A jolly good evening to you.
We have jump-started our campaign a couple of hours ago after taking apart Aston Villa at their ground. Our performance was vastly different to the one we had in midweek and I suspect it may be down to some slight changes.
The squad
As I've said before the game, what I would do and what Arsene Wenger would do are two different things, the only question is the extent.
The back four was pretty predictable, though we had no Flamini or Bellerin on the bench, and it was a concern late in the game, as Chambers was hanging by a thread.
In midfield Mikel Arteta started in the holding position, with Ramsey playing close to the Spaniard and Ozil deployed under Welbeck (thank God). Cazorla and Oxlade-Chamberlain occupied the flanks, coming in for Sanchez and Wilshere respectively. I think we played a 4-2-3-1, though the site showed a 4-1-4-1. It's not that important, really. What IS important, is Ozil's performance. He didn't have to worry about defensive work anymore (though the German has put himself about very energetically) and thus blossomed.
The first half
It was quite lethargic up until the 30-minute mark. However, I take my hat off for Szczesny, who has made two big saves in that period. First came from the Pole's own mistake. His clearance under pressure fell to Delph, who ran half the length of the field, played a one-two with some bloke and let fly, but Wojciech was up for it. The second save came minutes later, after Clark's headed effort from point-blank range hit Szczesny's chest. These saves proved vital in building up our confidence.
120 seconds later we took the lead. Danny Welbeck cut open Villa's defense with a gorgeous pass, Ozil escaped his marker with ease and slotted the ball home calmly.
Seconds later the German turned provider. His (no less gorgeous) pass from the right found Welbeck in the box and Danny smashed the ball into the roof of the net for his first goal.
In a minute the game as a contest was over. Gibbs's misplaced low cross met with Cissokho's outstretched leg and we were 3-0 up. Ozil could have scored another in the dying seconds of the first 45 minutes, but put his effort wide after a clever pass from Ramsey.
The second half
It was wonderfully boring. We were in full control of the situation and 80% possession rate (second half only) showed that. Villa were, for some unknown reason, very lethargic and, apart from one Agbonlahor's dribble didn't come close to creating anything even remotely dangerous.
Arsenal, meanwhile, was content to just keep the ball without going forward too much, though Ramsey still saw a good effort slid just wide of the post. Arsene made a triple sub at around the 70th minute mark, with Wilshere, Rosicky and Podolski coming on for Ramsey, Oxlade and Welbeck respectively, but it was just about the only interesting thing about that second half. And that's brilliant, let me tell you. The game ended 3-0.
The aftermath
on whether Arsene is tempted to stick with today’s system
fresh exhausted from our midweek away trip and mentally challenged to bounce back from a disappointing performance and result. We showed once again we can do it, and it's brilliant.
That's it for today. Have yourselves a very good weekend and I'll be back here as soon as something new pops up.
Until then
Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)
We have jump-started our campaign a couple of hours ago after taking apart Aston Villa at their ground. Our performance was vastly different to the one we had in midweek and I suspect it may be down to some slight changes.
The squad
As I've said before the game, what I would do and what Arsene Wenger would do are two different things, the only question is the extent.
The back four was pretty predictable, though we had no Flamini or Bellerin on the bench, and it was a concern late in the game, as Chambers was hanging by a thread.
In midfield Mikel Arteta started in the holding position, with Ramsey playing close to the Spaniard and Ozil deployed under Welbeck (thank God). Cazorla and Oxlade-Chamberlain occupied the flanks, coming in for Sanchez and Wilshere respectively. I think we played a 4-2-3-1, though the site showed a 4-1-4-1. It's not that important, really. What IS important, is Ozil's performance. He didn't have to worry about defensive work anymore (though the German has put himself about very energetically) and thus blossomed.
The first half
It was quite lethargic up until the 30-minute mark. However, I take my hat off for Szczesny, who has made two big saves in that period. First came from the Pole's own mistake. His clearance under pressure fell to Delph, who ran half the length of the field, played a one-two with some bloke and let fly, but Wojciech was up for it. The second save came minutes later, after Clark's headed effort from point-blank range hit Szczesny's chest. These saves proved vital in building up our confidence.
120 seconds later we took the lead. Danny Welbeck cut open Villa's defense with a gorgeous pass, Ozil escaped his marker with ease and slotted the ball home calmly.
Seconds later the German turned provider. His (no less gorgeous) pass from the right found Welbeck in the box and Danny smashed the ball into the roof of the net for his first goal.
In a minute the game as a contest was over. Gibbs's misplaced low cross met with Cissokho's outstretched leg and we were 3-0 up. Ozil could have scored another in the dying seconds of the first 45 minutes, but put his effort wide after a clever pass from Ramsey.
The second half
It was wonderfully boring. We were in full control of the situation and 80% possession rate (second half only) showed that. Villa were, for some unknown reason, very lethargic and, apart from one Agbonlahor's dribble didn't come close to creating anything even remotely dangerous.
Arsenal, meanwhile, was content to just keep the ball without going forward too much, though Ramsey still saw a good effort slid just wide of the post. Arsene made a triple sub at around the 70th minute mark, with Wilshere, Rosicky and Podolski coming on for Ramsey, Oxlade and Welbeck respectively, but it was just about the only interesting thing about that second half. And that's brilliant, let me tell you. The game ended 3-0.
The aftermath
"It was the response we needed after Tuesday. Aston Villa started quite well and they had one or two dangerous situations, but after that we were in control and we scored three goals in three minutes. Then in the second half it was a possession game, a controlled game, because they didn’t come out too much. Overall it’s still a convincing win where [Danny] Welbeck scored, [Mesut] Ozil scored, and that’s important as well."That's what Arsene said about our performance. A fair assessment. I'm very happy for both Ozil and Welbeck. Both players needed this good performance, though the reasons differentiated slightly. Welbeck is just a new man, who needed to establish himself, while Ozil has been unfairly criticised lately.
on whether Arsene is tempted to stick with today’s system
"I adapted a bit game by game. There is a little difference but not a major one. Ozil played today behind their midfield because I thought they made it very tight. But it’s important for us to find Ozil between the lines and move the game forward. It worked, but he can play everywhere. I believe that the team played well and after it’s easier for everybody."Well, frankly, I don't care much which formation we use as long as we perform the way we did today. It wasn't that easy to win 3-0. Aston Villa was in good form, played on home turf, while we were
That's it for today. Have yourselves a very good weekend and I'll be back here as soon as something new pops up.
Until then
Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)
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