Theo Walcott – Page 6 – Bergkampesque

Swansea preview: Sagna or Jenkinson, Rosicky or Cazorla, Theo or Giroud (or both)?

January 5, 2013TotalArsenal

Regular readers of Bergkampesque will have noticed my glass half full attitude towards Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. I remain confident in Wenger’s ability to turn things round for us this season, and I also believe in the squad of players we have (give or take a couple of necessary new signings). However, it is about time that Arsenal show what they are made of now, after a disappointing performance against Southampton this week; and I expect nothing else but a committed, full-blooded performance for 90+ minutes.

Swansea will be up for this and will be full of confidence after their recent win at Ashburton Grove. Arsenal will have to come out of the blocks with only one thing in mind: to take this game to Swansea with a high tempo and a strong focus on attack. To be fair, as we saw during our last encounter with the Swans, they are happy to sit back and absorb the pressure we will put on them; only to pounce back on the break as much as possible.

It is therefore important that we play a lot more cohesive tomorrow than we have done recently; with lots of ball retention, constant pressure on the Swansea team, and defending, creating and attacking collectively, rather than the disjointed efforts we saw against Wigan and Southampton recently.

Sagna or Jenkinson?

From the moment Sagna’s inexplicable defensive clearance led to us conceding a goal against Southampton, our right back turned into a shadow of his former self for the rest of the game. Until then, he and Ox had been our main attacking option as virtually all attacks came from the right. But his confidence was totally shot and he made mistake after mistake after his bad error that led to the goal.

So what to do tomorrow; play Sagna again or give Jenkinson a game? I reckon it will be dreadful for Sagna’s confidence if he is not played again tomorrow, and Wenger will probably play him for that reason alone. I hope he comes good again, as Sagna always gives his all. With Jenkinson having signed a new contract and Bacary hoping to get a new contract offer soon, it could be that the Frenchman is justifiably worried about his future, which in return might be affecting his confidence at the moment.

Rosicky or Santi?

We continue to struggle with the shape of our team and with that the purpose/directness of our football. I have written about the need for a more all-round DM, who should free up Jack to support the attack more regularly. At the moment Jack needs to help out too much defensively, and Santi is often isolated as a result. I believe Santi is at his best when he can play close to our CF and we need Wilshere to get closer to him in order to make this happen.

Rosicky always gives the team a good shape and real purpose and I wonder whether it is now time to give him a start instead of Cazorla. Cazorla could start on the wing, maybe instead of Ox or Pod. Alternatively, Jack could get a well-earned rest, and Rosicky could play next to Arteta, and with Cazorla in his normal position. But whatever it is, I reckon we need to play Rosicky tomorrow: he can give us the much needed impetus against the Swans.

Theo or Giroud?

Another big selection dilemma for Arsene. My personal view, as per recent posts and comments, is to play them both together in a 4-4-1-1. Giroud can be the pivot for our attacking play, who gets the midfield higher up the pitch with his ball retention skills, and also launches Theo into promising positions. Theo can move around and combine wing-play with centre forward play. However, I would eat my foot if Arsene was to start with both Giroud and Theo up-front and with four in midfield, so a choice has to be made between the Frenchman and the contract hugger.

Given the fact that Swansea play very compact and well-organised at the back, and the need for Theo to have space at his disposal, I reckon will start with Giroud in the middle, and possibly with Theo on the wing for tomorrow’s game.

Predicted Line-Up:

—————Szczesny——————

Sagna – BFG – Vermaelen – Gibbs

———Arteta——-Wilshere———

—————-Rosicky——————-

Theo/Ox——-Giroud———-Santi

At times during the match tomorrow, Santi and Rosicky could move to the wings in midfield and Theo and Giroud could play closer together. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. We need a great performance and a convincing win: it is time to kick-start the season properly now!

Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners!

Written by: Total Arsenal.

Review: Arsenal’s Midfield is not working, and team lacked cohesion & leadership.

January 1, 2013January 1, 2013TotalArsenal

It is tough to be a Gooner at times like these. One moment we play heavenly football: Reading and Newcastle United away; only to fall back into mundane, clueless performances the week after.

It was important to win this game tonight, and dropping two points could turn out to be very costly in five months time. We did not deserve the three points against Wigan – a similarly poor performance as today against Southampton – and today we did not deserve more than a point either. In fact, some will argue we were lucky to get a point, given the fact that our goal was a Southampton own goal.

It is hard to put the finger on what our team was missing tonight.

Firstly, I thought our midfield did not play close enough to Southampton’s box most of the game. The problem with 4-3-3 is that our midfield is often stretched vertically rather than playing close together as more of a horizontal unit. Arteta often wants to sit deep, Cazorla needs to support the attackers and Wilshere has to cover the huge space between them: as a result the midfield is often stretched and therefore not cohesive enough. I am not a big fan of this at all.

Usually Wenger gets the midfielders to play closer together and push the oppositions higher up the pitch in the second half of games – after a good team talk at the break, so it seems. But this time, we did not improve as significantly in the second half as we did against Wigan and Newcastle United recently.

As our midfield was not capable of playing closer to our attackers, the latter looked isolated and ineffective. Theo and Pod got very little service, but Ox at least worked hard to create something for the others.

Secondly, and infuriatingly, the team lacked once again the required telepathic relationships; the automatisms of finding each other, and anticipating each other’s moves when passing the ball, were sadly missing today. So many passes went astray tonight with the intended recipient and/or the passer of the ball looking frustrated and misunderstood. At this stage, this should not be happening anymore, and I wonder whether the recent switch from Giroud to Theo up-front has a lot to do with it.

In our 4-3-3 formation, it makes a big difference whether we play Theo or Giroud in the centre of attack, and as a team we seem to be struggling in adjusting to the new ‘main man’. That’s why I reckon we would be better off to change to 4-4-2 now, and play both Giroud and Theo up-front together (and play with a more cohesive midfield behind them).

Thirdly, we lacked leadership tonight. We need somebody to hold this team together and to direct/conduct its style of football, and ensure our focus is never lost throughout the game. I have said it so many times, but TV is not that person. Jack is trying so hard to fill this void, as he has all the potential to become a (future) leader, and he seems to feel that something is not there, but the senior players have to stand up now and show stronger leadership.

Fourthly, some of our key players are struggling with their form at the moment. From one game to another, Pod is either wonderful or invisible; and poor old Sagna is struggling with a huge loss of confidence/form at the moment which might have cost us two points today.

On top of that, we still are not able to cross the ball effectively into the box. Other than Wilshere from set pieces, Arsenal are nowhere near consistent enough with their deliveries into the box, and that really is not good enough. What is the use of playing with wing-backs if they cannot cross the ball into the box properly?

Tonight’s result was disappointing, but I am not totally surprised. We are still a team in transition and more work needs to be done in terms of getting this team to click and be more consistent from one game to the next.

Let’s hope we will see a huge improvement against Swansea this weekend.

Written by: Total Arsenal.

Happy & Prosperous New Year Fellow Gooners: Ten Wishes for 2013

January 1, 2013January 1, 2013TotalArsenal

I would like to wish all fellow Gooners a happy & prosperous New Year!

Here are my ten wishes for the New Year (in no particular order):

A top-three finish: both the Chavs and the Northern Oilers are there for the taking and we can finish in the top-three, no doubt about that!
The team to keep its mojo now and to find the perfect balance between a mean defence and attacking football;
A Diaby miracle: he is fit again apparently and I am hoping he will stay fit for most of the remainder of the season to help us finish as high as possible in the league;
Theo to commit long term to Arsenal and the purchase of an additional, quality winger;
A beast of a DM (see previous post for reasons why);
Change of captaincy: TV is a great player but not a great captain. In fact, the captaincy makes him weaker, and there are good potential captains in our team: Mertesacker, Arteta, Wilshere, Szczesny;
A good cup-run either in the CL, or FA-cup. It would be great to beat Bayern Munich, and if we do, this team can get far in the CL. In a way, the same goes for the Swansea away game: a win there could mean the start of a great FA-cup run;
No return to a busy sick bay: it is absolutely fantastic that we have all key players fit and available now, and long may it continue – our bench is looking very strong now;
Holding on to all our key players for once this summer. Arsene to be given full support by the BoD to continue building a top-team by not selling any of our key players, and giving him sufficient funds to strengthen where needed;
Dennis to join our coaching staff and to get a statue at Ashburton Grove!

Victoria Concordia Crescit! 🙂

Written by: Total Arsenal.

Did Jack give away our future line-up in attack? Could Arsene go 4-4-2?

December 30, 2012December 30, 2012TotalArsenal

A few days ago I watched the Reading – Arsenal game again, and this time I listened with a bit more care to what Theo and Jack had to say when they were interviewed by Sky Sports after the game.

Arsenal had just played some fantastic football, and Theo Walcott had played up-front from the start of the match for the first time. Wilshere had battled in midfield like a true warrior, but the night really belonged to Santi Cazorla, who had scored a hat trick and produced a fine assist for Theo’s goal, our fifth on the night, as well. But I reckon Santi’s English is nowhere near good enough to be interviewed by the monolingual English media, so both Theo and Jack were asked to step forward.

When asked whether we had seen a bit of the old Arsenal again, Jack responded: “We showed the old Arsenal today. Obviously, we have to tighten defensively: we gave a few sloppy goals away. Theo up-front and Chambo on the wing – it was great and we played some of the old stuff, and we need to continue that going forward.”

That seems to be quite a statement of what Jack sees as ‘playing like the old Arsenal’: Theo up-front and the Ox ‘Chambo’ on the right. In the same interview he also said that Theo and Santi had been ‘different class’ on the night.

I wonder whether Jack inadvertently let slip how the team is going to play more regularly from now on, during that interview.

Since then, Arsenal have indeed played with Theo in the middle and the Ox on the right, and it is starting to look like this might well be our ‘Plan-A’ from now on: Pod on the left, Theo in the middle and Ox on the right wing.

But where does this leave Giroud? Does it mean, he will become our ‘Plan-B’ and start most games on the bench, or will Wenger swap attacking systems and formations depending on the opposition?

The latter seems unlikely: it just is not Arsene’s way. He likes to have one all-encompassing system which concurs all, rather than adjust the system of football/formation depending on who we are up against.

But I can also not see Arsene demoting Giroud to his Plan-B, and leave him on the bench in most games.

So this leaves me with Herb’sArmy’s question from this afternoon, could we/ should we move to 4-4-2 (or 4-4-1-1)? I reckon if we were to do a poll the vast majority of fans would really want it.

For me 4-4-1-1 needs a creative genius behind the striker who also can score a lot of goals, which would be either: Cazorla, Rosicky, Wilshere, or Ox. Ox and Wilshere still have to start scoring goals regularly, and Rosicky does also not have the best goal scoring record. So that would leave us with Cazorla as the best candidate at this stage.

But what about 4-4-2, with Giroud and Theo working very close together, and getting service from four multi-disciplined/talented midfielders: Arteta, Wilshere, Ox, and Santi? There is back up from Podolski, Rosicky, Ramsey, Coquelin, Diaby (??), and hopefully Arsene will buy a DM in January as well. It would also mean that Arsenal would need to buy another striker as back up, in case of injury/suspension to either Theo or OG, this January.

Giroud and Theo offer everything a strike force needs to have, and a force it would be. I must say, my mouth is watering all over the key board thinking about 4-4-2 with the personnel we have available, and the possible additions we could see this January.

But what do you think?

Written by: Total Arsenal.

Twenty Minutes of Heaven: Theo Stings Like a Bee, Full Backs Asleep, Ox Matures Fast.

December 29, 2012December 30, 2012TotalArsenal

Wow, what a crazy game of football at Ashburton Grove tonight!

It all started so subdued; I had to pinch myself to see whether I was actually awake. NU were allowed to pass the ball around as we did not pressure them anywhere near the required levels to gain control over the game.

Although Newcastle had more possession than us, and were also allowed to have it in our own half regularly during the first 45 minutes, I felt we were well organised at the back and there was only a small chance they would hurt us.

Theo’s anticipation of the Pod’s through-ball was first class, and so were his run and finish, and the ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ felt great: surely we could build further on this performance and punish the Magpies on the break a few more times?

Unfortunately, we managed to give a few unnecessary free-kicks away in the first half and one of them cost us dearly. Sagna seemed sedated today: is he not fully fit or simply missing a yard or two in speed at the moment? I did not think he was at his best against Wigan, but today’s performance is starting to worry me a bit. He gave an uncharacteristic free-kick away in a dangerous position and Demba Ba cleverly aimed for Jack’s head – what was he doing there anyway – to guide the ball past it. Okay there was a lucky deflection, but Jack should never have chickened out.

1-1 was a fair score at the end of the first half, though, and we could only hope for Arsene to wake our boys up properly; in order to regain control over the midfield, start pressing them in their own half, and stop relying purely on launching Theo into space at the first opportunity.

Ox’s goal at the start of the second half was a beauty; and one that had been coming for him for a while. We can all get excited about potential new signings in the next TW, but there is nothing better than witnessing one of our talented youngsters growing into a man right in front of us. Ox is quickly making the RW position his, and regular goals (and assists) are the only thing that is missing in his game at the moment. But today he made a big step forward with a classy, timely and important goal from just outside the box – perhaps the most important of the whole game, as this one gave us the necessary momentum to start playing proper football again in the second half.

However, the Barcodes pounced again on Sagna’s apparent slowness, as Obertan was able to beat him with relative ease to put the ball right across our goal to the far post – Koz did not manage to get his full boot against it, but could only slightly divert it – where Marveaux was left totally unmarked for the easiest of tap-ins.

It should come as no surprise that Wilshere was involved in getting us in front once more, with a determined run and a very good ‘hanging cross’ over Krul, to the far post towards Theo. It created total chaos amongst the NU defenders, and the Pod dealt with it all in the deadliest manner. I have been really impressed with Pod’s hard work rate and omnipresence on the pitch tonight.

But, but, but it all went pear-shaped once again, when Marveaux was able to put in a very clever diagonal ball from outside the box with the outside of his boot into the penalty area – arguably the best assist of the entire game – and Ba was able to beat sleeping beauty Gibbs with total ease.

Although the CB’s were the main culprits for conceding the 2^nd and 3^rd NU goals, it was also clear that we missed Mertesacker’s ability to bring order and structure to our defence.

It started to feel like we would never be able to kill the Magpies off in this game as our defence had simply become too fragile in the second half. But then, somehow, Arsenal found the afterburners and NU did not get another foothold in the remainder of the game.

It is fair to say that the Barcodes will have been tired at that time, having played at Old Toilet only a few days ago, but it was nevertheless impressive how we were able to up the tempo and pressure, and create a great number of opportunities in the last twenty minutes of the game.

Walcott 2^nd goal was almost as good as his first one. His spatial awareness, combined with his decision not to blast the ball as soon as possible, but allow himself a touch in order to take proper aim, were very impressive. It turned out to be the blow from which the Magpies would recover no more.

Theo then became provider for the hungry substitute Giroud; first with a peach of a cross which OG headed in with force, and then with a determined run and ‘pass’ into the box which the Frenchman despatched aggressively with his venomous right foot. It was really nice to see Giroud taking his chances with such determination, and celebrating his goals with great joy.

But the final say was, ever so appropriately, for Theo.

This was his night; his announcement to the home crowd that he should play in the middle and what this could mean for us. From a ‘one-two free-kick’ taken near the corner flag with Jack, Theo slalomed past a few NU players, then somehow evaded a tackle, and got back up on his feet to beat Krul high into the roof of the net with a measured, rising chip. A truly fantastic solo goal.

Theo is all about speed they say; well, today he showed that his arsenal of attacking weapons is pretty well stocked. He will need to do this on a regular basis to win over the seemingly eternal doubters, but today he announced himself properly!

It was a great performance by Theo and a nice gesture to thank the crowd whilst holding the match-ball above his head. Whether you still have doubts about Theo or not – as a winger or a striker – it will be hard to deny that since he has been playing in the central striker position, Arsenal have had two out of three performances in which we looked a bit like our former self again, in which we had that extra dimension, and that so longed for cutting edge and bite; and with the team scoring 13 PL goals in just three games – a third of our PL total this season in 19 games – it would be madness not to continue with him in the middle of our attack – possibly with Giroud – for the time being.

A crazy game, a great result, and lessons need to be learned in defence; but today we witnessed the coming of age of Theo Walcott.

Written by: Total Arsenal.

Giroud, Walcott, Podolski, Ba: who’ll lead Arsenal’s attack in 2013?

December 26, 2012TotalArsenal

Will or won’t Theo sign a new contract? And if so, does that mean Giroud will end up on the bench? And what about Podolski: he would also like to play more in the centre, and on top of that the rumours of Arsenal looking for another central striker are getting stronger at the moment.

Of all the rumours, the one regarding Demba Ba joining us from Newcastle seems the most feasible to me. But why are Arsenal still looking for a central striker? Does that mean, Arsene expects Theo to move on in January, or could it be that Arsene is thinking to move to a different system of 4-4-2 or 4-4-1?

To be honest, I have not got a clue.

I like the idea of Giroud up-front, especially in a 4-5-1 system. The Frenchman is great at holding up the ball and allowing the midfield to bounce the ball of him. I also like Giroud in a 4-4-1-1 upfront with either Theo or even Cazorla behind him. Giroud could feed the ball to either of them, but would also benefit from their potential assists.

But then I can also see a problem with Giroud. As a more classical centre forward, and in order to use him to his full potential, the whole attack has to be focussed around him, which will a) make us more predictable and b) make us more dependent on him. It does also mean that we need a good number two in the team, who can take over from Giroud in case of suspension or injury.

At the moment, we do not have an adequate replacement. Chamakh’s days are counted, and I don’t think Podolski has the same skill-set for the pivotal role up-front as Giroud does.

However, we have also played a ‘fluid-three’ up-front in the last few months: most recently with Theo in the middle, and Pod and Ox on the wings, but also with Gervinho in the middle and Pod and Ox on the wings. I really like the unpredictability of playing a non-classic CF upfront with two players on the wings who can also finish really well. Key is though that at least one of the ‘wingers’ is actually a winger who can make things happen. For me that means that in the current squad either Gervinho or the Ox has to play on one of the wings. With Gervinho going to the AOC , and the Ox picking up form recently, I reckon we will see more of Ox on the right wing.

If Arsene is to continue with a fluid-three up-front, is buying another CF the right thing to do; or is it more important to buy a traditional, quality winger who can add the necessary width and guile to our attacking play?

If Demba Ba is indeed joining us in January, it must mean we are going to play in a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 formation, and I cannot say that would not excite me. I can see us play Cazorla and Ox on the mid-wings and Arteta and Wilshere in the middle, with either Giroud and Theo, Theo and Pod, Ba and Theo, Giroud and Pod, Ba and Giroud, or Ba and Podolski up-front. For Demba Ba you could also put another striker with whom we are being linked at the moment.

All the above indicates that it is hard to predict what system we are going to play and who will be our main attackers in 2013. Arsene bought Giroud only this summer, so surely his plans must involve him. But he appears also keen to keep Theo and give him his wish to be played in the middle. Both are different strikers and might, or might not, be able to play together. The only way to play them together is a 4-4-1-1/4-4-2 formation, and if that is what Arsene is aiming for, I can understand why he would want to buy another CF, as he will need cover in such a system.

But what is it going to be? You tell me!

Total Arsenal.

Has there been a compromise between Bould and Wenger?

December 19, 2012December 19, 2012TotalArsenal

Arsenal’s performance against the Royals was just what the doctor ordered, and there were signs that Arsene and Bould are starting to find the balance between solidity at the back and a deadly thrust up-front.

Of course, it is early days, and just as I am the first to point out that a bad result does not mean Arsenal are rubbish, it also needs stressing that a good performance and result against Reading does not mean Arsene and Bould have turned the corner. It also needs stressing that Arsenal needlessly conceded two goals, and that we in fact drew with the Royals in the second half.

However, looking at the game for a second time, there seemed to be a pattern to our play throughout the game which might indicate that Bould and Wenger are starting to find the formula for sustained success for the rest of the season.

One wing at a time

Without Theo playing on the right wing, where he formed such a formidable partnership with Sagna during last season especially, Arsenal channelled their wing-attacks through the left for most of the game. Sagna stayed a lot more behind than usually and Ox had to work more in isolation compared to Pod. The German has less tricks to his disposal and relies a lot on support from Cazorla and especially from his brother in arms; the fantastically versatile Gibbs.

Ox is less dependable on support in order to work some magic on the right wing, especially if and when he is giving the most sought after commodity of all for an attacker player: space in front of him. There were signs on Monday that AOC is slowly rediscovering his form and – closely related – his confidence.

Reading allowed us a lot of space on the left wing and boy did we benefit from it. When Gibbs went forward to support our attack the rest of our defence stayed mostly in position, which gave the defence a well-needed stability. Something Bould will have been pleased with.

Vermaelen and Mertesacker more conventional

In general, I thought both the BFG and TV played more conventionally on Monday. They concentrated hard on keeping discipline and there was a strong focus on pushing up and getting Reading to walk constantly in their off-site traps. This worked out very well for most of the game, but as the two goals we conceded showed; further fine-tuning is a must.

It was also clear that TV ventured forward less than usual and this might be another compromise between Bould and Wenger.

Arteta even more our orthodox holding midfielder and Wilshere handed the biggest role of all

I thought Arteta did really well again on Monday. When he is allowed to keep it simple and sit in front of the defence he can be very effective for us. He has got a great positional sense and uses his intelligence really well in sussing out danger. He plays in such a way that you almost do not spot him for large parts of the game, as he allows the team – and us as spectators – to concentrate on the attacking opportunities ahead. We rely heavily on him which of course is a concern, but that is a discussion for another day.

The biggest role on the night was given to Jack. I cannot tell you how much I love this guy right now. What a difference he makes with his drive, intelligence and ability. Yet, he looked so fragile at times on Monday, and we have to wonder whether his body will be able to take the continuous physical challenges he has to face in this pivotal role.

Jack was everywhere and covered the area between attack and defence tremendously well on Monday. Supported by Arteta, he ensured we could keep continuous pressure on the Reading defence, and he was instrumental in winning back possession in midfield as well.

Cazorla played a lot closer to our CF

It was great to see Santi play so close to our CF, Theo, against Reading. I thought Santi played in the DB10 role on Monday and he did remind me of him at times. I did not know he would be so effective in the opposition’s box, but his runs into it, and his general awareness and prowess to finish off opportunities, were a very welcome surprise (at least to me). On top of that, he was just as effective in what he is more known for: finding clever through balls and dictating our attacking play in general. It truly was a top performance by the little Spaniard on Monday.

Jack playing in the lynchpin role and working his socks off together with Arteta, allowed Santi this free role and boy did he reward us for it!

One question that needs answering in the next few weeks is whether Santi can play as close to Giroud as he did to Theo. Theo is a more mobile and faster striker and can exploit space so well: he makes intelligent runs which are very hard to track by the opposition’s defenders, and for Santi, Theo is a dream to play with – just as Henry was for Bergkamp – as he both loves to feed the ball to him in space and likes to benefit himself from the space Theo creates for others.

Of course, we would also need to see how the combination of Walcott and Cazorla in the centre of our attack would work against the disciplined ‘park the bus’ teams, but a more permanent switch towards Cazorla in the hole and three more fluid attackers up-front could well be the way forward.

Plenty of food for thought, I hope! So. let’s discuss. 🙂

Written by: Total Arsenal.

Santi dictates, Gibbs/Pod left side power, Theo gave us wings + Player Ratings

December 18, 2012December 18, 2012TotalArsenal

Arsenal took a much-needed three points from last night’s match vs. Reading and hopefully it silences the criticism that has been plaguing the club as of late. The 5-2 result was well deserved given the balance of play and it’s about time that we started performing to the high levels of expectation for a top club. We completely dominated the first 60 minutes of play, and if it were not for some critical Federici saves, the score could have easily been 7-0.

Three of the five goals were produced from the left side of the pitch, with one other goal assisted by Gibbs on the left from a fantastic Theo cross. Much of our early season success came from a dangerous left side that featured overlapping runs and fantastic link up play from Podolski and Gibbs. Gibbs’ injury vs. West Ham directly coincided with the attack down the left flank breaking down. Hopefully, the Gibbs-Podolski partnership continues to flourish consistently from here on out.

The left side was given more freedom to attack due to the speed threat of Theo down the middle; Reading’s defense was quite narrow and given our last clash with them in the Capital One Cup, they were right to be concerned. Up front, our attack was finally given shape and we were treated to a classic, beautiful Arsenal display – fluid passing, direct runs, intelligent movement and relentless pressure from both flanks. This was possible because Arsene finally switched his tactics and played a more mobile striker in Theo up front. The front three were interchanging their positions with Podolski and Ox occasionally drifting centrally and Theo chasing down balls played into open space down the left and right.

Player Ratings:

Szczesny (7.5) – The Pole’s continued to give us stability in goal and has done everything you can reasonably expect from a keeper. He did well to outstretch himself and grab what could have been an easy goal for Reading off a corner. None of the goals were his fault and were a direct result of defensive breakdowns. However, it would have been nice to see Szczesny save 1 of the 2 goals.

Gibbs (8.5) – Fantastic display down the left hand side and helped give our attack shape. Two assists, some scoring opportunities that were blocked and plenty of good crosses. Constantly pushed forward offensively and was reliable coming back for his defensive duties. The only reason I didn’t give him a higher rating was because of his errant pass to Wilshere that led to a goal that brought Reading back into the game.

Vermaelen (8.0) – Has looked much more reliable defensively this year and saved us early on in the game on a 2 v 1 by clearing Pogrebnyak’s pass across the front of the goal. Would have liked to have seen him more involved offensively, but it was more a luxury than a necessity today. Great game by our captain, took a gamble to intercept Gibbs’ errant pass before the first goal.

Mertesacker (7.0) – Broke up a few of Reading’s plays and ensures that we have adequate defensive cover. However, he was guilty of ball watching and drifted away from marking Kebe, who eventually scored the 2^nd goal.

Sagna (7.0) – His crosses have been ineffective all year and perhaps it was fortunate that he was not playing in as much of an advanced role yesterday. Reading’s few scoring chances primarily came down the left side, a testament to both our domination in possession and to his defensive reliability. Still, had a few turnovers from poor passes and I’ve come to expect more from what I believe is the best right back in the Premier League.

Arteta (8.5) – The engine that drives our team and it was evident that we missed him last week in our loss to BradfordCity. Won ball possession back and instantly pressured Reading when we lost possession of the ball. Always great with ball retention, followed his defensive responsibilities well and distributed the ball to our creative outlets as we’ve seen him do all season. Really helped to settle our team down and conserved his energy to chase down attackers.

Wilshere (8.5) – You can tell that he’s the one who wants to make things happen for the squad. He leads the team up field with his charging runs with the ball and he is always looking to add directness to our attack from the midfield. His aggressive style helps keep the opposition in check, but it did lead to a yellow card. He had an opportunity to score from a nice mid-air volley but the effort was met from an even better Federici save. It was unfortunate that he slipped on the 1^st goal, but the pass shouldn’t have been played that far away from him in the first place. Jack really should have had at least one assist today, but personal accomplishments are not important when the team wins.

Cazorla (9.5) – 3 goals and 1 assist, well deserved ‘Man of the Match’ recognition and he really showed his world-class ability. Recently, I’ve accused him of not being influential enough to take matters into his own hands to turn around games for our team, but yesterday he truly was the difference. He was creating plenty of through ball scoring chances for Theo, made intelligent passes in the final third, always put himself in good positions to score and took plenty of chances that he may not have taken in past games. The only thing keeping his rating from a perfect 10 was his defensive lapse early in the game when Pogrebnyak was on the receiving end of a nice give and go that almost led to a Reading goal when the game was 0-0. In addition, later in the 78^th minute, Santi tried to do it all by himself vs. 6 Reading players and turned the ball over in Reading’s 18-yard box. As you can see, I really had to nitpick to find any flaws in his game yesterday.

Podolski (9.0) – A goal and 2 assists and it appears like Podolski has finally come back into form and reignited his partnership with Gibbs down the left flank. He’s often accused of either disappearing or being non-existent in games, but today he put in a great performance for the full 90 minutes. A couple erroneous passes at the edge of and within Reading’s 18-yard box brought down his rating slightly.

Walcott (8.5) – His pace is a nightmare for defenders and Reading gave him plenty of space to make intelligent runs into empty space. His goal at the 80^th minute destroyed any hope of a Reading comeback and despite starting as a striker, he was willing to move out wide and distributed some nice crosses into the middle of the pitch (he spotted Gibbs with a cross that eventually led to the third goal). However, Theo missed a breakaway opportunity in the first half and he could have passed to a wide-open Podolski in the second half instead of taking a shot that was wide of the mark.

Oxlade-Chamberlain (7.5) – He really set the tempo of the game for us after his blazing run and attempt on goal that was deflected wide by Federici in the opening minutes. Reading had difficulty coping with his pace all night and his ability to cut inside added another element of directness and unpredictability to our attack. In fact, it was his decision to take the ball inside and pass it to Wilshere that eventually led to Cazorla’s hat trick, which involved classy, vintage Arsenal build-up play. He did disappear for about half the match and was rightfully substituted in the second half. He had a great opportunity to score his first PL goal this season but a spectacular sprawling Federici save met his header.

Ramsey, Giroud and Coquelin (Incomplete) – All were relatively late substitutes and did not have sufficient time to make an impact on the game. I hate to pick on Ramsey after such a great team effort but our attack down the right side became non-existent once he stepped onto the pitch and we ended up passing backwards into our own end more. Giroud missed a great opportunity to get onto the score sheet after sending a volley into Federici’s outstretched arms on a breakaway. Coquelin made a nice run forward and held the play up well that eventually led to a Podolski give away, but that’s about all I noticed from him in his cameo appearance.

Despite Arsenal playing a game full of so many positives, there were still negatives to take away. In typical Arsenal fashion, an inspiring first 60 minutes eventually led to 2 goals that gave life to a late Reading comeback. It looked like a realistic possibility before Theo iced the game with a great finish at the 80^th minute to make it 5-2.

We have lacked focus defensively for much of this season and have been punished late in games for conceding crucial goals (2^nd leg vs. Schalke, Swansea, Fulham, Olympiacos); fortunately, today we amassed a significant lead to relieve some of the pressure if such a scenario were to occur again. As noted earlier, Gibbs’ misplaced pass exposed us for the first goal and ball watching by Mertesacker led to the second goal. Finally, zonal marking on corners looks like it’ll eventually do us in, and we were fortunate to only concede 3 today.

Going forward, questions still remain unanswered. Can we replicate the same success at home? Was today’s result a testament to our improved team play or us facing a very poor, lackluster Reading side? Will this win be met with any level of consistency or will we once again be victims of an underwhelming performance next time out? Not to sound too pessimistic after today’s glorious performance, but there’s been a disturbing trend of inconsistency that casts a shadow of doubt over the coming Wigan clash on Saturday.

Four times this season, we’ve managed to follow up encouraging wins with losses or ties: beat West Ham, then lost to Norwich/beat QPR, then lost to Utd/beat Tottenham, then tied Villa and Everton before losing to Swansea/beat WBA, then lost to Bradford on pens.

All in all, a great game where we dictated the pace of the game and the result should go a long way in building confidence for our squad.

Written by: The Gooner.

Arsenal desperately need a proper, dedicated right winger

November 25, 2012November 25, 2012TotalArsenal

And if Theo only wants to sign if he is mainly played as a CF; it is time to let him go!

Watching Arsenal play against Aston Villa without a proper winger on either side, made me realise once again how much we need at least one in our current 4-3-3 system. Almost in every game in which Arsenal have fielded a front-three without either Theo or Gervinho, we have struggled to hurt our opponents.

We just look so toothless and one-dimensional when we play Pod on the left wing and Ox or Ramsey on the right wing, and Giroud in the middle.

Pod, Ox and Ramsey are not even proper “inside-out” wingers – who regularly cut inside their full back in order to pass or shoot with their stronger foot – although Ox could still develop into one.

Podolski has been played on the LW for most of the games, and although he scored a decent number of goals and produced some good assists, Arsenal only seem to produce a decent threat from the left wing if and when Gibbs is able to play as our LB. Without Gibbs combining with Pod as our overlapping wing-back, the German carries very little threat on the left wing.

With Ramsey, or even Ox on the right, we also seldom or never witness effective wing-play, and Gervinho is also far less effective on the right than on the left – and this is regardless whether we play Jenkinson or Sagna as our RB. The result is that Arsenal are often far too narrow and predictable by focussing too much on breaking the opposition open through the middle, rather than equally using the flanks in order to carry an additional threat.

Of course, Arsenal have not been helped by our best left (wing) back and right (wing) back being injured for so long. If Arsenal can keep the combos of Gibbs-Pod and Sagna-Theo fit for a while, we should see a step-improved in our ability to use our wings to full effect.

Today I watched Chelsea and ManCity produce an equally boring 0-0 draw as we did against Villa yesterday. Here are two teams who have spent together in the region of £2bn in the last five years or so, in order to desperately ‘win’ some silverware; and play attractive football along the way. Both teams played for most of the game without proper wingers, although Milner at least tried to get to the by-line from the right wing occasionally. As a result the game had very little flow to it, and was hardly watchable. What a waste of money!

Unless a team can reach the levels of midfield dominance, possession, passing, and pressing football of Barcelona, it is going to be very hard to play attractive and deadly football without proper wingers. And very few teams have quality wing-backs like Barcelona have.

Although, Gibbs and Sagna are decent wing-backs, they are not world-class and we simply are not in a position to play without any proper wingers in our team. I would personally play Gervinho instead of Podolski on the left wing, as he is far more effective as a left winger; but I can see why Wenger wants to persevere with the Gibbs-Pod option. The biggest problem with this is Gibbs’ proneness to injury though.

When Theo plays on the right, and he is disciplined enough to stick to dedicated right-wing play, Arsenal carry much more threat. It does not mean he should never be allowed to move towards the middle, though. Theo forms a fine partnership with Sagna, which should allow him to move inside occasionally; and he can also profit from effective wing-play from the left, by presenting himself as an additional striker in the box.

So we need Theo to stay out on the right wing and if he does not want to do that, Arsenal will need to replace him with an orthodox, dedicated, experienced and highly motivated right-winger, in order to get the full use out of our 4-3-3 system.

Total Arsenal.

Three steps forward – two steps back: five observations from the Schalke 04 game.

November 7, 2012November 7, 2012TotalArsenal

Mannone is growing in stature – Wilshere is growing in form – Walcott in the middle is a rapidly growing Theo-ry – Our inability to hold onto the ball is a growing worry – Arsenal lacking defensive shape and discipline is a growing concern.

A lot of supporters expected Arsenal to bounce back from a bad performance/result instantly, just like we used to do in previous seasons. But, right now, Arsenal are suffering from structural problems that need time to be resolved; whilst in previous seasons we often only had to work on our focus and attitude to bounce back again.

Our current team is struggling to get a coherent system of football working in which players understand and find each other automatically; one that works in all areas and makes us fluent and deadly efficient, and in which substitutes can fit without too many adaptation issues. Clearly, this is still a work in progress, but progress was made nevertheless last night.

Schalke surprised me tactically: why attack us and try to dominate the game from the first minute, when their tactics at the Emirates had worked so well for them a fortnight ago? I cannot imagine Stevens not being aware how much Arsenal crave space, so it must have been a deliberate strategy to attack us and try to score a goal early. I applaud it though: it is exactly what a good game of football needed, as the game had a lovely flow to it and some very good football by both teams was on display last night. Schalke’s opportunism gave us the space to attack, and boy did we revel in it: it was just what the footie shrink had ordered!

Theo showed Giroud how to stay calm and focussed when an opportunity comes your way for the first goal, as he persevered with strength and good balance to put the ball over the line. Luckily Giroud took his second opportunity with the pounce of a hungry tiger, after great wing-play by, the otherwise mostly ineffective again, Podholeski.

Arsenal almost played the perfect first half against Schalke tonight. The defence was far better organised and mostly solid, our midfield was gradually winning the individual battles, and our three attackers combined well to score two very valuable away goals in Gelsenkirchen. But just before the end of the first half, individual fatigue by our best player of the season until now, and a collective lack of concentration gave the Germans an opportunity to pull a goal back: a real shame!

Cazorla is clearly in the ‘red zone’, because if there is any player at Arsenal you would bank on not to give away the ball at that moment, and in that situation, it has to be out little, energetic Spaniard. Holtby did brilliantly, though, to both see Huntelaar in space and to deliver the ball perfectly weighted to him in a flash; and although we should have done better defensively, it is fair to say that was a fine goal by Schalke 04.

The second half saw us trying to regain possession, but we were simply not fit enough to deal with Schalke’s midfield dominance. Cazorla struggled to get a foothold in the game, Arteta tired a lot towards the end, and Jack also lost some of his sharpness in the second half. Our defence struggled to keep its shape and were put under more and more pressure. The equaliser was almost inevitable and totally deserved by the Germans.

Arsenal somehow held on for an important point, and could well have clinched all three points at the very end, but Theo did not see Giroud in the perfect position to score the winner, and went instead for goal himself from a difficult angle. He should be forgiven for that though, and it in the end a draw away to Schalke 04 is a decent result.

Observation one – one step forward:

Mannone had another very decent game. Red Arse wrote a great post last week about Arsenal goalkeepers’ situation and since then Mann1 has put in a couple of assured performances against the horrible Mancs and Schalke 04. I am warming to Vito and I hope he will get a couple more games at least to further build his confidence.

Observation two – two steps forward:

Wilshere came through his next test with colours. He oozes class and is simply a joy to watch. Clearly, he was still rusty at times and needs to improve his match fitness further, but he made such a difference in midfield for us by helping out Arteta in the defensive department, whilst supporting Santi in setting up attacking moves. So great to have him back: he is our ideal lynchpin.

Cazorla and Arteta struggled to keep up with the tempo of the game for most of the second half, and this is all down to fatigue. It is so frustrating that we still cannot use Diaby and Rosicky to come and help out, and give the super-Spaniards a bit of a break before something or somebody breaks them.

Observation three – three steps forward:

Theo through the middle with Giroud next to him, or in front of him; in a 4-4-1-1 or 4-4-2 formation, could actually work. I really liked the way Theo and OG created opportunities between themselves last night, and with plenty of practice and playing games together they could become our two-headed goal monster we so desperately need.

Observation four – one step back:

Our inability to hold on to the ball in order to release the pressure being put on our defence is a big worry at the moment. Giroud needs to improve on his first touch, and shield the ball a lot better so he can give the rest of the team a break; by holding on to the ball and passing it back to somebody in space. I also felt that both Podolski and Theo were weak in holding on to the ball and find a pass to another player far too often. Especially when our midfielders were clearly running on their reserve tanks, it was important for our attackers to help out more in keeping possession.

And you know who we desperately missed yesterday? Alex Song. The way Arsenal left the defence unprotected just outside the centre of the box, on a few occasions in the second half, was just amateur-like; and could have easily cost us yesterday. I also feel strongly that Song would have helped us tremendously in holding onto the ball better.

Observation five – two steps back:

Our defence, even with TV5 instead of the shirt-swapper at LB, still lacks shape, discipline and organisation. Koz had a good game and so did Mertesacker and Sagna, but Vermaelen struggled again. And, as a unit, it was nowhere near what is required to compete successfully at top level.

Vermaelen’s confidence is shot: the lion of Flanders has turned into a pussycat. But I have written enough about TV5 in recent posts, so won’t go back into that again.

On a final, Arsenal unrelated, note: as a football romantic, I am absolutely delighted that, over two games, the properly run football clubs of Ajax and Dortmund got the better over the cup-buyers of Citeh and Madrid. There still is hope for football! 🙂

Total Arsenal.