Another goal fest at Reading!

Reading 2-5 Arsenal

Following the humiliation against Bradford City in the League Cup, Arsenal returned to winning ways yesterday with a performance which contained the movement, innovation and hunger that has so often been lacking this season.

The slow, abject, sideways passes which have blighted so many Gunners performances of late were not present last night, as Arsenal strode forward, purposefully, time and time again, often switching the ball from side to side, out manoeuvring the Reading midfield and defence. At times it was like watching Arsenal of old, as they passed the ball around the opposition before making incisive forward runs, creating more angles in which to receive the ball once more. As a result, the side that has so struggled to create genuine goal scoring opportunities this season, were able to forge chance after chance, and had it not been for the excellent Adam Federici in the Reading goal, Arsenal could well have recorded double figures.

While the Gunners were excellent, particularly in the first half, Reading really played into their hands. So many teams this season have enjoyed success against Arsenal by ensuring they are well organised in midfield and defence, pressing the ball high up the field, particularly as soon as it is played into the Gunners midfield. Such tactics have resulted in Arsenal quickly running out of ideas as the midfield becomes congested and the likes of Cazorla have subsequently struggled to impose themselves on the game. With players not exactly renowned for their passing ability, such as Mertesacker, enjoying a great deal of possession, it is no surprise that Arsenal’s play this season has so often appeared excruciatingly slow and ponderous.

During yesterday’s game however, Reading did not apply any of these tactics in an attempt to stifle the Gunners attack. There was no pressure on the ball whenever it was played into the midfield, allowing Arteta, Wilshere and Cazorla far too much time and space to turn and pick out a forward pass. Consequently it was no surprise to see Cazorla pulling the strings for Arsenal, with his delicately measured passes tearing Reading’s defence apart. With the space afforded to the Gunners midfield three, Podolski and Oxlade-Chamberlain (deployed on the wings) did not have to cut inside to help their team mates win the midfield battle and so were able to stay out wide, stretching the game and creating more space. Furthermore, as Reading were not able to offer any real resistance in midfield, Wilshere and in particular Cazorla were able to gamble on numerous occasions, with surging forward runs into the box to support the attack.

It is this feature of Arsenal’s play last night which all Gunners supporters will hope to see on a more regular basis. Far too often, when a ball is crossed in, there will only be one Arsenal player in the box. Last night however, there were four or five players fighting to get on the end of a crossed ball and in fact the Gunners first four goals all came from crosses.

The first, on 14 minutes, owed much to the neat interplay between Podolski and Gibbs on the left wing. The German international laid the ball off to Gibbs and then surged into the box to collect the Englishman’s cross. Podolski exquisitely controlled the ball, with his weaker right foot before firing past Federici. Having poked Arsenal ahead, Podolski soon turned provider as his inch perfect cross in the 32^nd minute was met with a wonderfully acrobatic header from the smallest player on the field, Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard couldn’t hide his disbelief at having scored with a header and as he celebrated, repeatedly indicated to his teammates that the telling touch had come from his forehead. Arsenal were completely in control of the game at this stage and only three minutes later increased their lead further. Wilshere played the ball forward to Walcott on the edge of the box and the Englishman was allowed space to send a cross to the back post for Gibbs to head back into the path of Cazorla, who applied the finish to give Arsenal a three goal lead. In a measure of just how many Arsenal players were prepared to get into the box, had the Spaniard not made contact with the ball, Oxlade-Chamberlain was standing right behind him, ready to pounce.  

Having produced their best first half performance of the season so far, the Gunners did not reach the same heights in the second half and noticeably dropped their levels of concentration once they had scored a fourth in the 60^th minute. As with their second goal, Lukas Podolski was once again the provider for Cazorla. Wilshere’s perfectly weighted pass sent the German clear on the edge of the box, to roll the ball across the penalty area for the Spaniard to complete a well-deserved hat trick. Although Reading did give him plenty of time and space, Cazorla was simply exceptional yesterday. He is a player who possesses all the technique and skill one could possibly hope for and his supporting forward runs into the box were so successful, they could well become a feature of Arsenal’s play throughout the rest of the season.

The Gunners did not enjoy their four goal advantage for long, as six minutes later; Adam Le Fondre reduced the deficit. Following Cazorla’s third strike, Arsenal had become somewhat overconfident and sloppy in possession, traits which are quickly punished in the Premier League no matter who the opposition are. Gibbs’ poor pass to Wilshere was easily cut out and the English midfielder slipped as he tried to recover his position. The ball was played through to Le Fondre who duly rounded Szczesny to make the score 1-4. At this stage however the goal was merely seen as a consolation and nothing for the away side to really worry about. Yet five minutes later and the deficit was further reduced following a worrying display of static Arsenal defending. The Gunners back line was far too slow to react to a through ball to Jimmy Kebe and the Reading man slotted the ball into the back of the net. Having watched Arsenal squander leads all too frequently in the last few seasons, the Gunners faithful were beginning to fret that history was about to repeat itself and Wenger admitted afterwards he could imagine the impending headlines.

However Arsenal soon recovered their composure and took control of the game once more thanks to their superior passing game. With 10 minutes left, any potential catastrophic collapse was averted once and for all. Hat trick hero Cazorla played a pass into Walcott, who quickly switched the ball from right to left before slotting a low shot beyond Federici. The Englishman had finally been granted his wish to play upfront and although he was greatly helped by the midfield’s excellent support play, Walcott produced a very positive performance. With his incredible speed, he is always a threat in behind the opposition’s defence, resulting in them naturally having to sit a little deeper for fear of being caught out by a simple chipped ball over the top. Walcott’s presence up front may just explain Reading’s reluctance to play a high pressing game and so the option of deploying him in this position could also become a feature of Arsenal’s game plan in the future. The challenge for Walcott will be can he also do it against the big teams.

Following a harrowing few weeks, Arsene Wenger will be extremely content with not just the result, but also the performance last night. The Gunners first half showing in particular was sensational at times, but must be viewed with a hint of caution. This was a Reading side who sit bottom of the Premier League having recorded only one victory and played right into Arsenal’s hands. But at the same time you can only beat the side in front of you and the players must use this result as a springboard from which to build upon and go on a consistent run, picking up positive results to re-launch their season.