A very good day to you.
Without further ado: we've won the Cup! And we've done so in a glorious, thrilling and entertaining way. My thoughts are still in a scramble after a fantastic day out in the sports bar, so I'll break my review down in points. Starting with:
The atmosphere
It was great both in the bar, which was overrun with Arsenal fans and, of course, inside the stadium. The cups were presented before the game, Pat Rice made an appearance (and a memorable one) and large swathes of fans were sporting red-and-white colours. I gotta say, our fans were brilliant throughout the game, so much so they have run out of chants by its climax. "There's only one Arsene Wenger", anyone?
The line-ups
It was obvious Arsene meant business by fielding such a strong side, but saying City's squad was weak would be a lie. Sure, the defense was make-shift (what do you want with three key players out?), but midfield and attack were packed with quality. To say they've missed Aguero means to diminish City's earlier achievements, cause they've basically won the BPL without the Argentine.
For us, Chambers started alongside Koscielny at the heart of the defense, Wilshere played under the striker and the striker himself was Sanogo. This choice raised some eyebrows (including mine), but the Frenchman showed just why Arsene placed so much belief into him.
The goals
Cazorla, Ramsey, Giroud. Two assists from Sanogo. We could have been 3-0 up by half time, but Sanchez didn't make the most of his one-on-one. However, while Cazorla's and Giroud's strikes were touches of class from the Spaniard and the Frenchman respectively, my personal favourite is Ramsey's goal.
The Welsh Jesus picked up where he left off last season, but it was the build-up play that caught the eye.
We came flying out of the blocks on the counter, Sanchez sliced City's defense apart with a perfect pass which found Sanogo and the Frenchman laid the ball out on a silver platter for Ramsey. Aaron smashed the ball into the bottom corner from close range. Brilliant team work and a classic Arsenal goal.
Individual performances
Is the idea of singling players out in a team game wrong? I'm not sure. When we talk about a particular player, we have to keep in mind that he operates in a certain environment. In other words, he's only as good as his teammates, that's why it's hard to pick someone out as a shining example after a poor performance and vice versa, everyone could become MoM after a good one.
However, as I've mentioned earlier some of the manager's choices looked questionable on paper, so I have to give credit where it's due to:
- Wojciech Szczesny. Not a questionable choice, but his performance was brilliant. Strong in the air (made just one mistake late on, when we were already miles ahead), quick reflexes (I can recall at least two great saves) and ready to sweep up for his defenders. Ospina has to get well quickly, or he'll find it nigh on impossible to win this two-horse race with Wojciech.
- Calum Chambers. I've run out of superlatives for this guy. I've seen Calum in three games and he looked mature beyond his years. Tackling, intercepting, winning aerial duels and doing all this while being ridiculously photogenic. Chambers' mere presence at the heart of our defense is soothing, maybe because he makes hard stuff look easy. He reminds me of Mertesacker, but another comparison from a guy on Twitter caught my eye: Tony Adams. A bit soon to say that, but I love the way this guy thinks.
- Jack Wilshere. Ran his heart out (no surprise here), but had method to his actions. Very few misplaced passes, some lovely dribbles and, most importantly, Jack slotted in without any trouble. The fact that he caught the rhythm of the game and adapted to it is very promising indeed. Got subbed late on, but fully deserves all the applause he received.
- Yaya Sanogo. Looked very sharp and not a little bit out of place. Nastasic and Boyata are probably still wearing sunglasses, such a headache the Frenchman gave them. His actions up front ensured Yaya got two assists and he also could have scored, but dragged his shot just wide. When Giroud came on, we've lost some of Sanogo's restless energy up front. Got a great goal in return, though.
- Arsene Wenger. The mastermind behind our great display. He personally oiled and honed this Arsenal machine and it works. We had a strong starting eleven, a fantastic bench and that's without the German trio and Walcott. We'll surely add another centre-half, but make no mistake: this side is rife with quality already. We need someone to replace Vermaelen, but only for the numbers to look good.
The aftermath
We got ourselves another trophy and have comprehensively beaten the reigning champions in the process. Those who say Community Shield is nothing to be particularly proud of are either Arsenal haters or City fans. And you don't want to waste your nervous system on both, do you?
Bottom line is this: you have to win either the BPL or the FA Cup in order to have a shot at Community Shield, so the trophy is as real and valuable as it gets. Embrace it.
I haven't included the manager's quotes from the press conference, but it doesn't make these any less enlightening. So check them out. And the highlights. I know you don't need me to view these on the official site, but personally I can watch us ripping City in two for hours on end.
One last thing. The Internet isn't particularly hard to come by here in Zakinthos, but I still can't use it as regularly as I need to write daily posts. So check back every two days and I'll definitely be here for all the previews and reviews.
Until later
Follow me on Twitter @AlexBaguzin