West Brom 0-1 Arsenal: solid, if unspectacular

Hello everyone.

We made it two wins in a row on Saturday and thank goodness for that. The game, especially the last ten minutes of it, wasn't easy, but three points is three points. No complaints about the here.

The squad

The starting line-up brought a couple of surprises alright. Koscielny started (that bit was predictable), but Gibbs's omission caught me off guard. I suppose Arsene just wanted to rest the Englishman before our game on Wednesday, but, unfortunately, it didn't work out. Monreal sustained a knock at around the 20th minute and had to give way to Kieran.

The midfield was unchanged from our midweek clash, but the front three was barely recognisable. Only Alexis kept his place and, while Giroud for Sanogo was kind of obvious (especially in the wake of Yaya's injury), Welbeck for Oxlade was not. Again, I think Arsene just wanted to give the Ox a rest and in this particular case it worked out better, than with Gibbs.

The first half

We had a lot of moments, most of them boiled down to Cazorla's shots. Unfortunately, Santi once again didn't have his scoring boots on. All three of his shots were on target, but he really should have done better at least with his third attempt, when Welbeck laid the ball off for the Spaniard.

However, others also had their moments. Welbeck's shot was brilliantly saved by Foster, Ramsey's effort skidded just wide of the post and then Giroud's work rate almost got him a goal. Had the angle not been so tight, the Frenchman's name would have lit up on the board.

West Brom, meanwhile, created almost nothing and I put that down to two factors: Koscielny back alongside Per and the tremendous work rate of the front three. All of them tracked back and helped us defend. There was just one heart-in-the-mouth moment, when Berahino put the ball into the net, but the goal was disallowed. as Brunt was flagged offside in the build-up. 0-0 at half-time.

The second half

It wasn't as eventful as the first, but both sides had their share of moments.

We could have been in front early into the half, but first Ramsey fired his effort over and then Alexis, who was going for the kill, was beaten to the ball.

West Brom responded dangerously, Berahino looking to make the difference. He was (wrongly) flagged offside and then saw his shot blocked by an in-form Martinez. Just as things were starting to look threateningly, we scored.

Cazorla received the ball on the left, bested Wisdom in a one-on-one and put in a cross from the byline. It was met by a thumping header from Welbeck. 1-0.

We faded in the last half an hour and fell back to defend our slender lead. However, West Brom never really looked like equalising, and Berahino hitting the bar was mostly against the run of play. We could have scored a late, late goal when Foster came in for West Brom's corner, but Ramsey, instead of passing the ball to Oxlade, hoofed it clear. Ah, well. 1-0 it finished.

The aftermath

"In the end our solidarity got us through when the legs went in the last 10 minutes. Maybe we were a fraction lucky on the crossbar, but overall it’s a well-deserved win."

The natural worry we have from this game is injures. Monreal had to be subbed because of one, however, both Gibbs and Oxlade also sustained some knocks and are doubts for our game on Wednesday. Fingers crossed at least one of our left-backs make it in time.

This win elevates us to the 6th spot. Hardly something to be proud of, but, combined with Southampton losing to City, we are now six points behind third-placed Saints. A win on Wednesday, and we are three points behind them.

Finally, some words need to be said on the banner that appeared on the stands after the game. The banner calling for Wenger's resignation. I was wondering whether I should mention it at all, as bad publicity is also publicity, but in the end I decided I cannot just sit there and pretend nothing has happened.

To put it shortly, this banner was uncalled for. I can understand the frustration of the fans, we are hardly smashing past everyone this season, but the timing wasn't right. Had it been unveiled after the United game, I would have understood. Not sympathised, but understood. Or after the game against Swansea. Or before Borussia.

Now, however, it looks stupid. The team is on the up, produced two good performances and got two wins. Moreover, this banner is stupid even in the wider perspective. Will Arsene's sacking (hypothetically) right now do us any good? No. There are no good managers available in November and even a good one will need time to settle. And we'll be losing points in the process.

All these "fans" did was undermine the confidence and the morale of the team. And put the manager (who is, I'm convinced, doing his best to get us out of this situation) under more pressure. Watching Arsene having to defend himself during the press-conference was much worse than watching us let in 6 against Chelsea.

Arsene was always underappreciated and, at a time, when a lot of managers are doing far worse than him, it's astonishing really to see some fans turn against the Frenchman. Look at LvG, Rodgers, Martinez, Klopp (the local favourite among Arsenal fans). Do we want to find ourselves in such a situation?

So back Arsene while he's here. Don't put him under even more pressure. Judge him at the end of the season, when it's clear what we have achieved and where we have failed. But not earlier.

Back tomorrow (or on Wednesday) with a preview.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

West Brom preview: rinse, repeat

Good morning to you.

I suspect it'll be a short one today as I'm not feeling well. By which I mean that I'm ready to collapse any second. So no small talk, just the preview.

Injury update

The most depressing piece of news is Wilshere's injury. The Englishman has undergone a surgery on his left ankle after Pat McNair tore the ligaments of that ankle. As you can see here, the tackle was horrendous and I don't know why it went unpunished. As you might recall, Mike Dean didn't even whistle for a foul.

The surgery means Wilshere won't play for us till late February/early March and this really is a blow both for us and for him. Jack was starting to really deliver and now he's out. And the problem is not Wilshere's "brittle" ankles, as some might have you believe, but rather an atrocious tackle, which wasn't duly punished. 7amkickoff has written a good article on the subject, so check it out.

In other news, Szczesny and Walcott remain out, while Welbeck faces a late fitness test. However, I've seen both Danny and Theo practice, so we'll see, what part they play today.

Arteta and Sanogo have also joined the injured department, the former with a calf problem, the latter with a cramp. The Frenchman is not that big of a blow, Arteta definitely is, but the Spaniard is out for 2-3 weeks. Hope it's the normal 2-3 weeks, not our usual abyss where players may disappear for up to 3 months. With all that sorted out, let's try guessing the squad once more.

The back five

Emi Martinez should start and I have no problem with that. The Argentine was very solid against Anderlecht and Borussia, so him continuing in goal isn't a worry anymore.

The defense will be tampered with, I suspect. I assume that mostly because of Arsene saying the following:

"Laureant Koscielny is well. If I want him to start, he will start."

Good news. Though Arsene was also full of praise for Monreal...:

"I believe that the players who have played in different positions are doing remarkably well in that position - Monreal has had outstanding games at centre back"

...the sooner Kos is reinstated alongside Mertesacker, the better. Everyone else in the backline should remain the same.

The midfield

If players continue to drop like flies there, soon we'll be having problems. No Ozil, no Arteta and now no Wilshere is damaging enough, especially considering all three are probably starters when fit.

So we'll have to adapt. The manager has shown he trusts Flamini enough to even field the Frenchman ahead of Arteta on a couple of occasions, so I'm pretty certain we'll see Mathieu start today. I'm not over the moon with it, but it's the best option we have.

Ramsey, meanwhile, should also continue, with Cazorla completing the trio of our midfielders. I actually wouldn't object to seeing a Ramsey-Cazorla base with Rosicky under the striker, but Arsene will probably disagree.

The attack

Oxlade and Sanchez are sure to play from the first minutes, though the Chilean will definitely need a rest at some point. We play every three days for the next three weeks and AW will have to rotate and rest Alexis at some point, so as not to risk an injury to our star performer.

Up front it'll be Giroud, I think. Welbeck, just like Sanchez, needs a rest and Sanogo is out. Giroud, meanwhile, is fresh, not having featured in midweek and the Frenchman also has a very good record against mid- and low- table teams. For me, it's a no-brainer to start Olivier.

The verdict

We have (as always) quite a few injures, but we still possess a lot of quality players who can get the right result today. While Flamini for Arteta is a step backwards, Koscielny for Monreal and Giroud for Sanogo is two steps forward.

If we replicate our midweek performance, we should be fine. Let's hope we'll do exactly that, which will automatically enable all the fans to have a good weekend.

Come on you Gunners.

And I'll be back with a review tomorrow or on Monday.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

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)