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Arsenal 2 – 0 WBA: Divers are already retrospectively punished

704 comments December 9th, 2012

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

Divers are already retrospectively punished…
Yes, Santi dived. Â Yes, it was ugly. Â And no, I don’t want it happening again. Â That said, you won’t hear me lambasting him for it. Â There are two reasons: the first is that we’re so desperate for points at the moment that I’ll take them however we can get them. Â The second is that, unlike the majority of pundits, I don’t find diving to be the great corrupting evil of our game. Â In fact, I’d far sooner see a player dive than commit a dangerous two-footed tackle. Â It seems an odd quirk of our culture and its latent obsession with a neanderthal interpretation of masculinity that we’re more accepting of physical violence than a bit of cunning. Â Fundamentally, I believe players are entitled to leap out of the way of a tackle. Â There is no obligation to take the hit and get hurt.

That, I suspect, is exactly what Cazorla was attempting: to anticipate contact and exaggerate it to guarantee the decision. Â RatherÂ embarrassinglyÂ for him, the contact never came, and his subsequent leap and tumble can only ever be called a dive. Â In an ideal world, the ref spots it and hands Cazorla a yellow card. Â Unfortunately, the referee in this case was having a ninety minutes littered with incompetence, and made a poor decision. Â You have to feel for West Brom, but few clubs are whiter-than-white here. Â The Baggies themselves tried to win a penalty after a laughable dive from Markus Rosenberg.

There is outcry about the lack of retrospective punishment for divers. Â I’m not sure I agree. Â One need only have watched the second half to see the FA’s unspoken judiciary system in place. Â Cazorla dribbled between four tackles, before being clearly fouled on the edge of the box: no free-kick. Â This punishment can last longer than just one game – simply ask Gareth Bale, who has been booked twice recently for ‘dives’ when any other player would have won a free-kick. Â In this age of television replays, the reputation earned becomes the punishment. Â Santi will be lucky to win another penalty this season.

This was a much better Arsenal display…
We ought to have scored at least four goals, and looked relatively comfortable at the back too. Â The midfield of Cazorla, Wilshere and Arteta looked so much better for a rest, and the latter showed just what a ballsy character he is with two no-nonsense penalties. Â The English pair of Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain had their best games of the season. Â I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that Chamberlain can put together a run of form to allay some of the concerns about Theo Walcott’s inevitable departure.

I occasionally wonder just what the other players make of Gervinho…
The Ivorian had one of his better games on Saturday. Â He was energetic, hard-working and covered huge areas of the pitch. Â However, his decision-making, final ball and finishing will always leave a lot to be desired. Â In fact, the most reliable thing about Gervinho is that I will be complaining about him after the game. Â When he missed from six yards out, Lukas Podolski, who was warming up on the sidelines, held his face in his hands for a good five seconds. Â Little did he know he’d trump Gervinho with an even more outrageous miss after coming on as a substitute.

Olivier Giroud needs a goal again…
The Frenchman was desperate to take the second penalty, and not at all happy about Mikel Arteta asserting his authority and taking the kick himself. Â When Arteta scored, Giroud turned and trudged back to the centre-circle as the rest of the team celebrated. Â It was a little stroppy, and the mark of a player who is starting to feel the pressure again after failing to score in his last five appearances.

Arsenal are now just two points off fourth spot…
…whilst Chelsea’s mini blip means we’re only five points off third. Â We’re in the fortunate position of being in direct competition with teams which are as flawed as our own. Â If we can get it together, Champions League qualification is still very much within our grasp.

That said, it was painful seeing RVP clinch the Manchester derby…
That’s what football ought to be about. Â Those glorious moments when you pinch victory in a table-topping clash thanks to your star player. Â We had a player like that. Â We sold him. Â Still, look at that bank balance. Â Lovely.

Swansea thoughts: Ramsey does too much and Theo doesn’t do enough

220 comments January 16th, 2012

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

I am not a fan of blaming referees for poor results…
…especially in a match like this, when Arsenal had ample time to get back in control of the game. Â Slow-motion replays may have shown that Nathan Dyer was guilty of simulation, but in real-time it looked very much like a clumsy tackle. Â When you become the first side to score twice at the Liberty Stadium this season and still conspire to lose, the signs suggest our major flaw was a familiar one: a feeble defence.

Still, I’d rather have Sagna back than a substandard signing…
Inevitably, there will be calls to strengthen the squad. Â I understand why: Miquel and Djourou struggled at full-back against the pace of Dyer and Sinclair. Â But with the likes of Sagna and Gibbs now just a few weeks away from returning to action, I’m just not sure if players of the requisite quality are available in this window.

If I thought Arsene could buy or loan a better reserve full-back than Djourou or Miquel, I’d be all for it. Â But none of the names I’ve seen so far – Wayne Bridge, for example – meet that criteria.

Aaron Ramsey was suffering from acute Gerrard-itis…
I don’t doubt Aaron Ramsey’s work-rate. Â I have more faith than most in his technical ability. Â Where I do think he has plenty of room for improvement is on the mental side of the game. Â That’s understandable: he is only just 21. Â Unfortunately, after the departure of Cesc and with Wilshere’s injury, he has been a handed a huge responsibility as the main creative midfielder in our team.

Ramsey’s problem is that he tries to do too much. Â I’ve always said he reminds me of a young Steven Gerrard, in part because they occasionally seem to share a desire to win games on their own. Â Yesterday, on Welsh soil and with the crowd on his back, Ramsey’s head wasn’t quite right. Â A footballer can try too hard. Â Sometimes he would benefit from keeping his cool, and keeping it simple. Â He will learn.

Theo Walcott has regressed in the last few weeks…
In the early part of the season, Walcott was one of our few commendableÂ performers. Â Since the win at Chelsea, however, his form has dropped off considerably. Â His goal yesterday was his first since that game in October, and a rare moment of quality in another average performance. Â I have never bought in to the claims that he is a “good finisher” – for every good goal there is a horrendous miss. Â In his brief cameo yesterday, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain showed that he already has more awareness and technical ability.

Thierry Henry…
…impressed me on and off the pitch. Â I thought he looked sharp and dynamic when he came on with half an hour to go. Â Unfortunately, few of his team-mates seemed to be on the same wavelength. Â Henry passed the ball with more speed and urgency than almost anyone else on the field – but often no-one had anticipated or made a run to match his vision.

As for him having words with an Arsenal fan who had booed his own team, I say that’s fair enough. Â Robin might be the captain but Henry is probably the most obvious link between the fans and the players, and if he is prepared to take on that sort of responsibility then I’m all for it.