Evening everyone.
First off, I have to apologise: two days ago I stated that Pulis is the current manager of Crystal Palace, but I was wrong and only found out about it yesterday. Keith Millen is now in charge of the proceedings, while Tony Pulis left the club on August 14th. I don't have the faintest idea why the manager of the season left the Eagles so abruptly and without an obvious cause, but I don't really care. I never liked Pulis as a person and I am convinced the Premier League will be much better off without him.
And now, onto the game itself. I've said in the preview that should Arsenal find it's rhythm we'll have no problems sweeping Palace aside. That explains why we nearly dropped points in the first game: we've never truly kicked on and only our desire and willpower saw us get the win (the first one in six years in a season opener). Which was no less than we deserved. However, the game was rather tedious with few chances created, so I'll go with the manager on this one:
on the last-gasp winner…
It was not the plan, the plan was to win the game, but because of the physicality and organisation level of Crystal Palace, it was very difficult for us. We lacked a bit of pace in the final third to change what we built up into dangerous situations.Well, it was obvious before the game what Palace's plan will be: put ten men behind the ball and boot it long towards Chamakh. And try to get the maximum from set-pieces. The fact that this plan almost cost us two points is what surprised me: shouldn't we be ready for these situations? Shouldn't there be a plan B if plan A doesn't work? Why, for example, the manager changed Sanogo for Giroud instead of trying Alexis up front? You don't judge the winners, especially on the opening day and against a team defending so deep, but had we not won, questions would definitely have been asked.
on the patience of the supporters…
I am grateful for that because before, sometimes we had to face that frustration. Today, at 1-0 down they stayed behind the team. At 1-1 when we started to have heavy legs, they gave us some energy.The fans really got behind the team and spurred the Gunners on, which was a magnificent sight. And just what the team needed. When there are sixty thousand people inside the stadium singing "We love you Arsenal" it's something to behold. I think the difference between yesterday and last year was our actions during the transfer window. Buying players doesn't win you games and titles, yet the effect on the fans is almost the same.
on Calum Chambers…
I must say, honestly, we bought him as a right back, but in my opinion he could play centre back. I tried it in pre-season and from game to game he becomes stronger. Today he had a remarkable performance.Man of the match. Chambers started alongside Koscielny and had another great game: tackling, intercepting and, basically, laying waste. He was even spotted bombing forward later on, with Arteta (an unsung hero with a 96% pass completion) dropping back to cover for the Englishman. My personal pick, however, happened in the first half: we've lost possession and Palace tried to break on the counter, only for Chambers to commit a cynical foul on the half. Got booked, but stopped a dangerous attack like a seasoned pro. Love this guy.
on Laurent Koscielny…
He can respond [to setbacks like the first goal]. We had concerns about playing him today because he didn't practise for two or three days, but he has outstanding physical qualities and pace. He's another one who is at the right place in the box. He is not the tallest but if you look he is always on the first or the second ball in the box as a defender, and that's a great quality.Need a scrappy goal from a set-piece? Call the Frenchman. He's done it at least four times in decisive moments (West Brom two years ago, Newcastle a year back, Hull in the final and now), so I think congrats are in order. Right attitude, match-saving goals.
However, I also wanted to take note of some things I didn't like. They could easily have cost us yesterday, so I hope they won't happen again. Starting with:
Wojciech Szczesny
I've hailed him after the Community Shield, now it's time to point out his flaws. He's made two mistakes yesterday: at 0-0 and at 1-1, so both could have easily led to a loss. The first one happened when the Pole went full Almunia and decided to sweep up. His clearance fell to Chamakh and were it not for Koscielny, we could have found ourselves down. The second happened deep inside the second half, when Szczesny tried to look too cute and clever and played cat-and-mouth with whatever bloke spearheaded Palace's attack. Instead of clearing his lines when under pressure, Wojciech tried a return pass to Debuchy, the pass which was nearly intercepted. Arsene needs to tell our №1 to cut this out, or he won't remain our №1 for long.
Santi Cazorla
It feels odd to level critique at him, but I see no way to soften the blow. Santi failed to make his mark on the match, with misplaced passes and badly thought-through decisions pursuing him the whole game. Him shifting to under-the-striker when Wilshere was substituted for Oxlade didn't help in the slightest: Santi failed at least two passes which were potentially dangerous and once lost the ball near the box. Luckily, his mistakes didn't prove costly, though it remained a mystery to me as to why the Spaniard wasn't taken off for, say, Campbell. Hope it's just one bad game for Santi, nothing more.
We've won it in the end and boy am I glad we did. Despite Palace's organisation and time-wasting antics we've knuckled down and worked hard, showed desire and determination and had Ramsey in the box at the right place at the right time. I'm sure we'll become more fluent in our game as the season progresses, but for now we've got the job done, while, for example, United, lost. (Is it possible? A mighty United side, aspiring champions with the world's bestest manager, lost? At home? To Swansea? Don't know how to put even more sarcasm in writing, so this will have to do).
That's yer lot for today, back here tomorrow with Besiktas preview.
Until then, enjoy the win
Follow me on Twitter @AlexBaguzin