Posts filed under 'Premier League'
November 30th, 2014
I was intrigued by Arsenal’s starting XI at West Brom. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was afforded a rest, so Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez both started on either side of Olivier Giroud. It was a proper front three, with the two wider forwards frequently rotating and drifting in to the centre to join the Frenchman.
Welbeck performed extremely well in what’s a familiar role to him. He created the most goalscoring opportunities of any Arsenal player, completed the most sprints, and racked up the third-highest passing accuracy in the opposition half. More importantly, he got the winning goal with an excellent header to end his brief barren run.
However, his long-term place in the team is far from guaranteed. Debate has recently focused on the duel between Welbeck and Giroud. Watching him at West Brom, I wondered if his real competition might yet come from Theo Walcott.
The fluid front three system Wenger trialled at the Hawthorns seems ideally suited to Walcott’s attributes. He could switch wings with Alexis Sanchez, roving infield to play off Giroud when appropriate. He doesn’t offer as much defensive cover as Welbeck, but is historically more productive in the penalty area. Welbeck will have to improve his goalscoring ratio if he is to see off Walcott on his return to fitness. My hunch is that, as last season, Wenger sees Giroud as a crucial cog in his first-choice XI.
Having Giroud and Laurent Koscielny available certainly makes the squad feel a lot stronger at both ends of the pitch. It might be a strange time to say it after Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal both picked up knocks at the Hawthorns, but I’m almost wondering if strengthening the midfield might become a bigger priority than adding to the defence come January.
With Debuchy getting closer to a comeback, we do at least have Chambers and Monreal who can offer a measure of cover at centre-half. At present, Mathieu Flamini is the only fit holding midfielder. Impressive though he was at West Brom, his erratic form this season suggests he’s not the reliable alternative to Mikel Arteta we require.
Our next opponents are a lesson in the importance of that ‘DM’ role. With Morgan Schneiderlin anchoring their midfield, they’ve had the best defensive record in the Premier League this season. It was telling that all three goals Manchester City scored against them this weekend came after his withdrawal with injury. Let’s hope it keeps him out for Wednesday too.
November 28th, 2014
Well, that was much more like it. Borussia Dortmund might be struggling in the Bundesliga, but they remain a team packed with individual quality. A 2-0 win is undoubtedly something to celebrate.
A lot was made of the difference between our performance against United and Dortmund. In reality, I think the biggest differentiator was the opening goal. Had we not scored in the first couple of minutes, there’s nothing to say we wouldn’t have gone on to attack with the reckless abandon we did against United. Had we gone behind… well, it doesn’t bear thinking about.
Nevertheless, it’s still good to focus on the positives, of which there were many. Arsenal’s main stars were the understudies: Emi Martinez and Yaya Sanogo shone in the absence of Wojciech Szczesny, Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck. Sanogo’s goal does not thrust him in to regular first-team contention, but it does get both a monkey and the fans off his back.
Arsenal being Arsenal, the elation didn’t last long. Within minutes of the full-time whistle, Arsene Wenger had confirmed injuries to both Sanogo and Mikel Arteta. The following day, news broke that Jack Wilshere had undergone surgery that will see him miss the next 3 months.
It’s hard to feel surprised by a prolonged Wilshere lay-off anymore. It’s like death, taxes or Robbie Savage saying something stupid: it just happens and there appears to be little anyone can do about it. It was a poor challenge from McNair, and few would have survived it unscathed. However, I do wonder if Wilshere’s tendency to hold on to the ball too long invites such clatterings. His bravery on the ball is admirable, but costly. Something for him to contemplate during his lay-off, perhaps.
The Wilshere news rather pulled the rug of positivity out from under our feet. I suspect that’s a feeling we may have to get used to this season.
Personally, I’m just taking it a game at a time. With the Premier League title beyond us, it’s already tempting to view this as season as a write-off. That’s a horribly depressing outlook. I find the only way to avoid that is to embrace the present and try to enjoy the ride. Go from game to game, savour the wins, and keep your eyes on the immediate foreground rather than the horizon. There may not be anything for us in May, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t aspire to deliver some memorable moments along the way.
Next up, West Brom.
November 23rd, 2014
It’s never just one thing.
The culture of football analysis is such that, at full-time in any given game, there is an immediate and intense desire to attribute the result to one particular factor. Journalists hunt for a line with all the fervour of coke-addled addicts, and fans fight to make their post-game punditry concise enough to squeeze in to a 140 character tweet. A game’s hero and villain are invariably declared within minutes of the full-time whistle. Consensus is quick and often condemnatory.
The truth is that a result is rarely determined by one singular thing. It’s almost never entirely due to the brilliance of one player, or indeed the error of another. Football is a game composed of thousands of interconnected moments. The margins are so fine that such acute analysis is impossible.
Louis van Gaal summed up the precarious nature of the game quite well in his post-match press conference. Reflecting on his side’s victory, he remarked that had Arsenal won the match, he would have been interrogated on his decision to play with three central defenders. As it happened, they scored the first goal and went on to win comfortably. As Van Gaal put it, “I can laugh nowâ€.
No-one’s laughing at Arsenal, as the multiplicity of our problems becomes ever clearer. Up until now, the prevailing narrative has been one of Arsenal’s poor defending. However, after failing to capitalise on such dominance over Manchester United, scrutiny is now focusing on our misfiring attack. We’re almost in to December, yet we’re still not establishing reliable patterns of play. There’s a lot of running, but no structural rigour. We can’t pretend that the back four is our only problem – the entire team lacks balance.
The coaching will be questioned again. I understand that entirely. Arsene Wenger’s stock has rarely, if ever, been lower. However, it’s once again important to consider the complexity of apportioning blame. After all, Arsene Wenger didn’t miss that first-half sitter — Jack Wilshere did.
A manager’s limitations do not entirely absolve his players of responsibility. The boss’ proclivity towards attacking football has been balanced out in the past. When you have players who assume leadership, it’s not such a problem — see the Invincibles. A team’s fortunes are not solely down to the manager. Let’s not forget, a Chelsea side overcame the significant handicap of being coached by Avram Grant to reach a Champions League Final.
We all know that Arsene Wenger isn’t going anywhere until 2017. With that in mind, we have no choice but to demand more from the players. They can’t hide behind his diminishing reputation. They might not like it, but this is their mess too. It’s never just one thing, and Wenger’s tactical naivety does not fully excuse theirs.
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Video: On the Whistle Reaction
November 3rd, 2014
This might have been Arsenal’s best 90 minutes of the season…
There were dazzling 20 minute spells against Manchester City and Hull, but neither of those was sustained for an entire match. The wins against Aston Villa and Galatasaray might have been more eye-catching, but there were mitigating circumstances which took the shine off both those victories: Villa were afflicted with illness, while Gala were suffering from a severe case of Felipe Melo. For different reasons, both their defences spent most of the game shitting themselves.
Burnley might be the weakest team in the Premier League, but they couldn’t blame bad health or errant Brazilians for this defeat. Arsenal were simply superior. Even when the half-time whistle sounded with the score at 0-0, I wasn’t concerned. The team looked confident, patient, and in control.
Finally, 4-4-2 is back…
I honestly didn’t think I’d see the day.
When the line-ups were first released, the selection of both Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta was met with some consternation. However, the thought process behind the decision soon became clear, as Arsenal lined up in an old-fashioned 4-4-2 with Alexis playing up top alongside Danny Welbeck.
Having relied upon the solidity of a midfield three for the best part of a decade, Arsene was clearly feeling a little insecure about reverting to a two, so opted for the conservative choice of Arteta and Flamini.
That shouldn’t come as any enormous surprise. Think of the great Wenger sides of the first half of his reign: he consistently favoured two deep-lying central midfielders who could break up with the play, with roaming wingers and two strikers ahead. Arteta and Flamini aren’t exactly Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira or Gilberto Silva, but they’re the closest thing we’ve got.
The results have been good, too. Since fielding both our defensive midfielders in tandem, we’ve kept two consecutive clean sheets — and that’s with Nacho Monreal at centre-half.
An Arsenal side struggling for balance has found equilibrium by reintroducing the formation that brought Wenger the majority of his success. It’ll be fascinating to see how frequently we see this new 4-4-2 deployed. With Ramsey, Wilshere, Ozil and Walcott all to return to the starting XI, it’s difficult to see it becoming the default system.
The two Chambo’s are linking up well…
Along with all the praise for the team’s obvious star on Saturday, the performances of the two players on Arsenal’s right side also deserve a mention. Calum Chambers had a stormer from full-back, getting his first senior goal and another assist. Ahead of him, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looked to be regaining confidence and composure on the wing.
It’s clear these two share a great understanding. It seems Chambers has not only replaced Carl Jenkinson as the team’s back-up right-back, but also as the Ox’s best mate.
Alexis is a leader…
Leadership comes in many different forms. Alexis doesn’t have the physical stature of a Patrick Vieira. He doesn’t even speak the language, so can’t command or cajole his team-mates with words.
Instead, Alexis leads by example. He leads by being brave enough to constantly demand the ball. He thrives on responsibility. Nor is he scared to attempt the improbable, as with his 6’10†leap to put the Gunners ahead. When the going gets tough, Alexis gets going.
Much has been made of Arsene Wenger’s decision to hand Alexis a spot in the middle. However, the truth is that he’s influential wherever he plays. He was always going be a central figure. Alexis’ place at the heart of this team is contingent on his personality, not his position.
November 1st, 2014
Quick video post with some first thoughts on Arsenal’s win over Burnley.
I rather enjoyed that. And I absolutely adore Alexis.
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