Saturday 31 March 2012

QPR end Gunners' winning streak

QPR 2-1 Arsenal


Arsenal produced a completely lacklustre and insipid display at Loftus Road to essentially undo all the good work they have done over the past few weeks. The feel good factor which has swept through the Emirates stadium in recent weeks, leading many to dream of what may be next season, was quickly dismantled by a defeat to relegation threatened Queens Park Rangers which leaves the door open for Tottenham to move level on points with the Gunners.

The tone was set before the game with Joey Barton claiming the QPR players were essentially playing for their livelihoods and Arsene Wenger simply played into their hands. Even before Barton’s comments, it was obvious how Mark Hughes would set out his side. They would pack the midfield; drop deep and put immense pressure on the ball as soon as Arsenal passed it into their midfield. Yet Wenger decided to start the game with Aaron Ramsey rather than Gervinho, which effectively removed any width and pace from the Gunners left hand side and therefore forced Arsenal to play through the middle of the park, which was extremely congested and so easier for QPR to defend against. As a result, the Gunners could not gain any momentum or place the opposition under any sustained pressure. The exact same tactics had also been employed away at Everton and had the same effect; the only difference being that on that occasion Arsenal scored an early goal and somehow managed to hold onto it for the rest of the game.

Against teams who flood the midfield and sit deep, with ten men behind the ball, it is essential to make the pitch as wide as possible and spread the ball as often as possible to move the opposition around the park, creating space. The threat of pace from a player such as Gervinho or Oxlade-Chamberlain would also have this effect as defenders instinctively fall back to counter this threat, thus enabling the midfield, through incisive forward runs, to enjoy more time on the ball. Yet Wenger got his tactics all wrong, with Arsenal continually passing the ball extremely slowly, sloppy in possession and lacking any real fight, as they were second to every ball. When attacking, the Gunners’ forward players never really made any forward runs to get in behind the QPR defence and so failed to stretch them. In truth, it was too easy for the home side as they showed far more hunger than the Gunners and thoroughly deserved their victory, with Arsenal only troubling Paddy Kenny once in each half, throughout the entire 90 minutes.

Bobby Zamora had a fantastic game as he absolutely dominated both Arsenal centre backs from the very first minute. In contrast to Robin Van Persie, who did not have one of his best games, the England international was simply outstanding as he won every ball in the air and persistently outmuscled Koscielny and Vermaelen. Although he was isolated up front, Zamora was able to consume the entire Arsenal back line, causing the defenders to become extremely nervous which inevitably led to mistakes. In the 22nd minute Adel Taarabt seized on one such error, receiving a long ball from Clint Hill, having evaded Vermaelen. The Belgian centre back had completely lost the former Tottenham man and was completely helpless once the Moroccan had turned away from his marker, before steering the ball past Szczesney to give the home side the lead. Alongside Zamora, Taarabt produced an equally impressive performance. At times it appeared the Arsenal midfield could not get close to him as he was allowed to control the game. Where was the hunger, passion and desire of the last few weeks? Time and time again the ball would squirm loose and fall to a QPR player, not because of sheer luck, but because they wanted it more.


Although Arsenal appeared to be in serious trouble, they somehow hauled themselves back into the game seven minutes before half-time when Van Persie prodded the ball to Walcott, whose shot flew past Kenny, hit the post and fortunately fell straight back to him to score the equaliser. The goal did actually appear to give the Gunners a real lift as they created two great chances to take the lead in the early stages of the second half. First Kieran Gibbs narrowly headed wide, before Van Persie was sent through on goal, but with Arsenal fans expecting to see the net bulge, the Dutchman’s powerful shot was well saved by Kenny.

Despite the away side appearing to be in the ascendency they did not create any more chances, enjoying a large amount of possession but due to their lack of urgency, they weren’t actually doing anything with it and then in the 69th minute disaster struck. Vermaelen’s slip allowed Jamie Mackie time to pick out Diakite who was inexcusably left unmarked, on the edge of the box, to guide the ball into the back of the net and give the home side the lead once more. As so often happens in such circumstances, Wenger had mirrored his side’s sluggish approach to the game by only deciding to finally replace Ramsey with Gervinho once the Gunners had fallen behind and then with only ten minutes remaining, introduced Oxlade-Chamberlain and Chamakh both of whom had been given too little time to have any real effect on the game. Ultimately, the Arsenal players were all still taking an age to pass the ball to one another, allowing QPR to get back and defend in numbers and as a result, in the last twenty minutes, they did not even create one note worthy goal scoring opportunity.

This was a performance which Wenger himself has admitted, was just not good enough. Not one single player in a red and white shirt produced a display befitting their ability. The most disappointing aspect was the fact we had all believed the team had turned a corner but the insipid displays in Milan and Sunderland in the FA Cup were once again replicated today. This defeat will surely provide Tottenham with great motivation, as they seek to overcome their recent blip and there now simply must be a positive response next week at home to Manchester City, as another defeat could spell the end for any hopes of a top three finish.

Monday 26 March 2012

Gunners too strong for Villa

Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa

Arsenal’s display on Saturday, as they cut through Aston Villa with ease in the first half and then simply controlled the game in the second period, was reminiscent of Arsenal of old. The Gunners asserted their superiority from the very first minute and never looked back, passing the ball amongst themselves and slicing through the Villa defence at will. Having secured a seventh consecutive league win, many were left wondering what might have been had this vast improvement in performances occurred earlier in the season.
With Gervinho returning to the starting line up in place of Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal appeared more fluid in midfield and more potent going forward thanks in large part to the magnificent forward runs of Kieran Gibbs.  Time and time again the English left back’s overlapping runs provided the Arsenal attack with a further dimension and caused Villa numerous problems, while Theo Walcott and Bacary Sagna were also combining well on the right flank. In fact an early opening was created from this side as Van Persie was sent through in the box, his precise back heel setting up Walcott whose shot was well saved by Given, only to fall to Sagna whose effort cleared the bar.  A few minutes later, Gervinho, (who was fantastic on Saturday, not only going forward but also with his defensive work for the team as he tracked back on numerous occasions) slid the ball through to Gibbs who shot low and hard, with the ball somehow squirming past Given to give Arsenal a deserved lead and Gibbs his first ever Premier League goal.
Having taken the lead the Gunners did not sit back, they continued to attack in search of the second which would effectively kill the game and it duly arrived in the 25th minute. A wonderful lofted ball by Song (which seems to have become his trademark throughout the course of this campaign) found Walcott on the edge of the box. The young Englishman, whose first touch is not always the best, controlled the ball brilliantly on this occasion and his precise finish was simply exquisite. This was the first time since 1997 that two Englishmen had scored for the Gunners. Still Arsenal continued to press forward and Mikel Arteta was unfortunate to see his powerful long range effort well saved by Given, before Van Persie’s effort  (with Given stranded and the goal seemingly at his mercy) was somehow cleared off the line by Stephen Warnock.
In the second half, with the game effectively over, Arsenal simply controlled proceedings. There was the feeling that the Gunners were playing within themselves and had they needed to could go up through the gears and tear Villa apart once more. Yet with Villa hardly testing Szczesny at all, Arsenal were allowed to stroll through the second half, allowing Wenger to introduce Andre Santos, giving the Brazilian left back a taste of first team action following his four month absence through injury. In fact Villa’s best chance came as a result of a mistake by Santos as his stray pass found Andreas Weimann whose low cross was luckily behind Agbonlahor and the chance was lost.
As the clock slowly ticked towards the 90th minute, Aaron Ramsey wriggled free on the edge of the box but fired wide before Oxlade-Chamberlain went on a magnificent run from inside his own half, gliding past two or three Villa players, before having the ball snatched away from him by Stephen Ireland. However Arsenal would not be denied a third goal and in the 90th minute, following a bad tackle on Song, Mikel Arteta stepped up to fire a powerful and perfectly placed free kick past Shay Given, to cap Arsenal’s wonderful display.
Following the 0-0 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham earlier in the day, the Gunners have now moved three points above their North London rivals and eight ahead of Chelsea. As Arsene Wenger stated after the game, the Arsenal players must continue to work hard and remain humble. There are no easy games in the Premier League and at this stage of the season in particular the players will have to work extremely hard in each and every minute to secure three points.  Over the past seven games they have done exactly this and with just eight games of the season remaining, let’s hope they will continue to do so.

Thursday 22 March 2012

Gunners move into third spot

Everton 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal recorded a sixth straight league win at Goodison Park yesterday and moved into third place, above Tottenham, as their North London rivals could only muster a draw against Stoke thanks to a last minute equaliser.
The Gunners came into this game full of confidence following their last gasp win against Newcastle as well as their recent positive run of results and improved performances. In the first twenty minutes against Everton last night, Arsenal simply picked up where they had left off against Newcastle as they utterly dominated the game, creating several chances which should have enabled them to kill the game off at an early stage. The Gunners’ passing was crisp and slick as they effortlessly moved the ball around the park with Thomas Rosicky’s incisive runs creating mayhem for the Everton defence. A wonderful chipped pass by the returning Mikel Arteta found Van Persie in the box; however the Dutchman did not try to score himself, but unselfishly headed the ball down for Aaron Ramsey, who found himself with acres of space. Yet the Welshman could only fire the ball high and wide on the half volley. This is the main aspect of his game which Ramsey must work on to improve as far too often this season his teammates have created wonderful opportunities for him, only for the Wales captain to shoot high and wide. Soon after his dreadful miss Ramsey would have another opportunity to open the scoring against the Toffees. Bacary Sagna’s through ball found Walcott in space on the edge of the box, however the young Englishman could not get the ball out of his feet, enabling the Everton defence to recover. Walcott turned and laid the ball across the box for Ramsey, whose shot this time may well have been on target, but was deflected away by an Everton defender for a corner.
At this stage Arsenal were in complete control and deserved a goal for their efforts. It duly arrived from Van Persie’s corner. A lovely in swinging ball from the captain, saw Thomas Vermaelen, hero against Newcastle, rise high above the Everton defence to head past Tim Howard and into the net. Having scored the early goal and with the Gunners playing so well it seemed only a question of how many goals Arsenal would score as the chances continued to arrive, Van Persie spurning the best of them, shooting too close to Howard, enabling the American goal keeper to make the save when really he shouldn’t have been given a chance. Had this gone in, the game would have effectively been over.

Vermaelen heads Arsenal in front
Yet the match changed dramatically after David Moyes made a shrewd tactical switch mid-way through the first half. Up until this point, Everton had uncharacteristically sat off Arsenal, enabling the Gunners time and space to pick out their passes, leaving Moyes seething. As the television cameras zoomed in on the irate Scotsman, he could be heard bellowing to his players, ordering them to “get stuck in to them.” The home side duly responded and began to press Arsenal high up the pitch. Every time Szczesny had a goal kick, he was unable to play the ball out to his defenders as Everton’s players lay in wait just behind them, therefore forcing the Polish goalkeeper to kick the ball high and long. As he does not possess an extremely long kick, the ball would always fall into the midfield, where none of our players would jump to try and win a header. As a result Everton were regaining possession far too easily and Arsenal were continually on the back foot. In circumstances such as these, I wonder if Wenger should instruct Van Persie to fall into the midfield when the goal kick is taken, as he is capable of winning the ball in the air, and then midfielders such as Walcott could anticipate this and push on ahead of him in an attempt to collect any flick-ons from the Dutchman.  
Everton’s high pressing game, which had been extremely effective in enabling them to gain a foothold in the game, almost directly led to their restoring parity through Royston Drenthe. Szczesny played the ball forward to Song, whose own forward pass was easily cut out, under pressure. The ball was then quickly spread wide to Drenthe, who fired into the back of the net, only to turn around and see the linesman had adjudged him to have been offside. Television replays immediately proved Arsenal had been extremely lucky as the Dutchman was actually clearly on side at the time. I feel in situations such as these Kieran Gibbs tends to get attracted to the ball and forgets about his defensive positioning. In this instance the English left back moved towards the ball, despite the presence of Arsenal’s two centre backs in this area, allowing Drenthe far too much space on the wing.
The first half ended with Thomas Rosicky’s powerful shot being well saved by Howard, but this did nothing to galvanise the Gunners and the second half continued with the same pattern of Everton causing the visitors problems through their pressing game. Although the home side did not really trouble Scezney’s goal throughout the second half and indeed Arsenal created the better chances, hitting the post through Van Persie, the fact the Gunners only possessed a 1-0 lead meant that they were living on their nerves. It seemed as though the fight from the midfield players, which had been so impressive in recent weeks, had gone, as Arsenal continued to be outmuscled and outfought in the centre of the park. However the centre back pairing of Vermaelen and Koscielny were magnificent, cutting out any danger and standing strong and tall against the likes of Fellaini and the persistent diver Jelavic. At the final whistle Arsenal could reflect on another fantastic result away from home, but they had been made to work extremely hard for it.
The players should take great credit for the wonderful run of results they have managed to put together in recent weeks. Hopefully they can keep up the good work and look to press home their advantage in the coming weeks as we face some extremely though encounters before the end of the season, in particular the home match against Manchester City. Even the next game at home to Aston Villa will be difficult, with Alex Mcleish’s side having had a long rest and surely seeking revenge for their FA Cup elimination at the Emirates, having enjoyed a 2-0 lead against the Gunners. As Arsene Wenger will surely tell the players, we can only take one game at a time.

Get well soon Fabrice Muamba

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Comeback Kings

Arsenal 2-1 Newcastle
For the fourth league game in a row Arsenal came from behind last night to record an impressive victory against a determined Newcastle United side. In doing so, the Gunners not only set a new Premier League record as they became the first side to achieve such a feat, but more importantly reduced the gap between themselves and Tottenham to one point. If this were a Christmas pantomime the audience would now be shouting at Spurs, “behind you, they’re behind you” as Arsenal sneak up on their North London rivals, who have lost their last three league games.
In contrast, the Gunners came into this game in high spirits. Their recent run of form has been extremely impressive, exemplified by the resurgence of Thomas Rosicky. The man nicknamed little Mozart has been absolutely outstanding in the last few games. Playing in his favoured central midfield position he has been able to dictate Arsenal’s play and greatly influence the game. With his sumptuous and incisive passing, Rosicky has enabled the Gunners to carry a more formidable attacking threat, while his new found ferocious pressing of opposition players has set the tempo for his team. The Czech international, who yesterday signed a new contract, has simply been the heartbeat of this side.
Theo Walcott also had a good game last night, as he continually looked dangerous throughout the match, with his constant forays down the right flank causing havoc amongst the Newcastle defence. In fact within the first three minutes of the game Walcott’s fine run and low cross almost set up an opening goal for Robin Van Persie. However with the goal gaping, the Dutchman failed to connect with the cross and the chance went begging. The Gunners would come to rue that missed opportunity as in the 14th minute Newcastle took the lead through Hatem Ben Arfa. A forward ball from Thomas Vermaelen was easily cut out by Cheick Tiote and the ball then fed out wide to the Ben Arfa, who was allowed to turn inside far too easily by Kieran Gibbs. The French international’s shot then somehow managed to beat Szczesny at his near post, a shot the young Polish goalkeeper really should have stopped.
With the visitors 1-0 up, it was vital the home side responded quickly as Newcastle would simply sit deeper and deeper as the game wore on in an attempt to frustrate the Gunners and take all three points. Fortunately the Arsenal faithful didn’t have a long wait for the equaliser, as it arrived within 55 seconds of Newcastle’s opening goal. Rosicky’s perfectly weighted forward ball sent Walcott clear on the right and his cross was well controlled by Van Persie, whose exquisite turn saw him wriggle free of Mike Williamson, before slamming the ball home.

Van Persie makes it 1-1
Arsenal continued to enjoy plenty of possession as the first half wore on, but could not breach Newcastle’s well drilled defence. Strangely it appeared the visitors were happy to settle for a point as they showed no real attacking intention once Van Persie had equalised and their goalkeeper Tim Krul began to waste time at every opportunity despite it only being the first half.  As halftime approached, the Gunners fans could only hope that such a distinct lack of ambition would not be rewarded.
However this seemed a distinct possibility throughout the entire second half as Arsenal contrived to miss chance after chance. Walcott’s cross early in the second period was met with a powerful header by Rosicky, but he could only direct it straight at Krul. Moments later Oxlade-Chamberlain’s volley sailed just over the bar, before Van Persie met Arteta’s cross with a tame shot easily saved by Krul. The Gunners continued to pour forward but just could not hit the back of the net. Walcott again ran towards the touchline, before cutting inside and laying the ball back for Rosicky to score, but somehow he miss hit it and the ball sailed harmlessly wide. Then Van Persie was sent through by Gibbs, surely Arsenal would now take the lead, but on his weaker side the captain’s powerful shot was just wide of the goal. The more the game wore on, the more it appeared it would not be Arsenal’s night and when Gervinho somehow missed an open goal, when completely unmarked at the far post, I felt our chance had gone. This Arsenal side however have a new found belief and simply refused to give in, as they fought until the very last minute.
With five minutes of injury time almost up, the Gunners launched one final attack. Walcott again raced down the right, one last time, his cross was flicked on by Van Persie, to the back post where two Arsenal players were unmarked. Up stepped Vermaelen to poke the ball home and send the Emirates into sheer delirium.

Vermaelen scores in the 95th minute


All the players ran to celebrate with the Belgian however party pooper Howard Webb, who had done absolutely nothing to stop Krul from his persistent time wasting, walked over to break up the celebrations.  Van Persie then said something to the Newcastle goalkeeper to which he took offence and a melee ensued. Funny how Krul didn’t mind wasting all that time throughout the game and then threw his toys out the pram when Arsenal’s victory was rubbed in his face.

This was a truly fantastic victory for the Gunners, coming from behind once again against a team who have performed so well throughout the season. The mood in the dressing room must be absolutely fantastic right now having taken maximum points from Sunderland, Tottenham, Liverpool and now Newcastle. In addition, victory was essential to maintain the pressure on Tottenham, any other result and Harry Redknapp would have used it to galvanise his team once more. As it is the Gunners are now only one point behind their neighbours and must continue this fine run of form until the end of the season. At the final whistle last night, the Arsenal fans sang “Are you watching Tottenham?” Well as the pantomime audience would say, we’re right behind you!

Friday 9 March 2012

Arsenal to sign Podolski?

According to reports in Germany yesterday, Arsenal have provisionally reached an agreement to sign Lukas Podolski from German side FC Klon. He has also reportedly been offered a four year contract worth in the region of £100,000 a week, suggesting the club are confident they can offload several fringe players (who earn ridiculous wages) in the summer.
If this is true, it would mark a shift in policy for Arsene Wenger, from recruiting mainly young prospects who have the potential to succeed, to signing more established and experienced players. In fact Podolski has played 95 times for Germany, despite his relatively young age of 26. Although former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamman has stated he does not feel Podolski has what it takes to make it at Arsenal, I believe this would be a great signing for the Gunners. Podolski can play both on the left or right as well as in the centre forward role, he is strong, fast and possesses a powerful shot. He has also been in scintillating form for his club side this season, scoring 16 times in 20 appearances so far, while playing for a team flirting with relegation. Hamman supported his argument by highlighting that when Podolski moved to Bayern Munich early in his career, he could not recreate his top form as he was no longer the main player in the side and missed his home town, Cologne.  However, I believe the move to Germany’s biggest club simply came too soon for him and in the interim years he has clearly matured, (indicated by the reports he rejected huge offers from the likes of high spending Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in favour of the Gunners) plus the presence of Per Mertesacker in the dressing room and the adulation he would undoubtedly receive from the Arsenal fans would also enable him to settle into life at the Emirates.
The signing of Podolski would clearly greatly improve Arsenal’s attacking options; however it would also raise further questions regarding the future of Robin Van Persie. Has this signing been made in the hope of convincing the Dutchman of Arsenal’s ambition and desire to challenge for the Premier League title in the years to come? (Having both players featuring in the Gunners’ attack would be a wonderful sight for any Arsenal fan) Or is Podolski seen as a direct replacement for the Arsenal captain? The rumour is that when Wenger approached Podolski with a view to signing him in January, the German international was rather reluctant to join mid-way through a season which ends with Euro 2012. He could not really understand where he would fit into the side and so became worried that a lack of first team opportunities would ultimately affect his place in the German national team.
Can we therefore assume that Arsenal have given up hope of extending Van Persie’s contract? After all comments attributed to the Dutchman’s agents yesterday welcomed reported interest from AC Milan but when pressed on the contract situation with the Gunners, they simply refused to comment.  Roberto Mancini also stated his desire to sign the Arsenal captain, but then indicated his belief that Van Persie would ultimately stay and sign a new contract.  Wenger has claimed the club will do everything they can to keep their best player and some have suggested this may even extend to allowing him to see out his contract and leave for nothing in the summer of 2013. Apparently this option was seriously considered by the Arsenal hierarchy when Nasri refused to sign a contract extension last year but in the end, the offer of £24million was simply too good to refuse for a man who had only played well for the first six months of the season. The situation for Van Persie is slightly different, as his previous injury record will surely be taken into account by bidding clubs, so huge offers cannot be expected, and unlike Nasri, the club captain is also a real talisman for this side.
Therefore Arsenal could hold on to him for one more year were he not to sign a contract extension, in the hope the side enjoy a great season, challenging for the league and maybe winning a trophy to prove their ambition and so persuade Van Persie that this is the club for him. Clearly this would be a huge gamble, but with Champions League qualification worth an estimated £40-50million, it could well be one Arsenal are willing to take. Although there will be much conjecture over the Dutchman’s future over the coming months, one thing is certain, Robin Van Persie truly loves this club and its fans; ultimately only he knows if this will be enough to see him stay.

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Down and out but bursting with pride!

Arsenal 3-0 Milan

As the final whistle was blown last night, at the Emirates Stadium, the applause from the Arsenal fans saluting their side was deafening. Their club may have just been eliminated from the Champions League, but the performance they had witnessed was simply outstanding. The Gunners came into this game seemingly without a prayer. Robinho, who had scored two of the four goals in Milan had labelled the task impossible, however following Saturday’s win at Liverpool the belief in the Arsenal dressing room was sky high. After that 2-1 victory, Robin Van Persie had claimed “impossible is nothing” and the Gunners did everything in their power to prove their captain right.
The fans inside the stadium played their part too. They have often been castigated by the media and opposition supporters for being far too quiet. The cynics claim Emirates Stadium does not even come close to equalling the magic atmosphere at Highbury, well, last night, from the very first minute to the last, the stadium was rocking. The vast majority of the Gunners faithful recognised that qualification to the quarter-finals would involve a miracle and just wanted to see some pride restored after the anguish in Milan and while their team delivered the atmosphere was electric.
With Arsene Wenger’s midfield decimated by injuries, the Frenchman decided to field Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the middle of the park, alongside Rosicky and Song. This decision proved to be a masterstroke as the Gunners completely dominated the game from the very first minute. Straight from the kick off they signalled their intension by surging forward and applying pressure to the Milan defence. The men in red and white rushed and harried their opponents as they pressed high up the pitch and chased every ball, in search of the early goal which would instil belief in their arduous task. This arrived in the sixth minute when Oxlade-Chamberlain’s in-swinging corner was met by Koscielny, who had wriggled free from his marker to send the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the goal and give Arsenal a one-nil lead on the night.
The Gunners continued to surge forward in search of more and Abbiati pulled off two great saves to deny Van Persie. But in the 26th minute Arsenal had their second goal through Thomas Rosicky. Walcott’s square ball was cut out but could only be cleared straight to Rosicky, who calmly passed the ball into the net. Game on!! Ever since those woeful displays in Milan and then Sunderland, the Czech international has been completely transformed. In the victories against Tottenham and Liverpool he was imperious and last night was no different, his performance was outstanding. Rosicky was at the centre of Arsenal’s attacking play, his incisive passing was second to none and his sheer endeavour, a joy to behold as he fought for every ball. Even when he had clearly picked up an injury midway through the second half, he refused to give in and continued to show the passion and desire which so many, including myself, have accused this team of lacking.
Two-nil up on the night and with the crowd in great voice, Oxlade-Chamberlain picked up the ball with three minutes of the first half remaining. The young Englishman used his searing pace to run directly at the Milan defence, only for Daniel Mesbah to haul him down in the box. The referee, who had given Milan soft free kicks time and time again, had no option but to award Arsenal a penalty. Up stepped Van Persie to send Abbiati the wrong way and the belief inside the Emirates soaring. A banner held up in the Clock End said it all “We Believe.”
Unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be. In the second half Arsenal’s players tired following that great effort in the first period. They still chased and pressed Milan high up the pitch, but were now finding it difficult to maintain possession especially in midfield. However, early in the second half the Gunners had a glorious opportunity to restore parity over the two legs. Gervinho was sent free on the right flank, he cut inside and his shot took a deflection which so often leaves the goalkeeper wrong footed and helpless as the ball squirms into the goal. On this occasion however, Abbiati managed to block the shot with his feet, the rebound fell to Van Persie who attempted to dink the ball over the goalkeeper, but the Italian managed to block that effort too. It’s difficult to ascertain what would have happened had Arsenal scored at this stage of the game, but as the Gunners tired they struggled to create any further clear cut opportunities. On a few occasions, when they broke away on the counter attack they just could not find that killer pass and ultimately ran out of time.
At the final whistle the Arsenal players were clearly shattered. They had given all they could but had just fallen agonisingly short and were extremely disappointed. However they should all take great pride in that performance, the fans showed their appreciation for what had been a wonderful effort against the odds as they sang their hearts out for the team. When they reflect on this game the players can take great satisfaction from a truly fantastic performance. They have beaten the Italian league leaders 3-0 and completely dominated the game. Ibrahimovic, who had caused the Arsenal defence so much pain in the first leg only troubled the Linesman’s arm last night as the Swede was caught off-side on numerous occasions, with the Milan attack effectively nullified. The Gunners showed exactly what they are capable of, if we had two fit midfielders on the bench to freshen things up in the middle of the park we may well have even achieved the impossible and won the tie. After such a tremendous effort, in which several players ended the game carrying an injury, the next league match against Newcastle will be extremely difficult. However after this game the Gunners must continue to fight and show the desire and hunger they displayed yesterday. After last night’s display we are all proud Gooners!

Monday 5 March 2012

Anfield robbery

Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal somehow came away from Anfield with all three points on Saturday, having been largely outplayed throughout the entire game, in which Liverpool twice hit the post and had a penalty wonderfully saved by Wojciech Szczesny. The Gunners showed great grit and determination to withstand the Liverpool onslaught and with Robin Van Persie in the side, always knew they stood a chance of stealing the victory. In the words of the relieved Dutchman, “we nicked it”.
With the ill-advised mid-week international friendlies, several Arsenal players such as Alex Song and Yossi Benayoun had only arrived back from international duty on the Friday morning before the game, while others such as Thomas Vermaelen had played for their national side, despite suffering from injury. It was no surprise therefore, that Liverpool looked the fresher of the two sides, especially in the first half, as they dominated possession. Arsenal’s midfield, who had performed so well against Tottenham the previous Sunday, looked rather lethargic and just could not impose themselves on the game, allowing Charlie Adam and Jay Spearing to control the midfield. After Arsenal had an early chance through Theo Walcott, whose first time cross shot was well saved by Reina, Liverpool began to create chance after chance. Szczesny had to rush out of goal to head the ball clear twice, after a long ball had been misjudged by Koscielny, before Sagna and Gibbs made last ditch clearances to deny Downing and Henderson respectively. The Gunners defence seemed incapable of dealing with the movement of Liverpool’s forward players, in particular Dirk Kuyt and Luis Suarez.  It was a quick give and go between these two players, which enabled the Uruguayan to bear down on goal in the 18th minute.  Out came Szczesny to close down the angle and Suarez, having lost control of the ball, after a heavy touch, took an elaborate tumble over the Polish goalkeeper. Referee Mark Halsey was clearly unsighted with Kuyt obstructing his view, however ridiculously still decided to award Suarez’s dive with a penalty. The second penalty in the space of a week awarded against the Gunners following a clear dive by the opposition player. I have since heard former Premiership referee Dermot Gallagher claim that both this penalty and the one given against Spurs were both correctly awarded in his opinion. Well if he really believes this, after having the benefit of several replays, then we should all be thankful that he has retired from refereeing as he is clearly not fit for the job.
Up stepped Kuyt to take the penalty but Szczesny produced a magnificent save to deny the Dutchman, diving low to his right. However the ball bounced straight back to Kuyt, who prodded it back towards the goal. Szczesny would not be denied; he leapt up, diving across the goal line to push the ball out for a corner. It was a wonderful double save from the young Pole.

Szczesny saves Kuyt's penalty

His excellent efforts to preserve a clean sheet were to be undone in the 23rd minute however, as Arsenal allowed Henderson far too much time on the right wing to cross the ball into the box. Koscielny’s attempted clearance inadvertently skewed off his shin and flew into the back of the net to give the home side a deserved lead. Liverpool were rampant now and a few minutes later Henderson was free again on the right, while his shot was well saved by Szczesny, the rebound fell staright to Suarez whose shot hit the post, thanks to great covering work from Vermaelen as his presence forced Suarez to aim for the near post. Had that effort gone in, the game would have effectively been over. But surprisingly, in the 31st minute Arsenal were back on level terms, following an inch perfect cross from Sagna which found Van Persie in space to guide his header past Reina for the equaliser.

Van Persie makes it 1-1
The Arsenal goal did not dampen Liverpool’s attacking play however and they continued to look extremely dangerous going forward as Arsenal’s midfield continued to struggle to gain and hold onto possession. Suarez squirmed through the Arsenal defence only to see his fine effort well saved by Szczesny and just before half time; Downing was this time allowed far too much space on the left flank, his low cross met by Kuyt who could only steer his effort against the far post. With the referee’s half time whistle, Arsenal breathed a huge sigh of relief. How they had managed to go in level at the break was a complete mystery.
In the second half, although Liverpool still enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession, their attacking threat was not as great as that in the first half. In fact they only had one clear cut effort, which was missed by Martin Kelley, as Arsenal’s defence appeared stronger and more resilient after the break. The Gunners also began to create chances of their own, Diaby (who had replaced the injured Arteta following a nasty collision with Henderson) fashioned a chance all by himself as he wriggled through only to see his effort easily saved. Then Gibbs’ run, in behind the Liverpool backline set up Walcott, but his shot deflected off a Liverpool defender and was saved by Reina. With the game entering into injury time and Liverpool seeming incapable of fashioning a goal scoring opportunity before fulltime, it appeared Arsenal would leave Anfield with a point. Alex Song and Robin Van Persie had other ideas. With two minutes of injury time already played, the Cameroon international lofted a wonderful ball to his Dutch team mate. As the ball sailed over the Liverpool defence, Van Persie peeled off Carragher, had a quick look to check Reina’s positioning, before skilfully steering the ball home at the near post, on the volley, with his instep. It was a sensational goal, worthy of winning any game.

Van Persie wins the game with a wonderful volley
At the final whistle the Arsenal players' jubilation told its own story. They knew they had not deserved to win the game, but had somehow rode their luck and dug deep to take all three points. These victories often feel better than when you dominate the opposition and utterly humiliate them, say 5-2! The importance of the win was highlighted further on Sunday with Tottenham’s loss confirming Arsenal had now closed the gap to third place to four points. This is some achievement when you consider that a week ago, with 30 minutes of the game played against Tottenham, Arsenal were staring at a potential 13 point gap. There are still many difficult games left to play in the league, but this result should give Arsenal immense belief that they can withstand great pressure and still emerge victorious.  

The Arsenal players celebrate Van Persie's winner