We’re a pretty calm lot here on Arsenal Arsenal, well some can be relied on to vent their feelings loudly, but largely the comments after the game were sensible.

There was some poor officiating which many felt helped Man City where really they didn’t need it. Milners dive for their penalty was a disgrace.

Defensively, we looked all over the place with limited connection between mid-field and the back four so that when City had the opportunity to break they pretty much had the run of the pitch. Flamini seems to have a dose of ‘Songitis’ at the moment, he needs to be reminded that one goal ‘doeth not a centre forward make’ and stick to his job.

A front six all wanting to be number 10’s was never going to work against the excellent attacking prowess that City had to offer and so we conceded pretty much every time they attacked and got a shot on target. Harrumph!!!!!!!!!

We lost Koscielny early on to a cut knee 🙂 which gave Vermaelen a chance to play. Would we have carried on leaking goals with Kozzer on the pitch? We’ll never know.

There were obviously some very tired legs out there but we should have been able to retain possession better than we did. Some of our lapses were suicidal and Wenger was right when he said that we made too many mistakes.

Clearly we don’t like travelling to Manchester but both teams will need to visit us and we’ll be able to get those six points back.

As the sun was shining when I woke up this morning I thought to look for the positives from this game. I’m not saying we should have won, Man City were awesome, but at times like this you have to find things to make you feel better ….. so here goes.

Theo was a breath of fresh air. Fantastic to have him back. I hope he’s been watching how Giroud could use a bit of help in the box and is ready to get into the spaces to score or assist. There have been games recently where we have been crying out for him to come on and unsettle defenses. I think he’s a very important player for us, hope he stays fit now.

We scored three goals at the Etihad, I read that that was more than they had conceded there all season, so well done boys. Actually, of course, we scored four but one was wrongly given offside, a great passage of play culminating in a header from Nik.

Koscielny’s injury isn’t as bad as was predicted but he will need to wear a plaster for a few days. I expect him back for the Chelsea game.

Speaking of the Chelsea game, all of our exhausted legs should be well rested by the time we play them. Nine days rest in December – Ozil will think he’s had a winter break.

We are still top of the league folks, the chasing pack also have their frailties but we need to be strong.

Can you think of any more positives? Let us know in the comments ……..

Written by peachesgooner

This game was touted as one of high intensity, skill and spirit. Not for the faint hearted. Potentially a fantastic even and attacking game. A game suitable for the album of memories. A fine mix of youth and experience developing under the tutelage of master craftsman Arsene Wenger, against Roberto Martinez’s self-proclaimed “real young arrogant group of players, who have got real talent.” Arsenal came into the game Top of the League, and Everton came with a mighty fine winning spree, including a victory at Old Trafford last week.

It was a fantastic game. Quite even in the end, a 1-1 stalemate. Plenty of lessons to take and to move on to the other challenges coming up. Was it a point well gained for Arsenal, or an opportunity lost? In the event, Arsenal’s lead at the top increased from 4 to 5 points this weekend. But this was due to results in the other games, where ignorable others dropped points. The lead could have been 7 points, perhaps should have been, given that this was a home game. But they came up against mighty fine opposition who fought all the way, even when they were trailing into the final 7 minutes of the game, despite the booming unison of ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ reverberating through The Home of Football, and notwithstanding the attacking threat that Arsenal posed till the last moments of the game.

Yes, it was a fantastic spectacle for the lover of the fantastic game, and a tough game for Arsenal, a game where they played second fiddle to the brash young opposition “arrogant” gang, a true rarity this season. But they led through a typically crafty goal by the Wizard of Oz-il, and even after the equaliser, could still have won, perhaps should have won, through a wonder strike from one Olivier Giroud. Alas, it was not to be. So job done, on we go, to Europe next, against Napoli, followed by the small matter of facing the exciting Man City away and Chelsea at home.

Along the way, Arsenal have earned a five point cushion at the top. Not quite a bed of roses, but a comfortable gap nevertheless. Yes, it was a tough test, and the good guys of Arsenal came second best for large parts of the game. But they fought back valiantly, created several opportunities, and showed spirit and craftsmanship in equal measure. If they have learnt their lesson, and can bounce back, this is job well done, otherwise it is work-in-progress. The verdict is still out! We will know soon.

So, how did the game go? First 35 minutes clearly belonged to the Toffees. The Everton midfield, led by the Barkley and powerful Lukaku combination proved to be quite a handful. They piled enormous pressure on the back four of Jenks-BFG-Kos-Gibbs, plus the usually infallible Arteta who did not have a particularly great game. However, credit mainly to the ever reliable Per-Kos combination, they created hardly any chances. Arsenal came back strongly in the final 5 minutes of the first half, creating two beautiful chances, but they came to nought. Tim Howard made two fantastic saves. First, he dived at the feet of Giroud to block after a fantastic Ramsey pass, and immediately after when the roles were reversed, he saved again from Ramsey’s feet when he was released by Giroud.

The second half commenced much the same way as the first. Attack upon counter-attack followed at breath-taking pace. It looked like a test of true spirit and strength of character. Who would blink first? Szczesny was seriously tested a couple of times, and he was safe if not brilliant. At the other end, Ramsey had a fantastic effort turned around the post by Howard, and Santi scuffed a header meekly into the hands to the keeper. 65 minutes down, still deadlocked, an intensely pulsating game with two teams trying to make a breakthrough, looking for a moment of inspiration, no sign of ragged legs, what a game!

But, before that, time perhaps to have a closer look at the shape and formations of the teams. Arsenal had the usual defensive formation of BFG, Kos and Gibbs, with Jenks replacing the injured Sagna. Arteta as defensive midfielder, in tow with Ramsey linking the back to the attack. Giroud the lone forward with Ozil, Wilshere and Santi manning the midfield. Everton’s attack was almost exclusively from the right side, Pienaar having a poor game in left wing, leaving Jenks with sufficient liberty to roam forward. But the potent combination of Barkley and Lukaku bossed the midfield with tireless abandon. BFG, and particularly Kos, were brilliant in defence, Gibbs was kept busy in defence, and Jenks had little defending to do.

To my mind, the main problem was in the midfield. First, Arsenal held a more defensive line, and this appeared to create a gap between defence and attack. Wilshere was largely absent, Santi was composed but not enormously creative, and Ramsey was unusually subdued except for the two brilliant exchanges with Giroud, and a good effort on goal later. Ozil was involved in almost all the moves, but played largely within himself. Giroud had to fall back quite a bit to get any piece of the action. Second, the wings did not work well. Gibbs had only limited opportunity to move forwards and Jenks was not sufficiently creative. On the Everton side, Coleman moved up the right relatively freely, with Gibbs sitting back around the edge of the box. Oviedo moved upwards as well, but Pienaar was not so effective.

Time for the endgame gambits, then! Arsene made a sensational triple substitution, bringing on Flamster, Rosicky and Theo for Rambo, Jack and Santi. Was it a sense of desperation, or was it a show of bounty on the bench. It can be argued either way. The jury is probably still out, but then it seemed to work. The fresh legs provided a moment of magic. Rosicky crossed from the left towards the right end of the box, Theo brilliantly headed the ball down towards the centre, Giroud missed but took two defenders with him, and Mesut (oh you beauty Ozil!) thumped it into the top of the net. 1-0 to the Arsenal.

However, this moment of brilliance was to be followed by another – a sucker punch! Martinez brought on Osman for Pienaar and this created hustle on the left wing, and the wonderkid Deulofeu for Mirallas. Oviedo was now able to link up more freely on the left. Lo and behold! The attack came from the left, via Oviedo and Osman, Jenks was easily taken bypassed, cross into the box, and with the Arsenal defenders offering too much space, Deulofeu just drilled it in. Three defenders around, Gibbs the closest, Kos and Flamster watching, Per struggling to return from his travels upfront, and no one challenged! This game of sitting back and allowing space just does not work! The faithful in the Emirates silenced, and forget about the gits who had already left.

On the sideline, Arsene was livid! But too late, with only seven minutes left, but perhaps not! Arsenal went on full attack, and with seconds left, Giroud produced a moment of magic, well almost! He picked on a loose ball 30 yards out, and thumped an outrageous curler that deflated the frame of the Everton goal, but could not quite make its way through. An amazing effort! The game ended 1-1 all-square.

A fantastic game for the neutral, but not the faint hearted, an honourable result perhaps, but also perhaps a missed opportunity. Everton played a fantastic game, slightly better than Arsenal certainly in the midfield and in attack, but the good guys gave away a lead on 84 minutes! And on another day, Ollie’s final effort might have saved the day, but it did not! If only ….. , but back to that later. It is not that bad, is it? Everton are a very good side, and we are Top of the League by a good 5 points. All is well if lessons are learnt. If we bounce back against Napoli away and Man City away like we did against Dortmund, after the other shocking day at THOF, then this will be a stepping stone towards greater heights. That will be no mean feat, that will be a true test of mettle!

In a game when the true heroes were on the opposing side, I feel individual scores are not in order. There was no shocking performance, well perhaps a couple, and nobody shone out particularly well. In my view, the peak of the bunch was Kos. On towards the future!

So, this was a hard fought game, Arsenal flattered to deceive somewhat. What then are the lessons learnt? I have listed a few, in no particular order.

1. In games like this, one could perhaps just leave the partisan self aside and admire the spirit of the game. And, what a game it was!
2. Sitting too deep in defence does not work. Playing on the counter is perhaps a good strategy, but a higher line is essential. Certainly, it is shocking how much space the Everton front men were sometimes offered.
3. Personally, I did not get the idea of subbing Flamster for Rambo. This looked like a defensive substitution at that time, it still does!
4. One good bit of news is that, finally, Theo seems to be coming to his own. In that case, why oh why, did we not start with Theo? And this leads to an if only moment – if only Arsene had read Raddy’s pre-match more carefully, and not cast only a cursory glance?
5. Absence of Sagna was key. Jenks was not bad on the day, but he is not Sagna, not yet. Everton’s left side was weak. If only, and another if only, Sagna were fit, we might have made better use of the right side, in attack and in defence.
6. Finally, this guy Deulofeu is tasty. Young, Barca academy, quite a character as well. How about a bid next year?

Finally, we are Top of the League, and there is only one way to proceed. Onwards and upwards!

Written by arnie

Last Friday:

Arsène Wenger at his pre-match press conference on the team news for Cardiff…speaking towww.arsenal.com

“No, nothing is different from Marseille really. We have no injuries. Of course we have some little concerns. People were a little bit rested like Arteta, but they are all available now. Kieran Gibbs was sick but he has already recovered yesterday. He is now back in the squad.”

On Podolski’s progress…“It will be three weeks until we could see him in the team”.

On Oxlade-Chamberlain…“It will be the New Year for him.”

The prawn sandwich brigade is under attack,

“Arsenal FC sues sponsor in packed lunches row”.

The club is suing one of it’s sponsors for £375,000 in a row over packed lunches. Capstone Management, it is alleged, ceased making contractual payments after guests in their private box were not allowed to eat sandwiches that they had brought in. Capstone denies the claim stating “the hospitality was deliberately compromised”. Oh dear! All is not well in the upper tier!

Saturday:

George Graham celebrated his 69th birthday today.

Here’s a question for all knowledgeable AAers, who is this member of Arsene Wenger’s staff? A former captain of Yugoslavia, a centre half fluent in nine languages and a whistle blower in the Marseille match fixing scandal of 1993/95. A dark period in French football history that caused our manager, then in charge at Monaco, much pain.

The odds for today’s game:- home win 9/2 against, draw 3/1 against and away win 13/8 on.

Sunday:

Two goals from Aaron Ramsey another from sleeves rolled up Flamini, two super assists from Mesut Ozil, a couple of excellent saves from TPIG, a clean sheet and three more points. What more could any true Gunner want?

One incident in the game was worth a mention, Ollie’s “offside” moment, our striker stopped his run on goal when he wrongly assumed that a pass he was chasing had clipped Ozil on the way, only Mesut really knows, but the linesman thought not and the chance had gone. The lesson to be learned? Always play to the whistle!

Other results went our way to some extent, of our main rivals both ‘Pool and Man U dropped points, as did the also-rans from the wrong end of Seven Sisters Road. Chelsea won while not looking all that good and City kept up the pressure with a routine home win over Swansea.

Happy birthday to

Emiliano Viviano 28 today.

Monday:

Proof today of the growing influence and popularity of our French No.12, Britain’s top baby name for 2013 is Oliver, the anglicized version of Giroud’s moniker Olivier. How’s that for fame?

On this day

2nd December 2003 at the tender age of just 16 years and 212 days Cesc Fabregas became Arsenal’s youngest ever goal scorer when he tapped in the fifth goal in a 5 – 1 rout of Wolverhampton Wanderers to dump them out of the League Cup. Prophetically his shirt number that day was 57, which just happened to be the number of goals he would score before his £35 million departure to Barcelona eight years later.

A Congolese midfielder, 26 year old Youssouf Mulumbu of West Brom claimed that he had been approached by Arsenal and could ask for a transfer in January. He’s currently suspended after amassing five yellow cards. I can’t see us buying another African player, they seem to disappear all too quickly to the African Cup of Nations and then either get injured, lose their form or their passports.

Tuesday:

Not much in the way of proper Arsenal news, but one item in The Daily Express seemed pretty definite; “Arsenal sign Spain starlet Alvaro Morata on six-month loan deal” was the headline. The 21 year old striker is currently bench warming at Real Madrid, he has come off the bench nine times this season, scoring two goals, and is considered one of the hottest prospects in Spanish football having scored 11 goals in 12 games for the Under-21 side. Anything in it? We’ll just have to wait and see.

A couple of snippets from the Manager’s news conference: Sagna ruled out of the Hull game with a slight hamstring problem, Jenkinson the likely replacement. Podolski to resume normal training after the Hull game and will need a another week before being considered for selection.

Wednesday:

Speaking ahead of the Hull game Arsène Wenger said

“During this busy period when you are in a position we are in, every game decides our future a little bit,” he went on “What is at stake is how can we bring the quality of our concentration and focus into every game. The more you play the more that is difficult”. “That is why I try to rotate a little bit and keep that freshness in the team”.

Arsène also took a swipe at BBC pundits Hansen and Shearer,

“Sometimes I watch it (Match of the Day), sometimes not,” Wenger said. “I have enough experience to analyse what we do and how well we play. I don’t need someone else to tell me. I’m not upset by that at all”. “Sometimes it’s just someone saying their opinion without an argument on something that makes sense” “Often he doesn’t sustain his opinion by some work he has done to support that argument”. “When I arrived here people explained I couldn’t win the title as I’m foreign. Everybody has their own logic. I just think you win the title through your quality”.

Betting odds on the game; Home win 5/1 on, draw 11/2 against, away win 14/1 against.

Thursday:

All doom and gloom this morning, North Easterly gales, exceptionally high tides and warnings of coastal flooding for the North Norfolk coast. But who cares? Two goals, a clean sheet and three more lovely points. Add to that, the rarest of rare events, a goal by Nicklas Bendtner!!

On http://www.arsenal.com Arsène Wenger was asked about the Dane; On whether playing Bendtner was a gamble…

“Look, [it is a gamble] if a guy has not played for a long time, and his last performance was not convincing against Chelsea, but he has worked hard in training and deserved a chance.” On Bendtner proving people wrong…

“We know that when he has the mind of the game, he has the qualities. I believe tonight he had a good game.”

On Bendtner’s future…

“At the moment we are not as far as that. He has the stature, he has good technical quality, he has quite good pace. Look, we had him as a boy of 15 or 16 and I made him sign a long contract twice so that means I always believed in his qualities.”

Oh! I forgot to mention;

Gunners maintain four point lead at the top!!

That’s all for now folks.

Norfolk Gooner

Yesterday Rocky posted an interesting piece, but I disagree with the bit about losing BSR and the disruption caused. Personally, I think that we dealt with the departure of BSR pretty well. We signed a proven world class striker in Podolski, who had progressed as far if not further on the world stage than BSR and won trophies in a tough league, we signed a striker who had potential in Giroud and we signed an attacking midfielder in Cazorla. And left room for the purchase of a world class player who knows that a team is really about hard work, having played in a a team full of world class players.

Yes we had an edgy season last year, but we got our business on the replacement front done early and still made the top 4. The reason we didn’t push on as much last year was that we didn’t have a second holding midfielder when every armchair manager could see we needed someone else to help Arteta. Rosicky, Ramsey and Wilshere were all coming back from serious injuries, add on “Glass Legs Diaby” plus Vermaelen being given indulgences to play when it was clear he was still struggling with an injury or two, plus the weight of the armband and you have a perfect storm where the spine of the team didn’t function properly. Oh, and Szczesny was feeling a bit smug until Fabianski showed that he could do a job.

Contrast that with this year. The spine of the team is currently fully operational. Szczesny understands that Fabianski has matured and can do a job for us if he messes up, so he stays switched on. Vermaelen has been given time to convalesce and a fairly stable central pair is available virtually every week. Note the problem at Manure was where the BFG would probably have been. We now have a pair of defensive midfielders who don’t take chances when protecting their CBs, talk to each other and only move forward singly unlike when Song was there. Further up we have a revolving midfield where it’s like the opposition are playing sick russian roulette. All but one shell is in the chamber, so the likelihood of someone taking a shot and anteing up the attack is much increased. And of course Gorgeous Olivier has proven why he should allowed mousse as part of his rations.

If BSR was still here, Giroud wouldn’t have developed, everything would have been slung in to him so he could have a shot. A bit like the end of the Invincibles when Henry became a get out of jail card or Fabregas became the playmaker we relied upon. Now we are a team, more people are seen as equally good and there is no one looking as if they are carry the team and our hopes with it.

Ask yourself this, “We have had Podolski, Walcott and sometimes Wilshere missing, that’s 16 goals, 21 goals and a bunch of creativity” and what have we done? Won 10 Lost 2 and Drawn 1. Whether by accident or planning the loss of those players, unforeseen, unmanaged or otherwise has turned out to have shaped us into a cohesive unit.

Written by N5Artillery