The 2012/13 Season Review (3) - Players

In this part of our season review, we look back at the individual performances of some of our key players during the 2012/13 season and assess how our new signings fared in their first season.

The player of the season

Santi Cazorla

He was voted the Player of the Year by Arsenal fans. The online voting on Arsenal.com revealed that Laurent Koscielny was a runner-up, followed by third-placed Theo Wacott and Mikel Arteta. Koscielny was a strong contender for our Player of the Season as his stellar defensive displays formed the critical part of our impressive run of form in the last three months of the season, as well as his match-winning strike on the last day of the season to secure a Champions League spot. In terms of consistency throughout the season, however, Santi Cazorla has just pipped him.

The Asturiano joined Arsenal during the last summer at a reported transfer fee of  £12 million. It was another masterstroke by Arsene Wenger, taking advantage of Màlaga's dire financial situations. He flew into Arsenal's pre-season camp in Austria to join his team-mates before the official announcement was made.

It took no time for the Spanish magician to hit the ground running in English football. He was an instant fit into Arsenal's style of play and named as the Man of the Match on his debut against Sunderland. He scored his first goal in an Arsenal shirt against Liverpool early September, as well as providing an assist for Arsenal's first goal of the season by Podolski in the same game. Santi went on to pick up the Man of the Match award further nine times later in the season. With his vision and technique, we have finally found a perfect replacement for Cesc Fabregas in his compatriot. On top of that, the 28-year-old Spaniard is equally good with either foot, which makes it very difficult for his markers to defend against him.

His stats confirm that he had an exceptional first season in the Premier League with 12 goals and 11 assists. Also, he featured in all 38 league games, which was no mean feat for somebody who came from a league that has a winter break.

His challenge next season will be how to shine in big games against our title rivals. Also, oddly dead ball specialits tend to lose their touch as soon as they have joined Arsenal and Santi is no exception. Hopefully, his corners and free-kicks will improve next season.

The young player of the season

The Ox was our young player of the season last year, but there was no stand-out young player this season. As we list below, all our new signings were experienced players with no young potentials, which used to be Arsene Wenger's speciality. The fact was significant, which we hailed as a sign of the Club's ambition for silverware. Although the season did not quite pan out as we expected, at least it shows that the Club can now financially afford to buy a few established players. The Ox didn't even get enough chances to show what he could do this season, making just 11 starts and 14 substitute appearances in the Premier League. There was simply no room for young players, or fringe first-teamers, for that matter, to even sit on the bench this season.

Although chances for the first-team action were few, a 17-year-old German, Serge Gnabry showed a glimpse of his potential against Norwich and Schalke, impressing in the Next-Gen series. His compatriot, Thomas Eisfeld made a difference when he came on against Reading in the 7-5 thriller in the Capital One Cup. Jernade Meade had a decent game at Olympiakos despite his size.

At the beginning of June, Arsenal announced that they would release 10 young professionals, including Sanchez Watt, Jernade Meade and Conor Henderson, following the departures of Martin Angha, Craig Eastmond, Jordan Wynter, and Elton Monteiro. It is extremely difficult to make it at Arsenal in particular these days, but hopefully, some of the young players will break into the first team next season.

The most improved player of the season

Aaron Ramsey

I know there are still Ramsey haters out there, but 29% of voters for Arsenal.com's Online Fans Opinion Poll were absolutely right in naming him as the most improved player of the season. Laurant Koscielny came second with 26% of votes, but he was already the most improved player last season. Theo Walcott deserved his place in third as his finishing improved significantly and he was more consistent throughout a game this season.

In terms of meteoric rises, Carl Jenkinson perhaps deserves a mention in this category. He made a huge step in his career last season from playing in non-league to facing Udinese in the Champions League in the space of less than 12 months. His highlight of this season was arguably producing an outstanding performance against Bayern Munich and contributing to Arsenal's famous 2-0 win at Allianz Arena. However, the Essex-born 21 year-old's playing time was limited this season once Sagna's had recovered from injury. The French full-back was obviously ahead of Jenks in the pecking order despite a dip in his form, to our frustration. As Sagna has only 12 months left in his contract and his contract extension seems to be making little progress, it is likely that the next 12 months will be important for Jenks' career.

Much-maligned Ramsey cemented his starting place in his favourite central midfield alongside Arteta in Arsenal's late charge for the top-four finish, after playing in various positions. Earlier in the season, he was deployed on the wings apparently in order to learn how to speed up his play as there is little time on the flanks to make decisions. It seemed to have worked as he cut out a bad habit of dwelling on the ball. He even played as the right-back more than once. Indeed, this season he added a new dimension to his game. His defensive prowess improved significantly, with his tackle success rate of 90.7% putting him right at the top of the league table and among Europe's elites. The Welshman admits that he is finally free from the memory of the double leg break when he goes into tackles. The defensive improvement helped him to secure the deeper midfield role.

After a full season under his belt last season, recovering from the horrific injury, this was his second full season in the Premier League. It was obvious last season that his form suffered towards the end of the vigorous campaign, but this season he grew stronger as the season wore on. In fact, stamina was one of his assets for a willing runner throughout a game.

His game improved in all aspects. His passing success rate of 88.2% was only second to Arteta's 91.5% in the team. Not only passing accuracy but the quality of his passes also improved. His passes were largely sideways last season, but he made more forward passes this season, including a few risk-taking ones, an evidence that confidence was coming back to him.

New signings

Lukas Podolski
His arrival was announced on 30 April last year before the 2011/12 season ended. He was virtually a last January signing. He had been the centre of transfer gossips all through the 2012 transfer window, but it never materialised. His transfer fee was believed to be in the region of £11 million.

After the two disappointing goalless draws in the opening of the 2012/13 season, he delivered a fine goal against Liverpool as a left winger. His first goal at the Emirates was an exquisite free-kick, setting the stadium alight. However, his first season at Arsenal fell somewhat short of fans' expectations later on partially because of his ankle problems. Some claims that the German international fell out of Wenger's favour due to his poor work rate, but we don't believe so. His desire to play as a central striker was publicly known, as well as the fact that he is not so keen on playing on the flank because of defensive duties, but he was excellent when he played on the left wing, overlapping with Gibbs.

He was given chances to play his favourite central striking role in the wake of Gioud's three-match suspension at the end of the season, but it only resulted in us feeling the need of more firepower even stronger. His first season didn't exactly live up to his international reputation as the youngest player to achieve 100 caps, but 16 goals and 10 assists in all competitions was not a bad result for the first season in English football, considering that his playing time was relatively limited.

There are still rumours about his move away from the Emirates, but we hope that he will have a better season in an Arsenal shirt next season.

Olivier Giroud
He was signed for Arsenal last June from the French Ligue 1 champions, Montpellier, with a reported transfer fee of £12 million. Standing at 6ft 3in, the French striker was expected to provide a focal point of Arsenal attack and a strong physical presence. We were excited to have this type of centre forwards we hadn't had in recent years.

His first goal for Arsenal didn't arrive until 26 September against Coventry in the Capital One Cup, with his first league goal on 6 October. Although 17 goals in all competitions was not a bad outcome for his first season in English football, the number of chances he missed and his touches or lack of them hugely let us down. Hopefully, there is more to come from him in his second season.

Santi Cazorla
Our best new signing. 

Nacho Monreal
The Spanish full-back was signed on the last day of the January transfer window. The move came as a welcome surprise for us, fans, who were feeling gloomy, facing a bleak prospect following the news that Kieran Gibbs' injury was likely to sideline him longer than initially anticipated. Obviously the future with only Andre Santos left available as a specialist left-back had worried Arsene Wenger as well. He signed the Pamplona-born 26-year-old on the deadline day and sent the Brazilian on loan to his home country.

Nacho had a tough baptism in English football within 48 hours of his arrival in London by facing  Stoke, but he was unfazed by rough treatment of the notoriously physical opposition. He got off to an excellent start in his life in the Premier League with two consecutive clean sheets. However, he was guilty of two goals we conceded against the north London rivals, although you have to have sympathy for him having had to play alongside unpredictable Vermaelen. Nacho scored his first goal in an Arsenal shirt against Swansea.

In our opinion, Kieran Gibbs is Arsenal's first choice left-back with his pace and improved positioning sense this season, but Nacho provides a reliable cover for him. Although the Spaniard struggled against Andros Townsend in our 1-0 defeat of QPR, he is normally sound defensively. He is a decent back-up for the injury-prone English left-back. Moreover, his eligibility in the Champions League will come handy in the next season. Our left-back position is sorted.

The 2012/13 Season Review (2) - Games

While the 2011/12 Arsenal team were portrayed by stats as comeback kings, having come from behind to win so many games, we were a second-half team in the 2012/13 season. At one point of the season, stats showed Arsenal would have been top of the league table if only second-half results were counted. Arsene Wenger jokingly said that if it was 0-0 at half time, we would be OK. In fact, Arsenal never lost a game when they scored a first goal. Our tendency to the slow start of a game was rectified later in the season, which led to the 11-game unbeaten run at the end of the season, but probably strong second-half performances were one of the traits of this season's team.

In this part of our season reviews, we look back at some of the most memorable games in the 2012/13 season.

The most important game of the season

Bayern Munich 0 Arsenal 2 at Allianz Arena, 13 Mar 2013
Team: Fabianski, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Ramsey, Arteta, Rosicky, Walcott, Cazorla, Giroud
Goals: Giroud (3'), Koscielny (86')
This was arguably the most important match of the season as it served as a springboard in morale terms and as a blueprint in tactical terms ahead of the run-in. The most significant point was Wenger's bold decision to drop his No.1, Szczesny, and captain Vermaelen. The team selection was also helped by Kieran Gibbs' earlier than expected return from injury as a January signing, Nacho Monreal, was ineligible for Champions League games. Stand-out players in this game were the two full-backs, in particular young Carl Jenkinson, who both coped well with Bayern's tricky wide players. The Mertesacker-Koscielny central defensive pairing grew stronger from this game onwards, while the Arteta-Ramsey central midfield partnership provided solid cover and protection for the back-four. With these partnerships blossoming in the final stretch of the season, Arsenal conceded only 5 times, ending the Premier League season as the second best team defensively.

The team put in an impressive performance, which resulted in a convincing win against the ultimate winners of this season's Champions League on their home soil. Although the result was not enough to see us through to the next round of the competition, only losing by the away goal rule to this season's treble winners should not be sniffed at. The 2-0 win at Allianz Areana was our proud achievement in this season as the German club were only defeated twice at home in their entire campaign domestically and in Europe. After this game Arsenal went on to finish the season without losing a single game, but the outcome of this game by itself was just as significant as its implications for their final 10 games of the season.

Derby-day Delight

Arsenal 5 Tottenham 2 at Emirates Stadium, 17 Nov 2012
Team: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Arteta, Cazorla, Wilshere, Podolski, Walcott, Giroud
Goals: Mertesacker (23'), Podolski (42'), Giroud (45'), Cazorla (60'), Walcott (90'); Adebayor (10'), Bale (71')
Arsenal replicated the previous season's emphatic win over the archrivals in the same fashion of letting them score the first goal. (Incidentally, the reverse fixture also ended in the same scoreline as that of the previous season's corresponding fixture.) However, the difference was the sending off of Emmanuel Adebayor, which undoubtedly made the game easier for us. It is a shame, though, it gives the Tottenham supporters an excuse and takes the edge off our superb performance. They still moan about what would have happened if the ex-Gunner hadn't been sent off, but we were beginning to take control of the game when he lunged at Santi anyway. Still, it's always nice to beat them. Santi was awesome in this game and it was great to have five different goal scorers, including Mertesacker, who scored his first goal in an Arsenal shirt. Incidentally, he scored his second goal in the reverse fixture. A Tottenham killer? We hope so.

The craziest game of the season

 

Reading 5 Arsenal 7 at Madejski Stadium, 30 Oct 2012
Team: Martinez, Jenkinson, Djourou, Koscielny, Miquel, Coquelin, Frimpong, Gnabry, Walcott, Arshavin, Chamakh
Goals: Walcott (45', 90', 120'), Giroud (64'), Koscielny (89'), Chamakh (103', 120'); Roberts (12'), Koscielny (og 18'), Leigertwood (20'), Hunt (37'), Pogrebnyak (115')
After 37 minutes of kick-off, we were 4-0 down. Although Theo's first-half injury-time goal gave us a tiny piece of hope, who could blame Micky the Fish (known as Micky the Arsenal among his fishing circles) for leaving Las Mimosas bar at half time due to his early-morning fishing commitment on the next day. But he certainly missed one of the most entertaining and amazing games in the football history. After the break, the double substitutions, Giroud and Eisfeld, made an immediate impact and changed the tide, but we struggled to complete the comeback until Theo found an equaliser in the stoppage time of the second half. The game went into extra time and we grabbed a lead for the first time thanks to Chamakh's first goal since September 2011. However, Reading stole an equaliser four minutes from the end, which was followed by two goals in the last seconds to seal Arsenal's win as Theo completed his hat-trick.

With two high-scoring Premier Leagues games combined, this season's fixtures between the two clubs produced a total of 24 goals. It is a shame that Reading was relegated. We wouldn't have minded playing against them every season.

There are a couple more candidates for this category, such as a 7-4 defeat of Newcastle and a 5-1 win against West Ham (in which we scored 3 goals in 4 minutes and 4 goals in 7 minutes, respectively), but none of them compared to the scale of craziness of this game.

The gutsiest performance of the season

Sunderland 0 Arsenal 1 at Stadium of Light, 9 Feb 2013
Team: Szczeny, Jenkinson, Sagna, Mertesacker, Monreal, Arteta, Ramsey, Wilshere, Walcott, Cazorla, Giroud
Goal: Cazorla (36')
This season finally saw some solidity in our defence and "One nil to the Arsenal" became once again a familiar chant in Arsenal games. But among eight games that ended in this traditional scoreline, we think this game highlighted most the team's determination and desire, the lack of which the team had often been accused of. In terms of tension, the Fulham away game and the final game of the season against Newcastle were right up there with this match. But not many 1-0 wins are remembered by the performance put in in them, but this one was different.

Arsenal's character was seriously tested when the team was reduced to ten men after Jenkinson had been shown a second yellow card. The pressure was on them after Tottenham had narrowly beaten Newcastle earlier on that day. Ironically, Sagna's best performance of the season came as a centreback. He took up the unfamiliar role as Koscielny was withdrawn just before the kick-off due to the recurrence of his calf injury in warm-up and Jenkinson was promoted from the bench. Arsenal defended resolutely as a team in the final 10 minutes, clearing everything that came into the box and they weren't a few in number. But Arsenal held on and it was a very satisfying win in the end.

Big games

These are the games we'd rather forget about this season. Our stats against the other top seven clubs were simply not good enough (W2 D5 L5). Wenger often cited nervousness especially at the start of the games as one of the reasons we did not fare well in these big games. Also, our playmaker, Santi is often criticised for not fulfilling his full potential in those games. This is the area we need to address if we are to challenge for the title next season. However, positive signs are already there. The defensive solidity Arsenal found towards the end of the season should give them confidence, which will help to eradicate those silly defensive errors. Furthermore, the three key players will have a full understanding of what to expect from Premier League games in their second season. We should be able to cope with big games better next season.

The 2012/13 Season Review (1) - Overview

The 2012/13 season may be considered as unsuccessful as it ended trophy-less for the 8th year in a row.

Arsenal got off to a difficult start after they had lost their captain and talisman to their title race rivals. Although the Club made three quality signings during the pre-season, it was obvious that the void the Dutchman left was too big to be filled. The first two games ended in goalless draws. Although Cazorla proved to be an instant fit to Arsenal's style and hit the ground running immediately, it took some time for the newly-rebuilt team to gel together. The rather sudden departure of Alex Song also left a gaping hole, which was filled by Mikel Arteta. However, there is no denial that we missed the presence of a physically strong holding midfielder at times. It took 8 months to find the right attack-defence balance in midfield before the Arteta-Ramsey partnership took off.

The lowest points of the season were arguably our defeats to lower-division sides, Bradford and Blackburn, in the Capital One Cup and FA Cup competitions, respectively. Up till then, Wenger's side had had immaculate records against lower division teams in the cup competitions. Those demoralising cup exits dealt such a huge blow to our confidence that even for most optimistic Gooners and those who had absolute faith in Wenger, it was difficult to envisage that Arsenal would finish in top four nor most importantly, above the north London rivals.

The 2012/13 season also saw ups and downs just like the previous season. One of the highlights was no doubt the famous win over this season's ultimate Champions League winner, Bayern Munich, on their own soil. The victory followed a humiliating 3-1 loss at the Emirates three weeks earlier. Although the 2-0 win was not enough to see us go through to the next round, it gave the team a much-needed confidence boost. So much so that this match proved to be a turning point, leading to an impressive run of 11 games unbeaten at the end of the season.

The Bayern game was significant not only in terms of the result, but the team set-up. Wenger dropped his No. 1, Szczesny, and the captain, Vermaelen. Later on, when the Pole returned to the team in the wake of the injury to his compatriot, Fabianski, Wenger's decision was vindicated as the young keeper's form recovered. Vermaelen's demotion to the bench led to the flourishing of Koscielny-Mertesacker central defensive partnership, which was the vital element in Arsenal's late resurgence, as well as the central midfield pairing of Arteta and Ramsey. Such ruthlessness in Wenger's decisions had never been seen before.

Arsenal and the fans were criticised for the way they celebrated on the final day of the season. However, who could blame them when you think about all the difficulties the team had to go through during the season. Top four finish was the minimum target for us after the poor start and indifferent mid-season run. Besides, qualifying for the Champions League for 16 consecutive years is no mean feat. Also, beating Spurs on the final day of the season was priceless. St. Totteringham's Day arrived once again (for the 18th year in a row), which at one time looked extremely doubtful.

We knew that it would be impossible to replace a world-class player like RVP instantly, but were convinced that his goals were replaceable. In fact, Santi, Olly, and Poldi proved it, by scoring 34 league goals combined, while Theo improved his goal tally with his career high of 21 goals in all competitions. Too much reliance on RVP was a problem in the previous season and the sharing of goal-scoring responsibility was an impending issue. Arsenal solved that problem this season. No other Premier League club had more than three players who scored double-digit goals in the league.

We ended the campaign in fourth place, lower than the previous season's third, but with 4 more points. Our north London rivals achieved their highest ever points (72) in the Premier League era, but still ended up outside Champions League qualification spots. The race for third place was so tight this season that even a third-place play-off had been arranged ahead of the final game of the season in a likely scenario of Chelsea and us finishing on the same points, the same goal difference and the same goals scored.

The 2012/13 campaign was a good platform to build on. Fortunately, the young British core players extended their contracts during the season, including Theo Walcott, while the key players, in particular the new signings, are tied to the Club with long-term contracts. Some cynical fans and pundits alike say that there is no stand-out player in the current team. Even the playmaker and fans' chosen Player of the Year, Santi, is replaceable. In anyway, it looks likely that we will start a new season with a settled team for the first time in recent years. If we can continue our great run of form towards the end of the season into the new season and make some quality signings this summer, we will be able to challenge for the title next season.

The 2013/14 Fixtures

The Premier League 2013/14 season fixture lists were released this morning.

Arsenal will host Aston Villa on the opening day. The first north London derby of the campaign is as early as on 31 August this season. The only worry is that the derby comes just a couple of days after we have played the second leg of the Champions League play-off. Remember what happened a couple of seasons ago when we had the tough qualifying against Udenese and then travelled to the Old Trafford. However, we should have sufficient depth in the squad this time around, provided we have a successful transfer window.

The first ten games look winnable and there is no reason why we shouldn't get off to a good start next season as we are expected to have a settled team to start a season for the first time in recent years.

The new season will see the new boys, namely Cardiff City, Hull City, and Crystal Palace, join the top-flight English league. There used to be a kind of bad blood between Hull City and us before they were safely relegated to the Championship, but hopefully, with Phil Brown no longer as manager, Hull City are a better football club. Talking about bad blood, it is interesting to see how Stoke will change their footballing style after Tony Pulis' departure.

International breaks for the World Cup qualifiers are scheduled in September and October, hence a fewer league fixtures during these two months. In fact, September and October are not as quiet as this list indicates. If we make it through to the Champions League group stages and progress to the fourth round in the Capital One Cup competition, we will be playing five and six games in September and October, respectively.

March appears to be a tough month as we travel to White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge before hosting Man City. However, statistically Wenger's side normally boasts a good run of form in March. So let's hope it proves to be the case again next season.

The season finishes with a trip to Norwich on 11 May. This will be the fourth consecutive season that the last game of the season is played away, which I hate. It would have been nice to have the lap of appreciation on the final day of the season. In the last season when the final home game was rescheduled for a weekday night due to Wigan's involvement in the FA Cup final, the atmosphere was just not the same. The 2013/14 Premier League season will finish earlier than last year in order to accommodate the FA Cup final after the end of the domestic league campaigns. This is a welcome move, which gives back a prestigious status that it deserves to the world's oldest surviving football competition.

Please see below the Arsenal FC DRAFT fixtures for season 2013-2014, but don’t build your life around these dates as we would expect there to be many changes for TV, Cup games etc.

AUGUST
Sat 17	H	Aston Villa
Sat 24	A	Fulham
Sat 31	H	Tottenham Hotspur
SEPTEMBER
Sat 14	A	Sunderland
Sat 21	H	Stoke City
Sat 28	A	Swansea City
OCTOBER
Sat 5	A	West Bromwich Albion
Sat 19	H	Norwich City
Sat 26	A	Crystal Palace
NOVEMBER
Sat 2	H	Liverpool
Sat 9	A	Manchester United
Sat 23	H	Southampton
Sat 30	A	Cardiff City
DECEMBER
Tue 3	H	Hull City
Sat 7	H	Everton
Sat 14	A	Manchester City
Sat 21	H	Chelsea
Thu 26	A	West Ham United
Sat 28	A	Newcastle United
JANUARY
Wed 1	H	Cardiff City
Sat 11	A	Aston Villa
Sat 18	H	Fulham
Tue 28	A	Southampton
FEBRUARY
Sat 1	H	Crystal Palace
Sat 8	A	Liverpool
Tue 11	H	Manchester United
Sat 22	H	Sunderland
MARCH
Sat 1	A	Stoke City
Sat 8	H	Swansea City (or FA Cup Q/F)
Sat 15	A	Tottenham Hotspur
Sat 22	A	Chelsea
Sat 29	H	Manchester City
APRIL
Sat 5	A	Everton
Sat 12	H	West Ham United (or FA Cup S/F)
Sat 19	A	Hull City
Sat 26	H	Newcastle United
MAY
Sat 3	H	West Bromwich Albion
Sun 11	A	Norwich City

Training Ground Tour

Very interesting tour luckily it was a beautiful  day so we saw it at it's best. We arrived at 10.30 and were signed in at the gate by security who knew all about us and where we came from and who we were representing. In our group there were people from Japan, Australia, America and all across the UK. We made our way to reception and were issued with  bright orange overshoes as no outside footwear is allowed anywhere in the training centre, coffee and biscuits were provided until the tour started, we were to be escorted round by a member of staff by the name of Sean. 

The tour started in the first team changing and boot rooms, I have never seen so many different coloured boots in my life, every colour except black and Olivier Giroud even has a pink spotted pair.

The complex consists of first team dressing room and boot room accessed by the main reception area, first team training pitch to the left of the main building, this is at least twice the size of the Emirates, the reserves and academy enter by a separate entrance to the left of the main entrance about 50 mts away this they call the longest walk in the world as if you can walk from the junior dressing room to the first squad you have made it, very few do.  

The whole complex is 45acres with 16000 trees, 5 football pitches, an indoor training area two football pitches in size 16 gardeners are employed plus 3 groundsmen.

The gyms and treatment rooms would not disgrace the finest private hospital anywhere in the world which of coarse it is I suppose everything is total state of the art, everyone is monitored all the time.The swimming pool even has a floor that goes up and down depending on what they are doing.

We finished up where we started, in the restaurant for lunch which was finger food but very good, the tour ended with a question and answer session with John Lucic who gave us an insight of what is expected of someone playing for Arsenal, almost monk like, I wouldn't qualify.

Thanks again all the members for the honour of representing our club we are truly grateful.

Tony & Sandra 

Arsenal 1 Mancester United 1

Our end-of-the-season beach party on this day had been moved from the Playa Flamenca beach to our bar, Las Mimosa Bar, due to uncertain weather. By the time the match kicked off, we were already in the party mood despite the weather outside.

Several issues regarding this match grabbed the headlines in the build-up. We welcomed the Club's decision to form the guard of honour because it is part of English football tradition and doing things properly has always been Arsenal way, especially in light of the fact that Man U did the ceremony for us in 1991. As for the reception of our former captain, who returned to the Emirates for the first time since his departure for our old rivals, we were not much bothered. We cheered for his misses, but no more than for other Man U players. That said, it was amusing to see RVP getting booed at the Emirates. The newspapers try to blow this issue out of proportion. Some players still get booed when they come to the Emirates only because they have once played for Tottenham.

Much more importantly, our focus of pre-match talks was on who would replace our main striker, Olivier Giroud, in the wake of his three-match ban. We suspected it would be either Poldi or Theo. After some experiment, we doubted that Gervinho would get another chance. The boss's choice for this day was Lukas Podolski. This was his second start in the central striking role since the very first game of the season against Sunderland. The other change was Kieran Gibbs replacing Nacho Monreal. Since the last game against Fulham, Nacho has fallen out of our favour slightly as a first-choice left-back, so we were happy with the selection.

Our hope was that Man U might have lost their focus and will to win after securing the top spot in the table on Monday night. They didn't play exceptionally well all through the season, but their desire kept earning points for them, when it mattered. Sir Alex Ferguson also suggested that he would rotate his team to give his young players a run-out before the end of the season and rest a couple of players who played through injuries on Monday night. The papers even speculated that RVP would start from the bench to avoid unnecessary jeering from the home supporters now the Manchester club had won the title. So much for the rotation. SAF kept his star players in the starting XI.

Arsenal started the game strongly, pressing their opposition high up the pitch, led by Rosicky and Ramsey. Our midfield was superior. In the second minute, Theo Walcott was clinical in a one-on-one situation with De Gea after having been released behind the Man U defence line by Rosicky's incisive pass. With their superb record so far this season for holding on to leads, this was a great start for Arsenal. Arsenal were clearly the better side for half an hour, but a second goal never arrived. We all knew that you have to score when you are on top. Arsenal had a great chance when they broke away against outnumbered Man U defence, but Aaron Ramsey chose to pass left to Poldi, when Walcott was unmarked on the right.

Then, the pivotal moment of the game came in the 44th minute. Sagna dithered on the ball, inviting pressure from a Man U player. As a result, he opted for a back pass to Mertesacker. Van Persie intercepted the poor pass and continued his run towards the box. Some blame Mertesacker for not doing enough to prevent it, but it was always obvious that Sagna would foul Van Persie from the time he made that mistake.

We are very disappointed to concede a goal in the way we did. We thought Arsenal eradicated this kind of mistakes since they found new defensive stability.

A 1-1 draw wouldn't have been a bad result against the champions under normal circumstances. In fact, quite a few of us expected nothing more than a loss, unlike those pundits who predicted that the newly-crowned champions would be already on holiday. We would have happily taken a draw against Man U before the match or any day, but after seeing us so close to get all three points and Man U nothing better than mediocre, the result felt like two points dropped to us.

On the positive side, our performance certainly suggested we could match the champions and this will do no harm to our confidence, going into the remaining three games. Chelsea's win over Swansea earlier the same day sent us down to fourth in the table. Fortunately, Tottenham dropped two points against Wigan on Saturday (In fact, they were lucky not to drop the whole three points as they scored an equaliser in the 89th minute from a free-kick which shouldn't have been). As a result, we remained two points clear of them, but with a game played more.

Technically our fate is not in our hands anymore. If the other two London clubs won all of their remaining games, but Chelsea lose to Tottenham, we will miss out on Champions League spots. However, Chelsea have tough fixtures to play with one eye on the European League glory, while Tottenham's performance against Wigan raised a lot of questions as to whether they have the steel to finish in the top four. Time will tell whether we dropped two points or earned a point from this match, but our performance and commitment this day and our recent form suggest that we can finish in the top four.

Player ratings

Szczesny: 7

His save of Van Persie's point-black header was arguably a match decider. He was brave and didn't put foot wrong throughout the game.

Sagna: 5

His mistake cost us the points. Lucky to stay on the pitch after his lunge at Evra in the second half.

Mertesacker: 7

The two centre-backs combined kept Van Persie and Roony quiet to limit their shots to just 5 (4 on target) between them.

Koscielny: 8

Superb display. He kept Rooney very quiet and tried to win the ball as high up the pitch as possible. Arsenal fans' Man of the Match with 34% of total votes.

Gibbs: 7

Good going forward. He should have been given a penalty for Rio Ferdinand's body check on him in the box. Also, his run into the box earned a free-kick just outside the Man U box (Resulting Santi's free-kick was rather disappointing, though). Although Valencia was allowed to exploit on that flank, Gibbs coped with it relatively well (or he just got away with it thanks to Valencia's poor crossing?).

Ramsey: 7

His final ball (whether a shot or pass) let him down, but a good box-to-box performance. If Phil Jones is Sky Sports' Man of the Match, we think Ramsey did as well as his counterpart did (Jones was equally wasteful in front of goal), if not better. According to Arsenal.com, he was a runner-up in the Man of the Match poll after collecting 21% of votes. 

Arteta: 7

As reliable as usual, but his passing success rate was a mere 84%, rather disappointing by his high standard. (Lower than Sagna's 86%, believe it or not). In fact, the team's overall success rate was lower than usual at 80%. He was excellent alongside his fellow midfielders in the first half.

Rosicky: 7

Set up a goal for Walcott. His curled effort just missed the target, but showed his technical ability and class. His withdrawal raised many fans' eyebrows as he was one of our best players on the pitch. It just goes to show that Wenger's substitutions lack imagination and ruthlessness. He just slotted another player into the place of an interchangeable player. On the other hand, SAF took off his underperforming right-back. The Czech midfielder came third in the Arsenal.com's Man of the Match poll with 19% of votes.

Cazorla: 7

Came close to score goals on several occasions. One of his attempt was denied by a good save from De Gea.

Walcott: 7

Scored the opener in the 2nd minute. We admit that he was in an offside position, but his finish was exceptional.

Podolski: 6

Helped the midfield by dropping deep in the first half. Became ineffective in the second half, hence substitution. 

Subs

Wilshere: 6

61st-minute substitute for Rosicky. Didn't change the game, but wasn't a downgrade from excellent Rosicky.

Gervinho: 6

Came on in the 72nd minute to replace Podolski. Looked dangerous at times.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
79th-minute substitute for Ramsey. Booked for his challenge. Made a crucial touch on Giggs' late attempt to divert it.

Fulham 0 Arsenal 1

We were so disappointed with our team's performance it felt like a defeat after the game. However, a win is a win and it turned out to be an even more important win after Sunday's results for our top-four-finish rivals. We were not happy with the team's display, but delighted to take all the three points from this game.

Wenger made two changes to the side who started in a midweek draw with Everton. Monreal replaced Gibbs, who played two games in four days and was taken off at the end of normal time on Tuesday night due to fatigue. Tomas Rosicky came in for Jack Wilshere. Wenger defended his decision by stating that Jack needed a rest, but it was a right decision as Jack had not been as sharp as we hoped him to be in the last couple of games. Fabianski was still nursing his rib injury, so Wojciech continued in goal.

One of the talking points prior to the match was whether Wenger would continue fielding Giroud up front despite the French striker's wastefulness in the Everton game. The boss decided to stick to that option.

The key moment of the game came in the 12th minute, when Sidwell was sent off for his lunge at Mikel Arteta. We couldn't believe our luck. Fulham always give us a hard game, especially at Craven Cottage but everybody at Las Mimosas bar thought this afternoon would be a walk in the park for a change, so much so that Tony went on to place a bet for a 3-0 win in favour of Arsenal.

But the Gunners didn't make most of their numerical advantage. If anything, they played much better when they were playing against 11 men. We started the game on front foot with Walcott's shot on goal and Koscielny's header both flagged offside. After Fulham were reduced to 10 men, they didn't give us much space and we struggled to break down their defence.

We were all frustrated. We should have been able to tear apart a 10-men team. Thanks to the lapse in their concentration, the combination of our centre-backs found the back of the net in 2 minutes from break.

Second-half was even worse. The Gunners were sloppy and their passing was not fluid. Maybe the exertion in midweek took its toll. In fact, Everton suffered more than us from the aftermath of the clash as they lost their Man of the Match on Tuesday, Phil Jagielka, to injury and succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of the Light on the same day.

We managed to weather tremendous pressure from our opponents and their fans towards the end of the game and grabbed a narrow win. It wasn't an easy-on-the-eye display from the Gunners, but the result is all that matters at this time of the season.

Now Giroud will start serving his three-match ban following his appeal for the red card rejected. It is a blow as it limits our strike option. On the other hand, those critics of the French striker would say it is a blessing in disguise. This could speed up Wenger's project with Podoski or lead to another chance for Walcott to play up front. In anycase, losing Giroud for the next three games will force the boss to change the current system, which was not working against Fulham.

We have a whole week to regroup ourselves and prepare for the next match. Hopefully, we will play much better than in this game.

On the positive side, we kept another clean sheet for the second game running. In fact, we only conceded three goals in the last 7 games. The central defensive partnership looked solid, even producing a goal. Per and the Kosh seemed to have developed good understanding between them.

The crucial win moved us back to third place. After Chelsea's draw and Tottenham's win (which was a big blow), we are now a point above Chelsea and two points ahead of Spurs, but both of them have a game in hand. We hope to think that Manchester United's securing the top spot on Monday will help us next Sunday. Before the weekend, the next match had been deemed as a write-off by many Arsenal fans, but Tottenham's shock defeat of Man City changed the landscape. Now we need to get something out of this game. The race for Champions League spots goes on.

Player ratings

Szczesny: 7

Produced some very good saves.

Sagna: 7

Solid defensively, but didn't offer very much going forward. Seems unable to cross the ball.

Mertesacker: 8

Scored the only goal of the game. Solid defensively. Arsenal fans' Man of the Match.

Koscielny: 8

Provided an assist. Solid apart from the unfortunate slip, which nearly gave us a heart attack. 

Monreal: 5

He was beaten every time Fulham attacked on that flank. Robbed by Emmanuelson, whose shot nearly caught out Szczesny at near post.

Ramsey: 7

Missed a sitter in stoppage time, but he covered the entire pitch and worked hard as usual.

Arteta: 7

Made 5 tackles, 4 interceptions and 113 passes with a 92% passing success rate. Seems to be pundits' Man of the Match. 

Rosicky: 6

Some good play, but had little impact on the game.

Cazorla: 7

Got involved in attacking moves.

Walcott: 6

Started brightly, but didn't do very much afterwards. Caught offside three times. His free-kick contributed to the goal, though.

Giroud: 5

Unlucky not to score after being fed by Cazorla. His shot hit the post and bounced off. Sent off in stoppage time in an unnecessary challenge. The Daily Mail compared him with Berbatov, who was a star of the reverse fixture this season and Wenger was grilled by the media with a question why he didn't sign the Bulgarian striker. In every aspect of the game, from attitude to finishing, Giroud came on top of Berbatov. 

Subs

Wilshere: 7

71st-minute substitute for Rosicky. Looked a little bit sharper than recent games. Delivered a great pass to Ramsey, who dragged it wide.

Podolski: 6

71st-minute substitute for Walcott. Made little impact.

Vermaelen: 6
Injury-time substitute for Cazorla. He was brought on in order to prop up the defence and see out the win in the wake of the sending-off of Giroud.

Referee

Andre Mariner: 5
After sending Sidwell off, which was a correct decision, he seemed to have been always looking for chances to even things out. Ramsey and Arteta received yellow cards for their challenges, while similar fouls by Enoh and Emmanuelson escaped punishment. Giroud's tackle probably came in the right time for the ref. The red card was harsh. Giroud went for the ball, but his left foot went over the ball because his supporting right foot slipped. It was a foul, but should have been a yellow card at most.

Arsenal 0 Everton 0

It was disappointing to drop two points as we could have won this game. Nonetheless, it was not the worst result, which would have been Everton coming away with all three points. The results fell short of what we hoped for, but we are still in a strong position for the Champions League qualification with allegedly easier fixtures than those for Tottenham, Chelsea and Everton.

Going into this game, Arsenal were in sparkling form with four league wins on the trot. Arsene Wenger had plenty of selection headaches, most of which were described as "welcome". The only negative was the rib injury to Fabianski, who has been in more than decent form for the last five games. This called for Szczesny's return to the starting XI.

Rosicky's return from a hamstring injury was major good news ahead of this game. With the headline "Wenger - I rushed Jack back too quickly" on every newspaper, we thought Rosicky slotted back into the central attacking midfield position was an obvious answer to Wenger's selection headaches. Jack didn't look match-fit at all in the last game against Norwich and a breather would have done him no harm after a 6-week lay-off. Obviously, the boss thought giving him more games is the best way for the England midfielder to regain match-fitness.

Another surprise decision was for the left-back position. As Nacho was rested at the weekend, we thought he would get the nod for this game, but Kieran Gibbs continued in the starting XI. As a matter of fact, he had a good game, especially going forward.

Theo won a starting place on the right wing over Gervinho, but to our disappointment, the other two impact subs against Norwich started from the bench. Per was back in the central defence after suspension, alongside with the Kosh, which meant Vermaelen was dropped to bench again.

Everton deployed a very physical approach to stop Arsenal playing their football. Many agree that Gibson should have been sent off for his blatant body check on Theo as the Everton player had already been booked for his challenge on the same player. The referee's decisions didn't help protect Arsenal players at all and were inconsistent throughout the game. That said, we were pleased to see our players not let themselves bullied as they were accused of in the past. It certainly showed improvement on the physical side of our game.

Another positive from this game was our defence, although it was the Everton defence, especially Phil Jagielka, that won most of plaudits. Our back four looked solid and our two midfielders, Arteta and Ramsey, protected them well. They defended well as a unit. The first clean sheet in four games was a reassuring sign of defensive improvement going into the final 5 games of the season.

The focus of the post-match talks was on whether the only point from this game would be enough for Arsenal to secure a place in the next season's Champions League. Time will tell eventually, but we don't think there is any reason to be pessimistic at the moment. Chelsea and Tottenham will drop points as they still have to play each other. If we can get back to  winning ways as soon as possible, hopefully this Saturday when we face Fulham, our hopes of the top-four finish will survive this setback.

Player ratings

Szczesny: 7

Didn't put his foot wrong.

Sagna: 7

Had a decent game.

Mertesacker: 8

Battled hard against Anichebe.

Koscielny: 8

Made a crucial tackle and did everything to put off any Everton shots. 

Gibbs: 8

He was excellent going forward. Set up great situations for his team-mates and had a shot over the bar himself as well.

Ramsey: 8

Arsenal fans' Man of the Match for the second game running, according to Arsenal.com site's Fans Online Poll. This time he collected 52% of total votes, leading a runner-up, Santi (17%), by far. Stats show that he made most touches (99) and passes (75) of all the players on the pitch with a respectful 88% passing success rate. On the defensive side, he made 5 tackles and 2 interceptions, with 2 six-yard blocks. He was all over the pitch, showing his tenacity and commitment. Made a fine cross only for Giroud to slide it wide. Involved in a number of good attacking moves and got in good positions in the box as well. Many thought his performance against Norwich was his best of the season, but he was even more impressive in this game.

Arteta: 7

Did his usual job. But he gave away a foul in a dangerous place and was booked. 

Wilshere: 6

Made a couple of good moves in and around the box, but not fully match fit yet. Makes powerful runs with the ball through the middle which are exciting to watch but seems to lose his way.

Cazorla: 8

Made some incisive passes and his goal-bound shot was punched out by Tim Howard. Got himself in a good position to score, but his shot was blocked.

Walcott: 6

Had a poor game. Stats indicate how little he was involved in the game. In 68 minutes he played, he made 24 touches and 12 passes. We think he did not pose much threat to Everton's quick left-back, Baines. A couple of heavy tackles seem to put him out of the game.

Giroud: 6

He had at least three clear-cut chances and squandered them. Some accuse him of being lazy, but his problems are an ability to read the game and vision. He works hard for the team especially defensively in set-pieces, but he fails to make right moves in attack. We hope he will improve in his second season (17 goals so far in his first season is not a bad platform to build on), but he is not technically good enough to lead the line if Arsenal are to challenge for the title next season. We need to sign a technically more accomplished striker in the summer.

Subs

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7

68th minute substitute to replace Theo Walcott. Much more effective than Theo. We like the Ox because he runs at defenders. Set up for Giroud to slide in, but his low cross was unfortunately blocked by the combination of Distin and Coleman.

Podolski: 7

68th minute substitute for Jack Wilshere. Made an impact again. He was involved in most of late Arsenal attacks and if Giroud had found him unmarked and passed the ball to him, the German striker would undoubtedly put it at the back of the net.

Monreal: 6

Baffling substitution in the 90th minutes. He came on to replace Gibbs, who was instrumental in our attack all through the evening, when we were pushing for a winner. Wenger cited "fatigue" as a reason for the withdrawing of Gibbs, but a more attacking option, for example, Rosicky, would have been more suited? Did slow down our attack (was he told to hang on for a goalless draw?) and was booked within 2 minutes of his arrival when he was caught out of position and had to foul the Everton player because of his lack of pace.

Referee

Neil Swarbrick: 5
Probably he was afraid of a possible criticism, "the decision killed the game", from neutrals, when he decided against a red card against Gibson, but he should have stuck to the rulebook. The Irish man's second foul on Theo was definitely another bookable offence. Poor decision.

Arsenal 3 Norwich 1

It wasn't a vintage performance from the Gunners or a comfortable viewing for us  Gooners, but you have to admire their spirit which made possible a comeback that looked impossible until the final 5 minutes of normal time.

In fact, at Las Mimosas bar, we were saying that we didn't look like scoring. Arsenal weren't clinical enough in front of the goal in the first half and their attack looked lacking cohesion with too many passes misplaced. It also lacked penetration as they tried to squeeze through the crowded middle with tight exchanges of passes. Four minutes after conceding a poor goal defensively early in the second half, Arsene Wenger brought on two subs in the 60th minute. The two players with a more direct approach injected energy and much-needed pace, but Arsenal were still not their usual fluent selves. Another sub was thrown into the game with 10 minutes left. In our opinion, the Ox should have come on much earlier. The young Englishman made a difference, especially when the Norwich defence started showing signs of tired legs.

Then, this controversial (only to the eyes of Norwich players and their fans) penalty decision came in the 85th minute. Replays show that there was a clear shirt-tug by Kei Kamara on Giroud, who was subsequently dragged to the ground. It was an intentional foul in the box, which warrants a penalty. There is an argument that this kind of fouls are so common these days and many of them go unpunished, but that does not mean that the penalty shouldn't have been given in this case.

Arteta coolly converted the spot kick and the second goal arrived three minutes later. The Ox was brilliant in the build-up play, combining with another sub, Poldi. Giroud said that he swore he "hit the ball", although Bassong probably had a touch on the ball as well. Hope the Dubious Goal Committee will award the goal to the French striker because he deserved it. As the boss said in his post-match interview, Giroud's first-half performance was "very, very average", but he was much more mobile in the second half and played a pivotal role in Arsenal's comeback as well as subs.

Fabianski still had to make crucial saves in the remainder of normal time. The sight of the board showing "6-minute" added time was met with our groans. It meant that we had to suffer a further 6 minute+ agonising time. However, our anxiety was short-lived. Poldi's beautiful strike from the edge of the box early in stoppage time ensured that three points were in the bag now.

It was an amazing game in perspective. Arsenal scored three goals in the final 7 minutes to come from behind to claim vital three points. Overall, the performance was nowhere near perfect, but the way they grabbed the win should strengthen their belief and confidence. After all, all that matters is the result at this time of the season. The win moved us to third in the table, a point clear of Chelsea, who have a game in hand, and Tottenham as their match was postponed this weekend. Tuesday's clash with Everton, who are still in the mix for the top-four race, will be a massive game for us. 

Player ratings

Fabianski: 7

Made a couple of crucial saves. He is a doubt for Tuesday's clash as he got a kick in the rib in this game.

Sagna: 7

A couple of good crosses. Did his job.

Koscielny: 7

Little trouble. It's difficult to point a finger at a single defender for the Norwich goal, but somebody should have attacked the free kick. Turner shouldn't have had a free header.

Vermaelen: 7

Kept Grant Holt quiet.

Gibbs: 6

His first start since the Bayern Munich game. Perhaps, more experienced and more defence-minded Monreal was rested for this game ahead of a more difficult clash with Everton on Tuesday night. It's good that Gibbs gets playing time every now and then. The free-kick against him, which led to Norwich's goal, shouldn't have been given as Kamara tripped himself. He got forward often, but his crosses were poor.

Ramsey: 8

Arsenal fans' Man of the Match according to Arsenal.com site's Fans Online Poll. Made 90 passes with a 90% passing success rate and 6 tackles. Got in a great position in the first half.

Arteta: 8

Made 105 passes with a staggering 95% passing success rate. Scored a goal from the spot-kick with great composure after all the tumult caused by Norwich players. Was part of BBC's Premier League team of the weekend. 

Wilshere: 6

He was probably rushed into the game too soon after 6-weeks' absence. He looked rusty with far too many passes going astray by his standard. Wenger admitted that Rosicky's injury forced him to slot the England midfielder straight into the Czech's place as the boss wanted to keep the shape of the successful team intact. Taken off the pitch in the 60 minutes.

Cazorla: 7

His astute pass released Gervinho behind the Norwich defensive line.

Gervinho: 6

He was Wenger's preferred option for the starting XI ahead of fit-again Theo Walcott, presumably on the back of the Ivorian's recent form. Theo is a better finisher with more defensive reliability. Gerv's confidence level might have been improved by now, but his final ball let him down again. In the glorious chance in the first half, his first touch was so heavy that by the time he reached the ball the angle was too narrow for him to deliver a shot on target. Perhaps, Giroud should have been in the box.

Giroud: 7

As the boss said, his movement improved a lot in the second half. Worked hard defensively as well for the team. Several sites chose him as a Man of the Match.

 

Subs

Walcott: 8

Replaced Gervinho on the right wing in the 60th minute. According to Sky Sports site, he was their Man of the Match as he was constantly a threat since he came off the bench. It's true that he had an impact when he came on, but we felt that his direct involvement in the game was limited. However, he provided an assist for Poldi, hence the high rating.

Podolski: 8

His introduction in the 60th minute, in place of Jack Wilshere, prompted Cazorla to move to central midfield in order to accommodate Poldi on the left flank. Heavily involved Arsenal's attack. Missed a great chance with a poor touch, but his powerful goal-bound shot forced a great save from Bunn, which subsequently hit the cross bar. Scored his 14th goal of the season. After the match, Wenger revealed that he was working with the German as a central striker. Interesting to see how it develops.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 8
Lively as usual. He contributed to his team's late comeback by delivering a low cross for Giroud after a beautiful movement on the left wing.