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Arsenal 2 – 1 Newcastle: Arsenal complete quartet of comebacks

180 comments March 13th, 2012

Thomas Vermaelen celebrates the late late winner against Newcastle

Arsenal 2 – 1 Newcastle

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

This is becoming a run that beggars belief; it’s putting the ‘mental’ in to ‘mental strength’.  Thomas Vermaelen’s late late goal made Arsenal the first side in Premier League history to come from behind to win four consecutive games.  And three of them have been snatched with stoppage-time strikes.

For sheer drama, none of them match last night.  Perhaps it was that took place at an almost-full Emirates.  Perhaps it was the fact it robbed Alan Pardew and the time-wasting Tim Krul of a precious point.  Or perhaps it was the sheer guts of Vermaelen’s fifty yard, lung-bursting run to meet Theo Walcott’s cross.  It’s difficult to say, and to be honest, it doesn’t matter.  But it was brilliant.

Something has changed in this team.  It would be nice to pin-point a precise moment when things started to go in our favour, but the reality is that the upturn in fortunes is down to a combination of factors.   The return of our full-backs has added width and defensive stability.  The emergence of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has given us a direct, penetrative option from the left, and brought the best out of Theo Walcott on the right.  Tomas Rosicky is playing the best football of his Arsenal career, and in this form is richly deserving of a new contract.  And then, of course, there’s the consistent excellence of Robin van Persie.

It might be a little whimsical of me, but I also think it has something to do with the brief but potent return of Thierry Henry.  His sheer presence seemed to instill a belief and confidence in the squad, and maybe went some way to remind the players of what it means to represent Arsenal Football Club – and the legendary status that will be bestowed upon those who bring glory to its name.

For the first time in a long time, Arsenal play without fear.  In they go behind, they believe they can retrieve it.  If they go in to the tackle, they believe they can win it.  The ghosts of Eduardo, Ramsey and others have evaporated, and Arsenal players are throwing themselves in to challenges like they’re impervious to pain.  The commitment is fantastic, and it’s bringing results.

There will inevitably be a lot of talk of reeling in Spurs.  With the ups and downs of the past few months, my principal target remains fourth spot and a chance of Champions League qualification.  Anything beyond that will be a bonus – albeit a very welcome one indeed.  For the first time in a while, Arsenal are beginning to look up as well as down.

Liverpool 1 – 2 Arsenal: Robin Rocks Anfield

572 comments March 3rd, 2012

Robin van Persie meets Alex Song's pass to volley home the winner

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

Last week we blew away Spurs with a five-star, five-goal derby demolition. This victory at Anfield could not have been more different: we absolutely sneaked it. And, to me at least, it felt just as sweet.

That is in part because in recent months Liverpool have become a team I love to hate. The disgraceful conduct of the club and in particular their manager during the Luis Suarez affair have left a horrible taste in the mouth. As regards Suarez himself, the media’s fawning over his performances doesn’t seem to tally with his consistently wayward finishing.

That said, his movement certainly gave us plenty of trouble. Arsenal were able to start with the same XI that beat Tottenham, and we started the game in a worryingly similar fashion, with plenty of gaps in and around the defence. Fortunately, however, Liverpool’s poor form in front of goal continued, and in Wojciech Szczesny Arsenal had a goalkeeper absolutely determined to keep them at bay.

That was never more clear than in the 19th minute, when Liverpool were awarded a penalty after Suarez went through on goal. Upon first viewing, he seemed to throw himself over Szczesny without any contact. The super super slow-mo replay seems to illustrate a little bang of the shin-pads, but how the referee saw it through a crowd of players and just how such a tiny nick caused Suarez to fly up in the air still bemuse me.

Dirt Kuyt stepped up to take the penalty, but Szczesny flung himself brilliantly to his right to save. However, the ball fell back to the Dutchman, and it looked for all the world as if he would tap in the rebound, only for Szczesny to dive across goal to palm it away. It was a breathtaking display of athleticism and determination.

Szczesny was, therefore, predictably peeved when beaten shortly after by his own man, as Laurent Koscielny failed to sort his own feet out and scuffed Jordan Henderson’s whipped cross in to the near post.

At this point, Arsenal simply weren’t in the game. Our midfield trio seemed too disparate, and Liverpool were exploiting the pace with some the constant movement of Suarez and Kuyt. Then, from nothing, an equaliser. Bacary Sagna found enough space and time to whip in a delicious cross to the near post, and Robin van Persie got the wrong side of Jamie Carragher to nod past Pepe Reina for his thirtieth goal of the season.

With just over half an hour played, it was 1-1. At the same point in the Spurs game, we had given a much better performance yet found been two nil down. It is, as they say, a funny old game.

In the second half, Arsenal improved significantly. A long break in the game at the start of the second half for an injury to Mikel Arteta slowed Liverpool’s momentum, and Arteta’s replacement Abou Diaby actually put in a pretty effective 28 minutes, giving a powerful, precise display and showing little sign of ring-rust. Diaby himself was withdrawn shortly before the end with a possible thigh problem, but the early signs are that it was precautionary. As for Arteta, he has gone to hospital with a concussion, but the club are hopeful he’ll shortly be fully recovered. Fingers crossed for both players.

Liverpool conspired to miss more chances – Martin Kelly somehow miscued from six yards out – but as the game wore on Arsenal began to create opportunities on the break, especially after introducing the pace of Gervinho for the ineffective Benayoun.

Liverpool needed a lesson in how to take a chance, and they got it from Robin van Persie. As the game entered stoppage time, Alex Song picked the ball up thirty-five yards from goal. He hadn’t had a great game, occasionally overrun in midfield, but had already displayed his eye for a crucial pass with a scything through-ball for Kieran Gibbs that led to a chance for Theo Walcott. This time, he clipped a beautiful lofted pass in to the path of Robin van Persie. Just as against Everton a few months back, Van Persie took the shot on the volley. This time, however, instead of striking across the ball with his laces, he placed a side-footed effort inside the near post. Pepe Reina didn’t even move.

It was a magical goal. Some have called it ‘Bergkamp-esque’. It’s a huge compliment, but RVP is his own man, and this was pure Van Persie. He shares that talent that all great players have to foresee a scenario before it happens; the vision to see a goal before it is scored, and the talent to execute it to perfection. Pure brilliance.

Arsenal then saw out eight minutes of injury time, incurred by Arteta’s injury, with surprising maturity. Sub Alex Chamberlain even came close to adding a third with a rasping shot from the edge of the box.

Six points from games against Spurs and the scousers is a tremendous return, and if we can make it nine against Newcastle we’ll have given our chances of finishing in the top four a tremendous boost. As regards yesterday’s result, we owe plenty to key men at either end of the pitch: Wojciech Szczesny and Robin van Persie. Szczesny underlined his enormous potential with a match-winning display, and as for Van Persie? Well, we’re running our of superlatives. In fact, we’re well past that. We’re running out of ways to say that we’re running out of superlatives.

After the game, Sky saw fit to spend the majority of their ‘post match analysis’ discussing whether or not Van Persie would sign a new contract with Arsenal. Outside of a transfer window, I find such chat dull and pointless. As he’s stated many times, he’ll make his decision at the end of the season. In the meantime, it’s impossible to question his commitment to the cause. Last summer pundits were queueing up to say that he “wasn’t captaincy material”, but all season long he’s demonstrated that he’s a player determined to lead by example. His class was underlined by the fact he handed his Man of the Match champagne to Szczesny – a week after doing the same for Theo Walcott.

This win definitively puts Liverpool out of the race for fourth place – though for my money it’s been a straight fight between us and Chelsea for some time. As I type this, Chelsea have just been defeated by West Brom at the Hawthorns, making this a tremendous day for Arsenal fans. Fourth place is now officially in our hands. Gooners will be quietly hoping this defeat doesn’t seen Andre Villas Boas dismissed – he’s doing us plenty of favours at the moment.

There are still plenty of big games between now and May, and we’re all aware that a three point gap at this stage is only worth so much. What’s infinitely more valuable is the fight this squad are displaying: this was their fourth comeback in the space of little more than a month.

We’ve had some dark days this season. Let’s enjoy the good ones.

5 Reasons 2 Believe

112 comments February 27th, 2012

Arsenal pile on top of Theo Walcott after he sets the seal on Arsenal's derby victory

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

“Arsenal are alive more than anybody thought before the game.”
Arsene Wenger 

As we all know, Arsenal vs Tottenham is more than a game. And yesterday, with an Arsenal side on the verge of crisis hosting a rampant Spurs, it looked to be more than a derby. Fitting then, that what we got in the end was more than a victory. It was a hammering.

With 34 minutes gone, it wasn’t looking so clever. Spurs had glided in to a two goal lead; first Louis Saha broke beyond an Arsenal backline more jagged and ugly than one of Aaron Lennon’s eyebrow designs, and his shot deflected off Thomas Vermaelen and over Wojciech Szczesny. Then Gareth Bale fought his way past Kieran Gibbs, and took a self-inflicted tumble over the advancing Szczesny. The referee pointed to the spot, more out of habit than anything else, and Emmanuel Adebayor stroked home his inevitable goal.

At this point, I feared the worst. In the short-term, I was worried we would be on the end of a humiliating result. Although we hadn’t played particularly poorly, Spurs looked deadly on the break with the pace of Bale and Walker, and Saha and Adebayor were proving a real handful. It was inevitable we would pour forward in search of a goal, and I feared we’d be picked off on the counter-attack, much like Manchester United were in their 6-1 drubbing at home to City.

In the longer term, I wondered if this match might prove to be another nail in the coffin of Arsene Wenger’s tenure. A hefty home defeat to Spurs, off the back of exits from the Champions League and FA Cup, could have turned the tide against him irreparably.

The players, it seems, had other ideas. Before the game Arsene said he didn’t feel they’d let him down at Sunderland. I disagree. On that day they weren’t up for a battle; they didn’t fancy a fight. Yesterday was different.

Their combative spirit was typified by the goal that got us back in to the game. After Robin van Persie struck a post with a right-footed effort, the ball was kept in play and knocked back to Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard floated a clipped pass to the far post, where Gareth Bale seemed certain to nod the ball away. Instead, he was beaten to it by Bacary Sagna, who launched himself at the ball and headed powerfully beyond Brad Friedel and in to the far corner.

It is said that great headed goals depend on two components: delivery and desire. All too often our attempts to score from crosses lack either. This was a rare example of both. In recent years, I haven’t seen too many Arsenal players throw themselves at the ball the way Sagna did yesterday. He didn’t care if he got hurt. He knew what a goal back before half-time would mean, and he wanted it more than every single Tottenham defender.

Even he could not possibly have known the avalanche that goal would inspire. Before half-time, we were able to grab the equaliser that turned the game on its head. Of course, it fell to Robin van Persie to turn this way and that on the edge of the box before arcing a beautiful shot around Brad Friedel and in to the back of the net. It was a moment of sheer class. It had struck me before the game that since his evolution in to a penalty-box poacher, RVP has not often found himself with the time and space required to score the wonder goals for which he made his name. Yesterday, in his desperation to drop deep and make things happen, he inadvertently created an opportunity for one of his patented long-range strikes. And what a strike it was.

As the second half kicked off, the momentum was firmly with Arsenal. Harry Redknapp made a double change, introducing Sandro and Van der Vaart and switching to 4-3-3 in an effort to stem the time. It served only to weaken Spurs’ attacking threat, and a creaking Tottenham backline found itself coming under wave after wave of Arsenal attacks.

In this most unpredictable of games, Arsenal’s third goal had the most unpredictable scorer. Tomas Rosicky picked up the ball about thirty yards out, slid it wide to the onrushing Sagna, and sprinted in to the box to meet the full-back’s cross with a deft finish off the outside of his left boot. Wojciech Szczesny celebrated with a backflip. The Emirates was delirious, and Rosicky relieved. It was his fiftieth game since his last league goal.

If Rosicky scoring was a surprise, then so too was what followed: a brace from Theo Walcott. Walcott had been dreadful in the first-half – he seems destined to inherit Andrey Arshavin’s role as the fans’ designated scapegoat – and was probably considered for the hook at the interval. However, he showed tremendous persistence and self-belief to put in a considerably improved second half display.

At the heart of his performance were two fantastic goals. First he raced almost the length of the pitch to support Robin van Persie, and lifted the ball neatly over Brad Friedel. Then he beat the offside trap to meet a remarkable lofted pass from Alex Song, and finish expertly across the American. Big goals from a player who has not been a fan favourite of late.

Late on, a headless chicken who goes by the name of Scott Parker was sent off for a second bookable offence, and Arsenal were able to see out the game with a bit of keep-ball against ten men whilst ‘Oles’ rang around the Emirates. A remarkable turnaround, and a contender for the most entertaining game in our new stadium’s short history.

We’re not out of the woods yet. Amidst the Arsenal fans’ gloating, one song was conspicuous by its absence. Quick though we were to ask Adebayor what the score was, or to remind Spurs they had been two up before collapsing, there was no chant for the man who had masterminded the victory: Arsene Wenger.

He got his XI spot on, starting Yossi Benayoun ahead of the more fancied Gervinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. His recent faith in Tomas Rosicky was vindicated with the Czech’s finest performance in years, and his decision to retain Walcott rewarded with two excellent goals. And yet the 60,000-strong crowd did not see fit to salute Le Boss individually. Perhaps we were too busy taunting our rivals. Or perhaps there’s more to it.

Grateful though we all are for yesterday, there is a strong and accurate feeling that redemption is about more than one game. This was the first of three hugely significant league games, which will also take in clashes with Liverpool and Newcastle. The performance yesterday has to be a blueprint for those games, and beyond. If we are to qualify for the Champions League we need to consistently find that level of desire, that degree of determination, and that quality in our play.

Each of our goals was expertly taken, and each demonstrated a player prepared to go that extra mile for his team.  Each of those five goals gave rise to joy and, crucially, belief.  Belief that this is a side who are capable of taking fourth place, ensuring Champions League qualification, and (with the right reinforcements) pushing on beyond that in the year to come.

Today marks a year to the day since the Carling Cup Final defeat by Birmingham – a game which signified the beginning of something on an annus horribilis for Arsene’s Arsenal. Let’s hope yesterday’s victory can signify the start of a more enjoyable twelve months.

Oh, and Tottenham fans: Mind the gap.

Sunderland 1 – 2 Arsenal: Thierry’s Fabulous Fond Farewell

517 comments February 13th, 2012

SUNDERLAND 1 – 2 ARSENAL

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

When I last filed an entry on this blog, Arsenal had just beaten at home by Manchester United, to the audible irritation of a mutinous crowd.  It got worse.  In the next game, an FA Cup Fourth Round tie at home to Aston Villa, Arsenal found themselves two nil down at half-time, and staring down the barrel of a fourth defeat in five games.  Since then, there has been a remarkable upturn in our fortunes.  An upturn which, I should add, has coincided with my enforced absence.  Perhaps I should stay away.

First off, Arsenal fought back to beat Aston Villa 3-2, scoring a trio of second half goals inside eight minutes.  Then a 0-0 draw at Bolton was followed up with a stunning 7-1 victory over Blackburn – a game memorable for the first Premier League goals from the emerging Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and a stoppage time strike from Thierry Henry on what could be his final Emirates appearance.

It was not, however, to be the last contribution of Henry’s loan stint.  On Saturday, in the final Premier League appearance of his farewell tour, the man who writes scripts with a swish of his right boot rather than a pen emerged from the bench.  There was just half an hour to play in our game against in form Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.  After Aaron Ramsey had clawed back an equaliser to James McClean’s opener, Henry’s expertly volleyed home a stoppage time winner to hand Arsenal a vital three points.  229 Arsenal goals and, with a game against AC Milan to come, still counting.

It was a massive result on a day which saw Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle all succumb to defeat.  As things stand we’re currently in fourth place, which is invaluable considering that we are about to enter a period of fixtures that will almost certainly define our season.  We return to Sunderland in the FA Cup and face Milan in Europe, whilst our next three league games see us come up against Tottenham, Liverpool, and Newcastle.

It looks like we’ll have to do without Per Mertesacker for that period, after the big German was stretchered off in the North East.  He’s actually been a very consistent figure in the Arsenal side – of the outfield players, only Laurent Koscielny, Theo Walcott, and Robin van Persie have started more games this season.  The one saving grace is that his injury comes at a time when we are able to welcome back Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs on the flanks, giving Arsene a rare opportunity to pair Vermaelen and Koscielny in the middle.

Another player we’ll soon be welcoming back in to the fold is Gervinho, who is expected to return to London on Tuesday.  His African Cup of Nations campaign ended in unceremonious fashion as he missed the crucial penalty in the shoot-out which saw underdogs Zambia take the title.  The players lack of confidence in front of goal was underlined by the fact that, despite being an attacker, he was Ivory Coast’s ninth penalty taker, even refusing to take the eighth and sending defender Kolo Toure up instead.  If you haven’t seen the penalty, it’s about as bad as you imagine it to be.  Gervinho has undoubted qualities, but for a man whose tax return reads ‘footballer’, he is surprisingly bad at the actual ‘kicking the ball’ bit.  Nevertheless, one has to feel sorry for any player who is the victim of a shootout, and let’s hope it doesn’t knock his confidence too much for the remaining period of the season.

It’s nice to be back and blogging again.  It’s also nice to be able to write positive things.  There’s nothing like a few decent results to ease any tension among the fanbase.

An exciting trip to Milan looms large, and Thierry will soon be back in the San Siro.  Would you bet against one final magical moment?

Arsenal 1 – 2 Man U: Mutiny at the Emirates

478 comments January 23rd, 2012

Yesterday, Arsenal lost 2-1 to Manchester United, which is no great disaster. It’s certainly an improvement on the 8-2. However, yesterday Arsene Wenger lost a lot more than a football match. In one moment, he seemed to lose the trust of the Arsenal faithful.

The discontent surrounded the substitution of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Chamberlain had been Arsenal’s most promising attacking player, and had just created an equalising goal for Robin van Persie. However, Arsene decided to replace him with Andrey Arshavin, who is currently as far from being a fan favourite as he is from his hometown of St. Petersburg.

The decision was met with huge boos. Even Robin van Persie visibly declared his disbelief at his manager’s choice. As Oxlade-Chamberlain trotted off, there was some brief respite as the fans praised his contribution. But when Arshavin subsequently took to the field, the booing returned – louder and longer than it had been before. To be honest, it was unclear if the jeers were for Arshavin, for Arsene, or both.

Let me start with the decision to bring Chamberlain off.  Sources in the Arsenal camp indicated he was physically tiring, and that doesn’t surprise me in the least. An 18-year old on his first Premier League start was never likely to complete ninety minutes, however well he was doing. The explanation that he was suffering from fatigue seems to me to be entirely credible.

And even if the switch was purely tactical, it did not merit the howls of derision it received. I thought the behaviour of the fans in the stadium yesterday (and before anyone labels me an ‘armchair’ fan, I was there myself) was pretty pathetic. It was the sort of stuff I’m more accustomed to seeing from Blackburn fans. After a first-half in which the Emirates lived up to its ‘library’ reputation, swathes of the crowd managed to wake up to boo the team off at halftime. And then to follow that up by greeting a substitute with boos? Ridiculous.

Having this debate last night on twitter, many fans felt inclined to point out that the substitution “ruined our positive momentum”. Yeah, well thanks for levelling things up with all the booing. That sure helped restore the positive vibe.
Truth be told, folks can say what they like on twitter. Or here. Pretty much anywhere.  But when you’re in the stadium, you get behind your team. Let’s not forget, at this point in the game we were drawing 1-1 with the Champions, and the fans were chanting “you don’t know what you’re doing” at the manager.

This is the same manager who took the bold decision to start Oxlade-Chamberlain in the first place. The same manager who made an intelligent and effective change at half-time, introducing natural fullback Nico Yennaris for the struggling Johan Djourou.  This, lest we forget, was Arsene Wenger.

I suppose the vitriol on display is a symptom of a relationship under strain. The reaction yesterday was about more than one substitution – it’s about 6 trophless years, a baffling transfer policy, and most recently a run of three consecutive defeats. Patience with Arsene has been thinning and yesterday, for many, it gave way.

I do understand how those fans feel. I occasionally feel exactly the same. I merely don’t  agree with how they chose to express it. We are in a very sticky situation now. To be without a league point in January is not good. We’re in a poor run of form that, in the battle for fourth place, we can ill-afford.

Truth be told, I think our record is simply levelling out to something approaching an accurate reflection of our ability. Robin van Persie carried us to a long unbeaten run pre-Christmas, but I think in that spell we did disproportionately well.  Expectations may have been raised higher than was appropriate, and that seems to have led to complacency in the transfer market.

Despite the disparity in scoreline, the feeling among Arsenal fans is very much as it was after the Old Trafford hammering. We’re staring down the barrel of catastrophe with a few days to dust off the chequebook and sort it out. This time, however, I’ve no confidence that we’ll get any reinforcements, let alone half a dozen.

I opened the blog up by saying that losing to United is not, in itself, a disaster. I stand by that. However, finishing outside the top four, for both financial and footballistic reasons, would be. And at the moment, that feels increasingly probable. If there are any steps Arsene and the board can take over the next week to avoid that fate, they simply must. The natives are increasingly restless.
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I’ve typed this rather hurriedly on an iPad, so don’t have the usual fancy links and stuff. Forgive me.