Hammers Hammered – Report & Player Ratings

January 24, 2013

Five fine goals, free-flowing football and freezing fans fully satisfied.

(Whoops. Sorry about the alliteration. That sentence has more Fs than the ladies’ toilets in an Essex nightclub on Saturday night).

He signed da ting!

He signed da ting!

It would be fair to say that many of us were nervous before the game.

Would the Arsenal who dominated Chelsea for the second half at Stamford Bridge turn up? Or the Arsenal that whimpered and wallied its way through the first half of the same game?

Our inconsistency has been consistent this season and we knew that we could not afford to be off our game against a physical, long ball West Ham managed by the Walrus.

Truth to tell, it was the line in BR’s pre-match about the Hammers having put in 56 crosses in their last game that really caused a clenching of the buttocks. Fifty-six crosses? Given our ability to concede a goal roughly to one in every two crosses into our box, we could be on for a 0 – 28 humiliation.

Thankfully it was the good Arsenal that turned up. Podolski and Ramsey were in the starting line-up in place of Diaby (ill) and Coquelin (injured). The back five was unchanged, Ramsey took up the DM position behind Wilshere and Cazorla. Giroud started through the middle with Podolski left and Walcott right.

We looked threatening and up for it right from the off and created several half chances before, inevitably, West Ham took the lead. The goal followed a couple of annoying officiating errors (a clear corner to us given as a goal kick to West Ham, a clear goal kick to us given as a corner to them).

The said corner came in and was headed clear only to fall at the feet of Collison, who slammed it into the net through a crowd of players from just outside the box. It was powerfully struck and Szczesny was probably partially unsighted, but just once I would like to see him save one of those. I had the same feeling about Mata’s goal last week. Difficult to save, but great ‘keepers get some of them.

Anyway, that’s enough carping for one report, because we refused to let our heads drop or feel sorry for ourselves and hit back just a few minutes later. Wilshere set up Podolski with a wonderful little dink of a pass and the German rifled it into the side netting from about 25 yards with all the venom of Big Bertha (the cannon, not the golf club).

pod goal

At half time it was 1-1. But I don’t think any of us were expecting what happened next.

If we had been pretty good in the first half, we started the second like demons. The lightning-fast, quick-passing, rapid-breaking football that Arsene Wenger patented at Arsenal was suddenly back.

The half had barely started when we were ahead. A corner on our left saw a slick move in which Mertesacker, having taken up a near post position, suddenly sprinted (alright, lumbered) back into the middle of the box and Giroud dashed to replace him. The BFG’s movement confused the Irons’ defence and Giroud was able to reach Walcott’s near post corner first, guiding the ball into the net beautifully off the outside of his boot.

girou

Are we working on corners in training? Or was it just good, intuitive play?

Six minutes later it was 3-1. A neat one-two between Podolski and Giroud led to the German squaring the ball to Cazorla in the six yard box. Santi’s cheeky back heel steered the ball into the net and brought joy and relief to the crowd.

Our attacks were coming in waves now. Fast forward a few minutes and Podolski was provider once again. We broke down the left. Podolski held the ball up intelligently to allow Giroud to stay on side, then fired a low cross right across the penalty area for a flying Walcott to drive home.

And our excellent Number 9 completed his hat trick of assists minutes later when another
low cross was steered into the net adroitly by Giroud (a much harder finish than it first looked).

At 5-1 we continued to attack with panache and probably should have added further to our goal tally. But better than that, we were outstanding on the rare occasions when we did NOT have the ball, pressing West Ham all over the park and forcing them into errors. It was a real template for how we should approach every game.

A serious injury to the Hammers’ Daniel Potts (he appeared to be accidentally caught in the face or head by Sagna) caused a 10 minute delay and although we continued to press hard afterwards, the sight of Potts being stretchered off seemed to suck a bit of the energy out of proceedings. Hopefully the lad is alright. He was applauded off the pitch by both sets of fans (Stoke City Orc Scum fans please take note).

In summary: a brilliant performance and win; the gap on the cave dwellers closed to just four points and, surely, a huge lift to everyone involved with the club moving forward.

Many of us have complained that, too often this season, we have been less than the sum of our parts. Last night our players showed how good they can be and they need to carry this attitude, arrogance and self-belief into the rest of the season.

Player Ratings

Szczesney: Good game but I would like to see him stop somebody’s screamer some time soon (I know GiE will immediately post clips of half a dozen breath taking saves he’s already made in this campaign). 7

Sagna: Still not the old Mr Reliable, but had a better game than he has recently. He seems to have lost all confidence in his ability to cross. 7

Mertesacker: Very solid and brought the ball forward well from the back. 7

Vermaelen: Tommy is slowly but steadily getting his game back together and he, too, was good last night. Despite West Ham being a typical Allardyce team more physically suited to basketball than football, they did not cause us too many problems in the air. 7.5

Gibbs: Super game from Kieran. Good at the back and a thorn in the Hammers’ side all night going forward. 8

Ramsey: Fine job in his preferred midfield role. Worked really hard, passed well and did tons of work off the ball. No Hammer enjoyed paying against him last night. 7.5

Santi-Cazorla: A busy bundle of tricks, took his goal stylishly and contributed greatly to the speed and fluidity of our movement. 8

Wilshere: Our new talisman. Drove us forward throughout the game despite, as usual, beng on the end of several fouls. His energy and inspiration is rubbing off on his team mates. 9 (joint MoTM).

Walcott: He signed da ting, now he’s delivering. He was brave and inventive and forced West Ham onto the back foot. Some wrong options on occasion but he never stopped trying. Took his goal well. 8

Podolski: Three assists and a rocket of a goal. When the Pod is up for it like this he must be terrifying to opposition defenders with his size, speed, strength and the sheer power of his shot, which reminds me of Charlie George. 9 (joint MoTM).

Giroud: Took his two goals brilliantly and had a good all round game, even if sometimes his understanding with team mates was a tad off. 7.5

Subs
Koscielny: Deputised well for Vermaelen who was removed as a precaution.
Santos: Nice to see Andre get a run out. He’s not as bad as his last outings would have you believe and it can only be good for the squad to have him back and fit.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: Full of running and tricks. Took shots a couple of times when he should have passed, but at 5-1 up who can blame him?

RockyLives

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Bale’s A Proven Diver: Why No Fuss?

December 31, 2012

Against West Brom recently Santi Cazorla was fouled in the opposition box and went down. We scored from the resulting penalty.

The camera angles first appeared to show little or no contact. Later an angle emerged showing clear contact on Santi’s shin.

Arsenal's Cazorla challenges West Bromwich Albion's Reid during their English Premier League soccer match in London

But that did not stop the media going into a frenzy about our little Spaniard’s alleged “cheating”.

The story ran for days – including calls for retrospective banning – and was a foul slur on an international performer who plays the game fairly.

Of course it was no surprise to us Arsenal supporters. We had seen the witch hunt perpetrated against Eduardo following a Champions League game versus Celtic shortly after his return from a (literally) shattering leg break. Eduardo may or may not have dived in that case, but the outcry was out of all proportion to any other diving incident in football ever.

Now fast forward to the Saturday just past. Tottenham’s winger Gareth Bale was booked for diving after what was, at best, minimal contact from a Sunderland player. Bale had reacted to the contact by hurling himself to the ground.

bale dive

Here’s the remarkable thing: it was Bale’s FIFTH booking for diving since the start of last season – three more yellows for simulation than any other player in the EPL, even Ashley Young!

We know that referees get things wrong from time to time, but five bookings for diving can’t be explained away by officials’ errors. It quite clearly points to a player who uses cheating as a weapon in his armoury.

And let’s not forget, those are only the occasions where Bale’s dives have been penalised. There are many other examples of dives that have gone unpunished by the refs. Often they result in a free kick or even penalties to Tottenham (as we have found to our own cost).

So we see that Bale is a proven cheat of a player. Someone who, while undoubtedly a talented footballer, has been shown up repeatedly for his dishonesty.

And against Sunderland he took his tally of bookings for cheating up to a shamefully high level.

With that in mind, I expected the Sunday sports pages to contain a barrage of articles demanding that he be banned for a long period, that he be made to apologise publicly, that his manager be forced to condemn diving and so on. Or at least some earnest debates about morality in the modern game.

Lo and behold, what did I find?

Match reports that barely mentioned Bale’s booking and did so exclusively in the context of the Welshman’s claims of being persecuted; and – most ludicrous of all – articles suggesting he would be “hounded out” of English football “like Cristiano Ronaldo” if referees kept targeting him in this unfair way.

So please, Dear Reader, answer me this: why does the media seek to make English football’s most proven cheat appear as a persecuted victim, yet sets out to crucify any Arsenal player against whom there is the slightest allegation of diving?

I can’t fathom it.

Perhaps it’s that Bale (unlike Eduardo and Cazorla) is British and the British media seldom take to task home grown players for blatant cheating and foul play (Ashley Young, Rooney and Gerrard all have extensive “previous” for simulation, but are never demonised by the press).

Or maybe it’s just that the reporters have put so much effort into building up Bale as the next big thing (despite his stats being not as good as Theo Walcott’s) that they can’t bring themselves to acknowledge a glaring flaw in his approach to the game.

Or maybe you have a better theory… I’d be interested to hear it…

RockyLives

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Santi has goals in his sack

December 24, 2012

I loved Andrey Arshavin when he first joined. He was always prepared to try the outrageous and had the talent to pull it off. He scored by far the greatest goal I have seen at the Emirates when he stroked in that winner against Barca – and don’t underestimate the finish, it was top drawer and he was probably the only player in the side that would have put it away.

But sadly my little Russian friend has gone off the boil and doesn’t even make our bench these days … but being a fickle fan, he has been replaced in my affections by another 5 foot 6 inches of footballing genius.

untitled

Santi Cazorla is the type of footballer that we have become accustomed to under Arsène Wenger. He’s a pocket sized bundle of football trickery. He plays the game with a smile on his face and magic in his feet.

Like AA, Santi will see 3 defenders lining up against him as an opportunity not a dead end. His vision, range of passes and ability to use both feet to equal effect are key to his success – but it should also be acknowledged that his work rate is terrific and an example to all those who play around him.

But beyond all this, the point of this short post is to highlight the fact that he is improving as a goalscorer as each year passes. He has doubled his strike rate since joining Arsenal compared to his year at Malaga.

2003 – 2006, Villareal, 40 apps, 4 goals = 0.1 goals per game

2006 – 2007, Recreativo, 34 games, 5 goals = 0.15 gpg

2007 – 2011, Villareal, 127 games, 23 goals = 0.18 gpg

2011 – 2012, Malaga, 38 games, 9 goals = 0.23 gpg

2012, Arsenal, 17 games, 7 goals = 0.41 gpg

Arsenal’s future success lies in the hands of Santi, Jack and the Ox. If they can develop the understanding of each other’s movement, to instinctively know where the other will be without needing to look up, to expect the unexpected pass when weaving into the box, then the discussions about our best choice for CF will be redundant.

Arsène’s sides have always relied on creativity from the midfield. We have a new maestro, the orchestra are just fine tuning their instruments, we can play sweet music in 2013.

Hastily written by Rasp

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Santi gets his Claws into Reading

December 18, 2012

Nobody seemed prepared to predict the outcome of this one. Would The Arsenal rise from the ashes of the funeral pyre built and torched by the press since the Valley Parade debacle or would they produce another Xmas turkey of a performance?

The line-up seemed bright and attacking with a Pod, Theo, Ox combination up front. Mozart couldn’t find a space on the Conductor’s stand with Santi set to continue baton duties. The bench looked strong with Giroud and Koscielny returning after visiting Abou.

teamsheet

  • Subs  Mannone, Koscielny, Rosicky, Ramsey, Coquelin, Giroud, Gervinho

 

Arsenal began the first half in threatening mood. Chamberlain broke away in the 2nd minute, fed Santi then cheekily took the ball off the Spaniard’s toe before unleashing a fierce drive. The first five minutes were all Arsenal with only a key pass in the final third missing.

A superb cross from the Ox needed Podolski to attack the ball. This was one of the few occasions where Arsenal didn’t attack the ball coming into the box which later became a feature of tonight’s performance. Some poor defending was followed by a swift break resulting in a Podolski shot which was blocked.

Reading won a corner on 11 minutes and the deficiencies of zonal marking were clearly exposed as the Reading player attacked the ball and got in front of the static Arteta. Arsenal responded with some fine passing play. The ball went wide to Podolski who slipped the ball on to Gibbs. Podolski continued his run into the area and controlled the ball with his right on to his left, bang. Arsene and Bouldie still looked less than happy. Mind you, you can understand that after the slaughtering they’ve had this past week.

wenger and bould

Cazorla suddenly looked back to his early season form, spraying the ball around and taking pot shots given half a chance. A move involving a particularly delicious through ball to Gibbs breaking down the right, ended with another Podolski effort screwing wide of the goal.

The 21st minute gave Theo the chance to confirm and consolidate his claims to play up top, but he fluffed his lines allowing the Reading keeper to block. At the other end Sir Chez was catching the ‘impossible corners to defend ‘ from Shorey and as a result gave his defence some much-needed confidence.

Arsenal were now slipping into turbo with a great run from The Ox and a Wilshere shot after a bout of pinball in the Reading penalty box. A vague threat from the home team was snuffed out by Vermaelen and Gibbs got in a fine block. Theo found Cazorla at the far post and yet another block meant that Arsenal couldn’t capitalise on a period of virtual total dominance.

A second goal was required to cement Arsenal’s superiority and it duly came in the 32nd minute. Podolski took on his full back (what a lovely sight, that is) and sent in a great cross, Santi stooped to head into the net for a lovely goal. Late runs into the area and players getting on the end of crosses, whatever next.

santis header

A relatively uncommon sight then became the norm as Arsenal now oozed confidence. The third goal came down the right with Theo shifting the ball to give himself space to cross to Gibbs on the back post, arriving late again. Gibbs headed back into the danger zone and Cazorla swivelled to put the Gunners 3 up and cruising.

Jack’s Christmas celebrations may have to be put on hold for a few days as he received an early present of crushed nuts from McAnuff in the 39th minute. There was no malice in the challenge but studs into the groin in December are sure to make the eyes water.

jack gets it in the nuts

 The first half came to a close with an Ox run, some excellent interplay from Gibbs, Wilshere and Walcott and nearly finished with an Ox headed goal from a Sagna cross.

The second half began brightly but Arsenal’s spark seemed to dwindle as the intelligent movement off the ball started to diminish as that horrible casual ‘job done’ streak crept back into our play. We were still creating some chances though, with Theo slipped in by Jack and Santi unlucky not to latch on to the rebound.

A few minutes of Reading revival saw some good command of his area from Szczesny and the BFG was reminiscent of Beckenbauer at times with his calm interceptions and beautifully timed tackles. Even then, Walcott had another great shooting opportunity but the ball went wide.

What we needed was another goal and that’s exactly what we got after more sharp play, Jack to Podolski and a tap in for a well deserved hat trick for the man from the North Pole.

santis hattrick

Theo had a chance to make it 5 but shot straight at the keeper. Then came that moment we all dread as Arsenal fans, coasting at 4-0, Gibbs played a risky ball infield to Wishere, Jack slipped and Reading scored. Only a consolation said the commentators, but you never know.

Arsenal’s foot was well and truly off the pedal by now. If they keep the tempo up it takes the pressure off, relax and even a team whose form is as poor as Reading’s sense some uplift. The second Reading goal was utter garbage from the Gunners. The commentators delighted in reminding us of the day Dowd engineered a Geordie comeback. The options for the man on the ball had dried up and nobody was willing to kick a few backsides.

On 74’ the Ox was subbed for Ramsey. The Ox had been non-existent in the second half. Complacency? Tiredness? I’m not sure but after a fine first half it was disappointing. Bacary looked half-hearted at times going forward then with little effort to get back when the ball was lost. Passes were going backwards in our own half as if we didn’t know whether to stick or bust.

The 80th minute saw my personal prayers answered with a brilliant piece of play from Cazorla and a fine finish from Theo. Theo’s pistols were finally discharged into the Reading net and we could breathe a sigh of relief.

theo scores

A round of substitutions, a Podolski blast and a near thing for substitute Giroud saw the game out for the Gunners. The BFG had time for one last majestic interception and Vermaelen got back well when the Reading player took a fraction too long when clean through.

All in all, a fine way to go into the festive period.Reading weren’t very good opposition but you can only beat the team in front of you, so upwards and onwards to a lunchtime date with Wigan. I’m looking forward to going already. Please can we play like we did in the first half for the whole 90 minutes. Please.

Santi took the ball home after a fine hat trick and man of the match performance.

santi gets the match ball

Ratings

Szczesny– Looked commanding from any aerial threat and didn’t stand much chance with either of the goals……7

Mertesacker – Majestic. Calm and assured, admittedly against a limp attack……8

Vermaelen – Much better from Tommy after his Yorkshire nightmare……7

Sagna – Got forward well, looked a little slack 2nd half and seemed to be arguing with TV5 at the final whistle….7

Gibbs – Supported Podolski really well in the first half. His two assists were balanced out by a poor pass to gift Reading the glimpse of a lifeline. …..7

Wilshere – Jack was excellent in the first half, then seemed to stop showing for the ball once the team believed they’d already won  …..8

Arteta – Effective, reliable. Allows Jack and Santi to play …….8

Cazorla – Magnificent and back to his best with a deserved hat trick …..9

Podolski – Much much better from Lukas. Took his goal superbly and looked dangerous on the left flank with two assists…..8

Walcott – Theo’s pace and subsequent threat seemed to occupy Reading all night. Could have had several more goals. Sign da ting Theo…..7

 The Ox – Great first half. Perhaps he tired in the second. Lovely to see him build as the season progresses…..7

Subs

Giroud – Nearly scored as a late sub….7

Ramsey – Added some drive…..7

Coquelin – Brought on to give Santi a standing ovation …..7

Written by chas

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If You Think Cazorla Wasn’t Fouled You Must Be Blind

December 10, 2012

In fact if you think he dived, I know you won’t be offended by this piece because your lack of ocular ability means you can’t even read it.

At the match, in real time, I thought Santi skinned his defender and was fouled for a clear penalty.

Arsenal's Cazorla challenges West Bromwich Albion's Reid during their English Premier League soccer match in London

Admittedly our Number 19 was at the Clock End and I was in the Upper West towards the North Bank, but still…

Later on Saturday, after several pints taken and a fine curry, I had a quick look at it again on my laptop.

“Just as I suspected,” I said to myself: “A bang-on pen.”

Then on Sunday morning I read several reports of the match, I heard what the Match of the Day commentators said and I began to worry that I was using the old Rose Tinteds again (even Denilson looked good through those babies).

So when I wrote up the match report for Arsenal Arsenal I hedged my bets, saying: “The consensus seems to be that Santi dived.  If so, I don’t approve but we’ve been on the wrong end of enough penalty-dives recently (Bale and Young last season to name but two) that I’m not going to lose sleep over it.”

Sunday was a busy day. I had people to do, things to go and places to see. So it wasn’t until late Sunday that I finally got round to properly watching the incident again.

I was expecting to see that, after all, it was a dive. Let’s face it, the media all say it was a dive and they don’t lie, do they?

So I got the incident up on the laptop again – full screen – and watched it LOTS of times. Not that I needed to. From my first viewing it was clear that Reid toe-ended Santi on the shin. Really hard.

Check for yourself.

On the close-up shot looking across from the direction of the West Stand you can see at the 5 second mark Reid’s wild swing hits Santi’s shin and changes direction. Not much, but enough to show there was contact.

I’m not in the slightest bit surprised that Santi went up in the air after being hit by that haymaker of a flailing foot.

Some might say there was no need for his other leg (the right) to go up in the air too. Maybe, maybe not. The exact effect of that contact on his body given the speed of his turn would be hard to judge.

But I have watched Cazorla play all season and he is not a diver

Of course it’s no surprise that the media want to demonise as a diver a foreign player who turns out in Arsenal colours. We’ve been round that block several times before haven’t we? While there’s seldom a whisper against Gerrard, Rooney and Bale.

Let’s be clear: Santi Cazorla was fouled and the referee got it right.

To say that there was no contact and that West Brom were robbed is the most patent rubbish.

Contact. Foul. Penalty. End of.

Get over it.

RockyLives

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“A” “V”ery “B”ig win for Arsenal and some ratings……..

November 18, 2012

Wounded, bloodied and showing signs of decline, as a crisis of confidence has seemingly gripped the arsenal squad of late, we stood on the Lunch time death slot where we have failed to win a game in over 3 years [since Sept 2009 when we beat, Spurs 3-0]…..

In our way again, those unlikeable Lily White neighbours strode in complete with their bloated egos, not exactly in great form themselves, but the usual pre-match hype had them claiming that the gap was closing and today was their day and they would go on to finish above us…..

Arsène fielded pretty much the strongest team available, with injuries slowly abating, Szczesny was back between the sticks, he is our number one that there is no doubt for me, Mannone is an ok No2 but lacks the presence of a top keeper…..

AVB was brave from the start as he went with a very attacking line up, with Defoe and Adebarndoor up front, supported out wide by the overrated lennon and bale, pace wasn’t lacking….At least we had Walcott starting, [how many games has he got left in an Arsenal shirt??]

The first few minutes saw the midfield three of Cazorla, Arteta and Wilshere look to dominate possession, but Spurs were pushing up a high line and squeezing the space in the midfield…..

The crowd were up for it as was Tottenham’s Sandro who went through the back of Giroud early doors, but Arsenal were working hard and most notably Podolski was working very hard defensively, however slowly Spurs were getting at us more and more. Sandro then went through Wilshere……

Walcott was looking up for it and getting crosses in, but still Spurs seemed to get stronger, a breakdown the right from Lennon, gained a free kick as Vermaelen blocked him. Bale floated a free kick in, which was headed straight out to Huddlestone, whose shot was blocked into Gallas path by Kozzer, Gallas scored but was ruled as offside, that was a warning that we didn’t heed.

As Vertonghen hit a quality long ball down the left into the path of Defoe whose movement had left BFG stalling, defoe put it across Szczesny, who got a hand to it, but it fell to Adebarndoor, who tapped it in 0-1….just 10mins in……murmurs…..

Moments later lennon pulled an easy one across the goal with Szczesny looking beaten, I really have never rated lennon, thank god he as poor as I think he is…….Poor man’s Walcott for me…
Arsenal weren’t getting totally outplayed but were struggling to get back on terms, then on 16mins another long ball out by Vertonghen was headed down towards Carzola by BFG who out jumped Adebarndoor, but then Adebarndoor launched himself at the ball and took our little maestro out….

Howard Webb gave him a very deserved red card…….In midst of the heated moments that followed Jack had a little spat with Bale, but was calmed down by the rest. Let’s try and keep 11 on eh..?

Anyway, with numbers in our favour, Arsenal started to dominate, on 23 a great cross by Walcott was met by BFG who powered in a header, to redeem himself from his earlier error, 1-1 …..

Fantastic first goal for the Arsenal by the rather large german…..

With the extra space Arsenals’ talented trio in the middle started to dominate, with Theo looking lively, Giroud looking more and more the striker we needed, Podolski was also still working much harder than he has been.

Half time was getting closer, Sandro was also getting closer to an early bath as well, how he didn’t have at least a yellow was beyond me……Sadly Lloris was looking good in between the sticks, could we get in front?, on 40 Giroud had a very powerful header but it was straight at his French team mate.

Moments later, Arteta, drove across the pitch looking for a one two with Jack, but the ball came off huddlestone and fell to Lukas, who managed to dig the ball out across the back of gallas and it trickled into the far corner as Lloris was wrong footed…….2-1….half time was nigh…..

But wait, Lennon connects with Vermaelen, the free kick which comes back out to Santi, who devilishly darts into the box through a couple of stumbles, but manages to keep his feet, play on from Webb, as Santi squares the ball to Giroud, who with Gallas and Vertonghen in his way, manages to sweep the ball in 3-1, thats 5 goals in 5 for Giroud, after me, who needs Van persie when we’ve got Giroud…….I know….

Second half, starts with AVB going for it, 3 at the back, fair play to the Portu’gueser, bold and brave. Spurs did well as their ten men stuck in there, arsenal wrongly sitting back, the fans were restless, next goal was crucial…..Oh by the way, Sandro was still on the pitch despite even more fouls…

A long goal kick by Szczesny was flicked on by Giroud, to Theo who chest controlled the ball and brought it down, then played Podolski down the left of the box, who then crossed for Santi to come in at the far post and slide the ball in, 60mins 4-1…….

Arsenal didnt take advantage as Spurs continued to try and get back into the game, with yes you guessed it, Sandro was still on the pitch, but finally he gets a card on 66. Then on 70 mins a sliced clearance by BFG was headed into Bales path and he ran forward and dragged a shot back across through Kozzers legs, 4-2. Immediately Le boss replaced Wilshere with Ramsey…The crowd was now very nervous even with the 2 goals and a man advantage….Moments later Bale has another chance but it drifts wide across the goal, that was too close for comfort…….

On 80 Santos replaces Podolski, a luke warm reception for the Brazilian, but he is not at LB, so not too much to worry about there and he didn’t seem to take any shirts off anyone…….On 85 the Ox replaces Giroud….he looked very lively straight away….

Arsenal are now dominating possession, as they knock the ball about…Ox gets the ball off a loose pass from Vertonghen and drives forward into the box and plays it to Theo, who comes across and drags a shot back across Vertonghen and pass the helpless Lloris…5-2, 91 mins……

Not quite as exciting as last years match which ended the same, probably not as satisfying either in a way, but a major boost nonetheless……

Some sites claim this is just papering over the cracks, codswallop, look we have a good squad and some very talented players, we might fall short for the title, but I expect a top 4 finish at minimum, we do have the players when everyone is fully fit…..and all settled……..By the way, I am not getting carried away, work is still needed.

It was good to see Giroud bag another along with Podolski and Santi getting goals, the three newest signings are still settling in, but you can see their quality….if you cant, open your eyes……..

There is more to come, thats for sure……….

Ratings: [In my humble opinion]

Szczesny: 7: Steady game, good to have the Pole back. Unfortunate with the first……

Sagna: 8: Although I am warming to Jenkinson, he is no Sagna yet, quality game by our beaded warrior, linked well with Theo.

BFG:7: At fault for Spurs first, but a great equaliser and worked hard throughout….

Kozzer: 7: Steady and pacy when needed, still finding his feet this season….

Vermaelen: 7: Took his time to settle, doesn’t like the left and it shows, but did a job….

Arteta:7.5: Dictated the play well when in control of the ball, worked hard, tired towards the end..quietly effective.

Santi: 9: Wizard….. great goal capped his Man of the Match*performance……

Wilshere: 7.5: Spikey, passionate, skilful and OURS…..Just gotta to love our Jack….

Podolski:8: Thought that was his best game he has had for a while, defensively worked hard, not lazy today, lets keep it at that level Lukas, nicked a goal as well…..

Giroud: 8: Gets better every week for me, strong and tenacious, holds the ball up well and links well, more skill than most give him credit for, great goal…….

Walcott:9: Pushed Santi for MoTM very close, pacy, direct and great assist as well as a good goal. If its just 10k more he wants, give him that pen now, if you think he isn’t good enough for us, then you have me stumped, ok not as consistent as we all want, but wouldn’t swap him for Lennon, Sinclair, Sturridge, SWP, Johnson or whoever in that category you want to mention……..Classy when in the mood…….

Wenger: 7: Put out his best team available, but allowed the team to sit too deep for me in the 2nd half. Perhaps should of subbed Jack a little bit earlier and Ox really lifted the team when he came on too late.

Overall: Great result, pressure lifted a little with a reasonable performance, team need to push on now, a win midweek and at Villa next Saturday, then we can move on and forget the blip, consistency is needed now without doubt. Good day as Chelsea lost, as did United losing to Norwich 1-0 as well, which we got slated for…will they? Perhaps they missed Webb today?

Side note for AVB: Brave and bold, fair play and you did ok in the 2nd half but your team did not dominate, your team had moments, but you had them at Chelsea as well, how did that end?

Written by Harry

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Posted by harry671

The Midfield Conundrum.

October 16, 2012

Sherlock Holmes said that whatever is left once you have removed the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

What has this to do with our midfield? Well,  ….. the impossible is that we will have a fully fit midfield  to choose from, we have physical fragility in spades – Diaby, Wilshere, Rosicky, Ramsey, Frimpong, Coquelin and Arteta have all suffered long term injuries over the past few seasons and there is no reason to think this will change.

And what is improbable? That less than half of them will be fit at any one time. Add in the as yet to be damaged Ox, Arshavin and Cazorla and we have lots of choice, some might say, too much choice. At a time when all three of our Goalkeepers are under the age of 23 and two of them are crocked, it could be said that we lack squad balance – but that is another story and another post.

I would need RA mathematical qualities to work out the possible combinations of our midfield, all I know as there are too many to count on my fingers. Even if we take Cazorla and Arteta as starters  there are 8 possible partners for them. But should they be automatic starters? Is a midfield of Diaby, Wilshere and Coquelin worse? Or  Ramsey, Ox and Rosicky? etc etc etc

Should Oxlade- Chamberlain be considered as a future midfield linch-pin or a prettier Peter Beardsley?

My point is that what is left is the truth and the truth is we have too many midfield players. The skill sets of Ramsey, Rosicky, Coquelin, Wilshere, and Ox are similar – not identical but similar. I would be happy for any of them to start against any opposition, Cazorla is exceptional. We have no player who can replicate the skills of Arteta but should he be injured we will change the balance of the midfield to be either more attacking or more defensive.

What do you think will be our best midfield assuming all are fit? And what do you think it will look like in 2014? My take is:

2012   Diaby    Cazorla     Arteta

2014     O-C   Wilshere  Cazorla   Arteta

Because I believe to maximize the potential in this squad we have to play  4-3-1-2 with Ox being the 1.

The difficulty will be juggling the fantastic talent we will have behind the first eleven. Wages can be a recompense – it works for Nasri, Kolo, Cahill, Malouda, Nani etc but a truly ambitious player will want first team action and many of our squad players are highly talented lads who have yet to fulfill their potential, something I feel sure they will agitate for.

Lost in the Midfield

For the first time  I can recall we have an area of the pitch which is flooded with exceptional talent.  How would you sort it out ? I have no idea but then I am not paid £6m a year.

( pic c/o Didit )

Written very quickly by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Santi Bursts the West Ham Bubble

October 7, 2012

Arsenal: Mannone, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Ramsey, Arteta, Gervinho, Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud. subs: Martinez, Koscielny, Santos, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Coquelin, Arshavin

News that the BFG would start with Kos dropping to the bench was greeted with good cheer from the Goonerati after Wednesday’s less than convincing CB performance. Would the blogs’ judgement be seen to be more accurate than last week’s cry to drop the BFG? Certainly with Carroll restored to the Hammers line-up a few extra inches might come in handy. The ex-Wales captain Aaron Ramsey was preferred to Coquelin for the Diaby spot and Olivier Giroud started as centre forward with a massive amount of well-wishing supporters willing him his first premier league goal.

A victory would see Arsene Wenger’s 350th 3 points in the Premier League.

Arsenal began the first half dominating possession. Pod had an early sighter in the 1st minute, quickly followed by Giroud nearly squeezing in a shot from the edge of the box, drawing a good save from Jaaskelainen.

Gibbs had an early cross fall short which became a feature of the first half, crosses either too short or too long from both flanks. West Ham barely touched the ball in the first five minutes.

On 6’ a sweeping Arsenal move started by Ramsey on the edge of his own area ended in a Cazorla shot and Arsenal corner. Meanwhile Mertesacker was continuing where he left off against the Light Blue Oilers – like a beacon of calmness. A superb tackle from the Teutonic tower in the Arsenal penalty area snuffed out a promising West Ham attack.

Arsenal lost their way for a few minutes with crosses going astray. On 17’ a Ramsey cross found the one claret and blue shirt surrounded by three yellow shirts. Santi began pulling the strings but the ball in the final third was lacking. A series of corners ensued, with Big Ollie nearly scoring with a bending effort from the edge of the area, blocked by Carroll. Each corner seemed to find Carroll’s head, the stats for his headers won throughout the game must have been huge.

West Ham’s first real attack ended in an expertly taken goal from Diame which left Mannone no chance. Ramsey was undone by a piece of trickery with Jenks outside him, leaving the Frenchman clear. Yet again Arsenal had had all the play but were 1 down – a familiar story.

On 28’ Diame committed a foul worthy of a 2nd yellow (he’d been booked for his goal celebration) but Phil Dowd waved away Arsenal protests led by Vermaelen. Nolan dived soon after and Dowd bought it hook, line and sinker. West Ham’s only tactic seemed the hoof upfield to the big Geordie pony tail. Not a long ball team, my a*se.

A couple of corners saw the Hammers threaten, Carroll heading straight at the keeper and then launching himself at Mannone who received no protection from the ref. At the other end Santi was buzzing like a yellow hornet. A Gibbs cross was flicked on by the BFG and Big Ollie was inches away from that first elusive Prem goal.

The 41st minute saw that longed-for moment finally arrive. A magnificent driven cross from Podolski was met by a lunge at full stretch from Giroud. At last a well-deserved goal was rapturously received by players and fans alike.

The final minute of the first half saw Phil Dowd again buy a dive, this time from Noble and West Ham nearly profited from the resulting hoof into the Arsenal box. Half time arrived after a fine piece of covering work from Jenkinson, who grows in stature game by game.

The second half began and Don Vito did well under pressure from a corner. Gervinho hesitated when clear in the box and Big Ollie just failed to find Rambo on the burst.

By the 50th minute it was all possession football from the Gunners with the claret and blue bus well and truly parked. The masticating walrus looked somewhat relieved that the West Ham ‘academy’ was still in the game.

On 53’, Santi plucked the ball out of the sky, drove forward and was unlucky to see his efforts end in another poor cross from Gibbs. Kieran was substituted soon after with another knock to be replaced by Andre   ‘ he drives how he wants’ Santos. For some reason the phrase ‘not shy of a pie’ (thanks Rhyle) entered my head and immediately made me smile.

Gervinho then gave the ball away and only a fine challenge from our captain stemmed the West Ham break. From the resulting throw-in, Jarvis skied the ball over the bar after yet another Carroll flick on. This was the first time I remember Jarvis being on the pitch. He saw more of the ball on the ground with a relegated Wolves side than he did playing for West Ham today.

The 61st minute saw Arsenal’s second substitution, Walcott for Gervinho. Definitely a good call, our Mekon had not had one of his better days. A tactical substitution on the hour, whatever next?

Andre Santos looked at home immediately, pinging passes backwards and forwards with Cazorla and dispossessing Nolan when West Ham did break. The game was becoming an end to end affair with chances at both ends. A stunning move from the Gunners ended in a rather lame attempt at a back heel pass from Theo but his impact was proving crucial. Carroll should have scored at the other end when Mannone came but was beaten to the ball. No Arsenal defender was in sight.

Santi missed a great chance on 67’ and then combined with the Pod but the resulting effort was blocked. Mertesacker made an excellent tackle on Nolan at the other end and it seemed for a horrible moment that he was injured again. Thankfully he seemed to run it off.

A penalty appeal was waved away before Podolski drew a fumbled save from Jaaskelainen. A series of Arsenal corners built the pressure mounting on the West Ham goal, including a delightful turn and left foot cross from Mr Cazorla.

In the 76th minute the boys in red and white got their just desserts when Theo coolly finished off a perfectly weighted ball from Giroud. Another goal celebration booking followed. Did anyone give a flying f*ck, I don’t think so.

A couple of minutes after the goal Nolan missed a great chance for an equaliser. Arsenal shut up shop? – not a hope in hell. Theo had a good chance to the far post, then the BFG swivelled and turned in the area as if he was auditioning for Strictly Come Dancing, his shot deflected for yet another corner.

The third Arsenal goal was just sublime. On 83’ a little touch inside by Theo and Santi unleashed a bending, dipping drive with the outside of his left foot and the Away Boys went berserk. What a goal!

Koscielny came on for Podolski on 85’ just before Mannone was forced into a great save from Matt Taylor. Santi produced the pass of the game reversing to Giroud but the keeper managed to block the Frenchman’s effort. There was still time for another blocked shot from Cazorla. The Away Boys now confirming our magnificent Man of the Match with a non-stop rendition of ‘Oh, Santi Cazorla’ .

What a fabulous result, three points earned with a skilful and hard-working performance. And what a superb way to enter another absurd international break in this exciting season.

Ratings:

Mannone – Made a few fine saves and stood up to the usual Fat Sam tactics at corners and free-kicks……7

Mertesacker – Solid and a calming influence. Vermaelen seemed twice the player alongside the BFG……8

Vermaelen – Much improved from our captain. Benefitted from playing with an experienced partner…….8

Jenkinson – Excellent again from the Corporal. The commentator’s description of Jenks as ‘rangy’ made me laugh ….8

Gibbs – Another fine performance ended early with a hopefully minor injury. Needs to improve his crossing…..7

Arteta – Tick tock tick tock…….8

Ramsey – Rambo produced a mature performance linking well with Arteta and Cazorla ……8

Cazorla – Magnificent. A real delight to see a player with such a huge smile on his face bring smiles to countless others’ faces…….9

Podolski – Lukas worked extremely hard again and his assist for Giroud’s goal was superb …..8

Giroud – Off the mark with a great effort, Big Ollie troubled the West Ham defence the whole game. He is growing into the Premiership quite nicely, thank you …..8

Gervinho – Not Gerv’s best performance but again worked his socks off in the Arsenal cause….7

Subs:

Santos – 56′ – Settled in immediately and looked completely at home….8

Walcott – 61′ – Brilliant impact sub cameo from Theo. Found space and made crucial contributions…..8

Koscielny – 85′ – Brought on to secure the victory…..7

Written by chas

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Posted by Rasp

Gunners’ Goalscoring Problem Solved?

September 10, 2012

So far Arsenal have failed to score in only two thirds of our Premier League games this season.

That would be wrist-slitting form if it was now late November – but it’s less alarming when you take into account that we have played only three games and that we remain unbeaten.

Nevertheless, after scoreless draws against Sunderland and Stoke the media weren’t the only ones asking whether finding the back of the net would be our biggest challenge this year.

Nerves were soothed somewhat by the two-nil win at Scamfield, but I believe there is cause for optimism that’s even more recent than that.

Looking around the international games that have taken place in the last few days, Arsenal players have been prominent on the score sheets.

Santi Cazorla nabbed a tidy goal and also had an assist in Spain’s 5-0 ‘friendly’ thrashing of Saudi Arabia.

Gervinho whacked home a peach of a goal in the Ivory Coast’s 4-2 defeat of Senegal (in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers).

And Abou Diaby got the only goal of the game as France clinched victory in Finland.

Meanwhile for England against Moldova, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain provided an assist during England’s comfortable win. Given that the assist was for Jermaine Defoe – who’s about as lethal in front of goal as a dead sheep – it should really count as two assists.

So what conclusions can we draw from this?

For me it’s that New Arsenal have the potential for goals from all over the midfield and attack.

Last season we were over reliant on Brave Sir Robin* for finding the back of the net but this year I expect the goals to be shared more widely.

Podolski showed at Liverpool a wonderful combination of determination and skill to open the scoring (that powering run, that single touch to control the ball at high speed and that clinical finish). I would expect him to run close to 20 goals this year. (He featured as a substitute in Germany’s 3-0 over the Faroe Islands, but will probably start against Austria on Tuesday).

Cazorla – class act that he is – is well known to be a decisive finisher as well as a provider. Close to double figures for him too.

And then there’s Diaby. Like many, I have had my doubts about him in the past (and I don’t mean over his injury record). At times he seemed to dwell on the ball too long and make poor decisions. However, he always showed a keen eye for goal and his winner for France just hints at what there is to come from him.

And what about Gervinho? He’s a bit of a divider among fans at the moment (some relish his dribbling skills, others feel he runs into blind alleys or fails to use the ball well when he breaks through).

I remember the goals he scored in pre-season last summer (2011) in his first games in an Arsenal shirt. His composure and finishing skills led me to believe we might have Thierry Henry Mark Two on our hands. Suffice to say he didn’t live up to that promise throughout last season. But his fine finish for Ivory Coast will boost his confidence and I expect him to start chipping in with his share of goals. Again, nudging double figures is not an unrealistic ask.

Of course there is also Giroud. I see that in some reporting it now a “fact” that he has missed two open goals in his short Arsenal career. Two good chances, certainly – but open goals? Come off it. Let’s put the hysteria away and assume that Olivier has a “steady” first year with the world’s best football team, giving us 12 goals.

Last year in the EPL we scored 74 goals, shared as follows:

Van Persie 30

Walcott 8

Vermaelen 6

Arteta 6

Gervinho 4

Benayoun 4

No-one else got more than 2.

It’s a really unbalanced picture.

When we tot up the statistics at the end of the current season I would hope things will look more like this (and I am trying to be conservative: I assume fewer goals for Arteta because of his deeper-lying role and I have not assumed any defender getting above two):

Podolski 18

Giroud 12

Cazorla 10

Gervinho 9

Diaby 8

Walcott 8

Oxlade-Chamberlain 7

Arteta 4

With the usual array of people – including defenders and less frequent starters – scoring one or two goals, we can expect a total haul that is considerably higher than last year – perhaps closer to the high 80s. You will notice I have not included Wilshere, Rosicky or Ramsey – any or all of whom could also chip in with important goals.

Events may prove me to be over-optimistic; injuries might throw some almighty spanners in the works, but I genuinely believe that we have a broader range of goal scorers this year than last and that we will do better as a consequence.

What do you think?

*I’m not praising our errant knight with that comment. It refers to the “Brave Sir Robin” from Monty Python and the Holy Grail who is anything but brave:

Brave Sir Robin ran away.

(“No!”)

Bravely ran away away.

(“I didn’t!”)

When danger reared it’s ugly head,

He bravely turned his tail and fled.

(“no!”)

Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about

(“I didn’t!”)

And gallantly he chickened out.

****Bravely**** taking (“I never did!”) to his feet,

He beat a very brave retreat.

(“all lies!”)

Bravest of the braaaave, Sir Robin!

(“I never!”)

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

The Arsenal Laundry Service Cancelled.

September 5, 2012

That win was too good to just let go after a couple of days; we have been waiting all summer long for that feeling so this post is unashamedly designed to prolong the crowing.

Yes indeed and why you may ask has the Arsenal laundry service has been cancelled? Because of all the clean sheets, of course.

Before we went into that game against pool it was talked about as a real test for Arsenal as Liverpool had shown their fighting form the previous week only failing to beat the mighty man city because of a silly back pass.

One week later and we completely humiliate them — are we credited with realistic statements like this new Arsenal look like they can seriously challenge for the title? No, we get wishy, washy nonsense about how poor Liverpool are and how Brendon Rogers hasn’t had anywhere near the amount of time that Wenger has to put his team together.

I said this in my match report after the Cologne game and I am going to stick with it: the EPL will be between Arsenal and City this season and yes that does mean finishing ahead of manu and Chelsea.

Arsenal didn’t just beat Liverpool in third gear they beat them in second, there is just so much more to come from this team it is frightening.

And talking of frightening, have you ever seen a player quite so two footed as Cazorla? I don’t think I have, his ability is quite amazing and what’s also important is that he looks really happy to be at THOF.

By contrast, have you noticed that we finally have closure on Cesc? He is no longer talked about, he is hardly mentioned now, the reason I would suggest is simple; he has finally been replaced.

The same will happen with BSR, we will continue talking about him until Giroud takes over, this will become apparent in two ways: The Frenchmen will start scoring goals and the away fans will start bellowing out the song “Who needs Van Persie when we had Giroud.” It’s going to happen; it’s just a question of time.

I watched Barcelona-Valencia on Sunday to see how Alex was getting on. I was fascinated to see if he made the same kind of school boy errors for them as he did for us. The answer was no; they had obviously told him to keep his passing simple and always find your man, pretty basic really but effective nevertheless. I thought this transfer really showed Wenger’s tough side, no room for sentiment there: we have had an offer from Barcelona to buy you, collect yours stuff.

Why didn’t Theo also leave this window? Because no offers for him came in would be my guess. Something is not right there, Arsenal have never let a player run down his contact, apart from Flamini but who predicted he would have the last season he did, anyway Walcott is different his value is obvious so I still see him going in the January window to avoid the complete loss in sale value.

Did I mention that we beat Liverpool two nil at Anfield before? Well we did and it was a great feeling then and it is a great feeling now.

Onwards and upwards my fellow Arsenal loving friends.

Written by LB

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Posted by LB

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