Victory followed by disappointment

Arsenal 4-1 Norwich

Arsenal 1-2 Dortmund

Arsenal continued their recent fine run of form in the Premier League on Saturday with an accomplished 4-1 victory against Norwich, before suffering the disappointment of defeat in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund.

At times against Norwich, the Gunners produced an exhilarating display of decisive attacking football, which would have been difficult for any side to live with. The first goal in particular, which was later described by Arsene Wenger as one of the best team goals he has ever presided over, showcased just how this team can cut through the opposition  defence, like a hot knife through butter. Wilshere laid the ball into the path of Cazorla, who in turn passed forward to Giroud. The Frenchman’s attempted through ball to Wilshere was blocked however, with the ball falling back to Giroud, who in a moment of great improvisation, flicked a perfectly weighted pass, with the outside of his foot, straight to Wilshere for the Englishman to calmly pass the ball into the back of the net.

However, although the Gunners appeared to be in complete control of the game, they struggled once Flamini departed towards the end of the first half with concussion, following a typically full blooded challenge from the Frenchman. Flamini’s influence simply cannot be underestimated as he sits in front of the back four, offering a defensive shield as well as providing a vocal influence amongst the team and marshalling his teammates when the Gunners don’t have the ball. As a result, Flamini has been as influential as anyone in transforming Arsenal’s season following the first day defeat against Aston Villa. With the Frenchman no longer in the game, Norwich began to enjoy more possession and started to grow into the match as the first half came to a close with Leroy Fer forcing Szczesny into a fine save.

This trend also continued early in the second half, but the Gunners caught the visitors with a sucker punch in the 58^th minute as a swift and incisive counter attack led to Arsenal doubling their lead. Ramsey surged forward before playing the ball to Cazorla, who in turn fed Giroud. The Frenchman’s cross found the onrushing Ozil in the box and the German nodded the ball into the far corner to give Arsenal a two goal lead.

Yet Norwich were not dispirited by the concession of a second goal and continued to push forward in an attempt to reduce the deficit. In the 70^th minute they were duly rewarded as poor defending from Kieran Gibbs, allowed Jonathan Howson to get a run on him before firing a low shot past Szezesny to make the Emirates crowd nervous once again.

However they need not have worried, with Niklas Bendtner’s introduction changing the flow of the game in the direction of the Gunners once more. In fact the big Dane could have scored himself with a powerful drive towards the near post, but was thwarted by John Ruddy. Then with seven minutes left, Aaron Ramsey produced a moment of sheer magic to secure all three points for the Gunners. The Welshman was picked out inside a congested penalty area, but Ramsey made light of this. He feinted to shoot once and then twice to create some space for himself before burying a shot past Ruddy to make the score 3-1. It was a wonderful goal from a man in the form of his life.

Arsenal still had time for a fourth, with Ozil grabbing his second of the game in the 88^th minute. Thomas Rosciky’s sumptuous cross found Ramsey at the back post and the Welshman unselfishly laid the ball back to Ozil for a simple tap in to cap a wonderful day for the Gunners as they moved two points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

The joy of victory on Saturday unfortunately turned into the despair of defeat on Tuesday night as Dortmund secured all three points against the Gunners. In similar fashion to Saturday’s game against Norwich, Arsenal felt the loss of Flamini’s destructive influence, particularly in the first half as the Gunners struggled to gain a foothold in the game, with Dortmund pressing their opponents high up the pitch. Flamini has become a regular option for the central defenders to pass the ball into him and the Frenchman has aided the smooth transition of possession from defence to midfield. However on Tuesday night, far too often, there was no out ball option for the central defenders and as a result, they ended up passing the ball amongst themselves, posing no threat whatsoever to Dortmund.

With the Arsenal midfield struggling to get into the game, attacking midfielders such as Ozil and Ramsey were forced to drop back deeper and deeper in search of the ball, however once they had possession, they were too far inside their own half to be able to affect the Arsenal attack and therefore, their threat was largely nullified.

It was no surprise therefore, that the visitors settled into the game almost immediately and took the lead as early as the 16^th minute. Aaron Ramsey, maybe in a sign of overconfidence, tried to dribble his way out of trouble when surrounded by Dortmund players, just outside the Arsenal penalty area. However, the Welshman was robbed of possession by Marco Reus and the Gunners were immediately in trouble. Lewandowski played the ball into the path of Mkhitaryan, whose clever shot sent Szczesny the wrong way to give the visitors the lead. However, although Dortmund were in control of the game, they were not creating chances at will and Arsenal were very much still in the match.

The Gunners gradually began to assert themselves and in the 37^th minute had their best opportunity of the game through Thomas Rosicky. As Giroud’s cross was cleared by the Dortmund defence, the ball fell straight to the Czech international, whose powerful shot from the edge of area beat the goalkeeper and was destined for the bottom corner but was unfortunately cleared off the line by Hummels.

Yet Arsenal did not have to wait too long to restore parity, as two minutes later, a cross from Sagna wrought confusion amongst the Dortmund defence.  Neven Subotic’s outstretched leg clipped the ball onto the advancing Weidenfeller, and the ball looped over the Dortmund goalkeeper and straight to the grateful Giroud who, with an open goal, simply couldn’t miss.

The Gunners continued to gain momentum in the second half, especially following the introduction of Cazorla for Wilshere. As the game wore on, it was Arsenal who were now in control, with the Gunners midfield winning the battle for supremacy in the middle of the park. Although there were few clear-cut chances the Gunners almost took a deserved lead in the 60^th minute as Cazorla’s wonderful curling effort struck the bar, following great interplay between Ramsey and Ozil. As the match entered the final ten minutes, it appeared as though Arsenal were the more likely to score a second goal. However a vital drop in concentration cost the Gunners the game as they were caught out by a Dortmund sucker punch. The visitors broke on the counter attack as Grosskreutz overlapped down the right flank and his deep cross was volleyed home by the completely unmarked Lewandowski at the back post, with Sagna nowhere to be found.

Much will be made of the fact that Arsenal lost their first match against a truly world class team. But the Gunners can take great heart from the way they forced themselves back into the game. In previous seasons, against a side who were so in control in the first half, Arsenal would have crumbled, conceded two or three goals and meekly accepted defeat. Yet this side dug deep and found a way to overcome their opponents, gaining a foothold in the midfield and dominated the game throughout the second half. Yes that crucial lapse in concentration will hurt and had Flamini been on the pitch, barking orders at his teammates, ensuring their defensive duties were not ignored, Arsenal may well have secured a draw or even gone on to the win the game. Wenger must now rouse his troops for a crucial month ahead. The team’s reaction to this loss is crucial as the manager simply cannot allow the disappointment of this defeat to define Arsenal’s season.