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:
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+.
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.
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.
On the eve of their tie with Marseille, Arsenal announced some fantastic news: Thomas Vermaelen has signed a long-term deal with the club. Â Perhaps mindful of the debt he owes the club after missing the best part of a year with an assortment of injuries, he has become the first of a group of players involved in negotiations – Song, Walcott, Van Persie, Arshavin – to actually put pen to paper.
Vermaelen said:
“I am really happy to have signed a new contract with Arsenal. I always had the intention to stay here. I feel there is a big belief in me from the Club, from the boss and from the fans and that is one of the reasons why I stayed. Arsenal is a fantastic Club. We have great supporters, we’re doing well financially and we are playing with some quality young players now and they will develop, which is very good for the future.â€
The vice-captain signing on will hopefully encourage some of the others to do the same, though Van Persie’s age and status mean he will want to delay any decision as long as possible.
“For me, we have a strong central defence now. Mertesacker is an outstanding player, Koscielny will be an outstanding player – he is slowly getting there – and there is Djourou, Squillaci and Vermaelen.
So this is good news for us. It closes speculation about centre back positions, we have four or five now and that should be enough.”
I can’t be alone in being eager to get Vermaelen back and alongside Per Mertesacker. Â They seem to me to be a natural partnership, and one that could provide us with a solid base for years to come. Â Assuming, that is, that they stay fit…
From what I understand Vermaelen has a chance of being fit in time for our game at Stamford Bridge next weekend. Â Tonight, it will be Laurent Koscielny who continues alongside the big German. Â Arsene has said no players will be rested tonight, so the rest of the team picks itself. Â Carl Jenkinson will continue at right-back, whilst Andre Santos will come in for the injured Kieran Gibbs. Â Santos made a good impact as a substitute on Sunday, so I’m not worried about bringing him in to the team.
The central trio of Song, Arteta and Ramsey should be restored with the Welshman available once again. Â Ahead of that, their could be a little rotation. Â Van Persie will play through the middle, but it’s possible Andrey Arshavin or Tomas Rosicky could be deployed in one of the wide roles ahead of Gervinho or Walcott. Â There’s been a fair bit of talk in the French press about how Gervinho has not yet looked the player he did at Lille; hopefully returning to French soil will encourage him to accelerate his adaptation.
Marseille have had a similarly slow start to their season as us, but they’ve got some exciting players – including playmaker Lucho Gonzalez, who was the subject of a bid from Arsenal shortly before the transfer deadline. Â Our group seems to be taking shape with three major players – ourselves, Marseille and Dortmund – so the outcome of tonight’s game will be crucial in determining final league positions.
You can read more of my thoughts on the Marseille game over on Arsenal.com. Â Oooooh, get me.
Right, better get back to work. Come On You Gunners.
After transfer deadline day, the mood among Arsenal fans was surprisingly positive considering our domestic results thus far. A fistful of new signings offered the opportunity of a fresh start. The honeymoon, however, has not lasted long. If there was anything likely to puncture the morale of the supporters, it was injuries.
Surprisingly enough, the worst news has not come from participants in the dreaded interlull. Although both Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott missed their respective games last night with minor muscle strains, they’re not expected to be major doubts for Saturday. The worst news has come from two players who stayed at home with what we had believed to be relatively minor problems. Turns out, in true Arsenal fashion, they’re much worse than we feared. On Monday it was confirmed that Jack Wilshere will miss at least two months, and then yesterday Arsenal revealed that Thomas Vermaelen had undergone an operation which means he will miss at least a month of training. His likely return date is the home game with Sunderland on October 16th, meaning he’ll miss Champions League ties with Dortmund and Olympiacos as well as the North London Derby.
The news casts a slightly different light on our transfer activity – the staff would have been well aware of these injuries when negotiating for the likes of Mertesacker and Arteta – and means those players will immediately become integral to the side. The big German wore the captain’s armband for Germany last night (in a game in which Wojciech Szczesny was outstanding for Poland), and should be ready to go straight in to the team on Saturday alongside Laurent Koscielny.
In midfield, Alex Song will still be suspended, so Mikel Arteta should start alongside Emmanuel Frimpong and Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey was named Man of the Match in Wales 1-0 defeat at Wembley last night, and gave a commanding midfield performance as captain. With the departure of Cesc and Nasri on top of Wilshere’s injury, it’s clearly a huge season for Aaron. I don’t doubt his talent, but sometimes he seems to try too hard, playing 50-yard Hollywood passes when a simple ball is on. It’s easy to forget what a fantastic recovery he’s made from his broken leg, and perhaps he’s just a little over-eager to make up for lost time. If he can start to use the ball more maturely that will be a big step along the road back to where he was just prior to his injury.
Frimpong, meanwhile, has once again declared his intention to play for Ghana. Selfishly, I’d like him to play for England: a) because it means we won’t lose him for African Nations football, and b) because I’m an England fan! That said, he was born in Accra and his Ghanaian heritage clearly means an enormous amount to him, so best of luck to him. There are African Nations tournaments in January 2012 AND 2013 – the only consolation being that Cameroon are unlikely to qualify for this season’s tournament, meaning we won’t be entirely bereft of defensive midfielders.
Upfront, there’s a slim possibility of a debut for Park, who has scored again for Korea – that’s now four in his last two games. It’s clear he’s a decent technical finisher, and in a team like ours he’s certain to get chances. I actually think that at the end of the season we may look back on his signing as something of a bargain.
We may also witness a home debut for teenage flyer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The teenager has been in superb form over the International break with England U-21s, with this cameo against Israel particularly impressive, setting up all four England goals:
It sounds like he made a decent impression off the pitch too, when the squad decided to have an ‘X-Factor night’ bonding session. The Daily Mail claims:
“Arsenal’s man-of-the-moment Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – according to observers – ‘brought the house down’ when impersonating Will Smith by rapping the theme tune to his old comedy series, the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.“
On a serious note, he looks a hell of a talent: quick, powerful with an eye for a pass. We shouldn’t let any disappointment that bigger names didn’t arrive cloud the fact we’ve signed a hugely promising youngster here.
We’re slightly fortunate that the injuries to Wilshere and Vermaelen come at a time when the fixture list is a little less daunting than it has been until now. In September we have home games with Swansea, Shrewsbury, Bolton and Olympiacos, as well as trips to Dortmund and Blackburn. In that period we are able to welcome back Song and Gervinho from suspension, as well as adding five new signings in to the mix. It is no exaggeration to say that, with our new look squad, all those games are winnable. What a different season it would look then.
Come on Gunners. Let’s turn this around. Starting on Saturday.
