Arsenal 5-0 Lincoln
Arsenal safely navigated their way through to the FA Cup semi-finals with what turned out to be a comfortable 5-0 victory over non-league Lincoln City on Saturday.
Arsene Wenger decided against taking any chances by resting several first team regulars, as had been expected. Instead, he stuck with largely the same team that had started the previous game against Bayern Munich. However the Gunners did not start the game particularly well and the first half was a rather tight affair with Arsenal struggling to get any rhythm into their game. In fact it was only as Lincoln started to tire during first half injury time that Arsenal managed to break the deadlock.
As the away side struggled to clear the ball out of their own penalty area, the ball fell kindly to Theo Walcott and the Englishman steered the ball confidently beyond the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Until that point however, it was extremely difficult to tell the difference between the two sides. Arsenal had of course enjoyed plenty of possession but had struggled to find a way through the Lincoln rear guard on a regular basis and other than an earlier shot from Walcott which the Lincoln goalkeeper did well to save, the away side were rather comfortable and had chances of their own.
Up until Walcott gave the Gunners the lead, Lincoln had created and squandered the best chance of the game as Arnold embarked on an excellent forward run, bursting into the box and outfoxing Kieran Gibbs before unleashing a shot on goal which Cech tipped over the bar. Had the ball nestled into the back of the net, it would have been one of those memorable FA Cup goals, replayed time and time again.
Unfortunately for Lincoln, the concession of that Arsenal goal just before half time took the wind out of their sails and they were unable to make any impact on the game in the second half. The Gunners came out of the dressing room with a renewed vigour and right from the start of the second half applied irresistible pressure on the Lincoln defence and with the away side tiring, Lincoln were unable to withstand the onslaught, shipping a further four goals.
First up Olivier Giroud put a difficult week behind him to take up a good position in the box, receiving a neat cut back before firing the ball home to double Arsenal’s lead and put the result of this tie beyond any doubt. Kieran Gibbs then embarked on a direct and powerful run towards the by-line and forced an error from the Lincoln defence with the defender turning the ball into his own net. Alexis then curled a wonderful effort beyond the reach of the goalkeeper and right into the corner of the net for Arsenal’s fourth, before Aaron Ramsey was picked out at the far post completely unmarked. The Welshman rounded the goalkeeper with ease and fired into the empty net to seal a comfortable win in the end.
Arsenal can now look forward to another trip to Wembley for their third semi-final in the last four years. However despite Arsene Wenger suggesting a renewed confidence amongst his team, the Frenchman must surely be concerned that his side’s FA Cup run will end at the semi-final stage. There is a lack of fluency amongst the side at the moment and defeating a tiring non-league side may have helped to restore a semblance of confidence but surely Arsenal’s players will know they must significantly increase the level of their performances.
So far this season Arsenal have only emerged victorious from one of their games amongst the top six and in order to win the FA Cup they must now somehow defeat two of those sides. The Gunners are the weakest team left in the competition and it is unlikely that they will be the ones lifting the famous old trophy in May. In the league, their chances of finishing in the top four took another hit on Sunday as Liverpool came from behind to defeat Burnley and moved five points clear of fifth place Arsenal.
The Gunners do have two games in hand on Liverpool but the pressure will be on to win both those games and even then, as things stand, they will only be one point above them. Difficult games still lie in wait for Arsenal such as games against Manchester City, United, Tottenham and Everton. This may well be the season therefore that Arsenal not only do not finish above their bitter North London rivals, Tottenham, but also fall out of the top four.
If that were to happen, surely Arsene Wenger’s position would become untenable. The manager used to have the excuse of not having the resources available but last summer spent close to £90 million and his squad simply looks further away than ever before from challenging for major honours. The centre of midfield is a mess at the moment and highlights the fact that Arsenal are over reliant on Santi Cazorla in this area. Why the manager allowed this to happen when last season was so undermined by the Spaniard’s long-term injury, only he can answer. The combination of Cazorla and Coquelin worked extremely well, but without the Spaniard all has fallen apart. Coquelin has tended to be pushed further forward and has found himself out of his depth and as a result, his confidence has been severely hit. Granit Xakha has not lived up to expectations, with the Swiss international only showcasing an ability to pick up a yellow or red card in most of the games he has played. Mohammed Elneny does not possess the required quality to win a midfield battle against the top sides, while Wilshere is out on loan and Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain have once again endured injury plagued seasons.
It is situations such as these which so frustrate the Arsenal faithful. In his early days at the club Wenger displayed a real ruthlessness and a knack for identifying when a player had gone past his best. Now however the manger simply perseveres with players who are clearly not good enough or who are being played out of position both to their and the team’s detriment. The current squad needs a major overhaul. The centre of defence, both full back positions, midfield and up front (should Alexis Sanchez leave) are all positions which need to be strengthened. Given his failure to improve the squad with the money spent during the previous summer’s transfer window, does anyone at the club truly believe that he is the right man to oversee such a major overhaul this summer?
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