Anderlecht 1-2 Arsenal: by hook and crook

It's tough job being an Arsenal fan. Other people will probably never understand the stress you suffer. Your mood swings. Depression and joy. If I ask a person, why he's so sad or silent and he answers "I support Arsenal", he needn't continue. Should you cite the factors that affect your nervous system you can always count in Arsenal's latest perfo

Yet sometimes it's incredibly rewarding. Like yesterday. After 71 minutes of football I went and fetched myself some validol. When the 85th minute came around I started washing my teacup, deflated and fully prepared to have a long night of self-reflection and misery ahead. But it turned out I have given in too early.

When Chambers swung in his cross I wasn't hoping for anything. With Welbeck off and Alexis not in the box, there was no one to pounce on the cross but Oxlade-Chamberlain. Who picked the wrong position. However, to my immense astonishment, the cross was met with a neat volley and the ball rippled in the back of the net. At first I thought only Poldi, who came on five minutes prior to this episode, could have pulled off that finish. But I was wrong again. Replays showed Gibbs buried his chance, before burying his face in his hands.

It seemed a point for your thought and for Arsene's birthday. Which was unacceptable, but better than no points at all. The ref added 3 minutes, but the goal did what it always does: sparked us into life. Suddenly, chances came flooding in.

And we took the first one that presented itself. Gibbs crossed from the left, a scuffle ensued, Sanchez emerged on top and his pass found Podolski. The German smashed the ball home.

We could have added another in the later stages, but for some wayward passing and a poor first touch. But what the hell, we got the job done. The rest is history. This is what Arsene said after the game:

"We had the spirit. We had to go. It was disappointing we didn’t create more chances tonight but I put that down to the fact as well that Anderlecht defended very well."

I'd take a scrappy last-minute win over a gorgeous draw any day. However, it doesn't mean I'm satisfied with the performance. Far from it. There were only four players who fared relatively well. Martinez, Gibbs, Sanchez and Podolski.

Martinez could have done little about the goal, but kept us in the game by pulling off a brilliant save and then coming off his line quickly when one-on-one with Suarez. Very encouraging from the young Argentine, whose last competitive start for us was a 7-5 game against Reading.

Gibbs defended staunchingly, especially since he was offered little support from Cazorla, Alexis or whoever was supposed to cover for the Englishman on the left. Scored a brilliant volley too, and provided a cross for the second goal.

Poldi gets the props for doing what he was asked to do in the short ten minutes he was on. A sublime first touch and a cracking finish.

And Sanchez. Our only consistently good performer right now. Giving his all and contributing. Got another assist under his belt, nearly scored from a beautifully curved free-kick and set up Cazorla for the first really dangerous passage of play. Hope the Chilean has enough energy left in the tank to put in a performance against Sunderland.

Everyone else: not so good as a team, not so good at individual level. Monreal looked out of his depth, Chambers had an atrocious game (surprising, really. Maybe the schedule is catching up with him?). The Englishman was continuously caught out of position, let the opposition breathe past him too easily. A game to forget.

Our midfield also was far from the optimal condition. Wilshere and Ramsey cannot play together without one of them flopping, and right now Wilshere is the in-form guy. That's why I think it's reasonable to suggest to drop the Welshman and play Cazorla centrally. That way we'll have a real winger on the left, who'll be able to help Gibbs out, while also allowing the Spaniard to spread play effectively and feed Sanchez.

Flamini is a good cheerleader, but an average player. He should be omitted, Arteta definitely won't commit the kind of mistakes Flamini committed yesterday.

Up front we should maybe consider playing Podolski more often. His conversion rate is way too good to deploy the German for occasional 15 minutes or so.

On a side note, Borussia had smashed Gala in Turkey, and have thus ensured qualification. If they beat the Turks at home, while we win our game against Anderlecht, we'll be through. Can we top the group? It looks unlikely considering the Germans' form. They only have to lose by a one-goal margin to us and win their remaining two (home) games to ensure the top spot. But hey, it's the Champions League, where you can take nothing for granted.

That's it for today. Enjoy the win, if not the performance.

And Happy Birthday, Arsene

Until later

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Anderlecht preview:...

I've already run out of imperatives of how important it is to win the next game. After this season's showing I'm not even sure we can win tomorrow. Community Shield included, Arsenal only had three good performances this year. We can kind of count in the Man City performance, though we dropped points on that occasion.

A very gloomy atmosphere indeed surrounds our tomorrow's fixture. The fan base, predictably, erupted, after we failed to get the points against Hull. However, even had we nicked the win in the dying seconds of the game, would that have changed much? I'm not sure. The problem was not so much the result, but the performance itself. Shaky at the back, unconvincing up front. Lost, if you are looking for one word to describe our showing on Saturday.

However, the press and our own fans are definitely overreacting. The press is ready to scourge Arsene (did you see that awful interview with Jacqui Oatley? Disgusting), while rumour has it the fans are preparing some anti-Wenger banners for our game in Brussels. I've even heard about some back-turning to the pitch every 18 minutes to demonstrate the fans' dissatisfaction with AW.

I, for one, think such measures are completely uncalled for. What will they lead to, what are the fans trying to achieve? They want to show their displeasure and that's understandable, but, if you just think one step ahead, this will accomplish nothing, apart from heaping even more pressure on Wenger and the players. Arsene won't step down till at least the end of this season and thus I see no reason to try and force his retirement now. However bad the situation is, there's no immediate rescue, no easy answer to our problems. Both our manager and our footballers are in desperate need of our support exactly because we're going through a hard period. Right now they need our backing, not our contempt. Come the end of the season and we're still in a mess, fine. Protest all you want. Summer is a sufficient period to bring in a new manager and some new players, but right now there's no point, cause nothing will change. Not because the existing situation is good, but because it can become much worse with an interim manager.

Moreover, I've already stated that Arsenal gets the stick far more often, than other clubs under roughly the same circumstances do. Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham and United are much worse off than we are, yet I see next to no criticism coming their way. It goes to the point of absurdity. United drew yesterday against West Brom by only just getting a point thanks to a late equaliser. Yet for them the result is somehow acceptable, even good, while our draw against Hull is considered shameful. Man Utd appointed a wonder-manager, a brilliant tactician and bought world-class players for £150 mil, and sit just one point above us. Nonetheless, their start is kind of normal, Mata is somehow more effective than Ozil and Van Gaal is just unlucky, while Wenger is incompetent. What a fair world we live in.

Anyway, this was supposed to be a preview, so onto matters more pressing and more Arsenal-related.

The back five

Martinez will start between the sticks, while some rookie or other will make the bench. Surprised? I know I was when I first heard of it. Szczesny is out of the equation due to suspension, it was known long before, but where's Ospina? Well, can you guess?

Yes, the Colombian is injured. I'm not even sure when he managed to pick up whatever knock will keep him out of the game. So David's unavailable for selection and for the first time this season I'm genuinely worried about the shot-stopper position. I mean, Martinez seems a nice and dedicated lad, but I'm not exactly sure he's up to the task just yet. Fortunately, it's only (ahem), ONLY Anderlecht, so fingers crossed Emiliano won't have an awful lot of work.

The back four is a bit of an enigma. I don't know where we are with Koscielny, I guess it's too soon for the Frenchman, but good news is, Chambers is back. So the question is this: where will the Englishman be deployed? On the right, with Monreal through the middle once more? Or centrally, with Bellerin on the right and Monreal on the bench?

For me, the latter scenario sounds better, mainly because Monreal didn't impress against Hull, while Hector did. Furthermore, Chambers and Bellerin are better suited to play CB and RB respectively. The other two should be Gibbs and Mertesacker, though the German really has to improve on his Saturday's performance. He's not alone there, however.

The midfield

Mikel Arteta for Mathieu Flamini. Please. The Frenchman is more of a nuisance right now, Arteta at least doesn't make positional mistakes and is harder to push off the ball. He's also a much better passer, something that can make the difference. So we need our skipper on, from the very first minutes.

Further up I'd probably go with Cazorla and Ramsey, just because risking Wilshere is, well, risky. He's one of the few in-form players we have, so we should wrap him in cotton wool and use only as a sub tomorrow. If needs must. But I hope it won't come to that.

The attack

Welbeck and Sanchez should be regular starters for an obvious reason: they score goals. However, it's interesting to see, who will complete our front three.

Oxlade, Campbell, Podolski and maybe even Walcott are all candidates. In case with the Englishmen I suspect Alexis will switch to the left to free up the right flank, but, frankly, it looks like Alexis can score goals from any position, so I'm not particularly worried about where exactly the Chilean will play.

If it was for me, I'd probably go with Campbell. I really liked what I've seen from him against Hull and, earlier, Southampton, so Joel deserves his chance. Especially since Walcott may not be fully fit, while Poldi doesn't have the manager's trust. Oxlade will probably edge it, though. Both because I'm bad at guessing and because AW doesn't seem to trust Campbell any more than he trusts Podolski.

The verdict

We are, once again, the obvious favourites on paper, however it doesn't seem to guarantee us anything lately. We have a lot of attacking players to take the game to our opponent, while at the same time covering our ever-changing defense and this is exactly what we should do. We really need to jump-start our campaign.

So c'mon you Gunners

And I'll be back with you for a review.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Arsenal 2-2 Hull: Alexis Sanchez's stand-out performance masks deep problems

At least twice this year I wrote about draws that felt like a point gained: City and Everton. Twice I lamented dropped points: Leicester and Tottenham. Now has come the third time to bemoan the latter and I don't at all feel like doing it. Needs must, though, so here comes.

The squad

Given Koscielny's injury and Chambers's suspension our back four was predictable: Bellerin, Mert, Monreal and Gibbs. There were rumours Hayden could have started and, taking Monreal's performance into consideration, it probably would have been better for all parties concerned if Isaac did just that. However, our CB sustained an injury (of course he had) and thus didn't even make the bench.

Of all defenders only Bellerin deserves some praise and this in itself tells you a lot about how our defense fared. When a 19 year old, who starts his first Premier League game, becomes the only bright spot, questions need to be asked.

I get it Gibbs may have been exhausted after his game for the national team, but he also wasn't our worst performer on the day, despite clearly being caught out of position for their second. Instead, the heart of our (last year's rock-solid) defense was at fault for both goals. Mert failed to position himself for the second goal, allowing Hernandez to easily head past him and Monreal was nowhere to be seen when Diame scored his first (albeit controversial) goal.

Further up field Wenger stuck with Flamini and I wish he didn't. I already said Arteta is the better passer of the ball and this could have made the difference, especially in the second half, when we were desperately pursuing the equaliser. Further up the pitch we had a predictable duo of Wilshere and Cazorla. Both weren't overly convincing.

Welbeck and Oxlade started up top, which was not surprising, but Alexis did likewise, something I didn't expect, as the Chilean played two full games for the national team, the last finished on late Wednesday. And thank God Sanchez started.

The first half

We kicked off in good fashion, peppering Harper with shots during the first 15 minutes. The goalie saved every single effort on target, but we kept probing and were rewarded in the 14th minute. Sanchez dilly-dallied his way through the defense and fired an unstoppable low shot into the bottom corner. We looked in full control of the situation and the goal was only logical.

However, our joy at being in front didn't last long. Diame ran right through the middle as if our defense just wasn't there, pushed Flamini off the ball and chipped Szczesny. Did Diame foul Flamini? Yes, he did, even Steve Bruce admitted it after the game. But, while we can point the finger of blame at the ref to some extent, we ourselves failed on two basic fronts: cover the central defense and play to the whistle. Monreal was nowhere to be found, Flamini gave up too easily.

But did we respond? Hell no. We seemed deflated and completely disinterested. The only player who tried hard and made things happen was Sanchez. Even with him and third- choice stopper between the sticks (Harper got subbed for Jakupovic) we failed to trouble the keeper from 43rd minute to 86th. Needless to say, we didn't get anything out of the first half.

The second half

I was late for, like, twenty seconds and the first thing I saw? Right, Hull's goal. In a typical Arsenal fashion. A cross from the flank (Gibbs, where was Gibbs?!), Mert lost Abel Hernandez and the guy headed home. 2-1 down in a game we should have been comfortably winning. In front of our own fans.

But did it fuel our inner rage and spark us into life? Hell no. It felt like we were going through the motions, right up till the 86th minute.

It was the minute Monreal said to himself "F*ck it, I'm not losing it" and, not giving Gibbs so much as a cursory glance, bombed forward down his beloved left flank. He crossed, and it was our first dangerous cross of the game. Alexis met it with a thumping header, but Jakupovic saved.

Thankfully, we found that equaliser in the 91th minute. And Alexis was the man who did all the work. He danced his way through 3 players and played a perfect pass into Welbeck's path. The Englishman's finish was composed.

We could have probably nicked the win in the dying seconds, but both Monreal and Oxlade failed to connect with the ball properly on the volley, while Cazorla and Gibbs saw their respective efforts blocked by Jakupovic. 2-2 it finished.

The aftermath

I haven't seen our fan base so dissatisfied since our home loss to Villa last year and they have every reason to be: our performance was so much below expectations. The worst thing was how it was obvious we lacked passion and desire going forward in the second half. No one (apart from Sanchez) seemed to care we were on course to lose the game and this is genuinely scary.

This inability to break down defenses (whatever the reason), coupled with our make-shift back four led to yet another draw. In a game we should have won comfortably.

The sticking point was how unmotivated the team looked and this is the instance where the buckle stops with the manager. It's Arsene's job to ensure the players produce and if they don't, it's his fault and his alone.

Unfortunately, I see no immediate way out, no rescue. Can Arsene leave? He surely can, but if he steps down right now, we'll be in a real mess. A new man will need time to adapt and we cannot afford to lose any more points because of yet another transition period.

Can Arsene step down at the end of the season? He can, but will he, even if the team underperformes? We all know how Arsene stays till his contract expires, something that'll happen in only three years time.

The way I see it, Arsene has to stay and do his best to get the maximum out of this group of players. Because I genuinely think that this crop is capable of far better results. We played some great football last year and we were without Sanchez, Welbeck or Chambers back then. So Arsene should try as hard as he can to fuel this side to better achievements this year and if he fails by the end of it, he should step down. The boss always said how he will leave when he understands there's nothing more he can give to this team and I hope he keeps his word.

That's it for today. Back tomorrow with a preview for the game against Anderlecht.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Hull preview: start winning. Now

Good evening everyone.

Football returns tomorrow and we face Hull City at the Emirates. This particular opponent not only brings back good memories, but also presents us with a chance to rack up some points, something we badly need.

In his usual injury update, Arsene informed us about the current state of the squad. The news is mixed, as you'd expect. I'll start with the not-so-pleasant bits.

Ozil is our major concern right now and, unfortunately, he'll be out for at least six weeks, having partially torn some ligaments in his left knee. There was a rumour in circulation, which went to assume Arsene has deliberately kept a knackered Ozil against Chelsea, but the boss was quick to play it down:

"He told me (about the injury) once it was discovered on the scan. He did not tell me anything during the Chelsea game, I did not know. What happened was that at half-time, just before we went out, he had a little pain with his knee but it was not bad. He wanted to go on and I told him, ‘If you don't feel well, tell me and I will take you off straight away'. He never did that during the whole game, and after I left him on because we were in a position where we needed to score a goal and he can deliver the final ball. "

Whether it was actually the case is now history, however I cannot, for the world of me, understand why we have to risk our key player like that. We had Oxlade on the bench, Santi was fresh, yet Arsene persisted and now we'll be without Ozil for quite some time. I think this "six week" talk is the bare minimum, cause initial reports suggested Ozil can spend up to three months on the sidelines. Coming from the German national team I believe the info was pretty accurate. Arsene may just fear the backlash this news can cause.

The other casualty of the international break is Koscielny. However, his problem seems to be chronic, something that hints at us carrying at least some blame. We new his achilles wasn't very good long before the start of the season, yet we've let Vermaelen go and bought nobody. As such we couldn't rotate, played Kos every week and now he's out. Arsene didn't put a time frame on this injury, but I somehow don't think it'll be one game only.

And now the good news. Arteta, Rosicky, Walcott and Gnabry are all fit, though our wingers won't be involved tomorrow. Both Theo and Gerge will take part in today's U-21s game and may travel to Brussels a couple of days from now. Fingers crossed. Arteta and Rosicky are fully fit and will make the squad against the Tigers, while Ramsey will join the main group on Monday and will fly with the team in midweek.

With all this covered, let's try putting a probable squad together.

The back five

I've heard some worrisome rumours that Ospina is carrying a knock, though nothing was said on the subject during the press-conference today. I assume that means the Colombian is alright and, if it was up to me, I'd start him.

I don't have a problem with Szczesny, especially since he's put in a MoM performance against Germany, but the simple truth is that Ospina will probably need some practise before we face Anderlecht. He should get, if fully fit. However, I won't be surprised to see the Pole start the game. Last year Arsene refused to rotate keepers before a cup game, and so Fabianski didn't get any warm-up. Arsene may utilise this strategy once more.

The defense is genuinely scary and I think we can all thank the Lord we weren't in such defensive mess before the Chelsea game. Now we have Kos out and Chambers suspended and this means starts for Monreal at centre-back and Bellerin at right-back. Hayden should make the bench, cause there's just no one else.

The midfield

Flamini did well in his last game and I wonder whether Arsene will be reluctant to remove the Frenchman from the line-up. He's a tad more pacy than Arteta, though there's no doubt the Spaniard sets the tone to our passing better. Tough call, I hope Arteta edges it, though. I'll be a bit more calm with our skipper at the base of the midfield.

Centrally, I'm pretty certain Wilshere and Cazorla will continue. Jack was England's stand-out performer, while he's also done very well in our shirt this season. Moreover, Arsene seems to view Jack a regular starter, so my money's on Wilsh making it.

Cazorla will now have to fill the void left by Ozil and, though I concede Rosicky will get his fair bit of football while the German is injured, Santi is our most obvious go-to solution. He doesn't quite fit Ozil's mould, but then again, no one does. We've lost a really important player in Mesut.

The attack

Welbeck up top is a res judicata for me, but the flanks present an interesting problem.

Walcott and Gnabry are out of the equation for now, but Sanchez is also unlikely to feature, having played the full game for Chile on Wednesday. He should make the bench, but I'd be surprised if we see him start.

This means a definite start for Oxlade on the right, but who'll play on the left? It can either be Podolski or Campbell and the question is, whom does the manager trust less. I'd give Campbell a chance to show himself, but, knowing my betting record, it just means Podolski will start. If he does, I really hopes Poldi puts in a shift.

The verdict

Hull, Sunderland, Burnley, Swansea. These are the teams we face before the next international break and we should be looking at 10 points at the very least. Anything else can put to bed any title claims we may have, not to mention the fans' reaction. On which, by the way, you can read another brilliant piece by Tim Stillman. It really got me thinking about how we perceive our idols and success as a whole. Give it a go, fascinating stuff.

One last thing. I know AGM has taken place yesterday and there were some really interesting things to chew on. I'll try writing about it as soon as I have a bit of time, promise. For now, you can read the essence here and follow me on Twitter for some other interesting stuff.

That's it for today. Here's for the three points tomorrow and I'll back as soon as I can with either AGM's or game's review. Or both.

Until then and come on you Gunners

Formation headache, alternatives and Walcott

Hello everyone.

The final international games took place yesterday and now, as always, we're assessing the damage done to our squad.

Injury update

Ozil will, of course, be out for long, Koscielny's state is unclear, with reports suggesting the Frenchman should be fit to face Hull, but the latest injury worry is Welbeck. Our last-gasp summer purchase seemed to have rolled his ankle two days ago and was subsequently subbed. He went straight down the tunnel with the physiologist, but Hodgson later assured everyone that Welbeck is alright and should be available for the weekend. I sincerely hope it's the case.

However, there is also good news for the Gunners on the injury front. Ramsey is just a couple of days away from joining the main group, which means Arteta is likely to do the same. Arsene also said Giroud is ahead of schedule after Olivier was operated on successfully. Wenger didn't elaborate on what "ahead of schedule" means, so I don't expect the French international to be back earlier than the beginning of December. However, the more interesting bit comes later:

"Welbeck and Giroud can play together in the centre or separately. Welbeck also played on one side to Manchester United. Welbeck played in the same team with Rooney and van Persie. He can play down the sides."

I hope it's only hypothetical. We've all seen how effective Welbeck is down the middle. Also, one of the reasons why Daniel decided to part ways with United was his wide role. I'd rather Arsene explored the possibility of playing Giroud and Welbeck together as two centre-forwards, but we'll cross that bridge when we get Olivier up and running.

For now, though, we have Walcott and Gnabry up and running and their return got me thinking about our possible line-ups. So here goes.

Possible formation and approach with Ozil out

I know it sounds cynical, but it looks like Walcott will be a replacement for Ozil. I mean positionally. This season the German was mostly deployed on the flank, though he was given license to roam to spread the play and do his magic. In this regard Cazorla will most likely pick up the slack, with Wilshere more than able to help out.

It is obvious a fully-fit Walcott should start games, so this means Alexis will be shifted wide left to accommodate Walcott on the right. Until the Englishman is back to his best I'd really like the Ox to be given a run of games.

As paradoxical as it sounds, Ozil's injury + Walcott's return may finally prompt us to return to 4-2-3-1. If not on paper, then definitely on the pitch. With two pure wingers and Cazorla centrally it'll be much closer to 4-2-3-1. Unless Wenger suddenly decides that Cazorla should play on the wing, with Wilshere and Ramsey in the middle of the park. Which is not completely out of question. It is clear Arsene gives every chance to Wilshere, while Ramsey, when fit, also starts. On more than just a couple of occasions this has led to both being deployed centrally. It's fair to say this experiment hasn't quite worked out yet, but it CAN in the future. There's a brilliant piece on the subject from Tim Stillman, over on Goonersphere. Check it out.

Right now, though, it'll make more sense to deploy Cazorla as a playmaker with Rosicky waiting in the wings. It looks like the Czech has a fair number of games coming his way, so he should be getting ready for these.

Finally for today, there's a good piece in the Mirror (yeah, I know, but don't laugh) on our injury crisis. I basically never believe anything written there, so this an exception. Worth checking out.

That's it for now. Sorry it's a bit short, but not much happening still. I'll get back to you in a couple of days, most likely with Hull preview.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)