Arsenal 2-0 Borussia: blueprint found

Introduction

A jolly good day to you.

So, finally, a win. A convincing win. A fully-deserved win. A solid defensive performance. A Yaya Sanogoal, his first ever in a competitive game for us. And, of course, a win over Borussia, not the weakest of sides in Europe.

Some might say Borussia were playing half-heartedly. Despite the defeat, the top spot is theirs for the taking. A draw in their last match (at home, against Anderlecht) and the Germans qualify from the top spot. However, it's not like the Germans were completely indifferent to how things would pan out against us. An Arsenal win by a three-goal margin on Wednesday and wham! Only a win over Anderlecht would guarantee Borussia the first spot. Meaning they'd have to take their last game very seriously. A slip-up of any sort and Arsenal's back in control of the situation.

Moreover, the Germans didn't look disinterested. We were just better than them. Quicker to attack, more organised in defense, good at pressing. And it feels great. A solid ninety minutes. A nice change.

The squad

As expected, Martinez replaced Szczesny and Cazorla slotted in for Wilshere. Koscielny made the bench, while Welbeck was omitted altogether. I think it was the first game since his acquisition when Welbeck didn't feature. I'm pretty sure it's also the first game he didn't start.

In these circumstances I'd fully expected Sanchez to start up front, except that he didn't. Instead, Sanogo did and this raised more than a couple of eyebrows when the squad was announced. This would change 72 seconds into the game.

The first half

We started it with a bang. A simple throw-in from Chambers deep into the opponent's half found Sanogo and the Frenchman produced a moment of magic. He juggled the ball a bit with his back to the goal while waiting for Cazorla to make a run and then back-heeled it into the Spaniard's path. Cazorla drew three defenders to himself and then returned the pass to an unmarked Sanogo. Yaya rolled the ball between Weidenfeller's legs and into the net. 1-0.

Sanogo could have doubled the lead on the 9th minute when sent clean through by Sanchez, but instead of shooting decided to cut inside in search of a better position and lost the ball as a result.

Borussia has recovered a bit in the following minutes and could have equalised, but Immobile could get on the end of Piszczek's cross which flashed wide of the far post. Another moment of danger saw Mkhitaryan fire his effort well over, though Chambers played a part in that miss when he suddenly blocked all the space available.

Borussia had another good opportunity right before the half-time whistle went, but a heroic save from Emi Martinez kept us in front.

The second half

We could have twice gone further ahead in the first nine minutes of the second half. First Alexis's brilliant effort from outside the box was well-saved by Weidenfeller and then a cracking effort from Oxlade-Chamberlain rebounded off the woodwork with the keeper stranded.

However, it was 2-0 soon enough. Mertesacker intercepted a dangerous ball near the halfway line and his pass split open Borussia's midfield and found Cazorla. The Spaniard spotted Alexis on the left and played the ball to him. Sanchez cut inside and let fly an astonishing curled effort which left the keeper with no chance. 2-0.

After that we sat back and defended the lead, restricting Borussia to distance shots, which we either blocked by our defenders or easily saved by Martinez. We even could have made it 3-0, but the Ox fired his shot just over. Another good save from Martinez in the 89th minute and then it was game over.

The aftermath

That's what Arsene had to say on the game:

"We had a good start and overall it was a very intense game between two very good teams where you had to fight for every ball and be focused. I felt we had a good combination between our usual passing game and our transition from defence to attack. We were highly focused to defend well together from the first to the last minute and we always looked dangerous. Defensively we were very good as well."

That day I've spent 16 hours on my feet prior to the game. I was dead-tired by kick-off, but after the game I didn't regret staying up into the night to watch. It was a high-intensity game, the like of which I haven't seen in a long time. It was extremely nervous for all the fans, though I'm sure the game was a great spectacle for the neutrals. Despite very few clear-cut chances the match kept me on the edge of the seat four 90+ minutes. It was like watching a good movie with a happy ending.

The only regret we can have from this game is injures. Arteta was forced off with a bad calf and is now expected to be out for 6-8 weeks and Sanogo pulled his hamstring in the final ten minutes. While this particular injury is not very damaging in the light of Giroud's return and Welbeck being not far away (maybe even available for the weekend), the loss of our skipper is bad news indeed. As I've said countless times the Spaniard is the organiser. His ability to create order from chaos and guide less experienced heads through a game is even more important than his metronomic passing. It's a real loss and a conundrum for Arsene to solve.

Anyway, we'll ponder our defensive problems tomorrow in a preview. For now enjoy the win and the performance that comes with it.

Till tomorrow

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Borussia preview: get your act together

It's Borussia Dortmund tomorrow and I honestly don't know what to expect anymore. One thing is for sure: we are off form, yet there is a long season ahead, a lot of points to play for. So we need to somehow start performing and start winning games. Our style is based on confidence, now we are shorn of it and to get it back we need consecutive wins. A win tomorrow isn't crucial to our hopes of qualifying, I think a draw will see us through, yet it's vital to our confidence. From a psychological point of view a win is essential.

I think our squad needs a shake-up. This current crop is drained both physically and emotionally and a bit of rotation won't hurt. Arsene will probably disagree, but we can dream, right? Let's see what can be done to refresh the current side.

The back five

I think it will stay the same and perhaps it should. I'd still be very interested to see how Bellerin would fare at RB and Chambers alongside Mertesacker, but, as both Chambers and Monreal were solid against United, maybe not changing our back four can play into our hands. They are as exhausted as everyone else, though.

The main issue going into this game is who will be our goalie. With Szczesny out, the only viable option we have is Martinez. Not that it's a bad option, but, having entered the season with two world-class keepers I never thought we'll require Damian's services. As you may remember, Fabianski only featured in the cups last year. Both him and Szczesny were fit and available the entire season. And now Martinez is our only shot-stopper.

The Argentine did well against Anderlecht in the first game and looks rather solid overall, so I'm not particularly worried. Just an observation that it's very unusual for us to have to rely on a third-choice keeper.

The midfield

Here only Arteta looked the part against United and, with Wilshere very likely out, I'd suggest some new blood needs to be injected.

I'd drop Ramsey and play Cazorla as the second anchoring midfielder. It's an unconventional choice, however, I remember the little Spaniard blossomed there early on in the campaign. He was especially effective in the second leg against Besiktas, so giving Santi another go in the heart of our midfield may not be such a bad idea. I'm pretty sure Wenger will keep Ramsey, though, and use the Spaniard higher up.

In the absence of both Ozil and Wilshere and with Cazorla (hopefully) deployed closer to Arteta, I'd be willing to play Rosicky under the striker. He mostly possesses the same qualities Wilshere does, so I'm all for letting the Czech loose. He should do well in the number 10 role.

The attack

Right now Oxlade-Chamberlain seems the only definite starter. There is, of course, Sanchez, though I'm a) not sure he'll start on the flank b) not sure he'll start at all, as the Chilean may need a rest.

Another question of utter importance is whether or not Giroud is available. If he is, I'd start the Frenchman in a heartbeat. He seems to be a more clinical finisher than Welbeck and is also a lot fresher, having not played for three months.

If Ollie is ineligible, than Welbeck will most likely play. I say "most likely" because reports emerged that Danny, together with Walcott, didn't train today.

In the worst-case scenario (no Giroud, Welbeck and Walcott), Sanchez will probably play up front with Podolski on the left-hand side. And we'll still have a very capable attacking trio. If either Giroud or Welbeck is up for it, then it's Sanchez on the left.

The verdict

Our main rival these days is ourselves. We should cut out the mistakes in the middle of the park (this will be easier to achieve with an Arteta-Cazorla-Rosicky trio) and make sure we help the defenders.

If we build this game around not trying to concede we may well win it. We have an array of capable players up front, we just need to provide them with a good defensive platform to build on.

So c'mon you Gunners. Start performing already.

And I'll be back with a customary review, most likely on Thursday.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

UPDATE

Giroud is NOT in the squad:

“Giroud was supposed to be unavailable for the qualifying group stage and we put him out. He is coming back early and that is good news, but of course he’s not on the list of the 25 selected players.”

Unfortunately, Szczesny, Wilshere and Walcott are also out, something that opens the door for Martinez, Cazorla and (hopefully) Rosicky:

"Wilshere is out, Walcott is out for the same groin problem he came back with from England and Szczesny is out as well".

Welbeck's in, however, despite sitting out a training session today, so that probably means we'll see the same attacking trio which started against United. Big news is, Koscielny is back and available:

"He’s in the squad for tomorrow. It’s very good news because he was out for a while now and we are short in numbers defensively. It’s good to have his quality back."

It's super-mega-suscpicious to have the Frenchman back at least a week earlier than expected, but maybe that's Shad Forsythe doing his magic. Even if Kos is fully fit I don't expect him to start tomorrow. For me the real question is whom Laureant will replace. Bellerin looks the weakest link, but it can be more than a tad risky to have only Kos on the bench.

Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United: it's Arsenal

As Valencia's deflected shot found the bottom corner I stared at the screen in disbelief. The sense of unreality swept over me. For a good while longer than a few seconds I've been (fruitlessly) trying to persuade myself that this wasn't happening. This could not be happening. Simply because everything about this goal was so unjust. So underserved. So much against the run of play. Even in my worst nightmares I couldn't have envisaged that scenario.

Except that I could. It was oh so predictable. Some of you (the not so seasoned supporters of Arsenal FC) would ask how such a farce could be predictable. Who could have thought that Fellaini would not be flagged offside when he clearly was offside, that it can lead to a collision between Gibbs and Szczesny, which would leave both out of the picture? The veterans would have the answer to that question. They had it long before the game. They probably had it for ten years. Cause it's Arsenal.

We poured men forward. Fuelled by the injustice of what just happened, enraged at the fact we were losing to the weakest United side in years. At home. I've watched Arsenal pile up the pressure with a sinking feeling. I knew what would come next. Cause it's Arsenal.

When a completely exhausted and run-into-the-ground Alexis misplaced a pass on the edge of the box I've already been prepared for the next act of this tragedy. Di Maria and Rooney stormed up the pitch and who was there to meet them? Monreal. Mertesacker, meanwhile, was caught some 30 yards higher up the pitch. So much for the talk of keeping your shape for 90 minutes. Even Arsene was baffled by this:

"I don’t know why we had nobody at the back at all – you could see straight away that giving a two against one in your own half means you will be punished against these players".

And of course we were punished. How could we not have been? Di Maria sent Rooney clear and for all his misses for England he tucked this one away. Cause it's Arsenal.

It could have been 3-0 just minutes after, when exactly the same mistake lead to a one-on-one. Di Maria vs Martinez. Somehow, miraculously, the Argentine's chip bobbled wide.

Oh, didn't I say? Gibbs's collision with Szczesny was unfortunate in more ways than one. Apart from the very obvious consequence, we now have an injured Wojciech. He limped off the pitch holding his back and is a big doubt for Dortmund in midweek.

We pulled one back through a magnificent strike from Giroud (yes the Frenchman made his comeback with a bang), but it was about the only positive thing we can carry out of the game. Welbeck was so obsessed with scoring against his old team that he missed a couple of good opportunities, Wilshere failed to open the scoring early on and Ramsey, well... not his best game.

So it strikes me as rather offensive when Wenger says there are a lot of positives to take from this defeat. Is that a positive that Sanchez and Welbeck failed to rip apart McNair, Blackett and Smalling as they should have done? Is that a positive that Wilshere and Ramsey failed to make quick work of Fellaini and Carrick? Is that a positive we've conceded from the first shot on target, when only Di Maria looked more or less the part up front?

So what if De Gea is MoM? He made two good saves, that's all. Despite dominating possession we didn't create that much. Against the most dysfunctional United side in years. Leicester scored five against them. We scored a late consolation goal. But of course. Cause it's Arsenal.

I don't know where do we go from here. This team is shorn of confidence, lacks any kind of cohesion and stability and performs far worse than a sum of its parts might suggest. And now we've lost to injury one of the few players who could grab Arsenal by the scruff of the neck and turn the game around. Cause as bad as Wilshere's decision-making was yesterday, he at least created chances. He made things happen. Cazorla didn't. Rosicky would have been a far better replacement in my opinion, but Wenger decided otherwise.

This season is once again becoming very long and painful and words cannot describe how tired I'm to witness Arsenal slump towards mid-table to then mount a top-four challenge. I badly want this to change, but for now I cannot see where this change might come from.

Do we sack Wenger right away? Hypothetically speaking of course, cause we all know this won't happen. OK, we can, the Frenchman seriously underperforms, but who do we replace him with? Do you know any world-class manager who is available right now?

We should, somehow, find a way out of this mess. With Arsene Wenger. We'll get the chance to judge him at the end of the season, for now he's our only hope of getting into the top four. He has loads of experience here.

We can slightly change the personnel in January and that's exactly what we should do. We should buy a proper DM, two CBs and let Flamini go. Depending on whether we can find a replacement we should also let Podolski and (maybe) Cazorla leave. And then wobble into the top four and solve our problems in the summer. Sounds familiar? But of course it does. It's Arsenal.

Till tomorrow

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Manchester United preview: kick it off, kick it out

Evening everyone.

We take on Manchester United tomorrow in what will be a late kick-off and I've run out of imperatives of how important it is for us to win games.

This time around, however, I feel much calmer than I usually do before big games. That may be down to several reasons: the fact our last disappointment happened two weeks ago, the shakiness of United's defense or Emirates slowly becoming a fortress. Something Arsene acknowledged:

“But we are strong at home. We have learnt to be patient and to wait for our chances without losing our shape. [Yes] we've had many draws. But there's no block there. We feel strong at home and we have had a good record in the last 25 games"

Arsene also gave the customary injury update and this allows us to play the "Guess who?" game once again.

The back five

Copy. Paste. No, honestly, even with fit defenders and keepers you don't expect the back five to be reshuffled every game. And having everyone available is not the case here. However, Arsene shed some light on when Debuchy and Koscielny might return:

"Koscielny and Debuchy are doing well, they are out on the field [working] again. We have to see now. Usually field work is three weeks away from full group training. Then there is fitness. It looks straightforward for Debuchy. It's not inflammation, it's just repairing surgery. For Koscielny, it depends how well he responds to training. At the moment he looks good."

The funny bit comes when Arsene talks in such a way that gives you an idea Debuchy may return earlier than Koscielny. Imagine the scenes amongst Arsenal fans if this happens.

Without these two, I can, of course, suggest that it's better to play Chambers at CB and Bellerin at RB, but I somehow don't think Wenger will make that switch. He wants as stable a back-four as possible in the absence of the two Frenchmen, changing it now will mean destabilising it once more. Thank God Rvp and Rooney aren't very good at heading the ball, while Falcao is out of the picture.

The midfield

Ah, the joy of having almost everyone available. Well, almost. Apart from Ozil. Probably the player we need most. The irony. Moving on, however.

Now it really is a tough job to suggest the three midfielders. I'd personally start Arteta and Wilshere at the base of the midfield. The former is much better at defending and organising the midfield than both Flamini and Ramsey. The latter has

1. shown glimpses of promise in the holding role for England
2. the crucial ability to make a decisive impact in big games (see: City)

That also means dropping Ramsey and Flamini and it's the Welshman who'd be hard to omit. Maybe it's better to slot him alongside Arteta and move Wilshere further upfield? I'd say this will help us maintain possession better, something that's hard to achieve with Sanchez under the striker.

We also know how keen Arsene is to make a Wilshere-Ramsey partnership work, but it'll be a big gamble to start these two at the base. Ramsey this year is very different to Ramsey last year, while a handful of games for England will hardly make Jack a pro DM, so we need Arteta for this one.

Further up it's either Wilshere or Sanchez and it's a tough call. They are very different players in terms of what they bring to the side, so this is a riddle for Arsene to solve.

The attack

Walcott in, Walcott out, Walcott in, Walcott out, that's what it's all about. Arsene said he doesn't think Theo will be available, but the Englishman took part in a full training session today, so I wonder whether our manager might be playing mind games.

However, I won't get my hopes high. I'd go for the less optimistic scenario and assume Theo will only make the bench. In this case, Oxlade is likely to play on the right, with either Cazorla or Sanchez on the left.

Another question is who starts up front. Welbeck is a doubt (again, if Wenger is to be believed on this one), which leaves us with several options:

1. Giroud up front. Everyone loves the HFB, of course, but I don't think he's ready yet.
2. Sanchez up front. This will probably mean an Arteta-Ramsey-Wilshere trio in midfield. Not bad, but it remains to be seen how Sanchez will fare up front on his own. He is not exactly a target man.
3. Sanogo up front. God forbid. Don't even know why I put him here.
4. Podolski up front. The fact that he's below Sanogo for this role tells you all you need to know about the German's chances of starting in the forward position.
5. Campbell up front. Perhaps I should stop now.

So, realistically speaking, it's either Giroud or Sanchez and I'm leaning towards the latter. Firstly, the Frenchman isn't yet ready to play for 90 minutes, secondly, Sanchez will go through United's make-shift defense like a knife through butter. But Welbeck will probably start nonetheless. In his case the chances of Wenger playing mind games are stronger, than with Walcott.

The verdict

The manager has enough options and firepower in the forward position for us to win the game, but it's the defense (naturally) that worries me. That's why we need to protect our defenders as much as we can. That's why omitting Arteta, Oxlade or even Cazorla can be a huge risk. All these players track back to help the defenders. That's why Sanchez and Welbeck should play (apart from their contribution further upfield, of course). Steady our defense and we are in for three points. Fail, and the likes of Rooney and Di Maria can punish us.

C'mon you Gunners. Buckle the trend, beat United. Put in a performance.

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

On Lukas Podolski

Hello.

Not much happening still, apart from some quotes from Lukas Podolski, so I decided it's high time to concentrate on his role in this Arsenal side.

I'll start with the quotes, though:

“I have to speak to Wenger because the situation at the moment is not good for me because I have to play, so we will see what happens.I am happy at Arsenal and happy in London but the only thing is I don’t play. I don’t get the chance to play. I play always 10 to 15 minutes. I cannot be happy with this.”

I've already touched on how Poldi's talents are utilised rather peripherally, but I didn't touch on why it is so. Yes, the competition across the front three is vicious, yet the German seems affected more than anyone else. Bar Campbell, maybe (whose position is slightly different), Podolski is the easiest player to omit from the squad and the hardest to include. He just doesn't fit the system, which not only Arsenal uses, by the way.

What system is this? The one with the lone forward. A lot of teams rely on this formation, but for it to work they need a physical presence up front. Like Benzema, Costa, Aguero. Like Giroud and Welbeck. Unfortunately (both for him and for us), Poldi doesn't belong to such type. He isn't strong enough to lead the line alone, an ability which requires playing with your back to the goal a lot.

However, Lukas also isn't your typical winger. He tends to drift inside in search for the ball and thus doesn't stretch the play enough. The German also shies away from tracking back and helping Gibbs out, which leads to the Englishman being exposed. This also limits Kieran's opportunities to bomb forward to give us another option in attack, as Poldi providing cover is not a sure thing.

Ideally, as Amy Lawrence writes in the Guardian (where I got the original idea from, by the way), Podolski is a type of striker who complements a 4-4-2 nicely. He needs someone to lay the ball off for him, to set him up the way we set up our wide forwards. And though Arsene is now more open to playing a 4-4-2, it's again hard to imagine a scenario in which Poldi starts the majority of games.

However, I like the fact the German doesn't throw a tantrum about not getting enough playing time:

“I don’t say that I want to leave or that I leave in winter. I just think about my situation and my situation is unhappy. It is like anyone who is not getting a chance at doing their job. I know that only 11 can play but when you always play 10 or 15 minutes and it happens every week then you cannot be happy. I am happy with the team and the coach and the club but I don’t play. That is the only thing.”

Sensible, no harsh words said, no one is blamed for the situation. Unlike some of our not-so-distant departures, Lukas remains neutral. Good to see.

We'll see what happens in January, but I genuinely don't see Poldi making his way into the starting eleven. He hasn't done so in over two years and doesn't seem likely to do so now.

It's a bit sad, really. Podolski is a top-class footballer. He has a lethal left foot, great sense of positioning and, the most important thing of all, he's a clinical finisher. Probably still the best at Arsenal, maybe in the whole league. These few chances the German gets he puts away.

When he arrived from Koln in 2012 I saw Podolski as a like-for-like replacement for RvP. He ticked the same boxes as the Dutchman, who's lead the attack alone for two seasons. I really thought we will see a lot of Poldi up top. Instead, Giroud became the first-choice forward, as we adopted (or, maybe, reverted back to) a 4-2-3-1. So it feels like an opportunity has been lost with Podolski.

That's it for today, back tomorrow or on Saturday with a preview.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)