Arsenal encounter a spot of Boca
117 comments July 31st, 2011
Arsenal began their Emirates Cup campaign with a 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors. It was a lively encounter, and you can get a comprehensive match report here, as well as highlights by clicking the image on the right.
Wojciech Szczesny, Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen and Alex Song were all rested, so Lukasz Fabianski lined up behind a back four of Jenkinson, Koscielny, Djourou and Armand Traore. In midfield Jack Wilshere was partnered by Emmanuel Frimpong, with an an impressive attacking quartet of RVP, Nasri, Arshavin and Gervinho.
The new boy impressed on his first appearance at the Emirates, switching flanks with Arshavin and showing great pace on the counter to dart down the left and cross with his weaker foot for RVP to thrash in the opener. I was again struck by the tenacity of Emmanuel Frimpong, who looks as if he’ll provide a viable alternative to Alex Song, and a significant step forward from Denilson. The concern remains that he has chosen to represent Ghana rather than England, meaning that we’ll lose both our primary defensive midfielders in January for the African Nations Cup.
Both full-backs also did well, and with Arsene Wenger confirming after the game that Emmanuel Eboue is still likely to leave the club, Carl Jenkinson could have a big season ahead of him as understudy to Bacary Sagna. Although we don’t know much about him, we do know he comes from a family of die-hard Gooners, and having that represented out on the pitch can’t be a bad thing.
At half-time Arsene made five changes, introducing Mannone, Squillaci, Ramsey, Vela and Chamakh, then later Eboue. It was Ramsey who made the biggest and most immediate impact. With his first touch, he latched on to a loose ball after some neat footwork from Vela and powered it in to the top corner.
As the game wore on, however, our defensive frailties reared their familiar, hideous head. First Squillaci was caught in possession and Boca slid in Viatri who slammed in to Mannone’s near post. Then, within three minutes, Johan Djourou was turned too easily in the penalty area and Boca had an equaliser thanks to Pablo Mouche.
Disappointing though it was to see Arsenal concede a lead, the XI we had on the pitch at full-time was far from first choice. It was also intriguing to see that from corners we lined up with a new-look zonal marking system. It’ll be interesting to see how that one goes in competitive games.
For Boca, I was hugely impressed by Juan Riquelme. The excellent Orbinho has some great stats comparing his performance to that of Samir Nasri, who started in the central playmaking role for Arsenal. Nasri is a great footballer, with outstanding dribbling skill, but he doesn’t have the same eye for a pass that Cesc has. If, as seems increasingly likely, the captain departs, the creative burden will have to be shared more equally throughout the team.
Inevitably the manager’s post-game press conference focused more on Cesc and Nasri than the match itself. Both players were in attendance yesterday – one on the pitch and one in the stands – and I suspect that the skipper’s early exit had more to do with avoiding journalists than anything more sinister. Arsene’s answers on Cesc were much as they have been – “Cesc loves deeply this club, he loves deepy as well Barcelona” – but his stance on Nasri seems to be shifting somewhat. He said:
“If you ask me if I want to keep him, I say yes. But he needs to be committed to that as well.”
When asked about the possibility of signing Mata, who is also the subject of a bid from Spurs, Arsene said:
“You ask me if the two go do we need to sign one? Of course because they are two exceptional players. That’s why I personally want to keep the two.”
After weeks of insisting he would not consider losing both, suddenly it seems it’s something he may have reckon with after all. It is distressing that we as a club find ourselves in such a weak position over two players ostensibly under contract.
Nevertheless, let’s try and enjoy the football for now. Today we face New York Red Bulls, who will be very fit as they’re currently mid-season. And, of course, they have in their ranks an old friend. Unconfirmed reports suggest he might even make a cameo for the home team this afternoon. Whether he does or not, be sure to give him a hell of a welcome home.
