It's tough job being an Arsenal fan. Other people will probably never understand the stress you suffer. Your mood swings. Depression and joy. If I ask a person, why he's so sad or silent and he answers "I support Arsenal", he needn't continue. Should you cite the factors that affect your nervous system you can always count in Arsenal's latest perfo
Yet sometimes it's incredibly rewarding. Like yesterday. After 71 minutes of football I went and fetched myself some validol. When the 85th minute came around I started washing my teacup, deflated and fully prepared to have a long night of self-reflection and misery ahead. But it turned out I have given in too early.
When Chambers swung in his cross I wasn't hoping for anything. With Welbeck off and Alexis not in the box, there was no one to pounce on the cross but Oxlade-Chamberlain. Who picked the wrong position. However, to my immense astonishment, the cross was met with a neat volley and the ball rippled in the back of the net. At first I thought only Poldi, who came on five minutes prior to this episode, could have pulled off that finish. But I was wrong again. Replays showed Gibbs buried his chance, before burying his face in his hands.
It seemed a point for your thought and for Arsene's birthday. Which was unacceptable, but better than no points at all. The ref added 3 minutes, but the goal did what it always does: sparked us into life. Suddenly, chances came flooding in.
And we took the first one that presented itself. Gibbs crossed from the left, a scuffle ensued, Sanchez emerged on top and his pass found Podolski. The German smashed the ball home.
We could have added another in the later stages, but for some wayward passing and a poor first touch. But what the hell, we got the job done. The rest is history. This is what Arsene said after the game:
"We had the spirit. We had to go. It was disappointing we didn’t create more chances tonight but I put that down to the fact as well that Anderlecht defended very well."
I'd take a scrappy last-minute win over a gorgeous draw any day. However, it doesn't mean I'm satisfied with the performance. Far from it. There were only four players who fared relatively well. Martinez, Gibbs, Sanchez and Podolski.
Martinez could have done little about the goal, but kept us in the game by pulling off a brilliant save and then coming off his line quickly when one-on-one with Suarez. Very encouraging from the young Argentine, whose last competitive start for us was a 7-5 game against Reading.
Gibbs defended staunchingly, especially since he was offered little support from Cazorla, Alexis or whoever was supposed to cover for the Englishman on the left. Scored a brilliant volley too, and provided a cross for the second goal.
Poldi gets the props for doing what he was asked to do in the short ten minutes he was on. A sublime first touch and a cracking finish.
And Sanchez. Our only consistently good performer right now. Giving his all and contributing. Got another assist under his belt, nearly scored from a beautifully curved free-kick and set up Cazorla for the first really dangerous passage of play. Hope the Chilean has enough energy left in the tank to put in a performance against Sunderland.
Everyone else: not so good as a team, not so good at individual level. Monreal looked out of his depth, Chambers had an atrocious game (surprising, really. Maybe the schedule is catching up with him?). The Englishman was continuously caught out of position, let the opposition breathe past him too easily. A game to forget.
Our midfield also was far from the optimal condition. Wilshere and Ramsey cannot play together without one of them flopping, and right now Wilshere is the in-form guy. That's why I think it's reasonable to suggest to drop the Welshman and play Cazorla centrally. That way we'll have a real winger on the left, who'll be able to help Gibbs out, while also allowing the Spaniard to spread play effectively and feed Sanchez.
Flamini is a good cheerleader, but an average player. He should be omitted, Arteta definitely won't commit the kind of mistakes Flamini committed yesterday.
Up front we should maybe consider playing Podolski more often. His conversion rate is way too good to deploy the German for occasional 15 minutes or so.
On a side note, Borussia had smashed Gala in Turkey, and have thus ensured qualification. If they beat the Turks at home, while we win our game against Anderlecht, we'll be through. Can we top the group? It looks unlikely considering the Germans' form. They only have to lose by a one-goal margin to us and win their remaining two (home) games to ensure the top spot. But hey, it's the Champions League, where you can take nothing for granted.
That's it for today. Enjoy the win, if not the performance.
And Happy Birthday, Arsene
Until later
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