match analysis – Page 6

Pre-Season: Ego-Check & Real Hunger of Rambo, OG & Gibbs

August 6, 2013August 6, 2013TotalArsenal

Well, another football weekend has just concluded; one not as successful as the others. We lost the Emirates cup to Didier the drama queen but quite simply put, I do not care. I can’t sit here and deny that losing the cup, in our home turf to Galatasaray is not embarrassing, because it is. But to me that’s all it is, embarrassing. An ego check if you will.

In fact from the way I see things, I’m glad we did not win it.

There are plenty of positives that have come from this embarrassment. I have to warn you that this post will be a mildly controversial one but someone needs to tell things as they are.

The first and foremost is the ego check I mentioned earlier was well and truly due. We went to Asia and swept aside every team we met there. We scored 16 goals in 3 games and the squad built up its confidence, which is a good thing. But I got the feeling that going into the cup, we were a tad overconfident. The players were even unusually vocal about all matters Arsenal. We didn’t win a single game in this tournament, and let me remind you that Napoli and Gala are very second rate teams. I’m quite happy about it, because while confidence is good, overconfidence is self destructive. Especially when you aren’t as good as you think we are.

To build on to the point above, the results of the weekend were a sobering reminder to the team that the champions league qualifier we are to play holds a very real chance of early elimination. Now this wouldn’t just be embarrassing, this would be catastrophic. Thing is, the kind of competition we will be up against will be more or less of the caliber of our Emirates cup opponents. More or less. What’s more encouraging (for me at least) is that Wenger looked visibly shaken when asked about the qualifier following the weekends results. He didn’t answer with his usual tone of confidence and belief. Now don’t get me wrong, all yesterday’s loss is, is a timely reminder that we have to work hard to achieve results and there is no place for complacency if we are to move forward as a club.

Then there’ are the performances of some of our first-teamer: Giroud, Ramsey and Gibbs specifically. Let me be the first to point out that there is a real hunger in this squad. Even journalists, like John cross who has handled our full preseason, have picked up on this. But there are certain players who are taking this hunger to a whole new level and are looking like stepping things up several notches. The three above are the players I have in mind. Along with Rosicky, Ox, Per and Bac. Their performances over the whole pre-season have shown that they are ready to earn their keep. They have shown a fighting spirit that considering these were just friendlies, is very encouraging. We will definitely need this if we are to have the kind of start we desire.

Finally (on this) I think that based on these results, Wenger has a clearer picture of where he needs to strengthen the team. I really won’t go into details because my opinion and Wenger’s may or may not align and it is his that matters. That said, I think the Emirates cup has exposed some of our weaknesses which over the next few weeks would need to be ironed out before we go into the new campaign. This can’t be anything but good.

In other news, Chamakh is finally leaving!! And so is Gervinho. At this point it doesn’t matter what your opinion of the Ivorian is because what’s done is done.He’s having his medical at Roma so the only thing to do now is thank him for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

Further on the subject of departures, Bendtner still has no takers. This is a bit ironical because for a player who thinks he is a Ballon D’or candidate, no one wants him. His agent said that 5 teams wanted him, so my question is what happened? I understand that he keeps disagreeing with clubs over his wages. Someone really needs to tell him that he isn’t even half the player he thinks he is.

To conclude this post, I have to point out that booing Higuain was very classless. I found that rather crude and uncalled for, not even taking into consideration the circumstances of his transfer. We are better than that gooners!!!!

Written by: Marcus

Thoughts on Arsenal after watching Dortmund v Bayern

July 28, 2013July 28, 2013TotalArsenal

I watched the Dortmund – Bayern German ‘Super Cup’ game yesterday to see how they would get on and what sort of system of football they would play. If anything, it proved to me once more that both managers and football systems are equally important as (the quality of the) players. I also wanted to see how their systems of football compared to what we have seen from Arsenal this early season, albeit against weaker opposition.

Dortmund were deserved 4-2 winners, as they played the better football throughout the game, except for a couple of short spells when Bayern were able to assert some pressure on them. Dortmund played very similar football to us, operating as a solid unit in front of their back-four and turning from defence into attack in a flash, with quick balls over the top for Lewandowski or, the once again very impressive, Reus to capitalise on – they should have been 3-0 up after just twenty minutes played.

When Die Borussen had the ball in front of the Bayern box they were able to play the passing triangles to pick holes in a surprisingly weak Lederhosen defence, and get themselves into fine scoring positions.

Bayern were less comfortable in controlling the game by playing the ball round in order to create well thought-through attacks, and they were also sluggish in their turn-arounds most of the time. They really missed Schweinsteiger to help them control midfield; the not fully fit German only came on when it was already too late.

Bayern seemed to be playing in a 4-1-4-1 formation which is a reflection of Guardiola’s desire to keep the ball as much as possible in the opposition’s half. But, to his agitation, his players did not work hard enough, and the Dortmund midfielders were very good at keeping the ball and passing their way through Bayern’s midfield with relative ease.

They did not seem to miss their own traitor, Gotze, much as Gündoğan took over from him almost seamlessly. This is once again proof how good a manager Klopp is, who focuses on the system of football he wants to play and then fits players into it, rather than the other way around.

It was also interesting to see that most goals were instigated from the wing, and how much havoc was created in both Bayern and Dortmund’s defence from these areas in general. Good wing play, whether from the wingers or the full backs, is absolutely essential, and both German teams are very well equipped in these areas.

Comparing Arsenal with both of last season’s CL finalists, I can confidently say that our system of football is pretty similar to that of Dortmund.

In the last four games, we have seen a pattern of:

Playing relatively compact at the back with two DM keeping everything tight and organised;
Quick turn-arounds from defence to attack with balls over the top as well as diagonal balls to launch a winger from our own half (mostly Theo).
Better organised in defence, with Mertesacker leading it and both Koz and Sagna playing good too;
Good use of the wings with mostly ‘proper wingers’ using speed and skill to get behind defences;
Good, intricate and patient passing of the ball whilst trying to find a deadly opening when playing in and around the opposition’s box;
Being very direct when chances occur, having led to us scoring a lot of goals in pre-season.

I really like what I saw from Arsenal until now and it shows what Arsene and Steve can do with this team when they can have, and keep, them together. We now need to see how our team will hold out against tougher competition and we will have ample opportunity to test this in the next two weeks.

Although I would be delighted to add a super quality player to the squad this summer – especially somebody who won the CL recently would be very good to add – I am just as keen to get solid back-up for the likes of Arteta, Mertesacker (or Sagna if he is to become our fourth choice CB), Giroud and possible Szczesny, although Fabianski has been doing more than okay until now.

This, rather than the signing of three or more world-class players as so many seem to want, is key; and I am confident it will happen this summer.

If we can strengthen our spine and add one quality attacker, Arsenal could go far this summer, and I don’t think we would be far away from Europe’s club finalists at all.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Eight early-season Arsenal conclusions and line-up v Urawa Red Diamonds

July 25, 2013July 25, 2013TotalArsenal

Will we see more of Mr Reliable as one of our CBs on Friday?

Whilst the transfer shenanigans continue without any let-off, Arsenal’s current team has actually been playing some very watchable footie. It is fair to say that the opposition has not been much to write home about until now, but nevertheless our football has been good.

It is only early days and things could change a lot over the next four weeks, but based on the first three games of the campaign we can pull a few conclusions:

Wall of RamTeta: it looks very much that Arsene will continue with Arteta and Ramsey in the double-DM pivot. Enough has been written about this in recent posts, so no more on this from me now.
Our AM, whether it is Rosicky or Wilshere, have been very quick in turning the game from defence to attack. They very often opt for the ball over the top, or a diagonal ball to find one of the wingers with a precision pass. Our AMs have been very mobile and driven to move the game forward quickly, and long may it continue.
The team has been pressing the opposition really well given the rustiness at this stage of the campaign and the humid weather in Asia. Ramsey has been leading by example with regards to this but the whole team has been chipping in, and collectively they have been very successful in winning back the ball regularly until now.
Theo, but also Gnabry and to a lesser extent Ryo, are being ‘launched’ constantly from midfield. This is all part of our quick defence to attack turnaround approach, and for the first time in a long while Arsenal are now really utilising the speed of Theo and others. It has led to many very good chances for Theo and I expect to see more of it this season, with our Speedy Gonzales hopefully converting more of his opportunities. Theo has got the speed and the good first touch, and now he needs to improve his lethalness. He will improve further this season, I reckon.
The full backs – one at a time – are once again key in setting up attacks from the wing. Unfortunately, Jenkinson and Gibbs have looked rusty until now, but they are both players who appear to need a number of games in a row before they start to shine.
Giroud has looked very positive and focussed until now, and six goals in three games will help him to build further on this. He will, of course, face tougher opposition this season, but his sharpness up-front is a very welcome sight.
Zelalem has been showing us lots of promise until now. He is very confident, calm and classy on the ball and can pick a through-ball with incredible ease. A great prospect.
Ox and Jack have looked really up for it and, IF they can stay fit for long spells this season, they will be……dare I say it……like two new quality signings.

All in all, plenty of positives and let’s hope the team will continue to progress over the next few weeks.

Predicted Line-up against Urawa Red Diamonds:

I reckon Fab will start in goal, and Jenkinson and Gibbs will get another chance to become more effective both in defence (especially Jenkinson) and up-front. I expect Sagna and Mertesacker to start, although there is a chance that Sagna will play with Miquel. I am expecting Arteta and Ramsey to get a rest and for Arsene to try another double DM combination tomorrow. Ox needs a start and Aneke should get a proper test as well, so I am going for these two tomorrow.

I expect Jack to play in the hole from the start and Myachi and Theo (or Gnabry) on the wing, and Giroud will probably not start this time round, so I am going for the Pod as our striker. The latter needs a good game and I have a feeling Wenger will give him the striker position tomorrow.

Enjoy the game fellow Gooners!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Cazorla, Theo, Pod a class apart – 2-0 against NU could be enough for third!

May 15, 2013May 15, 2013TotalArsenal

Some raw, initial thoughts on tonight’s game.

The Pod was in clinical form tonight with a fine brace!

Well, that was not just a result, but also a game, we needed. Wigan did themselves proud with a committed performance and a strong finish to the first half as well as an energetic start to the second.

As I indicated in the match preview, the Latics’ midfield is very strong, and as they did against MC, they also started to dominate our midfield gradually in the first half. Wigan were determined not to let us have the ball and pass it round, and with their excellent closing down of our midfielders and the ability to pass the ball round well themselves, they forced the likes of Arteta, Rambo and Rosicky into regular mistakes.

We had scored a soft goal from a set-piece, although it should be said that Podolski took the opportunity well. And as against QPR, we pushed on for the second goal, but lacked the ingenuity and focus to get one; and gradually Wigan were able to get themselves back into the game.

I felt the goal was coming for a while, and after giving away a couple of free-kicks in dangerous areas by our (at times defensively struggling) midfielders already, it did not come as a big surprise that Wigan equalised through a fine free-kick by Maloney – although lean Dean the anti-Arsenal machine should never have awarded a free-kick against our Zorro in the first place. Szczesny almost saved it and Koz could have jumped higher, but it was still a very good free-kick and Wigan deserved the equaliser.

Luckily, they tired quickly in the second half and Arsenal were now, for once, super efficient with the chances we created, with fine goals by Theo, the Pod and Rambo, to finish Wigan off. The Pod, Theo, and Cazorla – with three assists, were a class apart tonight; and surely they will start again on Sunday?!

It many ways it was a crazy second half. Wigan came very close to get in front at the start of the half, as Szczesny made a fantastic save to deny Kone. Luckily for us, it did not take long before we took advantage of the enormous space Wigan left open in their half, and the game was decided in our favour in just eight minutes. Eight minutes of blitz-football did the trick and a tired Wigan knew that the war was over.

These are my initial thoughts on the game, but we will analyse it further in the next few days.

Other thoughts that are going through my head right now are:

Will Arteta play against NU or will he be out injured – it did not look good the way he left the pitch….
Should we play the same formation up-front against NU, now that Podolski has found the net twice in the central striker position, and both Theo and Carzorla have been effective on the wing? Or should Arsene reintroduce Giroud now that his suspension is over?
We now have a good chance to finish in the top-four and still a decent one to finish third. For that we need a 2-0 win and Everton to get a draw against Chelsea – and of course a Chavs loss and a win for us would be even more fantastic. I feel quite confident that Everton can get a result at SB, as the Chavs will be knackered and the Toffees will want to give Moyes a committed performance in his last game in charge. But of course, the most important thing is to win against NU so the Spuds have no chance to get ahead of us: that has to be our number one priority.
I feel sorry for Wigan who really have done themselves proud this week, and it seems so wrong that a team that can play such good football goes out, whilst the likes of Stoke and Sunderland are let of the hook. I hope they get back up again next season, but it will not be easy for them.
How come that we are so far behind the Mancs when we have scored more goals than anybody else at home in the PL and conceded less than anybody else away?

Food for thought fine fellow Gooners!

Written by: TotalArsenal – a very happy Gooner tonight! 🙂

Best away defence invaluable – Theo grows – Ramsey the grinder – Arteta rules

May 5, 2013May 5, 2013TotalArsenal

Sometimes it is best to sleep a night over a game of football. On a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning it is easier to reflect on a game that was hard on the eye and tough for the heart, but THE RESULT still left us with a good after taste. And the latter – just like the better coffees and wines do – is still lingering on this morning.

Three points and a first win at Loftus Road in seven attempts makes the head nod sagely: 1-0 to the Arsenal is all we needed. Some will point out the need to boost our GD, but that is simply wishful thinking at the moment. Our team is running at its last legs and somehow just keeps scraping the barrel for more.

Since Arsene decided to put Arteta and Ramsey together in the double DM-pivot, and swap TV5 for the more organised and composed Koz, we have, as predicted, both become a lot more solid in defence and gradually more and more toothless in attack.

In our 4-2-1-3 formation the box-to-box midfielder holds the key for creating a fine balance between defending and attacking, and only a fit Diaby or Wilshere can truly make this formation tick as per the Wengerball ideology.

With Ramsey we get a hard and disciplined worker and he and Arteta deserve a lot of credit for our recent mean defensive record. Of course, this will not be enough in the long term. Wenger put into place his plan-B to get us back in the CL next season, and for me he is showing once more that he can play Mourinho-like football if he needs to.

But boy is our football hard to watch at the moment, as we dither and probe through the middle all day long, looking like our attackers have never played together before. Pod looked like running around with inflated testicles, Cazorla and Theo totally allergic to sticking to traditional wing-play, and Rosicky was simply not central/domineering enough.

Yet, in the first half we dominated so much that we should have added to Theo’s super-early goal. When in it the box, Theo tends to shoot at goal as soon as he can, without taking another touch, and it paid off for him straightaway. The keeper should probably have done better, but Theo gave him very little time to set himself up properly, and looking into the glaring sun will not have helped Green much either.

Theo was also a wee bit unlucky with another fine, direct attempt on goal in the first half which Green pushed onto the post, and he had another such an attempt saved in the second half. Theo, unlike the Pod yesterday, got himself in good positions in the box and made the keeper work, and his goal made all the difference yesterday. Does this mean he should play centrally more often, though? Aah, let’s discuss! 🙂

Arteta played one of his best games of the season with fantastic positioning, great interceptions and more than adequate distribution, including a fine, and priceless assist for our one and only goal. I loved his physical strength and sheer desire to fight for these crucial three points: he was a true captain for us yesterday. The Basque beast simply ruled the game against the Hoops!

Another big plus point – you must have noticed by now I am mainly looking at the plus points – was our composure and organisation in defence. The triangle of Szczesny – BFG – Koz is quickly developing into something very solid, and that is at least one of the big positives from our current season. Arsenal must ensure we keep them together for next season, and not be tempted to cash in on any of them.

The BFG’s composure and organisational skills are of great value to us, and Koz’ timing, energy but also his positioning and composure, combine really well with the German’s strengths and weaknesses. Add to that a mature and controlled performance of our goal keeper – making good saves (one against Remy was simply excellent) when required – and you can see why we are proving hard to beat at the back at the moment.

In fact, our defensive away record has been very good this season, conceding only 14 goals in 18 PL games: far better than anybody else in the PL. This will probably pan out to be our saviour this season in terms of CL qualification.

Nacho had a tough game against the only player who really cared, Townsend (I wonder what was motivating him hahaha). However, he did get forward and behind the Hoops’ defence once or twice, and that appeared to be the only way to create some danger during large parts of the game. Sagna had a decent game, but once again, he got little support on the wing going forward – often left alone with the ball with nobody anywhere near to set up an attack from the wing.

The negatives in a nutshell (nothing new really): ineffective wingplay for most of the game, attackers and midfielders not linking up properly or finding each other – no collective telepathy – too many players needing too much time (touches) to take their chances, no physical – and limited aerial – presence in the box, and not creative enough.

But our defensive triangle in the centre, our double DM pivot, and an improving Walcott saved the day for us. And there are ten days now to get some much-needed new content into the barrel.

Average player ratings by BK’ers:

Szczesny: 7.7

Nacho: 6.4

Koz: 7.7

BFG: 7.3

Sagna: 6.7

Arteta: 7.7

Ramsey: 6.7

Rosicky: 6.7

Cazorla: 7

Podolski: 5.5

Theo: 7.3

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Special thanks to those who put in their player ratings.

Arteta and Ramsey’s limitations exposed – BFG keeps dream alive – no width = one-dimensional

April 20, 2013TotalArsenal

BFG - The Dream Catcher's goal made the difference today — BFG – The Dream Catcher’s goal made the difference today

Three very valuable points and seven out of nine over the last week. These are the hard facts and the rest is relatively unimportant. It is now all about survival, getting in the top-four, and build further over the summer.

However, our performance today against 10-men Fulham was an absolute pain to watch. Of course, it is our third game in a week and all that bright light makes one a bit tired…… but we made this so hard for ourselves and we looked so much like a team who played together for the first time; something we have witnessed more than a few times this season. It remains a mystery to me!

Arsenal’s extra man advantage meant we could not leave Arteta and Ramsey to sit back a bit and absorb pressure – something we have done regularly in recent away games – but that they needed to play higher up the pitch and keep Fulham locked-in at their own half.

Both the Welshman and the Spaniard have given a lot for us against the Canaries and Toffees, and it was clear that they did not have the same level of energy, composure and discipline as they did in recent games. But regardless of this, it was also once again evident that both players slow our play down and struggle with the creative, attacking side of midfield play; and for me, they were the main reason for our inability to stamp our authority on the game today, once Fulham were reduced to ten men.

I believe both players are very valuable squad players and especially Arteta deserves to be a first team starter again this season, but with Diaby being Diaby and Wilshere and Rosicky currently struggling with having the continuous health and stamina for such demanding positions, we are a bit light in midfield at the moment.

And it showed badly today. With Sidwell out, we should have dominated the midfield and worked gradually and systematically towards scoring our second goal, but we remained shapeless and clueless for large parts of the game.

It also did not help that our wings are not working at the moment. Santi and Theo did not stick to the wing enough to give the necessary width to our game, and they also did not link up with their FB’s enough to give another dimension to our football. It is starting to look like our wings have become a dirty, infested area where no attackers want to be. This will need to change.

Most of our attacking play was focussed centrally, and was rather very laboured, slow and predictable.

We also witnessed again Arsenal’s difficulties with passing round the ball. How often do we see effective triangles between our players? We used to play close together and pass our way towards the box, centrally or via the wing, but now players do the opposite: as soon as a pass is made towards somebody in space, the passer runs away; leaving the recipient with very few passing opportunities behind. This is sooo un-Arsenal like; it is unbelievable!

The lack of passing, combined with some bad first touches throughout most of the team, and the absence of courage to find quick and risky through-balls – especially Arteta and Ramsey seem allergic to taking a bit of risk in their passing – are making us look very mundane at the moment. In a game like this, where we played a team with a man less for eighty minutes, it really showed up.

And I don’t think this will change again this season. Rosicky tried his best to add some quality to our play, and Cazorla always adds something, but as a team we looked laboured; lacking invention, imagination and thrust. Jack made a positive contribution but it was also not enough to regain composure, purpose and control over the game.

Luckily, the BFG had an inspired day both in defence, and especially, up-front, as his header at Fulham’s far post, from Koz’s ‘assist’ made all the difference.

Giroud and Szczesny conspired to give it almost all away in the latter stages of the game: the former by getting himself sent-off, albeit harsh, and the latter by spilling the ball from a safe he made from a free-kick which led to a goal, which luckily but rightfully, was ruled offside.

The performances of both Koz and the BFG were one of the very few positives today as they managed somehow to keep a clean sheet for us today.

We are now in a paradoxical situation where we play well below-par at times but still collect seven out of nine points during a pivotal week for us. It would be foolish to count on our luck continuing for the remainder of the season, and with Giroud out for at least one game – unless his card gets rescinded – Arsene and Steve have their work cut out to somehow get this team to play with purpose, thrust and invention again.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Three Positives and Negatives from an enthralling encounter with Everton

April 16, 2013April 16, 2013TotalArsenal

Jack in 'the hole' was a big surprise but he looked rusty once again, unfortunately! — Jack in ‘the hole’ was a big surprise but he looked rusty once again, unfortunately!

Our game against Everton will need further analysis over the coming days, and I recommend everyone to watch the game again before jumping to big conclusions. From a tactical point of view, there is so much to analyse, and there were also a few Everton players on display who could become interesting transfer targets this summer. Fellaini really impressed, and is he perhaps the beast of a DM we have been asking for? Jagielka performed almost faultless and he could well be the extra CB many of us believe we need to buy this summer…. I was also impressed with Coleman and he could well be a good addition on the right. So, really worth watching the game again and discuss things further over the coming days.

I feel a bit deflated as there were good opportunities in the second half to clinch all three points, but I am also happy we did not concede this time round and got a valuable point. After a good run, we were bound to run out of a bit of luck to win another game, and it is now key to pick things up again against Fulham on Saturday.

Three Negatives

Let’s start with the negatives, or ‘areas in need of improvement’:

The obvious one is Giroud’s lack of end product today. In his defence I say at least he is there and works hard to get in those positions, and he was up against a very well organised and confident central defence today. I like Ollie: he works hard for the team and gives his all. If he had scored a goal today, he would have been our hero, but now many will hang him out to dry. Nothing new there.
Jack, Rambo and Arteta were outmuscled a lot during the first half; with a lot of help by a very lenient referee. Rambo and Arteta bit by bit got more grip on the game but Jack struggled again to boss the midfield. It was a strange decision to select Wilshere again and not play Rosicky or Cazorla in the hole. Jack is really struggling with form and I hope Wenger makes the right selection decision against Fulham on Saturday.
Our passing game and individual technical control of the ball was poor for large parts of the game. Everton’s game plan was to press us everywhere and make it difficult for us to pass the ball round. If and when we had the ball, our players were often fouled by overly aggressive Everton midfielders, with which they got away far too many times. But that does not take away that we allowed them to bully us, and it is in games like these that we can really see how much we need a beast of a DM to counterbalance this. Fellaini, like Ramires did a couple of months ago for Chelsea, made the difference for the Toffees today.

Further negatives were the lack of effective wing play by our ‘wingers’ Theo and Cazorla, and the lack of link-up play between Sagna-Theo and Gibbs-Cazorla

Three Positives

The obvious one is our clean sheet and our defensive performance as a team. Everton might have won many a battle in midfield, especially during the first half, but except for a scary moment or two, our defending was solid and well organised. I was happy but also surprised Arsene left his captain out again, but I reckon he made the right decision. We might all feel a bit down for not winning this game, but at least we did not lose it, and our defensive performance deserves credit.
The pivot between Arteta and Ramsey started to work better the longer the game went on, and especially in the second half the Spaniard and Welshman played very well. They are becoming the motor / driving force of our team and add a lot of spirit and stamina to the team. Long may it continue.
Arsene’s first two subs made a real difference, and we created enough chances to actually win the game. Both Pod and Ox were very lively and full of attacking intent. It was a real shame Ox did not take a shot on goal but decided to pass it to Giroud, as I am sure he would have scored. The directness of Ox and Pod was a really welcome addition to our play and if they, Giroud, and also Cazorla had been more clinical we would have surely won. Ooh, and please don’t ask me to explain the third and final substitution…. 😕

Further positives were the drive and energy of both Sagna, and especially, Gibbs, who both never gave up and fought for the shirt. I also thought Cazorla was excellent, especially in the second half: he drove the team forward and added the much needed quality and inventiveness.

Although most of us, me included, feel more than a bit deflated with not getting all three points, I think we need to realise that after six PL wins out of seven, we need to take this mini-setback on the chin and move onwards to the next game. The team have done very well to get 19 points out of 24 and get themselves back into the top-four, but we are clearly not there yet. Nobody set it was going to be easy: squeaky bum times ahead!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Five positives from the Sunderland game – Arsenal are making progress again!

February 11, 2013February 11, 2013TotalArsenal

Having had time to reflect on the game against the Black Cats, I am feeling more and more positive about our performance on Saturday. As stated many times in previous blogs, Arsenal are going through a major transition this year, and our recent performances against Stoke and Sunderland are giving us a strong indication our boys have made further progress in the last few weeks.

Since Theo was reinstalled into the team, back in mid-December against Reading, Arsenal have made a huge step forward: played 13 (in all competitions), won 8, lost 2 and drew 3 – scored 30 and conceded 17. The two games we lost were against direct top-four opposition, but our second half performances against them should give us hope: we are getting quite close to being an equal match to these teams.

But the recent performances against Stoke and Sunderland are showing us that Arsenal is making further progress once more.

Five positives to take from the Stoke and Sunderland games:

Arsenal are starting to rediscover their fighting spirit and the oh so necessary resilience again. Yes, against both teams we lacked clinical finishing as many a chance went begging, but the above scoring record indicates that we have started to score plenty of goals now, and however good a team is up-front, there are always periods in which the ball just does not want to go into the net often enough. During these sort of times, we need solid defensive performances; not just by our defence but by the whole team. Against Stoke, our defence was not properly tested, but against Sunderland the whole team had to defend with everything they got during the last thirty minutes of the game. A performance like that against Sunderland, does wonders for the team’s confidence and spirit, and helps it to gel as well. Let’s hope it is the start of a new phase in which Arsenal are resolute and resilient for the whole 90 minutes of the games we play.
Szczesny needed a performance like that! With big home and away legs against Die Lederhosen coming up, we will need our defence to be at their very best. Our goalkeeper is an essential part of our defence and we need him to be ready and confident when we face Bayern. Although Szczesny did not have any bad games recently, he neither had any brilliant ones. That is until Saturday, when Wojcieh showed us all again what he is capable of – and boy did he perform well against the Black Cats. It was just the sort of performance needed by Szczesny and could not have come at a better time.
Arsenal are creating chances again. Against Sunderland, Arsenal had 18 shots of which 9 were on target; and against Stoke we had 15 shots of which again 9 were on target. We only managed to score a single goal in each of the games and have simply been wasteful, but at least we are creating a great number of chances again: more goals per game are likely to follow soon once more.
Arsenal are starting to show more healthy aggression now. Against Sunderland, Arsenal out-fouled Sunderland by 2:1 (13-6). Okay, Jenkinson went too far, but let’s just say it was rustiness and he did not expect to play on Saturday. In the games against Stoke and Sunderland, the players clearly anticipated physical battles and were mentally prepared for it. It was fantastic to see how our players did not accept to be bullied, and regularly were pro-active in bullying the opponents. Jack Wilshere’s role in all of this is invaluable, as he sets the example to the rest of the team in many a game.
Only one more PL game North of Birmingham this season. During the last third of PL games this season, Arsenal do not have to go to the North-West anymore, and only one game awaits us in the North-East: Newcastle away on the last day of the season. We have actually done reasonably well in the North this season, only losing to the horrible Mancs, and winning at Wigan, Liverpool, and Sunderland; whilst drawing at MC, Everton, and Stoke. However, Arsenal will need a good run of games if we are to finish in the top-four, and not having to travel up North till the last game of the season should be a great help.

So, all in all some positive developments for our team; add on top of those our sick bay being relatively empty, and no current contracts issues to worry about – other than signing up Sagna of course, which is not extremely urgent right now – and there are plenty of reasons to be positive about with regards to the final third of the season for us Gooners.

Written by: Total Arsenal.