It was another hard-fought win, which was a lot tougher than last week's 1-0 win over Stoke as we had a lot of defending to do under severe pressure with a numerical disadvantage. The last 20 minutes brought our hearts into our mouths. It was not comfortable viewing, but in the end, we were all pleased with our team's gritty display. Arsenal have been criticised for their lack of steel in recent years. Losing a key player to injury and a sending off could have had a catastrophic effect on the team's performance in the past. The departure of Jack Wilshere certainly affected our creative side of play, but it didn't lead to capitulation. We defended resolutely after going down to 10 men. We like the way the team earned a vital three points. Facing a situation where we cannot afford to drop any more points, have the team finally found a strength of character? We'd like to think so.
Games following international breaks always give Arsene Wenger team selection headaches and this one was no exception. The biggest problem was a centre-back position. With Thomas Vermaelen ruled out after reportedly having been sent back from the Belgium national squad midweek due to his lingering ankle problem, Koscielny's fitness was a big issue. Wenger was optimistic about the Frenchman's calf strain that forced him to limp off the pitch during France's friendly against Germany on Wednesday night. However, the boss admitted prior to the match that if Koscielny failed a test, options were limited and he had to be "creative". To our relief, the boss didn't mention Squillaci's name as an option. As it turned out, Koscielny reportedly tweaked his calf in the warm-up and as a result, Bacary Sagna was told to play in central defence only 15 minutes before the game, which meant Jenkison was promoted from the bench to the starting line-up at right back. Another option Wenger suggested in the pre-match press conference was on the bench in the shape of Iggy Miquel.
In addition to those changes to the shape of the back four, Wenger made two more changes to the side that started in last week's victory over Stoke. Aaron Ramsey, who was pulled out of the Wales squad before their friendly against Austria due to a calf problem, came in for Abu Diaby, while Santi Cazorla started in the place of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The scorer of the winner against Stoke, Lukas Podoski, was on the bench along with Vito Mannone, the Ox, Tomas Rosicky, and Diaby.
A fraction of fans are not happy with the negative tactic we adopted for the last 20 minutes, which was sitting in deep and trying to hit Sunderland on the break. However, we think the Gunners did the right thing under the circumstances with 10 men. In fact, it nearly worked. On several occasions, our break-away players outnumbered Sunderland defenders as the hosts pushed forward, committing more players higher up the pitch. If only Giroud, Cazorla, and Diaby had been more clinical in their finishing, we could have enjoyed the rest of the game relaxed. Walcott also hit the woodwork.
While we heap praise on our team's resolute and committed display in the second half, our regret is wastefulness in the first half. We played some good football and beautiful link-up play, demonstrating quality in the team and showcasing Arsenal's style of play, but the final ball let us down. Walcott and Giroud missed glorious goal-scoring chances, while Ramsey was unlucky not to score on two occasions, both of which were denied by fine saves by Mignolet. We had enough chances to put the game out of sight in the first half and the sending off wouldn't have mattered too much.
That said, positives taken from this game far outweigh negatives. We started the game with high tempo and kept attacking with a high level of intensity for a large part of the first half. Hopefully, we have kicked the recent habit of slow starts which earned us a reputation as a second-half team.
Another clean sheet and solid defensive performance should boost the team' confidence. Since the arrival of Nacho Monreal, we have kept a clean sheet twice in a row. Is this coincidence? The presence of an experienced left back seemed to have contributed to the stability of our defence. Mertesacker was largely helped in the less familiar left side of central defence by not having to cover for the left back and concentrating on his job. In particular, Monreal's calmness is beneficial to our defence which was shaky previously.
Three points proved to be vital with Chelsea and Tottenham winning on the same day. The win moved us up in the table to fifth, leapfrogging Everton, and we are set to stay there for at least another two weeks, following Everton's loss to Manchester United on Sunday. Now we have three important matches in three different competitions in two weeks. We need to focus on each one of them.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 9
Produced a string of outstanding saves, which were crucial to secure the three points.
Jenkinson: 5
Sent off in the 62nd minute after receiving a second yellow card. We think the first one was a bit harsh as it was his first foul and wasn't a malicious challenge, but just mistimed. Nonetheless he should have been more careful after being cautioned. Struggled to cope with Sunderland's wide players. However, we still think he is a promising young talent and this game just highlighted the fact that he needs games. It's a shame now he will miss out on Saturday's FA Cup tie against Blackburn Rovers through suspension, which could have been an ideal opportunity for him.
Sagna: 9
Prior to the match, we were sceptical about him playing as a centre back mainly because of his height or lack of it, although we knew that he has a tremendous leap. In fact, he put in a blinding performance and fared better than in his regular position at right back, perhaps because he didn't have to run up and down the flank or put crosses in. It was a revelation.
Mertesacker: 7
Generally solid, apart from one failed clearance, which nearly cost us a goal and two points (although Fletcher handled the ball).
Monreal: 8
It was the first stern test for him in the defensive terms as Stoke showed little ambition in going forward last week. We think he passed it with flying colours. Made two key passes with 96% passing success rate.
Ramsey: 7
Had a good game both defensively and offensively. Actively involved in attack in the first half but following the sending off of Jenkinson, he ended up playing in an unfamiliar right-back position. He was dispossessed by Sessegnon, which could have had significant consequences, but to be fair for him, his play was probably affected by the knock he received on the ankle.
Wilshere: 8
Drove the team forward till he suffered a big kick on the thigh. Excellent in linking with Cazorla, which is encouraging as it looks these two seemed to have developed good understanding. Keep fingers crossed for his speedy recovery. Wenger hopes it will be four or five days until the England midfielder is back. Newspaper reports suggest that Wilshere could be back for Saturday's cup tie, but with the Champions League game on the horizon as early as on Tuesday night, it may be a good idea to start him from the bench. Certainly his fitness shouldn't be gambled on, considering the importance of a player of his calibre against Bayern Munich.
Arteta: 8
Guided the team to the hard-fought victory as captain of the day. Subtle display as usual, but played a central role in distribution of the ball and Arsenal's resolute defence.
Cazorla: 9
Scored the winning goal and orchestrated Arsenal's attack.
Walcott: 7
Had several goal scoring chances, one of which he hit the woodwork. He has hugely improved this season in consistency through a game. He doesn't go missing or fade away in games these days.
Giroud: 7
Worked hard. He played a vital part in defence, using his aerial ability, as well as getting involved in most of the Gunners' attacking play. However, he needs to improve his finishing.
Subs
Diaby: 7
50th-minute substitute for injured Wilshere. Added physical strength and height to the Arsenal defence and defended well.
Miquel: 6
Came off the bench in the 87th minute to replace Walcott in order to shore up the defence. Did his job.
Referee
Anthony Taylor: 5
His decisions were inconsistent. Jenkinson's first carded challenge was not as bad as some of the Sunderland players' tackles which escaped punishment. Arsenal midfielders, especially Ramsey and Wilshere, and forwards suffered the consequences of the referee's shortcomings physically. One of the poorer referees this season.
Welcome to the official Arsenal Supporters Club based in Playa Flamenca, Costa Blanca, Spain.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Arsenal 1 Stoke 0
If "the end-to-end stuff" and a goal fest are main ingredients for entertaining games, this game was certainly not one of them, but it was not our fault. Stoke parked the bus and stopped us playing our free-flowing football by constantly tripping Walcott and Wilshere. They had no intention of attacking, with only Crouch up front left isolated. It was very difficult to break down stubborn Stoke defence and in the end, we needed a lucky deflection on Geoff Cameron's boot to find the net. Some fans are critical, stating that we don't have a plan B against those teams who try to defend with 10 men behind the ball, but we think that we could have won the game even without a help of luck, by playing our style of football, had it not been for Asmir Begovic's heroics. Also, the media were sceptical about penetration of our attack, but through Wilshere's incisive pass combined with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's effort, we managed to get behind Stoke's defence and created a number of clear-cut chances. We could have won 3-0, again had it not been for Begovic's superb saves.
In fact, we played some good football despite Stoke's efforts to stop us playing. Before the match, a piece of Opta stats was in the centre of attention, which was "if only the second half of games counted this season Arsenal would be second on 46 points, two points behind Manchester City." So, it was official that Arsenal are a second-half team. Following the Liverpool match, in which we came back from 2-0 down to earn a point, Podolski urged his team to start strongly from the beginning. The team responded to his call by starting the game in high tempo against Stoke.
Arsene Wenger made five changes to his side who started against Liverpool on Wednesday. Injured Vermaelen was replaced by Kosielny. Vermaelen's aggravated ankle problem left us with little left-back option, either a transfer-deadline-day signing, Nacho Monreal, or Andre Santos. To our joy, Monreal came straight into the starting XI. Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski dropped to the bench, while Abu Diaby and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came in for them. Fit-again Mikel Arteta started in the place of Aaron Ramsey, who had filled in for the Spaniard as a deep-lying midfielder relatively well.
All eyes were on our new signing. Although most of fans agreed that he was a great acquisition, some were disappointed with Arsenal's transfer activity less than they expected amid the media reports that the Club had a sizable transfer budget. At Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club, we were pleased with the fact that the boss recognised the need of a new left-back and took action before the transfer window slammed shut. Maybe we could have done with a new holding midfielder as well, but we don't think we needed a new striker as we have Walcott and Podolski as Giroud's back-up.
Left-back was exactly where we needed to strengthen and we are happy to see Wenger act swiftly as soon as he had found Gibbs would be out for up to six weeks. We didn't have an adequate cover for Gibbs as Santos is not a Premier-League level defender. Also, at the age of 23, Gibbs is too young to be an uncontested first-choice left-back anyway. The 26-year-old former Malaga player is at the prime of his career and nine caps for the Spanish national team is not to be sniffed at. Arsenal had been linked with Luke Shaw of Southampton for some time, but following his signing of a new contract with the South coast club, the speculation has died down. We are glad that the potential move didn't materialise. Shaw may be a talented player with 6-month experience in the Premier League, but another teenage player is not what we wanted for this position.
We didn't get disappointed with the display by our new signing. Although his defensive prowess was not much tested as Stoke had decided not to push forward, Monreal was unfazed in aerial duels against Jon Walters. Arsene Wenger said, "There is no better culture shock than Stoke when you come from Spain!". Monreal also looked comfortable and confident on the ball as is the case for Spanish players. He even played a lovely one-two with Wilshere and his chipped cross for Giroud was delightful. It was a promising start to English football and his Arsenal career.
Critics claim that we struggled to find penetration without Santi Cazorla. Although it is true that the introduction of Santi and Poldi injected a renewed urgency into Arsenal's game, we think Jack Wilshere did well in Santi's place. Arteta, captain on the day in the absence of Thomas Vermaelen, hailed the depth in Arsenal's squad. We needed to give Santi a rest and it was encouraging to see Jack play in the heart of Arsenal's attack, filling Santi's boots, while the Spaniard came off the bench to make an impact. In fact, a number of players had a good game this day, including those who have been heavily criticised recently, which is encouraging. Another positive from this game was a clean sheet obviously. It should give some confidence to our defenders, who have been under huge pressure in recent games.
The goal shouldn't have been disputable. The linesman may have flagged for Walcott's off-side position, but he was not interfering with play and not even in a position to obscure the keeper's view. Christ Foy correctly (as all the media said) overruled his assistant and let the goal stand. Tony Pulis was not happy with the way Arsenal players surrounded the linesman, but as Wenger said, it was a natural reaction (In that situation, who wouldn't protest?) Actually, a couple of Stoke players also rushed to the linesman.
It was a great win (it's always great to beat Stoke), although it may not have been as convincing as some of recent games such as our thrashing of West Ham. We are quite happy with our team's performance. With Chelsea and Everton dropping points, it was a good weekend for our hopes of a top-four finish (Shame about the Tottenham result, though). Hopefully, we can maintain the winning ways after a mid-week international break.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 6
With Stoke managing only one shot on target, which was a comfortable save, he had little to do all afternoon.
Sagna: 7
Had a much improved game.
Mertesacker: 7
Kept Crouch at bay. He has been under criticism recently for not using his height well (on some occasions, he didn't even jump). In this game, he won 7 aerial duels.
Koscielny: 7
Looked solid and went close to score with his header, which was denied by Begovic's fine save.
Monreal: 7
Made a promising debut just after 48 hours of his arrival in England.
Diaby: 7
He had arguably his best game since his return from 2-month lay-off. Looked reliable defensively and robust going forward.
Wilshere: 8
In the heart of creativity. His pass to the Ox was superb.
Arteta: 7
Much-awaited return from a calf injury. Brought back stability to the team. The most touches (128) of all the players on the pitch with 91% pass success rate.
Walcott: 7
He tormented Wilkinson and showed his strength against physical Stoke, not deterred by crude challenges. One of those Wilkinson's challenge resulted in a free-kick just outside the box, which led to a precious goal. However, his final ball let us down in this game.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Had a good game. Energetic and constantly posed a threat to Stoke defence. We like his direct approach. He always look to shoot. Went close to score twice.
Giroud: 6
He should have put his free header on target, rather than knocked it down for another Arsenal player.
Subs
Cazorla: 7
Came off the bench to replace Diaby in the 68th minute. Added creativity and went close to secure a victory in a more convincing way.
Podoliski: 7
Replaced the Ox on the left flank in the 68th minute. His free-kick may have needed a lucky deflection to beat Begovic, who was excellent all afternoon, but the German should get credit for his powerful shot.
Ramsey: 6
90th minute substitute for Walcott. Little time to make a difference.
In fact, we played some good football despite Stoke's efforts to stop us playing. Before the match, a piece of Opta stats was in the centre of attention, which was "if only the second half of games counted this season Arsenal would be second on 46 points, two points behind Manchester City." So, it was official that Arsenal are a second-half team. Following the Liverpool match, in which we came back from 2-0 down to earn a point, Podolski urged his team to start strongly from the beginning. The team responded to his call by starting the game in high tempo against Stoke.
Arsene Wenger made five changes to his side who started against Liverpool on Wednesday. Injured Vermaelen was replaced by Kosielny. Vermaelen's aggravated ankle problem left us with little left-back option, either a transfer-deadline-day signing, Nacho Monreal, or Andre Santos. To our joy, Monreal came straight into the starting XI. Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski dropped to the bench, while Abu Diaby and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came in for them. Fit-again Mikel Arteta started in the place of Aaron Ramsey, who had filled in for the Spaniard as a deep-lying midfielder relatively well.
All eyes were on our new signing. Although most of fans agreed that he was a great acquisition, some were disappointed with Arsenal's transfer activity less than they expected amid the media reports that the Club had a sizable transfer budget. At Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club, we were pleased with the fact that the boss recognised the need of a new left-back and took action before the transfer window slammed shut. Maybe we could have done with a new holding midfielder as well, but we don't think we needed a new striker as we have Walcott and Podolski as Giroud's back-up.
Left-back was exactly where we needed to strengthen and we are happy to see Wenger act swiftly as soon as he had found Gibbs would be out for up to six weeks. We didn't have an adequate cover for Gibbs as Santos is not a Premier-League level defender. Also, at the age of 23, Gibbs is too young to be an uncontested first-choice left-back anyway. The 26-year-old former Malaga player is at the prime of his career and nine caps for the Spanish national team is not to be sniffed at. Arsenal had been linked with Luke Shaw of Southampton for some time, but following his signing of a new contract with the South coast club, the speculation has died down. We are glad that the potential move didn't materialise. Shaw may be a talented player with 6-month experience in the Premier League, but another teenage player is not what we wanted for this position.
We didn't get disappointed with the display by our new signing. Although his defensive prowess was not much tested as Stoke had decided not to push forward, Monreal was unfazed in aerial duels against Jon Walters. Arsene Wenger said, "There is no better culture shock than Stoke when you come from Spain!". Monreal also looked comfortable and confident on the ball as is the case for Spanish players. He even played a lovely one-two with Wilshere and his chipped cross for Giroud was delightful. It was a promising start to English football and his Arsenal career.
Critics claim that we struggled to find penetration without Santi Cazorla. Although it is true that the introduction of Santi and Poldi injected a renewed urgency into Arsenal's game, we think Jack Wilshere did well in Santi's place. Arteta, captain on the day in the absence of Thomas Vermaelen, hailed the depth in Arsenal's squad. We needed to give Santi a rest and it was encouraging to see Jack play in the heart of Arsenal's attack, filling Santi's boots, while the Spaniard came off the bench to make an impact. In fact, a number of players had a good game this day, including those who have been heavily criticised recently, which is encouraging. Another positive from this game was a clean sheet obviously. It should give some confidence to our defenders, who have been under huge pressure in recent games.
The goal shouldn't have been disputable. The linesman may have flagged for Walcott's off-side position, but he was not interfering with play and not even in a position to obscure the keeper's view. Christ Foy correctly (as all the media said) overruled his assistant and let the goal stand. Tony Pulis was not happy with the way Arsenal players surrounded the linesman, but as Wenger said, it was a natural reaction (In that situation, who wouldn't protest?) Actually, a couple of Stoke players also rushed to the linesman.
It was a great win (it's always great to beat Stoke), although it may not have been as convincing as some of recent games such as our thrashing of West Ham. We are quite happy with our team's performance. With Chelsea and Everton dropping points, it was a good weekend for our hopes of a top-four finish (Shame about the Tottenham result, though). Hopefully, we can maintain the winning ways after a mid-week international break.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 6
With Stoke managing only one shot on target, which was a comfortable save, he had little to do all afternoon.
Sagna: 7
Had a much improved game.
Mertesacker: 7
Kept Crouch at bay. He has been under criticism recently for not using his height well (on some occasions, he didn't even jump). In this game, he won 7 aerial duels.
Koscielny: 7
Looked solid and went close to score with his header, which was denied by Begovic's fine save.
Monreal: 7
Made a promising debut just after 48 hours of his arrival in England.
Diaby: 7
He had arguably his best game since his return from 2-month lay-off. Looked reliable defensively and robust going forward.
Wilshere: 8
In the heart of creativity. His pass to the Ox was superb.
Arteta: 7
Much-awaited return from a calf injury. Brought back stability to the team. The most touches (128) of all the players on the pitch with 91% pass success rate.
Walcott: 7
He tormented Wilkinson and showed his strength against physical Stoke, not deterred by crude challenges. One of those Wilkinson's challenge resulted in a free-kick just outside the box, which led to a precious goal. However, his final ball let us down in this game.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Had a good game. Energetic and constantly posed a threat to Stoke defence. We like his direct approach. He always look to shoot. Went close to score twice.
Giroud: 6
He should have put his free header on target, rather than knocked it down for another Arsenal player.
Subs
Cazorla: 7
Came off the bench to replace Diaby in the 68th minute. Added creativity and went close to secure a victory in a more convincing way.
Podoliski: 7
Replaced the Ox on the left flank in the 68th minute. His free-kick may have needed a lucky deflection to beat Begovic, who was excellent all afternoon, but the German should get credit for his powerful shot.
Ramsey: 6
90th minute substitute for Walcott. Little time to make a difference.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Arsenal 2 Liverpool 2
This campaign may be Arsenal's worst season in Arsene Wenger's 16-year tenure, with the fewest (10) Premier League wins from 24 games, but it seems that the worse Arsenal have been playing, the more crowd we get in the Arsenal end of Las Mimosas bar. The bar was packed once again and the neutral didn't get disappointed as we were treated to another entertaining game. However, as usual, the game was too tight for our comfort largely due to our shambolic defence.
Going into this game, Arsene Wenger's side was supposed to be full of confidence (at least on the offensive side, anyway) on the back of two consecutive wins in a week, including sound thrashing of West Ham. The Frenchman made 6 changes to the side that started in the FA Cup tie against Brighton on Saturday. Thomas Vermaelen was fit again to replace Koscielny. Rested Bacary Sagna, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, and Theo Walcott came in for Carl Jenkinson, Tomas Rosicky, Abu Diaby, Andre Santos, respectively. Aaron Ramsey started his third successive game as a deep-lying midfielder.
It was disheartening to concede so early and so scrappy a goal. After the match, Arsene Wenger blamed the nerve for his side's atrocious defending, but surely the defensive problem can be resolved other than through a psychological approach. Our defence showed their vulnerability against counter-attacks once again. Since we lost Alex Song, we tend to get exposed in those situations. Song had his share of criticisms for his tendency to get forward too often, but playing even more attack-minded players, such as Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey, in a holding midfielder role doesn't help improve our defence.
Five months earlier, our defence showed a remarkable improvement on the previous season. Steve Bould took all the praise for the transformation, but it was crucial at the beginning of the season since our new signings, the key attacking players, had to go though adaptation stages and one of them, Olivier Giroud, was even not fully fit to play at the time. Wenger says that leaking goals is a price for our philosophy with emphasis on attacking, but now our attacking players, including Theo Walcott, have found their form, it's time to focus on our defence again. The defensive problem should not be left unaddressed if we are to pursue a Champions League spot.
Another negative from the game was Gibb's injury. It was a big blow as we don't have an adequate cover for the left-back position. Andre Santos is never a Premier League-level player. When he gave the ball away and slipped in injury time, which gifted Suarez a golden opportunity to snatch a victory, it nearly gave me a heart attack. Even on the attacking side, it was obvious that Podolski came to life after Gibbs replaced Santos in a hard-fought win against Championship side, Brighton. Wenger cited Santos' match fitness as his reasoning behind the substitution, but how Gibbs' introduction changed the game speaks volumes for the difference in quality of the two players. Santos' sole merit as a left-back lies on the attacking side of his game, but if he cannot get the best out of one of our best attacking players, Lukas Podolski, what's the point having him in the team? Following Gibb's injury, the media reported Arsenal were in search for a left-back, but we should have started to look for a new left-back long before the January transfer window deadline day, perhaps, just after the Manchester United game (in which the Brazilian famously asked RVP for his shirt prematurely), when Wenger resorted to playing Vermaelen at the left-back even though Santos was fit. In fact, we hoped Wenger would replace Gibbs with Koscielny and move Vermaelen to the left-back in this game.
On a positive note, we showed character coming back from 2-0 down to earn a draw. Arsenal demonstrated the same intensity and purpose in the second half as they did in patches in the last four games. Although our first-half performance was accentuated by our dreadful defending, on the attacking side, we created some good chances and looked dangerous even in the first half. After the final whistle, it felt like two points dropped as we mounted pressure on the Liverpool defence, but the visitors also got close to snatch a late victory. On balance, a draw may be a fair result.
After all, a draw with Liverpool, who lie just below us in the table, was not the end of the world as we kept the gap to them at three points. On top of that, as Tottenham and Chelsea also drew last night with Norwich and Reading, respectively, (which highlights the unpredictability of this season's Premier League results), the gaps to them also remained intact.
With another tough game looming on the horizon, as early as Saturday, we need to sort our our defence quickly, especially how to cope with Gibbs' three-week absence. On the injury front, hopefully, we will have Arteta and Coquelin back before long.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 6
He had a number of shaky moments, one of which almost cost us a goal unnecessarily. On the other hand, he made a few good saves, including the one that denied Suarez's attempt for a winner at the death.
Sagna: 5
Liverpool's first goal started from his slip. There is no sign of improvement in his crossing. We want to see Jenkinson play in his place from time to time. Jenkinson needs games as he looked rusty against Brighton. The England international proved himself as a capable deputy at the beginning of the season and has better crossing than Sagna.
Mertesacker: 5
He dithered every time he got the ball, which allowed the opponents time to rob the ball. This has been seen in a number of recent games.
Vermaelen: 5
His air-kick allowed Sturridge a clear sight of goal and subsequently led to Liverpool's first goal.
Gibbs: 6
Replaced by Santos in the 37th minute due to a thigh strain.
Ramsey: 7
Worked hard in his new role as a deep-lying midfielder. He was unlucky as his touch ricocheted Santos after he took the ball off Henderson, who capitalised on Arsenal's misfortune to score Liverpool's second goal. On the other hand, he had a hand in Liverpool's first goal as he failed to clear the ball after Szczesny's fine save.
Wilshere: 8
He was impressive against Liverpool midfield, including his role model, Steven Gerrard.
Cazorla: 8
In the heart of Arsenal's creativity.
Walcott: 8
He made a good use of his pace. Always looked dangerous apart from a short spell during the first half when he went missing.
Podolski: 7
Created chances on the left flank. Completed his second 90 minutes in a row since he said that he didn't mind getting substituted in the post-match interview following his stellar performance against West Ham.
Giroud: 8
Another spirited performance. Scored his 14th goal of the season and provided an assist for Walcott's equaliser. After the Brighton match, Arsene Wenger said about the France international "When he gets into the fighting mode it is difficult to handle him." He was once again in the fighting mode and spearheaded Arsenal's fightback. He has grown to one of our most influential players in recent weeks. It was quite difficult to choose one standout player for Arsenal (the easiest bit was eliminating all the defenders), as shown by Arsenal.com's votes for the Man of the Match, which were split among three players: Giroud, Wilshere, and Walcott. Giroud collected the most votes with 32%, followed by Wilshere's 28% and Walcott's 22%.
Subs
Santos: 5
Not up to Arsenal standards, or even bottom-table club standards.
Going into this game, Arsene Wenger's side was supposed to be full of confidence (at least on the offensive side, anyway) on the back of two consecutive wins in a week, including sound thrashing of West Ham. The Frenchman made 6 changes to the side that started in the FA Cup tie against Brighton on Saturday. Thomas Vermaelen was fit again to replace Koscielny. Rested Bacary Sagna, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, and Theo Walcott came in for Carl Jenkinson, Tomas Rosicky, Abu Diaby, Andre Santos, respectively. Aaron Ramsey started his third successive game as a deep-lying midfielder.
It was disheartening to concede so early and so scrappy a goal. After the match, Arsene Wenger blamed the nerve for his side's atrocious defending, but surely the defensive problem can be resolved other than through a psychological approach. Our defence showed their vulnerability against counter-attacks once again. Since we lost Alex Song, we tend to get exposed in those situations. Song had his share of criticisms for his tendency to get forward too often, but playing even more attack-minded players, such as Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey, in a holding midfielder role doesn't help improve our defence.
Five months earlier, our defence showed a remarkable improvement on the previous season. Steve Bould took all the praise for the transformation, but it was crucial at the beginning of the season since our new signings, the key attacking players, had to go though adaptation stages and one of them, Olivier Giroud, was even not fully fit to play at the time. Wenger says that leaking goals is a price for our philosophy with emphasis on attacking, but now our attacking players, including Theo Walcott, have found their form, it's time to focus on our defence again. The defensive problem should not be left unaddressed if we are to pursue a Champions League spot.
Another negative from the game was Gibb's injury. It was a big blow as we don't have an adequate cover for the left-back position. Andre Santos is never a Premier League-level player. When he gave the ball away and slipped in injury time, which gifted Suarez a golden opportunity to snatch a victory, it nearly gave me a heart attack. Even on the attacking side, it was obvious that Podolski came to life after Gibbs replaced Santos in a hard-fought win against Championship side, Brighton. Wenger cited Santos' match fitness as his reasoning behind the substitution, but how Gibbs' introduction changed the game speaks volumes for the difference in quality of the two players. Santos' sole merit as a left-back lies on the attacking side of his game, but if he cannot get the best out of one of our best attacking players, Lukas Podolski, what's the point having him in the team? Following Gibb's injury, the media reported Arsenal were in search for a left-back, but we should have started to look for a new left-back long before the January transfer window deadline day, perhaps, just after the Manchester United game (in which the Brazilian famously asked RVP for his shirt prematurely), when Wenger resorted to playing Vermaelen at the left-back even though Santos was fit. In fact, we hoped Wenger would replace Gibbs with Koscielny and move Vermaelen to the left-back in this game.
On a positive note, we showed character coming back from 2-0 down to earn a draw. Arsenal demonstrated the same intensity and purpose in the second half as they did in patches in the last four games. Although our first-half performance was accentuated by our dreadful defending, on the attacking side, we created some good chances and looked dangerous even in the first half. After the final whistle, it felt like two points dropped as we mounted pressure on the Liverpool defence, but the visitors also got close to snatch a late victory. On balance, a draw may be a fair result.
After all, a draw with Liverpool, who lie just below us in the table, was not the end of the world as we kept the gap to them at three points. On top of that, as Tottenham and Chelsea also drew last night with Norwich and Reading, respectively, (which highlights the unpredictability of this season's Premier League results), the gaps to them also remained intact.
With another tough game looming on the horizon, as early as Saturday, we need to sort our our defence quickly, especially how to cope with Gibbs' three-week absence. On the injury front, hopefully, we will have Arteta and Coquelin back before long.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 6
He had a number of shaky moments, one of which almost cost us a goal unnecessarily. On the other hand, he made a few good saves, including the one that denied Suarez's attempt for a winner at the death.
Sagna: 5
Liverpool's first goal started from his slip. There is no sign of improvement in his crossing. We want to see Jenkinson play in his place from time to time. Jenkinson needs games as he looked rusty against Brighton. The England international proved himself as a capable deputy at the beginning of the season and has better crossing than Sagna.
Mertesacker: 5
He dithered every time he got the ball, which allowed the opponents time to rob the ball. This has been seen in a number of recent games.
Vermaelen: 5
His air-kick allowed Sturridge a clear sight of goal and subsequently led to Liverpool's first goal.
Gibbs: 6
Replaced by Santos in the 37th minute due to a thigh strain.
Ramsey: 7
Worked hard in his new role as a deep-lying midfielder. He was unlucky as his touch ricocheted Santos after he took the ball off Henderson, who capitalised on Arsenal's misfortune to score Liverpool's second goal. On the other hand, he had a hand in Liverpool's first goal as he failed to clear the ball after Szczesny's fine save.
Wilshere: 8
He was impressive against Liverpool midfield, including his role model, Steven Gerrard.
Cazorla: 8
In the heart of Arsenal's creativity.
Walcott: 8
He made a good use of his pace. Always looked dangerous apart from a short spell during the first half when he went missing.
Podolski: 7
Created chances on the left flank. Completed his second 90 minutes in a row since he said that he didn't mind getting substituted in the post-match interview following his stellar performance against West Ham.
Giroud: 8
Another spirited performance. Scored his 14th goal of the season and provided an assist for Walcott's equaliser. After the Brighton match, Arsene Wenger said about the France international "When he gets into the fighting mode it is difficult to handle him." He was once again in the fighting mode and spearheaded Arsenal's fightback. He has grown to one of our most influential players in recent weeks. It was quite difficult to choose one standout player for Arsenal (the easiest bit was eliminating all the defenders), as shown by Arsenal.com's votes for the Man of the Match, which were split among three players: Giroud, Wilshere, and Walcott. Giroud collected the most votes with 32%, followed by Wilshere's 28% and Walcott's 22%.
Subs
Santos: 5
Not up to Arsenal standards, or even bottom-table club standards.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Arsenal 1 Swansea 0 (FA Cup 3rd Round replay)
While empty seats at the Emirates attracted the media attention, the Arsenal end of Las Mimosas bar was packed on a cold (but not as cold as at the Emirates obviously) and windy Wednesday night. There were even a weather-defying group of Scandinavians outside in a tent, cheering at their national handball teams in front of a large-screen TV. Actually, an estimated turnout of 50,000 (as opposed to official ticket sales of 58,359) at the Emirates is considered respectable for a midweek FA Cup replay on a cold winter night. The media always like to put a negative spin on anything when things are concerned with Arsenal.
As has been the case this season, we didn't know how this game would pan out. Even ever-optimistic Cheryl admitted the day before that she was convinced that we would be beaten by Swansea. That epitomised the mood of the Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club after the disappointing defeat to Manchester City.
Wenger made three changes to his side who started in a 2-0 loss to the reigning champions. As Laurant Koscielny was suspended as a result of his sending-off in that game, Per Mertesacker started alongside Thomas Vermaelen. Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin came in for Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, which meant Santi Cazorla moved to the left wing, while Jack Wilshere took a more advanced position in the Spaniard's place. Francis Coquelin was deployed in a deep-lying role, which is usually taken by currently sidelined Mikel Arteta. Midfield looked better balanced than in the Man City game.
Arsenal started the game brightly. Giroud went close to score twice. They looked like they had learned lessons from the Man City game, but then the tempo slowed down and Swansea had better chances. However, it was Arsenal, specifically Vermaelen, who had the best chance at the end of the first half.
The second half was one-way traffic. Arsenal mounted pressure on Swansea defence. As the boss said after the match, it was unbelievable how we managed not to score a goal. The stats show that we had 27 shots in total, of which 10 shots were on target with 10 shots off target and 7 shots blocked. Although our profligacy was partly to blame (the main culprits were Walcott and Giroud), Swansea deserved credit for their resolute defence. They packed the box with bodies, hoping to attack on the break. Two shots were cleared off the line. We were also unlucky, with Giroud's shot blocked by Wilshere on the line.
When we started conceding that extra time was inevitable, Jack Wilshere brilliantly volleyed home. His shot was our 26th attempt at goal. However, we still had a job to do. At this point in the initial tie, there was still time for Swansea to equalise. After Cazorla's wild shot, Arsenal seemed to have taken the game under control again thanks to Jack Wilshere's leadership. In fact, he was magnificent all night.
It was a great win, which saw us through to the fourth round of the FA Cup. It was also great to show that we can beat Swansea by playing our own game. The Welsh club started becoming our bogey team and the most annoying thing was they outplayed us in our passing game on a couple of occasions. It was satisfactory that we stopped Swansea from playing their football by playing our game. The intensity of our attack forced Swansea to focus on defence entirely. When Michu came on the pitch, we didn't even worry about its implication this time around. In fact, he was forced to help out their defence with little to do offensively.
A trip to championship side, Brighton, awaits us in 10 day's time, but before that, we have two important league games. This weekend's clash with third-placed Chelsea was a virtual six-pointer. The West Ham match on Wednesday night is our game in hand, which offers a chance to close a gap to those clubs currently in Champions League places. Hopefully, the players will show the same determination to win in these games.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 6
As Swansea registered no shot on target, he had little to do, especially in the second half. Despite being a bystander for most of the second half, he stayed alert when Sung-Yeung Ki tried to catch him out. There is an argument as to who was to blame for allowing Kyle Bartley's header, which fortunately hit the bar. We think that Szczesny should have come forward and claim the ball.
Sagna: 7
Made himself always available. Looked more confident than recently, but his crossing left a lot to be desired.
Mertesacker: 7
His passing was indecisive at early stages of the game.
Vermaelen: 7
Made two crucial blocks. Went forward more often and nearly scored at the end of the first half.
Gibbs: 7
Good going forward especially in this game as he didn't have much to worry about defensively.
Diaby: 6
He seemed to have struggled to keep up with the pace of the game in the first half, slowing down our passing. He was good in winning back possession, but his passing afterwards let him down. Still, another 82 minutes (Wenger admitted after the match that he should probably have taken him off a bit earlier) under the belt is encouraging.
Wilshere: 10
Simply awesome. He had a great game offensively and defensively. This game showcased everything good about him: technical abilities, drive, physical strength, passion, tenacity, and leadership (have I missed anything?). Arguably his best performance since his return from the injury, if not in his entire career. We don't usually give 10 in our player ratings, but he merits it on this occasion as he even did what his team-mates couldn't do all night, which is scoring a goal.
Coquelin: 7
Replacing Arteta was a huge challenge for the 21-year-old, but he did a decent job. He took his shot well when the rebound from a corner fell in front of him.
Cazorla: 7
It was interesting to see how he fared on the left wing for the first time for Arsenal as apparently he was a winger before he joined Arsenal. He wasn't spectacular, but did create chances.
Walcott: 7
Lacked accuracy in his finishing.
Giroud: 7
He was involved in all attacking moves, in one of which he set up a goal for Wilshere. He works for the team, but he needs to improve his finishing, which is poor for a main striker.
Subs
Ramsey: 6
Replaced Diaby in the 82nd minutes and carried on where the France midfielder left off.
As has been the case this season, we didn't know how this game would pan out. Even ever-optimistic Cheryl admitted the day before that she was convinced that we would be beaten by Swansea. That epitomised the mood of the Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club after the disappointing defeat to Manchester City.
Wenger made three changes to his side who started in a 2-0 loss to the reigning champions. As Laurant Koscielny was suspended as a result of his sending-off in that game, Per Mertesacker started alongside Thomas Vermaelen. Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin came in for Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, which meant Santi Cazorla moved to the left wing, while Jack Wilshere took a more advanced position in the Spaniard's place. Francis Coquelin was deployed in a deep-lying role, which is usually taken by currently sidelined Mikel Arteta. Midfield looked better balanced than in the Man City game.
Arsenal started the game brightly. Giroud went close to score twice. They looked like they had learned lessons from the Man City game, but then the tempo slowed down and Swansea had better chances. However, it was Arsenal, specifically Vermaelen, who had the best chance at the end of the first half.
The second half was one-way traffic. Arsenal mounted pressure on Swansea defence. As the boss said after the match, it was unbelievable how we managed not to score a goal. The stats show that we had 27 shots in total, of which 10 shots were on target with 10 shots off target and 7 shots blocked. Although our profligacy was partly to blame (the main culprits were Walcott and Giroud), Swansea deserved credit for their resolute defence. They packed the box with bodies, hoping to attack on the break. Two shots were cleared off the line. We were also unlucky, with Giroud's shot blocked by Wilshere on the line.
When we started conceding that extra time was inevitable, Jack Wilshere brilliantly volleyed home. His shot was our 26th attempt at goal. However, we still had a job to do. At this point in the initial tie, there was still time for Swansea to equalise. After Cazorla's wild shot, Arsenal seemed to have taken the game under control again thanks to Jack Wilshere's leadership. In fact, he was magnificent all night.
It was a great win, which saw us through to the fourth round of the FA Cup. It was also great to show that we can beat Swansea by playing our own game. The Welsh club started becoming our bogey team and the most annoying thing was they outplayed us in our passing game on a couple of occasions. It was satisfactory that we stopped Swansea from playing their football by playing our game. The intensity of our attack forced Swansea to focus on defence entirely. When Michu came on the pitch, we didn't even worry about its implication this time around. In fact, he was forced to help out their defence with little to do offensively.
A trip to championship side, Brighton, awaits us in 10 day's time, but before that, we have two important league games. This weekend's clash with third-placed Chelsea was a virtual six-pointer. The West Ham match on Wednesday night is our game in hand, which offers a chance to close a gap to those clubs currently in Champions League places. Hopefully, the players will show the same determination to win in these games.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 6
As Swansea registered no shot on target, he had little to do, especially in the second half. Despite being a bystander for most of the second half, he stayed alert when Sung-Yeung Ki tried to catch him out. There is an argument as to who was to blame for allowing Kyle Bartley's header, which fortunately hit the bar. We think that Szczesny should have come forward and claim the ball.
Sagna: 7
Made himself always available. Looked more confident than recently, but his crossing left a lot to be desired.
Mertesacker: 7
His passing was indecisive at early stages of the game.
Vermaelen: 7
Made two crucial blocks. Went forward more often and nearly scored at the end of the first half.
Gibbs: 7
Good going forward especially in this game as he didn't have much to worry about defensively.
Diaby: 6
He seemed to have struggled to keep up with the pace of the game in the first half, slowing down our passing. He was good in winning back possession, but his passing afterwards let him down. Still, another 82 minutes (Wenger admitted after the match that he should probably have taken him off a bit earlier) under the belt is encouraging.
Wilshere: 10
Simply awesome. He had a great game offensively and defensively. This game showcased everything good about him: technical abilities, drive, physical strength, passion, tenacity, and leadership (have I missed anything?). Arguably his best performance since his return from the injury, if not in his entire career. We don't usually give 10 in our player ratings, but he merits it on this occasion as he even did what his team-mates couldn't do all night, which is scoring a goal.
Coquelin: 7
Replacing Arteta was a huge challenge for the 21-year-old, but he did a decent job. He took his shot well when the rebound from a corner fell in front of him.
Cazorla: 7
It was interesting to see how he fared on the left wing for the first time for Arsenal as apparently he was a winger before he joined Arsenal. He wasn't spectacular, but did create chances.
Walcott: 7
Lacked accuracy in his finishing.
Giroud: 7
He was involved in all attacking moves, in one of which he set up a goal for Wilshere. He works for the team, but he needs to improve his finishing, which is poor for a main striker.
Subs
Ramsey: 6
Replaced Diaby in the 82nd minutes and carried on where the France midfielder left off.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Arsenal 0 Manchester City 2
Going down to 10 men so early was always going to prove a huge handicap against the champions, Manchester City. At half time, we were just hoping that the scoreline wouldn't end up too embarrassing or too detrimental to our players' confidence ahead of a run of crucial matches. As it turned out, Arsenal's spirited display in the second half brightened up our bleak Sunday afternoon. Although clear-cut chances were hard to come by, our midfield, led by Jack Wilshere in the absence of Mikel Arteta due to a calf strain, was battling hard to obtain possession, while our defence looked solid against Man City's counter-attack, recovering well after shaky spells in the first half. The numerical equilibrium was restored when Kompany was sent off for his challenge on Wilshere with 15 minutes left. However, playing with one man down for such a long period had started taking its toll by then. We were unable to take advantage of the sending off of their talisman and fell to a 2-0 defeat.
Some question Wenger's team selection, but we are not going to go into that argument. Whichever the boss picks, Mertsacker or Koscielny, there is always criticism afterwards. Wenger chose Koscielny, probably based on his heroics in the reverse fixture earlier this season. It is unfortunate that the France defender could not reproduce the performance.
Obviously the referee's two major decisions were the centre of post-match talking points. Koscielny's foul on Dzeko was utterly stupid and there was no denying a penalty, but many argue that the sending off might have been a harsh decision. On the Sky Sports site, Chris Kamara called for a change in the rule book, claiming that when a foul that denies a clear goal-scoring opportunity takes place, you are given the goal-scoring chance back with a penalty kick. So the law should be changed so that the player should be sent off, only when such a foul takes place outside the box, because you don't receive a free shot at goal.
The defeat was a blow for our top-four aspiration as we failed to take advantage of Tottenham, Everton and West Brom all dropping points and now we trail fourth-placed Spurs by 7 points with a game in hand.
However, we can take heart from Arsenal's spirit in the second half. They gave absolutely everything. If only Giroud had buried his chance with a free header and Walcott's effort hadn't been cleared by Lescott off the line, we could have conjured up a miraculous comeback. Although we lacked the killer instinct in the final third, nobody could question our spirit and desire.
Another positive from the game was Jack Wilshere's performance. He battled hard to win possession and drove the team forward whenever he could. He even saved Garcia's goal-bound effort off the line. His contribution to the team has been impressive since his return from the long-term injury which kept him on the sidelines for 14 months.
Also, Diaby came through the game unscathed. He completed 65 minutes in the U-21 game against West Brom in midweek, his first game since September. This game was thought to have come too soon for him, but Arteta's injury had left no choice for Wenger but to turn to the France midfielder. Although he appeared rusty in the first half with a few passes going astray and wrong decisions for the final ball, he made his presence felt as the game wore on. Diaby believes he had no reaction to his thigh injury from Sunday's 62-minute exertion, which is good news for us.
There is no time to feel sorry for ourselves. The crucial FA Cup replay awaits us on Wednesday night. This is a must-win game for us as the FA Cup is our only realistic chance to win any silverware this season. Arsene Wenger blamed his side's allowing the opponents to dictate the game for their defeat to Man City. Hopefully, the team will have learned lessons and take the game to Swansea from the moment the kick-off whistle has blown.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
Made a couple of great saves, including a penalty save.
Sagna: 6
Much improved display compared with his recent performances.
Koscielny: 4
The hero of the reverse fixture earlier this season turned to the villain. There is no doubt his dismissal swung the game hugely in favour of Man City.
Vermaelen: 7
Solid in the second half, but he should have done better as a leader in defence when Man City took a free-kick quickly.
Gibbs: 6
His losing of the battle against Zapaleta led to the free-kick, which eventually resulted in Man City's goal. Otherwise, did OK.
Cazorla: 6
Not as eye-catching as he was earlier this season, but did his job.
Diaby: 6
Encouraging performance in the second half, considering his long lay-off. Withdrawn in the 63rd minute. Hopefully, he will have a longer run of games this time. Keep fingers crossed for his fitness.
Wilshere: 8
He has been targeted by the oppositions because of the battling nature of his game and his well-known feistiness, but he has been coping very well. Great to see him making his trade-mark "bursts".
Oxlade-Chamberlain: N/A
He was replaced by Mertesacker, following the sending off of Koscielny, before he had a chance to assert himself.
Walcott: 6
He didn't do very much as a lone striker. His best chance came when he had moved to the right wing and was unleashed by Ramsey's pass, only to be cleared by Lescott off the line.
Podolski: 7
Worked hard.
Subs
Mertesacker: 7
Came on the pitch at the expense of the Ox in the 12th minute to replace Koscielny who was sent off.
Giroud: 6
57th-minute substitute for Podolski. Headed over the bar when he had received Cazorla's curling free-kick. It is disappointing to see his inability to make a difference in this kind of situations.
Ramsey: 7
Replaced Diaby, who was never expected to last for 90 minutes, in the 62nd minute. Had a decent game in his natural position in central midfield.
Some question Wenger's team selection, but we are not going to go into that argument. Whichever the boss picks, Mertsacker or Koscielny, there is always criticism afterwards. Wenger chose Koscielny, probably based on his heroics in the reverse fixture earlier this season. It is unfortunate that the France defender could not reproduce the performance.
Obviously the referee's two major decisions were the centre of post-match talking points. Koscielny's foul on Dzeko was utterly stupid and there was no denying a penalty, but many argue that the sending off might have been a harsh decision. On the Sky Sports site, Chris Kamara called for a change in the rule book, claiming that when a foul that denies a clear goal-scoring opportunity takes place, you are given the goal-scoring chance back with a penalty kick. So the law should be changed so that the player should be sent off, only when such a foul takes place outside the box, because you don't receive a free shot at goal.
The defeat was a blow for our top-four aspiration as we failed to take advantage of Tottenham, Everton and West Brom all dropping points and now we trail fourth-placed Spurs by 7 points with a game in hand.
However, we can take heart from Arsenal's spirit in the second half. They gave absolutely everything. If only Giroud had buried his chance with a free header and Walcott's effort hadn't been cleared by Lescott off the line, we could have conjured up a miraculous comeback. Although we lacked the killer instinct in the final third, nobody could question our spirit and desire.
Another positive from the game was Jack Wilshere's performance. He battled hard to win possession and drove the team forward whenever he could. He even saved Garcia's goal-bound effort off the line. His contribution to the team has been impressive since his return from the long-term injury which kept him on the sidelines for 14 months.
Also, Diaby came through the game unscathed. He completed 65 minutes in the U-21 game against West Brom in midweek, his first game since September. This game was thought to have come too soon for him, but Arteta's injury had left no choice for Wenger but to turn to the France midfielder. Although he appeared rusty in the first half with a few passes going astray and wrong decisions for the final ball, he made his presence felt as the game wore on. Diaby believes he had no reaction to his thigh injury from Sunday's 62-minute exertion, which is good news for us.
There is no time to feel sorry for ourselves. The crucial FA Cup replay awaits us on Wednesday night. This is a must-win game for us as the FA Cup is our only realistic chance to win any silverware this season. Arsene Wenger blamed his side's allowing the opponents to dictate the game for their defeat to Man City. Hopefully, the team will have learned lessons and take the game to Swansea from the moment the kick-off whistle has blown.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
Made a couple of great saves, including a penalty save.
Sagna: 6
Much improved display compared with his recent performances.
Koscielny: 4
The hero of the reverse fixture earlier this season turned to the villain. There is no doubt his dismissal swung the game hugely in favour of Man City.
Vermaelen: 7
Solid in the second half, but he should have done better as a leader in defence when Man City took a free-kick quickly.
Gibbs: 6
His losing of the battle against Zapaleta led to the free-kick, which eventually resulted in Man City's goal. Otherwise, did OK.
Cazorla: 6
Not as eye-catching as he was earlier this season, but did his job.
Diaby: 6
Encouraging performance in the second half, considering his long lay-off. Withdrawn in the 63rd minute. Hopefully, he will have a longer run of games this time. Keep fingers crossed for his fitness.
Wilshere: 8
He has been targeted by the oppositions because of the battling nature of his game and his well-known feistiness, but he has been coping very well. Great to see him making his trade-mark "bursts".
Oxlade-Chamberlain: N/A
He was replaced by Mertesacker, following the sending off of Koscielny, before he had a chance to assert himself.
Walcott: 6
He didn't do very much as a lone striker. His best chance came when he had moved to the right wing and was unleashed by Ramsey's pass, only to be cleared by Lescott off the line.
Podolski: 7
Worked hard.
Subs
Mertesacker: 7
Came on the pitch at the expense of the Ox in the 12th minute to replace Koscielny who was sent off.
Giroud: 6
57th-minute substitute for Podolski. Headed over the bar when he had received Cazorla's curling free-kick. It is disappointing to see his inability to make a difference in this kind of situations.
Ramsey: 7
Replaced Diaby, who was never expected to last for 90 minutes, in the 62nd minute. Had a decent game in his natural position in central midfield.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Swansea 2 Arsenal 2 (FA Cup 3rd Round)
When the draw for this tie was made early December immediately after Swansea had beaten us 2-0 at the Emirates, nobody could see any other result for this game apart from a home win. A month is a long time in football. Going into this gaem, Arsenal were regarded as a favourite to win at even odds, on the back of a decent run of form in the past month. However, more realistic fans would have taken a draw before the match.
We were back at Las Mimosas bar, with more members back from their stays in the UK over the festive period. Cheryl was back in business, selling a scratch card at half time for the first time in 2013 to raise funds for our Supporters Club.
Arsene Wenger made it clear prior to the game that he would field a full-strength team and would not rotate his players for the sake of it. The decision was quite right as this was our only realistic chance to win silverware this season and Swansea are a difficult team to beat at home even though they were expected to rest their key players for this game with their sights set on the Capital One Cup semi-final match against Chelsea on Wednesday.
Wenger made three changes to the side that started in their 1-1 draw with Southampton on Tuesday night. Per Mertesacker, who was left on the bench midweek, came in for Thomas Vermaelen to form a central defensive partnership with Laurant Koscielny. Aaron Ramsey started in place of Lukas Podolski on the left wing. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave way to Theo Walcott on the right flank, whose starting place as a central striker was taken over by Olivier Giroud.
Prior to the game, Wenger also suggested that one or two players might need a breather, who we thought could be Bacary Sagna. The France international has had some poor games recently. As Carl Jenkinson proved himself as a reliable deputy right-back earlier this season, we thought it would be a good idea to give him a run-out in the Frenchman's place. However, the England right-back didn't even make the bench, whereas Andre Santos was on the bench as a back-up full-back despite his lack of match fitness. We don't understand Wenger's reluctance to play Jenkinson. The boss has just given the young player a long-term contract and doesn't use him when our regular right-back is clearly out of sorts.
As usual, Ramsey's start caused us a lot of displeasure. I, for one, still believe that he is a talented player, but playing a right-footed central midfielder on the left wing does not help the player already low in confidence. Why the Ox was left on the bench was a mystery. Another conundrum is Wenger's seeming reluctance to play Rosicky. Amid fans' fear that Cazorla could be burned out before the end of the season, Rosicky's healthy return should certainly ease those concerns.
The first half was quite boring, but the second half lived up to Arsenal's standards in terms of dramas. Arsenal stepped up their attack in the second half, but it was Swansea who opened the scoring. When we saw Michu coming off the bench, we all feared the consequence and he scored with almost his first touch. However, we had our own answer to their super sub in the shape of Poldi, who fired home an equaliser. Within three minutes, we were in front for the first time in this game thanks to Gibbs' brilliant volley. However, Arsenal being Arsenal, this wasn't the end of the story. They always like to put us supporters through more ups and downs than they need. Our joy was short-lived. Danny Graham scored an equaliser with four minutes left to take the tie into a replay at the Emirates.
Wenger's substitutions often mystify us. Podolski's introduction was spot-on. Probably this was always on the card. Arsenal were pouring their attack, but lacked decisiveness in the final ball. The Germany striker, whose finishing is second to none, provided exactly what the team needed. However, at 2-1 with just 7 minutes to go, why Wenger didn't bring on Vermaelen or Coquelin to shore up the defence was beyond us. Earlier this season, such as in the Wigan game, we questioned Wenger's negativity regarding substitutions, but this was a case where he should have made those substitutions. We could have held on to the narrow lead and won the game on the day.
Arsene Wenger bemoaned a penalty opportunity turned down. The interesting thing is that there are those people who think it should have been a penalty. To us at Las Momosas bar, replays on the TV seemed to have indicated that Ramsey fell over. (Well, these days he doesn't have much of the fans' sympathy, does he?) Most of the media seem to have thought the same with one report even claiming that Ramsey was tripped by his own foot. On the other hand, the Daily Telegraph's match report read "Arsenal had a genuine claim for a penalty in the 51st minute when Ramsey was clearly tripped as he fought to cut across Tiendalli." Needless to say, Arsenal.com's match report, as well as the Arsenal blog, shared the Telegraph's view.
It was frustrating because we could have won the tie on the day, considering how many chances we created in the second half. Was it a missed opportunity for Arsenal or Swansea? Swansea fans must have fancied themselves to go through, based on their perfect form at home this season. We would like to think that we have a good chance to progress now that the tie has gone to a replay at the Emirates. Playing at home does not guarantee a win as the result of the previous encounter between the two sides shows, but Swansea will have played more games than us with the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final at home awaiting them in the following week.
At the end of the day, what matters is that we are still in the competition. Fixture congestion may prompt Wenger to bring in new players. Who knows. We look forward to the replay. Hopefully, a seaside trip to Championship side, Brighton, in the next round will motivate the players.
Between now and then, there is a small matter of a Premier League clash against Manchester City. We produced one of our best performances this season, when the two sides met at the Etihad Stadium. One of our outstanding players on that day was Abu Diaby, whose return to first team action is thought to be imminent. He may be still short of match fitness for this Sunday's game, but having produced an impressive display during his 65-minute appearance in Wednesday's U-21 match, signs are encouraging.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
Made a great save to deny Graham's effort in the first half, but beaten twice.
Sagna: 6
He started the game brightly, but got worse later on.
Mertesacker: 6
Beaten in the air by Bartley. Unconvincing display.
Koscielny: 6
Both centre backs were culpable for Michu's goal. Provided an assist for Poldi's goal.
Gibbs: 8
Great going forward, scoring an exquisite goal, but was caught out of position at times.
Cazorla: 6
Not eye-catching, but did get involved in attack.
Arteta: 6
Should he have done better to prevent Graham's equaliser? I personally think it was a very difficult situation for him on the-man-at-post duty. He couldn't make up his mind whether to leave the post and block the shot or at least deter Graham from shooting, or to stay at the post. Perhaps, Sagna should have picked up Graham. Overall, it was not his best defensive game.
Wilshere: 7
Put a lot of efforts into the game.
Walcott: 6
His free-kicks and corners were poor.
Giroud: 6
Set up a goal for Gibbs through a brilliantly lofted pass, but his finishing left a lot to be desired. He should have at least put his header on target. Missed a couple of more chances as well.
Ramsey: 6
He did some good things, including a great cross only for Giroud to head it wide, and got into great positions on several occasions, but he still lacks composure in front of goal. On the BBC site, ex-Gunner, John Hartson suggested Ramsey would benefit from a loan spell. His reasoning was based on the Wales national team's point of view as he thinks that Ramsey needs to play in central midfield, where he cannot get a chance at Arsenal due to competition. We agree that sending him out on loan would be beneficial for him to get back into the form he was in prior to the horrific injury and to fulfil his potential. On the other hand, from Arsenal's viewpoint, the lack of the depth in the squad does not allow us to loan him out as he can be used as a utility player. If we can get a natural wide player and a defensive midfielder in the January transfer window, this predicament could be solved.
Subs
Podolski: 8
Replaced Ramsey in the 73rd minute. Scored a poacher's goal.
We were back at Las Mimosas bar, with more members back from their stays in the UK over the festive period. Cheryl was back in business, selling a scratch card at half time for the first time in 2013 to raise funds for our Supporters Club.
Arsene Wenger made it clear prior to the game that he would field a full-strength team and would not rotate his players for the sake of it. The decision was quite right as this was our only realistic chance to win silverware this season and Swansea are a difficult team to beat at home even though they were expected to rest their key players for this game with their sights set on the Capital One Cup semi-final match against Chelsea on Wednesday.
Wenger made three changes to the side that started in their 1-1 draw with Southampton on Tuesday night. Per Mertesacker, who was left on the bench midweek, came in for Thomas Vermaelen to form a central defensive partnership with Laurant Koscielny. Aaron Ramsey started in place of Lukas Podolski on the left wing. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave way to Theo Walcott on the right flank, whose starting place as a central striker was taken over by Olivier Giroud.
Prior to the game, Wenger also suggested that one or two players might need a breather, who we thought could be Bacary Sagna. The France international has had some poor games recently. As Carl Jenkinson proved himself as a reliable deputy right-back earlier this season, we thought it would be a good idea to give him a run-out in the Frenchman's place. However, the England right-back didn't even make the bench, whereas Andre Santos was on the bench as a back-up full-back despite his lack of match fitness. We don't understand Wenger's reluctance to play Jenkinson. The boss has just given the young player a long-term contract and doesn't use him when our regular right-back is clearly out of sorts.
As usual, Ramsey's start caused us a lot of displeasure. I, for one, still believe that he is a talented player, but playing a right-footed central midfielder on the left wing does not help the player already low in confidence. Why the Ox was left on the bench was a mystery. Another conundrum is Wenger's seeming reluctance to play Rosicky. Amid fans' fear that Cazorla could be burned out before the end of the season, Rosicky's healthy return should certainly ease those concerns.
The first half was quite boring, but the second half lived up to Arsenal's standards in terms of dramas. Arsenal stepped up their attack in the second half, but it was Swansea who opened the scoring. When we saw Michu coming off the bench, we all feared the consequence and he scored with almost his first touch. However, we had our own answer to their super sub in the shape of Poldi, who fired home an equaliser. Within three minutes, we were in front for the first time in this game thanks to Gibbs' brilliant volley. However, Arsenal being Arsenal, this wasn't the end of the story. They always like to put us supporters through more ups and downs than they need. Our joy was short-lived. Danny Graham scored an equaliser with four minutes left to take the tie into a replay at the Emirates.
Wenger's substitutions often mystify us. Podolski's introduction was spot-on. Probably this was always on the card. Arsenal were pouring their attack, but lacked decisiveness in the final ball. The Germany striker, whose finishing is second to none, provided exactly what the team needed. However, at 2-1 with just 7 minutes to go, why Wenger didn't bring on Vermaelen or Coquelin to shore up the defence was beyond us. Earlier this season, such as in the Wigan game, we questioned Wenger's negativity regarding substitutions, but this was a case where he should have made those substitutions. We could have held on to the narrow lead and won the game on the day.
Arsene Wenger bemoaned a penalty opportunity turned down. The interesting thing is that there are those people who think it should have been a penalty. To us at Las Momosas bar, replays on the TV seemed to have indicated that Ramsey fell over. (Well, these days he doesn't have much of the fans' sympathy, does he?) Most of the media seem to have thought the same with one report even claiming that Ramsey was tripped by his own foot. On the other hand, the Daily Telegraph's match report read "Arsenal had a genuine claim for a penalty in the 51st minute when Ramsey was clearly tripped as he fought to cut across Tiendalli." Needless to say, Arsenal.com's match report, as well as the Arsenal blog, shared the Telegraph's view.
It was frustrating because we could have won the tie on the day, considering how many chances we created in the second half. Was it a missed opportunity for Arsenal or Swansea? Swansea fans must have fancied themselves to go through, based on their perfect form at home this season. We would like to think that we have a good chance to progress now that the tie has gone to a replay at the Emirates. Playing at home does not guarantee a win as the result of the previous encounter between the two sides shows, but Swansea will have played more games than us with the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final at home awaiting them in the following week.
At the end of the day, what matters is that we are still in the competition. Fixture congestion may prompt Wenger to bring in new players. Who knows. We look forward to the replay. Hopefully, a seaside trip to Championship side, Brighton, in the next round will motivate the players.
Between now and then, there is a small matter of a Premier League clash against Manchester City. We produced one of our best performances this season, when the two sides met at the Etihad Stadium. One of our outstanding players on that day was Abu Diaby, whose return to first team action is thought to be imminent. He may be still short of match fitness for this Sunday's game, but having produced an impressive display during his 65-minute appearance in Wednesday's U-21 match, signs are encouraging.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
Made a great save to deny Graham's effort in the first half, but beaten twice.
Sagna: 6
He started the game brightly, but got worse later on.
Mertesacker: 6
Beaten in the air by Bartley. Unconvincing display.
Koscielny: 6
Both centre backs were culpable for Michu's goal. Provided an assist for Poldi's goal.
Gibbs: 8
Great going forward, scoring an exquisite goal, but was caught out of position at times.
Cazorla: 6
Not eye-catching, but did get involved in attack.
Arteta: 6
Should he have done better to prevent Graham's equaliser? I personally think it was a very difficult situation for him on the-man-at-post duty. He couldn't make up his mind whether to leave the post and block the shot or at least deter Graham from shooting, or to stay at the post. Perhaps, Sagna should have picked up Graham. Overall, it was not his best defensive game.
Wilshere: 7
Put a lot of efforts into the game.
Walcott: 6
His free-kicks and corners were poor.
Giroud: 6
Set up a goal for Gibbs through a brilliantly lofted pass, but his finishing left a lot to be desired. He should have at least put his header on target. Missed a couple of more chances as well.
Ramsey: 6
He did some good things, including a great cross only for Giroud to head it wide, and got into great positions on several occasions, but he still lacks composure in front of goal. On the BBC site, ex-Gunner, John Hartson suggested Ramsey would benefit from a loan spell. His reasoning was based on the Wales national team's point of view as he thinks that Ramsey needs to play in central midfield, where he cannot get a chance at Arsenal due to competition. We agree that sending him out on loan would be beneficial for him to get back into the form he was in prior to the horrific injury and to fulfil his potential. On the other hand, from Arsenal's viewpoint, the lack of the depth in the squad does not allow us to loan him out as he can be used as a utility player. If we can get a natural wide player and a defensive midfielder in the January transfer window, this predicament could be solved.
Subs
Podolski: 8
Replaced Ramsey in the 73rd minute. Scored a poacher's goal.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Southampton 1 Arsenal 1
Perhaps this is a game that we, Arsenal fans, want to forget quickly. It was definitely two points dropped, despite Arsene Wenger admitting that they were lucky to come away with a point. It wasn't a result we wanted nor a performance we expected following a scintillating game and a stellar attacking display against Newcastle. Wenger blamed a mental hang-over from the recent goal fests rather than fatigue for his side's lacklustre performance.
It was a very disappointing display from Arsenal players, who were brilliant going forward 3 days ago. There was no pace or purpose in their passes, which they struggled to put together. Their passing accuracy rate of 80.3%, well below their average, speaks volumes. There was no sign of what we saw in the recent games as a welcome change. In fact, Arsenal registered only one shot on target out of 6 shots in total including blocked shots, in comparison with Southampton's 5 shots on target. We didn't even try to take advantage of the Southamption second-choice keeper's suspect handling after the opening minutes.
Unfortunately, it was not only the offensive side of the game that let us down. Sagna's failed clearance led to Southampton's goal. I saw an Opta stat prior to the Wigan game that Arsenal had made 11 errors this season directly leading to goals, more than any other club. If Jack Wilshere's deflection in the Newcastle game was not counted as one, Sagna's mistake in this game was 12th of such a kind of errors. The figure highlights lapse of concentration, which we need to address.
Arsene Wenger kept his side that beat Newcastle in a convincing way last Saturday, which meant Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made starts against their former club. Per Mertesacker was left on the bench after recovering from illness.
Giroud's introduction was once again expected. However, his fellow substitute, Gervinho was a waste of space. Perhaps, Arsene Wenger wanted to give him a last chance before he departs for the Africa Nations Cup. As the boss stated earlier that he had no intention to rush the Ivorian back after the African competition, we are unlikely to see Gervinho for a while. Why the Frenchman didn't bring on Rosicky was a mystery to us.
One of our members, who is back in Southamption where he came from, was among the 3,141 strong travelling fans. We felt sorry for him for having to pay to watch his beloved Club playing so badly. It was disheartening enough for us to watch it in a bar. (Incidentally, our usual venue, Las Mimosas bar was closed on the New Year's day. Therefore a small contingent of us went to watch the game at the nearby New Odd Couple.)
Although Szczesny won Arsenal fans' Man of the Mach votes on the Arsenal.com site, we think one of few bright spots in this game was Oxlade-Chamberlain's performance. He was one of our better players. It looks that he has cemented his place in the starting XI when Theo is playing up front. It is good to see the 19-year-old's form is getting back to last season's level. The Southampton left-back, 17-year-old Luke Shaw has been strongly linked to Arsenal in the recent months. Although he had a decent game, he was beaten by our 19-year-old winger a few times.
Another better performer was Jack Wilshere. He has been a target of rough challenges by opponent midfielders recently because of fierce temper he is well-known for (the refs haven't done very much to protect him and this game was no exception), but he has been controlling himself very well. As Southampton didn't give our midfield much space to manoeuvre, Jack's offensive contribution was relatively limited, but he was the best player in our midfield. Arsene Wenger stated a few weeks ago that he intended to rest Jack in one every four games, considering the fact that he hadn't played for 17 months. This game might have been one of those games he might have been rested as Wenger mentioned. Including 120 minutes he played in the Capital One Cup tie against Bradford, playing 6 straight matches since 8th December and still maintaining the same intensity is quite encouraging.
Hopefully, this was just a bad day at the office. We have another tough game on Sunday against Swansea away. We expect that all the new foreign players know what Cup games are all about by now from their humiliating defeat to Bradford. Besides, Swansea have already proved that they are not the opponents to be underestimated, by beating us at home not so long ago. So there will be no chance for complacency to creep in.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
Great save to save Sagna from a potentially embarrassing own goal.
Sagna: 5
Shocking performance from a quality player who used to be known for his consistency. He has recently had some poor games, which worries us a lot.
Koscielny: 6
Some dodgy moments.
Vermaelen: 6
Could have given away a penalty.
Gibbs: 6
Didn't do enough going forward. Probably those mistakes he made during the Newcastle game inhibited him from going forward.
Cazorla: 6
Kept quiet by Southampton midfielders. Didn't make those good runs he made against Newcastle. Had a shot deflected.
Arteta: 6
Failed to create rhythms, but his attempt went fairly close.
Wilshere: 7
One of the better performer on the day when all the players were below par.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Lively on the right wing. Delivered a great cross into the box where nobody was present to collect it.
Walcott: 6
Failed to make an impact but didn't get enough service.
Podolski: 6
Anonymous.
Subs
Giroud: 6
Replaced Podolski in the 58th minute. Made little impact.
Ramsey: 6
74th-minute substitute for Cazorla. Despite playing in his natural position, made little difference.
Gervinho: 5
74th-minute substitute for the Ox. He now seems to have gone backwards from last season, despite all the promising signs earlier this season. He was clueless. As he created some half-chances for himself, it was even more frustrating.
It was a very disappointing display from Arsenal players, who were brilliant going forward 3 days ago. There was no pace or purpose in their passes, which they struggled to put together. Their passing accuracy rate of 80.3%, well below their average, speaks volumes. There was no sign of what we saw in the recent games as a welcome change. In fact, Arsenal registered only one shot on target out of 6 shots in total including blocked shots, in comparison with Southampton's 5 shots on target. We didn't even try to take advantage of the Southamption second-choice keeper's suspect handling after the opening minutes.
Unfortunately, it was not only the offensive side of the game that let us down. Sagna's failed clearance led to Southampton's goal. I saw an Opta stat prior to the Wigan game that Arsenal had made 11 errors this season directly leading to goals, more than any other club. If Jack Wilshere's deflection in the Newcastle game was not counted as one, Sagna's mistake in this game was 12th of such a kind of errors. The figure highlights lapse of concentration, which we need to address.
Arsene Wenger kept his side that beat Newcastle in a convincing way last Saturday, which meant Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made starts against their former club. Per Mertesacker was left on the bench after recovering from illness.
Giroud's introduction was once again expected. However, his fellow substitute, Gervinho was a waste of space. Perhaps, Arsene Wenger wanted to give him a last chance before he departs for the Africa Nations Cup. As the boss stated earlier that he had no intention to rush the Ivorian back after the African competition, we are unlikely to see Gervinho for a while. Why the Frenchman didn't bring on Rosicky was a mystery to us.
One of our members, who is back in Southamption where he came from, was among the 3,141 strong travelling fans. We felt sorry for him for having to pay to watch his beloved Club playing so badly. It was disheartening enough for us to watch it in a bar. (Incidentally, our usual venue, Las Mimosas bar was closed on the New Year's day. Therefore a small contingent of us went to watch the game at the nearby New Odd Couple.)
Although Szczesny won Arsenal fans' Man of the Mach votes on the Arsenal.com site, we think one of few bright spots in this game was Oxlade-Chamberlain's performance. He was one of our better players. It looks that he has cemented his place in the starting XI when Theo is playing up front. It is good to see the 19-year-old's form is getting back to last season's level. The Southampton left-back, 17-year-old Luke Shaw has been strongly linked to Arsenal in the recent months. Although he had a decent game, he was beaten by our 19-year-old winger a few times.
Another better performer was Jack Wilshere. He has been a target of rough challenges by opponent midfielders recently because of fierce temper he is well-known for (the refs haven't done very much to protect him and this game was no exception), but he has been controlling himself very well. As Southampton didn't give our midfield much space to manoeuvre, Jack's offensive contribution was relatively limited, but he was the best player in our midfield. Arsene Wenger stated a few weeks ago that he intended to rest Jack in one every four games, considering the fact that he hadn't played for 17 months. This game might have been one of those games he might have been rested as Wenger mentioned. Including 120 minutes he played in the Capital One Cup tie against Bradford, playing 6 straight matches since 8th December and still maintaining the same intensity is quite encouraging.
Hopefully, this was just a bad day at the office. We have another tough game on Sunday against Swansea away. We expect that all the new foreign players know what Cup games are all about by now from their humiliating defeat to Bradford. Besides, Swansea have already proved that they are not the opponents to be underestimated, by beating us at home not so long ago. So there will be no chance for complacency to creep in.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
Great save to save Sagna from a potentially embarrassing own goal.
Sagna: 5
Shocking performance from a quality player who used to be known for his consistency. He has recently had some poor games, which worries us a lot.
Koscielny: 6
Some dodgy moments.
Vermaelen: 6
Could have given away a penalty.
Gibbs: 6
Didn't do enough going forward. Probably those mistakes he made during the Newcastle game inhibited him from going forward.
Cazorla: 6
Kept quiet by Southampton midfielders. Didn't make those good runs he made against Newcastle. Had a shot deflected.
Arteta: 6
Failed to create rhythms, but his attempt went fairly close.
Wilshere: 7
One of the better performer on the day when all the players were below par.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Lively on the right wing. Delivered a great cross into the box where nobody was present to collect it.
Walcott: 6
Failed to make an impact but didn't get enough service.
Podolski: 6
Anonymous.
Subs
Giroud: 6
Replaced Podolski in the 58th minute. Made little impact.
Ramsey: 6
74th-minute substitute for Cazorla. Despite playing in his natural position, made little difference.
Gervinho: 5
74th-minute substitute for the Ox. He now seems to have gone backwards from last season, despite all the promising signs earlier this season. He was clueless. As he created some half-chances for himself, it was even more frustrating.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Arsenal 7 Newcastle 3
It was hilarious that Arsenal supporters at the Emirates were signing "Boring Boring Arsenal" at the end of the game. Being Arsenal supporters, we are often treated to entertaining games (perhaps too thrilling for our liking) and this was nearly as crazy as the 7-5 Capital One Cup win over Reading.
Most of pundits seemed to have predicted an Arsenal win, primarily based on a home side's advantage of extra days' rest thanks to a postponed Boxing Day clash with West Ham. Also, the form guide suggested the same outcome as Arsenal were looking for a fourth consecutive league win, while Newcastle were yet to win a game away from home. On the other hand, Arsene Wenger stated that he would have preferred playing in order to keep the momentum going on the back of three Premier League wins on the bounce. Besides, Newcastle still had a good team despite an injury crisis to their key players, including creative midfielders Cabaye and Ben Arfa, as well as the suspension of their centre-back, Williamson. Tiote's return after serving a one-match ban was also a worry for us. All Arsenal fans knew that this was not going to be an easy game.
Arsene Wenger only made a forced change to his side who started in their 1-0 victory over Wigan at the DW Stadium. Lauren Koscielny came in for Per Mertesacker due to the German's illness. Theo Walcott continued in his preferred central striking role.
Giroud's introduction was always on the card after he recovered from illness, which prevented him from taking part in the last game. The boss said that Theo's playing up front would add to his game, combined with his experience in playing on the wing. When the France striker came on the pitch, Wenger's words were confirmed. Giroud's 74th-minute introduction was not a straight swap with Theo. The Ox came off the pitch instead, which signalled the 23-year-old Englishman's shift to the right wing. Walcott provided two assists for Giroud from the right flank, one of which was a pin-point cross. He went on to score his third goal of the night to show that he has those attributes required for playing up front, e.g., tenacity, skills to beat defenders, composure, and clinical finish.
Walcott contract saga is no longer a matter of one player's future at the Club, but is now regarded as an important statement by the Club regarding their direction and ambition. Losing another key player and our current leading goalscorer would send a detrimental message to the inside and outside of Arsenal FC. Although if he is worth 100k a week or changing the Club's wage structure remains a question, the Club need to make him sign a new contract.
Arsenal went in front three times and every time Newcastle came back. At 4-3 with nearly 20 minutes left to play, we thought there would be plenty of time for a few more goals for either side at this rate. Fortunately for us, Newcastle seemed to have run of energy to come back one more time and goals arrived on our side. With Giroud's introduction and two more goals added to the scoreline, the game became a lot easier for us. Walcott's hat-trick was the icing on the cake.
The change in Arsenal's game we hailed in the West Brom match was present again. Wenger's men tried to break quickly with no more pondering and probing passes around the edge of the box. To our surprise, Arsenal's possession rate was a mere 44% in this game. Some fans say that they've had their Arsenal back, but the stats tell us it is more like we have a new Arsenal.
When RVP left us in summer, everybody questioned Arsenal's goalscoring ability. Since the beginning of the season, we have scored 63 goals in 28 games in comparison with 50 goals from 30 games at the same time last season. Our three new signings produced a total of 25 goals (Cazorla: 7, Podolski: 9 and Giroud: 9) in all competitions, while Theo has already scored more goals (14) than he did in the entire last season (11). This game highlighted the fact that we have plenty of firepower in our current squad.
The only negative from this game was three goals we conceded. We need to address the defensive shortcomings, for which the two full-backs were largely culpable.
Arsenal ended a very difficult year on a high. Let's hope they will continue with their good run of form. They should be full of confidence after four straight league wins, but hopefully they will not be complacent against the next opponents who failed to move out of the relegation zone on Saturday after allowing Stoke to come back from 3-1 down to share the spoils. It will be a different game to their earlier encounter this season at the Emirates which ended in Arsenal's 6-1 win.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
His goal-keeping was relatively sound, despite being beaten on three occasions, but his distribution left something to be desired.
Sagna: 6
His needless foul on Obertan brought a free-kick, which subsequently led to Newcastle's first goal. The France international, who used to be known for giving 100% in every game, didn't appear his old self in this game. As his contract issue crops up on the paper, it makes you wonder if he is already on his way out.
Koscielny: 7
Did OK.
Vermaelen: 7
Solid.
Gibbs: 6
Good going forward. Nearly scored, but he was guilty for both of Newcastle's second-half goals. He wasn't even aware where Demba Ba was. Hopefully, he will learn from his mistakes, but we really need another left-back who challenges Gibbs' place in the starting XI. Santos is not the answer.
Cazorla: 7
Although he didn't score, he often made parallel runs with Walcott, one of which could have been more fruitful only if Walcott had made a decent pass to him. Made an effort which drew a powerful save from Krul.
Arteta: 7
Consistent as usual.
Wilshere: 8
We thought he was unlucky to divert Ba's free-kick into his own net at the time, but post-match analyses told us that he should have charged the ball down instead of turning his back to it. On the positive side, he made good runs, one of which led to Podolski's goal. Overall, he had a good game.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 8
Scored his first league goal since February from the edge of the box. Glad to see him score. He has been trying to take shots in the recent games and we like his direct approach. This goal should boost his confidence and encourage him to continue his effort.
Walcott: 9
He scored three classy goals. If his first goal was Henry-esque, his third was a Messi-style goal.
Podolski: 8
Had a good game. Worked hard both defensively and offensively. Set up Walcott's first goal by picking him up on the left-hand side and scored a goal from the close range, which was a kind of goal Arsenal were missing.
Subs
Giroud: 8
Made a difference when he came on the pitch in the 74th minute by scoring two goals. He is labelled as a static striker because of his role as a target man and a lack of pace, but he was mobile in this game and his movement is usually good with or without ball.
Ramsey: 7
Ramsey haters, you cannot fault his performance for this game. He made two key passes, one of which could have led to a goal, if Giroud's shot hadn't hit the cross bar. His passing success rate was 100% (although he only made 6 passes in his 8-minute-plus-injury-time appearance).
Coquelin: 6
Replaced Cazorla in the 86th minute to see off a victory.
Most of pundits seemed to have predicted an Arsenal win, primarily based on a home side's advantage of extra days' rest thanks to a postponed Boxing Day clash with West Ham. Also, the form guide suggested the same outcome as Arsenal were looking for a fourth consecutive league win, while Newcastle were yet to win a game away from home. On the other hand, Arsene Wenger stated that he would have preferred playing in order to keep the momentum going on the back of three Premier League wins on the bounce. Besides, Newcastle still had a good team despite an injury crisis to their key players, including creative midfielders Cabaye and Ben Arfa, as well as the suspension of their centre-back, Williamson. Tiote's return after serving a one-match ban was also a worry for us. All Arsenal fans knew that this was not going to be an easy game.
Arsene Wenger only made a forced change to his side who started in their 1-0 victory over Wigan at the DW Stadium. Lauren Koscielny came in for Per Mertesacker due to the German's illness. Theo Walcott continued in his preferred central striking role.
Giroud's introduction was always on the card after he recovered from illness, which prevented him from taking part in the last game. The boss said that Theo's playing up front would add to his game, combined with his experience in playing on the wing. When the France striker came on the pitch, Wenger's words were confirmed. Giroud's 74th-minute introduction was not a straight swap with Theo. The Ox came off the pitch instead, which signalled the 23-year-old Englishman's shift to the right wing. Walcott provided two assists for Giroud from the right flank, one of which was a pin-point cross. He went on to score his third goal of the night to show that he has those attributes required for playing up front, e.g., tenacity, skills to beat defenders, composure, and clinical finish.
Walcott contract saga is no longer a matter of one player's future at the Club, but is now regarded as an important statement by the Club regarding their direction and ambition. Losing another key player and our current leading goalscorer would send a detrimental message to the inside and outside of Arsenal FC. Although if he is worth 100k a week or changing the Club's wage structure remains a question, the Club need to make him sign a new contract.
Arsenal went in front three times and every time Newcastle came back. At 4-3 with nearly 20 minutes left to play, we thought there would be plenty of time for a few more goals for either side at this rate. Fortunately for us, Newcastle seemed to have run of energy to come back one more time and goals arrived on our side. With Giroud's introduction and two more goals added to the scoreline, the game became a lot easier for us. Walcott's hat-trick was the icing on the cake.
The change in Arsenal's game we hailed in the West Brom match was present again. Wenger's men tried to break quickly with no more pondering and probing passes around the edge of the box. To our surprise, Arsenal's possession rate was a mere 44% in this game. Some fans say that they've had their Arsenal back, but the stats tell us it is more like we have a new Arsenal.
When RVP left us in summer, everybody questioned Arsenal's goalscoring ability. Since the beginning of the season, we have scored 63 goals in 28 games in comparison with 50 goals from 30 games at the same time last season. Our three new signings produced a total of 25 goals (Cazorla: 7, Podolski: 9 and Giroud: 9) in all competitions, while Theo has already scored more goals (14) than he did in the entire last season (11). This game highlighted the fact that we have plenty of firepower in our current squad.
The only negative from this game was three goals we conceded. We need to address the defensive shortcomings, for which the two full-backs were largely culpable.
Arsenal ended a very difficult year on a high. Let's hope they will continue with their good run of form. They should be full of confidence after four straight league wins, but hopefully they will not be complacent against the next opponents who failed to move out of the relegation zone on Saturday after allowing Stoke to come back from 3-1 down to share the spoils. It will be a different game to their earlier encounter this season at the Emirates which ended in Arsenal's 6-1 win.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
His goal-keeping was relatively sound, despite being beaten on three occasions, but his distribution left something to be desired.
Sagna: 6
His needless foul on Obertan brought a free-kick, which subsequently led to Newcastle's first goal. The France international, who used to be known for giving 100% in every game, didn't appear his old self in this game. As his contract issue crops up on the paper, it makes you wonder if he is already on his way out.
Koscielny: 7
Did OK.
Vermaelen: 7
Solid.
Gibbs: 6
Good going forward. Nearly scored, but he was guilty for both of Newcastle's second-half goals. He wasn't even aware where Demba Ba was. Hopefully, he will learn from his mistakes, but we really need another left-back who challenges Gibbs' place in the starting XI. Santos is not the answer.
Cazorla: 7
Although he didn't score, he often made parallel runs with Walcott, one of which could have been more fruitful only if Walcott had made a decent pass to him. Made an effort which drew a powerful save from Krul.
Arteta: 7
Consistent as usual.
Wilshere: 8
We thought he was unlucky to divert Ba's free-kick into his own net at the time, but post-match analyses told us that he should have charged the ball down instead of turning his back to it. On the positive side, he made good runs, one of which led to Podolski's goal. Overall, he had a good game.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 8
Scored his first league goal since February from the edge of the box. Glad to see him score. He has been trying to take shots in the recent games and we like his direct approach. This goal should boost his confidence and encourage him to continue his effort.
Walcott: 9
He scored three classy goals. If his first goal was Henry-esque, his third was a Messi-style goal.
Podolski: 8
Had a good game. Worked hard both defensively and offensively. Set up Walcott's first goal by picking him up on the left-hand side and scored a goal from the close range, which was a kind of goal Arsenal were missing.
Subs
Giroud: 8
Made a difference when he came on the pitch in the 74th minute by scoring two goals. He is labelled as a static striker because of his role as a target man and a lack of pace, but he was mobile in this game and his movement is usually good with or without ball.
Ramsey: 7
Ramsey haters, you cannot fault his performance for this game. He made two key passes, one of which could have led to a goal, if Giroud's shot hadn't hit the cross bar. His passing success rate was 100% (although he only made 6 passes in his 8-minute-plus-injury-time appearance).
Coquelin: 6
Replaced Cazorla in the 86th minute to see off a victory.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Wigan 0 Arsenal 1
It was hardly a vintage display from Arsenal, but this kind of wins are crucial for Arsenal to secure a Champions League spot. It has been a stop-start season, as illustrated by a fact that Arsenal has only registered three wins in a row for the first time.
On paper, this was supposed to be a routine win for Arsenal. Wigan lay in the relegation zone despite some brave performances earlier this season, including the defeat of Tottenham at White Hart Lane. The injury-ridden squad, which was already small to start with, has been reduced to field midfielders in their typical formation of the back three. Everything seemed to have pointed to Arsenal's comfortable win, but we all knew by now that things were not as easy as they looked. Every club tries their best to make it as difficult as possible for you and Wigan was no exception. We were lucky in the last game because Reading were more generous in that aspect.
The stats painted a totally different picture to Monday night's Reading clash. Arsenal's overall possession was 49.6% against Wigan's 50.4%. Our passing success ratio was 83% vs Wigan's 87%. Arsenal registered total shots on target of 11 against Wigan's 14, with 4 shots on target, vis-a-via Wigan's 3. One may argue that Wigan deserved a point, based on these stats. In fact, if they had been more clinical in their finishing, the result could have been different.
Team selection was once again a major talking point prior to the match. The focus was on whether Walcott would continue with the central striking role. As it turned out, Olivier Giroud was left out of the squad due to a cold, which eliminated the other option. We didn't think that Walcott did particularly well in that role in this game. One can argue that he didn't get enough service, but he had some decent chances. Especially in the game like this away from home, Walcott's inability to hold the ball up and lack of physical presence and strength frustrated us. Arsenal need attacking options depending on whom they play against and he is one of them. He should understand that and stop insisting on the central striker position.
Arsenal's substitutions were also baffling. Ramsey came on for the Ox, who was Arsenal's best player on the pitch and only player that provided creative sparks as our midfield trio were tightly marshalled by Wigan's packed midfield. Ramsey's introduction in place of the Ox in the 75th minute seemed to have killed off Arsenal's attacking intent. Until then Arsenal appeared to look for their second goal to ensure them all three points, but the substitution was a cue for the final 15 minutes to be dedicated to defending the narrow lead. Subsequent two substitutions, namely Coquelin in the 79th minute and Koscielny in the injury time, further confirmed Arsenal's defensive focus.
We must admit that we were disappointed with the negativity at that time as we hoped that Arsenal brand of free-flowing fooball was back and here to stay, following their stellar performance against Reading. However, there were only a few players who played well on this day. Considering that fact, the decision to protect the slim lead and ensure we came away with all three points might have been reasonable. Had the result had gone in a wrong way, they would have certainly been criticised heavily for their gung-ho approach.
Also, we didn't have many attacking options on the bench. As Giroud and Rosicky both had fallen victim to colds, options available were limited to Arshavin and Gervinho. Both of them are notorious for their lack of efforts to track back, it would have been self-destructive if we had chosen to go down that road.
As the only goal came from a penalty, we were once again in the middle of controversy. Some question whether there was a contact in the penalty incident, but replays clearly showed that Walcott was clipped by Beausejour in the make-shift left-back's clumsy challenge and there was little protest from players.
Also, there were two handball claims from Wigan at the death of the game. We watched instant replays on the TV, and even with a help of video cameras, it was difficult to tell. In one of the incidents, the Arsenal player (either Gibbs or Vermaelen) had his arms tucked into his chest, turning his back to the ball. It was hard for the referee to make a decision in a second.
In contrast to those cases, most of the media seem to agree that Wilshere was wrongfully penalised for his perfectly timed tackle on Maloney. The England midfielder won the ball cleanly. Jonathan Moss seemed to have given in to pressure from the four Wigan players who converged on him and the home crowd.
The biggest positive to take from this game was naturally three points. The hard-fought points allowed us to go into the festive period in top four. Another positive was a clean sheet. Away games like this in a cold and wet afternoon in north used to see us end up with a draw or worse in the past, but we didn't give in to physical and mental pressure Wigan mounted on us and held on for a vital three points.
We weren't great in terms of performance, but it was a valuable win.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
Made a couple of excellent saves. Did well in a one-on-one situation againt Kone.
Sagna: 7
Drawn into the middle defensively too often for our liking. However, with the most touches (104) and an 82% passing success rate, he didn't do too badly.
Mertesacker: 6
Gave away unnecessary corners. With him in the back four, Arsenal's playing a high defensive line was suicidal in the first half.
Vermaelen: 7
Solid. Led the defence with determination.
Gibbs: 7
It wasn't his best game, but he didn't do anything wrong.
Cazorla: 6
Almost man-marked by McCarthy, allowed little space. But managed to deliver a couple of incisive passes.
Arteta: 7
Kept his cool and scored his fourth goal of the season from the spot.
Wilshere: 7
Worked hard and showed his passion despite tough treatment by Maloney and McCarthy and the harsh decision by the referee.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 8
Our Man of the Match. He was one of the five British young players who committed their futures to the Club last week. It's good to see Arsenal tying down their young talents' futures early before their contracts run down. His performance today was very encouraging. He was strong and capable of running at defenders. Good performance on the right wing.
Walcott: 6
Did little apart from winning a penalty.
Podolski: 6
Fired a couple of powerful shots. Was not influential in attack, but worked hard to help out Gibbs defensively.
Subs
Ramsey: 6
Came off the bench in the 75th minute to replace the Ox. Change for worse. The Ox is capable of defending as well.
Coquelin: 7
Replaced Poldi in the 79th minute to shore up the defence and did a good job.
Koscielny: 6
Came on for Cazorla in the 90th minute to fend off Wigan's last-ditch attack and did his job.
On paper, this was supposed to be a routine win for Arsenal. Wigan lay in the relegation zone despite some brave performances earlier this season, including the defeat of Tottenham at White Hart Lane. The injury-ridden squad, which was already small to start with, has been reduced to field midfielders in their typical formation of the back three. Everything seemed to have pointed to Arsenal's comfortable win, but we all knew by now that things were not as easy as they looked. Every club tries their best to make it as difficult as possible for you and Wigan was no exception. We were lucky in the last game because Reading were more generous in that aspect.
The stats painted a totally different picture to Monday night's Reading clash. Arsenal's overall possession was 49.6% against Wigan's 50.4%. Our passing success ratio was 83% vs Wigan's 87%. Arsenal registered total shots on target of 11 against Wigan's 14, with 4 shots on target, vis-a-via Wigan's 3. One may argue that Wigan deserved a point, based on these stats. In fact, if they had been more clinical in their finishing, the result could have been different.
Team selection was once again a major talking point prior to the match. The focus was on whether Walcott would continue with the central striking role. As it turned out, Olivier Giroud was left out of the squad due to a cold, which eliminated the other option. We didn't think that Walcott did particularly well in that role in this game. One can argue that he didn't get enough service, but he had some decent chances. Especially in the game like this away from home, Walcott's inability to hold the ball up and lack of physical presence and strength frustrated us. Arsenal need attacking options depending on whom they play against and he is one of them. He should understand that and stop insisting on the central striker position.
Arsenal's substitutions were also baffling. Ramsey came on for the Ox, who was Arsenal's best player on the pitch and only player that provided creative sparks as our midfield trio were tightly marshalled by Wigan's packed midfield. Ramsey's introduction in place of the Ox in the 75th minute seemed to have killed off Arsenal's attacking intent. Until then Arsenal appeared to look for their second goal to ensure them all three points, but the substitution was a cue for the final 15 minutes to be dedicated to defending the narrow lead. Subsequent two substitutions, namely Coquelin in the 79th minute and Koscielny in the injury time, further confirmed Arsenal's defensive focus.
We must admit that we were disappointed with the negativity at that time as we hoped that Arsenal brand of free-flowing fooball was back and here to stay, following their stellar performance against Reading. However, there were only a few players who played well on this day. Considering that fact, the decision to protect the slim lead and ensure we came away with all three points might have been reasonable. Had the result had gone in a wrong way, they would have certainly been criticised heavily for their gung-ho approach.
Also, we didn't have many attacking options on the bench. As Giroud and Rosicky both had fallen victim to colds, options available were limited to Arshavin and Gervinho. Both of them are notorious for their lack of efforts to track back, it would have been self-destructive if we had chosen to go down that road.
As the only goal came from a penalty, we were once again in the middle of controversy. Some question whether there was a contact in the penalty incident, but replays clearly showed that Walcott was clipped by Beausejour in the make-shift left-back's clumsy challenge and there was little protest from players.
Also, there were two handball claims from Wigan at the death of the game. We watched instant replays on the TV, and even with a help of video cameras, it was difficult to tell. In one of the incidents, the Arsenal player (either Gibbs or Vermaelen) had his arms tucked into his chest, turning his back to the ball. It was hard for the referee to make a decision in a second.
In contrast to those cases, most of the media seem to agree that Wilshere was wrongfully penalised for his perfectly timed tackle on Maloney. The England midfielder won the ball cleanly. Jonathan Moss seemed to have given in to pressure from the four Wigan players who converged on him and the home crowd.
The biggest positive to take from this game was naturally three points. The hard-fought points allowed us to go into the festive period in top four. Another positive was a clean sheet. Away games like this in a cold and wet afternoon in north used to see us end up with a draw or worse in the past, but we didn't give in to physical and mental pressure Wigan mounted on us and held on for a vital three points.
We weren't great in terms of performance, but it was a valuable win.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
Made a couple of excellent saves. Did well in a one-on-one situation againt Kone.
Sagna: 7
Drawn into the middle defensively too often for our liking. However, with the most touches (104) and an 82% passing success rate, he didn't do too badly.
Mertesacker: 6
Gave away unnecessary corners. With him in the back four, Arsenal's playing a high defensive line was suicidal in the first half.
Vermaelen: 7
Solid. Led the defence with determination.
Gibbs: 7
It wasn't his best game, but he didn't do anything wrong.
Cazorla: 6
Almost man-marked by McCarthy, allowed little space. But managed to deliver a couple of incisive passes.
Arteta: 7
Kept his cool and scored his fourth goal of the season from the spot.
Wilshere: 7
Worked hard and showed his passion despite tough treatment by Maloney and McCarthy and the harsh decision by the referee.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 8
Our Man of the Match. He was one of the five British young players who committed their futures to the Club last week. It's good to see Arsenal tying down their young talents' futures early before their contracts run down. His performance today was very encouraging. He was strong and capable of running at defenders. Good performance on the right wing.
Walcott: 6
Did little apart from winning a penalty.
Podolski: 6
Fired a couple of powerful shots. Was not influential in attack, but worked hard to help out Gibbs defensively.
Subs
Ramsey: 6
Came off the bench in the 75th minute to replace the Ox. Change for worse. The Ox is capable of defending as well.
Coquelin: 7
Replaced Poldi in the 79th minute to shore up the defence and did a good job.
Koscielny: 6
Came on for Cazorla in the 90th minute to fend off Wigan's last-ditch attack and did his job.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Reading 2 Arsenal 5
It was a relatively quiet night at Las Mimosas bar, especially with quite a few of our members already gone back to the UK for Christmas and some of the others still recovering from pre-Christmas parties the night before. We didn't know what to expect from Arsenal XI after the heartbreaking exit from the Capital One Cup by the hand of a League Two side, but we all knew how important it was to us to bounce back quickly and get all three points to climb up the table.
Arsene Wenger brought Mikel Arteta back to the starting line-up after the Spaniard sat out on the bench to see his side knocked out of the Capital One Cup. Gervinho, Coquelin, and Ramsey, who played in last Tuesday's defeat, were dropped to the bench. The Ox started on the right-wing, while fit again Walcott was given a role as a central striker, for which his desire is well-documented. To much of our surprise, Giroud started on the bench despite having recovered in time from the knock on his back sustained during the WBA match. Wenger explained his decision as he judged that the Englishman was ready for the role, having seen him in training. The team selection turned out to be spot-on. The open nature of the game gave an advantage to the pace of the front three. In fact, it was not only the forward trio that enjoyed time and space Reading gave, but also the midfield trio. They excelled again, just like they did against West Brom nine days ago. Santi and Jack delivered passes that made most of tonight's pacy strikers.
As soon as the game had been kicked off, we noticed a difference in Arsenal's approach with a pleasant surprise. Their attack was quick and the players chose to take a shot rather than passing around.
The only negative from this game was conceding two cheap goals and failing to keep a clean sheet. Gibbs' loose pass led to Reading's first goal, which Mertesacker still could have done better to prevent. Five minutes later, Reading found the net for the second time this night. Mertesacker was at fault for this as well. At this moment, we were recalling Newcastle's historical comeback against us. Arsene Wenger was in the same thoughts, admitting in his post-match interview "at 4-2, I saw your headlines coming". However, Arsenal managed to regain control of the game. We were ruthless again. Just as we did against Tottenham, when the opponents thought they could get back into the game, we scored. Walcott's 80th-minute goal extinguished any hope for Reading's comeback.
This game was refreshing in that positives far outweighed negatives. All five goals were from open play without a hint of controversies. 26 shots, of which 13 were on target, highlight that we have created a number of chances and finished half of them clinically. Other stats, including a 67% possession and an 88% passing success rate, indicate that Arsenal's free-flowing football was back. The 5-2 scoreline was the repeat of the north London derby, but this time it was against 11-men, eliminating all the ifs and buts. Although this night's Reading side may have been as poor as last week's West Brom side, but the Berkshire team offered more going forward than West Brom did. Many are still sniffy about our second consecutive league win because of Reading's current league position. They might have only managed one win so far this season, but it was a shock defeat of a good Everton side, whose early-season form was a revelation this season and is still in the mix for top-four finish. The Royals also gave Manchester United a good run for their money before falling to a 4-3 loss.
There were some encouraging signs. Building on the outstanding performance against West Brom the weekend before, the midfield trio seemed to have gelled together. Understanding between Poldi and Gibbs on the left flank appeared to have come back after a disruption caused by Gibbs' lay-off. Poldi and Santi combined well just like earlier this season when we were playing well.
Overall, it was a convincing win and vital three points, which saw us move up the table to fifth, just two points off third-placed Chelsea, who have a game in hand, and fourth-placed Tottenham. This game may not be a testament that all our problems have been solved, but it certainly helped lift the fans' mood. We are back in winning ways and hopefully we will get a good run of form this time around.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 6
Mixed performance. Some good saves and decisions, but also had a hairy moment by missing the ball completely.
Sagna: 7
Effective both offensively and defensively.
Mertesacker: 5
He was switched off for Reading's two goals.
Vermaelen: 7
Made a crucial intervention and covered well for Gibbs when the England left-back went forward.
Gibbs: 6
Great going forward, providing two assists, but his mistake cost us a clean sheet.
Cazorla: 9
Hat-trick hero. Set up a goal for Walcott, as well. He demonstrated his class.
Arteta: 8
Made most of space and time he had and led Arsenal's midfield dominance.
Wilshere: 8
Battled hard to win the ball. Glad to see him pick himself up every time he had received physical challenges from Reading players. On the receiving end of one kick, every man in the bar went "Ow..!". The yellow card was a decision difficult to understand.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Some good efforts.
Walcott: 8
Took his goal well, but also squandered a glorious chance in a one-on-one situation with the keeper, which any "deadly" striker should have buried.
Podolski: 8
Provided two assists and scored one goal. Good to see him influential in attack and get on the scoresheet again.
Subs
Ramsey: 6
Came off the bench in the 74th minute to replace the Ox. Although he was involved in some attacking moves, he had little impact.
Coquelin: 6
Replaced Cazorla in the 82nd minute.
Giroud: 6
Came on for Walcott in the 85th minute. Had a chance to score, but the Reading keeper Federici did well to smother the ball.
Arsene Wenger brought Mikel Arteta back to the starting line-up after the Spaniard sat out on the bench to see his side knocked out of the Capital One Cup. Gervinho, Coquelin, and Ramsey, who played in last Tuesday's defeat, were dropped to the bench. The Ox started on the right-wing, while fit again Walcott was given a role as a central striker, for which his desire is well-documented. To much of our surprise, Giroud started on the bench despite having recovered in time from the knock on his back sustained during the WBA match. Wenger explained his decision as he judged that the Englishman was ready for the role, having seen him in training. The team selection turned out to be spot-on. The open nature of the game gave an advantage to the pace of the front three. In fact, it was not only the forward trio that enjoyed time and space Reading gave, but also the midfield trio. They excelled again, just like they did against West Brom nine days ago. Santi and Jack delivered passes that made most of tonight's pacy strikers.
As soon as the game had been kicked off, we noticed a difference in Arsenal's approach with a pleasant surprise. Their attack was quick and the players chose to take a shot rather than passing around.
The only negative from this game was conceding two cheap goals and failing to keep a clean sheet. Gibbs' loose pass led to Reading's first goal, which Mertesacker still could have done better to prevent. Five minutes later, Reading found the net for the second time this night. Mertesacker was at fault for this as well. At this moment, we were recalling Newcastle's historical comeback against us. Arsene Wenger was in the same thoughts, admitting in his post-match interview "at 4-2, I saw your headlines coming". However, Arsenal managed to regain control of the game. We were ruthless again. Just as we did against Tottenham, when the opponents thought they could get back into the game, we scored. Walcott's 80th-minute goal extinguished any hope for Reading's comeback.
This game was refreshing in that positives far outweighed negatives. All five goals were from open play without a hint of controversies. 26 shots, of which 13 were on target, highlight that we have created a number of chances and finished half of them clinically. Other stats, including a 67% possession and an 88% passing success rate, indicate that Arsenal's free-flowing football was back. The 5-2 scoreline was the repeat of the north London derby, but this time it was against 11-men, eliminating all the ifs and buts. Although this night's Reading side may have been as poor as last week's West Brom side, but the Berkshire team offered more going forward than West Brom did. Many are still sniffy about our second consecutive league win because of Reading's current league position. They might have only managed one win so far this season, but it was a shock defeat of a good Everton side, whose early-season form was a revelation this season and is still in the mix for top-four finish. The Royals also gave Manchester United a good run for their money before falling to a 4-3 loss.
There were some encouraging signs. Building on the outstanding performance against West Brom the weekend before, the midfield trio seemed to have gelled together. Understanding between Poldi and Gibbs on the left flank appeared to have come back after a disruption caused by Gibbs' lay-off. Poldi and Santi combined well just like earlier this season when we were playing well.
Overall, it was a convincing win and vital three points, which saw us move up the table to fifth, just two points off third-placed Chelsea, who have a game in hand, and fourth-placed Tottenham. This game may not be a testament that all our problems have been solved, but it certainly helped lift the fans' mood. We are back in winning ways and hopefully we will get a good run of form this time around.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 6
Mixed performance. Some good saves and decisions, but also had a hairy moment by missing the ball completely.
Sagna: 7
Effective both offensively and defensively.
Mertesacker: 5
He was switched off for Reading's two goals.
Vermaelen: 7
Made a crucial intervention and covered well for Gibbs when the England left-back went forward.
Gibbs: 6
Great going forward, providing two assists, but his mistake cost us a clean sheet.
Cazorla: 9
Hat-trick hero. Set up a goal for Walcott, as well. He demonstrated his class.
Arteta: 8
Made most of space and time he had and led Arsenal's midfield dominance.
Wilshere: 8
Battled hard to win the ball. Glad to see him pick himself up every time he had received physical challenges from Reading players. On the receiving end of one kick, every man in the bar went "Ow..!". The yellow card was a decision difficult to understand.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Some good efforts.
Walcott: 8
Took his goal well, but also squandered a glorious chance in a one-on-one situation with the keeper, which any "deadly" striker should have buried.
Podolski: 8
Provided two assists and scored one goal. Good to see him influential in attack and get on the scoresheet again.
Subs
Ramsey: 6
Came off the bench in the 74th minute to replace the Ox. Although he was involved in some attacking moves, he had little impact.
Coquelin: 6
Replaced Cazorla in the 82nd minute.
Giroud: 6
Came on for Walcott in the 85th minute. Had a chance to score, but the Reading keeper Federici did well to smother the ball.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
2012 Christmas Dinner
Arsenal Playa Flamenca Supporters Club's Christmas party was held on 11 December this year at the same venue as last year, Pablo's bar in Playa Flamenca, Spain. We were forced to restrict the sales of tickets to just members and their partners in order to ensure an ample space for dancing and entertainment. As a result, the number of the guests were fewer than last year, but 38 guests enjoyed festivity and comradeship.
The party kicked off at 7:30 pm. As is customary with PF Gooners' Christmas Dinner, Arsenal's glorious 126-year history was shown in videos compiled by Ricky, with Arsenal songs played through the evening. Unfortunately, the date clashed with Arsenal's Capital One Cup quarter-final against Bradford as the League Cup tie was re-scheduled to accommodate the TV station's needs. Fortunately, however, we had a pre-recorded message from none other than Le Prof, himself, which was shown on the screen with English subtitle, while we were enjoying traditional English Christmas dinner.
For the second year running, Arsenal trivia quiz took place. Questions were read out again this year by Mabel the Quiz mistress. The contest proved to be very close and Tony and his team won the top prize of Arsenal Quiz Champion Cava with 13 points. Les and his team came last to be presented with a booby prize of Arsene Wenger's photo in the Arsenal frame.
Following Chairman Mo's speech, raffle was drawn, which saw eight winners receiving prizes, including Arsenal polo shirts, as well as the Supporters Club raising about €104 in their fund. A football scratch card was sold expertly by our Football Card Manager, Cheryl. Tonight's winner was Brian, who generously donated €5 to the Supporters Club to add to the proceeds from the sale of the scratch card. Collections were made for Pablo's bar staff, who provided good food and friendly service.
With Arsenal's exit from the Capital One Cup the only damper, another Christmas party ended in great success.
Here are some of pictures from the party. Please visit our Facebook site for more photos.
The party kicked off at 7:30 pm. As is customary with PF Gooners' Christmas Dinner, Arsenal's glorious 126-year history was shown in videos compiled by Ricky, with Arsenal songs played through the evening. Unfortunately, the date clashed with Arsenal's Capital One Cup quarter-final against Bradford as the League Cup tie was re-scheduled to accommodate the TV station's needs. Fortunately, however, we had a pre-recorded message from none other than Le Prof, himself, which was shown on the screen with English subtitle, while we were enjoying traditional English Christmas dinner.
For the second year running, Arsenal trivia quiz took place. Questions were read out again this year by Mabel the Quiz mistress. The contest proved to be very close and Tony and his team won the top prize of Arsenal Quiz Champion Cava with 13 points. Les and his team came last to be presented with a booby prize of Arsene Wenger's photo in the Arsenal frame.
Following Chairman Mo's speech, raffle was drawn, which saw eight winners receiving prizes, including Arsenal polo shirts, as well as the Supporters Club raising about €104 in their fund. A football scratch card was sold expertly by our Football Card Manager, Cheryl. Tonight's winner was Brian, who generously donated €5 to the Supporters Club to add to the proceeds from the sale of the scratch card. Collections were made for Pablo's bar staff, who provided good food and friendly service.
With Arsenal's exit from the Capital One Cup the only damper, another Christmas party ended in great success.
Here are some of pictures from the party. Please visit our Facebook site for more photos.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Arsenal 2 West Brom 0
After the disheartening home loss to Swansea last weekend, Arsenal were desperate to turn things round. According to Mikel Areteta, the players demanded extra training. The vice-captain also said prior to this match "We need to win games, it doesn't matter how". And Arsenal did exactly that.
We failed to score from open play to win the game more convincingly, but we were clearly the better side. It is a shame that two issues surrounding this game took the shine off the most important thing in this game, which is the result. We desperately needed a morale-boosting victory following a run of four win-less matches in all competitions. After the last week's defeat which saw us slip to 10th of the Premier League, we needed three points to put us back on track for top-four finish.
Obviously, the biggest talking point was whether the first penalty should have been awarded. Most people believe that there was no contact, based on replays, and were quick to conclude that Santi Cazorla cheated. We also took the same view as we watched replays in Las Mimosas bar, but after watching replays of some of Sunday's decisions even in logically more obvious cases, we felt that video evidences are not as conclusive as people think. In his post-match interview, Arsene Wenger said he asked the Spaniard just before the interview if there was a contact and the Spanish midfielder answered that he had been touched and lost his balance. Whether there was a contact or not, the decision was given. Sometimes it's given and sometimes not. They say that the referees' decisions level out over years. In fact, Santi had a stronger case for another penalty later in the same game, which was waved off. Incidentally, West Brom were not totally innocent, either, as one of their players attempted a blatant dive.
West Brom protested against the second penalty as well. It may have been disputable whether the Ox committed a foul while dispossessing Popov, but Brunt's foul on the Ox in the box left no room for argument.
There was another lucky decision, not as much talked about as the first penalty incident. West Brom claimed a penalty against Mertesacker who seemingly handled the ball, but the German had been hauled down by Olsson beforehand.
The second issue was lack of clinical finish. We created so many chances with a few clear-cut ones, but we couldn't convert them. In the post-match interview, Arsene described this as "the only negative of the day" and concluded that the lack of composure was a factor behind it. Maybe that is the case for players like Podolski, who is a renowned clinical finisher but was thrown into the game two minutes from the end of normal time. However, we still believe something should be done to improve finishing.
We feel that not only the press, but also a section of Arsenal fans are attaching an unreasonable emphasis to the negative side of the game. Many people are sniffy about the win only because the the match decider came from a dubious penalty decision. However, there are a number of positives to take from this game other than the result and the players deserve credit for the victory.
Arsenal may not have been quite at their best yet, but their performance was a lot better than it had been in the recent weeks. Attack was quicker and passing was more purposeful. The tempo was high and Arsenal put serious pressure on their opponents. You cannot fault our players for their determination to win, which has been under criticism recently.
Our midfield was outstanding. We hoped that the midweek rest would be a solution to rejuvenate Arsenal. It clearly did the midfield trio good. Cazorla dominated the play in the middle of the park. His movement caused West Brom all sorts of problems and they couldn't cope with him, which led to the first penalty. Jack Wilshere had his best game after his return from injury, excellent both offensively and defensively. Arteta kept his composure to score from the spot-kick twice.
Some say we only won against a lacklustre West Brom side, but you can only play against whom you are facing. What has been a criticism against this season's Arsenal side was that they made the opposition look good, whoever they played against. Even the bottom-table team, QPR looked good against us, prompting Wenger to say that they wouldn't stay at the bottom of the table very long and look where they are now. So, making the opponents look lethargic must be some improvement. West Brom didn't pose much threat, but that may be the result of our midfield's dominance in the middle of the park.
A clean sheet was another positive product of the game, which should boost our defenders' confidence. Also, it was great to see the fans behind their team. Arteta revealed the team's concern about how they would be received following the disappointing home defeat last weekend, but he praised the home crowd for their whole-hearted support.
It is safe to say that the better side won. Although one of the penalty decisions was controversial, nobody can argue that we deserved to win. It was a comfortable win as West Brom offered very little going forward. If all we wanted to turn things around is confidence, this game didn't do any harm. Overall we think Arsenal played well and got the job done. Three points saw us climb up the table to seventh, just two points off the currently fourth placed Everton. Suddenly things no longer look too bad. Hopefully, Arsene Wenger will field a reasonably strong team against Bradford City on Tuesday night to keep the momentum going and the hopes for a trophy alive.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
With only one shot on target registered by West Brom, it was a quiet afternoon for the Polish keeper.
Sagna: 7
He was a major doubt before the match. Glad he made it. After the match Wenger revealed the French right-back played through injury. Hopefully, Jenkinson will prove a capable deputy in the Capital One Cup match on Tuesday night so that the Frenchman can have a rest ahead of the Reading game.
Mertesacker: 7
Solid.
Vermaelen: 7
Took leadership in defence.
Gibbs: 7
Good going forward.
Cazorla: 8
Dominant in the middle of the park.
Arteta: 8
It must have taken tremendous courage and nerves to take two penalties after the miss (actually saved) in the Fulham game.
Wilshere: 8
Jack is back with his "burst". Arsene Wenger admitted Jack's progress is faster than his anticipation, which was for the England midfielder's fitness to reach a peak in Februrary next year.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Lively. Although his finishing and some of his deliveries left something to be desired, this was arguably his best game this season. Provided a good cover for injured Theo Walcott.
Gervinho: 6
He found himself in a great position on more than one occasions, but wasted those opportunities with poor finishing.
Giroud: 7
His work rate was impressive, though he didn't make most of half-chances he had.
Subs
Coquelin: 6
Came off the bench in the 78th minute to replace the Ox. Did his job.
Rosicky: 7
Replaced Gervinho in the 81st minute. He should have come on earlier.
Podolski: 6
Came on for Cazorla in the 88th minute. Missed a sitter. He was a major doubt before the match and only made the bench. It is a relief that his hamstring problem proved to be such a short term.
We failed to score from open play to win the game more convincingly, but we were clearly the better side. It is a shame that two issues surrounding this game took the shine off the most important thing in this game, which is the result. We desperately needed a morale-boosting victory following a run of four win-less matches in all competitions. After the last week's defeat which saw us slip to 10th of the Premier League, we needed three points to put us back on track for top-four finish.
Obviously, the biggest talking point was whether the first penalty should have been awarded. Most people believe that there was no contact, based on replays, and were quick to conclude that Santi Cazorla cheated. We also took the same view as we watched replays in Las Mimosas bar, but after watching replays of some of Sunday's decisions even in logically more obvious cases, we felt that video evidences are not as conclusive as people think. In his post-match interview, Arsene Wenger said he asked the Spaniard just before the interview if there was a contact and the Spanish midfielder answered that he had been touched and lost his balance. Whether there was a contact or not, the decision was given. Sometimes it's given and sometimes not. They say that the referees' decisions level out over years. In fact, Santi had a stronger case for another penalty later in the same game, which was waved off. Incidentally, West Brom were not totally innocent, either, as one of their players attempted a blatant dive.
West Brom protested against the second penalty as well. It may have been disputable whether the Ox committed a foul while dispossessing Popov, but Brunt's foul on the Ox in the box left no room for argument.
There was another lucky decision, not as much talked about as the first penalty incident. West Brom claimed a penalty against Mertesacker who seemingly handled the ball, but the German had been hauled down by Olsson beforehand.
The second issue was lack of clinical finish. We created so many chances with a few clear-cut ones, but we couldn't convert them. In the post-match interview, Arsene described this as "the only negative of the day" and concluded that the lack of composure was a factor behind it. Maybe that is the case for players like Podolski, who is a renowned clinical finisher but was thrown into the game two minutes from the end of normal time. However, we still believe something should be done to improve finishing.
We feel that not only the press, but also a section of Arsenal fans are attaching an unreasonable emphasis to the negative side of the game. Many people are sniffy about the win only because the the match decider came from a dubious penalty decision. However, there are a number of positives to take from this game other than the result and the players deserve credit for the victory.
Arsenal may not have been quite at their best yet, but their performance was a lot better than it had been in the recent weeks. Attack was quicker and passing was more purposeful. The tempo was high and Arsenal put serious pressure on their opponents. You cannot fault our players for their determination to win, which has been under criticism recently.
Our midfield was outstanding. We hoped that the midweek rest would be a solution to rejuvenate Arsenal. It clearly did the midfield trio good. Cazorla dominated the play in the middle of the park. His movement caused West Brom all sorts of problems and they couldn't cope with him, which led to the first penalty. Jack Wilshere had his best game after his return from injury, excellent both offensively and defensively. Arteta kept his composure to score from the spot-kick twice.
Some say we only won against a lacklustre West Brom side, but you can only play against whom you are facing. What has been a criticism against this season's Arsenal side was that they made the opposition look good, whoever they played against. Even the bottom-table team, QPR looked good against us, prompting Wenger to say that they wouldn't stay at the bottom of the table very long and look where they are now. So, making the opponents look lethargic must be some improvement. West Brom didn't pose much threat, but that may be the result of our midfield's dominance in the middle of the park.
A clean sheet was another positive product of the game, which should boost our defenders' confidence. Also, it was great to see the fans behind their team. Arteta revealed the team's concern about how they would be received following the disappointing home defeat last weekend, but he praised the home crowd for their whole-hearted support.
It is safe to say that the better side won. Although one of the penalty decisions was controversial, nobody can argue that we deserved to win. It was a comfortable win as West Brom offered very little going forward. If all we wanted to turn things around is confidence, this game didn't do any harm. Overall we think Arsenal played well and got the job done. Three points saw us climb up the table to seventh, just two points off the currently fourth placed Everton. Suddenly things no longer look too bad. Hopefully, Arsene Wenger will field a reasonably strong team against Bradford City on Tuesday night to keep the momentum going and the hopes for a trophy alive.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
With only one shot on target registered by West Brom, it was a quiet afternoon for the Polish keeper.
Sagna: 7
He was a major doubt before the match. Glad he made it. After the match Wenger revealed the French right-back played through injury. Hopefully, Jenkinson will prove a capable deputy in the Capital One Cup match on Tuesday night so that the Frenchman can have a rest ahead of the Reading game.
Mertesacker: 7
Solid.
Vermaelen: 7
Took leadership in defence.
Gibbs: 7
Good going forward.
Cazorla: 8
Dominant in the middle of the park.
Arteta: 8
It must have taken tremendous courage and nerves to take two penalties after the miss (actually saved) in the Fulham game.
Wilshere: 8
Jack is back with his "burst". Arsene Wenger admitted Jack's progress is faster than his anticipation, which was for the England midfielder's fitness to reach a peak in Februrary next year.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Lively. Although his finishing and some of his deliveries left something to be desired, this was arguably his best game this season. Provided a good cover for injured Theo Walcott.
Gervinho: 6
He found himself in a great position on more than one occasions, but wasted those opportunities with poor finishing.
Giroud: 7
His work rate was impressive, though he didn't make most of half-chances he had.
Subs
Coquelin: 6
Came off the bench in the 78th minute to replace the Ox. Did his job.
Rosicky: 7
Replaced Gervinho in the 81st minute. He should have come on earlier.
Podolski: 6
Came on for Cazorla in the 88th minute. Missed a sitter. He was a major doubt before the match and only made the bench. It is a relief that his hamstring problem proved to be such a short term.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Olympiakos 2 Arsenal 1
Another loss in three days didn't help lighten the mood of the Arsenal fans. If the team of fringe players had grabbed an away win to secure the top place in the group, what a lift it would have brought to the fans and the Club alike. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
Some fans are critical about Arsene's team selection, but we think it was the right decision to rest key players ahead of an important league match against West Brom this weekend. Walcott and Podolski had a knock during the Swansea game, while Arteta, Cazorla, and Mertesacker had played many games this season and could have done with a breather. Wilshere and Gibbs had just come back from injury and playing four games in two weeks could have led to an injury setback. If fatigue is one of the major factors behind Arsenal's recent slump in form, there was no reason why we shouldn't have taken advantage of the luxury we had. We had already qualified for the knockout stage in the Champions League. Although we could have finished top in the group and thus got a better chance to be drawn against a theoretically weaker opposition for the next round, it doesn't seem to make much difference whether you win the group or finish as runners-up as most of the runners up are as good as the group winners such as Real Madrid and AC Milan.
The decision to leave out key players was not bad, but the problem was that our second-string players were not good enough to even beat an average Olympiakos side on the day. Arsenal had acres of space, which is rarely seen in the Premier League games, but still couldn't covert those chances they created in the first half. Gervinho, who had a good pre-season and start to the season, looked clueless, apart from his pin-point pass to Rosicky, which led to Arsenal's only goal. The Ivorian has been very frustrating this season. The Ox, who made a sensational debut to the Champions League in last season's home match against Olympiakos, was ineffective in this game and his recent form suggests that he has gone backwards since the promising start to his Arsenal career last season. Chamakh might as well not be on the pitch. Ramsey has been struggling to get back to where he was before his horrific injury or even to reproduce his best performance this season against Manchester City.
The corner kick which led to Olympiakos' second goal was disputable, but even if it was wrongfully awarded, we should still have been able to defend it. Poor defence was to blame.
We talked about Arsenal's passing game in the last post. Here is Rosicky's observation on Arsenal's recent performance: "Sometimes we don't keep the ball as we used to. It is definitely a matter of confidence. You can see there are more back passes than we used to do. "
There are some alarming stats for this game: Arsenal's overall possession was 46.9%, while their passing success rate was 80.3% against the hosts' 82.4%. The passing success rate was way below the north London club's average. The decline in possession, as Rosicky pointed out, was not only highlighted in this game, but also in the season so far. Arsenal's average possession in the league is 59.3%, down 8 percentage points from the last season's 60.1%. Hopefully, it is nothing more than a confidence thing, as Rosicky claimed, and as soon as the team has got back in winning ways, their game will come back to them. However, chances are that it will be extremely difficult to get the result as long as Arsenal stick to their style of play, while their passing is not up to scratch.
On a positive side, Rosicky's first start of the season saw a great success. He has reminded us what a classy player we have been missing this season until now. He pulled the strings in the heart of Arsenal attack and his finish was a different class. Indeed, he was a class above those players he played with this night and the scoreline told the whole story.
Another positive was Jernade Meade's performance. Arsene Wenger was pleased with the 20-year-old left-back's display, stating the youth player was his "pick". Despite seven youth players included in the squad, he was the only starter among them. He didn't have fitness to compete for a full 90-minutes at this level and still have lot to learn, but he made an encouraging debut in first-team action.
This game did not mean too much to us in the first place. Our entire focus is on this weekend's Premier League game against West Brom. Getting back on track and starting catching up with the mix for the top-four finish are our top priority at the moment.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
Another busy game. Made some fine saves.
Jenkinson: 7
Did OK, but made a defensive mistake, which nearly cost us a goal.
Squillaci: 6
It is a mystery why he was selected ahead of Djourou.
Vermaelen: 6
In the last two games, he looked as if he had started getting his confidence back, but this game has undone the improvement. No leadership on the pitch.
Meade: 7
Did OK.
Rosicky: 8
Classiest player on the pitch. As previously arranged, he only played a half. It is a bright outlook what he can bring to the first team when he is fully fit.
Ramsey: 5
Missed a great chance to score by miskicking. Olympiakos' first goal, in which Ramsey had a hand, summarised the miserable night for the Welshman. Last season he often got in a great position, but his finishing let him down. And his finishing has still not improved. Ex-Arsenal player, Charlie Nicholas questioned Arsenal's coaching system. Why can't players like Ramsey and Gervinho get a help for improving their finishing?
Coquelin: 5
Ineffective.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
Quiet.
Gervinho: 6
Apart from a fine cut-back to set up Rosicky's goal, did nothing.
Chamakh: 6
This game did him no favours.
Subs
Arshavin: 6
Came off the bench at half time to replace Rosicky. Had two good chances to score, one of which forced a fine save from Roy Carroll.
Angha: 5
83-minute substitute for tired Meade.
Some fans are critical about Arsene's team selection, but we think it was the right decision to rest key players ahead of an important league match against West Brom this weekend. Walcott and Podolski had a knock during the Swansea game, while Arteta, Cazorla, and Mertesacker had played many games this season and could have done with a breather. Wilshere and Gibbs had just come back from injury and playing four games in two weeks could have led to an injury setback. If fatigue is one of the major factors behind Arsenal's recent slump in form, there was no reason why we shouldn't have taken advantage of the luxury we had. We had already qualified for the knockout stage in the Champions League. Although we could have finished top in the group and thus got a better chance to be drawn against a theoretically weaker opposition for the next round, it doesn't seem to make much difference whether you win the group or finish as runners-up as most of the runners up are as good as the group winners such as Real Madrid and AC Milan.
The decision to leave out key players was not bad, but the problem was that our second-string players were not good enough to even beat an average Olympiakos side on the day. Arsenal had acres of space, which is rarely seen in the Premier League games, but still couldn't covert those chances they created in the first half. Gervinho, who had a good pre-season and start to the season, looked clueless, apart from his pin-point pass to Rosicky, which led to Arsenal's only goal. The Ivorian has been very frustrating this season. The Ox, who made a sensational debut to the Champions League in last season's home match against Olympiakos, was ineffective in this game and his recent form suggests that he has gone backwards since the promising start to his Arsenal career last season. Chamakh might as well not be on the pitch. Ramsey has been struggling to get back to where he was before his horrific injury or even to reproduce his best performance this season against Manchester City.
The corner kick which led to Olympiakos' second goal was disputable, but even if it was wrongfully awarded, we should still have been able to defend it. Poor defence was to blame.
We talked about Arsenal's passing game in the last post. Here is Rosicky's observation on Arsenal's recent performance: "Sometimes we don't keep the ball as we used to. It is definitely a matter of confidence. You can see there are more back passes than we used to do. "
There are some alarming stats for this game: Arsenal's overall possession was 46.9%, while their passing success rate was 80.3% against the hosts' 82.4%. The passing success rate was way below the north London club's average. The decline in possession, as Rosicky pointed out, was not only highlighted in this game, but also in the season so far. Arsenal's average possession in the league is 59.3%, down 8 percentage points from the last season's 60.1%. Hopefully, it is nothing more than a confidence thing, as Rosicky claimed, and as soon as the team has got back in winning ways, their game will come back to them. However, chances are that it will be extremely difficult to get the result as long as Arsenal stick to their style of play, while their passing is not up to scratch.
On a positive side, Rosicky's first start of the season saw a great success. He has reminded us what a classy player we have been missing this season until now. He pulled the strings in the heart of Arsenal attack and his finish was a different class. Indeed, he was a class above those players he played with this night and the scoreline told the whole story.
Another positive was Jernade Meade's performance. Arsene Wenger was pleased with the 20-year-old left-back's display, stating the youth player was his "pick". Despite seven youth players included in the squad, he was the only starter among them. He didn't have fitness to compete for a full 90-minutes at this level and still have lot to learn, but he made an encouraging debut in first-team action.
This game did not mean too much to us in the first place. Our entire focus is on this weekend's Premier League game against West Brom. Getting back on track and starting catching up with the mix for the top-four finish are our top priority at the moment.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 7
Another busy game. Made some fine saves.
Jenkinson: 7
Did OK, but made a defensive mistake, which nearly cost us a goal.
Squillaci: 6
It is a mystery why he was selected ahead of Djourou.
Vermaelen: 6
In the last two games, he looked as if he had started getting his confidence back, but this game has undone the improvement. No leadership on the pitch.
Meade: 7
Did OK.
Rosicky: 8
Classiest player on the pitch. As previously arranged, he only played a half. It is a bright outlook what he can bring to the first team when he is fully fit.
Ramsey: 5
Missed a great chance to score by miskicking. Olympiakos' first goal, in which Ramsey had a hand, summarised the miserable night for the Welshman. Last season he often got in a great position, but his finishing let him down. And his finishing has still not improved. Ex-Arsenal player, Charlie Nicholas questioned Arsenal's coaching system. Why can't players like Ramsey and Gervinho get a help for improving their finishing?
Coquelin: 5
Ineffective.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
Quiet.
Gervinho: 6
Apart from a fine cut-back to set up Rosicky's goal, did nothing.
Chamakh: 6
This game did him no favours.
Subs
Arshavin: 6
Came off the bench at half time to replace Rosicky. Had two good chances to score, one of which forced a fine save from Roy Carroll.
Angha: 5
83-minute substitute for tired Meade.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Arsenal 0 Swansea 2
Santi Cazorla said that Arsenal need to be more consistent, but it appears to us that they have been consistently performing below par since their elating defeat of West Ham, bar the north London derby. We have been through bad patches a number of times over the recent years and we found them just a blip rather than a crisis afterwards, but this time we feel a problem may lie deeper than those. Trying the same thing week in week out and just hoping for a better outcome may not be an option this time around.
A draw with Aston Villa was disappointing, but the condition may be to blame for Arsenal's lacklustre performance and poor passing. A draw at Goodison Park seems to be a good point earned after the title holder, Manchester City, only drew on their home soil against a good Everton side. Given the similar style of play between the two teams, journalists were quick to conclude that Swansea beat Arsenal in their passing game, but this is not exactly true.
Swansea passed well and retained ball well in the first half as the stats show with a 54.5 % possession, but Arsenal started well in the second half and was in ascendancy for a long period. Their second-half and overall possession rates of 59.6% and 52.6%, respectively, suggest a different story to what the media believe (one article claimed that the home side's possession was 40%). What won the game for Swansea was not their passing game, but a quick break. When the game looked destined for a goalless draw, Swansea took advantage of the home side's mistakes and broke quickly. Fortunately for them, Michu's finish was more clinical than ours.
Some question the quality of players, but we think that's not the case. On paper, we have a good team, which consists of international players, apart from Arteta, who unfortunately happens to be a Spanish midfielder. The problem is that they haven't played to full potential. Fatigue can be one of the factors and if so, it should be solved before this weekend as the majority of key players are rested from the midweek Champions League match. However, something more drastic may be required to start getting results.
The other problem is that Arsenal haven't played well as a team. Arsenal's attack is not clicking. In this game, when they didn't have Giroud on the pitch, they were putting high crosses in. Two good chances in the first half came from crosses, which were wasted on Gervinho. When the 6 ft 3 in striker came on, Arsenal were in the middle of their usual passing game and crosses had already stopped coming in. There was no movement in the box, with nobody trying to drag Swansea defenders out of shape. They were static.
We think it is time to move away from Arsenal brand of football, beautiful passing game. First of all, we are not playing it very well at the moment. It only works when all the players are able to deliver quick and crisp passes. Secondly, our new signings have different traits to Arsenal's style. Giroud has found his strength in the air (apparently, only one of his 21 goals last season for Montpellier was header). Podolski is a direct player. Cazorla is a dribbler rather than a passer like Fabreagas, as Jack Wilshere pointed out. They are all quality players, if not world class. The traditional Arsenal style of play does not get the best out of these players.
Arsenal need to find a solution quickly, even if it is only temporary. There are so many game which could make a difference to our position in the Premier League table between now and the January transfer window that we cannot afford to waste them. Seeking a solution in the January transfer window could be too late. Our top priority is to get the result and it has to start this weekend.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 8
Arguably our best player. His double save was stunning. Had it not been for him, the scoreline could have been embarrassing. It is good to see our No. 1 organising the wall, etc. for set-pieces. We have really missed his authority in the box during his spell on the sidelines. He is not a perfect keeper yet, but given his age, he has a massive potential.
Jenkinson: 7
He had a good game until the second-half injury time, when his indecisiveness led to Swansea's second goal. Otherwise, he looked more than a capable deputy for Sagna, who had a poor game against Everton. Made good crosses.
Mertesacker: 6
A bit sluggish at times.
Vermaelen: 7
He started to find form after a decent game against Everton. Made a crucial challenge. Even leading the attack at one time.
Gibbs: 6
His positioning sense seemed to have gone backwards after the injury. He was often dragged to the middle and caught out of position.
Cazorla: 8
He was lively and our major threat at the beginning of the second half. All meaningful goal attempts seemed to have come from him.
Arteta: 6
He hasn't been playing very well for the last few weeks. Perhaps, adapting to his new role as a deep-lying midfielder started taking its toll? He has been giving away cheap fouls recently.
Wilshere: 7
He was clearly not fully fit, but did OK.
Walcott: 5
His corners were poor.
Gervinho: 5
Wasteful.
Podolski: 6
We want to see him more in the central striker role. Replaced in the 67th minute. We felt that Walcott should have been replaced instead of him, but later Wenger admitted that Walcott and Podolski missed out on the Olympiakos game due to injury, so a fitness issue might have been behind the substitution.
Subs
Giroud: 6
One of the 67th-minute double substitutions to replace Podolski and Gervinho. Got involved in attack immediately after he came on and had a decent shout for a free-kick on the edge of the area.
Oxlaide-Chamberlain: 6
The other one of the 67th-minute double substitutions to replace Podolski and Gervinho.
Rosicky: 6
Replaced Jack Wilshere in the 80th minute to provide a creative spark to Arsenal's attack. First apperance this season after recovering from a tendon problem. He should have done better at least to deter Michu from having a shot in injury time.
A draw with Aston Villa was disappointing, but the condition may be to blame for Arsenal's lacklustre performance and poor passing. A draw at Goodison Park seems to be a good point earned after the title holder, Manchester City, only drew on their home soil against a good Everton side. Given the similar style of play between the two teams, journalists were quick to conclude that Swansea beat Arsenal in their passing game, but this is not exactly true.
Swansea passed well and retained ball well in the first half as the stats show with a 54.5 % possession, but Arsenal started well in the second half and was in ascendancy for a long period. Their second-half and overall possession rates of 59.6% and 52.6%, respectively, suggest a different story to what the media believe (one article claimed that the home side's possession was 40%). What won the game for Swansea was not their passing game, but a quick break. When the game looked destined for a goalless draw, Swansea took advantage of the home side's mistakes and broke quickly. Fortunately for them, Michu's finish was more clinical than ours.
Some question the quality of players, but we think that's not the case. On paper, we have a good team, which consists of international players, apart from Arteta, who unfortunately happens to be a Spanish midfielder. The problem is that they haven't played to full potential. Fatigue can be one of the factors and if so, it should be solved before this weekend as the majority of key players are rested from the midweek Champions League match. However, something more drastic may be required to start getting results.
The other problem is that Arsenal haven't played well as a team. Arsenal's attack is not clicking. In this game, when they didn't have Giroud on the pitch, they were putting high crosses in. Two good chances in the first half came from crosses, which were wasted on Gervinho. When the 6 ft 3 in striker came on, Arsenal were in the middle of their usual passing game and crosses had already stopped coming in. There was no movement in the box, with nobody trying to drag Swansea defenders out of shape. They were static.
We think it is time to move away from Arsenal brand of football, beautiful passing game. First of all, we are not playing it very well at the moment. It only works when all the players are able to deliver quick and crisp passes. Secondly, our new signings have different traits to Arsenal's style. Giroud has found his strength in the air (apparently, only one of his 21 goals last season for Montpellier was header). Podolski is a direct player. Cazorla is a dribbler rather than a passer like Fabreagas, as Jack Wilshere pointed out. They are all quality players, if not world class. The traditional Arsenal style of play does not get the best out of these players.
Arsenal need to find a solution quickly, even if it is only temporary. There are so many game which could make a difference to our position in the Premier League table between now and the January transfer window that we cannot afford to waste them. Seeking a solution in the January transfer window could be too late. Our top priority is to get the result and it has to start this weekend.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 8
Arguably our best player. His double save was stunning. Had it not been for him, the scoreline could have been embarrassing. It is good to see our No. 1 organising the wall, etc. for set-pieces. We have really missed his authority in the box during his spell on the sidelines. He is not a perfect keeper yet, but given his age, he has a massive potential.
Jenkinson: 7
He had a good game until the second-half injury time, when his indecisiveness led to Swansea's second goal. Otherwise, he looked more than a capable deputy for Sagna, who had a poor game against Everton. Made good crosses.
Mertesacker: 6
A bit sluggish at times.
Vermaelen: 7
He started to find form after a decent game against Everton. Made a crucial challenge. Even leading the attack at one time.
Gibbs: 6
His positioning sense seemed to have gone backwards after the injury. He was often dragged to the middle and caught out of position.
Cazorla: 8
He was lively and our major threat at the beginning of the second half. All meaningful goal attempts seemed to have come from him.
Arteta: 6
He hasn't been playing very well for the last few weeks. Perhaps, adapting to his new role as a deep-lying midfielder started taking its toll? He has been giving away cheap fouls recently.
Wilshere: 7
He was clearly not fully fit, but did OK.
Walcott: 5
His corners were poor.
Gervinho: 5
Wasteful.
Podolski: 6
We want to see him more in the central striker role. Replaced in the 67th minute. We felt that Walcott should have been replaced instead of him, but later Wenger admitted that Walcott and Podolski missed out on the Olympiakos game due to injury, so a fitness issue might have been behind the substitution.
Subs
Giroud: 6
One of the 67th-minute double substitutions to replace Podolski and Gervinho. Got involved in attack immediately after he came on and had a decent shout for a free-kick on the edge of the area.
Oxlaide-Chamberlain: 6
The other one of the 67th-minute double substitutions to replace Podolski and Gervinho.
Rosicky: 6
Replaced Jack Wilshere in the 80th minute to provide a creative spark to Arsenal's attack. First apperance this season after recovering from a tendon problem. He should have done better at least to deter Michu from having a shot in injury time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)