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City 1 – 0 Arsenal: No points but plenty of pride

905 comments December 19th, 2011

Thomas Vermaelen reacts after another near miss at the Etihad

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

Our first trip to Manchester since that fateful day in late August was always going to carry a certain weight.  Back then, a very different-looking Arsenal side had left thrashed, embarrassed, and ashamed.  This time, we might not have brought back any points, but we can at least hold our heads up high on the back of an impressive performance.

It’s indicative of how far we’ve come.  Since Old Trafford, we’ve added experience, steel and belief to the squad.  Arsenal entered yesterday’s game as an unfancied underdog, and ended up trading blows with a the richest club in world football.  It is typical of Arsene Wenger’s relentless ambition that after the game he was disheartened at what he felt was the end of our title challenge.  Personally, I have felt for some time that City will win the league at a canter, and that in any case our bad start was far too big a handicap from which to launch a bid for the championship.  A Champions League spot, however, remains a realistic target.  In August, even that seemed unlikely.

We started somewhat shakily, as it swiftly became evident that City are the strongest side we’ve faced in some time.  The movement and skill of the likes of Silva, Aguero and Balotelli had our defence chasing shadows, and twice we relied upon impressive saves from Wojciech Szczesny to keep the score at 0-0.

Alex Song was yellow-carded for a cynical trip after just ten minutes, and spent the rest of the game walking a precarious tight-rope.  It was a tight-rope that the likes of Micah Richards attempted to topple him off by throwing themselves to the ground every time Song even thought about going in to a challenge.

As the half wore on, we settled and began to offer a threat of our own.  The pace and movement of Gervinho made him a constant menace, but he suffered from the now familiar flaw of failing to convert promising opportunities in to final product.  When he did muster a shot on target, Joe Hart was able to turn it away at the near post.

Having reached half-time at 0-0, there was a growing sense that Arsenal could pull off a major result.  However, our momentum was disrupted when, just two minutes in to the second half, Johan Djourou was withdrawn with an injury problem.  The Swiss had been doing a fine job at right-back, but his withdrawal meant shifting Laurent Koscielny on to the flank.  Vermaelen stepped in to to the centre alongside Mertesacker, and substitute Miquel played at left-back.  It’s odd how injuries seem to strike in one particular area – we’re now without our five first choice full-backs (Sagna, Jenkinson, Gibbs, Santos, Djorou).

The reshuffle worried me.  In an ideal world you’d bring on a like-for-like player, as it’s very difficult for a defender to reorientate himself during the game.  And so it proved just five minutes later, with Koscielny caught out of position, leaving Balotelli free on the left flank.  He skipped inside a cautious Song and fired in a shot with Szczesny parried.  Aguero was first to the ball and his header was poked in by David Silva.

At this stage, Arsenal threw caution to the wind a little earlier than was necessary, and were very nearly punished.  As men poured forward in search of an equaliser, City had several opportunities to extend their lead.  Fortunately, we were spared.  Samir Nasri, who had been afforded a rare start by City, made his major contribution to the game when he overhit a simple pass across goal, preventing Balotelli from tapping in to seal the game.  Bizarrely, the City PA announced him as Man of the Match towards the end of the game – a stupid, inflammatory decision which clearly had nothing to do with what had transpired on the pitch.

It was clear we had them rattled though.  A fierce Walcott drive was tipped over by Hart, and Robin van Persie chipped home, only to be flagged (correctly, but marginally) offside.  On another day Micah Richards’ handball might have been deemed purposeful, or Van Persie might have connected truer with Gervinho’s cut-back.

If you were to fault anything yesterday, it would have been the lack of convincing attacking options from the bench.  City were able to call on the likes of Edin Dzeko.  We, however, were forced to gamble with Arshavin and Chamakh, both of whom are woefully out of form.  There are increasingly fervent whispers that Arsene will look to strengthen the attack in January, with Thierry Henry one of the names most commonly-mentioned.  However, signings aside, one does have to question how long someone under performing as badly as Arshavin can prevent the exciting Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from superseding him in the pecking order.

In all honesty, our biggest goal threat after Robin van Persie probably came from Thomas Vermaelen.  The Belgian had headed on target in the first half, and late on he saw one side-footed effort from the edge of the box tipped over by Hart, before bending a thirty yard strike just outside the post.  Hart performed well on the day, but even he would have been unable to keep that effort out.

And so the day ended in defeat.  Arsenal now have to pick themselves up in time for Wednesday’s trip to Aston Villa, who surely can’t be as poor as they were in a lifeless defeat to Liverpool.  Alex Song will be suspended, but fortunately we will be able to rely on the sure-footed Mikel Arteta.  I thought the Spaniard was brilliant in Manchester: disciplined, intelligent, and composed.  The more one sees of him the more one wonders why Arsene waited so long before taking the plunge.

My overriding sense from the City game is that these sorts of occasion need hold no fear for us anymore.  The scars of Old Trafford were entirely invisible: this was an Arsenal side playing with belief and a sense of entitlement that they belong on this stage, at the top table of English football.  Between now and the end of the season, we need to pick up enough points to snatch fourth place and ensure we remain there.
 

Wigan 0 – 4 Arsenal: Vermaelen is a defender with a poacher’s instinct

101 comments December 5th, 2011

Gervinho celebrates his third Arsenal goal

Wigan 0 – 4 Arsenal

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

Arsenal are finally sharing the goals around…
Although Robin van Persie did grab his expected goal, he was joined by three other less familiar names on the scoresheet.  Gervinho, Arteta and Vermaelen are all players capable of lessening the burden on the Dutchman, and it’s fantastic to see them finally beginning to do so.  One only wishes that Park and Chamakh were capable of doing the same.

Thomas Vermaelen has a poacher’s instinct…
It’s remarkable that one of the players we’re looking at to take up some of the goalscoring burden is a centre-back.  But then, Thomas Vermaelen is a remarkable footballer.  Over his entire Arsenal career to date, he has a strike rate of almost a goal every four games.  One need only see that when Arteta’s long-range strike hits the net, it is the Belgian who is following up in case of any rebound.  The man simply loves a goal.  As Arsene commented after the game, “I still don’t know if he came to replace Toure or Adebayor”.

Gervinho’s goal was much more than a tap-in…
Admittedly, it was a simply finish – and one which the erratic Ivorian almost miscued – but in some respects this was a spectacular goal.  Excluding Ali Al-Habsi’s parry on Robin van Persie’s shot, this was a move that included a mammoth 33 passes.  Take a look:

WigvArs 33 passes by Vineeta_Nair

Admittedly, Wigan’s defending is poor, but our use of the ball is as good here as it has been all season. Promising indeed.

Theo Walcott is becoming a true team player…
His unselfish square for Van Persie spoke volumes, as did his obvious delight at getting an assist.  Walcott’s good form has been one of the highlights of our season thus far, and one only hopes he and Van Persie can remain fit enough for their fruitful relationship to continue.  Walcott has now assisted 11 goals for RVP – that’s as many as Dennis Bergkamp provided for Thierry Henry in their entire time at Arsenal.

Szczesny is part of a new core…
I expect by now you’ll have seen the clips of Wojciech Szczesny singing Arsenal songs at the top of his voice in the aftermath of Saturday’s game.  His love for the club is palpable, and along with the likes of Vermaelen, Wilshere, and Frimpong, he is helping to forge a new spirit in the squad.  These players seem to take genuine pride in representing Arsenal, as the treatment dished out by Frimpong towards deserter Samir Nasri shows.  It’s heartwarming stuff, but there’s a serious side to it too – it’s a sign of the kind of spirit you find at many trophy-winning teams.

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Arsenal fly to Greece later today for their dead rubber tie with Olympiacos.  I won’t be able to watch the game live, but I’ll hopefully provide some thoughts once I’ve caught up on Sky+.

Fulham thoughts & RIP Gary Speed

239 comments November 27th, 2011

I can’t be the only Arsenal fan struggling to find the will to dissect our 1-1 draw with Fulham today. Bill Shankly is often quoted as having said that football is more important than life or death. On the page, it’s easily forgotten that Shankly’s tongue was firmly in his cheek, and this morning affairs on the pitch paled in to insignificance with the news about the passing of Gary Speed.

Football is, as a sport, not just in mourning but in shock. Speed, 42, had everything going for him: a beautiful wife, a young family, and a burgeoning career as an international manager. As recently as Saturday he was a lively and engaged participant on the BBC’s Football Focus, and had been discussing plans for the immediate future with friends and colleagues. I won’t pretend to know anything about the circumstances which led to Speed taking his own life, but I would imagine that after a career spent in a world still characterised by ill-conceived ideas of ‘machismo’, the Welshman would be well practised in covering up any underlying mental health problems with which he may have been suffering. One hopes that if any good is to come from this horrible loss, it’s that the sport will begin to recognise this kind of illness and offer more support to individuals who are silently suffering. That said, speculation on what could have led to this tragic event is probably best avoided: the priority must be to allow his family to grieve with the privacy they deserve. Rest in peace, Gary Speed.

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As regards the Fulham game: a draw is never a disaster. After the run we’d had, we were due a little bit of ill-fortune, and we got it in the form of Thomas Vermaelen’s own goal. That said, there are very few things I enjoy more in football than a player who has put the ball in to his own net redeeming himself at the other end, and the fifty yard run Vermaelen made up the pitch to meet Theo Walcott’s cross was indicative of his desire to put things right.

We had other chances, and on balance should have won the game, but Fulham deserve enormous credit. They started with a very positive formation, with Clint Dempsey, Bryan Ruiz and Moussa Dembele all playing off the outstanding Bobby Zamora. Zamora gave Vermaelen a torrid time all afternoon: the Belgian tried his usual trick of attacking the ball early and nipping ahead of the striker, but Zamora’s upper body was consistently too strong and his touch too good.

A former Arsenal man at the back also warrants praise: Philippe Senderos looked a million miles from the Bambi-esque figure we saw in his latter days at Arsenal. After the injuries and setbacks he has suffered in his career, I can’t begrudge him a decent point on his return to the Emirates.

For our part, we looked a little tired playing our third game in seven days. The likes of Danny Murphy were given a little too long on the ball in midfield, and our first-half attacks lacked urgency. Andrey Arshavin had been afforded a rare start ahead of Gervinho, and seems to have taken a lot of flak for his performance. I have to say that by his (admittedly low) recent standards, this was a decent display – he was involved with much of our positive work, and scored a goal when marginally offside. His tendency to drift in to the centre, however, meant we did not stretch the play as much as we were able to when Gervinho was introduced.

On the other flank, Theo Walcott was again outstanding. His continued good performances lead me to believe that an injury must be right around the corner.
A draw wasn’t ideal, but it’s no nightmare, and keeps our unbeaten run going. And, much as you might feel aggrieved, there are simply more important things to reflect on today.

“RVP doesn’t have the electrifying pace of Henry, or the brute strength of Shearer. He is a pure footballer.”

375 comments November 21st, 2011

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

For the second time in consecutive away games, Arsenal came from behind to take all three points.  Carrow Road isn’t quite Stamford Bridge, but the significance of that achievement cannot be underestimated.  A previous Arsenal side might have crumbled when Per Mertesacker’s clanger gifted Norwich the lead against the run of play.  A previous Arsenal side might have consigned it to being “one of those days” when they saw good chances come and go.  In the game’s dying moments, they might have naively overcommitted chasing a third goal, or wilted after the introduction of the bullish Grant Holt.

Not this incarnation.  The XI players on the field at full-time had an average age of almost 26: this is a more mature outfit, with players more psychologically prepared for the rigours of Premier League football.  It seems that finally Arsene’s boasts of “mental strength” might actually have some substance.

“Physical strength” was more the problem for Per Mertesacker in the early stages.  Steve Morison is one of the Premier League’s more agricultural strikers, and as such was always likely to prove a test for the German.  That said, the main issue with the opening goal was a moment of hesitation.  With the ball bouncing beyond him, it looked as if Mertesacker was waiting for a call from Szczesny.  When that didn’t come, he attempted the clearance – but by that time, it was too late: Morison has stolen the ball and given Norwich the lead.  It was a rick, certainly, but in my opinion he is good enough to learn from it.

By that time Arsenal should already have been a couple of goals to the good.  If there was one area in which you’d criticise the team’s performance, it was in their erratic finishing.  The Ivorian Gervinho, for whom the epithet ‘erratic’ might have been specially invented, was particularly guilty.  Indeed, even our equalising goal spared his blushes.  Theo Walcott, who was absolutely outstanding on the right wing, skipped past his man and fired in a great low cross which Gervinho attempted to back-flick in to the net.  Instead, he managed to miss the ball entirely.  Fortunately, Robin van Persie was on hand to stab in to the empty net.

It’s no surprise that Van Persie went on to grab the winner too.  When Song and Arteta won the ball back in midfield, the Cameroon midfielder embarked on a sprint towards goal with the ball at his feet.  Ahead of him, he had two options: Gervinho, central and devoid of any marking, and Robin, stationed wider and on his weaker right-foot.  Song, in his wisdom, opted for Van Persie, and the Dutchman’s subsequent finish was masterful, clipping the ball delightfully over the advancing Ruddy with his supposed ‘chocolate leg’.

It was his fifteenth goal of the season.  In the calendar year of 2011, he has now scored 31 goals in 29 league games.  In the history of the Premier League, only Alan Shearer (36) and Thierry Henry (34) have managed more.  It is an extraordinary run, and one that surely confirms his place as one of Europe’s greatest strikers.  What’s particularly fascinating is that he doesn’t have the electrifying pace of Henry, or the brute strength of Shearer.  He is a pure footballer, and it is a combination of intelligent movement, breathtaking technique, and devastating finishing that is seeing him ascend these heights.

The feats of Messi and Ronaldo have made this kind of goal ratio seem less out of the ordinary.  But this kind of stat (1.07 goals p/game) simply hasn’t been achieved over such a long spell in English football before.  He owes something to the work of his team-mates, undoubtedly – Theo Walcott, in particular – but it’s clear Robin is the star turn in this Arsenal side.  Worrying about contracts and what might happen in twelve or twenty-four months seems to me to be an unnecessary distraction from watching a world class performer at the peak of his powers.

I couldn’t possibly let the weekend pass without some comment on Arsene Wenger’s interview with L’Equipe.  You can read the full transcript here, and I suggest that you do just that.  Arsene says he’ll review his position at the end of the season, but I suspect every vaguely ethical manager at every top club will do just the same.  Whatever your views on the disaster that was the summer, the way he has steadied the ship has been mightily impressive – helped, in now small part, by a Dutchman who is, like Davy Jones’ ship, Flying.

Arsenal 3 – 0 WBA: Arsenal are boinging back

232 comments November 6th, 2011

Thomas Vermaelen celebrates his first goal of the season

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

The most immediate way in which to convey the ease with which Arsenal dispatched West Brom in this game is to the tell you that, in the second half, the man sat next to me began doing his Sudoku.  Furthermore, from the looks of thing, he had a good deal more trouble solving his logical based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle than Arsenal did in unpicking a W.B.A. side in abject form.

Arsenal started with a very strong team, reintroducing Robin van Persie at the expense of Park Chu-Young.  Expecting the pacy Odemwingie to start, Arsene opted for Koscienly and Vermaelen at the back, with Per Mertesacker afforded a rare rest.  As it happened, Odemwingie was nowhere to be seen – and neither was any real attacking threat from Roy Hodgson’s side.

When we took the lead, it was no surprise Aaron Ramsey was the heart of it.  I was quite critical of him in the early part of the season, but he seems to have found his rhythm and an eye-catching, defence-splitting pass released Theo Walcott on the right.  When his shot was saved by Ben Foster, it fell kindly to Robin van Persie to tuck home his 13th goal of the season, and eighth in his last four league games.

Before half-time we had doubled the lead.  Again, Robin van Persie was at the heart of it.  When he cut the ball back from the byline, it evaded Gervinho and Thomas Vermaelen, on one of his many forays forward, arrived to fire home.  The goal was just desserts for an excellent performance from the Belgian.  His urgency and willingness to get tight and win the ball early enables us to get it back quicker.  The fact he’s then able to stride forward and help take part in the attack is an added bonus.

In the first half, we had 71% of possession.  West Brom, conversely, had not yet managed a shot.  Vermaelen was a more potent attacking threat than anyone in the Baggies’ line-up.  The second half was similarly one-sided, though probably less eventful – hence the introduction of a Japanese puzzle-game by my disgruntled neighbour.  Vermaelen and Van Persie both had chances to extend their tallies, with the Belgian heading just wide and RVP firing over from Walcott’s cut-back.

A series of substitutions saw Arsenal’s style change – the pace and power of Ramsey, Walcott, and Gervinho was replaced by the tippy-tappy technicians: Rosicky, Benayoun and Arshavin.  It was again Van Persie who made the biggest contribution to the build-up, turning in midfield, playing a one two with Rosicky, charging in to the area and laying the ball off for Mikel Arteta to sidefoot home from the edge of the area.  The Spaniard’s goal capped an impressive display – some have been a little underwhelmed by his start at Arsenal, but it’s clear to me that he’s deliberately playing a more cautious, defensive game than he’d like.  Hopefully as we become more secure, he’ll be able to get forward more and express himself – the composed finish showed that he certainly has plenty still to offer.

Arsenal eased off in the remaining minutes, but crucially did manage to keep a second consecutive clean-sheet – an important achievement after the defensive horror show at Stamford Bridge.  Andre Santos had the expected heart-in-mouth moments, but was still good on the ball.  In the first half alone, this guy produced two 360 degree pirouettes.  That’s my kind of defender.  On the other flank, Carl Jenkinson looked a million miles away from the player so cruelly exposed at Old Trafford.  His response has been emphatic and impressive, and he’s clearly by far the best crosser of the ball at the club.

This victory avenged the 3-2 defeat in the same fixture last year, and moved us level on points with Liverpool – a team some pundits probably thought would have disappeared over our horizons by now.  We’ve got a couple of weeks off now.  Keep saying those prayers and let’s hope everyone returns from international duty in good health.