A few years ago one of our bloggers (I think it was Kelsey) wrote a match report without having seen any of the game. Sometimes this is for the best. The second half of yesterday’s game was certainly a case in point.
At least our game had goals; the two other “Season Defining” (according to Sky) games played yesterday afternoon were snooze-fests with only one shot on target in both games!! Call that entertainment? The only talking point were the Chav’s hissy fits, which were hugely enjoyable.
So … we kicked off. Played some fine football for 20 minutes. Ramsey made his presence felt, Iwobi entertained. Two defensive lapses, some clinical finishing and we were two up. I could stop here because until Auba came on it was a dull watch.
In the second half it was difficult to tell which team was in the relegation zone, we created nothing, S’ton created nothing. Auba’s arrival saw an injection of pace and he could have scored a couple. Ozil made a few lovely moves – one pass to free Auba, off the outside of his boot, was wonderfully creative.
A calf injury (?) to Licht could be costly. We created nothing down the right with Mhiki making little impact apart from his goal. Who knew that Bellerin was such an important player?
No Suarez. Why did we sign him?
Player Ratings:
Leno: Little to do but made one superb save near the end. 7
Lichtsteiner: Had little work defensively. Created nothing and his link play with Mhiki needs work. 5
Mustafi. Played well. I feared the worst when Austin came on, but our CB’s stopped S’ton from creating a single clear chance. 7
Sokratis:: Another solid game. I love that he is first in when there is a rumpus, almost TA-esque. 7
Kolasinac: His link play with Iwobi improves. Had little work to do defensively. 103 touches – the most in the team 6
Xhaka: Solid. Made 2 key passes at 90+% accuracy. 7
Torreira. Busy as always yet didn’t have his usual influence. Rusty? 7
Ramsey. Deserved the ovation he received when subbed. Worked hard. 8
Mhki. Not one of his best afternoon’s. Had he not scored I would not have known he was playing. A point for the goal 6
Iwobi. Very pleased he tries the outlandish. He is the one player with a touch of the Kanu about him. Faded in the second half 7
Lacazette. Led the line, battled, scored. 5 shots, 4 aerial battles won.My MotM. 8
Koscielny. Came on for Licht. Ran about 6
Ozil. Just a few minutes but we improved offensively. He has to start. 7
Auba. Could have scored a couple against a tiring defence. Bad luck or bad finishing? 6
Written by Big Raddy