Borussia review: all good things come to an end

It's been twelve games and over two months since I've last written about a loss and I'd be happy not to write about in for another two months. This time, however, the situation is markedly different from that Villa game. There is, in my opinion, nothing shameful about losing a game to a team which is as good as yours in a match as tight as this one. But first things first.

Arsene Wenger, fresh from celebrations, made two changes to the side, that demolished Norwich on Saturday. Ramsey started in place of injured Flamini and Rosicky was deployed in a wide position, substituting Cazorla, so the Spaniard could be eased into action cautiously, following his injury.

Ramsey`s and Rosicky`s restless energy did little to influence how the game unfolded, however. From the first minutes Arsenal didn't have much of the ball, chasing ghosts all over the pitch, while Borussia was knocking the ball about. The Germans had a lion's share of possession, but were unable to come up with anything, other than shots from distance, both before and after the 16th minute.

The 16th minute brought a goal which was logical and illogical at the same time. Logical, because Borussia looked the better side. Illogical, cause they had nothing to show for it.

Ramsey tried to dribble his way out of trouble at the edge of the box, lost the ball, Lewandowski laid it off for Mkhitarian who put it beyond Szczesny with a low shot.

This seemed to finally shake the Gunners out of their apathy, though, like Borussia before, we couldn't do anything with the ball we had. We were mounting the pressure and the warning signs for the Germans were there, when Rosicky`s volleyd strike was cleared off the line by Hummels. However, when the goal came, it did so with a touch of good fortune.

The move started in our half. Mertesacker robbed someone of possession, played the ball to Ramsey and the Welshman fed Sagna on the right. The Frenchman crossed the ball, Weidenfeller and Hummels weren't sure, who should claim it, so neither did. Giroud squeezed his way through them and smashed the ball into the net from several feet. 1-1.

In the second half, Arsenal kicked into high gear right from the start (presumably having got a kick up the arse from the manager), but were again unable to create moments of real danger. Borussia were on the back foot, defending deep and snuffing out all the problems. Whilshere came closest to scoring when Rosicky`s lob, meant for the Englishman, was claimed by Weidenfeller. Jack sustained a knock to his ankle in this episode and was soon replaced by Cazorla. After the game, Whilshere said the knock was nothing serious, Arsene`s assessment was a bit more cautious, so it's unclear, whether Jack will have a part to play against Crystal Palace. Given the slew of important games coming our way, I won't be surprised, if he's rested.

Cazorla changed the dynamic of the game, but also came up short, when it came to creating goal threats. He did, however, had the best moment of the half.

Ozil ripped through the right flank, cut the ball back for the Spaniard, but Santi`s first-time shot hit the outside of the crosshair.

After that we continued to pile up the pressure, but to no avail. With eight minutes to go, we paid the price for monetarily switching off defensive-wise.

Grosskreutz teared down our left flank and sent in a low cross to the far post, where Lewandowski had all the space and time in the world to volley the ball home.

And that was it. It was obvious, this was the blow, Arsenal wouldn't recover from. We gave too much, both physically and mentally, to find the winner in the second forty-five minutes, that eventually conceding was the last straw. Wenger threw Bendtner and Gnabry on in the latter stages, but Borussia`s expert time-wasting ensured they left London with all three points.

This is what the manager had to say after the game:

« It was a game of high intensity but very few chances. Dortmund were well organised to stop us from playing, and I must say as well that we were not as good as we can be offensively. Some of our players were not as fresh as they were recently. But we put ourselves on the back foot with the first goal and naive for the second goal. If you look at the number of saves our keeper had to make tonight and you concede two goals, you can say that we can only look at ourselves for not being mature enough in situations like that. If you cannot win the game, you don't lose it. Especially in the second half when we were on top, we made things difficult for ourselves by giving them the second goal».

That pretty much sums it up. It's disappointing to lose a game in such a fashion, but better Borussia, than, erm, Blackburn.

So, what happens now? In terms of qualification, our result, combined with that of Napoli`s, throws the group wide open. Three teams have six points, so anything can happen. Our situation is not ideal, but it's also far from precarious. We now have to get an away result, but I recall a certain German team, that has suffered at our hands on their turf. Don't see, why we can't repeat this feat.

Until later

Borussia preview: make Arsene happy

Morning everyone.

Borussia game is looming large and I don't think we could go into this encounter in a better shape.

We have found our feet after the break with a brilliant display on Saturday, got a couple of players back from injury and, frankly, seem unstoppable at the moment. Ozil and Flamini bedded in (Did they really? It seems, they always were here), we play the kind of attacking football, that is a joy to watch, and the level of understanding between the players is unprecedented. We are also delivering on a consistent basis, something that was the case some nine years ago. Right now, it's like like good old days are back.

Today's game will no doubt be a (yet another) stern test, but for the first time in years, I'm looking forward to this kind of game. We have all the chances to snatch the three points today. If we perform to our usual standard, we do seem unstoppable, as the manager has rightly pointed out.

There are a few worries, and these are about our absentees. Flamini is out running and stuff, but his concussion means he's not available today. Arsene doesn't want to take risks, which is sensible, given how many games we'll have to play in the upcoming weeks, and thus, will need every single player.

Another one missing out on today's fun is Theo Walcott. The Englishman wasn't expected to be back in time for the game, but his recent setback in training means he'll be out till November. The next bit of competitive football he'll get will probably be on November 10th, when we visit Man Utd. In for a glorious comeback, isn't he?

Apart from Flamini, no one from Saturday's game will have to watch the game from the stands, so we still have players aplenty to hurt Borussia.

Ramsey should once again regain his place alongside Arteta after a brief respite against the Canaries. It's perhaps a bit more risky defensive set-up, but the difference may not even be noticeable. Besides, Ramsey is still in great form, so this duo looks more exciting to me, than the Artera-Flamini partnership.

All going well, we will be looking at three points today. Jurgen Klopp`s side are no pushovers, but such is our confidence, that anything less, than a win, will be a disappointment. So come on you reds. Make our now a-little-bit-older man happy.

In other news, the Dutch Skunk had apparently spoken to goal.com, expressing his dissatisfaction at Moyes` training methods and going on to say he'd be glad to return to Arsenal, cause there are many good memories here. The cunt. His hypocrisy seem to have no limits, pushing him to find better places, once the ones, he's in, lose their appeal.

If this is true (and no words can express my emotions at this point), Wenger will have a unique opportunity to show van Persie the bird he deserves. Oh, how much I'd give to see it with my own eyes.

I'll leave it at that. Back tomorrow for a usual review.

Until then

Norwich review: a thing of beauty

I intended to write a full review as always, but Saturday's game was so packed with events, that I decided to concentrate on only some points, as well as individual performances. You can read the full review here, if you like.

The obvious place to start is, of course, the quality of our goals. The first one was particularly gorgeous, something the manager himself admitted during the press conference. The goal encapsulated the philosophy Arsene always tried to implement, whatever were the players at his disposal. The combination leading up to the goal was Arsenal at its best. The quick counter-attack, which started deep in our half, resulted in a beautiful exchange around the box. Whilshere played a one-two first with Cazorla and then with Giroud, returned the Frenchman`s pass with his heel and continued his run into the box. Giroud flicked the return pass and Whilshere sent the ball home on the volley before Norwich defenders even knew what hit them. There were calls for offside, but none was given.

Then we suffered a setback, which luckily didn't result in a conceded goal, though we may consider ourselves lucky on that front. Norwich were in control for approximately thirty minutes (from 30th to 60th), forcing Szczesny in a number of great saves. The one that comes to mind, is La Fer`s low shot from distance, which the Pole parried quite brilliantly.

The major (probably, only) factor in our temporary downfall was a forced substitute in the 37th minute. Flamini clashed heads with some bloke I can't bother looking up, and had to be taken off, after our medical stuff concluded the Frenchman had double vision. Word is, this injury can keep Mathieu out off action for a couple off games, although I suspect it'll be a shorter absence. He will definitely miss the Borussia game, though.

Ramsey came on as a substitute and looked much better in his natural position. He delivered some moments of true magic, though more on that later.

The dynamic of the game was broken and we couldn't find out rhythm until well into the second half.

Around the hour mark we scored, much against the run of play. We delivered one of those explosive counter-attacks, Giroud held up the play, saw Ozil`s run and crossed the ball perfectly. Ozil finished the move with a header to make it the first headed goal in his career. Good for him.

Norwich pulled one back soon, unfortunately. Some bloke or the other swung the ball in from the left, Mertesacker mis-hit the ball and it fell to Howson. The latter chested it down and fired a low shot, which went in at the near post.

This seemed to infuriate Arsenal and, after Cazorla (who was handed a surprise start) went off to be replaced by Rosicky, we went forward. Ruddy pulled off a number of good saves but we seemed unable to break the deadlock until Bendter came on for Giroud.

In the 83rd minute, however, we scored again. Ramsey exchanged passes with Whilshere on the edge of the box, then took out two defenders with a feint shot, cut another one back and put his low shot past a helpless Ruddy.

We didn't back off after that, though. Five minutes later Bendtner picked the ball up on the left, laid it off for Rosicky, who crossed it towards Ramsey. The Welshman`s sublime touch found Ozil, who had the goal at his mercy. 4-1.

Even that didn't slow us down. We produced attack after attack till the final whistle, with Ozil being denied his hat-trick twice. Even Bendnter had a chance to score, only to be denied by Ruddy.

After the match, Arsene has hailed both the first goal (naming it the best in Arsenal`s history, and not without reason) and the quality of both ours and our opponents` performance by saying:

«We won 4-1 and their keeper had a good game. But I think as well that Norwich played well, so it is strange. They made it difficult for us. We had a difficult period between 30 and 60 minutes where we struggled a little bit to keep our game going. I would come out of the game thinking Norwich is a good team».

He didn't single out anyone and I think he was right. To me, it was an accomplished performance from the whole team, a great collective effort. Szczesny is the only one I feel sorry for. He had another good game, dealt with everything thrown his way, but was once again denied the clean sheet.

Individual performances aside, I also really liked the way we responded to conceding. We didn't try to clinch to a one-goal lead, didn't panic in the defense and just kept going as if nothing has happened. We truly seem to be high on belief, so let's see, what shape this belief takes come tomorrow.

Until then

Norwich preview: all set

Morning everyone.

Today Norwich comes to the Emirates and I think it's a game we should, in our current condition, take three points from.

It remains to be seen, whether we are as good as were before the break, however. These Interlulls work both ways. Last year's, for example, came at a crucial time. We had a bad start (seven points in seven games, I think) and it was absolutely necessary to break this vicious circle. The players cane back refreshed (at least, mentally) and we set out to do what needed to be done.

This time around, international matches interrupted a fine run of games. We clearly were (hopefully, still are) at our best back then. There may still be something to cheer about, though. The last game before the break (against West Bromwich) showed our energy reserves were running low. To me it almost looked like the players were forcing themselves to play, let alone play good. They seemed physically drained, and I, for one, was glad we got a point. Our resilience, the strength of our character, our pride or whatever else kicked into full gear in the second half, almost to the extent, when we could have won the game. Almost. So, on second thought, a break from club football may not have been that useless after all.

As there are no new injures (bar the one I'll cover later) and even some players making their respective comebacks, we have a packed squad. The flank problem remains (Walcott, the first one back, is expected to join the action in two weeks), but Rosicky and Cazorla are back, meaning we still have options out wide. And let's not forget about Gnabry. He is young, true, but after the promise he showed, it's not unreasonable to view him as a genuine option. We shall see.

Apart from Rosicky and Cazorla, we also have Sagna back. He's still not quite ready for today, but he should be for our Tuesday's clash. Jenks can fill in,  meanwhile, and in him we have a quite brilliant deputy. His last game wasn't that good, but it looked like a one-off event. See Spurs game, if you're not convinced.

Ozil should also be alright, despite earlier rumours to the contrary. A knock he received to his knee in a game against Sweden turned out to be just that, a knock. So I expect him to start today.

I don't think we'll see a much changed squad from our last outing. Cazorla isn't yet ready for a start, so maybe a second half cameo for him today. We may, however, see Rosicky or Gnabry (or both) start out wide, and that leaves Arsene with a decision, concerning our midfield duo, to make. In this case, an Arteta-Ramsey pair looks the best one to me. Flaming is more defense-oriented, which might just disrupt the fluidity of our performance. He is the fresher one, however, while Ramsey played two full games for Wales. The way I see it, the manager will probably play Rosicky instead of Whilshere, and both After a and Flamini in the middle of the park.

Whatever Arsene thoughts are on the squad, it's nice to have options. Some real competition won't hurt anyone, let alone the team as a whole, so we finally have some pleasant choices to make, as to who starts, and not just pick the ones, that are available. Here's for the three points today. Come on Arsenal.

And a few words about Diaby. He was expected to be back in December, but has recently suffered a setback. Another surgery took place and now he'll be out till March. It's hard not to feel sorry for the guy on a purely human level. About is a decent chap, hardworking and honest. He really wants to play football at Arsenal, but his injures will most likely prevent him from doing so. Maybe we are looking at a premature end to his professional career not only at Arsenal. Which is very sad. The manager took steps over the years to ensure Diaby`s absence won't be missed, but it's still hard not to empathise with the Frenchman. All the luck to him.

I'll leave it at that. Back later with a review.

Interlull over. For now

Turned out I was wrong about this Interlull being the last this season, cause I completely forgot about the play-off matches. In a month another round of international games is due, which will give the players something of a breather. In the following three weeks Arsenal will play seven games across three different competitions and only Norwich this Saturday looks manageable. Sure, we're clearly on a good run (let's hope the internationals haven't disrupted it), but playing Borussia twice, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool is a hell of a tough schedule. It will also show, what we're really worth this season, so we should be fully switched on, each and every player should.

Speaking of players, nothing short of a miracle happened during this Interlull. Though there were troubling reports of Ozil (and earlier, Koscielny) having sustained injures, both seem to be fine. Apart from these no-worries, no one is coming back sporting a knock of some kind. Even better, Cazorla, Walcott and Sagna all seem ready to join the action, with Podolski not far away. Truth be told, I'm dying to see Cazorla and Ozil in the same squad, but it probably won't happen this weekend. After most of players have put in quite a shift playing for their national sides, I think some rotation it's inevitable.

Either way, it's good to have some options on the bench and, should the aforementioned trio make their return in time for the Norwich encounter, we'll have a couple of players on the bench, who can make a difference.

When everyone is fit (unlikely, especially at Arsenal, but still) we have a big and, what's more important, competitive squad. Every single player will give no less than a hundred percent in every game, partly because there's not a Gervinho waiting in the wings but, say a Whilshere.

That's all for today, back tomorrow with squad updates and other bits and pieces that'll pop up.

Until then