Boro Review: All too easy for Cesc & Co
Add comment April 27th, 2009
Arsenal 2 -Â 0 Middlesbrough (Fabregas 26, 67)
Highlights here; Arsene’s reaction here
A routine 2-0 win was to be expected in this game. Coming into it, Arsenal were nineteen games unbeaten and in their best form of the season. Middlesbrough, meanwhile, had absolutely nothing to play for…
What? They’re battling relegation?
Oh.
That’s confused me. I always thought sides battling relegation tended to scrap and fight for survival, rather than just rolling over with their legs in the air sighing, “take me now”. The only possible explanation for Boro’s lifeless performance I can muster is that football’s obsession with ‘MIND GAMES’ has reached such absurd heights that this careless display from Boro was a bizarre attempt at a form of ‘reverse psychology’.
On this evidence, Middlesbrough are instead reversing down the pyramid of English football, starting with relegation to The Championship.
Still, we shouldn’t complain – from the minute we scored our second goal (the sixty-seventh minute, to be precise) the pace of the game slowed to testimonial level. Andrey Arshavin, for example – who had clearly worn himself out with his exploits at Anfield and a terrific first half – simply wondered about the top end of the pitch, occasionally deigning to torment the Boro defence further.
The game also gave Arsene an opportunity to trial the system he chanced upon at Anfield, with Cesc playing behind the front man, and Samir Nasri operating alongside another holding midfielder from deep. I think that in some ways it says most about our options at defensive midfielder that a ‘Number 10’ like Nasri can slot in there and look arguably the best of the bunch. Whether or not he’ll play that role at Old Trafford remains to be seen – personally, I have my doubts. Nevertheless, Arsene is certainly considering it:
“Usually Fabregas plays deeper with Nasri higher. I wanted to test how it would work the other way round. It could be reiterated that we will do it again because it was quite convincing. But that is open; we have 48 hours to study that then make a decision.”
The goals we scored were lovely things to look at, principally because they continued our rediscovery of the lightning counter-attack as a means of expression. The first saw some terrific interplay from Bendtner and Cesc release Arshavin, who tore down the left before cutting back to Fabregas, who thumped in only his second league goal this season. Boro argued that Nicklas Bendtner was blocking the goalkeeper’s view from an offside position, and it was hard to argue with that, but the officials didn’t give it and the goal stood.
Cesc grabbed the second too, latching on to a fantastic pass from Emmanuel Eboue to round Brad Jones and slot home. Boro did muster a couple of threatening moments when Stewart Downing burst into life, but the returning Manuel Almunia was more than equal to anything they had to offer.
Johan Djourou also returned as a half-time sub for Mikael Silvestre, who has picked up a back strain. Whether Silvestre is fit or not, I’d start Djourou at Old Trafford over him without a thought.
We were also able to give Cesc and Theo Walcott a twenty minute rest, whilst simultaneously allowing Emmanuel Adebayor a run-around – though I’m not convinced that “run” is the right word. The game was dead by this point and Adebayor certainly seemed to know it, with a lacksadaisical display that will hopefully bear no resemblance to what we see at Old Trafford.
Big game on Wednesday. Big big big game. I’m buzzing already.
