Posts filed under '2012-13 Season'

Arsenal 6 – 1 Southampton: Saints dispatched with Spanish style

518 comments September 16th, 2012

Arsenal 6 – 1 Southampton
(Hooiveld 11 (og), Podolski 31, Gervinho 35, 71, Clyne 37 (og), Fox 45, Walcott 89)
Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

Arsenal lost a flying Dutchman this summer, but they also acquired a scintillating Spaniard. Santi Cazorla is such a good player that he shapes the entire team in his image. Yesterday, Arsenal produced a display of Iberian excellence, and Cazorla, as he has been since the moment he first pulled on an Arsenal shirt, was at the heart of everything.

For some years now, Arsenal have been compared with those Kings of tiki-taka, Barcelona. Looking at Arsene Wenger’s team selection yesterday, the comparison felt particularly apt. Wenger is a known admirer of the Catalan style of play aped by the Spanish national team, and is gradually implementing elements in his own side.

A few years back he adopted the iconic 4-3-3. Now he’s removed the burly, tough-tackling defensive midfielder, and replaced him with Mikel Arteta as a ‘pivote’ – a role based more on interceptions and ball-retention. Yesterday, he went a step further and introduced the nigh-mythical ‘false 9’.

Surprisingly, Gervinho was chosen for the role. After a trial in the position in a pre-season friendly against Man City, the Ivorian was selected of Olivier Giroud, with Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain continuing on the flanks. In midfield, Cazorla and Arteta were supported by Francis Coquelin, whilst the back four remained unchanged. Wojciech Szczesny made his expected return in goal, with Vito Mannone dropping to the bench.

From the get-go it was clear Arsenal meant business. There was a speed and urgency about our passing that looked ominous, and the scoring was opened after just eleven minutes. Podolski turned away from three Southampton players in the centre of the field before playing in Kieran Gibbs. The defender’s shot appeared goalbound, but ended up going off Hooiveld for an own goal.

Having been instrumental in the creation of the first, Podolski took centre-stage for the second goal, bending a beautiful twenty-five yard free-kick in to the top corner. The German was quick to point out after the game that scoring from set-pieces is not something he does regularly, although on that piece of evidence you have to wonder why. The goal was the highlight of another impressive performance from a player who looks entirely at home in the Premier League.

Gervinho got in on the act next, collecting a clipped pass from Mikel Arteta and thundering his shot in at Kelvin Davies’ near post. It was an impressive finish – and one which made you think he should put his foot through the ball more often.

A fourth goal felt inevitable by this point, and it came from a familiar source. Gervinho played in Gibbs again, and this time his cross was deflected home by Clyne. 4-0 before half-time, and Arsenal were on easy street.

Perhaps too easy. In the dying moments of the first half, Wojciech Szczesny dropped a clanger (and a cross), allowing Fox to thump home a consolation and end our run of clean sheets. The Pole had one of his shakier games, and Vito Mannone was sent out to warm up twice during the ninety minutes. Whether or not there were doubts over Szczesny’s fitness, or whether the manager simply wished to remind him of the competition, we can’t be sure.

In the second half Southampton improved considerably. The introduction of Gaston Ramirez and the persistence of Jason Puncheon gave them considerably more attacking threat, whilst Ricky Lambert made a more conscious effort to get one-on-one with Kieran Gibbs rather than the imperious Per Mertesacker for his aerial duels.

In the end, however, Arsenal’s class told. Cazorla played in Ramsey did brilliantly to get beyond the defender and was unfortunate to hit the post. Fortunately, Gervinho was there to follow in and tap home. In that instance he was less a false nine and more a predatory poacher. In one game he’s reached half the number of goals he managed in 37 games last season.

I was delighted for Gervinho. I am often quick to criticise him – and his decision-making does often test one’s patience. Yesterday, however, he played his role to perfection. This map of the player’s average positions confirms he did play centrally, but he showed a willingness to swap with Podolski and Chamberlain when necessary. His movement was tireless, and one-on-one with his defender there are few better dribblers. He had an excellent pre-season and is showing signs of improving on last season’s showing. If he can add consistent end product there’s no doubting his potential.

In stoppage time came the final flourish. Cazorla again was at the centre of the move, slipping a pass in to the path of the cavalier charge of Thomas Vermaelen. When the Belgian’s effort was saved, sub Theo Walcott finished smartly with his left foot. Theo will have been eyeing Gervinho’s start in a central berth with considerable envy, but made the most of his substitute appearance with a few impressive runs as well as his goal.

It wasn’t quite a perfect day – a goal for Giroud in his 15-minute cameo and a clean sheet were the missing ingredients – but it wasn’t far off. It’s been some time since we thumped a side quite so comprehensively. In the past we’ve been accused of taking our foot off the gas against smaller teams – not so yesterday. We looked as if we had a point to prove, and I’d suggest we made it emphatically. Perhaps a contributing factor in the hunger we’re showing is that this is side is so new: from yesterday’s starting XI, only Thomas Vermaelen was an Arsenal regular prior to 2011/12. That’s an extraordinary turnaround, and the result is a group of players eager to prove themselves to the those in and outside the club. Another consequence of that lack of an established side is genuine competition for places.

One man guaranteed a start is Cazorla. It was telling that with Arsene giving rests to the likes of Podolski and Gervinho, the little man remained on the field. He makes us tick. And yesterday, he made us tiki-taka.

Southampton Preview: Today is about far more than Olivier Giroud

395 comments September 15th, 2012

Olivier Giroud has started just two games for Arsenal.  He has had just two noteworthy chances.  And yet already there is talk of him being ‘under pressure’.  Football has truly never been quite so hysterical and reactionary.

I won’t deny he could go with a goal.  The way he struck his wayward efforts against Sunderland and Liverpool suggested a player hurrying his shot in order to accelerate his adaptation with a first strike in Arsenal colours.  What he needs is composure and confidence.  That will come with time and, of course, goals.

There is a growing sense of expectation that journey will begin against Southampton.  By an odd quirk of fate, Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry all opened their accounts against the Saints, and a home game against a newly-promoted opponent does seem likely to offer up at least one presentable opportunity to our primary centre-forward.

Should be score, I’ll be delighted.  Should he not, I’ll be completely fine with it – as long as Arsenal win.  It’s clear that Arsene’s transfer policy this summer was largely dictated by a need to spread goals around the team after Van Persie’s departure.  He is hoping for Cazorla, Podolski and Giroud to match the Dutchman’s tally over the season collectively.  He will help do that over the course of the season, whether or not he gets off the mark today.

The only important prize is victory, and anyone who saw Southampton play against City and United knows they’re not likely to roll over without a fight today.  Much has been made of the fact that our defence have conceded as many goals as Giroud has scored, but I think we’ll be tested by a side who play, quite rightly, as if they have nothing to lose.  In the likes of Lallana, Lambert and Ramirez they have attacking talents who can cause us problems.

I expect the defence to be unchanged.  Laurent Koscielny is fit and raring to go, but how can you justify dropping Per Mertesacker after his start to the season?  The same could arguably be said of Vito Mannone, but the fit-again Wojciech Szczesny is sufficiently senior to the Italian to guarantee his inclusion.

I’d like to go on record and say I think our defensive excellence has been somewhat overstated in the early part of this season.  Just as us conceding ten in the first three games of last season was anomalous, the three clean sheets could be a similar statistical oddity.  It will take a longer run of consistency before I declare that Steve Bould has replaced the current back four with clones of our well-drilled mid-90s heroes.

Anyway.  In midfield, Abou Diaby’s muscle problem is almost certain to be rested ahead of sterner tests against Montpellier and Man City.  Arsene Wenger then has several options to replace him in midfield, notably Coquelin, Ramsey, or a repositioned Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (about whom he speaks with customary enthusiasm here).  My hunch is he’ll opt for Ramsey.  Coquelin’s defensive nous shouldn’t be required with Arteta in the side, whilst Oxlade-Chamberlain’s 120 minutes for England could see him rotated to the bench.

Upfront we all expect Podolski and Giroud to make up two components of the attacking trio.  I’ve got a suspicion that the third element could be Gervinho.  Unlike many of his team-mates, the Ivorian only played one game during the international break, picking up a goal and an assist against Senegal.  Add this to his impressive pre-season displays, and I think Arsene might be tempted to throw him in.  Theo Walcott is only expected to make the bench after a bout of sickness earlier this week.

It’s the first game this season I’ll be able to attend in person, and I can’t wait.  A win would be fantastic, and a goal for Giroud the icing on the cake.  But let’s not forget, cake is pretty delicious, icing or no icing.

I want some cake.  Come on Arsenal.

An unhappy international break for Arsenal

766 comments September 14th, 2012

The international break isn’t a very happy time for anyone in football.  You never hear a fan say:

“Oh good, the glamour and excitement of the Premier League is over for a fortnight.  Now, finally, I can see how Moldova are getting on.”

Equally, you never hear a manager say:

“Oh good, my players are all leaving to go and play for someone else, on an undulating excuse for a pitch in Moldova.”

If it sounds like I have a vendetta against Moldova(ns), I don’t.  I have a vendetta against the international break.  If anyone stands to benefit from this hiatal hernia in the season, it’s the players, who have at least the dubious honour of wearing their country’s colours.  Even if they do have to go to Moldova.

However – and I concede I might just be projecting a negative spin on to this – it seems to me that this international break was particularly unenjoyable for Arsenal players as a whole.  Let’s look at their fortunes on the field.  The English pair of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott started off well, conquering their opponents in Chisinau, but Theo ended up vomiting his way out of the squad, whilst The Ox was part of a dispiriting 1-1 draw at home to Ukraine.

Abou Diaby’s international break had a similar trajectory – it started off well as he scored his first international goal against Finland, only to pick up a predictable niggle that could rule him out of Saturday’s game with Southampton.  His France team-mate Olivier Giroud rounded off his iffy start to the season by being booed from the field in his country’s colours, whilst in the gallic U-21 side, Francis Coquelin managed to get himself sent off. Aaron Ramsey’s Wales got hammered by Serbia, Lukas Podolski’s Germany stumbled to a meagre 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands, and Gervinho went another week of his life without realising quite how desperately he requires a haircut.  It was not a good week.

There was the odd highlight.  Santi Cazorla struck for Spain, Conor Henderson scored a wonder goal for Ireland U-21s, and Gervinho knocked one in off the bar (presumably by mistake).  But basically this week was conclusive proof that international breaks are the work of the devil.

Even those players left at home found themselves in trouble.  Andre Santos’ run in with the law continues, whilst Bacary Sagna got a rap on the knuckles from the club for his comments about the sale of Alex Song.  I have to say that whatever Sagna might make of goings on at boardroom level, I agree with Arsene that there is no questioning his commitment on the pitch.

Speaking of the board and all that, it is well worth reading the full Q & A with Ivan Gazidis that prompted all those ‘New Deal For Wenger’ headlines.  What he actually said was this:

Presumably having led you through that tough period, you want to see Arsène Wenger lead you through those good time as well?

Gazidis: It’s not a sense of sentimentalism, not a reward for our services, it’s a belief that we have an incredible manager who loves this club and is the best man to lead us forward.

We’re really confident about the direction that the club is heading. We’re coming through strongly and we believe we’re really well placed. We hope and believe that Arsene will be a part of that as we move forward.

And of course he’s going to say that.  Whatever your opinion of Arsene Wenger, I think we all accept that barring a complete on-field disaster he is here until 2014.  At this stage, Ivan Gazidis is not going to say anything to undermine his position.  Equally, we should all know by now that Arsene is extremely unlikely to sit down and talk about a new contract until he has entered the final year of his present one.  It was ever thus.  I’m not sure that this is really a story.

Anyway. Proper football is tantalisingly close now.  Just one more sleep away.

Bac says, Arshavin stays, & Arsene prays

867 comments September 7th, 2012

Hello all.  That is, if there’s anyone out there, and you haven’t all turned away from football entirely during the dark times that constitute any international break.  Unusually, there is actually some Arsenal news to report, although not all of it is good.

Gooners will have been slightly alarmed to read the comments of Bacary Sagna yesterday.  He told L’Equipe:

“I expected Robin’s departure, but Alex, that was a surprise. He’s 24 and had three years on his contract.  When you see your two best players from last season leave, you ask yourself questions.

In the street, supporters sometimes come to see me. I can understand that they’re annoyed. I’m like them – I don’t understand everything.”

In some ways it’s reassuring to see that the players share our sentiments.  However, it’s not ideal for the club to see those thoughts emerge in print, especially when it calls the decisions of the manager and the board in to question.  It’s surprising these words have come from Sagna, though – a guy whose brilliance on the pitch is underlined by a stoic professionalism off it.  If anything, that lends the words more gravitas.  The departure of Song in particular will have hurt him as the pair were close off the pitch.   However, I’m confident that once Bac is back and playing his concerns will fade.  What I do hope, however, is that Arsenal don’t let the mistake of allowing Sagna’s contract to run too far down.  We won’t find a better full-back.

One player who isn’t leaving is Andrey Arshavin.  The Russian transfer window slammed shut last night, with the player still firmly on English soil.  Both Dinamo Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg claimed to have reached agreement with Arsenal to take Arshavin on a free transfer, but in both instances he turned them down.  His motivation, as far as I understand, is simple: he doesn’t want to leave London.  When he joined Zenit on loan last year, his family remained behind.  His kids are in school and he’s hopeful of getting them citizenship.  I have to say, I’m a little bit glad he’s stayed.  We saw glimpses in EURO 2012 of what he’s capable of, and he’s not a bad squad player to have around.  I’d still choose Arshavin over Gervinho in most circumstances.  The little Russian’s desire to stay for off-field reasons is clear; now he has to earn it on the pitch.

Tonight sees a host of international games kicking off, and Arsene will be anxiously watching on, hoping his players return intact.  No-one will cause more concern than Abou Diaby, who is set to be involved for France in their game against Finland.  Ahead of the game, Diaby has been talking to Le Parisien about his injury nightmare:

“I have revenge to take over the time I lost but I want to prove to myself that I can go higher.

All I wanted was to play again. I am born with a strong temper. I never give up. Maybe some people would have given up in my position but it was out of the question for me.  It was my destiny, it was written [to come back].”

There’s some lovely translation in there, that makes Diaby sound like the revenging swordsman from The Princess Bridge.

“My name is Vassiriki Abou Diaby.  You broke my ankle.  Prepare to die.”

In seriousness though, it’s great to see him back, but I think we should sound a note of caution.  The chances of him being able to play every game this season – even if he avoids injury – are slim.  After that long out his body will need rest and recuperation, and hopefully the return of Jack Wilshere will allow Arsene to lighten the load on both injury-prone midfielders.

It’s been interesting to note that our start to the season has seen our title odds significantly shorten. I don’t think we’re candidates – I envisage a familiar fourth-placed finish. What can’t be denied is this: the bookies and online casinos such as www.bellerockentertainment.comobviously recognise the potential of Arsene Wenger’s new-look team.

Till next time…

Liverpool 0 – 2 Arsenal: The signs are good

751 comments September 3rd, 2012

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

A victory built on solid foundations…
After two games, your perception of our results depended on whether your glass was half-full or half-empty. If it was half-empty, you were concerned about our lack of goals; half-full, and you were delighted to have kept two clean sheets. Three games in, we’ve broken our goalscoring duck, but remain yet to concede. It’s a great foundation on which to build, and credit is due not just to Steve Bould, Per Mertesacker and Thomas Vermaelen, but the entire team for a fantastic collective effort. To have achieved that record without Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny, and (for the past two games) Wojciech Szczesny makes it all the more impressive. To put it in context, by this point last season we had scored the same number of goals, but conceded 10 goals. It is a dramatic improvement.

Two news boys got off the mark…
And both Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla were outstanding, picking up an assist each to go with their first Arsenal goals. Podolski combines predatory instincts with a phenomenal work-rate, whilst Cazorla is perpetual motion, and perpetual class. I haven’t seen many players who’ve made such an impression on the Premier League so early. At £12.6m, I’m convinced he will prove to be one of the buys of the season.

Olivier Giroud could do with a goal…
He snatched at a fantastic opportunity in the first half, and headed over when well-placed in the second. His movement is intelligent and the signs are good, but he could do with converting one sooner rather than later.

Abou Diaby was immense in central midfield…
His performance was a heart-warming reminder of his undoubted talent. He seemed to spin away from opposition midfielders at will, turning in to space and driving at defenders throughout the game. I’ve had to chuckle at the way pundits have fallen over themselves to praise his combination of power and technique, and label Abou as the ‘new Vieira’. These are the same comparisons people made over half a decade ago, when Diaby first arrived as a teenager from Auxerre. Still, I suppose I can forgive the Match of the Day posse for getting Diaby: prior to this season, he had not started a Premier League game in over a year.

Whilst it’s great that he played to his potential yesterday, it’s important that he goes on to show some consistency. It’s become a bit of a myth that the only obstacle between Diaby and greatness is injuries. This isn’t true: even when he’s been fit, he’s been prone to drift in and out of games, or inexplicably lose confidence and subsequently form. He needs to use the hunger from his time on the sidelines to drive him on to a good run of performances. Fingers crossed he and the rest of the squad return from the international break healthy.

Alex Who?
Alongside Diaby, Mikel Arteta was immaculate in the holding role. In fact, our central midfield display was so good that the discourse about our failure to replace Alex Song almost evaporated over the course of the ninety minutes. It is, as someone has observed before, a funny old game. Had we lost this match, with one-time transfer target Nuri Sahin impressing for Liverpool, the fanbase would be up in arms. As it is, Arteta and Diaby bossed it, Sahin was anonymous, Arsenal victorious, and Song forgotten. Add that to the news that Jack Wilshere could return inside a month, and our midfield suddenly looks much healthier. Perhaps Arsene does know after all.

Is the window really shut?
It was intriguing that both Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh were left out of the matchday squad. Although I expect both to stay, the windows in Russia and Turkey are still open for a few days. If a decent offer came in, could we resist? We’ll have to wait and see.

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