January 4th, 2014
Arsenal 2 – 0 Tottenham
Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction
I’ll admit, I was worried about the XI Arsene picked…
Before the game, Arsene said he’d treat this just like an important league game. He was fibbing. Had this been a league game, Szczesny, Mertesacker and Ozil would all have started. Perhaps Olivier Giroud would even have been roused from his sickbed.
Instead, all four were absent from the starting XI, and two from the matchday squad entirely.
There were two areas that particularly troubled me. The first was at centre-back: the pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen has never looked particularly secure. The first half showed that fielding these two talented but impetuous defenders does make us a little vulnerable in-behind – Vermaelen was twice turned when trying to nick the ball early. However, any anxiety was relatively short-lived: a cut knee forced Vermaelen off at half-time, with Mertesacker coming on to replace the Belgian.
My other concern was the goalkeeper. Although Lukasz Fabianski’s recent performances have been relatively solid, I’d be lying if I said I’d entirely let go of my perception of him as something of a calamity waiting to happen – as my annotated team-sheet will show.
My fears were misplacedɉ۬
Arsenal were never really tested. Fabianski made one decent save to deny Christian Eriksen, but other than that Arsenal looked very secure. Emmanuel Adebayor, whose good form going in to the game was cause for dark premonitions, spent the match tucked firmly in Laurent Koscielny’s back-pocket. Roberto Soldado, meanwhile, is truly the heir apparent to Helder Postiga in Tottenham’s Hall of Infamy.
To be honest, Tottenham made it very easy for us.
I think Tim Sherwood’s positive impact at Tottenham has been hugely overblown. He’s only won three of his first six games. He drew at home with an out-of-sorts West Brom, and lost an important Capital One Cup tie at home to relegation-threatened West Ham.
I don’t know if it’s because he’s a young English manager, but the praise he’s received seems hugely disproportionate when compared to his actual tangible impact. The BBC have even chosen to conveniently overlook the West Ham game and call this the first defeat of his time at Tottenham:
I’m convinced that a Spurs side managed by AVB would have given us a better game today – in fact, they did just that, back in August.
Sherwood has been lauded for his revolutionary introduction of an old school 4-4-2 formation. However, today was the first occasion on which his system was tested against a quality five-man midfield. It might be good enough to beat mid-table sides like Manchester United, but it’s not going to be good enough to beat the Arsenal.
Another bizarre thing about Sherwood is that while he has overhauled the team, he’s chosen to retain arguably the most catastrophic element of AVB’s team: the kamikaze high line.
It was telling that Wenger opted to pick a three diminutive speedsters up top in Gnabry, Walcott and Cazorla. He had probably watched Liverpool’s tiny trio of Suarez, Coutinho and Sterling demolish Tottenham a matter of weeks before.
While I’m on it, Tim Sherwood is a spectacularly inarticulate man…
I know I’ll be accused of snobbery here, but I don’t care. After the match, Sherwood claimed, “We was not not outnumbered in midfield, we wasn’tâ€. Seems like he’s stuck in his own double-negative spiral.
Gnabry was outstanding…
Starting Fabianski felt like a gamble. Starting Gnabry felt like a declaration of faith. That faith was repaid with a storming display. For an 18 year-old, it’s his football intelligence that really takes your breath away.
Amid all the chatter about the Januzaj lad at United, you might forget that other club’s are even allowed to have exciting youngsters. Apparently if they don’t have even the slightest chance of playing for England, they’re not as interesting to our national press. Nevertheless, I can’t see many more promising prospects than Gnabry around – and he doesn’t dive. While I’m at it: if he played for a club with a midfield as weak as Moyes’, he’d probably be starting every week too. As it is, he is in competition with the likes of Cazorla and Ozil for a regular place.
Further reading: Serge Gnabry comes of age as Arsenal see of Spurs
Rosicky…
…deserved that goal. He probably deserves a new deal, too. Arsenal will face competition from the MLS and elsewhere for his services in 2014/15, but I’d be delighted to see him stay with the club. You won’t find many 33-year olds who could race away from Danny Rose quite so effectively. He’s like Peter Pan. Or maybe Benjamin Button. Maybe eventually he will regress in to being a weird little baby old person. Who knows? But I want to see it happen. At Arsenal.
Further reading: Super Tom Rosicky Shines Against Spurs
Theo Walcott looked impressive as a centre-forward…
His finishing was a little off, but he showed great movement and a willingness to take on the physical elements of the role. On the admittedly limited evidence of the past two games, he’s a far better bet for the position than Lukas Podolski.
As for the whole stretcher-based controversy, Spurs want to be careful throwing money at Theo – they’ve already chucked away £100m in the summer transfer market.
Arsenal saw out the game in relative comfort…
My overall thought watching this match was that gap between the two teams seems to have widened significantly in the first-half of this season. This was the most one-sided derby victory for some time.
The Fourth Round beckons, and I hope we give the FA Cup some real focus this year. It’d be a massive thing to reach the final or, God forbid, win it. The players seemed to flourish away from the weekly pressure of the Premier League, too – this was our best performance in weeks.
Arsenal have nine days rest now before an awkward-looking trip to Aston Villa, and the resumption of Premier League duties.
September 2nd, 2013
Derby Day victory…
Felt as good as it ever does. Arsenal needed this win more than Tottenham, and it showed.
It was fitting that this game marked the return of Mathieu Flamini to Arsenal: our display was cast in his image, occasionally lacking finesse but full of commitment and courage. Our passing game wasn’t firing on all cylinders, but we were certainly fired up.
Spurs looked like a side who haven’t yet worked out their attacking strategy. They don’t seem to know what sort of service Roberto Soldado thrives off – for all their possession, they didn’t create many clear-cut chances.
They had similar problems last season but got out of jail time after time thanks to one Gareth Bale. Fortunately, they no longer have that trump card at their disposal.
Conversely, Arsenal seem to be developing a fairly coherent tactical set-up. As against Fulham, once ahead they dropped deep behind the ball, using the lung-busting running of Walcott and Ramsey to launch rapier counter-attacks.
If it weren’t for the alert goalkeeping of Hugo Lloris, Arsenal could have won by another goal or two.
Mesut Ozil is a game-changing signing…
Assuming it goes ahead, it’s massive. I would never have believed that we’d be capable of signing a marquee talent of this level.
All the other big names we’ve been linked with this summer have had some slight against them. Higuain never convinced in Madrid’s biggest games. Suarez is a bitey racist rat. Conversely, Ozil was a Real regular and is arguably in the world’s top ten players.
Ozil is genuinely one of my favourite footballers. I’ve been infatuated with him ever since the 2010 World Cup. I can hardly wait to see him play.
However…
I hate to gripe on what is a undoubtedly momentous day for the club, but I’m staggered that Arsenal are going to go in to the season with Olivier Giroud as the only senior centre-forward.
Giroud was superb against Spurs, but by the end of the game was exhausted. It’s a feeling he’ll have to get used to in the coming months.
Right. Now it’s time to get this deal announced. Less than an hour to go. Come on Arsenal.
March 3rd, 2013
Tottenham 2 – 1 ArsenalÂ
Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reactionÂ
Those Arsenal supporters who defend Arsene Wenger most vehemently occasionally insist that he is a victim of circumstance: a selfless man who has martyred himself for an economic cause. He works, we are told, with one hand tied behind his back – and presumably it’s the hand he signs cheques with.
That might well be true. I find it hard to believe that Arsene is somehow prohibited from using the vast reserves of cash at the club’s disposal, but I’m prepared to entertain the idea. It’s a potential explanation of an otherwise baffling transfer policy.
If it’s possible to defend Arsene Wenger’s work in the transfer market, it is far harder to excuse his work on the training ground. Yesterday Arsenal were undone by some truly dire defending. Having dominated the early stages, we conceded two goals in as many minutes to hand the initiative and with it the game to Tottenham.
Arsenal’s defensive line looked like it’d been drawn on a spirograph. Playing a high line against the likes of Bale and Lennon is always a risk, but doing so when your defence is bereft of any kind of organisation borders on masochism.
The mistakes were so basic, so fundamental, and so frustratingly familiar. We’ve been here time and time again, and yet the defence don’t learn their lesson. My conclusion has to be that it’s a lesson they’re simply not being taught.
All of these players have a distinguished defensive record with their former clubs and international sides. Only at Arsenal do they appear so flawed. My impression is that for too long the defensive side of the game has not been a priority for the manager.
For a time, we got away with it. Wenger’s early sides inherited the famous back four from George Graham. The Invincibles could rely upon the protection provided by Vieira and Gilberto and the extraordinary recovery pace of Toure and Campbell. What’s more, both sides were balanced out with an irresistible attacking threat. Even last season, we could rely on Robin van Persie to dig us out of the holes we created for ourselves.
No more. We now have a porous defence, and a plain poor attack. Arsenal dominated the midfield for huge swathes of this derby, but came up short at both business ends: Giroud’s laboured display upfront neatly paralleled the slapstick at the back.
Tottenham weren’t great, but they’re organised and determined. That counts for a lot. This win takes them seven points clear of us and hands them a huge advantage in the race for Champions League qualification.
It’s not quite over. Their fixture list gets a lot trickier over the next six weeks, and we also have the possible boon of a Chelsea implosion to look forward to. Arsenal can still make the top four, but if we do it’ll be in spite of our own self-destructive tendencies.
Arsenal now face ten days of brooding and self-examination before a daunting trip to Bayern Munich. Respite is likely to be in short supply. It’s a gloomy time to follow the club, made gloomier by the stark fact that of 28 league games this season, we have won just 13.
Unless that record improves dramatically, it will be hard to argue we deserve a place at Europe’s top table.
March 3rd, 2013
Hello one and all. Â I’m back from a brief holiday in time for the biggest game of our season. Â To help me preview it, I’ve called upon the services of Tottenham fan @adamdnathan.
TEAM NEWS
AN:Â Aside from the long term injuries to Sandro and Kaboul, both of whom would be massive additions to the side, Spurs should be at full strength. Defoe may return in time for a place on the bench, but in spite of Adebayor’s recent poor form, it seems generally accepted that we play better as a team with the Togolese leading the line.
GS: Arsenal will be without Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs, meaning Nacho Monreal and Carl Jenkinson will continue at full-back. Â Abou Diaby is apparently facing a fitness test, although even if he passes I’d consider starting him too great a gamble.
PREDICTED LINE-UP
AN: Most of the team picks itself, with Lloris, Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Parker, Dembele, Bale, Lennon and Adebayor certain to start. AVB’s only decision will be to play Ekotto or Vertonghen at left back, with Caulker inside if he takes the latter option, and Holtby in the attacking three or perhaps Gylfi Sigurdsson, who finally looked to be an £8 million player on Monday.
GS: Arsenal’s back four picks itself – it’s ahead of that where Arsene Wenger faces some tricky choices. Â I’d opt for the work-rate of Aaron Ramsey alongside Mikel Arteta at the base of our midfield, with Jack Wilshere in the number 10 role. Â That means shifting Santi Cazorla wide, which unfortunately drops Lukas Podolski to the bench once again.
MATCH-WINNER
AN: Bale is pretty much the only answer to this question of course, but Hugo Lloris could be as much of a match saver as a winner. He has been exceptional since taking the reigns from Friedel in the reverse fixture, and is regularly winning the team points with big moments between the sticks.
GS: Santi Cazorla has scored Arsenal’s last three Premier League goals, and my gut says he could be the man to unlock Spurs once again tomorrow.
DANGER-MAN
AN:Â In terms of dictating the game, it will be vitally important for us to limit the time we allow Wilshere, Arteta and Cazorla on the ball, but the player who will always scare me when in an Arsenal shirt is Theo Walcott. I’m firmly in the camp of him being a top Premier League player, and his goals and assist stats over the last few years certainly suggest that he will be the man to watch tomorrow.
GS: There’s no doubt that Gareth Bale is the man in form. Â Few players in Europe are producing those match-winning moments on such a consistent basis. Â Arsenal fans are quick to knock Bale down (not the hardest thing to do, after all), but I suspect that any criticism masks their genuine irritation that Tottenham have a player with that kind of ability. Â In recent games he’s been deployed in the centre. Â I’d be happy to see him there again, as I do worry about what he might do up against Carl Jenkinson, who is currently lacking both experience and match practice.
STAKES
AN:Â It’s going to be a crucial games for both teams’ aspirations of getting into the Champions League next year, with a win really boosting either sides’ chances going into the last 10 games of the season. Should the game be a draw with 15-20 minutes to go however, it wouldn’t surprise me if both teams were happy to play the rest of the game out and back themselves to finish above the other with a good run of form going into May.
GS: Arsenal simply have to avoid defeat. Â A draw keeps things open going in to the final stretch, but a win for Spurs would hand them all the initiative. Â As for what a heavy defeat would do to the club… well, I’d rather not think/write about it. Â A win would be fantastic, but a draw would be enough to give us a fighting chance of finishing fourth.
PREDICTION
AN:Â If, as alluded to in his press conference, Arsenal don’t go into the game with a plan for Gareth Bale, there is a strong possibility that the Welshman could run riot again against a shaky defence. I don’t see him being the sole protagonist though, and arsenal clearly have a number of players who could hurt us. In truth, I can see the game being a bit of a topsy-turvy 2-2 draw, which both sides ultimately settle for at the final whistle.
GS:Â It strikes me that a draw would suit both sides, and on such occasions I’m always inclined to plump for a stale-mate. Â I’ll follow Adams lead and plump for an entertaining 2-2.
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November 18th, 2012
Arsenal's scorers against Spurs | Image via @ShahrizanDB10
Arsenal 5 – 2 TottenhamÂ
Highlights | Arsene’s reactionÂ
Yesterday, Arsenal came from behind to thump Tottenham Hotspur 5-2. Â History, it seems, repeats itself. Â At the heart of matters was the controversial figure of Emmanuel Adebayor, who scored a significant goal only to become the perpetrator of a violent and crude act that will grab the headlines. Â History, again, repeating.
Some say that Adebayor was a little unfortunate to be sent off, and that his fate (a sending off for a thigh-high lunge at Santi Cazorla) could have befallen any player on the field. Â That would be easier to believe if we hadn’t seen it all before. Â Adebayor’s previous conviction was, you’ll remember, whilst playing for Manchester City. Â On that occasion, a goal against his former club fuelled him with such a rush of adrenaline that he stamped on an Arsenal player’s face and celebrated distastefully in front of our fans. Â On that occasion, punishment was belated, requiring an FA disciplinary panel. Â Yesterday, retribution was swift and immediate. Â Howard Webb pulled out the red card, and the game was turned.
Spurs had started so well. Â They fielded an ambitious 4-4-2, and looked sturdy at the back, confident in possession, and threatening on the break. Â Their goal typified their direct style, borne of a lofted ball down the left that exposed our defence as horribly muddled. Â Per Mertesacker stepped up while the rest of the back four remained in position, Jermain Defoe raced in to the chasmic gap, and his shot was only palmed in to Adebayor’s path for the simplest of tap-ins.
It would be a slight untruth to say the game hinged entirely on Adebayor’s moment of madness. Â There was another incident, just a couple of minutes before, that was almost as significant. Â A lightening Tottenham break led by Gareth Bale ended with Aaron Lennon receiving the ball just inside our penalty area. Â He fizzed a shot across goal, and it escaped the far post by a matter of inches. Â Had that gone in, Arsenal would have been two down, and the whole shape of the game may have changed.
As it was, Lennon missed, and Adebayor followed up with an even greater aberration. Â Immediately, Arsenal came to life. Â Santi Cazorla suddenly found the space he’d hitherto lacked, and the game turned in our favour. Â We were helped, too, by Andre Villas Boas’ selection of the inexperienced Karl Naughton at left-back. Â He struggled against Theo Walcott all day long, and it was Theo’s perfectly clipped cross that found Per Mertesacker. Â The big German leapt and planted a beautiful header in to the far corner for his first Arsenal goal. Â It was a goal that had all the game-changing thump of Bacary Sagna’s in this fixture last season, and Per’s celebration showed just how much it meant to him.
Suddenly, Arsenal were flying. Â In the two minutes before half-time they all but put the game beyond Tottenham. Â First Lukas Podolski capped a hard-working display by squiring a deflected shot past the otherwise impressive Hugo Lloris, before Olivier Giroud put the icing on the cake. Â He was helped in no small part by Santi Cazorla, who in one dribble overcame both a foul and a tackle from one of his own team-mates to get to the byline and square for the Frenchman to fire home.
At this stage, the half-time whistle brought welcome relief for Tottenham. Â I turned to a friend and said that with our defence, I wouldn’t be confident until we got a fourth. Â Fortunately, soon after the restart I got my wish. Â The goal was possibly my favourite of the day, as it involved all four of our attackers. Â Olivier Giroud nodded a goal-kick to Theo Walcott, who in turn played in Lukas Podolski. Â The ruthlessly efficient German squared for Cazorla to slide home a well-deserved goal, and with that the game was pretty much done.
Spurs did put a few jitters up us when Gareth Bale fired home from the edge of the area with twenty minutes to go. Â I have to say, I don’t get many opportunities to watch the Welshman up close, but he’s clearly some player. Â Fortunately, he’s also far too good for Spurs, so I can’t imagine we’ll have to worry about him there for more than a season or too.
With only ten men, Tottenham weren’t ever able to put us under serious pressure. Â All that was left was for us to replicate last season’s scoreline, which we did in added time. Â Theo Walcott had been given a four minute cameo in the central role he craves, and he used the opportunity ably to grab a goal, sidefooting home after an impressive burst from substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Â It is genuinely frustrating to watch Walcott in such a rich vein of form, knowing all the time that we are creeping closer to his likely departure. Â At the moment, however, pragmatism dictates that we must continue to play him. Â He is simply too valuable to the team to relegate to the bench.
So there we have it: 5-2 again. Â Same result; different sensation. Â Because of the sending off, I feel like this game won’t have the same seismic impact on either of these teams’ seasons as the previous 5-2. Â Last time, Spurs’ collapse came from a greater position of dominance, and was more complete in its cataclysmic hilarity. Â This time, they have mitigating circumstances. Â They can blame Adebayor’s stupidity rather than their own inadequacy. Â I expect their wheels to wobble, rather than come off entirely.
For Arsenal, however, there are still plenty of positives. Â Arsenal’s front six were excellent. Â In midfield Arteta was solid, whilst Jack Wilshere had arguably his best game since returning from a seventeen month lay-off. Â Santi Cazorla recaptured his spectacular early-season form, admittedly helped by the holes in midfield left vacant by a fast-tiring Tottenham side.
I was particularly taken with the performances of our attacking trio. Â Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski could both feel justified in laying claim to a centre-forward role, but both put in real shifts on the flank and reaped the rewards with a goal apiece. Â Olivier Giroud’s adaptation continues apace – whilst he occasionally lacks pace, his aerial ability and movement generally make up for that. Â It was notable how many crosses Arsenal put in yesterday – as long as Giroud is in the side, we have a genuine plan B to our conventional ‘tippy-tappy’ style.
The truth is that the long term repercussions don’t really matter. Â In the immediate term, the here and now, we thumped Tottenham 5-2. Feels pretty good, doesn’t it? Â Just, you could say, like last time. Â Let’s make this an annual thing. Â Enjoy your Sunday.
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