Match Reports

WBA 2 – 3 Arsenal: Arsenal complete The Great Escape

Posted on May 14, 2012 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, Featured, Match Reports, Premier League | 48 Guns

Arsenal players hold Pat Rice aloft after the final whistle

West Brom 2 – 3 Arsenal

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

Arsenal were not able to raise a trophy aloft at the end of this season. We were, however, allowed to lift up Pat Rice, and give him the send-off he truly deserves. A traumatic season ended on a high as Arsenal secured third place with this win at the Hawthorns. You might not get any baubles for qualifying for the Champions League, but one need only look at our post-match celebrations to realise its significance.

This has, in my humble opinion, been the most exciting season in the history of the rebranded Premier League, and it had a final day to match. Events in Manchester will rightly take the headlines, but for any Arsenal fan the only thing that mattered was our game against West Brom. Arsene gambled a little in his team selection, dropping Gibbs and Ramsey for Santos and Coquelin, and playing the inexperienced Jenkinson at right-back. The result would suggest that this brave move paid off.

We certainly owe a lot to West Brom’s stand-in goalkeeper, Marton Fulop. Early on, his dallying over a back-pass allowed Yossi Benayoun to steal in and grant us a lead that should have settled the nerves. Instead, as against Norwich, his goal was a cue for complacency to creep in, and we ended up going behind. First Shane Long was wrongly ruled onside and fired past a hesitant Szczesny, before poor defending allowed Graham Dorrans to reach his own flick-on and fire home from the edge of the box.

Fortunately, we got a goal back before half time. Without that I’m not sure we would have had the bottle to turn it around. Andre Santos, playing in the “false three” position (credit to Barney Ronay), strode forward and thumped a 25-yard shot that took a slight deflection before beating Fulop at his near post. Again, the Hungarian could have done better.

At half-time Spurs led Fulham comfortably. Arsenal knew that only a win would be good enough. I said then I felt that if we could cut out our defensive errors, we’d have enough to win the game, and so it proved. Again we owed a debt to Fulop, who flapped horribly at a corner, allowing Laurent Koscielny to stab home. Interestingly, Fulop spent three seasons on the books of one Tottenham Hotspur, in which time he failed to muster a single competitive appearance. Judging by yesterday’s evidence, he’s still feeling a little sore about that.

This rolercoaster game was by now horribly reminiscent of that fateful 3-3 with Norwich, and I was dreading a heartbreaking late equaliser. That we didn’t see one is due largely to Kieran Gibbs, who produced this stunning tackle in stoppage time.

There were other heroes on the day. Wojciech Szczesny recovered from his positional error on the first West Brom goal to put in a commanding display, especially when you consider that Arsene Wenger revealed he has been playing with a bad shoulder injury. It was fitting that Koscielny, our best player over the season bar Van Persie, should score the vital goal. As for Yossi Benayoun, what can I say? His contribution has been enormous, and his role in final day folklore will make him a firm favourite among Arsenal fans for years to come. It seems unlikely Arsene will give him a permanent deal – Yossi himself has intimated he’d like to move somewhere he’ll play more regularly – but I’d certainly consider trying to convince him to stay. Whenever he’s been called upon, he’s shown more commitment than many players on more lucrative, long-term deals. The guy is a real pro, and whoever gets him next season will be lucky to have him.

At the full-time whistle, the relief was palpable. To have finished third in a season which began with four defeats from seven feels like we have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Disaster threatened to engulf us on so many occasions this season, and yet we’ve actually managed to improve upon our league placing from last year. And, crucially, we’ve edged above Tottenham. Not so chatty now, Mr. Van der Vaart.

Personally, I’d like to extend my congratulations to Arsene Wenger. If another manager had arrived in September and shepherded us to this position, he’d be hailed as a messiah. Instead, I’ll doff my cap to an ordinary human who is an extraordinary football manager.

There are other challenges ahead, starting with resolving the future of Robin van Persie. After that we have the summer transfer window, next season’s Premier League, and (thankfully) a Champions League campaign to worry about. I hope you’ll excuse me if I forget all that for now, and enjoy the moment. My glass is half-full. In fact, it’s more than that. It’s Fulop.

Arsenal 3 – 3 Norwich: Advantage Spurs

Posted on May 6, 2012 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, Featured, Match Reports, Premier League | 69 Guns

Arsenal 3 -3 Norwich

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

This game was a rather neat microcosm of our entire season. A fairly abject first half, a spirited improvement in the second, due largely to the unquestionable brilliance of Robin van Persie; and a heart-wrenching collapse at the finale. Having dragged us ourselves back from the brink to lead 3-2, we handed Norwich an equaliser, and in doing so may have handed third place to either Spurs or Newcastle.

That guaranteed Champions League spot seems to have been in our hands for a little while now. We’ve treated it like a hot potato, fumbling and flustering, and have now well and truly dropped it. Both chasing sides know now that if they win their remaining two games, they will finish above us – even if we beat West Brom on the final day.

If we play like we did yesterday, there’s little chance of us doing that. The first half was every bit as poor a performance as the one we put in against Wigan – worse, really, because it showed we’d learnt no lessons from that game.

The key area of the pitch was central midfield, where we had no shape or discipline. Alex Song and Aaron Ramsey were ostensibly the holding pair, but there was almost no protection provided for the back four. Norwich were canny and left three attackers up the pitch at all times. As Song and Ramsey bombed on, we were left vulnerable to counter-attack after counter-attack. Similarly, when the likes of Vermaelen pushed forward, neither Song nor Ramsey showed the initiative to fill in. Ultimately, would prove costly.

It all started so well when Yossi Benayoun, celebrating his 32nd birthday, curled home a peach of an effort with barely a minute on the clock. Unfortunately the rest of the team took it as a cue to sit back on their imagined laurels. Norwich were all over us in the first half, and their two goals were undoubtedly deserved. The first came after a simple move down the right-flank, although Wojciech Szczesny will be disappointed to be beaten so easily at the near post. He could do little about the second, which cannoned off Kieran Gibbs and looped over his head and in to the net. It reminded of the goal Louis Saha scored for Spurs when they led at half-time. Arsenal would need a similarly remarkable comeback in the second half to salvage anything from this game.

To give credit to the players, we showed a lot of spirit. The likes of Gervinho, abject in the first 45, suddenly sprung in to life. Of course it was Robin van Persie who scored the two goals to restore our lead – his 29th and 30th league goals of the season. The first saw him collect yet another of those clipped Alex Song passes to volley home; the second spin and fire in after a lucky deflection inside the penalty box.
At that point, there were 80 minutes on the clock. It tells you something about how dangerous Norwich looked, and how poorly we had defended, that I had absolutely no faith we would see through the game at 3-2. And so it proved: Alex Song gave the ball away, Kieran Gibbs inexplicably allowed Steve Morison to run beyond him, and the lifelong Spurs fan fired expertly past Szczesny, rooted to his line.

There was still time for Arsenal to spurn a couple of chances to win it, but in truth Norwich deserved at least a point. On the touchline, Arsene Wenger was as frustrated as he’s been all season, and that’s saying something. His irritation was with his own team. Yes, we should have a penalty, but so should Norwich. We have nobody to blame but ourselves.

There were mistakes and poor performances all over the pitch, but what stood out for me was how badly we missed Mikel Arteta. It remains the case that we have not won a Premier League game in his absence. Without him, I’m not sure Alex Song has the will or the nous to play as a true holding midfielder. Perhaps that’s something we need to address in the summer.

It was a particularly bad day for great Arsenal right-backs. This was almost certainly Pat Rice’s last home game before retirement, and he deserved a better send-off. Also, in a sad footnote to the game, Bacary Sagna broke the same fibula bone as earlier in the season, and will now miss the Euros and quite possibly the start of next season.

Before that there’s plenty to be decided. We’re now in a position whereby we need favours from other clubs: namely Man City, Aston Villa, Fulham, Everton and possibly Bayern Munich. Both Spurs and Newcastle face their hardest games today. If we’re to get a reprieve, it will surely come at Villa Park. It’s unlikely, but you never know.

As many said in the build-up to yesterday’s game: if we can’t beat Norwich, we don’t deserve Champions League football. Perhaps they were right.

Stoke 1 – 1 Arsenal: Arsenal escape from Mordor with a point

Posted on April 29, 2012 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, Match Reports, Premier League | 25 Guns

STOKE 1 – 1 ARSENAL

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

Let me start by declaring a bias: I really dislike Stoke. I dislike their manager, their players and their fans. I dislike their ‘style’ of play and their indeterminate evolutionary heritage. So if anyone who is not an Arsenal fan accidentally stumbles upon this entry, and feels it’s a bit partizan: it is. I dislike Stoke.

I do, however, have a grudging respect for the effectiveness of their set-piece based game. With that in mind, I would gladly have taken a point before the game. The bonus of seeing Newcastle hammered at Wigan makes it an even better result.

It could arguably have been more. Arsenal outplayed Stoke, and even Tony Pulis was forced to admit we coped better than ever with their aerial assault. We looked like a side who were focused, determined, and eager to take all three points. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, as we fell behind early on due to our sole lapse in concentration – Bacary Sagna failed to close down Matthew Etherington, and from that point on we were helpless – the cross and Peter Crouch’s header were both inch-perfect.

We recovered in impressive fashion. The goal we scored was a combination of some great harrying and hustling from Yossi Benayoun to win the ball high up the pitch, an outstanding cross from the rejuvenated Tomas Rosicky, and classic movement from RVP to pull away at the far post to tuck home.

There were moments where we flirted with a second goal. Gervinho ducked out of a a simple header, Ramsey fired wide from the edge of the box, and Yossi Benayoun took a tumble in the box, asking for a penalty which he’ll know in his heart of hearts would have been a very soft award. Despite our dominance, Stoke are always a threat when the ball is out of play, and they nearly punished us from a late Rory Delap throw-in; Bacary Sagna redeeming himself with a spectacular clearance from under our crossbar.

And so, a point it was. Although we haven’t won in our last three league games, this was by far our best performance since the victory over Manchester City. Particular credit is due to Aaron Ramsey, who put in a committed and industrious display on a ground which must hold some dark memories for him. As for the Stoke fans who booed him? Well, it’s a level idiocy beyond comprehension. I hoped the empathy and compassion between football fans that sprung up off the back of terrible incidents like the Fabrice Muamba collapse might help put an end to such hateful attitudes. I was wrong. Arsene speaks with great eloquence about the situation here:

“I don’t think you can be especially proud to boo Aaron Ramsey, I don’t see what he has done wrong. It’s an old story where the fans of Stoke stand behind their player but it shouldn’t go as far as booing Ramsey.

I think sometimes when I go out on the pitch at the end of the game, and people are angry or hateful, I would like a little picture to send home for them to show their son or daughter, and then come back next week and see if they will do it again, see if they are proud of you.”

Beautifully put. We can, however, be proud of Ramsey and his team-mates for a very creditable point. Two games left; two wins required. Play like we did yesterday, and it’s eminently possible.

Arsenal 0 – 0 Chelsea: Dreadful game, disappointing result, good weekend

Posted on April 22, 2012 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, Match Reports, Premier League | 26 Guns

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

I was furious at how Arsenal allowed the game to pass them by…
Chelsea are already in one major cup final, and could make it two. This was, in many respects, our equivalent. After defeat against Wigan, a win was required to restore momentum and build a protective cushion between us and the chasing pack. I was bang up for this game, and had been excited all week. However, from the first five minutes I couldn’t help but think that the players didn’t feel the same. The game opened with a prolonged period of possession from the Arsenal back four, knocking it back and forth across the width of the pitch – there was no pressure from Chelsea’s attack, and little intent of driving forward from Arsenal.

It made for an incredibly dull game…
It burst briefly in to life at the latter end of each half, with Arsenal making most of the running, but it was more the most part an uninspiring affair. It had the feel of an end-of-season game in which nothing was at stake. And yet, bizarrely, there was a huge opportunity for both sides to secure a vital three points. Neither team was at the races, and the game was there to be won for anyone who could find an extra gear. However both sides seem to play with, as the Arsene Wenger might say, the “handbrake on”.

Arsenal’s midfield lacked shape and authority…
Mikel Arteta was a huge miss. He is disciplined in his positioning, and intelligent in his use of the ball. At the best of times, Aaron Ramsey isn’t really either of those things, and out of form and out of position he fell well shot of the Spaniards standards. Alex Song was also poor alongside him, and Chelsea looked relatively comfortable in the middle of the park.

Abou Diaby could have a big part to play…
I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him taking the field with half an hour or so to play, but I was impressed in flashes. With Arteta out for the rest of the season, Diaby (and indeed Francis Coquelin, who is also fit again) could be a key figure between now and the end of May.

That said, we did have chances…
With a fresher Robin van Persie, we’d probably have won the game. Laurent Koscielny also struck the bar with a free header, and if any side was going to win it I was sure it’d be us – partly because of the inexplicable selfishness of Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge, who ruined several counter-attacks by failing to make obvious passes to team-mates.

I was possibly a little harsh on the team…
I’m sure they were up for it. I’m sure they wanted to win. We’re probably just a little jaded. Due to injuries and lack of quality options, we have not been able to rotate the side much all season long. Inevitably, we’re suffering a little for that in the final straight.

Spurs’ defeat made it a better weekend…
Every time I expect Tottenham’s form to pick up, they confound me with yet another disastrous result. Their form is so patchy that Newcastle are arguably now the greatest threat to our third-placed position. Arsenal have three games to go – our next, a trip to Stoke, is arguably the toughest. That said, none of the three sides we face (Stoke, Norwich, WBA) have much to play for. We should aim for nothing less than nine points, though I suspect six will be enough to claim third spot.

RVP is a deserving Player of the Year…
Despite his recent ill-fortune in front of goal, he has been a cut above everyone else in the Premier League this season, and is richly deserving of following in the foot-steps of the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp by being voted the PFA Player of the Year. There can be few greater honours than being recognised by your fellow professionals, and I hope this individual gong will be followed by the trophies his class richly deserves – with Arsenal, of course.

Arsenal foiled by Wigan’s tactical masterclass

Posted on April 17, 2012 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, Match Reports, Premier League | 36 Guns

I’m not hugely excited by tactical discussion. I don’t do chalkboards, and I haven’t got a giant iPad to play with. Generally, I’m off the belief that quality and desire will override formations and other such minor details. Well, consider this the day that Gunnerblog grew up. It’s time to talk tactics.

The catalyst to this was a quite remarkable display by Wigan at the Emirates last night. Having seen them robbed at Chelsea and victorious against Man United, we knew they’d fancy their chances. We knew, too, that we’d have to be on our guard. What I personally didn’t realise was quite how intelligent a foe we’d be facing.

The formation Wigan deployed last night was probably the most innovative I’ve ever seen in the Premier League – although within that I’m discounting Ossie Ardiles’ midfield-less monstrosity. It could probably best be described as a 3-4-3. Three narrow centre-backs, all of whom were given license to drift wide to cover if needs me. One of those centre-backs, Gary (or maybe Stephen, I’m never sure) Caldwell was given license to step up in to midfield when Wigan had possession, without ever really straying over the halfway line. The four in front all sat deep. The wingers in particular were almost auxiliary full-backs. Ahead of them, Franco Di Santo played as a central target man, with Jordi Gomez drifting mischievously infield from the right. Victor Moses, meanwhile, dutifully patrolled Wigan’s left flank.

It’s a system they’ve used regularly recently, but it’s the first time I’d seen it in the flesh. They’ve shown that they do their homework and modified it, too. Against Man United, they man-marked Ferdinand and Evans on throw-ins, so United couldn’t throw the ball back and start again, as is their wont. Against us, Victor Moses (who had played on the right at Stamford Bridge), switched over to the left. Wigan realised the majority of our attacks come down the right, where we generally look for an overlap from one of Walcott or Sagna. We even aim all our goal-kicks out to Sagna and look for the flick on for Theo’s pace in behind. However, with Moses dropping back, Beausejour deep, and Figueroa coming across, our men generally found themselves outnumbered. It was subsequently the quietest game Theo’s had in months.

With the main point of our attack smothered, we looked bereft of ideas. Although we’re known as a fluid footballing side, in recent months our attacking strategy has been built on quite a simple principle of exerting pressure high up the pitch and looking for an overlap outside or dart inside a full-back. This has disguised and compensated for the fact that since the departure of Cesc Fabregas and injury to Jack Wilshere, we don’t have an incisive number ten who can find a pass through the centre – discounting, of course, the odd moment of genius from Alex Song. Losing Arteta to injury early on didn’t help, but by 70 minutes we looked as if we simply didn’t know where to go.

Of course, we didn’t help ourselves. Conceding two goals in two minutes was cretinous, and being down to ten men due to Arteta’s absence is no excuse for the chaos that we permitted to unfold. When Thomas Vermaelen got a goal back with that excellent header, there was a long way to go and you fancied us to grab at least a point.

For us to do that, Arsene had to change the shape. I know that Marouane Chamakh has been poor this season, but introducing him would have immediately given us an extra presence in the box and the option to play a longer diagonal ball. As it was, Robin found himself crowded out by three-centre backs as we tried to thread a ball through a blue-and-white wall. Instead, Le Boss stuck to his guns, and they misfired.

We weren’t even able to build up any sort of momentum, because Wigan’s players showed bravery and technique to keep the ball expertly. You won’t find many sides at the wrong end of the table willing to keep the ball on the ground and knock it around in the way they did last night.

Wigan’s recent form suggest they should have been clear of the relegation zone long before now. Noises from inside the club have suggested that Martinez’s tactics were too perhaps too sophisticed for some of his players. It seems as if he is finally getting the message across. Hats off: I was mightily impressed.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have missed a massive opportunity. The game against Chelsea takes on even bigger significance now – we need to bounce back all over again.

Wolves 0 – 3 Arsenal: Theo dances past Wolves

Posted on April 12, 2012 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, Featured, Match Reports, Premier League | 25 Guns

Arsenal 3 – 0 Wolves

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

This was a perfectly satisfactory night for Arsenal…
Three goals, a clean sheet, and no injuries. The game was won inside 12 minutes, and we were able to coast for the remainder. I had the ill-fortune of listening to one Tony Gale on commentary, as he insisted the ‘professional’ thing to do was to attack a ten-man Wolves side and look to score five or six. I disagree: the professional thing to do was keep the ball, conserve our energy, and focus on greater challenges ahead.

Theo Walcott was electric early on…
Wolves made a strange decision to play a high-line, and Walcott punished them, twice flying beyond the defence. The first time he was brought down, culminating in a penalty and a red card, and the second he finished superbly. Afterwards he faded, and may have been a little thrown by the boos he received from the Wolves crowd. He should embrace that sort of reaction: from opposition fans, a boo is almost always a compliment.

Robin van Persie was magisterial…
His impudently chipped penalty was the highlight of an exemplary display. He dropped deeper than usual, happy to let Walcott roam further ahead, and was involved in all three goals. He’s now equalled a record held by Ian Wright by scoring against 17 different Premier League teams. The Footballer of the Year elect simply must stay at Arsenal.

Szczesny shares a trait with all great goalkeepers…
Concentration: he has the ability to make important saves having been inactive for long portions of games. The young Pole has had an outstanding debut season as first-choice keeper. The main thing he needs to eradicate from his game is a tendency to roll or kick the ball out to players under too much pressure to retain it.

Yossi Benayoun has been a vitally important squad member…
He’s been used similarly to the way in which Alex Ferguson uses Park Ji-Sung – brought in to bulk up the midfield with his industry in the big games. He’s also chipped in with a few good goals, and last night’s was no exception, thumping home in to the near post from the edge of the box. Despite his impressive displays, I’d be surprised if Arsene were to sign him permanently – with the emergence of Chamberlain, as well as the likely additions to next seasons squad of Podolski and Miyaichi, opportunities on the flanks will become increasingly hard to come by.

Andre Santos looks a long way from fully fit…
…but that is only to be expected after so long on the sidelines. At times last night he made my heart jump up in to my mouth, but I’m sure that as his fitness improves he’ll regain the form he showed prior to Christmas. In any case, Kieran Gibbs should be fit to return to the side at the next available opportunity.

Wigan on Monday will be a test…
I watched their game at Stamford Bridge and they were outstanding. It seems they were in similar form last night, beating a subdued Man United. Hopefully a third performance like that on the trot proves to be beyond them. We now face Wigan and Chelsea before Spurs play another league game, giving us the opportunity to open up an 11 point gap. Indeed, 4 wins from our last 5 games (3 of which are at home) would guarantee third spot and Champions League Qualification. Keep the focus, and it is within our grasp.

The decision not to punish Mario Balotelli…
…is, of course, ludicrous. The rules and systems simply must be changed to prevent further miscarriages of justice.

You can hear me discuss all this and more on tomorrow’s Arseblog arsecast. Be sure to give it a listen.

Arsenal 1 – 0 Man City: Small feet, Big goal

Posted on April 9, 2012 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, Match Reports, Premier League | 31 Guns

After his thumping free-kick against Aston Villa, Arsene Wenger revealed the secret behind Mikel Arteta’s shooting: his unusually small feet. Well, rarely can such pies pequeños have been responsible for sending such reverberations through the Premier League. Arteta’s 87th minute strike has not only continued our propulsion towards Champions League qualification, but also seems to have handed the title to Manchester United.

On the evidence of yesterday, City do not deserve to be Champions. They played without fight, without passion, and with plenty of fear. When the game was poised at 0-0, they looked more scared to fail than eager to triumph. It was a curious twist of fate that this crucial defeat for them came against a side whose mental toughness has often been openly questioned. Anyone watching this game would be forced to conclude that it is City, not Arsenal, who have the flaky psychology.

As for Arsenal, the victory was fully deserved. Arteta and Song were the foundation of the victory – after City lost Yaya Toure to injury, they were unable to cope with the tenacity and technique of our midfield pair. Ahead of them, Tomas Rosicky buzzed around effectively, whilst Robin van Persie seems to be regaining sharpness – only the post and, comically, his own man denied him a brace.

We waited a long time for the goal, but in the end justice was done. There was justice also for Mario Balotelli, sent off for a second bookable offence after the referee somehow failed to notice his potentially career-ending lunge at Alex Song in the first half. Balotelli is a curious case: the press are loathe to condemn him because they love the soap opera. Why, though, has Mancini been so loathe to condemn him? It can only be because he shows ability on the training ground that makes the circus seem worthwhile. However, he’s never shown anything like that form on the pitch, so I’m not unsurprised his manager’s patience is wearing thin.

Arsenal now look ahead to a clash with relegation-battling Wolves. I say ‘battling’ – they haven’t shown too much fight in recent weeks, and look doomed. That said, it wouldn’t remotely surprise me to see them raise their game for our visit. Every match between now and the end of the season is a big one, and after losing at QPR hopefully the team have learnt that allowing concentration to drop in this league will almost always result in painful punishment.

I’m actually typing this from holiday in Mallorca, so am going to scoot off back in to the sun now. Happy Easter everyone.

QPR 2 – 1 AFC: Back to Earth

Posted on April 2, 2012 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, Match Reports, Premier League | 16 Guns

Arsenal fans seem as furious about this defeat as any other in this topsy-turvy season. Once again, the players are being branded as no-hopers and the manager as clueless. It’s almost as if one result has caused a seven-game winning streak to evaporate.

The fact is that if you allow your performance level to drop, any team in this division can beat you. Our performance on Saturday was not up to scratch – when we had the ball, we didn’t do enough with it, and when we didn’t have the ball we made simple defensive errors, with the normally reliable Thomas Vermaelen particularly culpable.

It’s a bad result, but we were going to lose eventually. The uproar and vitriol I’ve witnessed in the aftermath of this game suggests that, as with the long unbeaten run prior to Christmas, the winning streak has created a disproportionate degree of expectation considering the limitations of this team. A few months ago we were praying for fourth; now we’re furious that Spurs have closed in on third.

Just as many were too quick to write us off in the face for the Champions League back in September, so too were we too swiftly heralded as the Premier League’s ‘third-place elect’. The road until the end of the season is long and winding, and there will be several more bumps between now and May. Good: I for one find it exciting. And, remembering the disaster that was last summer, am very glad just to be in the mix.

I’ve been fairly consistent in saying that we’d finish fourth this year. Looking at the respective fixture lists of ourselves, Tottenham and Chelsea, I see no reason to revise my prediction. As I’ve said several times, considering the problems we’ve faced this season – many of which have been self-inflicted, I’ll admit – that would resemble some achievement. As much as I’m enjoying laughing at Liverpool, it doesn’t take a huge leap of the imagination to imagine that it could very easily have been us.

Of course, we should give it everything we have to finish third. It’s still very much in our hands, and if we want to do it we need to avoid the complacency we displayed in the game at Loftus Road. Some of the players seemed a little like they had begun to believe their own hype, whilst Robin van Persie is finally starting to look a little jaded – one can’t help but feel that earlier in the season he would have buried the one-on-one chance presented to him by Alex Song’s fine through-ball. I was also a little bemused by the selection of Aaron Ramsey wide on the left – it was a ploy that had limited success at Everton, and seemed to backfire in a game where the attacking onus was with Arsenal. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has not started any of our last three games – a run I hope will end soon.

So it was a poor performance, and a poor result. But it’s not the end of the world – nor, crucially, the end of our season. Before the game I spoke of eight cup finals. We lost the first won, but win the next against Man City and it will soon be forgotten. Arsenal have plenty to play for, and I’m afraid slip-ups along the way are inevitable. Don’t be fooled by unbeaten runs: this team are not the Invincibles. They are, however, earning a reputation for being fairly unkillable: as soon as they’re written off, they find a way of coming back from the brink. It’s a trait I can’t help but admire.

Arsenal 3 – 0 Villa: Just like the good old days

Posted on March 25, 2012 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, Featured, Match Reports, Premier League | 48 Guns

Arsenal 3 – 0 Aston Villa

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

This was an uncommonly routine victory…
The last few weeks have left Arsenal fans accustomed to being on the edge of their seats. Four consecutive league comebacks surrounded a nail-biting night at home to Milan, before the oh-so-tight victory over Everton in midweek. It was an unfamiliar and unsurprisingly relaxing experience to watch Arsenal be so completely in control for ninety minutes. The gulf between the two sides was enormous, and had Aston Villa ever shown any sign of coming back in to the game, we plainly had several other gears to go to in order to see them off. As it turned out, it wasn’t necessary. We were able to beat them with the ‘handbrake’ firmly on.

They key was a bright start… 
The players finally seem to have realised that an early goal can make their lives much, much easier. We are beginning games with a tangible sense of urgency, and yesterday we reaped the benefit with two goals in the opening 25 minutes.

Kieran Gibbs is in terrific form… 
I have long been a proponent of starting Andre Santos over Gibbs whenever possible, but I must admit I’ve been extremely impressed by the young Englishman’s recent form. After a slightly sticky patch immediately after returning from injury, he has gone on to have some of his best games in an Arsenal shirt. It began at Anfield, when as late as injury time he was still making dangerous forays forward. Yesterday his goal was just reward for another convincing performance. The shirt is his to lose – and by the looks of it, he won’t give it up without a fight.

‘Songinho’ produced another perfect pass… 
His clipped ball over the top was as good any of his ten assists this season. For a player who is in the side principally as a destroyer, his creative ability is quite remarkable. Credit too to Theo, whose control and finish were the icing on the cake of another dangerous display.

Gervinho deserves credit… 
He is clearly out of form and lacking confidence, but yesterday he showed a willingness to put in the leg work required to help pull him out of this slump. On one occasion he chased back fully sixty yards to cover for Gibbs, and the crowd rewarded him with sustained applause.

Mikel Arteta’s free-kick was a thing of beauty…
It had been coming too – he’d brought a brilliant save out of Shay Given with a thirty-yard piledriver in the first half. The strike that eventually beat the Irish keeper was straight out of the Cristiano Ronaldo text-book, and led to this brilliantly quirky insight from Arsene Wenger in the post-match press conference:

“I prefer it when he takes free-kicks with his laces because he has short feet. Usually the guys who have good insight have bigger, longer feet, and when a guy has short feet like that they are very talented at hitting the ball with their laces. The ball floats a little bit when they take it and I think he is more built to hit the free-kicks like that.”

Thanks Arsene. I can now console myself with the fact that I’ve never scored a goal that good simply because my feet are a size 12.

Robin van Persie looked a little tired… 
…particularly in the second half. It’s entirely understandable, and thankfully our form is now such that, for the first time this season, we’re not entirely reliant on Robin for goals. The other positive is that even when he’s not entirely on top of his game, his reputation has now reached such heights that defenders are drawn to him, creating more space for our other attacking players.

Overall… 
This was a good victory against an uninspired Villa side. With Chelsea and Spurs drawing at Stamford Bridge, we were able to edge further ahead of both of our rivals. There’s a long way to go, but Arsenal have demonstrated they have the ability – now they just need to retain their focus. There are just eight games to go. Come on you Gunners.

Everton 0 – 1 Arsenal: Huge step along the long road to Europe

Posted on March 21, 2012 by GilbertoSilver Posted in 2011-12 Season, Featured, Match Reports, Premier League | 22 Guns

Vermaelen heads home the winner

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

This was an old-school, hard fought victory…
It was fitting that Thomas Vermaelen should score the vital goal, because in every sense the defenders were the match-winners in this game. Messrs Vermaelen, Koscielny, Sagna and Gibbs were outstanding, showing a combination of discipline and desire to keep Everton at bay. At the start of the season we all imagined this might be our first-choice back four, and whilst I am a big fan of late arrivals Mertesacker and Santos, this quartet are clearly benefiting from a run of games together. Vermaelen, meanwhile, has rediscovered his knack for crucial goals at just the right time of the season.

Bacary Sagna is a beast…
An aspect of his game that has long been overlooked is quite how good he is in the air. Last night he won 14 of his 17 aerial duels. Find me another full-back who can match that.

Arsenal should have been out of sight early on…
Everton looked shell-shocked by our quick passing game, and the first ten minutes saw us carve out a host of presentable opportunities, the best of which fell to Aaron Ramsey, who volleyed over when well-placed. Although Vermaelen did grab the goal in this period with a great header from a Van Persie corner, we didn’t capitalise on our best spell in the game with the ruthlessness you would hope for.

It was a great night for Arsenal…
…not just because of our three points, but because of results elsewhere. Chelsea lost to a late goal at Man City (courtesy of, of all people, Samir Nasri), Spurs needed a last-gap equaliser to grab a point against Stoke, and Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead to lose at QPR.

Arsenal are now above Spurs…
It’s a delicious fact, and something that seemed impossible when they were 2-0 up at the Emirates just a few games back. A win on that day would have taken Tottenham 13 points clear. The turnaround in fortunes since that moment, for both clubs, has been extraordinary. Their collapse has been as spectacular as our resurgence.

There is still, it’s worth pointing out, a long way to go. After this weekend’s game at home to Aston Villa, we enter a potentially tricky period of fixtures where trips to relegation battlers Wolves and QPR sandwich a clash with title-chasing City.

I daren’t commit the same sin as several Spurs fans, and gloat about our current position. However, what I will say is that to be six points clear of fifth place at this stage in the season is better than any of us could have hoped for a few months back.

Finally, on Fabrice Muamba…
Like everyone connected with football, I’ve been hugely moved by the recent events surrounding the former Arsenal midfielder, England U-21 International, and thoroughly likeable human being, Fabrice Muamba.

Like many, when I saw him collapse at White Hart Lane, I feared the worst. What we’re hearing about his recovery since then is nothing short of miraculous. I’d just like to take this opportunity to publicly send my best wishes in his battle to return to health. I’m backing him all the way.