Yesterday's game wasn't all that interesting, so I'm gonna break my thoughts in paragraphs. Starting with:
Arsenal's attacking display
From the very beginning, only one team tried to play football and it was Arsenal. We knew since before the kick-off our CL place next season was a done deal (due to City beating Everton on Saturday), yet we cared more about our performance than the Magpies did about theirs. Mathematically they were not safe, but this fact didn't seem to bother the Baggies in the slightest.
Anyway, we were on the front foot and it paid off in the 16th minute. Cazorla sent in a cross from a corner, Giroud got to the ball first, despite being held back vigorously, and headed home his 16th league goal.
We could have gone 2-0 up several times, most notably when Ozil fired wide after being put through by Giroud and then when Poldi hit the bar. In the end, it didn't matter, cause West Brom just weren't interested in getting an equaliser.
Ozil, Sagna
Both were our most effective players on the day, the latter working his socks off on the right flank, the former masterminding our attacks through the middle and (occasionally) shifting to the left to create an overload. A moment I remember Ozil for was a through ball to Podolski. It was a hard pass to pull off, Mesut made it look easy. Just the man you want to be on the ball at such moments.
Truth be told, I was impressed by the amount of work Ozil did. He was highly influential for the entire game and showed what we've missed in him during February and March. There's more to come from the German, I'm sure of it.
Fabianski, Sagna (again), Vermaelen, Arteta, Kallstrom
This is a crop of players we're unlikely to see next season. All of them (bar the Pole, for obvious reasons) were given run-outs and were all warmly welcomed by the crowd.
This is what Arsene said on Sagna and Fabianski:
"I want him (Sagna) to stay and I hope that convinces him that we love him here and he will stay. We have two players here who are at the end of their contracts, Sagna and Fabianski. If it was down to me, they both stay".
Not just down to him, unfortunately, so I hope they'll be given a proper farewell at Wembley.
On Kallstrom:
"He is on loan, so he belongs to Moscow and will go back to Moscow".
Fair's fair, though I harboured a small hope that the Swede will stay. Him returning to Moscow is going to make our midfield that bit shallower. As if we didn't have problems enough in other areas of the pitch.
No word has been said on Vermaelen and Arteta, but the former got a suspicious run-out, while the latter has been mentioned too often for my liking.
With the Belgian, it's clear as day. If he leaves, that's because he doesn't get enough playing time.
With Arteta, not so much. He's a regular starter, a de-facto captain and I can only see one reason behind the talk: his age. Arteta is not young anymore and that can be a factor. We all know the manager's reluctance to sign on 30+ players. They usually go year-by-year, even Bergkamp did.
The two musketeers
I'm talking about Giroud and Wenger himself. Arsene was quizzed about not bringing another striker, this was his response:
"No the regret is not there because we missed offensive players at an important part of the season. The solution is not always outside, the solution is as well inside your club where the disadvantage of having many injuries is you always have to play the same players. Then of course they score less goals because they are a bit jaded".
Personally, I don't have a problem with Giroud. With 22 goals and at least 8 assists he proved a vital cog in our machine and, had it not been for his contribution, we would have been so much worse off. The Frenchman has suffered from Walcott's and Ramsey's absence, but still fought to the best of his abilities. Having an alternative to him could have helped, but it is what it is.
Arsene, meanwhile, was asked about whether he will sign a new deal, to which he replied:
"Yes. I don't know [when I will sign a new deal]. I told you many times that my word is my word. i am from a period where you did not need a pen to commit".
Strangely, he also said his decision wasn't riding on FA Cup success, but rather on securing CL football:
"It is not linked [with the FA Cup final] at all. It was important to be in the Champions League, that is for sure. I have told you many times it is not linked the fact I feel I am useful".
I don't think it's right. Champions league is Champions league, we've qualified for the 18th consecutive season, but only a cup win will represent a step-up. If we don't win it, no visible improvement will have been achieved. Points tally doesn't count, unless it brings some silverware with it. So Wenger's future should depend on how we fare in the final.
That's it for today. More later