Posts filed under 'Match Reports'
September 24th, 2012
Arsenal outplayed the Champions
Afterwards, Sky said the draw was “a fair result”. I’d go one step further, and say City could feel a little lucky to come away with a point. On their own turf, they were comprehensively outplayed by a majestic Arsenal midfield. Their goal was the result of a set-piece, and whilst Sergio Aguero did have one superb chance to win the game, Arsenal spurned several similarly presentable opportunities.
What was most heartwarming about our performance was that we played with real character. Even after the setback of conceding the opener, we continued to probe away and stick to our footballing principles. The equaliser was something approaching just reward, but had we gone on to nick it City would have little to complain about.
Arsene got his team selection spot on
On paper it was a surprise to see Aaron Ramsey start on the right wing, but he put in his best performance in months to justify his inclusion and validate Arsene’s judgement. We’re also extremely lucky to have a set of centre-backs that enables us to compensate for the loss of a player of the calibre of Thomas Vermaelen without any noticeable drop in quality.
The debate about zonal marking is painfully tedious
When individuals defend well, zonal marking is a very effective system. In fact, there are at least three factors that contributed to Lescott’s opening goal far more than our chosen marking pattern. Those are:
- A great delivery
- A superb header
- A kamikaze lunge from Vito Mannone
I found it intriguing that when City subsequently conceded from a corner, the pundits didn’t embark upon a similar inquest. Perhaps they, like everyone else, was finally bored of it.
Mertesacker’s performance was inch-Perfect
The big German has been unfairly judged throughout his time in England. He looks ungainly, but his intelligence, cool head, and reading of the game are invaluable. Yesterday was probably his best performance in an Arsenal shirt, but it has been coming – his recent form has been superb. Steve Bould and Arsene Wenger were both centre-backs who didn’t rely on pace in their time, and I wonder if that’s part of why they’ve embraced the BFG so wholeheartedly. Hopefully the British media will soon realise they were a little quick to judge this gentle giant.
Carl Jenkinson threatens to become ‘the new Alex Song’
By that, I don’t mean that he’s going to grow bleached dreadlocks and move to Barcelona. I’m referring instead to his rapid progression, from rabbit in headlights to accomplished technical player. Like Song, he is reaping the rewards of a manager’s faith in him, and like Song he is showing a dramatic improvement. Somebody said yesterday that for the first time they could envisage a future in which Jenkinson is our first-choice right-back. As a life-long Gooner, nothing would mean more to him or the fans than for him to prosper. So far, so good.
I’m surprised anyone was surprised by Gervinho’s performance
Granted he had scored three goals in two games, but that didn’t suddenly make him Thierry Henry. Two of those goals were tap-ins, whilst the other was his first against Southampton – when, frankly, he just decided to put his foot through it. On that day, it flashed in to the net. Yesterday, similarly thoughtless efforts were skewed high and wide. I’m afraid he will always be erratic in front of goal. Arsene knows that, but has presumably decided that what he brings to the team outweighs that particular disadvantage. And to be fair, Gervinho did most of his jobs well yesterday, stretching the City defence with his pace and movement. In that regard, you can be certain the Ivorian will give you willing running and a couple of thrilling dribbles. When it comes to finishing, however, I think he’ll always remain an enigma.
A win against Chelsea would round off a great start
Before the City game I told the Arsenal America podcast that four points from City and Chelsea would be a tremendous return. After yesterday’s draw, we’re well on course for that. With a host of new attacking talent, I think that Chelsea will provide us with a sterner examination defensively, but with morale this high and form this impressive we have every chance of going on to best them, and enter October unbeaten.
September 19th, 2012
Montpellier 1 – 2 Arsenal (Belhanda (pen) 9, Podolski 16, Gervinho 18)
Match Report | Highlights | Steve Bould’s reaction
There was less rotation than we anticipated…
I suspect there a few major factors in Arsene’s mind. First of all, the injury to Wojciech Szcesny meant that changing more of the backline any more could have resulted in real unfamiliarity. The central partnership of Mertesacker and Vermaelen has been excellent thus far, and disrupting that would be unhelpful at this stage. Lastly, I think he saw the value of getting off to a good start in the group stage, and wasn’t prepared to do anything to jeopardise that.
Arsenal were a bit impetuous early on…
Abou Diaby got himself booked after just twenty-one seconds, and their was an edginess about us in the early part of the game. It came from a good place; from wanting to get the game won as soon as possible. However, it almost cost us the match, with Thomas Vermaelen giving away that penalty after only nine minutes.
The penalty decision was 100% correct…
I find it slightly tiresome Arsenal fans contesting every decision that goes against them. This was a nailed on penalty: Vermaelen failed to get the ball, took down the man, inside the box. Simple. Our complaints are made all the more silly by the fact that many other referees would have punished us with the award of a second penalty right at the end of the game after Abou Diaby hung a leg out in our own box. As for Vermaelen, this was a little sign of his immaturity as a defender: he will learn that the conservative option of shepherding his man is often safer then diving in to a well-intentioned tackle.
Going behind was a test…
We had not been in that position thus far, and I wondered about the psychological ramifications. Our response, however, was fantastic.
Podolski is an unerring finisher…
Speaking after the game, Steve Bould said:
“Podolski has made a real impact. I have to say, I’ve not seen many finishers as good as him – ever.â€
Big words from a man who played alongside the likes of Ian Wright. On the early evidence, however, it’s easy to understand why Bould was impressed. Last night, he was calm enough to take a tough, dummy the keeper, and slot home. What I thought last night was this: it is hard to think of a presentable chance he has missed. Long may that continue.
Jenkinson is improving fast…
I’ve long banged the drum about how Carl Jenkinson is the club’s best crosser, and his assist for Gervinho won’t have me putting my drum down anytime soon. His all-round play continues to improve, and his fitness levels are astonishing. His dad was a distance runner, and I’m told that he’s possibly the best stamina athlete at the club too. I thought Arsene might field Coquelin in Sagna’s absence, but his decision to go with Jenkinson has thus far been hugely vindicated.
Giroud was better than lazy pundits would have you believe…
As Giroud was subbed off for Aaron Ramsey after 75 minutes, Alan Smith called it “a night to forget†for the Frenchman. I’m not sure I agree: he was involved in the moves both for goals, provided an assist for Podolski, and worked hard throughout the game. We will need him this season; he gives us shape and a focal point. Playing with a guy like Gervinho at number nine is all very well when you control possession, but sometimes we’ll need to deploy a player who can win it in the air and hold the ball up. Giroud is that man.
The second half was all Montpellier…
Their manager has since admitted that their second half display was the best form they have shown this season. Finally, we saw why they were French champions last year. They played with real tempo and verve, whilst we looked leggy. I found it hard to understand why we didn’t make more changes earlier, but perhaps Steve Bould was loathe to make subs without Arsene’s say-so.
All in all, this was a good night…
The performance wasn’t at the same level as Southampton and Liverpool, but the result is very good indeed. There are no new injuries and our confidence is unharmed. Now the players need to rest up before a massive test on Sunday.
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.
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.
August 19th, 2012
Arsenal 0 – 0 Sunderland
Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction
I suppose it was inevitable.
The day after Robin van Persie departed to join Manchester United, Arsenal failed to break down a resilient Sunderland side. There’s a painful irony about the fact that the Dutchman is capable of just the sort of incisive, efficient penalty-box play that Arsenal plainly lacked. We had all the possession you could ask for, but our final ball and finishing was not up to scratch.
Olivier Giroud should have won the game.
On as a substitute for Lukas Podolski, the Frenchman was set free by Santi Cazorla, only to skew his shot wide with his right boot. Would Van Persie’s chocolate leg have fared better? We’ll never know.
Arteta looks most likely to inherit the ‘Song’ role.
In an unfamiliar-looking central midfield trio of Arteta, Diaby, and Cazorla, it was the more senior Spaniard who played the deepest. With Song on the verge of completing his move to Barcelona, it’s likely Arteta will continue in that role for most of the season. It’s not a dramatic change from last year – he tended to have a deeper starting position than his counterpart from the Cameroon anyway. The bigger question is whether or not we’ll be able to cope without Song’s considerable physical presence. I’ll have plenty more to say about Song’s departure – and his likely replacement, Nuri Sahin – once those deals are confirmed.
Cazorla could be the signing of the season.
I’m not particularly prone to hyperbole, but this guy has everything. Apart from height. And the ability to fly. I mentioned in a previous blog, but his two-footedness is quite extraordinary. Whether passing or shooting, it is genuinely difficult to tell which foot is stronger (for those who want to know, it’s his right). He’s creative, dynamic, and looks like he’ll score goals too. In fact, he reminds me of Cesc. As compliments go, that’s a pretty big one.
The balance of the front three will be essential.
Arsene said after the game that he felt the attacking trio of Gervinho, Podolski and Walcott had lacked a little creativity. He sees all three as ‘strikers’ – players whose game is typified more by movement off the ball than incisive passing on it. In future, against teams who park the bus as snugly as Sunderland did, he may look to deploy someone like Cazorla, Rosicky or even Arshavin in the front three to provide a bit of variation.
Stoke is a massive game just two weeks in to the season.
Lose there, and we have just one point from six. With Van Persie and Song, two of our best players last season, heading through the exit door, it won’t take much for talk of a ‘crisis’ to begin. Indeed, if you watch or listen to Sky’s Sunday Supplement, we’re already in the midst of one. To be fair, I don’t think that programme has considered us ‘out of crisis’ since 2005, so I’m not sure that counts. A creditable result at the Potteries, however, and wheels of positivity will begin to turn.
Thoughts on Song tomorrow.
Next Posts
Previous Posts
