Category Archives: Match Report

West Brom 2-3 Arsenal: Gunners take third

  By jtom | 14/05/2012 - 7:30 AM | Match Report, Premier League
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Arsene Wenger was “very proud” of his team after the Gunners sealed third place by defeating West Bromwich Albion 2-3 at The Hawthorns on Sunday. The crucial victory means that Arsenal have gained automatic qualification into the group stage of next season’s Champions League.

The final match of the campaign was as dramatic as Arsenal’s entire Premier League season. Yossi Benayoun, in possibly his last game in red and white, scored the opening goal by hunting down West Brom keeper Martin Fulop. The Israeli midfielder stole the ball away from Fulop, who was not aware that he was inside his penalty area, and easily rolled the ball into the empty net in the 4th minute. Hopefully, Benayoun finds success at his next destination if he leaves the Emirates Stadium

The Baggies answered quickly by way of a Shane Long strike. The pacy Irish striker found himself onside and alone with Wojciech Szczesny. A cool finish by Long evened the score at one, and the Gunners were back to square one.

Roy Hodgson’s side did not stop there. Graham Dorrans’s excellent volley beat Szczesny and granted West Brom the lead in the 15th minute. It was not surprising that Arsenal would need a comeback in the last match of the season to secure the third spot in the table. That’s just the kind of season it’s been.

Andre Santos, who got the start at left-back, replied with a tally of his own in the 30th minute. The Brazilian made a nice move prior to firing a shot that beat Fulop. Santos has managed to score three goals from the left-back position despite only having started 15 matches in all competitions this season.

At half-time, I was surprisingly confident. Even though we had a relatively poor showing in the first fourty-five, all we had to do was win one half of football and our place in the Champions League would be assured.

Last week, Laurent Koscielny told the media that this season belonged to Robin van Persie. However, it would be the French centre-back who would score the most important goal of the campaign. It wasn’t pretty. West Brom keeper Martin Fulop, who was terrible on Sunday, collided with one of his own defenders while in pursuit of a Robin van Persie corner. The ball deflected to Koscileny, and the Frenchman stabbed it into the gaping net.

The Baggies pushed for an equaliser, and they almost had their wish in the dying moments of the contest. Kieran Gibbs made a sliding tackle just as Peter Odemwingie was lining up a strike inside the Arsenal penalty area. The gravity of that challenge by Gibbs cannot be understated. If Odemwingie had scored, St. Totteringham’s Day would not have arrived this year.

Arsene Wenger intelligently decided to remove the attack-minded Andre Santos and insert the more reliable Gibbs. Considering the goal by Santos, Wenger played his cards perfectly.

Once the final whistle sounded, Arsenal supporters around the globe celebrated St. Totteringham’s Day. Spurs were victorious on Sunday as well, but it didn’t mean anything. All of the idiots sporting “Mind the Gap” shirts quietly retreated into their holes. At one point, Gunners’ fans even got #NorthLondonIsRed to trend worldwide on Twitter.

When asked how Arsenal’s recovery this season ranks among his achievements, Arsene Wenger said after the match:

“I am very proud of this season because we were not only tested on the football front – which as a Club we are used to – but on our mental solidity, unity and solidarity within. We were deeply tested, we did not show any weakness, kept united and in the end came back. It is a good lesson for everybody. At some stages everybody was wondering what we were doing.”

Understandably, Arsene Wenger was emotional following the win. During the game, the television cameras showed Wenger hugging the soon-to-be-retired Pat Rice on the bench. Sunday’s victory over the Baggies was Rice’s last match as assistant manager after spending 44 years at Arsenal. The Northern Irishman will be replaced by Steve Bould.

Rice’s final season was a memorable one—not for silverware or success—but because of the fight and spirit the Gunners displayed to triumph over so many adversities.

First, at the start of the season, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Na$ri (two of Arsene Wenger’s best players) departed. Faced with a depleted midfield, the hope for Arsenal was that Jack Wilshere would be able to assume some of the responsibilities. Sadly, the Englishman missed the entire season due to injury. Many Gunners missed significant portions of the season with various injuries, and there were several crises because of the lack of healthy players at certain positions. And then, of course, there was the nightmarish beginning of the season. The wounds still sting too profoundly to describe that dreadful run. Arsene Wenger’s team overcame that start to finish one spot higher in the table than last year.

Here’s to a memorable season of ups and downs. While there were no trophies, there was plenty of excitement and a happy ending. Thanks Arsenal!

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Arsenal 3-3 Norwich City: Lucky Gunners remain in third

  By jtom | 07/05/2012 - 7:30 AM | Match Report, Premier League
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The Arsenal world was drenched in disappointment on Saturday afternoon following the Gunners 3-3 draw with the Canaries. Remarkably, the results went Arsenal’s way on Sunday, and Arsene Wenger’s side held on to the third spot after an insane weekend of football. Here are my main talking points from the thrilling affair at the Emirates Stadium.

  • Terrible performance overall: On the whole, the Gunners were dreadful on Saturday. The back four could not contain Grant Holt at all. Aaron Ramsey and Alex Song continually gave the possession away in the midfield. Wojciech Szczesny was as reliable as a sundial at midnight. Robin van Persie managed to score two goals even though he was in solitary confinement until the latter part of the second half. It was a shocking performance given the importance of the game.
  • Ruddy, Ruddy everywhere: The Norwich keeper erected a sturdy brick wall to stop Arsenal’s late barrage. Without John Ruddy’s excellent showing, the Canaries would have surely conceded another goal or more likely two. His save on Kieran Gibbs’ effort in the dying seconds was particularly stunning. Ruddy was in my dreams on Saturday night, repeatedly blocking all that came his way, so I can only imagine how the Arsenal players must have felt.
  • Still no home penalty: Arsenal have completed all of their home fixtures in the Premier League this season without getting penalty. The infamous streak was capped on Saturday at Ashburton Grove when referee Anthony Taylor was silent as Robin van Persie was tripped up from behind in the 89th minute. A  penalty decision could never be more clear, yet Taylor just swallowed his whistle in fright. Arsene Wenger was frustrated after the match: ”Here the whole season we have got zero penalties. It is absolutely amazing, because you see other clubs who have got 10. I don’t know (why the penalty was not given), we have to accept the decision of the referee.” (Source: ESPN)
  • Ramsey nightmare: Aaron Ramsey had yet another hellish day. Maybe Arsene Wenger should consider dropping the Welshman completely. The Arsenal manager did withdraw Ramsey from the contest in the 63rd minute, though it was 63 minutes too late. For whatever reason, Ramsey has been helpless in the midfield recently, so perhaps it will serve the interests of our football club to sit him on the bench for the final, crucial match of the season next week.
  • Poor Sagna: Bacary Sagna’s suffered his second broken leg of the season against the Canaries on Saturday. Arsene Wenger confirmed post-match that the French right-back fractured his right fibula; it is the same injury he sustained against Spurs several months ago. Regarding the injury, Sagna told L’Equipe: ”I think he (Norwich’s Bradley Johnson) did it on purpose. He stepped on my leg. Play continues, I get back on my feet. And when I tried to control the ball, I felt a crack, just like the first time at Tottenham. He stepped right where the plate was. I think the plate pressured [the bone]. It’s a neat break, just above the plate.”

Doom and gloom took up their usual positions following the disheartening and dramatic 3-3 result at the Emirates Stadium. Arsene Wenger’s team had just sacrificed their ability to control their destiny. Then, all of the sudden, our rivals choked on the meal we had handed them on a sliver platter. Tottenham and Newcastle both dropped points on Sunday. Our chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League remain high. A point against West Bromwich next week and we are guaranteed to finish no lower than fourth; a victory over the Baggies and we lock up third. At least we can rest assured that our fate will be determined by our performance and our performance alone. Judging by the performance on Saturday,  we really should be worried.

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Stoke City 1-1 Arsenal Reflections

  By jtom | 01/05/2012 - 7:15 AM | Match Report, Premier League
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Arsenal were able to salvage a rare point at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday. Interestingly, much of the post-match talk from both managers was about chants coming from both sets of supporters. Here is what I took away from the Gunners’ 1-1 draw with Stoke City.

  • RVP is the only finisher: With Theo Walcott and Mikel Arteta out, it seems that only Robin van Persie has the ability to put the ball in the net. Gervinho wasted several chances on Saturday, not that anyone ever expected him to convert any. Aaron Ramsey never strikes the ball on target, and Yossi Benayoun can never get enough power behind his efforts on goal. The Gunners may require van Persie to break the record for most goals in a 38-match Premier League season in order to get past Norwich City and West Bromwich in the final two games.
  • What a clearance by Sagna!: Bacary Sagna preserved the point for Arsenal in the closing seconds when he cleared the ball off a Stoke City throw-in. Surely, if Sagna had not booted the ball away, Matthew Upson would have scored the winning tally right before the final whistle. Thanks to our French right-back, we were able to hold on.
  • Penalty not called: Arsenal are not granted many penalties. In the 75th minute, Glenn Whelan delivered a light push to the back of Yossi Benayoun as the Israeli was chasing the ball in the Potters’ penalty area. While Whelan’s nudge was fairly gentle, it was enough to disrupt the run of Benayoun. Any small amount of contact can alter the motion of a player moving at full sprint. In an interview after the game, Benayoun said that the incident was a “100 per cent penalty,” while Arsene Wenger simply told reporters that Whelan’s push will “go on the tape of all the penalties we have not got this season.”
  • Tony Pulis and Stoke fans are ridiculous: Aaron Ramsey was booed and Arsene Wenger was racially abused by some Potters’ supporters at the Britannia on Saturday. Why are Stoke fans hurling their displeasure at a young player whose leg was snapped by Ryan Shawcross? Perhaps the educational system in Stoke-on-Trent is to blame, but I point the finger at Tony Pulis. The Stoke City fans take after their manager. In fact, when asked about the booing of Ramsey, Tony Pulis told reporters that he was more concerned with the jeering of Shawcross. Do I need to even explain the flawed logic that this man flaunts?

Arsenal are still cleanly ahead of Newcastle, Spurs, and Chelsea in third, but the gap is closing. All three clubs chasing the Gunners have one game-in-hand on Arsene Wenger’s side. Assuming the worst (that all three clubs win their game-in-hand), we would be in front of Newcastle and Tottenham by one, and ahead of Chelsea by two. If we are victorious in our final two matches, third is ours. But that’s a huge “if.”

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Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea reflections

  By jtom | 24/04/2012 - 7:30 AM | Match Report, Premier League
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Because of illness, I was unable to post about the Arsenal-Chelsea match from Saturday. Since the game is old news by now, I’ll list a few of my thoughts regarding the scoreless draw at the Emirates Stadium:

  • Chelsea did not go for it: Roberto Di Matteo made eight changes from the side that faced Barcelona last week. Clearly, the Blues have decided that their best chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League is by winning this season’s tournament. Chelsea did not have many serious goalscoring opportunities throughout the ninety minutes. Instead of pushing for the three points, Di Matteo’s side sat back and tried to hit the Gunners on the counter-attack.
  • Robin van Persie was not at his best: The Dutchman may be the PFA Player of the Year, but he was poor on Saturday. By my count, van Persie wasted five good chances to tally. At his best, RVP scores on three of those five goalscoring opportunities. Robin has not scored from open play in Arsenal’s last seven matches. Hopefully, van Persie’s struggles will soon subside as Arsene Wenger’s side will require goals from the Dutchman to hold the third position in the table.
  • Arteta was missed: Arsenal’s midfield suffered greatly from the loss of Mikel Arteta. The passing was not as quick and accurate as it is when Arteta is present. Aaron Ramsey plays better in the Rosicky role, behind van Persie. The Welshman has trouble staying alongside Alex Song and acting as a holding midfield. In Arsene Wenger’s system, holding midfielders do not need to always stay right in front of the back four. There is more freedom, but with the freedom comes responsibility. Ramsey will learn.
  • Walcott’s injury: Theo Walcott suffered a hamstring injury on Saturday and will likely not be fit to return this season. His development over the last several months has been immense, so it is sad to see his season end early. Fortunately, Theo should be ready to play for England in Euro 2012.
  • Not a terrible result: Immediately after the final whistle, disappointment set in for many Arsenal supporters (including myself). Chelsea barely bothered Wojciech Szczesny, and the Gunners missed a number of chances to break the scoreless draw. Now, a few days after the encounter, the result does not seem so bad. Our hold on the third spot is still strong, with Newcastle the closest at three points back. Spurs are six behind us, and we’re ahead of Chelsea by seven points. But Arsene Wenger’s team should not at all feel comfortable. It is important to note that Newcastle, Chelsea, and Tottenham all have four games remaining, and we have only three. Fortunately, it is in our hands and, if we do not finish in the top four, we will only have ourselves to blame.
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Arsenal 1-2 Wigan: Frustrated Gunners fall

  By jtom | 18/04/2012 - 7:30 AM | Match Report, Premier League, Uncategorized
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Arsenal were unable to forge a comeback after Wigan scored two goals early in the match. As Arsene Wenger fumed at referee Andre Marriner and Robin van Persie feuded with Wigan captain Gary Caldwell, it became apparent that Roberto Martinez’s side had success in frustrating the Gunners.

The whole mess began very early in the contest. Arsene Wenger’s men dominated the period directly following the opening kickoff, but the Latics had a plan of counter-attack. Arsenal’s first corner ended in misery, as Fernando di Santo raced away from the recovering defenders and scored on his second bite at the cherry. The Gunners have had trouble tracking back on corners all season; they let in a similar goal against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season.

As if conceding an early tally at home against Wigan Athletic isn’t humiliating enough, Arsenal allowed a second goal just seconds later. Victor Moses manuevered his leg like a snake to torment Bacary Sagna before pumping a low cross into Wojciech Szczesny’s penalty area. The Polish keeper failed to gather the ball, and Jordi Gomez punished him by stuffing it into the back of net. Wigan were shockingly ahead 2-0 after eight minutes.

Thomas Vermaelen’s header in the 21st minute cut Wigan’s advantage in half, but Arsenal were never able to get the crucial equaliser. Numerous chances were wasted, and, to be fair, the Latics defended well. A crowd of Wigan players behind the ball stopped the Gunners from advancing through the middle. Unsurprisingly, Arsene Wenger’s side did not opt to attack through the wide areas.

One point of controversy was the excessive time-wasting by Roberto Martinez’s men, which commenced immediately after the second goal. Whether it was the sluggish throw-ins, the slow-as-syrup goals kicks, or the frequent injury breaks, Wigan tried their hardest to bore the spectators and impede Arsenal’s attacking onslaught. After the match, Arsene Wenger did not blame the Latics:

“It is disrespectful to people who pay big money to watch the game. I told the fourth official, ‘You know what, their goalkeeper will do it all game because he did it after 10 minutes and, with three minutes to go, he will get a yellow card’. That is exactly what happened.

“We are sorry we did not play well – but that the referees do not act on it is not right.

“I do not want to look for excuses. I congratulate Wigan, they did well, but whether it’s tonight or in another game, the referee has to act.” (Source: ESPN)

Wenger makes a good point. Why is a yellow card for time-wasting in the 90th minute not a booking in the 12th minute? Surely, if referee Andre Marriner would have issued a warning to Ali Al Habsi early in the first half, the Wigan keeper’s unsporting behaviour would have ceased.

Marriner’s decision not to punish Wigan’s time-wasting was not his only poor adjudication in the match. The referee should have displayed a red card to Maynor Figuero after he bundled over Theo Walcott, who was destined for a clear goalscoring opportunity. Officials that are scared to make decisions are one of the major problems in football today.

While Wenger was berating the fourth official, Robin van Persie was involved in a minor altercation with Wigan captain Gary Caldwell. The Dutchman often seems to quarrel with a member of the opposition at one point or another during most matches. Perhaps that’s just part of his duty as captain, or maybe van Persie just likes to remind opponents of his superior quality. Either way, what’s wrong with a little fire in the eyes of our skipper?

Even though the loss to Wigan was disappointing, the most disheartening moment in the game came when Mikel Arteta was injured. The Spanish midfielder has been instrumental in Arsenal’s revival, and now it appears that he will miss a significant amount of time. At his post-match press conference, Arsene Wenger provided an update on Arteta:

“It is an ankle problem. It looks quite a serious one. We have to scan it tomorrow, it is too early to say tonight. But it doesn’t look a little ankle sprain. It is a serious one.” (Source: Arsenal.com)

On Saturday, Arsene Wenger’s side will host Chelsea after a dreadful defeat and without the services of Mikel Arteta. The only positive is that this Arsenal team, unlike some of the teams of the past, seems to thrive when faced with adversity.

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Wolves 0-3 Arsenal: Walcott sparks Gunners victory

  By jtom | 12/04/2012 - 7:42 AM | Match Report, Premier League
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Referee Neil Swarbric’s pivotal decision to send off Sebastien Bassong really sealed the victory for the Gunners, though Arsene Wenger’s side still needed to finish the job, and they did.

The most important moment in the entire ninety minutes came in the 8th minute. Theo Walcott was free in the Wolves’ penalty area after playing a quick one-two with Robin van Persie. In an attempt to stop the surging Walcott, Sebastien Bassong, who’s on loan from Spurs, ran too close to Theo and brought the Arsenal winger down from behind. Official Neil Swarbrick correctly called for a penalty, but the contentious decision was to show Bassong the red card.

Robin van Persie’s delightful chip beat Wayne Hennessey; however, the discussion over whether Bassong should have seen red did not end. Regarding the controversial adjudication, Arsene Wenger said after the match:

“It looked to me [like a penalty] but I have not seen it again. You could argue that he is the last man as well. The referee had no choice but I think the punishment is harsh because you give away a penalty and you lose a man as well.” (Source: Arsenal.com)

It’s almost like firing a bullet into a man who’s already dead. By conceding so early, Wolves were already hearing their last rites. Once they went down to ten men, Terry Conner’s team were already buried. From a neutral point of view, it ruined the contest. But, as an Arsenal supporter, it was very reassuring.

Walcott reassured all faithful Gooners that it would be a day free of stress when he scored just two minutes after van Persie’s penalty hit the net. Theo and van Persie worked another one-two to perfection for the second goal. The finish from Walcott was very impressive considering how much criticism he has collected in the past for his final ball. It was a simple but accurate low strike inside the near post.

After the second goal, all of the tension and urgency faded out of the game. Wolverhampton didn’t even hint at displaying any pressure for the rest of the first half. To call it a walk in the park for Arsene Wenger’s men would be an understatement. Walking takes a significant amount of energy and effort. It was more like a nap on the deck of a sailboat floating in the water on a nice morning in the Mediterranean.

Arsenal had a more difficult time at the start of the second period. The flow of passes slowed, and Wolves were able to mount an attack or two. Wojciech Szczesny’s titanic stop on Kevin Doyle’s header saved the Gunners from experiencing any real nervous moments near the end of the match.

Just to remove any doubt, Yossi Benayoun scored Arsenal’s third in the 69th minute. The Israeli worked harder than anyone in a red-and-white shirt, so he deserved his goal. Alex Song, positioned deep in Wolverhampton’s penalty area, found Benayoun with a pass; and Yossi fired a shot into the net from the edge of the area.

Even though their club were completely torn apart, the Wolves’ supporters at Molineux were far from silent. In fact, some of their chants went as far as to force a laugh out of me. In response to our song “Robin van Persie, he scores when he wants,” they sang “Robin van Persie, he’s off to Madrid.” They also chanted “boring, boring” during some bits of play when Arsenal controlled the ball and cheered like mad whenever the Wanderers put together a string of passes. I’ll miss them when they’re in the Championship next season.

Arsene Wenger brought to light an interesting statistic in his post-match press conference: “I think he (Robin van Persie) equalled the record of Ian Wright by scoring against 17 different teams in the Premier League out of 20. That is absolutely remarkable in the modern game so I would like to congratulate him because that has never been done before. When your striker scores against 17 different teams, that is sensational. ” (Source: Arsenal)

The Dutchman keeps the writers of the football record books busy. Apparently, Fulham and Manchester City are the only two clubs van Persie has failed to tally against this season. Unfortunately, Robin will not have a chance to better the record because the Gunners will not play City or Fulham again until the next campaign.

Tottenham and Newcastle are five points behind Arsenal and Chelsea trail the Gunners by seven points after our victory on Wednesday night at Molineux. Arsene Wenger’s side must now turn their attention to Wigan. Roberto Martinez’s side are entering Monday’s game at the Emirates after a huge win over Manchester United.

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Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City: Arteta strike crushes City

  By jtom | 09/04/2012 - 7:30 AM | Match Report, Premier League
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Mikel Arteta’s late winner secured the three points for Arsenal and ensured that Manchester City will not win the Premier League title this season.

The crowd at Emirates Stadium exploded when Arteta’s long strike found the back of the net in the 87th minute. After Arteta’s shot broke the scoreless draw, Joe Hart took out his aggression on the post and the Abu Dhabi group looked on from the stands in displeasure. Add another terrific moment to Ashburton Grove’s growing history.

Some Arsenal supporters started mocking the Manchester City fans by performing the Poznan celebration- a great way to cap Arteta’s all-important goal. Given City’s recent hobby of collecting Gunners, it was ironic to see Arsenal copying City for once. The Citizens should not feel flattered; Arsenal have no interest in replicating any other aspect of their club.

As expected, Mario Balotelli stole the morning headlines. The question on the Italian striker’s shirt can now be answered: Why Always Me? Mario, it’s because you’re immature, senseless, and selfish. While it’s hilarious now, no one would have been laughing had Balotelli’s dangerously high challenge fractured Alex Song’s leg in the first half. By my count, Balotelli had one straight-red-card-worthy tackle and three yellow card offences.

Despite the distractions from Mario Balotelli, Arsenal really controlled the match. The time of possession statistic leaned heavily in favour of the Gunners at 64% to 36%. Roberto Mancini’s men did not even bother Wojceich Szczesny with a shot on goal, while Arsene Wenger’s side pounded on Hart’s house with 13 total shots (five on goal).

Up until Arteta’s fantastic goal, the Gunners squandered their many opportunities. Early in the contest, Robin van Persie’s header was stopped from gliding into City’s net by Thomas Vermaelen. At first, it looked as if the Belgian centre-back’s poor form from the loss at QPR would carry over into Sunday’s affair. Fortunately, Vermaelen shook off that unlucky occurrence and put in a fine performance.

Incredibly, the Gunners then failed to tally after a trio of chances in the 76th minute. Theo Walcott’s effort hit the post, which was acceptable enough, but Vermaelen wasted his opportunity before Yossi Benayoun failed to score from a yard out. If Arsene Wenger’s side had not emerged victorious, there would have been many regrets for the moments missed.

Perhaps the most embarrassing attacking error came in the final seconds of the game. The Gunners, a man up after Balotelli was sent packing, started a brilliant counter-attack. Aaron Ramsey was at the front of the break, and, instead of picking out Robin van Persie or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, decided to try to convert the attempt by himself. His strike, which was meant to curl into the far corner, flew well wide. However, all mistakes are and should be forgotten after such an emotional victory.

Currently, the Gunners sit at third in the table- two points above Spurs and ten behind Manchester City. When asked whether his team can catch Mancini’s men, Arsene Wenger replied: “No, I don’t think so, unless they give up, but I don’t think they will.” (Source: Arsenal.com)

Do not be so quick to rule it out, Arsene. A month ago, no one thought we could catch Tottenham, and just look now!

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QPR 2-1 Arsenal: Wenger disappointed by effort

  By jtom | 02/04/2012 - 7:30 AM | Match Report, Premier League
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Queens Park Rangers capitalised on two defensive mistakes by Thomas Vermaelen to beat Arsenal 2-1 at Loftus Road on Saturday. After the match, Arsene Wenger had no excuses or explanations for his team’s poor performance.

Thomas Vermaelen had perhaps his worst day in an Arsenal shirt on Saturday. The Belgian centre-back was at fault for both of QPR’s goals. In the 22nd minute, Adel Taarabt made Vermaelen look foolish as he danced around the Arsenal defender and went in to score. Rangers’ winner came in the 66th minute when Taarabt took advantage of Vermaelen’s slip and crossed the ball for Samba Diakite, who blasted a shot past Wojciech Szczesny. Maybe our defenders need to try new boots because slipping has become a serious problem for them.

However, Vermaelen cannot take all of the blame for Saturday’s sorry showing. Aaron Ramsey started on the wing and had yet another completely ineffective outing. Arsene Wenger needs to be held responsible for selecting Ramsey to play that position when he has two proven wide players sitting on the bench in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gervinho. Considering Ramsey’s recent form, even Yossi Benayoun may have been a better option.

When asked about the thinking behind his decision to start Ramsey, Wenger said defiantly: “The thinking is that he played there because I decided him to play there.” (Source: Arsenal Player)

Arsenal play better when there are two fast players on the flanks. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and to a lesser extent Gervinho, would have given our midfield another outlet. In addition, Chamberlain has the ability to get in behind defenders. Aaron Ramsey just cuts towards the middle and makes it easy for the opposing team to defend.

A pivotal moment in the match came in the 59th minute when an Alex Song pass unleashed Robin van Persie on goal. The Dutchman’s strike was on target, and Rangers keeper Patrick Kenny made a fine stop, but we’ve just come to expect more from van Persie in that position. At the time, the score was 1-1 and van Persie could have given the Gunners the lead.

The loss was all the more disheartening because it ended our best run of the season. Our winning streak of seven matches was terminated by a newly-promoted side who could be heading back to the Championship next season.

After a difficult defeat, Arsene Wenger usually praises the attitude of his players or makes (sometimes valid) excuses. But every so often, Wenger will actually throw his team under the bus. He did so after the loss at Loftus Road:

“It is very frustrating because they left us the ball and waited for our mistakes. We took the ball, did not do a lot with it and made the mistakes. At the end of the day that made the result.

“Our performance was not good enough to win this kind of game, especially in the duels. They had a little bit of extra special commitment that took advantage of us in some specific positions defensively. Overall we can only congratulate QPR for their attitude and be unhappy with our own performance.” (Source: Arsenal.com)

The race for third is still very close. Spurs defeated Swansea on Sunday to pull even on points with the Gunners, though we have the advantage on goal differential. Meanwhile, Chelsea are lurking in fifth- only five points behind us. It is imperative that the crushing defeat at Loftus Road does not spark a new dry spell.

Manchester City will make the trip to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, intent on saving what remains of their title hopes. Arsene Wenger’s squad will need to overcome whatever negative impact resulted from the loss to QPR. It would be very nice bury City’s title aspirations in North London.

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Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa: Easy day for Gunners

  By jtom | 26/03/2012 - 7:30 AM | Match Report, Premier League
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Arsenal had no trouble dispatching Aston Villa by a score of 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. The Gunners have now won seven consecutive matches in the Premier League.

According to ESPN, Arsene Wenger’s side had 72% of the possession, and Aston Villa did not even bother Wojciech Szczesny with a single shot on goal. The Gunners dominated the game, and Alex McLeish’s team did little else besides roll over and accept the beating.

With the exception of a few aimless counter-attacks, Villa didn’t even carry the threat of scoring a goal. As a result, our defenders were able to push forward and swarm the opposition. Left-back Kieran Gibbs opened the scoring for the home side when his shot slipped under the arm of Shay Given, who should have made the save. It was Gibbs’ first Premier League goal.

After the match, Arsene Wenger stressed the importance of having two attacking full-backs on the pitch: “I believe what people forget when you play at home, when we have the ambition that we have, is that you need full backs who go forward. We played for a long time with centre backs as full backs and that kills your offensive drive a little bit. Then we went a lot through the middle and relied on Van Persie. Now we have a bit more variation in our build-up play and therefore we are more dangerous as well.” (Source: Arsenal.com)

Since the returns of Gibbs and Bacary Sagna from injury, we have performed much better defensively and in attack. Both of them make overlapping runs; work very well with the wide midfielder; and possess the ability to cross the ball. In addition, Gibbs and Sagna have more pace than any of the centre-backs who filled in for them.

Theo Walcott was fantastic against Aston Villa. Perhaps the looming presence of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the bench has motivated Theo to earn his spot in the starting eleven. His new-found skill, a good first touch, was on display on Saturday. Alex Song lifted one of his signature through passes over Villa’s backline, and Walcott settled the ball brilliantly before finishing the move by beating Given at his near post.

Two Englishmen scored for Arsenal for the first time since 1997, but it was a Spaniard who scored the best goal of the game. Late in stoppage time, Mikel Arteta’s thunder strike zipped into the back of the net. The effort from the free kick was hit with so much power that it would have tested the stability of the Great Wall of China. While Given was at fault for the first goal, no one could blame him for not getting in the way of Arteta’s blast.

Arsene Wenger has an interesting theory regarding Arteta’s technique when taking a free kick: “I prefer it when he takes free-kicks with his laces because he has short feet. Usually the guys who have good insight have bigger, longer feet, and when a guy has short feet like that they are very talented at hitting the ball with their laces. The ball floats a little bit when they take it and I think he is more built to hit the free-kicks like that.” (Source: Arsenal.com)

Part of the joy of this victory comes from the fact that Alex McLeish’s side were completely woeful. If ever a team looked relegation-bound, it was that Aston Villa side on Saturday. A disaster for the city of Birmingham it would be if McLeish was responsible for the relegation of Birmingham City and Aston Villa in consecutive seasons.

Saturday was perfect for an Arsenal supporter. Chelsea and Spurs took part in the dullest match of the season, a 0-0 draw. At the moment, we are three points ahead of Spurs and eight ahead of Chelsea. Liverpool are so terrible that they are actually farther away from us (16 points) than we are from the top of the table (12 points).

All is right in the Arsenal world.

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Everton 0-1 Arsenal: Gunners move past Spurs

  By jtom | 22/03/2012 - 7:30 AM | Match Report, Premier League
1 Comment

Arsenal edged Everton in a contentious clash at Goodison Park on Wednesday night. With the victory, the Gunners surged past Tottenham in the table.

Arsene Wenger’s side looked unstoppable at the start of the match. After a few missed opportunities, Thomas Vermaelen’s header in the 8th minute gave Arsenal the lead. The Belgian centre-back buried van Persie’s corner into Everton’s net. Vermaelen also scored the winner over Newcastle last Monday, so the Verminator has two goals in his last two games.

Arsenal failed to take full advantage of their period of complete domination, which lasted from the opening whistle to around the 20th minute. During the portion of the contest, Everton were completely blown away by our pace, movement, and quick passing, but we were only able to score once. Most of the blame for that lies with Aaron Ramsey, who could have easily had two goals by half-time. The game should have been put to bed by the 20th minute, but it wasn’t, and the Toffees provided a scare in the 31st minute.

Royston Drenthe’s goal should have counted, plain and simple. Tim Cahill’s cutting pass put Drenthe through on goal, and he rifled a shot past Wojciech Szczesny. But the official raised his flag in the air, and the play was incorrectly ruled offside. No replay was needed to see that Drenthe was well onside. The Gunners dodged a bullet.

David Moyes was understandably displeased with the calls made by assistant referee John Flynn: “I would not sit in front of you all and say this if I wasn’t sure, but I have checked, and I can tell you that on five occasions the flag went up for offside when it was actually onside.

“That’s five decisions that were wrong, and that includes the one against Drenthe, who scored a perfectly good goal. We have had a raw deal of it tonight. When you have five situations where you are onside and all five are flagged offside, it is really, really poor. One maybe, but not all five.” (Source: Daily Mail)

Even with the help of that crucial decision, Arsenal needed to fight until the end to secure the three points. The game became very fast-paced and physical in the second half. It seemed as if there was always someone on the ground, though not all of the players behaved honestly. This is where I have some sympathy with the referee. Challenges were flying in at an alarming rate, and it was hard to tell whether players were in real pain or simply fabricating injuries.

Still, Arsenal kept a clean sheet at Goodison Park, something that Manchester City, Tottenham, and Chelsea failed to accomplish in recent trips to Everton. Arsene Wenger credits his squad’s resilience as the key factor in Arsenal’s recent success: “In the last month we have taken six points in the city of Liverpool and it was 180 minutes of intense fight but the most difficult part of it is still to come. We must keep our humility and our focus.” (Source: The Independent)

When Arsene Wenger has been able to start his best back four, Arsenal have not been beaten. The combination of Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs, Vermaelen, and Laurent Koscielny has done wonders for the Gunners. There can be no stability or chemistry for a backline when the parts are constantly shifting due to injury.

While Arsenal are flying high with with six Premier League wins on the trot, their rivals for the Champions League places are fading. Chelsea and Liverpool fell further behind after both clubs lost on Wednesday night. And Tottenham haven’t registered a league victory since the 11th of February.

Of course, the race for European football is far from over. We’re now above Spurs and in third, but I’m not going to bother copying any of that “mind the gap” nonsense. It’s a trait of Spurs fans to be obsessed with Arsenal, and not the other way around. Expect the Tottenham supporters to stay silent for a while after all their gloating; their silence is music to our ears.

Moving into third simply represents another step forward for a team that started the season in ’crisis.’ Finally, it appears that we are peaking at the right time in the season.

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