Result > Performance
13 comments December 9th, 2010
Arsenal 3 – 1 Partizan Belgrade (Van Persie (pen) 29, Cleo 52, Walcott 73, Nasri 77)
Highlights | Arsene’s reaction
The result was always going to be more important than the performance…
It would have been nice to have both, but if we had to chose we’d all have taken the win. Partizan defended well and made it difficult for us: at times they had up to ten men all in that defensive third of the field. It’s no surprise we struggled to break them down, but I thought we were impressively patient and got there in the end.
Robin van Persie played the Cesc role…
…as captain, penalty-taker, and even in terms of position. He played in a deep role behind Chamakh, occasionally switching to the flanks, and I’m not sure it entirely suited him. It’s great that he has his first goal of the season, and his relief was palpable – though I do wish he’d try and celebrate in a way that put less pressure on his brittle joints than sliding along the turf.
The goal we conceded reminded me of our game at Villa Park…
The manner in which Sebastien Squillaci failed to close down Cleo was very reminiscent of Gael Clichy’s failure to get out to Ciaran Clark before he volleyed in to the top corner. In this instance, Squillaci didn’t feel he could go because Koscielny had been turned and left for dead, and the more experienced defender was left dealing with two men. Two things: 1) Of course Koscielny has to make sure that doesn’t happen in future, but 2) if it does, Squillaci simply has to go to the play with the ball first rather than worrying about marking a second man.
Theo Walcott made up for a disastrous substitute appearance on Saturday…
…with an absolutely crucial goal. Against Fulham, he looked very much out of sorts, running down corridors with his head down and his touch uncertain. He even had a go at Bacary Sagna when he appeared to have little justification. Fortunately, last night, he was in better form, and when he replaced the disappointing Andrey Arshavin he made exactly the right impact, volleying the vital second goal.
Alex Song was involved in the build-up for both goals…
…which is all well and good, but I still think he could do more to protect the back four. Having the freshly-shaven Denilson alongside him last night definitely helped, however.
Samir Nasri’s goal was even better than it looked…
The build-up between Song and Bendtner is lovely, but the finish is once again outstanding. You almost can’t see it at normal speed, but a glance at the replays will show that upon receiving the ball, he instantly shifts it just the hard-yard it requires to give him the space to shoot. Give it a watch again. It’s brilliant.
Bacary Sagna’s sending off was the correct decision…
The striker was through on goal; Sagna didn’t get the ball – I can’t see how much more there is to discuss. It felt harsh, partly because the Partizan fans were so outnumbered. Had it been an Arsenal player brought down whilst tearing at goal, with 60,000 voices baying for the card, it wouldn’t have seemed odd at all. Just because the contest is dead doesn’t mean rules go out the window.
We now face one of Real, Barca, Schalke or Bayern…
After finishing second in the group (Shakhtar dispatched Braga with the ease you’d expect), we now face a tricky draw for the second round. Obviously a trip to Germany would hold a lot less fear than a clash with one of the Spanish giants, but I’m not worrying myself too much about who we’ll face. As I’ve said before: if you want to win it, you have to beat the big sides eventually. If you’re not good enough to beat them, you might as well go out early and concentrate on the domestic prizes on offer.
