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Fulham Preview + Thoughts on Theo, Podolski & more

194 comments November 10th, 2012

I expect Arsenal to make only one change today…
…and that will be an enforced one.  Jack Wilshere is suspended so will drop out of the side, with Francis Coquelin the man most likely to replace him.  Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are back in the squad , but having just recovered from injury are unlikely to be rushed straight back in to the side.  Other than that, I expect Thomas Vermaelen to continue at full-back and Theo Walcott to keep his place on the wing.

I can’t help but feel today could be a big day for Olivier Giroud…
The Frenchman is quietly getting in to gear.  Since breaking his duck against Coventry, he has started six games.  In that period of time, he has amassed four goals.  It means that despite all the criticism, he currently has more goals this season than, say, a certain Wayne Rooney.  The blight on his record is that only one of those goals has come in the Premier League – a competition in which he has appeared in every game.  A goal today would help give him some real momentum going in to the North London Derby.

It sounds like Theo Walcott is on the way out…
When asked about his contract situation this week, Arsene said:

“‘I don’t want to go into any details but you can believe me [that] we do the maximum we can to keep our best players.”

It’s a familiar refrain.  It’s the same thing he said previously about Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, and Robin van Persie.  The deadline for Theo to sign a new deal is fast approaching.  For footballing and financial reasons, I’d like to see him sign a new deal.  However, I’m afraid it looks to be too late for that.

Lukas Podolski is not entirely to blame for his own downturn in form…
Arsene Wenger puts it down to culture shock.  I’d suggest it’s simply down to a lack of chances.  The German has not scored for more than a month, but in that period of time I can’t think of a significant chance he’s missed.  In fact, I can barely think of a single chance he’s missed in his time as an Arsenal player.  He’s lethal in front of goal – the team just need to work harder to get him there.

It’s great to see Tomas Rosicky back in training…
I had almost forgotten that he was still an Arsenal player.   It’s easy to forget how fantastic he was in the second half of last season, and he will add some much needed zip and verve to our midfield when he returns.  It will also enable us to give Santi Cazorla some much-needed rest – the Spaniard has looked jaded in recent weeks.

Schalke 2 – 2 Arsenal: Decent result; Disappointing circumstances

130 comments November 7th, 2012

Schalke 2 – 2 Arsenal (Walcott 18, Giroud 26, Huntelaar 45, Farfan 67)
Match Report| Highlights | Arsene’s reaction 

We would all have taken a draw beforehand…
On paper, it’s a creditable result.  However, losing a 2-0 lead is never a good thing, and the best sides tend to maintain that kind of advantage.

I’m not sure it’s a game we would have deserved to win…
If Theo Walcott had snatched a late winner, it would have been mightily harsh on Schalke.  Our opening two-goal salvo was hugely against the run of play, and whilst it understandable knocked the wind out of the German sails, they dominated for large periods of the game.

Theo got Giroud out of jail on the first goal…
Put clear on goal, the Frenchman should have scored.  Fortunately, when he trundled in to the keeper, Walcott was on hand to pick up the pieces and tap the ball in to an empty net – yet another example that he doesn’t need to play through the middle to score a ‘striker’s goal’.  It was telling that when the Frenchman did find the net just a few minutes later, it was with an instinctive headed finish – one that didn’t give him time to think.  He owes a lot to another fantastic cross from Lukas Podolski.

Vermaelen at left-back was the right call…
Koscielny looked more comfortable at centre-back than he has for most of the season, and Vermaelen was steady if a little positionally naive at full-back.  He has helped by an injury to Schalke’s marauding full-back Uchida, who looked a major threat in the opening period of the game.  On first viewing it appeared he might have been at fault for the equalising goal; in fact it was Podolski who ought to have followed Farfan to the far post.

Blaming the referee is a little bit rich…
Whilst there were a couple of decisions that plainly went against us, we were also lucky beneficiaries of the officiating on a couple of occasions.  There are plenty of referees who would’ve given a penalty for the (albeit accidental) handball by Per Mertesacker, and by my understanding of the increasingly laughable offside rule Olivier Giroud should have been flagged on the first goal.

The green shoots of recovery were there…
Arsenal scored a couple of half-decent goals and briefly looked like their confidence had been restored to them.  Had they managed to make it to half-time at 2-0, I suspect it might have been a rather different game.  As it was, Huntelaar got the crucial goal and Schalke attacked the second half with real vigour and ultimately outplayed us.  Even so, in the 20 minute period after Arsenal went ahead, I saw enough to remind me of why people were talking about this team in such positive terms at the start of the season.  Now we just need to see that across the 90.

Reading 5 – 7 Arsenal: The game that nearly broke me

617 comments October 31st, 2012

The first half was abject, then apocalyptic, then embarrassing. The second half was acceptable, then alluring, then astounding. Extra-time was just plain bonkers.

This was a match that defies analysis.  I’m not sure I’ll be able to explain quite how bad Arsenal were in the first half, nor what inspired the change that formed the basis of that incredible turnaround.  In that first 45, every time Reading went forward they looked like scoring.  We simply could not deal with their crosses.  Ignasi Miquel and Carl Jenkinson looked exposed and awkward at full-back, whilst Koscielny and Djourou looked anything but international class defenders in the centre.

First Jason Roberts outwitted Koscielny to dart to the back post and prod home.  Then, just minutes later, Koscielny’s nightmare half continued as his outstretched leg diverted the ball past Martinez and in to his own net.  The Argentine keeper wasn’t helping affairs; his inexperience was clear to see as he flapped at cross after cross.  It was his criminal error which led to the third goal. Mikele Leigertwood fired a fairly simple shot at goal;   Martinez could probably have caught it where he stood, but instead threw himself up and back in an acrobatic arc, playing for the cameras.  How humiliating then that his palm only pushed the ball lamely up in to the air, allowing it to drop in to the net behind him.  Twenty minutes gone; three nil to Reading.

Incredibly, it got worse.  Another cross drifted in, from the right this time, and Noel Hunt climbed highest to power home.  Arsenal were dreadful all over the pitch.  In the build up to the game the manager had made it very public just where this competition lies in his list of priorities.  Unfortunately, it seems the players took that as their cue to put in an entirely listless display.  We were second to every ball, and for the most part you felt glad that the majority of these players are nowhere near the first team.

And then, just before half-time, Arsenal were handed a glimmer of hope.  Andrey Arshavin split the defence with a cute through ball which Theo Walcott raced on to before clipping delightfully over the advancing Adam Federici.  Ah, Federici: with him, you always have a chance.

From the interviews with the players after the match, we can gleam that Arsene’s half-time team talk pulled no punches: this wasn’t good enough.  This was not Arsenal.  In the first half, the fans had been chanting “we want our Arsenal back”.  In the second, they got it.

The game hinged on the double substitution in the 62nd minute.  Olivier Giroud and Thomas Eisfeld were introduced for Gnabry and Frimpong, and suddenly Arsenal came to life.  Within two minutes of coming on to the field of play, Giroud had got on to the end of a Walcott corner and thumped a brilliant header beyond Federici.  Arsenal fans dared to hope.

There then followed a succession of near-misses which I couldn’t help but feel we needed to score to have any chance.  If we could get a third before the 80th minute, I reasoned, then we could have a real go at grabbing an equaliser.  But the clock ticked on, and no goal came.

Fair play to Arsenal; they kept going.  And, in the 89th minute, another Walcott corner found Koscielny, who’s eventful night continued with his second goal of the season.

The board went up, and the situation crystallised: Arsenal had four minutes to score an equaliser.  Reading did everything right.  They kept the ball in the corners, far away up the other end of the pitch.  The four minutes expired.  And yet, the whistle didn’t come.  Arsenal suddenly found themselves with one last tantalising chance. Eisfeld thumped the ball fifty yards in to the area.  Giroud did incredibly well to nod it down towards Theo Walcott, and he stabbed an effort towards goal.  And then, panic.  Replays showed the ball had crossed the line, but the referee didn’t spot it, instead not blowing his whistle until Carl Jenkinson of all people popped up to make sure and hammer the ball back in to the net.  Whoever scored, it didn’t matter.  Arsenal had done it: 4-4, in the 96th minute.

Some players thought their work for the night was done.  Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin threw their shirts in to the crowd, only to hurriedly retrieve them when they discovered they had to play extra-time.  Arsenal had the momentum now, and goal their fifth successive goal to put them ahead when Chamakh played a neat one-two with Giroud and fired low in to the corner from outside the box.  I wasn’t sure he had it in him, to be honest.

That, of course, should have been that.  This, however, was no ordinary game, and with just four minutes remaining on the clock a deflect cross found it’s way to Pavel Pogrebnyak,who levelled things up at 5-5.

With Martinez in such worrying form, Arsenal didn’t fancy penalties, but time was and tiring legs were against them.  That’s why I was so shocked when it was a 120th minute forty yard sprint from Andrey Arshavin that proved the difference.  He scooted in to the box and ignored options in the middle to slip the ball under the keeper.  This time, Reading did manage to get the ball off the line, but only as far as Walcott, who smashed it in to give us the crucial lead.  Alongside Walcott was Laurent Koscielny, who had won the ball at the back and sprinted the length of the pitch in the search for the winner.

There was time for one more. A glacé cherry on this delicious cake of a game. Arsene Wenger was still admonishing Martinez for failing to run down the clock when Walcott launched a long ball forward. Chamakh chased it down and lobbed over the keeper (again from outside the box) to set the seal on the game and make it 7-5.

Yes, 7-5.  I’m going for another lie down.

Wilshere & Giroud can kick this team on to another level

31 comments October 19th, 2012

When you last heard from me, I was cursing Olivier Giroud for what I saw as a costly late miss against Chelsea.  Since then, both he and Arsenal have been significantly rehabilitated.  The team bounced back with 3-1 wins over Olympiakos and West Ham, with Giroud grabbing an assist in each and a goal in the latter.

Perhaps I should go away more often.  I saw most of the Olympiacos game and highlights of the West Ham match.  The Champions League tie was typical of most Arsenal group stage games – we got ourselves in a bit of trouble with the usual defensive sloppiness, but pulled through thanks to our overwhelming attacking power.  The pace at which we attack is often too much for sides in Europe.  It tends to be at the back that we undo ourselves – see Milan last year for the perfect example.

West Ham was a real test – Carroll and Nolan are handle for any side, particularly one as aerially vulnerable as ours – but we got the breaks and continued to play our football.  Santi Cazorla was, of course, instrumental.  His thumping third goal was great, but the turn, spin and pass inside his own half to set Giroud away to set up Theo’s crucial strike was in some ways even more impressive.  We were reassured also by the return of Per Mertesacker, although a worrying trend is developing in our defence.

It was well publicised that in Arsenal’s first three games of the season they kept three clean sheets.  Steve Bould was declared as a defensive deity, and all was as rosy as a bank account named by Harry Redknapp at the back.  Well, since then, Arsenal have conceded at least a goal in each of the following seven games – many of which have been from crosses.

The lesson there, I suppose, is that we should not in such a hurry to judge performances.  The same lesson could be applied to Olivier Giroud, who is showing some encouraging form.  Against Olympiacos he was used as an impact substitute, and was desperately unlucky not to score with two good efforts, although he did head on expertly for Aaron Ramsey to chip home.  Against West Ham, he started as much for defensive reasons as offensive ones, but grabbed a real strikers goal, playing a one-two with Lukas Podolski before toeing the German’s cross home.  It’s clear he’s feeling a lot better about things, and he continued his momentum with a crucial headed equaliser for France against Spain in midweek.  What’s important now is that he gets a run of games – as impressed as I’ve been with Gervinho’s efforts upfront, having a genuine centre-forward would improve this team immeasurably.

I feel the same about Jack Wilshere.  I know we’re supposed to be cautious and protective, but I just know how much he’ll be able to add to the side.  He’s tantalisingly close now, and whilst this weekend has come soon I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the bench for next Saturday’s game against QPR before starting in the Carling Cup at Reading.

Things are looking up.  We have several very winnable games before the next ‘season-defining’ clash with Man United at Old Trafford.  It’s a good time to be back.  For me, Olivier, and Jack.

Arsenal 6 – 1 Coventry: A player-by-player review

685 comments September 27th, 2012

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

In the end, we got everything we wanted from the game: a thumping victory, game-time for squad players and promising youngsters, and even a first Arsenal goal for Olivier Giroud.

It was clear inside the first couple of minutes that there was a significant gulf in class between the two sides. Coventry were also playing with a suicidally high line, and were there for the taking. With that in mind, I was pretty frustrated by what was a very lacklustre first-half display, capped off by a solitary goal.

In the second half, however, we were far better. Coventry tired too, and as we pressured them higher up the pitch mistakes began to creep in to their play, and we took full advantage, adding a further five goals to the tally and conceding just the one.

Highlights and a match report are available from the above links, but for those who weren’t able to see the game live I thought I’d give you a run-down on how the individuals involved equipped themselves.


Damian Martinez
Not a game in which he was hugely tested. He’ll have been disappointed to have conceded, but had no chance on the Coventry goal. One moment that stood out was when he came fully ten yards off his line to claim a deep set piece, dove and caught it cleanly in mid-air. His distribution was good, and all-in-all this was a solid if uneventful display.

Martin Angha

Martin Angha arrived at Arsenal as a centre-back, and has spent a good deal of this season playing as a left-back. He started this game on the right side of defence, and whilst he was solid throughout, going forward he looked very much like a centre-half. It was unfortunate because his stamina meant he was constantly available on the overlap, but his dribbling and delivery left a lot to be desired.

Johan Djourou
Captain for the night, Johan Djourou was quiet but steady. He came close to scoring with a diving header, and played the part of the senior man in defence well. He was, however, outshone by his partner…

Ignasi Miquel
I was really impressed with the Spaniard this evening. He has inherited the Vermaelen trait of nicking the ball and early and sprinting onwards up the field, which he did several times to great effect. His goal was a thumping header, and everything he did tonight he did with full commitment. He has the physique, he has the technique. Now he just needs experience. I suspect a loan deal might be on the cards sooner rather than later.

Andre Santos
I’m a fan of Andre Santos. He’s clearly a great personality to have around the club, and going forward he is capable of great things. Tonight, however, he looked plain lazy. He wandered around the pitch, sauntering back and generally looking disinterested. In the interest of fairness he is lacking match practise, and I recall that last season it took a run of a few games for him to get going, but on this evidence Kieran Gibbs is not going to come under serious pressure for the left-back spot anytime soon.

Nico Yennaris
Yennaris started in centre-midfield, and was almost anonymous throughout. Sometimes that’s the mark of a good holding midfield display. He didn’t do a great deal wrong – collecting the ball and playing the simple pass. However, I felt at times he could have been a little quicker to close Coventry down in central areas.


Francis Coquelin
Coquelin was his usual busy self. His intervention helped create the first goal, lunging on to a loose Arshavin pass to divert the ball in to Giroud’s path. It’s clear that Coquelin has designs on a first-team spot, but I do worry about just how many opportunities we’ll be able to give him. His impatience may lead him to look elsewhere.

Theo Walcott
In the first half, Walcott was poor. His touch was off and his movement was often selfish, driving in to the centre when he ought to have stretched the play. In the second half, however, he exploited a ragged Coventry, scoring with two excellent finishes. The headline-writers will have rubbed their hands together: I expect to see a load of stories tomorrow about how Theo “sent a message” to Arsene about his desire to play as a centre-forward. I’d counter with two observations: on top of the two goals, Theo also missed tow clear one-on-one opportunities. Perhaps of even greater significance, all four opportunities came whilst playing in a wide role. It is naive of Theo to believe that playing through the middle will necessarily lead to more scoring opportunities. Receiving the ball in the channels actually enables him to use his pace and get in to dangerous positions.

Andrey Arshavin
Arshavin will always divide opinion. Tonight, he did plenty wrong. There were stray passes, inexplicable backheels, and the occasional comical loss of balance. There was also a goal, the winning of a penalty, and two assists. The goal in particular was a lovely take, controlling the ball in mid-air on his toe before poking beyond the keeper. I’ll say this for the Russian: every time he gets the ball, he tries to make something happen. Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn’t. My instinct tells me that there will come a time when we need to gamble with him to unlock a defence this season. When we do, we should deploy him centrally – he’s far better when free of the defensive responsibility that comes with a wide role.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
What a goal. The lad absolutely thumped in a thirty yard strike in a manner that won’t be a surprise to anyone who has ever watched this video of him in training. Now he’s pulled it off once, I expect he’ll try it a little more frequently. Just a word of warning, though: in the first half he was prone to a bit of show-boating, trying unnecessary tricks and dribbling when a simple pass was the better option. It’s something I’ve seen creeping in to his game recently, and it was noticeable that after half-time he was much more efficient. Hopefully someone had a stern word.

Olivier Giroud
Finally, the Frenchman is off the mark. It was telling that when the chance came to him, he didn’t panic, carefully clipping the ball over the advancing keeper before looking to the sky with relief. That said, when he stepped up to take the penalty, I didn’t have much confidence: the forward has a bit of a history with spot-kicks. The Coventry keeper’s save was superb, and hopefully the miss won’t dent Giroud’s improved confidence. It was a good sign that shortly afterwards he set up Arshavin when other strikers might have sought to redeem themselves by going for goal. His all-round play was good and improved dramatically after he broke his duck. Hopefully this is the start of a good thing.

SUBS

Emmanuel Frimpong
The Dench man came off the bench for an uneventful twenty minutes. He got a tremendous reception from the crowd, but like Coquelin I wonder just how many opportunities we’ll be able to grant him. Perhaps he, like Miquel, could soon be heading out on loan.

Serge Gnabry
For those of you who haven’t seen Gnabry play before, the similarities with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are striking. He has a very stocky frame, with big powerful hips and startling acceleration. Even in this short cameo, it was clear to see this is a player with real potential.

Maroune Chamakh
I liked what I saw of Chamakh in his brief appearance. I forgot how mobile he is, and his team play remains excellent, even if he offers almost no goalscoring threat. Not a bad player to have quite so far down the pecking order.

–

All in all, this was a good night. I don’t think any of the players who started tonight will edge ahead of those who faced City in time for the Chelsea game, but the goalscoring form of Giroud, Walcott and Chamberlain certainly gives the manager food for thought after Gervinho’s erratic display in front of goal.