Gunners fail to score again

Stoke 0-0 Arsenal

Another game and yet another goal-less draw on Sunday, provided the football pundits with yet another opportunity to compare Arsenal’s new strikers with Robin Van Persie and castigate them for not being in the same class.

Olivier Giroud started his first game in an Arsenal shirt as the lone man up front, battling for the entire 90 minutes against Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth. More often than not, the Frenchman won his headers against Stoke’s centre halves, holding the ball up well and laying it off to his new team mates, enabling them to join the attack. However he did not have any clear chances to test Begovic in the Stoke goal and as the game wore on, he visibly became frustrated with the constant pulling and pushing taking place, with the referee never once awarding a free kick in Giroud’s favour. Yet with a few minutes of the game left, Giroud saw Begovic off his line and had the skill and vision to attempt to lob the goalkeeper from an extremely difficult angle. Unfortunately his effort just clipped the top of the net, but the fact he even attempted such an audacious effort, shows he is brimming with confidence at his new club and suggests there is plenty more to come from Arsenal’s new number 12.

Lukas Podolski started the game on the left hand side of the Gunners attacking three and repeatedly cut inside to receive the ball and embark on forward runs. This tactic caused Stoke several problems in the first half in particular as they found it difficult to pick up the German and the space he had vacated on the left allowed Kieran Gibbs to also foray forward, on one occasion Gibbs’ cross across the face of goal just needed a touch to hit the back of the net, but unfortunately was just too high and sailed harmlessly across the goal. In the second half Podolski’s influence on the game diminished (he appears to be one of those players who tends to drift in and out of games but always remains a threat nonetheless) and it was no real surprise to see him substituted in favour of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s fresh legs.

Despite improved performances from the Gunners’ new strikers, the star of the show was once again Santi Cazorla. His first touch, skill and technique are simply exquisite and playing in between midfield and attack he is a nightmare for opposition defenders as they are never sure whether to go tight to him, from which he can easily wriggle free, or to sit back and allow him the opportunity to shoot, which in the first half against Stoke forced Begovic into a fine save. In his first two games at the club he has already become the fulcrum for Arsenal’s attacks, as his colleagues can pass the ball to him, safe in the knowledge that more often than not he will control the ball instantly and retain possession. This confidence spreads throughout the team and enables them to make positive forward runs once the ball has been laid into Cazorla’s path. In time this will have the effect of increasing the speed at which Arsenal attack and hopefully see a sharp decline in the sideways passing which blights our game at present.

Exceptional talent: Santi Cazorla

 

The Spaniard’s ability to pick out a through ball is second to none in this team; however the telepathic understanding between the three new signings, which can only be achieved by playing more and more together, is obviously still not there at this early stage. It is this which unfortunately let the side down on Sunday as on several occasions, Cazorla would try to play the ball through to Giroud but it appeared as though the Frenchman wasn’t expecting the pass so soon and so caught by surprise, he was a fraction off the pace, allowing the Stoke defenders to nip in and clear the danger. Consequently, although Arsenal dominated possession, they did not create many chances and were often reduced to taking pot shots from outside the box, which did not trouble Begovic at all. But again this understanding will develop in time and I am confident that Arsenal fans can look forward to celebrating plenty of goals in the near future.



Hard work paying off: Steve Bould

With this in mind, it was also notable that the Gunners’ defensive performance against Stoke’s aerial bombardment was exceptional. At a ground in which they have often been bullied into horrendous defensive mistakes in the past, Arsenal’s defence was extremely well organised and disciplined. The fact the home side didn’t trouble Vito Mannone at all, is testament to the hard work Steve Bould has done on the training ground, to shore up a defence which leaked a whopping 49 goals last season. This new found focus on defending and defensive positioning has also had an effect on the attacking side of the Gunners’ game as at present they are more tentative in making forward runs, (Carl Jenkinson in particular appears to have curbed his attacking instincts of late). There is a fine balance between attack and defence, which again will be fine tuned over time as the players become more and more comfortable and confident in their new roles. If Arsenal can continue in this vein then they will become extremely difficult to beat and will always have a chance of taking all three points from any game.

Although another nil-nil draw meant we had to listen to the football pundits spouting last week’s recycled drivel once again, there were plenty of positives to take from this performance and all bodes well for the near future. I would like to see the club sign another striker, because on Sunday, with both Podolski and Giroud on the pitch, Wenger didn’t have another forward option on the bench who could potentially nick a goal and change the game. However if Wenger can sign a defensive midfielder and a defender before the transfer window slams shut, this team clearly has the potential to actually go a long way this season.