10 goal thriller at the Emirates!

Arsenal 7-3 Newcastle

Arsenal were yesterday once again involved in a mad cap game which saw them take the lead three times, subsequently relinquish their advantage on each occasion, before scoring four goals in the last seventeen minutes to seal a remarkable 7-3 victory.

Theo Walcott started the match as the lone man up front for the third successive game and the young Englishman did not disappoint, as he bagged himself a hat trick and an assist to take his tally to four goals in three games since being switched to his favoured attacking role. As Walcott’s third strike hit the back of the net last night, the response from the home crowd was to immediately demand: “Wenger sign him up!” With Walcott enjoying his most productive season in an Arsenal shirt and displaying a clinical eye for goal, it has now become imperative for the future success of this to club, to persuade Walcott that his future lies with the Gunners. It is a fantastic turn around for a man whose capacity to perform at the highest level was still being questioned only last summer. Had Arsenal decided to cut their losses at that stage and sold him, not many Gunners fans would have been up in arms. Less than six months later and not only has Walcott proven those who doubted his ability to play on his own upfront, wrong, he has also  become a pivotal figure for this side. His searing pace is simply devastating when deployed through the middle of the park, while his finishing at times is reminiscent of the great Thierry Henry and he seems to now have the confidence to attack the opposition’s defence with real purpose.  Much now rests on his contract situation. Should Walcott decide to leave for pastures new, Arsenal will simply be derided once more for being merely a selling club. However if the board are able to convince him to sign a new contract with the club, this would arrest the recent trend which has seen the Gunners lose their top players year after year and provide both the team and the fans with a much needed lift and new positive outlook.

Walcott took only 20 minutes to get his name on the score sheet yesterday. Having been released by a fantastic pass from Lukas Podolski, Walcott, who had timed his run perfectly to beat the high Newcastle defensive line, raced through on goal. Santi Cazorla was in the box to support the Englishman and although Walcott did have a look across as he bore down on goal, he decided not to lay the ball square, but to open up his body and guide the ball with pin-point precision, ala Henry, past Tim Krul and into the bottom corner of the net. It was a truly clinical and exceptional finish.

The Arsenal faithful were expecting the home side to push on and build on their lead, but as so often happens with Wenger’s side, once they had taken the advantage, they inexplicably began to sit back. For a side who are not the exactly renowned for their ability to soak up pressure, this is a dangerous tactic. With Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse up front, Newcastle were always going to be a threat and in fact should have taken the lead earlier in the match, when Ba was allowed a free header from a corner but failed to hit the target. Despite the concession of the first goal, as Arsenal sat back, Newcastle began to grow into the game and could have restored parity with a Check Tiote’s long range strike which Szczesny had to beat away. Nevertheless, the inevitable equaliser arrived in the 43^rd minute, through Ba’s deflected free kick which wrong footed Szczesny. The visitors could even have ended the first half in front, had Ba not headed over once again from yet another free header.

At the start of the second half, the Gunners appeared hungrier and keen to make amends for the first half sloppiness which had seen them relinquish the lead. Within five minutes of the restart, Arsenal were in front again. A Newcastle throw-in was headed to Cazorla by Podolski and the Spaniard duly fed Oxlade-Chamberlain to fire low and hard into the bottom corner for his first league goal of the season. But Newcastle were not deterred and within nine minutes were back on level terms once more thanks to a succession of defence errors from the home side. Sagna appeared extremely sluggish in attempting to cover Gabriel Obertan’s run on the edge of the box and the former Manchester United man was far too easily allowed time and space to cross the ball. To compound matters further, the cross found Marveaux inexplicably all alone, at the back post, with the goal at his mercy and the Frenchman simply couldn’t miss.

Yet the visitors were only on level terms for six minutes as Arsenal retook the lead thanks to marvellous work from the exceptional Jack Wilshere. The young Englishman jinked his way to the by-line and as his angle to cross the ball became more and more acute, Wilshere dinked a wonderful ball towards the far post for Walcott. However the back pedalling Coloccini got there first, only to head the ball straight to Podolski for a simple tap in. Yet having taken the lead for the third time in the game, Arsenal still had not learnt their lesson and gifted the visitors with another equaliser in the 69^th minute.

Marveaux was allowed to turn just outside the box and produced a wonderful ball to find Ba, who lost Kieran Gibbs at the post, to prod home and make the score 3-3. It was disappointing to see the Gunners once again lose the lead as a result of atrocious defending with Gibbs inexplicably having looked at Ba before switching off and allowing the Senegalese international to get in front of him.

However the English right back would soon make amends. Four minutes after Newcastle had restored parity for the third time, Arsenal took the lead once more. Gibbs raced forward down the right flank and cut the ball back to Podolski, who somehow missed the ball as he attempted to steer his shot towards goal. Fortunately Walcott picked up possession and was allowed to turn and arrow his shot into the top corner. As the Emirates stadium erupted once more, the home fans could only hope their side would this time keep hold of their lead. In the 84^th minute, the Gunners finally made the game safe. Walcott’s perfect cross was met by Giroud’s diving header which squirmed through the legs of Krul to make the score 5-3. But the Frenchman was not finished there and doubled his tally three minutes later, picking up a loose ball on the edge of the box, following Walcott’s forward run, before firing a shot which beat Krul at his near post. Despite coming on from the bench, Giroud could have also grabbed a hat trick of his own, as he met Ramsey’s low cross into the box, late on, only to see his effort come back off the bar.

One man who would not be denied a hat trick was Theo Walcott. Having already greatly influenced the game, Arsenal’s new striker danced his way into the box. Newcastle’s defenders just could not live with him and even though Walcott was felled for what was a clear penalty, he showed great desire and hunger to get up straight away and dink the ball over Krul to seal a wonderful performance with an exquisite finish.

Although the score line would suggest that this was a comfortable evening’s work for the Gunners, the home side’s defensive errors meant they were never really in control of the game until the last few minutes when Newcastle tired and Arsenal took advantage of the fact they had enjoyed a rest over Boxing Day thanks to their postponed match against West Ham. Walcott’s performance up front, as well as Giroud’s hunger are the major positives as the Gunners now appear to have a real attacking threat once more. If only they could iron out those defensive lapses!

Three wins on the bounce!

Wigan 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal recorded their third straight Premier League victory in a testing match against relegation threatened Wigan on Saturday. The Gunners were certainly not at their best, but managed to secure all three points none the less, thanks to a second half penalty, dispatched by Mikel Arteta.

Roberto Martinez’s side were warranted in feeling hard done by at the final whistle, having produced a fine performance to restrict Arsenal from building their attacks from the back. The most important aspect of the Gunners game is the pass from defence into the midfield. If the midfielder receiving the ball is allowed time to turn and pick out a forward pass, then Arsenal can dictate the play and control the game. Therefore, more often than not, the opposition focus on pressing the ball as soon as the ball is played forward by the defence. As a result, the midfielder receiving the pass, either ends up losing possession, enabling the opposition to immediately threaten the Arsenal goal, or having to play the ball back, leaving the Gunners unable to build momentum with their play often becoming languid and lethargic. Reading made the mistake of sitting back and were duly punished for it, Wigan were not prepared to commit the same error.

In the first half in particular, the home side easily won the midfield battle, as the tackles flew in time and time again. Arsenal’s only player with any real fight was Jack Wilshere. The young Englishman has the heart of a lion and has such pride and courage that he is more than willing to put his body on the line for the cause. Unfortunately the Gunners do not possess more players with his exceptional hunger and therefore Wilshere ends up trying to win the midfield battle by himself.  As he throws himself into tackle after tackle, he inadvertently runs the risk of either suffering an injury or receiving a red card. During Saturday’s game Wilshere was unfairly shown a yellow card for a wonderfully committed and well timed tackle in which he won the ball cleanly and the worry was that a second yellow would follow. Yet in a sign of his growing maturity he managed to escape a second caution and was simply exceptional throughout. The fact he has signed a new long term contract is extremely vital to the future success of Arsenal F.C.

As Arsenal struggled to assert their passing game, Wigan continually looked threatening on the counter attack. Ronnie Stam and Jean Beausejour in particular, were afforded time and space on far too many occasions as they looked to get in behind the Arsenal defence. Luckily for the away side, although Wigan looked dangerous throughout, they were never really able to threaten the Arsenal goal as once in position, they struggled to find the final pass. Their best chance of the whole game came in the first half, as Arouna Kone raced through from the half way line. He easily ran clear of Per Mertesacker but as he advanced on goal, the Ivorian seemed indecisive and, fortunately for Arsenal, hit his shot wide of goal.

Wigan’s decision to play a high pressing game told in the second half, as such a tactic requires a great deal of energy. In the second period, the home side began to tire and Arsenal grew more and more into the game, enjoying greater possession and were able to threaten Al Habsi’s goal. With the second half only a few minutes old, Oxlade-Chamberlain was sent free on the right hand side. The Englishman attempted to pick out Walcott in the box, but the man deployed as the lone striker for the second game running, was too slow to peel back and as such the pass was just behind him meaning Walcott could not get enough power on his shot to get the ball beyond the goalkeeper.  If he is to continue in this forward role, Walcott needs to quickly develop a striker’s uncanny ability to find space in the box.

As the game approached its 60^th minute however, the Gunners took the lead thanks to Walcott’s tenacity. He exchanged passes with Santi Cazorla on the edge of the box before bursting through in front of Beausejour. The Chilean panicked and bundled Walcott over, leaving the referee with no option but to award a penalty. Mikel Arteta duly stepped up and expertly dispatched the penalty, sending Al Habsi the wrong way.

Yet the goal only served to rouse the home side and as Arsenal sat back, Wigan piled forward in search of an equaliser. The Gunners were not defending particularly well and were fortunate that Wigan just could not find the final pass. Kone missed the best opportunity of the second half as he cut inside both Sagna and Mertesacker far too easily before firing straight at Szczesny.  As the clock ticked down, the home side continued to press forward and Arsenal struggled to get out of their own half but managed to hold on and secure all three points, escaping two penalty shouts along the way.

This was a crucial victory for the Gunners. Although it was not their best performance, they still showed great character to get their noses in front and the determination to fight for the win. It stretched their winning league run to a third successive game and enabled them to remain right in the hunt for a fourth place finish in the league. Hopefully results such as these will help to ease the feeling of doom and gloom which engulfed the club in recent weeks and allow the team to improve their performances and gain the consistency their season has so far lacked.

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.

League Cup humiliation!

Bradford City 1-1 Arsenal

(Pens 3-2)

Having just witnessed his side being unceremoniously dumped out of the Capital One Cup by League Two Bradford City yesterday, Arsene Wenger proclaimed that his players need not be embarrassed by the defeat as they had given their all to win the game. Yet the Gunners starting eleven was not the usual League Cup second string, which Arsenal fans have become accustomed to during Wenger’s reign, it was in fact very close to the strongest possible line up the manager could have selected. This was a team boasting 399 international appearances between them, surely had they given their all in the pursuit of victory they would have been able to overcome a side which cost a collective £7,500 to assemble, playing three divisions below them?

Wenger will publicly continue to back his team, but privately he must accept that major changes are required to get this club back to where it belongs. Yesterday’s game simply further highlighted this side’s numerous deficiencies. Arsenal’s defensive unit were abysmal. Per Mertesacker was continually out jumped and outmuscled by James Hanson, while Thomas Vermaelen just could not get to grips with Nahki Wells, who troubled the Belgian time and time again. In fact the performances of both central defenders were equally pathetic. With Vermaelen unable to handle the attacking threat of Wells, he resorted to giving away several needless free kicks, one of which led to Bradford taking the lead. Gary Jones’ free kick was flicked on towards the back post where Gary Thompson’s exquisite volley saw the ball fly into the roof of the net instigating scenes of wild celebration.   

Arsenal’s midfield five were just as bad as the Gunners defensive unit. There was no movement, no creativity and no fight either. Aaron Ramsey on the right hand side did not provide the team with any width and gave the ball away on numerous occasions, while Lukas Podolski on the opposite flank was largely anonymous. Francis Coquelin was the only midfielder in the first half who showed any tenacity and was unlucky to see his low shot come back off the post following a jinking forward run. Meanwhile Jack Wilshere was also guilty of giving the ball away far too often in the first half and only came into the game in the last fifteen minutes of normal time as the home side began to tire. In extra time, the Englishman had an opportunity to win the game, bursting through into the box, but took far too long to get his shot away, deciding to go past another defender and the chance was lost. Further forward, Santi Cazorla just could not get himself into the game either, as Bradford held a high line, suffocating the space in which he normally operates and from where he can influence the game. However, as with Wilshere, as the game wore on the Spaniard did begin to find some space and was able to test the Bradford goalkeeper with a few long range efforts before seeing a powerful shot hit the crossbar in extra time.

The fact that Bradford had decided to play such a high defensive line should in theory have played right into the hands of Gervinho, who was deployed as the lone man upfront. The Ivorian should have been able to use his searing pace; playing off the shoulder of the last defender, to exploit the huge space in behind the Bradford defence, but not once did he do this. In fact, with Gervinho up front, Arsenal had absolutely no presence in this area of the field and so had no one upon which to build their attacks. In contrast, every time Bradford played the ball up field, Janson would flick it on for Wells to chase, causing Arsenal problems. In addition, Gervinho does not possess the killer instinct to be an out and out striker, a worrying trait which was witnessed once again in the first half as he failed to make adequate contact with the ball and managed to miss an open goal. It was no surprise therefore that midway through the second half Gervinho was moved out wide and Chamakh replaced him upfront. Yet the Moroccan’s presence did not instigate the change that Wenger would have hoped for as he also offered absolutely no movement whatsoever and so the midfield were never offered any angles to make forward passes.

As has been evident in the majority of Arsenal’s performances this season, their passing game was extremely slow, ponderous and lethargic. Throughout the game, umpteen passes were exchanged between the Gunners defenders, with Mertesacker in particular enjoying a great deal of possession. However, you could count the number of times the German played the ball forward, rather than back or square, on one hand. The result of this was that while Arsenal did have plenty of possession, they mainly did nothing with it, simply moving the ball from side to side but going nowhere. After what would seem like an age, the ball would finally be played forward into the midfield, only for it to more often than not be played right back to the defence for the infuriatingly frustrating sequence to begin once more.

This trait has been witnessed time and time again this season and yet Wenger has seemingly refused to address it. Defending against a team who continually play in front of you is extremely easy. Movement is paramount to create chances, as incisive forward runs off the ball, will force the opposition out of position, generating more space for the midfield to support the attack as well as offering more angles to play the ball forward. But the Gunners just do not do this anymore. Once an Arsenal player has passed the ball, he does not move. He just stands statuesque and as a result the attack, overcome by monotonous futile passing, eventually fizzles out. It hurts me to say it, but watching Arsenal play this season has been extremely boring at times.

As the game wore on, the Gunners did become more and more threatening and with only three minutes remaining, Vermaelen headed home Cazorla’s cross to send the game into extra time. With Bradford’s players shattered, the ensuing 30 minutes were dominated by Arsenal, but once again they could not convert possession into genuine goal scoring opportunities. The Gunners mainly attempted to get the ball out wide before crossing it into the box. A tactic which was most surprising due to the fact that Arsenal would more often than not, only have one player in the box. This coupled with the fact that players such as Sagna and Oxlade-Chamberlain could only produce woeful crosses all night long, meant that the Gunners simply wasted their possession.

Consequently the inevitable lottery of a penalty shootout arrived and Arsenal’s performance here mirrored that of the previous 120 minutes. Cazorla, Chamakh and Vermaelen all missed from 12 yards while Szczesny could only save two Bradford penalties and so the home side progressed. It was exactly what they deserved for a night of pure dedication, hard work and determination. Arsenal’s so called international stars could learn a thing or two from their Capital One Cup conquerors.

Gunners back to winning ways!

Arsenal 2-0 West Brom

Arsenal returned to winning ways on Saturday with a vastly improved performance from the lacklustre display in the loss against Swansea. The Gunners passing game was back, with the link up play between Cazorla, Arteta and Wilshere particularly impressive as Arsenal were also able to fashion several goal scoring opportunities, something that has been missing of late.

However they were helped by two dubious refereeing decisions, as well as a West Brom side that showed a distinct lack of ambition. Although the Baggies arrived at the Emirates on the back of two defeats, they had made an extremely impressive start to the season and this coupled with the fact that Arsenal were experiencing a torrid run of form, led many to believe that the visitors would be fired up for a game in which they had a strong chance of winning. Yet West Brom made their intentions clear from the start of the game, as Boaz Myhill continually did his best to waste as much time as possible while taking goal kicks. Steve Clarke’s side were clearly more than happy to leave the Emirates with a point and their game suffered as a result as they posed absolutely no attacking threat whatsoever.

The Baggies were simply there for the taking and Arsenal sides of old would have put this game to bed by half time, but this was a team lacking in confidence following their recent poor results and consequently, their composure in front of goal deserted them at times. Gervinho should have given the home side the lead in the first few minutes, but he didn’t connect cleanly enough with the ball and his volleyed effort trickled wide of the goal, before Cazorla blazed over from Oxlade Chamberlain’s cut back. The Gunners were constantly threatening to break the deadlock and in the 26^th minute got their just deserts, through a Mikel Arteta penalty. While the home side’s play had merited the lead, the penalty award itself had arrived by foul means. As Cazorla danced into the penalty area, he cut inside Steven Reid, who attempted to dispossess the Spaniard but completely missed the ball as well as Cazorla. The former Malaga man instantly threw himself to the ground, rolling around and clutching his ankle, despite having not been touched. Referee, Mike Jones, fell for his antics and pointed to the spot, much to the consternation of the Baggies players. It is always a shame to see such a supremely talented player resort to such despicable measures. Cazorla also took a dive during last week’s game against Swansea and we can only hope that this will not become a regular occurrence.

Arteta, who had seen his previous penalty attempt saved in the last minute against Fulham, stood up once more. This time the Spaniard drilled the ball down the middle of the goal and a roar of sheer relief erupted around the Emirates Stadium as the ball hit the back of the net. Having taken the lead, the Gunners seemed to relax and were unlucky not to see their advantage double a few minutes later. Gervinho broke free on the left hand side of the area and showed the composure that is so often lacking when the Ivorian is bearing down to goal, to just wait before releasing the right pass. Unfortunately on this occasion, the onrushing Jack Wilshere just could not make enough contact with the ball, as he slid in, to divert it into the goal and the chance was lost.

West Brom were not in this game at all, but could have easily been granted a way back into it when Per Mertesacker needlessly threw his arm in the air as the ball was crossed into the box, making contact with the ball and providing the referee with a perfect opportunity to make amends for his earlier poor decision and award the visitors a penalty. Luckily for Arsenal, a free kick was awarded for a push on the German instead and the threat was averted.

In the second half the Gunners picked up where they had left off, as they continued to utterly dominate the game. Oxlade-Chamberlain brushed the bar with an effort from Wilshere’s cross, before Gervinho headed wide and miskicked in front of goal. It was a terrible miss from the Ivorian, but Arsenal would not be made to pay and their second goal of the afternoon arrived in the 64^th minute, thanks to Oxlade-Chamberlain’s endeavour. The Englishman lost possession as he attempted to control the ball on his chest, but then was able to rob Popov, which West Brom claimed was a foul, before being felled in the area by Chris Brunt. The referee could have awarded the Baggies a free kick for the foul on Popov, but had allowed play to go on and pointed to the spot once more. Arteta stepped up again to drill the ball down the centre of the goal in a mirror image of his first half strike.

The home side were now extremely comfortable and simply saw out the rest of the game. Lukas Podolski came off the bench to somehow blaze a shot high over the bar when it seemed far easier to score and the game petered out with West Brom failing to trouble the Arsenal goal.

This was a much needed victory for the Gunners. Following the abysmal display against Swansea and the booing which ensued, it would have been easy for the players to feel sorry for themselves and hide. But instead they showed great character and self-belief to come out and play their own game. While the decisions of Mike Jones did significantly influence the game, Arsenal dominated proceedings and fully deserved their win. If Wenger’s side can continue in this vein, they will continue to create several goal scoring opportunities and their composure in front of goal will also soon return as their confidence improves. The return to full fitness of Jack Wilshere is of paramount importance to this team as the young man’s tenacity, never say die attitude and supreme quality really drives this team forward. If only we had ten more like him!

Seven changes, but same result!

Olympiacos 2-1 Arsenal

Arsenal continued their recent atrocious run of results with another loss yesterday, this time against Olympiacos in the Champions League. While Wenger could point to the fact that the Gunners had already qualified for the last 16 of the competition and that he had therefore decided to make seven changes to the side which was humiliated against Swansea, the Greeks had also made six changes of their own.

In addition, the seven replacements who Wenger called upon yesterday, apart from full debutant Jernade Meade, were all experienced internationals, who are supposedly fighting for a place in the first eleven. It would have been more than reasonable therefore to have expected this team to put on a performance full of vigour and verve, but instead Arsenal’s supporters were simply left bemused as they wondered how these players were ever considered good enough to wear the famous red and white shirt.

And yet the Gunners began the game reasonably well. With Thomas Rosicky making his first start this season at the heart of the midfield, Arsenal did appear to be more fluent in the first half. They attacked with purpose, but unfortunately the final pass let them down on several occasions as perennial offenders such as Ramsey and Gervinho lacked the necessary composure required at this level. Both players had opportunities in the first half to set up goal scoring opportunities for their teammates but simply did not look up or did not play the right pass and the chance was soon gone. With the game only a few minutes old, Gervinho had an opportunity to test Roy Carroll in the Olympiacos goal, but instead blazed his shot horribly high and wide of the near post, before Chamakh nodded the ball into Ramsey’s path, only for the Welshman to characteristically fluff his lines in front of goal and miss the ball.

However, with Arsenal’s defence containing the utterly inept Sebastian Squillaci, it was no surprise to see the home side also creating several chances of their own, and as the first half wore on, Olympiacos actually began to take control of proceedings. Thomas Vermaelen’s last ditch tackle prevented Rafik Djebbour from stabbing home, Vassilis Torosidis had a header cleared off the line by Rosicky and Djamel Abdoun and Djebbour forced Szczesny into good saves. It was slightly against the run of play therefore that Arsenal took the lead in the 38^th minute as Rosicky calmly and assuredly guided the ball into the left hand corner of the goal; following Gervinho’s cut back from the by-line.

Having shown glimpses of his great ability to quickly enable the transition of the ball from midfield to attack, it was a shame to see Rosicky replaced at half time with Andrei Arshavin. The Russian international did absolutely nothing to endear himself to the Arsenal faithful, producing yet another inadequate display in which he soon became virtually invisible on the field. It was no coincidence that the Gunners second half performance left much to be desired as with Chamakh failing to make any impression on the game, Arshavin nowhere to be seen, Oxlade-Chamberlain performing below par and Gervinho and Ramsey sluggish and wasteful in possession, Arsenal simply did not pose any threat going forward.

Consequently, when Olympiacos’ equaliser arrived in the 64^th minute, there was a sense of inevitability about it. Although Arsenal could complain that the home side had been granted a corner which never was, as the referee adjudged Szczesny to have made contact with the ball before it had crossed the by-line, when in fact the ball had simply hit the post, it was the Gunners poor defending which resulted in the concession of the goal and not the referee’s decision. The resulting corner was initially cleared, but as the ball was returned into the box, Vermaelen and Squillaci inexplicably pushed out, leaving three Olympiacos players free on the edge of the box. Abdoun’s cross was nodded down on to the chest of Ramsey and the ball fell straight to Maniatis to prod home at the near post.

From this moment on, Arsenal never looked likely to regain a foothold in the game and retake the lead. There was no real leadership, passion or hunger within their ranks and the Gunners got their just deserts nine minutes later when the defence sat off Mitroglou, allowing him time and space to turn and curl a wonderful shot into the bottom corner of the goal.

Unfortunately yesterday’s loss merely highlighted the lack of strength in depth within Arsenal’s squad. Wenger must surely accept that the likes of Chamakh, Squillaci and Arshavin are not good enough but he is stuck with them until their contracts run out due to the ridiculous decision to grant these players lucrative long term contracts. The sense of crisis is exacerbated as players such as Vermaelen are experiencing a dip in form, yet there is no one there who can adequately replace them. While Meade and Coquelin did produce relatively strong performances last night they are still too young and inexperienced to be thrust into an underperforming side and be expected to somehow help turn things around.

Although this game did not have a great deal of significance due to the fact the Gunners had already secured qualification to the last 16, it did come at a time in which Arsenal are desperate for a victory. Four wins in their last thirteen highlights the critical situation in which Wenger’s side find themselves in and a win yesterday would have at least temporarily lifted the sense of gloom currently engulfing the club. There is now added pressure on the next match at home to West Brom, in which defeat simply cannot be contemplated. The major question which remains to be answered positively is, are Arsenal up to the task?

Magnificent Swansea destroy pathetic Gunners

Arsenal 0-2 Swansea

Before Saturday’s game against Swansea, members of the black scarf movement held a demonstration outside the Emirates stadium, proclaiming what is fast becoming the fans’ catchphrase this season: “We want our Arsenal back!” It was rather ironic therefore that come three o’clock, those same fans finally did get to see the return of free flowing, incisive attacking football at the Emirates. Unfortunately it was the away side that displayed exquisite technique and movement to dance around those in red and white and completely dominate the game on their way to a well-deserved 2-0 victory.

Swansea City were absolutely magnificent. A side only in their second season in the Premier League, who this summer lost their manager as well as two of their best players, Joe Allen and Scott Sinclair and replaced them with inexpensive signings such as Michu (a bargain at only £2million), gave Arsenal a lesson in the core principles of passing and movement. In their own ground, the Gunners were made to look lethargic, cumbersome and languid by Swansea’s wonderfully slick passing game. At times it was one touch football at its very best. As soon as a Swansea player had passed the ball, he would immediately move, creating another angle and another option for the player in possession, as Swansea worked in neat triangles to pass the ball around their opponents. Arsenal just could not cope with such movement and were continually dragged out of position with Swansea manoeuvring them around the field as they wished, like a cat toying with an unfortunate mouse before going in for the kill.

In direct contrast to Swansea’s extreme confidence, Arsenal’s game was bereft of any form of movement or ideas. As has occurred all too often this season, the Gunners were far too static and as a result their play became predictable and somewhat stagnant. The years of watching Arsene Wenger’s sides in sheer awe at their magnificently swift attacking play, have given way to the monotony of countless laborious passes along the backline. When the ball is played forward, into the midfield, it is more often than not returned to the defence, further prolonging the tediousness. Consequently, the Gunners are simply not creating enough clear cut goal scoring opportunities and have been reduced to half chances at best. With performances such as these, it is not surprising to see that Arsenal have only won four of their last twelve and two of those victories came in games which the Gunners did not seem likely to win, until the opposition were reduced to ten men.

Once again this match highlighted the fact that this team desperately needs a real physical presence in the centre of midfield; a player who can break down the opposition’s attack and become a real leader on the pitch from which the others can feed off. Unfortunately Wenger seems to have been naively relying on Abou Diaby miraculously remaining injury free for an entire season, to fulfil this role. Before the Frenchman succumbed to inevitable injury, the Gunners appeared to be a side with real potential, yet they are now a depressing sight.

As Swansea dominated proceedings on Saturday, Szczesny was forced into a double save from Angel Rangel in the first half following a fantastic move by the visitors, before Michu easily beat Mertesacker in the air and flicked the ball into the path of Nathan Dyer. The Englishman raced through on goal, but hesitated, allowing Vermaelen to get back and make a last ditch tackle. In the second half the visitor’s supremacy continued as Rangel saw a shot hit the side netting and Luke More blazed wide before forcing Szczesny into another save. It was no surprise therefore when Swansea eventually took the lead with only three minutes left. Michu played a one-two with More and as Vermaelen did not react quick enough to the return ball, the Spaniard was through on goal and scored with an excellent finish into the corner of the net. As boos rained down from the stands, the Arsenal players looked despondent, but they only had themselves to blame. As the Gunners poured forward in a vain attempt to score an undeserved equaliser, Carl Jenkinson was caught in possession, having been forced back by Nathan Dyer. The ball fell straight to Michu who was free to run through on goal and calmly finish past Szczesny to seal the win.

The most disturbing aspect of this current decline in form is that Wenger does not seem to be doing anything to improve things on the pitch. Having seen his side humiliated, the Frenchman claimed that his players were simply tired, due to recently playing so many games in quick succession. However if Wenger was truly being honest with himself, he would have to admit that this was not an isolated poor performance. This was a display which Arsenal fans have witnessed time and time again this season. No movement and no creativity have hampered this side since the very first game against Sunderland, but there have been no changes in formation or tactics to address these issues. As a result, the fans are having to endure the same uninspiring performances game after game as nothing improves.