More injuries and dropped points

Norwich 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal dropped points from a winning position for the second successive game on Sunday as they drew against Norwich.

This was a game which was very similar to that against West Brom the week before.

Once again the Gunners completed the difficult task of keeping the crowd quiet and restricting the home side to any chances before taking the lead. But again they threw it away by taking their foot off the pedal once they had taken the lead. This is the frustrating aspect of this Arsenal side. So often they talk a good game in the lead up to the match, declaring that they have learnt their lesson, only to repeat the same mistakes once again during the game.

For the opening thirty minutes the Gunners were in complete control. They had the majority of the possession and their passing and movement off the ball was causing Norwich numerous problems. There was a hunger to their play too and it was this desire that led to the opening goal. John Ruddy’s poor clearance was seized upon by Alexis who immediately picked out Ozil with a perfectly weighted through ball. As Ruddy rushed off his line in an attempt to atone for his error, Ozil calmly clipped the ball over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net to give the Gunners the lead.

This was the time for Arsenal to firmly stamp their authority on the game and press home their advantage, but they didn’t do this and suffered as a result. Suddenly the slick passing and movement game that had served them so well, stopped and Norwich came into the game. With the match approaching half time the Gunners just had to hold on until the break and regroup, but couldn’t do it. Brady was starting to become more and more influential on the match and Arsenal didn’t seem capable of doing anything to stop him. The Irishman had an effort from outside the box saved by Cech before cutting inside from the right flank and sliding a pass into Grabban in the box. The Norwich striker was being marked by Gabriel, on for the injured Koscielny, and the Brazilian didn’t cover himself in any glory. His positioning was poor as he was caught on the wrong side of Grabban and couldn’t get a challenge in. As a result, the Norwich striker had the time to control the ball and take a touch before prodding an effort underneath Cech to restore parity.

Norwich were now right back in the game and in more echoes of the previous week’s match, they could have also taken the lead as Wes Hoolahan saw his close range half volley fly over the bar when he was completely unmarked at the back post.

The second half was now going to be a real struggle and Arsenal didn’t rise to the challenge at all. They struggled to create any real goal scoring opportunities and with Alexis succumbing to injury never looked like scoring. Arsene Wenger bristled at the suggestion that he should have rested his side’s talisman in the post match press conference, but it had been clear for a while that Alexis was in need of a rest and Wenger had essentially been playing with fire by continuing to play him week in week out. The Chilean appeared to pull up with a hamstring injury and therefore can be expected to be out for a number of weeks, further denting the Gunners hopes.

Olivier Giroud was once again pitiful up front but at least on this occasion he could also blame the lack of service. Both Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin supported the attack well with their overlapping runs, but their delivery was absolutely terrible. Time and time again they would get into the position to launch a cross into the box, but would just see their crosses headed away by the Norwich defence. The fact that Arsenal’s attacking midfielders weren’t making runs into the box to support the attack didn’t help matters either and the game was effectively allowed to drift away.

Arsenal have now only claimed 2 points from their last 3 games as they once again suffered a November to forget. While their form is worrying, the injury list is fast becoming ridiculous. Already with several players out on the sidelines, the Gunners could ill afford to lose more but that is exactly what happened. Having welcomed Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain back, it is now Koscileny, Cazorla and Alexis who are the latest visitors to the overcrowded treatment room as injuries once again undermine Arsenal’s season. The fact that the Gunners were extremely poor at the beginning of the season, when Alexis did not start, should really worry the fans. Without him the Gunners are toothless up front as Giroud is not playing well at all.

At least Arsenal now have a week before their next game at home to Sunderland, however this will also be a very difficult game. With Sam Allardyce in charge, the black cats will surely arrive at the Emirates with the intent to sit back and frustrate the Gunners. Consequently Arsenal will need their creative players in order to open up the defence, but potentially starting the game without Cazorla and the threat of Sanchez, Arsenal will struggle.

Yet despite the gloom, Arsene Wenger’s side are still only 2 points off the top of the table, which is surprising given their recent poor run of form. However while they can take solace from this fact, Arsenal need to improve as soon as possible. How they can do this with so many influential players out injured is a question only Wenger can answer. There are several theories doing the rounds as an explanation is sought for the Gunners perennial injury woes and we may never find the true cause, but it cannot be brushed aside as mere bad luck as Arsenal simply will not win the league with so many players out.