Before the game most Gunners hoped we would be in for an easy ride. But some, and not without reason, adopted a more cautious approach: they feared the knock-on effects our Saturday's loss could produce. So the fact we played a side that sits bottom of the league helped a great deal: if we had to play West Ham or Liverpool, for instance, I fear we could have dropped points. As it is, we bagged all three and moved back above Tottenham who, coincidentally, went down to Liverpool. And those who said even Leicester can prove a tough opponent were completely right. Not because they are mighty and scary (they would not be bottom in this case), but because we fought a battle with ourselves, as much as with them. Even Arsene later acknowledged it:
"Yes it (the North London derby) was a bit in their head, especially in the second half in the legs. Tottenham lost in the last minute as well. It was a very intense game on Saturday and three days later, it’s not easy."
Glad we have overcome this psychological hurdle and won the game. And now, onto the game itself.
The squad and approach
Arsene made three changes to our Saturday's squad: Rosicky, Alexis and Walcott replaced Ramsey, Giroud and Welbeck respectively. The back five remained unchanged, presumably to give the guys a chance at redemption.
The changes added up to a mouthwatering trio of Ozil, Alexis and Walcott up front, but it soon became clear this trident was largely ineffective. The idea was clear: the manager wanted to cut Leicester's defense open by combining Ozil's laser-guided passes with Walcott's and Alexis's blistering pace. Whether we are just not used to the system or it's simply the wrong system for us to adopt is open to debate: the resulting bleak performance was there for everyone to see and it lasted right up to the point when Giroud was introduced. When the Frenchman came on he did what he always does: provided our attacks with a focal point and won most aerial duels, something that allowed Ospina to breathe easier and just boot it long in case of emergency.
I'm pretty sure this isn't the last time we've tried playing without a target man, I cannot even guarantee we won't do this in our next game, but I'd rather we didn't. Use our usual system until the end of the season and in the summer there'll be plenty of time to practice whatever Arsene deems worthy of practising.
The first half
Rather unexpectedly, we could have found ourselves down twice inside the first fifteen minutes: first Mahrez's deflected shot bobbled inches wide with Ospina stranded, then the same Mahrez found himself one-on-one with the Colombian, only for his effort to be wide off the mark once more.
Our first chances came seconds after. Ozil's beautiful through ball made his way to Walcott, only for the Englishman to hit it straight at Schwarzer. Alexis headed over from a resulting corner.
Several minutes later we went ahead nonetheless. Ozil has found space on the edge of the box and poked the ball towards the far corner and Schwarzer could only palm it away for a corner kick. Ozil stepped up, flung the ball in and an unmarked Koscielny slided the ball home from point-blank range. 1-0.
Despite Mahrez's best efforts we soon doubled the lead. Bellerin won the ball on the right, passed it to Ozil and the German produced a fierce drive some 25 yards away from goal. Schwarzer only managed to parry the ball into the path of an onrushing Walcott and this mistake proved costly. 2-0 and the teams went into the tunnel.
The second half
We started the half in a bleak manner, unsure of whether we should continue to attack or just defend our lead. As a result, we didn't particularly succeed at both.
We had a strong claim for a penalty early on, then Rosicky's shot was saved from a corner that ensued, before Leicester seized the initiative.
Kramaric fired an effort wide, Matty James miscontrolled a pass which would have seen him one-on-one with Ospina and you could sense something coming.
Leicester attack which led to the goal started with Kramaric almost chipping Ospina. It took a combined effort from the Colombian and Mertesacker to avert the danger for a corner.
From it a scuffle in the box ensued, Cambiasso kept the ball alive (despite claims for a handball) and it ended up with Kramaric. The Croatian's fierce low shot went in at the near post and I do wonder could Ospina have done better on that one. Sure, the ball dilli-dallied through a lot of legs, besides, I'm not sure Ospina saw the moment the shot was taken, but a near post is a near post. It should be better protected by the keeper.
Arsene immediately introduced changes. Giroud came on for a knackered and (probably) injured Alexis, while Ramsey subbed the inefficient Walcott. I do hope Alexis is OK, he was on the receiving end of a dirty tackle from Upson. Ramsey, unfortunately, is less likely to escape another injury spell. He pulled his hamstring ten minutes after making his entrance and was taken off for Flamini. Arsene later rued the decision to let Ramsey play:
"I basically left him out today because I wanted to be cautious with him. I had to bring him on - I had a hesitation between Flamini and him - because we lacked a a bit of offensive power. It was not the best of decisions."
He also expressed his concerns, as it the third muscle injury Rambo sustained this season:
"I don’t know how bad it is yet. Just visually, it didn’t look good. When a guy stops straight away and sits down, that’s not good news. There’s a recurrence now of a few muscular injuries and it’s difficult - we haven’t found out why."
Whichever way you look at it, we'll probably have to make do without Aaron for a couple of weeks. At least we have Wilshere back, otherwise the situation would be looking dangerous again.
Meanwhile, Leicester continued the search for an equaliser. They went ridiculously close twice, first when Mahrez curled an effort just wide, then Kramaric fluffed his chance when clean through. We only had Cazorla's effort to show for it, though our hold up play got much better with Giroud on. In the end, we clung to our three points and that's the most important thing.
The verdict
A few short notices on individual performances. First up, Walcott. Maybe he hasn't reached his peak conditions just yet, but it was another game that slipped him by. Apart from the goal and a missed chance early on, the Englishman was invisible. He's only completed 6 passes and made less touches than Giroud and Olivier played fifty minutes less. Theo is looking increasingly like Podolski at the moment and unless his overall involvement drastically improves he may well find himself used as a power sub only. Especially with Gnabry and Oxlade on the way back.
I also wanted to single out Ozil. The German has been massive since his return, with 3 goals and 4 assists in four games and the fact that he plays on the left doesn't seem to affect his overall contribution at all. He's made himself undroppable lately and you could see why.
Anyway, despite a shaky performance at home we have moved back above Tottenham and in the light of yesterday's results sit only a point behind Soton and two behind United. We face Middlesbrough at the weekend and our next league game is an away fixture against Crystal Palace. We have plenty of time between now and that game, let's hope we use it wisely and give some key players a rest in the Cup. They could use it.
And I'll be back with a preview, most likely.
Until then
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