Yesterday's game saw Arsenal start the new year in splendid fashion as Cardiff became the first team we've beaten twice this season. They won't be the last, I suspect.
Something like half an hour before the kick-off at the Emirates, City has won their game, so the pressure was on Arsenal to deliver and regain the top spot. The Gunners set out to do just that from the very start.
Luckily, apart from Giroud and Gibbs, we had everyone who played at Newcastle available. Monreal slotted in on the left, Arteta returned at Rosicky's expense and Podolski led Arsenal from the front.
Interestingly enough, the German was our lone striker on paper only. He constantly fell back to try and get the ball, so Walcott became our de-facto goal threat and as such he had the better share of the chances in the first 45 minutes.
To name a few, he was wrongly flagged offside, then failed to hit the target after weaving through Cardiff's defence, before driving the ball into the side netting from a Wilshere cross. Theo also missed a good opportunity, when Cazorla set him up, but Walcott's weak foot didn't do him any favours. The only other moment of danger was created by Wilshere, but his shot was blocked.
I say "only", because Arsenal dominated the Welsh side completely and could have created a lot more, had they stepped up their passing game. Cardiff had only a shot from Mutch to show at the break. I did, however, enjoy the sight of Solskaer being fed up with Tan just minutes before the break, which saw the ex-striker leave early.
After the restart, we looked a lot better. Passes became crisp and quick and Cardiff's house of cards began to crumble.
Wilshere was at the heart of everything good that came off for the Gunners and his fierce shot was the closest we came to breaking the deadlock. The Englishman fooled three defenders, stormed into the box and fired a shot, which rebounded off the post. Replays showed Marshall got a hand to the ball, otherwise it would have been in.
Moments later Wenger introduced Bendtner and Rosicky for Podolski and Flamini. The German didn't impress at all, something that is even more worrisome due a turn of events I'll mention later, while Rosicky for Flamini was clearly a statement of intent. Wenger went all in to try and win the game.
The momentum changed drastically. Walcott stopped drifting inside, instead trying to find Bendtner with crosses, while Rosicky proved a valuable asset in terms of passing and creating opportunities through the centre.
Our best moments in the following minutes were a direct result of Walcott's crosses. Both saw Mertesacker fire wide from a must-score positions. Frustration was mounting, but the story had a happy ending.
An interplay on the left resulted in a beautiful cross from Monreal, which found Sagna. The Frenchman's header was saved by Marshall, but Bendtner was on hand to smash the rebound home. The Dane didn't get a chance to celebrate, as he has sprained his ankle in the process and was immediately substituted. He limped off like a hero he was, with the stadium chanting his name.
Vermaelen came on and Walcott became our striker in the earnest. This paid off almost immediately. Szczesny's long clearance found Sagna, whose header, in its turn, found Rosicky. The Szech didn't hesitate in passing the ball to Wilshere and the Englishman's side-footed through ball found Walcott, who chipped it over the goalkeeper to seal the game. A deserved goal for Walcott and no less deserved assist for Wilshere.
Poor Cardiff were denied a consolation goal by brilliant Szczesny in the dying seconds and the Gunners returned to the summit with the final whistle.
The win was a bit blighted by Bendtner's injury, who the manager confirmed will be out for several weeks due to an ankle injury.
This loss leaves us in a pretty bad spot. While Giroud will definitely be ready for our Villa game, he may be short for the Tottenham clash, which will take place two days from now. Podolski didn't impress and it's unclear, whether it's because he was out for four months or because he just isn't suited to playing the front man.
It may also be the case, that we are not suited to having the German up front. We like to use Giroud as a springing board, as just one of the links (admittedly, one of the more important ones) in our passing game, and Podolski is just not that type of player.
It was noticeable, how much did the momentum change, when the Dane came on. And now he's out. And let's not forget he's not as good as Giroud in his all-round play.
The obvious solution is to play Walcott up front, if Giroud doesn't make it in time. The Englishman looked great, netted his fifth goal and should be of more use to us than Podolski.
We also now have to think about buying a striker, cause to have only Giroud going into such a busy period is suicidal. But it's something that clearly cannot be done right now, so we should wait until at least the Spurs game is behind us to do some business.
In the meantime, enjoy the win and the top spot in the table and I'll be back tomorrow with a preview.
Until then
Something like half an hour before the kick-off at the Emirates, City has won their game, so the pressure was on Arsenal to deliver and regain the top spot. The Gunners set out to do just that from the very start.
Luckily, apart from Giroud and Gibbs, we had everyone who played at Newcastle available. Monreal slotted in on the left, Arteta returned at Rosicky's expense and Podolski led Arsenal from the front.
Interestingly enough, the German was our lone striker on paper only. He constantly fell back to try and get the ball, so Walcott became our de-facto goal threat and as such he had the better share of the chances in the first 45 minutes.
To name a few, he was wrongly flagged offside, then failed to hit the target after weaving through Cardiff's defence, before driving the ball into the side netting from a Wilshere cross. Theo also missed a good opportunity, when Cazorla set him up, but Walcott's weak foot didn't do him any favours. The only other moment of danger was created by Wilshere, but his shot was blocked.
I say "only", because Arsenal dominated the Welsh side completely and could have created a lot more, had they stepped up their passing game. Cardiff had only a shot from Mutch to show at the break. I did, however, enjoy the sight of Solskaer being fed up with Tan just minutes before the break, which saw the ex-striker leave early.
After the restart, we looked a lot better. Passes became crisp and quick and Cardiff's house of cards began to crumble.
Wilshere was at the heart of everything good that came off for the Gunners and his fierce shot was the closest we came to breaking the deadlock. The Englishman fooled three defenders, stormed into the box and fired a shot, which rebounded off the post. Replays showed Marshall got a hand to the ball, otherwise it would have been in.
Moments later Wenger introduced Bendtner and Rosicky for Podolski and Flamini. The German didn't impress at all, something that is even more worrisome due a turn of events I'll mention later, while Rosicky for Flamini was clearly a statement of intent. Wenger went all in to try and win the game.
The momentum changed drastically. Walcott stopped drifting inside, instead trying to find Bendtner with crosses, while Rosicky proved a valuable asset in terms of passing and creating opportunities through the centre.
Our best moments in the following minutes were a direct result of Walcott's crosses. Both saw Mertesacker fire wide from a must-score positions. Frustration was mounting, but the story had a happy ending.
An interplay on the left resulted in a beautiful cross from Monreal, which found Sagna. The Frenchman's header was saved by Marshall, but Bendtner was on hand to smash the rebound home. The Dane didn't get a chance to celebrate, as he has sprained his ankle in the process and was immediately substituted. He limped off like a hero he was, with the stadium chanting his name.
Vermaelen came on and Walcott became our striker in the earnest. This paid off almost immediately. Szczesny's long clearance found Sagna, whose header, in its turn, found Rosicky. The Szech didn't hesitate in passing the ball to Wilshere and the Englishman's side-footed through ball found Walcott, who chipped it over the goalkeeper to seal the game. A deserved goal for Walcott and no less deserved assist for Wilshere.
Poor Cardiff were denied a consolation goal by brilliant Szczesny in the dying seconds and the Gunners returned to the summit with the final whistle.
The win was a bit blighted by Bendtner's injury, who the manager confirmed will be out for several weeks due to an ankle injury.
This loss leaves us in a pretty bad spot. While Giroud will definitely be ready for our Villa game, he may be short for the Tottenham clash, which will take place two days from now. Podolski didn't impress and it's unclear, whether it's because he was out for four months or because he just isn't suited to playing the front man.
It may also be the case, that we are not suited to having the German up front. We like to use Giroud as a springing board, as just one of the links (admittedly, one of the more important ones) in our passing game, and Podolski is just not that type of player.
It was noticeable, how much did the momentum change, when the Dane came on. And now he's out. And let's not forget he's not as good as Giroud in his all-round play.
The obvious solution is to play Walcott up front, if Giroud doesn't make it in time. The Englishman looked great, netted his fifth goal and should be of more use to us than Podolski.
We also now have to think about buying a striker, cause to have only Giroud going into such a busy period is suicidal. But it's something that clearly cannot be done right now, so we should wait until at least the Spurs game is behind us to do some business.
In the meantime, enjoy the win and the top spot in the table and I'll be back tomorrow with a preview.
Until then