off the gas throughout the game. The scoreline boosted our goal difference, while RVP continues on his course for the Premier-League top scorer of the season. It was good to see such an emphatic win again.

Maybe the scoreline does not mean very much. As Arsene Wenger said regarding our 8-2 defeat to Man United and their 6-1 defeat to the City, sending-offs can often produce such exaggerated results. However, Arsenal were already 3-1 up and looked to score more when Givet was sent off. The scoreline just showed how ruthless Arsenal were and we are glad they have done that. Although Blackburn were a sorry side especially without Samba or Yakubu, the comprehensive win should have boosted all our players' morale and confidence.

Also, the attacking problems we held up in our last post seemed to have been addressed. Our attack was quicker and more players chose to shoot rather than pass, while we scored 7 goals out of 16 goal attempts, half of which were goalbound. Let's hope Arsenal have solved their attacking problems once for all.

Player ratings

Szczeny: 6
As Blackburn registered only 2 shots on target, he didn't have much to do. He got his hand to Pederson's free kick, which suggested he might have been able to stop it.

Coquelin: 8

Linked well with Walcott and set up a goal for RVP. He is another bright future for Arsenal.

Mertesacker: 7
No trouble.

Koscielny: 6

Gave away a foul in the dangerous position, which led to Blackburn's equaliser. Wenger revealed in his post-match interview that Koscielny had a problem, hence Sagna's introduction in his place and Vermaelen moving to the central defence. Hope the problem is not too serious.

Vermaelen: 7
Played throughout the game despite the early knock.

Rosicky: 6

As widely expected, he started in place of Ramsey, who has looked tired recently and overused so far this season, which is his first full season in the top-flight football. Is it only me who feel that Arsenal attacks more quickly with him than with Ramsey?

Arteta: 7
Played well throughout and scored his fourth goal of the season.

Song: 7
His through ball to Walcott started the sequence to the first goal.

Walcott: 8
Provided assists to 3 goals. Used his pace very well. Even his critics at our supporters Club were happy with him today.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 9

He was a threat to Blackburns' defence every time he went forward. He has pace, strength, trickery and composure. A perfect winger. He is a massive positive from the so far disappointing season.

van Persie: 9

Scored a hat-trick and made 2 assists. His movements without the ball were excellent as well. After completing his hat-trick, he gave Henry a chance to score, which was a very nice team play to see. It also shows how much RVP appreciates Henry's presence.

Subs

Henry: 7

67th-minute substitute for the Ox. Made a great run alongside RVP and scored another fairy-tale goal.

Sagna: 7

Started from the bench after his first 90-minute game in 4 months on Wednesday and came on the pitch in the 67th minute for Koscielny. Took a left-back position.

Benayoun: 7

Came on in the 72nd minute for Song. Lively.

Bolton 0 Arsenal 0

Before the match, one of our members said one time he expected Arsenal to win every game, which reminded me of what another member said at the trail end of the last season. He said he used to think we would win before every game, but not any more. When I heard him last season, I thought it was the arrogance of a big club to take every win for granted, but now I understand what they meant. They meant that they used to have belief in quality in the squad. We still have enough quality to beat mid- to lower-table clubs, but these days we never know what kind of performance our team would turn up with on the day.

Although we had some scary moments, our defence looked all right as a clean sheet indicates. Bacary Sagna's return helped to prop up the defence without doubt. However, this game exposed the problems in our attacking. There is nothing new about the lack of clinical finishing. The main culprits on the night were Walcott and Ramsey as usual. RVP was unlucky, with his efforts denied by the woodwork twice and another cleared off the line, but in the recent games, even he has missed an absolute sitter or two, which is a bit of worry. What was more frustrating in this game was the slow pace of our attacking overall. No such urgency they showed in the second half of the FA Cup tie against Villa was there to be seen. Slow attacking allowed Bolton to organise their defence well before we reached the final third. We have to up the tempo and try a more direct approach.

I always want to end my post on a positive note, although the result of the match was so disappointing it is difficult to find bright spots. The most notable positive from this game is a clean sheet. It seems to us that the result is more like two points dropped rather than a point earned due to the circumstances, in which we were under pressure after both Liverpool and Newcastle had won and leapfrogged us in the league table. However, Bolton are a difficult side to beat at the moment as the fact shows that Liverpool suffered a 3-1 loss to them 10 days ago. One point from an away game against a team who are currently enjoying a resurgence may be some consolation.

Our Man of the Match is Bacary Sagna. He was one of our best players on the night in our opinion (the other two are Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arteta) and deserves a Man of the Match recognition after the long lay-off. He displayed the difference a specialist right-back could make.

After the match, which took place on the day after the January transfer window had just closed, we also discussed our January signing. Goal.com's report on the injury record of the 19 year-old Germany youth international is not very encouraging: "The teenager's development has been hindered by knee problems - he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in 2009". We hope he is not going to be another Amoury Bischoff. However, the article went on to say "Arsenal have taken advantage of the youngster’s availability – he is out of contract in the summer – to prise the highly-rated young playmaker from Germany". Considering the fact that he has never featured in Dortmund first-team games, he looks like a long-term project. Hopefully, he will turn out to be another example of Arsene Wenger's astute buys.

We have enough promising youngsters to form a good squad in three years' time. However, in order to challenge the title next season, we need to add next summer a few more established players who can provide the squad with required quality immediately. A top-four finish is essential for attracting such world-class players. In the meantime, let's hope we can get back in winning ways, starting this Saturday and the other Champions League-spot contenders will drop more points in the remaining 15 games of the season.

Player ratings

Szczeny: 6
Mixed performance. He made a crucial late save, for which Bolton claimed a penalty, but our verdict was "not guilty" as our keeper got to the ball first and swept it away. He tried to show that a goalkeeper could play football, with the result that it nearly gave us a heart attack. On another occasion, he came off the line only to miss the ball completely.

Sagna: 8
He made several successive blocks in his attempt to stop crosses in. He also often overlapped Walcott and put a brilliant cross in, which unfortunately ended up hitting the post after RVP had a touch on it. He had a good game, considering this was his first full 90-minute game in 4 months. His return was a real boost for us. He was our most consistent player before he got injured because he put 100 percent into every game. Hopefully, he will continue his tireless contribution to the team now he is fit.

Mertesacker: 6
Made some important clearances. We think he will become a good defender as he adapts to English football.

Koscielny: 5
He made a couple of dodgy moves, which allowed Ngog to breach our defence.

Vermaelen: 6
Worked hard both defensively and offensively.

Ramsey: 4
Missed some chances.

Arteta: 7
Had a tough night as some of decisions went against him. Good to have him back.

Song: 4
He had a poor game. On several occasions, he dwelled on the ball or even looked asleep. His passes often went astray.

Walcott: 4
He missed a number of chances, including a clear-cut one. At the end of his well-timed run, he had only Bogdan to beat, but shot straight at the keeper. Another example to prove that he is not good enough yet to take his desired position, a central striker. Did his fluky goal against Villa boost his confidence? The answer was no. It seems that he is a better goal-scorer when he doesn't know where the ball is.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
He always looked dangerous on the left flank. Arsene Wenger seems determined not to let him play full 90 minutes. He was replaced by Henry in the 69th minutes. Chambo should have stayed on and been moved to the right wing, with Walcott giving way to Henry instead.

van Persie: 7
Unlucky not to score. Especially, his chipped effort that hit the woodwork for the second time on the night could have been an exquisite goal if it had hit the target. He couldn't convert chances, but still displayed his class.

Subs

Henry: 5
69th-minute substitute for Chambo. Could not make the difference.

Rosicky: 5
Came on in the 81st minute for Ramsey. Made little impact, but he was not given enough time to make an impact.

Referee

Chris Foy: 4
He didn't give us anything, allowing some rough challenges on us. The yellow card against Vermaelen was disgraceful as there was no contact whatsoever. Bolton fans may also loathe him for a different reason, but we support the ref's decision on their penalty shout against Szczeny.

Arsenal 3 Aston Villa 2

The results matter most in the Cup games. Most of us were just happy to see Arsenal going through to the next round, however they achieved it. Two penalties and a freak goal. What an untypical way to win for Arsenal! We have seen legitimate penalties waved away time and again this season (some were even stronger cases than these), but we had two penalties given in one game! That's something to be mentioned. Has our luck turned? We would like to think so. Especially, Walcott's freakish goal epitomised the evening. How many times have we moaned about our luck this season? An interesting stat by Opta shows that Arsenal had the most number of shots cleared off the line in the Premier League in 2011 with 9 (incidentally, Per had his header cleared off the line by Ireland in this game). I don't know if the fact indicates that Arsenal were the unluckiest club of all the Premier League outfits or they took so long to shoot by the time they had done so the oppositions had all their players crammed into the goalmouth, but one thing is certain, which is that it has been very frustrating for the fans.

In terms of performance, our football might not have been as beautiful as it used to be, but the spirit was the key word for the game. The team displayed a great mental strength, coming back from 2 goals down at half time. They have pressed Villa very hard. The referee's favourable decisions helped the dramatic comeback without doubt, but it all started from Ramsey and Koscielny's closing down the Villa players, winning the ball and keeping going. The team deserves a full credit for their determination. The three goals in 7 minutes speak volumes for the intensity and urgency the team put into their game.

While much of the focus is on how lucky Arsenal were, statistics explain another reason why the team should deserve credit for their performance. Arsenal registered 12 shots on target as opposed to Villa's 5. Also, the North London club's passing success rate was a healthy 84.5%, right up to their high standard.

The scoreline invokes the old cliché, but Arsenal's first-half performance was not as bad as the scoreline suggested, apart from their lapse of concentration in the defence. They created enough chances to finish the first half a lot better, but as usual their attack was too slow. Still, we have seen improvements in the second half, which was encouraging.

Another positive from the evening was a number of players back from injury. Most notably, Bacary Sagna was in action for the first time in 4 months. Arteta and Henry also came off the bench. Gibbs will start full training on Monday. It won't be so long before we have specialist full-backs on both sides in our back four set-up.

Arsenal are awaiting the winner of the fourthcoming replay between Sunderland and Middlesbrough for the fifth round of the FA Cup. In the meantime, hopefully, Arsenal can take the momentum and belief into the Premier League, in which they have suffered three consecutive defeats.

Player ratings

Fabianski: 5
Unconvincing performance especially in the first half. I understand Wenger assigns the second-choice keeper as a Cup keeper every season in order to give them more playing time, but it was lucky he got away with his decision to rest Szczeny.

Coquelin: 7
He must have Wenger's faith, judging from the fact that as soon as he has come back from the injury he got his job back as the deputy right-back in front of Nico Yennaris, who impressed us with his performance against Manchester United. Coquelin took a more familiar position in midfield after Sagna came on in the 89th minute. He did OK as the right-back overall, but he should have been alongside Ramsey to stop the cross in, which led to Villa's first goal.

Mertesacker: 7
He should always be aware of the danger of the opponents' counter-attacks when he commits himself forward as he hasn't got pace. He was caught out by Villa's counter-attack, which resulted in their second goal just before half time.

Koscielny: 8
He was guilty for Villa's first goal by not even challenging Dunne, but he showed great determination to win the game in this match, too. Especially, he made a great run which led to the second penalty decision in favour of Arsenal.

Vermaelen: 7
He has venomous shots.

Ramsey: 7
Worked hard as usual, but his finishing still needs improving.

Rosicky: 8
Some regarded him as a strong candidate for the Man of the Match. He kept Arsenal's attacking ticking. Replaced by Arteta in the 71st minutes. He has still a lot to offer for Arsenal. Should be given a contract extension.

Song: 7
Did his job quietly as usual. Good intention to try to clear Bent's effort off the line, but he could not get back in time.

Walcott: 6
Did he recover his popularity by the lucky goal? He might not have known much about the goal, but he was at least in the right place in the right time. Missed other chances. Replaced in the 89th minute to give way for Sagna.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 8
Another convincing performance by the 18 year-old. Has he established himself on the flanks in the first team in the absence of Gervinho? Replaced in the 89th minute for Henry.

van Persie: 8
Always reliable when it comes to taking spot kicks (except for odd occasions). After he put the first penalty in the back of the net, he went straight to the centre circle with the ball in his arm to resume the game. He must have learned a lesson from the Swansea game, in which we conceded a winner to the Welsh side when we were still in the afterglow of Walcott's equaliser. He was the Man of the Match in Arsenal's website poll, but if he is found guilty for the elbowing, it could hurt his rating for this match.

RVP will face no disciplinary action by the FA. 31 January 2012

Subs

Arteta: 7
Came on the pitch as a 71st-minute substitute for Rosicky. Good substitution. His performance usually goes unnoticed because of the unspectacular nature of his job, but his introduction gave Song greater freedom to go forward (Song's got those killer passes, remember? So it is a great plus). The Spaniard was sorely missed in the last 2 games. Now Jack Wilshere's lay-off looks likely to be extended, Arteta's presence will be even more important to us.

Sagna: 6
One of the 89th-minute double substitutions. Even during his cameo appearance, he showed what we were missing for the last 4 months. Good to have him back.

Henry: 6
The other 89th-minute subsititution. Van Persie went straight to him, who was warming up on the touch line, to celebrate Arsenal's winner. Henry is more than just a short-term on-loan player to help out the team on the pitch.

Referee

Michael Jones
I just thought that the name of the referee who gave us two penalties in one game should be noted. I am not implying that his decisions are partial or anything as even neutral observers agree that they were clear-cut penalties, but it was refreshing to see a referee giving us a penalty (even two!) for a change. Hope he will not put in too harsh a word against RVP.

Asked by the FA, Mike Jones stated that he saw the incident at the time and decided it was not worthy of punishment. Good man! He's my favourite ref.

Arsenal 1 Manchester United 2

First of all, I have to admit that I only watched the last 5 minutes of the first half and the whole second half, so I might not be in a position to do the post mortem of the game. Also, I did not have time to discuss the game afterwards with the members as I usually do. Therefore, this review here does not necessarily reflect that of Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club. However, I was compelled to write something positive amogst the doom and gloom surrounding a large section of Arsenal fans following the defeat.

I will not go into the details of the match apart from the brief comments on each player's performance in the usual Player Ratings section below, but I am going to pick several talking points from this game.

The biggest talking point was arguably the substitution, which Wenger admitted as a "tactical mistake" according to Sky Sports. His decision to replace the best player on the pitch in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with out-of-form Andrey Arshavin met with the fury of Arsenal fans and even the dissent of RVP (He later denied any rifts with his boss, but all the fans would agree with his instant reaction). Although it turned out that the sub played a part in conceding Man U's winner, what disgusted fans more was the fact that it was none other than Chambo who was taken off the pitch rather than Arshavin replacing him. The Russian could have come on the pitch in place of Walcott or Ramsey, but not Chambo, who looked most dangerous to Man U defence. This notion was confirmed by the fact that Sir Alex Furguson replaced the substitute defender, Rafael, with an attacking player, Ji-Sun Park, only 3 minutes after Chambo left the pitch.

Wenger defended his decision, by stating "I can understand that the fans are upset about the substitution, especially when it doesn't work, but he (Oxlade-Chamberlain) had started to fatigue, He was sick in the week. Arshavin is captain of the Russia national team. You have an 18-year-old kid making his first Premier League start and a player who's captain of his country and they are querying the substitution? Let's be serious." The explanation of the substitution looks a bit feeble to me.

Obviously the result was disappointing and fairly devastating to Arsenal's aspiration for the top four finish (it was fortunate that Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Stoke all lost, while Chelsea only drew this weekend), but we have a lot of positives to take from this game.

The biggest positive of all was the outstanding performance of Chambo, which convinced us that he is now capable of coping with the intensity of the Premier-League games. After the disappointing first-half performance, Arsenal responded well in the second half, creating enough chances to win the game. Especially, the quick counter-attack leading to RVP's equaliser was something lacking in Arsenal's game for a long time. Hopefully, they will do it more often. Indeed, the second-half performance was encouraging. Following the two Premier-League defeats at the hands of the mid-table clubs, Arsenal showed that they have quality in the team who were capable of matching or even beating Manchester United if they played to their capacity. Vermaelen, whose fitness was a big doubt prior to the match, came through the game without a hitch. Nico Yennaris was useful in stopping Man U players attacking our right flank freely (although there is a lot of room for improvement offensively) after he had come off the bench to replace Djourou.

I still have belief in Arsene Wenger and think there is nobody better than him as an Arsenal manager, but his faith in underperforming players sometimes frustrates me. Look at Fergie. Bébé is now on loan to a Turkish club (and currently injured) only a year after the signing with a permanent deal in sight, while Obertan was sold to Newcastle after 2 years of service. Keeping on the payroll players who do not live up to expectations undermines the size of the squad under Wenger's strict financial policy. Shouldn't we be more ruthless about players?

Hopefully, more player will come back in the next few weeks. It looks like Coquelin is the first, who may be available the next game against Aston Villa. Sagna and Gibbs are two to three weeks away, both Jack Wilshere and Carl Jenkinson a few weeks away. Keep fingers crossed on the speedy recovery of Henry and Arteta. As Arsene Wenger seems to have no intention of reinforcing the squad in January on loan or otherwise, all we can do at the moment is to wait for the return of the injured players.

Our Man of the Match is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. I suppose nobody has objection to that.

Player ratings

Szczeny: 7
Some good saves.

Djourou: 4
He was beaten every time Man U players attacked our right flank. Nightmare. Largely at fault for the first goal by not closing down Giggs despite Ramsey's instruction to mark him. Subbed apparently because of his inefficiency (as we haven't heard any injury report on him).

Mertesacker: 7
He did very well to clear the ball off the line, after he was outpaced by Welbeck. He is not as slow as people think. Although we conceded two goals, our defenders should be given credit for keeping Roony quiet.

Koscielny: 8
He showed determination to win the ball and the game.

Vermaelen: 7
We really needed him back for this game. Although he was partly guilty for Man U's opener by letting Valencia head Gigg's cross home, he worked hard.

Ramsey: 6
Created chances, but missed several goal-scoring opportunities. He has been the subject of a lot of criticism recently, but I think he has talent and skills to become a quality player, but he needs more time after the setback in his career through the horrific injury. Losing Fabregas as a rolemodel and Arteta as a midfield partner now through the injury has not helped his progress. Replaced by Ju Young Park in the 84th minute.

Rosicky: 7
Played a large role in setting up for RVP's goal.

Song: 7
Had a quiet game, but did his job.

Walcott: 5
Messed up some chances.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 9
Spiritted performance. Always looked dangerous. Set up a goal for RVP.

van Persie: 8
Scored goal, but missed an easier chance. Happy 91st birthday to his grandad Wim!

Subs

Yennaris: 7
The Leytonstone-born England youth international, who was apparently a team mascot in 2000, came on at half time to replace struggling Djourou. Although his crosses left much to be desired, his defence was fairly solid and much more reliable than Djourou. According to Arsenal player profiles, his position is described as midfielder, although his Carling Cup debut was as the right-back (if I remembered correctly). So he is another full-back played out of position, then! Aresenal are asking fans who should start at right back against Aston Villa in this weeks' Fan's Forum Online Poll  and Nico Yennaris is currently leading the poll with 62% of the total votes.

Arshavin: 4
He was partly blamed for Man U's winner by not being interested in defending.

Park: 4
Except for just one good interception and run, he was not involved in the game.

Swansea 3 Arsenal 2

I don't like Arsenal fans having a knee-jerk reaction and calling for the sacking of Arsene Wenger every time we lose, but the second consecutive Premier League defeat makes you wonder what is wrong with the Club. The loss to Fulham was kind of explained by the heavy legs in the second half, but we were outplayed by the mid-table club once again and this time we were on the back foot most of the time. Manchester United also suffered back-to-back defeats during the festive period. This may be merely a blip and there may be no need of panicking. However, some points from this game made us think about long-term issues.

There should be sufficient qualities in players to beat Swansea. All of Arsenal's starting XI, except for Miquel who is captain of Spain's Under-19 team, were established international players (maybe not Koscielny who earned his first cap only a couple of months ago), including three captains of their respective national teams. However, the team looked quite ordinary in this game, not good enough to call themselves title contenders. We felt the Club seemed to have gone backwards. A couple of seasons ago, we looked like a couple of players short of winning the title, but now we probably need five new players in order to challenge for the title.

Maybe it is time to spend money on tested and proven players rather than investing in young players and nurturing them. Samir Nasri's case has proved Wenger's youth policy no longer works in the real world. By the time young players have started making a name, they just want to move on to where they can get paid more rather than making progress as a footballer under the wings of an excellent educator in the shape of Arsene Wenger. We understand that most football fans admire Arsenal's youth policy and Arsenal fans boast of it as "we don't buy stars, but we make stars", but making stars and selling them will never make Arsenal champions.

The situation that surrounded Henry's departure five years ago worryingly resembles the current situation over RVP's contract talk. Henry was allowed to leave Arsenal for Barcelona as he was approaching  his thirties, while Arsenal were in the transitional phase with no prospect of winning trophies in the next couple of years. To make it worse in RVP's case,  he has no major honours to add to his CV. Since Henry's departure, we have won no trophies and we still have a relatively young team. During the five years, the best of the crop of the young players left Arsenal for Barcelona, while the others, such as Denilson and Senderos, proved that they couldn't make it at Arsenal (the jury is still out for Djourou). We need to build a team which can convince RVP that he can win silverware with.

We discussed the prospect of the January transfer window and concluded with disappointment that Arsenal are unlikely to buy anybody, based on Arsene Wenger's recent comments.

As for the game, Arsenal's performance was below-par, which was not good enough to beat a very good Swansea side. Our passing success rate was 78.7% vis-à-vis Swansea's 80.4%, according to Sky Sports site. The figure compares unfavourable to our standard, too. We have a lot to learn  from the way Swansea played. Their attacking was very fast from the break with the both wings joining the attack. Swansea are well-known for their passing football, but they don't pass around in or around the box.

On the defensive side, we made very bad mistakes, which cost us three points. What concerns us most is that in the last two games, the sense of panic crept into our defence when they came under pressure and the lack of concentration when we equalized. As stated in the previous post, we thought we had eradicated the defensive frailty. Hopefully, when Vermaelen comes back, he will bring stability and authority back into our defence.

A positive we can take from this game is that we had two superb goals. It has been nearly a month since we scored more than one goal. Also, no other club has scored more than one goal at the Liberty Stadium.

Hopefully, the team will respond to the disappointing result in the next week's game against Manchester United.

Player ratings

Szczeny: 5
His hesitation to come off the line and collect the ball led to Swansea's winning goal, apparently. (We largely missed the build-up to this goal because TV was showing the replays of Walcott's equaliser and we were busy celebrating it.)

Djourou: 6
His defence-splitting pass set up a goal for Walcott. Some good assistance to the central defenders.

Mertesacker: 5
He missed an absolute sitter. When a corner fell in front of him 6 yards out, he only needed to put it on the target, but he shot it wide.

Koscielny: 7
Some of his clearances were questionable, but played relatively well amongst the team's overall poor performance. Good effort to follow on to Rosicky's shot.

Miquel: 6
Made several good runs forward and good crosses. However, he was guilty for Swansea's second goal by being caught out of position.

Ramsey: 4
It is too harsh to blame him for the penalty as it was soft at best and in our point of view, there wasn't much contact. Even neutral observers think it was dubious. He had a poor game. Jeering from the crowd didn't help. He was at fault for Swansea's second goal by allowing the Swansea player to rob him of the ball.

Benayoun: 5
Couldn't fill Arteta's boots. Arteta, who missed the game due to a mild calf strain, would have played a big role in this game by holding the ball better and keeping midfield tighter.

Song: 6
Made little impact. Took a central defensive role after Mertesacker had been replaced in the 76th minute as Arsenal was desperately trying to salvage the points.

Walcott: 7
Scored a brilliant goal. Although it was partly attributed to Swansea's defensive mistake, he took it very well with composure. On the other hand, he also wasted chances. Hopefully, scoring the goal in front of Henry has boosted his confidence.

Arshavin: 6
Made an assist for RVP's goal via a precise pass. He was as lively as on Monday night, but as far as goal-scoring was concerned, there was no improvement. Worked hard, but he sometimes looked lost with the ball. Still, it is good to see him trying to grab a chance to secure his place in the starting XI, capitalising on the absence of Gervinho.

van Persie: 7
He took the goal very well from the almost impossible position, but he missed an easier opportunity, when he faced one-on-one with the Swansea keeper. He could have done better to beat him.

Subs

Rosicky: 7
Replaced Benayoun in the 63rd minute. Made an impact. His powerful shot from the edge of the box forced a good save from Vorm. He has been very effective this season, especially as a sub. Glad we didn't offload him a couple of years when some fans were insisting to do so. He shouldn't be sold.

Henry: 6
Came off the bench in the 63rd minute for Arshavin. Although he didn't have as big an impact as we all hoped, he did well. Some good passes and movements.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
Replaced Mertesacker in the 76th minute in Arsenal's efforts to pour in more attacking power. Played well. He looked strong enough to play in the Premier League.

Arsenal 1 Leeds 0

One of the major talking points prior to the game was the return of King Henry. As stated in the previous post, at Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club, our collective stance over this issue was cautious. While there was no doubt about positive influences on the young players in the dressing room and training ground, whether he could make an impact on the pitch had remained to be seen. Henry scoring the winning goal to send Arsenal into the fourth round of the FA Cup on his return was a fairytale scenario and made the game something special.

Samir Nasri was spotted by a TV camera in the Emirates, watching the game (Hope he has paid for it). How did he feel when he saw Henry receiving a hero's welcome by all Arsenal fans and expressing his love for his old Club with overwhelming emotions? One of other celebs spotted by the camera was David Beckham, who travelled from Manchester where he watched his old club beating their local rivals in the FA cup tie on the previous day to London, because one of his sons, Romeo, is a big fan of Arsenal, who insisted to watch the game. Before the game, many Arsenal fans feared that the younger generations of Arsenal fans, like Romeo, who don't remember how Henry earned his legendary status at Arsenal, might feel disillusioned in case that he failed to impress them.

RVP praised Henry's "brave" decision as the King no longer needed to prove anything, but his reputation and legendary status were at stake. Our current leading striker attributed the legend's decision primarily to his love for the game, but his reaction to the goal showed that the reason behind his return was nothing but his love for the Club. He has certainly lifted all Arsenal fans as well as the team, who joined him to celebrate his goal, including Szczeny who rushed all the way from the other end.

As well as the feel-good factor, Henry's return provided the much-needed goal-scoring power for the team. Before his instruction, his side struggled to find the net. Especially, Arshavin and Ramsey worked hard and did everything but score. The lack of composure in frong of goal and precision has been Arsenal's shortcomings for some time this season. Hopefully, the younger players will learn lessons from Henry, while Henry will continue his contribution to Arsenal's goal tally.

Another major talking point was team selection. RVP was holidaying in Dubai, meeting Diego Maradona, while Gervinho had left to join the Ivory Coast national team who are preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations. As Wenger tried hard to secure Marouane Chamakh's service for this game, the Morocco international was expected to start. Many expected Ju-Young Park to lead the line up front alongside Chamakh, but it was Arshavin who got the nod. Oxlade-Chamberlain started on the right flank as widely expected. Arsene Wenger stated prior to the match that he would field a strong side, which centred around the first-team starters. As he suggested, the midfield consisted of the usual triumvirate: Ramsey, Arteta and Song. Miquel and Coquelin were this night's full-backs, which had already stretched due to Vermaelen's recent injury and Djourou's one-match suspension. After this game, the full-back crisis worsened as Coquelin hobbled off the pitch with a hamstring injury, which is expected to sideline him for a few weeks (what used to be called a full-back drought is now cited as the curse of Arsenal full-backs). Koscielny and Squillaci formed a central defensive partnership for the night, which often proved disastrous last season. Why Mertersacker did not start or wasn't even on the bench was a mystery to me. On the Arsenal site, He was speaking as if he had been sure to take a part in this tie.

Arsenal's comfortable win was predicted as Leeds had been struggling to cope with injuries to their key players. However, Simon Grayson had his tactics right by concentrating available players on defence and gave Arsenal a hard time.

At Las Mimosas bar, our venue once again after the two-week closure, we were saying that the Budweiser Man of the Match choice made the other players who played for full 90 minutes look pathetic, but what Henry did deserved it. Within 10 minutes of coming off the bench, he achieved what the other players couldn't to do for 90 minutes, scoring a goal.

Player ratings

Szczeny: 7
Largely not troubled, but did well to keep a clean sheet against Leed's late charge .

Coquelin: 7
Played well once again out of position, at right-back this time. A hamstring injury forced him off the pitch in the 33rd minute to be replaced by an understudy right-back, Nico Yennaris.

Squillaci: 7
Played OK. Nearly scored (some of us thought he actually scored). Just his presence is ominous.

Koscielny: 8
Reliable as usual. He has been the most improved Arsenal player this season since Walcott has let us down in the recent few games.

Miquel: 7
Made several good forward runs, but lost the ball in the final third (after all, he is a central defender). Played well, considering the fact that he played out of position.

Ramsey: 8
As usual, he covered a lot of ground from the box to box, right to left, working hard. Orchestrated attacking moves, creating chances, and showed some fancy footwork and skills. His finishing let him down again.

Arteta: 7
Had a couple of shots, one of which was wide, the other was too tame to even sweat the keeper.

Song: 7
His passing after tackles is often awful, but he occasionally produces those killer passes you would expect from a creative attacking midfielder, such as the one that found Henry this night and the one that set up RVP's superb volley against Everton. He deserves more credit for the pass to Henry.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 8
He started on a subdued note, but gradually got into the game and started the second half brightly. His powerful shot forced a great save from the Leeds keeper. Replaced by Walcott for some reason in the 68th minutes. Is Wenger over-protective about the exposure of the promising youngster?

Arshavin: 8
He often get criticism for his laziness, but you cannot fault his workrate in this match. He was all over the pitch, working hard. Especially, he kept going despite a series of rough treatments by Leeds players. He had three chances inside the opening three minutes, the last of which was the best in terms of time and space he was given as well as the central position, but the lack of composure led him to blast it over the bar.

Chamakh: 5
I have started to run out of words to defend him.

Subs

Yennaris: 7
Replaced injured Coquelin in the 33rd minute. No non-sense defence and good going forward. No problem.

Henry: 9
Came on the pitch in the 68th minute for Chamakh and the rest is history. For the winning goal, the timing of his run was perfect (Relays convinced me that the Leeds player on the far side played him on side and also he timed his run carefully. They should show a freeze frame picture with a white line for the defence line and another for Henry's position in order to silence all the accusations by Tottenham supporters and the Irish), his touch was impeccable and his finish was clinical. Wenger revealed that his only instruction to Henry before coming on the pitch was to play through the middle, but he knew exactly what he was required to do once he was on the pitch. He is an intelligent world-class player. Welcome home!

Walcott: 6
The other one of the 68th minute double substitution. Put in a couple of good crosses, but did not make a big impact.

Arsenal v Tottenham in Benidorm

The club is proposing to visit Benidorm for this match
Sundary 26th Feburary 14:30 Spanish time

We are proposing to stay for 2 nights the total costs PER APARTMENT is
71.99 Euros for 1 bed apt.
75.99 Euros for 2 bed apt.
At the Levant Club Apartments

Any more information contact either
Ricky Devine 634328479 or Dave Johns 636827333

Fulham 2 Arsenal 1

What hurts us more than the result is the fact that Fulham outplayed us. Our performance in the second half was poor, as bad as the one against Olympiacos, but the latter was by our second-string team, while apart from the makeshift full-backs, Monday night's starting XI were currently our best team. That's what concerns us.

In fact, the team selection was one of the major talking points ahead of and following this game. Rotation was widely expected, including RVP to get a rest, but Arsene Wenger opted for just two changes from the starting line-up that faced QPR 48 hours ago; namely Gervinho for Arshavin and Coquelin replacing injured Vermaelen. Unfortunately, Henry's loan deal is still awaiting completion, hence no return of the King. In the hindsight, Arsene Wenger should have rotated more players, including RVP, who looked exhausted in the second half. The fact that we had to rely on Robin when he clearly needed a rest highlights the lack of depth in the squad.

On the other hand, some fans blame for the players who couldn't deliver the expected performance for full 90 minutes. Is 48 hours not enough for players to recover from modern-day intense games?

What we don't understand is Wenger's reluctance to play Oxlade-Chamberlain. Surely he is a better option than Walcott at the moment. The boss seems to be worried about the 18-year old overawed by the intensity of the Premier League. Maybe this was because he felt that Chambo's confidence was dented after his lacklustre performance in the intense battle against Bolton in Carling Cup. However, he has experience in playing in big games, such as the FA Cup tie against Manchester United last season in a Southampton shirt. Carl Jenkinson, who is only a year older than him, was introduced to the intensity of the Premier League and even the Champions League qualifying straight from the non-league football (the last game he played before his move to Arsenal was for non-league Eastbourne side). Also, the ex-Southampton player are used to play in the lower division where games are even more physical than the Premier League. Besides, there are many teenage players already playing in the Premier League. A talented player like him should be able to cope with the vigour of England's top-flight games. If Wenger is waiting for a comfortable game to ease him into the life in the Premier League, his chance will never come, judging from the way Arsenal are currently playing! (When did you see Arsenal winning comfortably last time?)

Another young player Arsene Wenger seems reluctant to field is Ignasi Miquel. In the absence of the two recognised left-backs and following the injury to a makeshift left-back, Vermaelen, Miquel was favourite to play in this position ahead of the match. Instead, Wenger chose to play a central midfielder, Coquelin, once more at left-back. Although Coquelin played well until Fulham scored their second goal, we don't understand why Miquel doesn't get a chance to play. When Wenger brought a defensive substitution in place of Ramsey, it was Squillaci who came on the pitch. (We were horror-stricken at the sight of him on the touchline.)

If we have to give our players credit, that's for their first-half performance. There was some free-flowing football and they kept mounting pressure. Arsenal dominated the possession, but as usual, they failed to kill off the game.

Let's hope the second-half performance was just a one-off incident as a result of the fixture congestion during the festive season. As we go back to the weekly Premier League schedule, hopefully Arsenal will get back in winning ways. Keep fingers crossed that there will be no need of an FA Cup replay. Fortunately (or unfortunately), we are out of the Carling Cup competition for this season, which means our January fixtures are not as congested as the last season, with no two-legged semi-final matches.

The transfer window is now open. Henry's return is imminent. Hopefully, he will be able to take a goal-scoring pressure off RVP, but we still need a solution for our full-back crisis. Wenger is reluctant to make a permanent signing for full-backs as Sagna and Gibbs are both expected to return by the end of this month. The boss stated he would consider a loan deal for a left-back, but players clubs are willing to offer a loan deal for tend to be second-string players if not third-choices. Such players are not good enough for Arsenal even on a short-term basis. Wayne Bridge is one of the player who have been linked to Arsenal, but in my opinion, he is no longer a top-level player. He was far from impressive during his loan spell at West Ham in the second half of last season. He wouldn't be worth his wages, which wouldn't be cheap for a Manchester City player.

Gibbs is well-known as an injury-prone player and this season hasn't proven otherwise. Signing a versatile defender, who can play both at left-back and in central defence, such as Jan Vertonghen, is not such a bad idea (and get rid of Squillaci!).

Player ratings

Szczeny: 6
Made some good saves, including the one that denied Ruiz's close-range shot, but he admits his goalkeeping was poor for Fulham's equaliser. If he couldn't get to the ball, he might as well have stayed on line.

Djourou: 4
Got two yellow cards (I still think the second yellow card was a little bit too harsh, though) and sent off.

Mertesacker: 6
His unsuccessful challenge put pressure on Djourou and thus led to the right-back's dismissal.

Koscielny: 8
Solid defending. Scoring a goal was the icing on the cake.

Coquelin: 7
He often made forward runs and linked with Gervinho very well. The problem with playing centre-backs in the full-back positions is that our deputy full-backs (i.e., Vermaelen and Djourou) tend to drift into the middle, but in this game Coquelin provided the width. Overall he played well, despite playing out of position. Made a brave aerial challenge on Sidwell, but the head injury may have affected his performance later on. Where was he when Zamora scored the winning goal? The Fulham striker shouldn't have been left unmarked.

Ramsey: 7
He made a great run, providing a cross for Koscielny to head it home. Pulled the strings on attacking moves and worked hard, helping defence. His finishing still left much to be desired, but managed to put shots on target. Replaced by Squillaci at 81st minute.

Arteta: 6
Not involved great deal.

Song: 6
He couldn't break down Fulham attacks as much as we hoped.

Walcott: 4
Crossing, shooting, passing, everything he did was poor effort. He has been having a few poor games recently. It's time to start Chambo in his place.

Gervinho: 6
He works tirelessly, makes great runs, beats defenders and gets into the dangerous positions but he doesn't know what to do when he cannot find RVP in the box.

Van Persie: 6
He failed to conjure up the usual magic. In the second half, he spent most of time on the ground, probably looking for fouls, which we all knew would end up in vain with Lee Probert. Playing three games in the space of 6 days is too much for RVP. We should only be grateful for the fact that he didn't get injured.

Subs

Rosicky: 5
Replaced Walcott in the 65th minute to bring a fresh pair of legs into midfield, but failed to make a big difference (anybody was better than Walcott, though).

Benayoun: 5
74th-minute substitution for Gervinho. Made little impact.

Squillaci: 4
Came on in the 81st minute to replace Ramsey supposedly to shore up the defence, with the result that Arsenal conceded two goals within 8 minutes of each other, just 4 minutes after he had come on.

Referee

Lee Probert: 4
He gave few decisions in favour of us. Gervinho should have been given a penalty after his legs were swiped away by Senderos in the box. Even Martin Jol admitted that it should have been a penalty. Another bad decision which cost us expensively.

Arsenal 1 QPR 0

The focus of our pre-match talk was on the certain return of Thierry Henry. Fans' immediate reaction to the news seem to be divided between those who hailed the King's return without reservation and those who were sceptical about his pace and fitness being able to cope with the Premier League's speed and vigour at the age of 34 years and thus feared that his return might tarnish his legendary status at Arsenal. Amongst the latter, some are unhappy with reputedly frugal Arsene Wenger's decision to opt for the two-month loan deal of the 34 year-old player rather than a permanent signing of a younger world-class striker, such as Podolski and Gotze, who have been linked to Arsenal for some time. At the Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club, our collective view on this issue is a wait and see. While he will have a positive influence in the dressing room and training ground without doubt with his winning mentality, loyalty to the Club and experience, whether he can make an impact on the pitch is yet to be seen.

The game was another frustrating affair, but the biggest difference from Wolves game was that we got the result we wanted. The three points out of this match took us to the fourth spot in the table, leapfrogging Chelsea, who lost 3-1 to Aston Villa at home on the same day, and Liverpool, who had briefly occupied the fifth place following their defeat of Newcastle on the previous night. We ended the very difficult year in the top four.

Another difference was that Arsenal's frustration in the previous match was largely attributed to the opponents' goalkeeper, Hennessey's stunning performance and Wolves stubborn defence, while in this game our own players' futility was the main culprit. With more clinical finishing, Arsenal could have sealed the victory much more comfortably.

With both Manchester clubs dropping three points this weekend, the title race looked wide open. However, we, Arsenal fans, are more realistic than people might think after the very difficult start to the season. Our target, for now anyway, is to finish the season in the Champions League spot.

Player ratings

Szczeny: 7
Made some good stops at early stage. There was an unconvincing handling, but he recovered well to save the follow-on.

Djourou: 6
Dealt with Taarabt relatively well.

Mertesacker: 7
Played OK. No problem.

Koscielny: 8
Our best defender again. Looked solid.

Vermaelen: 7
Very unlucky to be booked due to the mistaken identity. Withdrawn early due to a calf strain, which could sideline him for two to three weeks. Another left-back we have lost.

Ramsey: 7
Mixed performance. He orchestrated attacking moves, including an inch-perfect through pass to Walcott. On the other hand, he gave away the ball too often. If he wants to achieve his target of double-digit goals, he has to improve his finishing.

Arteta: 7
I would definitely like to see Henry taking free-kicks on the left-hand side instead of Arteta any day of the week.

Song: 6
Again, his passing left much to be desired. On the defensive side, he covered the back four well.

Walcott: 5
He never hides his desire to become a central striker and he had a brilliant chance to show what he can do. Unfortunately, he failed to take it. His finish completely lacked composure. Thierry Henry would have certainly slotted it home.

Arshavin: 6
Apart from the pass that set up the winning goal for RVP, he had little impact. He was lazy and ineffective defensively, hence Rosicky's introduction in his place. Work rate is the reason why Gervinho is always selected before Arshavin.

Van Persie: 8
We can rely on him when it matters.

Subs

Coquelin: 7
Replaced injured Vermaelen at left-back in the 56th minute. Being essentially a midfielder, he made more forward runs than Vermaelen and created chances. As it happened, QPR's right flank did not pose as much threat as expected, he played OK defensively, too.

Rosicky: 7
Came in for Arshavin in the 68th minute, 8 minutes after RVP's winning goal. Good substitution as protecting a one-goal lead is always difficult with Arshavin in defence.

Gervinho: 7
He made the immediate difference as soon as he came on at 74th minute, but wasted at least two clear-cut chances.

Referee

Martin Atkinson: 4
Vermaelen's yellow card mystified all of us as well as the player himself and it turned out that Koscielny was the intended recipient. Arsenal had two penalty shouts for handball turned down. If the handball by Gary Caldwell of Wigan in their game against Stoke was indeed a red-card offence, these should have had the same treatment.

Arsenal 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

The hectic schedule during the festive period means rotation is inevitable. Yesterday's starting line-up saw some changes from Arsenal's established XI. The notable omission from the squad was Theo Walcott. According to Arsene Wenger's post-match interview, Theo was sick with a stomach problem (but he is already better and should be available on Saturday). We could have done with his pace on the flank to get behind Wolves defence.

One of the major talking points regarding the team selection in this period was when to rest RVP. Given his injury record, it would be too much for him to play three games in a space of 6 days. However, this game came 6 days after the previous match and 4 days before the next one, so his inclusion in the starting XI was pretty much anticipated especially as he was only 2 goals away from matching the goal-scoring record set by Alan Shearer. In the ideal world, if he had scored a hat-trick in this game and broke the record, Arsenal could have rested him on the last day of 2011 ahead of Fulham away game in the New Year. But it wasn't to be. In fact, RVP had enough chances to score a hat-trick, but luck and his finishing deserted him yesterday.

The impact subs against Aston Villa earned their deserved places in the starting line-up thanks to their impressive performances 6 days ago. Rosicky came in for Ramsey, who has had a couple of disappointing games recently and looked as if he could have done with a breather, so the boss' decision was understandable. Benayoun filled in for Theo. We were disappointed to see Oxlade-Chamberlain only make
the bench, but the winning-goal scorer in the last game deserved a place in the starting XI and actually started very well.

Arsene Wenger seems to prefer Koscielny in the central defence and Vermaelen at left-back as he deployed Djourou at right-back as soon as he had got back from injury. We don't know why the boss is reluctant to field Koscielny at right-back, Vermaelen in central defence and Miquel at left-back.

We compared the two contrasting games against Manchester City and Aston Villa in the previous post. This game was halfway between those two games in terms of performances and results and the most unsatisfactory. We didn't play as well as against Man City, but we outplayed and outclassed Wolves and surely deserved all three points. Obviously we were all disappointed at the Abbey Tavern and some expressed their displeasure with the team, but it wasn't fair to our players to criticise their performance. They played some slick football especially in the first half and showed their desire to win. They did absolutely everything but score in order to win the game. Unfortunately, Wolves goalkeeper, Hennessey, had an outstanding performance, while the ball did not fall for us.

That said, this was the game for which the results mattered. We couldn't capitalise on Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool dropping points on the previous day. Three points should have sent us to the fourth in the table and this time around not temporarily. The results frustrated us most rather than performance.

Fortunately, games come thick and fast at this time of the year, leaving us with no time to dwell on the disappointing result. The next two games can be tricky, which will be played within only two days of each other. RVP is likely to be rested in one of the two games. Now it looks a slim chance that he will break Alan Shearer's record, he might start from the bench against QPR at home on the New Year's eve. We probably need him more for Fulham away game.

We would like to choose Gervinho for Man of the Match, not just because he scored our only goal (you may know by now that we tend to avoid obvious choices), but because his constant hard work is due for some recognition.

Player ratings

Szczeny: 6
Didn't have much to do as Wolves registered only one shot on target. Couldn't he have done more to stop Fletcher's header going in or prevent him meeting the deflection?

Djourou: 4
His defence was far from convincing and his passing was poor.

Mertesacker: 8
Looked solid. Made some important blocks and good passes. Unlucky not to score.

Koscielny: 8
Defensively reliable and made good runs forward, too.

Vermaelen: 7
Good tackles, more runs forward and crosses. Had a better game as the left-back, but there were moments when his desire to win nearly got better of him.

Rosicky: 8
He was in the heart of Arsenal's attacking moves. Shame he blasted wide when he could have done better, but he looked more confident in shooting than he had been in the last couple of seasons.

Arteta: 7
Never put a foot wrong. I have seen better free-kicks by him in an Everton shirt.

Song: 5
We thought we missed him while he was serving suspension in the last game, but his performance was disappointing in this game. His passing left a lot to be desired. Replaced in the 71st minute by Ramsey.

Benayoun: 8
Set up a goal for Gervinho via a defence-splitting pass. Replaced in 64 minutes by Arshavin.

Gervinho: 9
Finally he got his decision and finish spot-on (to be honest, we didn't have much faith in him. We all thought he was going to mess it up) and his hard work was rewarded in the shape of a goal, which was executed with great composure.

Van Persie: 7
He was as creative as always. He had several chances to score himself, but it wasn't his day. Some fans say that this is the kind of game which makes him want to leave Arsenal. Maybe so result-wise, but he cannot fault his team-mates' efforts and commitment. He admits that at Arsenal he gets so many chances to score that he can afford to take gambles to try out various techniques, hence his impressive goal-scoring form so far. This game was no exception. He has an equal share of blame for not winning the game.

Subs

Arshavin: 7
Came on at 64th minute for Benayoun. Lively. Made a very good effort, which unfortunately hit the woodwork.

Ramsey: 6
Replaced Song as Arsenal looked for an elusive second goal. His introduction seemed to have fuelled Arsenal's attacking moves, but failed to make his mark.

Chamakh: 4
Came off the bench at 85th minute to replace Djourou as Arsenal desperately sought a last-grasp winner. He nearly knocked out RVP.

Referee

Stuart Attwell: 4
So many of his decisions were inconsistent. He gave a foul against Vermaelen for a handball, which was less clear than Wolves player's handball in the box just a minute ago. A red card against Milijas may have been a bit harsh. Another Wolves player's tackle on Ramsey, a couple of seconds after the incident, was worse than the red-carded challenge on Arteta, but it went unpunished.

Aston Villa 1 Arsenal 2

The game presented sheer contrast to the match played just three days ago. You would ask yourself which you like better, great football with no points out of it or three points with unsatisfactory performance. Arsenal bagged all three points in the end, but their performance was below-par and the win was far from convincing.

Maybe the game came too soon after the intense battle against Manchester City. The dire full-back situation didn't help, either. Aston Villa players constantly threatened the flanks, firing crosses into the box. Arsene Wenger has to address this issue and find a solution by signing a full-back on loan or on a permanent basis. Otherwise we cannot go on without any recognised full-back for very long. Makeshift back-four can only stand the pressure for a limited amount of time.

Arsenal's passing was poor in this game. Especially Frimpong was disappointing. We really missed Song, who was serving a one-match suspension after receiving the 5th yellow card of the season on Sunday. Surprisingly, Arsenal's passing success rate was only marginally lower than their average (around 84%) at 81.8%.

For Sunday's game, Arsenal were unlucky not to come away with at least a point, while Aston Villa may have deserved a point from this game. As football fans, we all enjoy a good game of football regardless of the result, but as Arsenal fans, we don't mind getting the result when our team haven't played at their best. This was the game we would have lost in recent seasons. Coming through the difficult start to the season has certainly strengthened the team mentally and gelled them together.

As for our Man of the Match, it is too close to call between Szczeny and Koscielny, so they are our joint Men of the Match.

Player ratings

Szczeny: 8
Made some great stops, including match-saving blocks.

Coquelin: 5
Struggled to keep Villa attacks on the right flank at bay.

Mertesacker: 6
Villa's equaliser was perhaps largely attributed to Vermaelen, but Per could have done better to stop Albrighten nipping in. He received a yellow card as a result of a totally worthless challenge. On the other hand, he showed great spirit in front of Villa goal and went close to score goals.

Koscielny: 8
The best Arsenal defender on the night.

Vermaelen: 6
One of his relatively poor games. His error led to Villa equaliser.

Ramsey: 5
He had a poor game by his own admission (he tweeted so). His passing wasn't best and his finishing and/or split-second decisions let him down again. He should have done better when he got into the great position than shooting horribly wide. On the other hand, his block saved Arsenal conceding an early goal.

Arteta: 7
His clever thinking from a throw-in allowed Walcott to earn a penalty.

Frimpong: 5
Song's suspension meant a much-anticipated chance for the 19 year-old to shine, but he failed to take it. His passing was poor and he wasn't very effective in breaking down Villa attacks in midfield. He was replaced by Rosicky at 66th minute, which was an excellent decision by the boss.

Walcott: 8
Constantly threatened Villa defence. His great move in the box earned him a penalty gracefully (he didn't go down as if he had been shot).

Gervinho: 7
He had a relatively quiet game offensively. On the defensive side, he worked hard as usual, which was extremely important when we only had a makeshift left-back.

Van Persie: 8
He posed a threat to Villa defenders with his mobility.

Subs

Rosicky: 8
Came on the pitch in 66 minute to replace Frimpong and made the massive difference immediately. He brought fluency in passing and movements, changing the rhythm. He always makes an impact when he has come off the bench. Good sub. That's what we want from a 30 year-old player. We shouldn't sell him.

Benayoun: 8
One of the double substitions brought on at 81st minute and scored 6 minutes later. He injected energy into the team and the game. Great header from the diminutive player. He is hungry for playing time, is keen to take a chance to show what he is capable of and you can see that in his game. He dedicated the goal to Vermaelen according to his tweet. I don't know what story is behind this, but it is nice to see some togetherness in the team. Speaking about the twitter, after Arsenal's defeat of Chelsea, he congratulated his current team-mates on the twitter, which apparently infuriated Chelsea-supporter followers. He is a Gooner at heart. We should see him play more often when Gervinho goes to Africa Cup of Nations as he is a better option than Arshavin at the moment.

Arshavin: 5
The other of the double substitutions. Made a good effort, which was deflected over the bar.

Referee

Jonathan Moss: 4
More like Jonathan Ross. He booked RVP for diving instead of awarding him a penalty. Match of the Day replay showed there was a contact, which proved the decision for diving was wrong. This was the second penalty shout wrongfully turned down in two games in a row.

Manchester City 1 Arsenal 0

It was a good game of football. The result was disappointing, especially because we deserved at least a point out of the game and could have won the game on a lucky day. Nonetheless, we all enjoyed excellent football from the both sides and were happy with our players' performance.

Just compare how much money each of the two clubs has spent and are spending for their players. The game proved that there was not much in the quality and performance of the players between the two sides. Media used old clichés, "Manchester City were a better side" or "City were too good for Arsenal", simply because of the result. Skysports stats show Arsenal had more possession throughout the game with 53%, and 61.1% in the second-half alone. Before the match, everybody expected Man City to dominate the game in possession. Arsenal played their style of football and went very close to win the game. Our players did us proud.

Arsene Wenger blamed the defensive reshuffle following the injury to Djourou for the goal conceded. It allowed Balotelli to make a run in the entire Arsenal half unmarked, but after the mishap, Arsenal's reorganised defence coped well with Man City attacks. I thought it was a tactical change because Koscielny played better than Djourou at right-back and Miquel did not do a bad job at left-back. Actually our defence looked solid throughout the game (maybe except for the first 10 minutes, when we thought this could have been long 90 minutes).

I quite like our current team. They don't have the same creative flair we had last season nor win games with emphatic scorelines, but they are unlikely to capitulate from 4-0 up at half-time (even with certain Phil Dowd on the mission to stage a greatest come-back in the Premier League history) or surrender a two-goal lead and go on to lose 3-2 to North London archrivals.

The two summer signings, Mertersacker and Arteta, have brought experience to the young team and provided calming and settling presence.The team now know how to control games. Their good work often go unnoticed because of the nature of their roles. However, at Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club, we appreciate the influence of these two experienced players. In contrast to their calming influence, Captain Vantastic and vice-captain the Verminator drive the team with determination and desire to win.

I don't think the outcome of this game will have negative effects on our players. Arsenal have easier fixtures coming up for the next 12 days. It is a good time to get back to winning ways. Hopefully, we can get all 9 points and put pressure on Chelsea and Tottenham, at least one of which will drop points during the same period.

Our Man of the Match is Thomas Vermaelen. He nearly scored twice at later stage and showed great spirit.

Players ratings:

Szczeny: 9
Made great stops, some of which could have been match-deciders. He was as good as Joe Hart.

Djourou: 7
Reluctant to go forward and overlap with Walcott, which was largely anticipated, though. Replaced at 47th minute due to a groin strain, which could sideline him for three weeks.

Mertesacker: 8
Looked solid. Only complaint was that he should probably have covered Koscielny when Balotelli made the run.

Koscielny: 8
Good performance as the centre-back. Wasn't bad as the right-back, either, although some distributions were poor. As the right-back, he was more adventurous than Djourou (actually, he made great forward runs as the centre-back as well before he took the right-back position) and put some good crosses in. He may not feel comfortable playing the right-back, but he can get used to it and improve his game.

Vermaelen: 9
Started as the left-back and ended the game as the centre-back. Solid all through the game.

Ramsey: 8
He made some great runs to get into the area, but his finishing let him down. He always wants one touch too many before he shoots. I've read a lot of criticism from fans about him recently, especially about his fitness level. Apparently he covers the most distance of all players in the Premier League. Doesn't this stat show that he's back to full fitness now?

Arteta: 8
Reliable as usual.

Song: 8
Good both defensively and offensively. Made some incisive passes again. His passing has significantly improved this season.

Walcott: 7
This is where our views were divided (it always seems to be on him). Before the match, many thought he would hold the key to Arsenal's attacking as City didn't have any established left-back with Kolarov injured and Clichy suspended. Despite the expectations, Theo had a quiet game apart from one powerful shot, which forced a good save from Joe Hart. Some of us think his subdued performance was due to the lack of service. An eagle-eyed member spotted him waving to invite a pass only to be ignored by Arteta.

Gervinho: 9
His work rate was once again phenomenal. One second he was in the opponents' box and the next second he was at the other end defending. He was unlucky not to put his name on the score sheet as Joe Hart didn't know anything about his "brilliant save".

Van Persie: 8
Marked tightly by Man City defenders all through the game, but he still managed to prove that he only needed one chance to do something special, when he found space. Match of the Day replay showed he was played on-side by Kompany, who was on the far side to the assistant referee, and his goal should have stood.

Subs

Miquel: 8
47th-minute substitution for injured Djourou. He did well under the circumstances and out of position. (He has to get used to playing in this position if he wants the first-team action as Arsenal's full-back drought looks set to continue).

Arshavin: 5
Came off the bench at 69th minute for Walcott. He had a clear-cut chance to score and shine, but his effort was disappointing.

Chamakh: 5
Replaced Mertesacker in 82 minute, which meant Arsenal were attacking with four strikers, leaving only two in midfield. However, he failed to make a difference.

Referee

Phil Dowd: 4
We thought we hadn't suffered from bad decisions this season, then this game came. RVP was not off side and Micah Richards handled the ball in the box. These decisions could have meant two goals to Arsenal.

2011 Christmas Party

Our Christmas party took place on 12 December at Pablo's bar in Playa Flamenca, Spain. Following the last year's huge success and popularity, 46 guests turned up to share festive fun and enjoy Christmas dinner and entertainment.

We were welcomed with a glass of Cava on arrival. The party kicked off at 7:30 pm and as we seated ourselves, Ricky's carefully compiled Arsenal videos started. The video archives told Arsenal's 125 year history with famous victories and stunning goals (as well as a couple of heart-breaking defeats only noticed by watchful eyes). We thought RVP's goal against Everton was exceptional and today's players were blessed with more technical abilities, but some of those goals from the old days were just breath-taking. The show was a feast for the eyes.

Between the courses, Arsenal trivia quiz questions were read out by Mabel the Quizmistress and the guests were tested on their knowledge about our great football club. Later in the evening, Maurice 22 team (Mo, Maureen Q, Mick, Maureen J, and Pat) came top with the impressive 22 points and were awarded Arsenal quiz champion Cava.

Following Chairman Mo's speech, raffle was drawn, which proved to be a success, bringing €120 into the Supporters Club fund. A football scratch card was also sold. Tonight's winner was Tony, while PF Gooners also benefitted from the proceeds.

Collections were made for Maggie and her staff, who worked hard to make all the proceedings go smoothly, and presented as our gratitude for good food and excellent service.

The night grew with dance and a few songs from the guests, including Trevor and John. It was a thoroughly enjoyable night.

We have posted only a few photos here. This year we chose to post all the party photos on our Facebook Page so we can post more photos with captions alongside them and exchange comments on each photo. Please follow the link by clicking here to have a look at more photos.

Arsenal 1 Everton 0

Most of media reports described this game "largely scrappy" and Arsenal's performance "uninspiring", but I enjoyed both the game and the team's performance (I must admit that if the result had gone wrong way, I might not have enjoyed the game so much). Arsenal didn't make the game easy by failing to be clinical enough in front of the goal, but they created plenty of chances in the first half, some of which were easy on the eyes. The defence was solid. Considering the fact that Arsenal currently has no recognised full-backs, following Santos' injury in the midweek game, their defensive performance was encouraging. Vermaelen looked good as the left-back.

The goal came in 70 minute after Everton had tightened up their defence by replacing striker Saha with a centre-back, Distin, looking like they were going for a goalless draw, while Arsenal were preparing to throw in more attacking force in Rosicky and Arshavin in order to break a deadlock. The subs had to wait.

RVP was the hero once again. He had a relatively poor game by his own standards and by his own admision. His touch deserted him. However, a moment of brilliance made up for it.

Three points were absolutely vital to keep up with the top four and saw Arsenal climb to the 4th spot for the first time this season as a result. It may only be until Monday night (I am hoping Chelsea will beat Man City or draw at least), but we are now very close to where we wanted to be.

Our Man of the Match is Alex Song because we rate overall performance more than a moment of brilliance.

Players ratings:

Szczeny: 7
Although Everton had only one shot on target, he was active with some good clearances. However, he could have made his defenders' lives easier by coming forward to claim the ball on some occasions.

Djourou: 7

A lot better than Tuesday night.

Mertesacker: 7
Looked solid.

Koscielny: 8
Won all the aerial battles.

Vermaelen: 8
Some great tackles, including fending off Cahill in a very dangerous area. He did a good job in an unfamiliar position (I have read somewhere that he occasionally plays the left-back for Belgium national team, though).

Ramsey: 8
Personally, I think he had a good game. He made some great moves into the box to get in good positions, as well as providing incisive passes (which is what we expect from him most) and linking up with other attacking players. His turn and shot in the box were a sequence of beautiful and technically superb moves. Had it hit the target, it would have been a strong contender for the Goal of the Month against RVP's sublime volley.

Arteta: 8
Did well amid the media focus as this game was a first meeting with his old club. Even an early yellow card did not stop him from working hard. He had good link-up play as well.

Song: 8
His passing is improving. His clipped pass to RVP was exquisite and deserves every credit.

Walcott: 8
He had one of his better games. He can beat defenders not only with pace, but strength and trickery as well. His crosses are getting better. He even had a powerful shot from the right-hand side, which forced a good save out of Tim Howard. He is developing into a great winger.

Gervinho: 7
Lively, but his finishing and split-second decisions in front of the goal let him down.

Van Persie: 8
Superb goal which will be rememberd for a long time on Arsenal's 125th anniversary. However, otherwise, his performance on the day was below his standards.

Subs

Rosicky: 7
83rd-minute substitution. He was supposed to come on earlier, but RVP's goal changed the plan. He was bright. Although he has made only short appreances recently, his performance has been consistent and has made an impact. Good sub.

Miquel: 7
Substituted Vermaelen at the 83rd minute. Didn't put a foot wrong.

Frimpong: N/A
Came on for Walcott to shore up the defence in 89 minute. Did his job to see off Everton.

Referee

Howard Webb: 6
Decisions were OK, but was he Everton's 12th player? He got Arsenal players' way on several occasions on the edge of Arsenal box.

Olympiacos 3 Arsenal 1

Is this Arsenal's worst performance we have seen for a long time? The team did not have any shape, with no cohesion nor desire to win. What I don't understand was why they performed so badly, because they are almost the same group of players who impressed us last week.

Arsenal played in exactly the same situation before: they were already through to the knockout stages with a game to spare and Arsene Wenger fielded the youngest ever team to play in the Champions League against the same Greek side. They were narrowly defeated, but the next morning, all the papers praised their brave and committed performance with a headline "Hold your head high". In comparison to this young 2009 team, Tuesday's team consisted of more experienced first-teamers. Out of the starting XI, only three players were under 21 and they are already a part of the first-team.

So what went wrong? Arsenal gave away the ball too cheaply and too often. Their passing success rate was 79.9% according Sky Sports site, which is far too low compared to Arsenal's starndards (usually around 84%). For the weekend game against Wigan, Arsenal's collective passing success rate was 89% (source: the Sunday Mirror), while Ramsey achieved over 90% mark. Olympiacos pressed them very hard and were always looking to intercept passes, but some passing by Arsenal players was just sloppy and too casual.

Arsene Wenger admitted "I don't think we had the right tactical approach." Could anybody explain this? Did he mean his selection of players? It looked like Arsenal played 4-4-2, which was similar to the last week's Carling Cup game, but each player did not seem to understand their role very well, hence no shape to offensive nor defensive moves. The system worked well against Man City, thanks to the two young defensive midfielders' outstanding performance, but in this game, Arsenal looked short of creativity. When Rosicky came off the bench, he highlighted what Arsenal had been missing.

For Olympiacos, their qualification was at stake and they had everything to play for in this game. On the other hand, the result meant very little to Arsenal, who had already secured their place in the last 16 and won Group F. However, this group of players had a lot to prove and should have been desperate to impress. While Olympiacos showed their determination and commitment, there was no urgency nor desire to win seen from most of Arsenal players (especially those who needed playing time).

It is difficult to find positives we can take from this game. Experience? Maybe for the young players like Chambo, Coquelin, Frimpong, Miquel, and Mannone. If fact, these players, except for Mannone, were better players than most of the more experienced players on the pitch.

Hopefully, Saturday will be a totally different story with many changes to this evening's line-up. The injury to Santos, the only proper left-back we had since Gibbs was sidelined, was a huge blow coming from this game, but fortunately he does not seem to be out for very long. In the meantime, Vermaelen is likely to slot into the left-back position, with Koscielny paired with Mertesacker in central defence and Djourou at right-back. Hopefully, Djourou will improve his performance significantly from this game!

As for the usual (Arsenal) Man of the Match, it is difficult to choose one player for wrong reasons, but we choose Benayoun, who was one of a few players who showed their desire and scored a goal on the miserable night for Arsenal.

Player ratings: (Before we start, we don't do 2s or 3s as some of our members suggested)

Fabianski: 5
The first goal was a bit unlucky, but his performance was never convincing to the moment he was stretched off at 25th minute due to a deep cut in the knee.

Djourou: 4
He was sloppy and not alert or sharp. You cannot dwell on the ball in your own box with the opponent attacker on you.

Squillaci: 4
Old Squillaci was back just when we thought he was a new player after the last week's game.

Vermaelen: 6
Not his best game. But at least he tried to win the game.

Santos: 6
We don't know why Arsene Wenger played him. He should have been rested as well as other key players because he was the only proper left-back we had. Miquel should have started instead.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
He was quiet for the first 15 minutes or so, but he displayed his talent. His crosses were good and he beat tough Olympiacos defenders on several occasions. The game was a good test for him to test his strength.

Coquelin: 7
Survived a brutal challenge from an Olympiacos player. Replaced by Tomas Rosicky in the 67 minute.

Frimpong: 7
He was one of a few players who showed their desire to win. As combative as usual, but he received a yellow card for a reckless challenge, just after he claimed in his pre-match interview that he was no longer reckless and he thought twice before going into challenges.

Benayoun: 7
Technically superb strike to net Arsenal's only goal. He showed some creativity and commitement. His performance on the night made many Arsenal fans wish to see him play more often for the Club.

Arshavin: 5
Some good moves, but he gave away too many balls. Failed to prove his worth.

Chamakh: 4
Had a few good moments, including a great run in the first 15 minutes but not enough to impress. He missed a great chance to score because he didn't bother to make a little extra effort. He didn't even jump to meet crosses. I fondly remember how he saved the first half of Arsenal's season last year when RVP was injured, but he didn't do himself any favour in this game to save his career at Arsenal.

Subs

Mannone: 4
He has to take a sole responsibility for the second goal. He came out of his area to clear the ball with a header, which went straight to Fuster, and then the young Italian keeper failed to realise the situation where he could have simply gathered the ball, but instead he went for it with his feet. Reportedly Mannone told the Club to play him or sell him earlier this season. He got his chance. Hope Szczesny will stay fit for the rest of the season so that we don't have to rely on the back-up keepers.

Miquel: 5
51st-minute substitution for injured Santos. He looked tired, slow to get back to defend.

Rosicky: 7
Made an immediate impact when he came off the bench.

Wigan 0 Arsenal 4

Although Arsenal were 2-0 up at half time and had the last 25 minutes of the first half in control, when Wigan started the second half brightly, they reminded us how tricky this place has been for Arsenal for the last two seasons. However, Arsenal have been the comeback kings of late, with the highest number (7) of games they came from behind to win or draw, so I was confident about their resilience and mental strength in case Wigan had come back and pulled back a goal. In fact, Arsenal kept their concentration to the last minute and did not take their foot off the gas. They displayed a thoroughly professional performance. It was a comfortable win in the end.

The first two goals were untypical of Arsenal; Arteta's shot from outside the box and Vermaelen's header from a corner. The most efficient way to score. As we are often frustrated by Arsenal's usual attacking display of passing around just outside the box till they get dispossessed, we didn't mind the way they scored these goals.

Arsene Wenger expressed his delight for Gervniho's goal in his post-match interview and we feel the same. He has been working hard and doing everything right but the final ball. This time, his split-second decision was spot-on and finishing was good. He was in the right place at the right time, but his reaction to Al Habsi's save was more than just a tap-in. It took some skill to put the ball at the back of the net as the rebound still had a nasty spin on it.

The fact that we had four different goal scorers in this game should shut up all the criticism about Arsenal's dependence on RVP for goal sources, while RVP extended his impressive run of a goal-scoring form as well. On top of these, a clean sheet was another positive outcome from this game.

As a result of the fine performance from the entire team, Arsenal has risen to the 5th in the league table at the expense of Newcastle and on the strength of the much-improved goal difference.

As for the Man of the Match, Sky Sports and the Sunday Mirror chose RVP and Aaron Ramsey, respectively, while Arteta topped fans' voting with 34% of total votes on the Arsenal.com site. It is difficult to pick one player as our Man of the Match because the emphatic win was the result of collective efforts and a great team performance. However, we would like to take this opportunity to choose Arteta as his work often goes unrecognised.

Player ratings:

Szczeny: 8
His decisions were spot-on in this game.

Koscielny: 8

He had another good game, following the midweek action against Man City in his much familiar central defensive position. He often overlapped Walcott, showing signs of confidence as the right-back.

Mertesacker: 8

The return of the Verminator clearly benefitted him. He had an inclination to make wrong decisions and wrong passes under the pressure of opposition challenges, but these days he only needs to look at Vermaelen, who gives him instructions as to whether to pass back to the keeper. Having a reliable defender with more experience in the EPL and natural leader alongside him must have taken a burden off his shoulders. He looks more comfortable these days.

Vermaelen: 9

As reliable as usual. Scored a great goal with precision. This is just like his debut season when we were all excited with our acquisition of a new centre-back who can score freely. How much we missed him during the last season and the first three months of this season!

Santos: 7

His bizarre defensive move nearly cost us a goal. Didn't he know there was no Wigan player behind him? On the other hand, he apparently "blocked" Jordi Gomez's close-range shot, which would have gone in otherwise.

Ramsey: 8

He made all the right moves and obviously posed a threat to the Wigan side as he was fouled all afternoon. The understanding and attack-defence balance among the midfield trio was perfect. They may not be as dynamic as their counterparts last season (Fabregas-Wilshere-Song) at their best (which we didn't see as often as we liked because of Fabregas' hamstring problems and his inconsistency in performance), but this season's midfield is getting better and stronger gradually.

Arteta: 9
Excellent.

Song: 8

Did his job well.

Walcott: 8

He did well to stay on his feet when he could have gone down and looked for a penalty. He continued his run and pulled back a great pass to RVP. Captain showed his gratitude to Theo's good work after he scored. Great strike partnership.

Gervinho: 8

Finally, his hard work bore fruit. Hopefully the goal has boosted his confidence and more goals will come from him.

Van Persie: 9

Cool finish. He tirelessly created space and chances for his team-mates and himself.

Subs

Arshavin: 6

He lost the ball in a simple backward pass to Santos. I like Arshavin as a person and appreciate that he has made his mark in Arsenal's history by scoring four goals against Liverpool, but I haven't been impressed with his performance lately. However, his departure in the January transfer window is unlikely (unlesss we buy Eden Hazard or Mario Gotze) as he will be the first choice to fill the void Gervinho will leave when the Ivorian goes to African Nations' Cup.

Benayoun: 7
Nearly scored.

Coquelin: 6
Got a yellow card for a totally unnecessary foul.

Referee (We don't usually do this, but we were compelled to do it because his performance was appalling)

Mark Clattenburg: 5

Ramsey was clearly held by the Wigan defender in the box, but the ref waved play on. It did not affect the result, but if he had awarded Arsenal a penalty, it would have added to RVP's goal tally most certainly (That said, the Dutchman missed a pen against Wigan at the Emirates last season). Booking Song was another poor decision.