Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal: Jack in the box

It was a strange game I witnessed yesterday. Up until 75th minute, only one team was in it. Then Benteke scored and the dynamic of the match changed completely. We held on stoically, giving away only one chance in the last twenty minutes while Villa piled up the pressure and got our reward in the end.

Arsene made three changes to the side that has beaten Tottenham nine days ago: Flamini for Arteta, Ozil for Rosicky and Giroud for Walcott. The last two were pretty straightforward, but I was surprised not to see Arteta anywhere near the squad. He is our de-facto captain after all, so it's strange to leave him out just because it's an away game against a weaker opposition. He wasn't mentioned during the press-conference, so I assume the Spaniard is all right, but I still fear the worst. After this game, Arteta's injury is the last thing we need.

Arsenal started brightly enough and could have gone ahead very quickly had Giroud hit the target with his header. He missed (not from the best of positions, I must add) and we continued our quest for goals.

Though Arsenal seemed completely in control of the proceedings, Villa managed to conjure up two decent chances, first when Delph sent his shot wide, following a bad pass from Wilshere, then when Al Ahmadi fired over. The game returned to it's normal course after that.

This course saw us take the lead and then double it inside 60 seconds. On 34th minute a beautiful pass from Ozil split Villa's defence open down the left, Nacho cut the pass back for Wilshere and the Englishman's effort found the bottom corner.

Jack turned provider almost immediately. He robbed some bloke of possesion in the final third and sent a lofted through ball towards Giroud. The Frenchman controlled the pass well before smashing his shot past Guzan. It was a really neat passage of play from Olivier, but the pass leading up to it should also not be forgotten.

The second half turned out to be a most tedious affair in the beginning. Arsenal attacked half-heartedly, Villa tried to catch us on the break, only for their final pass to prevent them from doing so. Then, in the 75th minute, something that you don't get to see too often, happened, namely, Cazorla was dispossessed in the defensive half. Lowton then sent in a perfect cross, which missed everyone but Benteke at the far post. The Belgian scored his first goal in, like, a bazillion years.

Now, I may be wrong here, but it's not the first time I notice how weaker opposition, which plays like crap for the whole season, steps it up against Arsenal. Maybe playing big teams mobilises such teams, but I sure don't like it. Maybe we are seeing once again, how Arsenal never do things the easy way, but listening to how Villa, which only has one home win in the entire campaign, nearly takes two points away from possible champions is a bit disheartening.

Luckily, Arsenal held on for the remainder of the match. Benteke still has another half-chance, but his shot was straight at Szczesny. The game was, however, blighted by several nasty injures.

Apart from the first-time injury to Baker, which  saw him stretched off the pitch in an unconscious state, Arsenal have very likely lost Monreal and Rosicky and I pray that we haven't lost them for long. Monreal got kicked during his great run after Villa's goal and had to be replaced by Gibbs (who himself has only just recovered) and then that disgusting Agbonlahor bloke elbowed Rosicky. The Czech looked like he had his nose broken and was also substituted, only minutes after coming on. The manager said, he doesn't know, how severe these injures are, so let's hope for the better.

Apart from the usual talk from Arsene about two different sides to this Arsenal, erm, side and the aforementioned injures, the boss has also touched upon Jack Wilshere's match-winning performance:

"He has found his change of pace back, his game about that and his penetration because he's not only a passer but he's guy who is incisive with the ball. It's his strengths so from that you need to be at the top of your game physically".

So, Jack is back. Which is really good to hear. Now let's hope he'll be joined by Ramsey, Vermaelen, Monreal and Rosicky, though in a much more straightforward sense of the word.

Fulham is up next. Until then, enjoy the good win and a deserved place at the top

Aston Villa preview: got to be up for it

Morning everyone.

Today we play Villa away from home and should be looking to pick up the three points.

The thing Arsenal excels at this season is getting the right results against lesser opposition. We have dropped only a couple of points against such teams and this achievement catapulted us to the top.
We didn't take anyone lightly and anything for granted and showed up fully motivated for every game. Because of this attitude we have been able to succeed thus far. And we should continue in this vein, because we know all too well how every team in the league can punish mistakes and lack of concentration.

We go into this game with a relatively clean bill of health. Sure, Walcott is out for long and Bendtner is, like, three weeks away, but everyone else has a chance of at least making the bench. There are doubts over Vermaelen, Gibbs and Ramsey, but they definitely are on the fringes and, in worst-case scenario, are only a couple of days away.

Even without them, we can put out a strong squad. I think we should try and play as competitive a side as possible, given we'll have five days after the game to recuperate.

Should Ramsey and Gibbs make it, I assume they will only be used from the bench. Oxlade-Chamberlaine  is another player unlikely to start, so we'll probably see Gnabry or Rosicky on the right and Cazorla on the left. Wilshere will be, most likely, deployed alongside Arteta, seeing as Villa isn't much of a threat in the middle of the park.

Who will play on the right is the most interesting thing for me. The experienced Czech, who had a brilliant game or an exciting new talent, who had an even better game? We'll see.

It's good to know that, regardless of who starts, we'll have a strong bench. Should the aforementioned trio be given a green light, someone won't make the squad. Gnabry seems the weakest link, but he's also one of the few natural wingers we have and is clearly on top of his game right now. Another puzzle for the manager to solve and it's a puzzle of a pleasant kind.

In other words, we have more than enough to win the game and should do exactly that. With Chelsea and City winning their respective games we now sit third and have to get three points to return to the summit.

Which, I sincerely hope, we can accomplish without too much trouble.

Till tomorrow

Injury update + Arsene talks transfers and Rosicky

Evening everyone.

Our next Premier League game is still a couple of days away, but there are bits and pieces to keep us going for now.

First of all, Arsene updated us on the squad condition and it looks like we are going to be better off, than expected. Giroud and Ozil are completely fit and I expect both of them to start. Oxlade-Chamberlain is also back in contention, but, even though he played forty-five minutes with the reserve team, it's still early days for him. It's going to take some time to get back into the swing of things and he's definitely not ready to fill Theo's shoes right now.

His style of play is a bit different, he's not a finisher like Theo (at least, not yet), so it's interesting to see, what role Arsene holds for the Ox.

Whatever it is, we need to somehow step it up in terms of goals, seeing as Theo was one of our goalscoring threats (in fact, I think only Bendtner (!) has currently scored more than Walcott at Arsenal). I've seen a rather interesting suggestion of how we can solve this problem without the need to revert to external solutions.

With Walcott, our set-up was simple: on one flank we had a skilled midfielder, who drifted infield to create an overload (usually, Cazorla), on the other we had a finisher, who found space behind the defenders (Theo). Now we can keep this scheme by introducing Podolski on the left and shifting Cazorla to the right flank. The Spaniard will then be able to switch places with Ozil, while Podolski will become a genuine goal threat by making runs behind defenders' backs.

Of course, there's one flaw to this set-up right now: Podolski is our only remaining alternative to Giroud (at least, for the duration of Bendtner's injury, which should be around three weeks), thus starting both the Frenchman and the German is a bit of a gamble.

I somehow don't think we'll revert to a scheme we used earlier this season when Walcott was out, namely, playing two creative midfielders on the flanks. With Oxlade and Gnabry it will be a bit strange if we do. Both are more natural wingers, than anyone else on the team (except, maybe, Podolski), so keeping both of them on the bench will look odd. At the same time, both may not be ready to deliver on a consistent basis, due to their relative inexperience. All in all, an interesting problem for the manager to wrap his head around.

And he may do so by finding an external solution. In his interview to Goal.com, Arsene stated, that losing Walcott accelerated his desire to sign cover, as Arsenal have lost a goalscorer, first and foremost, so he'll try and find a replacement in that department. I would not rule out a winger, but, then again, I won't be surprised, if we sign nobody this January.

In other news, Wenger has revealed, that Rosicky is likely to re-sign his contract and I think it's a right decision. The Czech has been really good this season, showing he still has a lot to contribute on numerous occasions, so fair play to Thomas. I would be as happy as him, should he finish his career at Arsenal. Even more, if he does so by becoming a part of a team that finally ends this trophy drought.

Apart from that, not much else going on. As I have another exam coming up, I'll only be back on Monday with the usual preview of the game.

Until then

Walcott knackered + FA Cup draw

Hello everyone. It's been some time, but, unfortunately, exams are coming up and I have had little free time.

Results of Walcott's scan have emerged yesterday morning and, frankly, I was shocked. Theo has torn his anterior cruciate knee ligament and will spend six months out of the game. This means he won't be able to help neither Arsenal for the rest of the season, nor England during the World Cup.

It's a real shame, because Theo has been in great form lately, scoring five league inside a month. He has also shown he can be a capable central striker against teams with certain style of play.

It must also have been a shock for the Englishman himself, because he didn't look all that bad, when leaving the pitch on a stretcher. Quite the opposite, his behavior suggested he was in a very good mood and his gesture to the away fans have already become iconic.

Now we'll have to make do without Theo. There's talk already, that Wenger has instructed his scouts to search far and wide for an attacking player. I don't know, how much we can trust these reports, but with Walcott and Bendtner out they look logical. We are definitely short up front, with Podolski being the only person, apart from Giroud, who can play the lone striker role. And mind you, he may not be the best solution. His display against Cardiff was bleak, though I still hope it's down to him spending four months on the sidelines, rather than being a poor striker.

Luckily, we'll have players to fill the gap on the right-hand side. That's not to say Theo won't be missed, far from it, but I think we'll manage to cope. Gnabry revealed himself to be a genuine option with a wonderful display, while the Ox is also close to full fitness. He's started training with the main group, I gather, so he should be available for a clash against Villa.

In other news, a draw of the 4th round of the FA Cup has taken place and Arsenal will face Coventry. We've put six past them last season, so I don't think we'll have any difficulties progressing. It will also provide the manager with a chance to rotate the squad during a busy schedule. A good trade-off for playing Spurs this early in the Cup, in my opinion.

The interesting part, though, came a bit later. Our match will be held on Friday's evening, on the 24th January. It's the first time in my memory such a thing happens. This illustrates once more, that fans are just an afterthought, when arranging such events.

The broadcasting companies made it so, because it's more profitable for them this way. How about stretching a round for four days? And the fact, that many fans in England won't be able to get to the stadium in time after a full day's work worries no one.

It's not in England we live in, but I'm a bit disheartened, when I see a half-empty stadium. The atmosphere changes, the fans aren't able to support their side in a more effective way. And the fact, we'll have to wait for a kick-off after a day's work cannot also be dismissed.

It's something we'll have to put up with, though.

Until later

Arsenal 2-0 Tottenham: great job

When I saw the line-ups for this game, I was baffled. The manager promised the strongest side possible and instead we saw Mertesacker, Ozil and Podolski benched, while Gnabry and Fabianski got their first start in 4 and 9 months respectively. Vermaelen also returned to the side (at the expense of Mertesacker) which, I feared, could come back to haunt us, since Spurs got an advantage in the air. What happened over the ninety minutes that followed showed me once again, that the manager often possesses the information we don't.

The first chance of the game fell to the visitors. Eriksen stormed into the box after a lucky rebound, but was denied by Fabianski at the near post.

Arsenal responded with a flurry of chances, Walcott being our star performer as a lone striker. He first fired a shot from outside the penalty box which Lloris got down to well and then curled another effort just wide. Gnabry also had a great moment, but his shot flew inches over the bar.

Eriksen had another pop at goal, this time from a freekick, but by then Arsenal seemed in control of the situation. Cazorla swirled his effort just wide, before Walcott failed to convert his chance from a one-on-one.

We have finally broken that deadlock in the 32nd minute. Gnabry received the ball on the flank, drove forward, gathered two defenders around him and then laid the ball off for Cazorla. Cazorla, completely alone, smashed home his first-time effort with his left.

We had another moment in the dying seconds of the first half, following a freekick, but Sagna could get a proper foot to the ball.

During the break, Mertesacker replaced Vermaelen. At the time I thought the manager didn't want to take any chances with the Belgian, as he was on one yellow already. It turned out, the substitute was a forced one, as our skipper sustained a knee injury.

Tottenham piled men forward, but failed to make it pay. Or, rather, Arsenal didn't let Spurs do anything dangerous. The only moment they had was when Adebayor (who was whistled at by the home fans constantly) miskicked the ball in the box with Mertesacker stranded.

By the 60th minute Arsenal was done playing cat-and-mouse with Spurs. The warning signs were there for Tottenham, when Gnabry fed Walcott, who rounded off Lloris, but missed from a very tight angle.

Two minutes later the goal came. Rosicky robbed Rose of possession on the halfway line, ran half the pitch with the ball under his complete control, and just when it seemed that either Lloris or Walker would take the ball away, Rosicky dinked his effort over the goalkeeper. It was one of these moments when a high line of pressure paid off and I'm glad Rosicky was the one ripping the benefits.

Again, Tottenham needed to conjure up a response, but were as ineffective as earlier. Arsene took off Wilshere and Arteta to give them some rest and put Ozil and Flamini on. We nearly scored a third shortly afterwards, but Walcott's curled effort went just wide. He probably could have passed the ball on (to Cazorla, I think), but the Englishman was desperate to get a goal he thoroughly deserved.

He wasn't meant to, however. With seven minutes to go, Theo was stretched off the pitch, having caught his studs in the turf and sustaining a knee injury as a result. He left the pitch with fans chanting his name and throwing scarves to him. It was quite funny to watch him piss off Spurs fans in the process. Hope he gets well soon.

As Arsene had used up all of his substitutes by then, we were down to ten men. Spurs, hilariously, conjured up nothing with Arsenal fans singing "We only have ten men" all over the stadium and Ozil nearly stole a third in stoppage time, but his low effort was well saved.

Afterwards, Arsene said:

"The game was played at a good pace and I think we controlled quite well both sides of it: the defensive and the offensive. We always looked to have a good discipline and to be tight at the back. Every time, when our game is based on movement and quick, sharp passing, we looked dangerous".

And on Gnabry:

"I'm a strong believer in Serge, because I integrated him at the start of last season, but let's not make superstars with one game. The top level is about consistency but I believe the ingredients are there. He has to show he can turn up with these performances in every game".

All in all, it was a very good game. A lot of changes were introduced, but they didn't disrupt the fluency, while some of them were just brilliant and people will be wondering, why Gnabry wasn't involved more during the season. Something, I hope, the manager will rectify.

Now we play Aston Villa away, but it won't be until 13th January. We can now have a bit of R&R we deserve.

Until later