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. Â They played without fight, without passion, and with plenty of fear. Â When the game was poised at 0-0, they looked more scared to fail than eager to triumph. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â Balotelli is a curious case: the press are loathe to condemn him because they love the soap opera. Â Why, though, Â has Mancini been so loathe to condemn him? Â It can only be because he shows ability on the training ground that makes the circus seem worthwhile. Â 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. Â I say ‘battling’ – they haven’t shown too much fight in recent weeks, and look doomed. Â That said, it wouldn’t remotely surprise me to see them raise their game for our visit. Â 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. Â Happy Easter everyone.
Our first trip to Manchester since that fateful day in late August was always going to carry a certain weight. Â Back then, a very different-looking Arsenal side had left thrashed, embarrassed, and ashamed. Â This time, we might not have brought back any points, but we can at least hold our heads up high on the back of an impressive performance.
It’s indicative of how far we’ve come. Â Since Old Trafford, we’ve added experience, steel and belief to the squad. Â Arsenal entered yesterday’s game as an unfancied underdog, and ended up trading blows with a the richest club in world football. Â It is typical of Arsene Wenger’s relentless ambition that after the game he was disheartened at what he felt was the end of our title challenge. Â Personally, I have felt for some time that City will win the league at a canter, and that in any case our bad start was far too big a handicap from which to launch a bid for the championship. Â A Champions League spot, however, remains a realistic target. Â In August, even that seemed unlikely.
We started somewhat shakily, as it swiftly became evident that City are the strongest side we’ve faced in some time. Â The movement and skill of the likes of Silva, Aguero and Balotelli had our defence chasing shadows, and twice we relied upon impressive saves from Wojciech Szczesny to keep the score at 0-0.
Alex Song was yellow-carded for a cynical trip after just ten minutes, and spent the rest of the game walking a precarious tight-rope. Â It was a tight-rope that the likes of Micah Richards attempted to topple him off by throwing themselves to the ground every time Song even thought about going in to a challenge.
As the half wore on, we settled and began to offer a threat of our own. Â The pace and movement of Gervinho made him a constant menace, but he suffered from the now familiar flaw of failing to convert promising opportunities in to final product. Â When he did muster a shot on target, Joe Hart was able to turn it away at the near post.
Having reached half-time at 0-0, there was a growing sense that Arsenal could pull off a major result. Â However, our momentum was disrupted when, just two minutes in to the second half, Johan Djourou was withdrawn with an injury problem. Â The Swiss had been doing a fine job at right-back, but his withdrawal meant shifting Laurent Koscielny on to the flank. Â Vermaelen stepped in to to the centre alongside Mertesacker, and substitute Miquel played at left-back. Â It’s odd how injuries seem to strike in one particular area – we’re now without our five first choice full-backs (Sagna, Jenkinson, Gibbs, Santos, Djorou).
The reshuffle worried me. Â In an ideal world you’d bring on a like-for-like player, as it’s very difficult for a defender to reorientate himself during the game. Â And so it proved just five minutes later, with Koscielny caught out of position, leaving Balotelli free on the left flank. Â He skipped inside a cautious Song and fired in a shot with Szczesny parried. Â Aguero was first to the ball and his header was poked in by David Silva.
At this stage, Arsenal threw caution to the wind a little earlier than was necessary, and were very nearly punished. Â As men poured forward in search of an equaliser, City had several opportunities to extend their lead. Â Fortunately, we were spared. Â Samir Nasri, who had been afforded a rare start by City, made his major contribution to the game when he overhit a simple pass across goal, preventing Balotelli from tapping in to seal the game. Â Bizarrely, the City PA announced him as Man of the Match towards the end of the game – a stupid, inflammatory decision which clearly had nothing to do with what had transpired on the pitch.
It was clear we had them rattled though. Â A fierce Walcott drive was tipped over by Hart, and Robin van Persie chipped home, only to be flagged (correctly, but marginally) offside. Â On another day Micah Richards’ handball might have been deemed purposeful, or Van Persie might have connected truer with Gervinho’s cut-back.
If you were to fault anything yesterday, it would have been the lack of convincing attacking options from the bench. Â City were able to call on the likes of Edin Dzeko. Â We, however, were forced to gamble with Arshavin and Chamakh, both of whom are woefully out of form. Â There are increasingly fervent whispers that Arsene will look to strengthen the attack in January, with Thierry Henry one of the names most commonly-mentioned. Â However, signings aside, one does have to question how long someone under performing as badly as Arshavin can prevent the exciting Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from superseding him in the pecking order.
In all honesty, our biggest goal threat after Robin van Persie probably came from Thomas Vermaelen. Â The Belgian had headed on target in the first half, and late on he saw one side-footed effort from the edge of the box tipped over by Hart, before bending a thirty yard strike just outside the post. Â Hart performed well on the day, but even he would have been unable to keep that effort out.
And so the day ended in defeat. Â Arsenal now have to pick themselves up in time for Wednesday’s trip to Aston Villa, who surely can’t be as poor as they were in a lifeless defeat to Liverpool. Â Alex Song will be suspended, but fortunately we will be able to rely on the sure-footed Mikel Arteta. Â I thought the Spaniard was brilliant in Manchester: disciplined, intelligent, and composed. Â The more one sees of him the more one wonders why Arsene waited so long before taking the plunge.
My overriding sense from the City game is that these sorts of occasion need hold no fear for us anymore. Â The scars of Old Trafford were entirely invisible: this was an Arsenal side playing with belief and a sense of entitlement that they belong on this stage, at the top table of English football. Â Between now and the end of the season, we need to pick up enough points to snatch fourth place and ensure we remain there.
A draw against opposition of Man City’s calibre in the Quarter-Finals of the Carling Cup presented Arsene with something of a selection dilemma. Arsene may have been toying with the idea of including some of the first-team in tonight’s tie. A somewhat lacklustre display against Fulham at the weekend will have banished that thought from his mind. He’ll want to give the regulars a rest, so it’ll be a combination of reserves and youngsters on display tonight.
“I believe that some players are on the fringe of being really limited. I will rest some players but I still want to play a team that has a chance to win the game. For example, players like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Emmanuel Frimpong will play but I consider them to be first-team players. I have 90% decided. There is still 10% flexibility.”
Those two are likely to be joined by fellow Young Guns Francis Coquelin and Ignasi Miquel. Experience will come from the likes of Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou, Sebastien Squillaci, and Park Chu-Young.
“He has been absolutely fantastic but we have so much choice in midfield and we play with three strikers.
The chances for the midfielders are not so big and that’s why he has not played as much as he deserves.”
Benayoun’s versatility and work ethic make him a really useful option both from the bench and when Arsene sees fit to rotate. His age and pay packet mean he’s unlikely to be offered a permanent deal at the end of this season, but that only makes his professionalism in the mean-time all the more commendable.
Abou Diaby will also play, making his first start of the season. We’ve been here so many times before that it’s difficult to get too excited about his latest comeback. One feels that a good performance would only signal another false dawn before his problematic ankle returns to plague him. I think we just have to accept that his will be a career dogged by injuries, and enjoy the fleeting glimpses we do see of a player who is undeniably talented. If we use him sparingly he could be an excellent option over the winter months, and allow the likes of Arteta and Ramsey a well-deserved rest.
UPDATE: I’m being told Diaby is in fact already injured again. So more his latest setback than latest comeback. Dear dear.
City will rest players too, but their absurdly bloated squad will mean that they’ll have plenty of talent at their disposal. The likes of Kolo Toure, Nigel De Jong, Adam Johnson and Edin Dzeko were all on the bench on Sunday and should start tonight.
In other matters, Matt Law of The Express says Arsenal were scouting Lukas Podolski at the weekend. Podolski’s versatility makes him an intriguing option, and he’d provide more prolific back-up for Robin van Persie than either Chamakh or Park. However, Raphael Hongistein swiftly pointed out that confirmed Arsenal target Marco Reus was also playing in the game, so perhaps he was the main object of our attention.
Finally, thanks to Charlton Athletic (featuring Ian Wright’s son, Bradley) for beating Huddersfield last night and thus ending their unbeaten run at 43 games. Our 49-game streak remains intact, and the Invincibles remain immortal.
Right. Very little would be funnier than seeing our Reserves beat moneybags Man City. So Come On You Gunners.
“Imagine the worst situation — we lose Fabregas and Nasri. You cannot convince people you are ambitious after that.
You can’t then pretend you are a big club, because a big club holds on to its best players and gives a message out to all the other big clubs that they can’t come in and take our players.” Arsene Wenger, July 11th
August 15th: Cesc Fabregas signs for Barcelona
August 24th: Samir Nasri signs for Man City
It seems a long time ago now, but when Samir Nasri arrived at the club, it was as a replacement for the outgoing Aleksandr Hleb. Â After a largely indifferent few years, Hleb had one impressive campaign as a key component of Arsenal’s title charge in 2007/08. Â It would be his final season, as Hleb moved on at the first opportunity, joining Barcelona after threatening to invoke the ‘Webster’ ruling and buy out his contract.
Nasri’s departure certainly evokes memories of Hleb’s exit.  Last season was comfortably the Frenchman’s best, and seems to have left him with both an inflated ego and idea of what he ought to be paid.  After turning down a £90,000 p/week contract extension, Nasri left Arsenal with a clear choice: sell him now, or risk losing him for free in twelve months time.
For me, it’s a no-brainer. Â As Arsene pointed out, both “economically and psychologically”, the club only had one option. Â And, for economic and psychological reasons, Arsenal will be quietly delighted to have sold the player to City rather than United: his original suitors. Â It’s worth noting that whilst Hleb left for the mediterranean sun and footballing Mecca of Barcelona, Nasri is moving to Manchester. Â Whilst I’m sure he has doubts about Arsenal’s ambition, it’s clear that money has been the major motivating factor.
Hleb’s career has tumbled downhill since leaving: he has found himself unable to replicate his success at Arsenal elsewhere. Â He’s an unusual, idiosyncratic footballer, who needs a manager with the patience to indulge a player who, whilst technically brilliant, is prone to overelaboration and seems to be allergic to shooting.
Samir Nasri will have no such problems adapting. Â He’s a more effective but more straightforward footballer: quick, skilful, and a smart finisher. Â However, by the same token, he is also easier to replace. Â Whilst hugely talented, he lacks the intangible quality of ‘vision’ that marked out Cesc Fabregas, say, or even Hleb. Â As a goalscoring wide-attacker, the likes of Gervinho and Walcott are well-placed to try and fill the gap left by Nasri’s departure.
The bigger problem remains the creative void created by Fabregas’ move. Â Arsene’s plan, of course, was to use Nasri in that role. Â As outlined above, I’m not sure he would’ve been the right man for the job. Â Cesc was good for twenty assists per season. Â I don’t have the stats in front of me, but I believe last season Nasri got one. Â Nasri can walk through an open door with plenty of style; Arsenal need someone who can unpick a lock.
Arsene may live to regret the statement of the top of this piece – but he doesn’t have to.  If he spends the £50m or so he’s received for Nasri and Cesc on players of similar quality, then all is recoverable.
