Stoke 1-0 Arsenal: a classless loss

"I felt we had a good defensive performance and overall we are unlucky to lose this game. Offensively we didn't create enough and our offensive game was poor considering our standards. At the end of the day we didn't score because of that. We conceded a goal that was a nice gift from the referee but it can happen".

This is how Arsene Wenger described our performance and it's an accurate description.

Rarely had I felt this downhearted after a loss. The closest was when we went down to Napoli, failing to produce an attacking display of any kind. I get the circumstances: we needed only a draw. We didn't get it, though, which went on to demonstrate that it's dangerous for us to play for anything else than a win.

Maybe our recent loss to Liverpool was of the same kind (from what we've accomplished up front, I have to stress). As I've said, I turned that game off after they've scored a third, so I can't comment on our offensive display.

But Stoke? Really? They've remained a bunch of Orcs they were under Pulis. True, other top teams had their difficulties against Stoke this season, but for a team with title aspirations to not record a single shot on target in the entire second half is nothing short of failure.

Yes we've dominated possession, but were nonetheless as toothless as it gets. Wilshere was poor, Rosicky was poor, Podolski was poor, Cazorla was only marginally better. When your best player on the day happens to be a sub who got just twenty minutes under his belt, well that's telling.

Our only clear-cut chance came deep into stoppage time, but Sanogo could not even keep his effort on target. The Ox did most of the work, pulled the ball back for the Frenchman, but the latter sent his shot over. And, mind you, however raw and inexperienced Sanogo is, he's got to hit the target from this close.

Not that I blame solely him. He has only put a finishing touch on a miserable day, one that raises serious questions about our title aspirations and which most definitely leaves us in a hard spot. Everyone else had won (bar City, they played in the cup), so we're now four points behind Chelsea, level with Liverpool and two points clear off City, who have two games in hand.

Our performance was great, when it came to fending off Stoke attacks, but Szczesny still had to work harder than Begovic for his clean sheet, and was still robbed of it courtesy off a  controversial penalty in the end.

Was it a penalty? No. I have watched the game with the sound off and my first reaction was that Koscielny was brought down and the ref called the foul on Stoke. When he pointed to the spot I was like "What the hell?!" Replays showed the ball struck Koscielny's hand. And I mean "struck". It was as far from a deliberate handball as I've seen.

As it was, Walters converted the penalty and we found ourselves chasing the game. Ozil and the Ox came on and conjured up more than everyone else on the team before that. However, we didn't get anything out of the game.

What worries me most, is our limp attacking performance. We visited Britannia Stadium on the back of a resounding win, only one change was made (Gibbs for Monreal), the players were rested properly. If we can't deliver after that, can we deliver at all?

In the light of the fact, that this campaign draws to a close, we have little time for recuperation. One look at our fixture list says mistakes will prove costly. Our internationals going away on duty makes our task of winning all and sundry nigh on impossible.

Yes, Wenger is right in saying we tend to finish campaigns strongly. But this time around, we're fighting on three fronts. And I hope we still will do so come April.

Until later

Stoke preview: a decisive month ahead

Hello everyone.

Tomorrow we play Stoke away in what will be the first game among the slew of no less important ones.

I think this month will define our whole season. At this point, we're still in the FA Cup, among the teams that fight for the title and stand a chance (however slim) of progressing further in the Champions League. I genuinely hope this side has not come this far for nothing, but, ultimately, our success and failure will largely depend on how we play in March.

We have to play against the best and have to beat them in order to show we are among the best. If we start April still fighting on three fronts, we'll stand a very real chance of ending our trophy drought.

The manager seems to be thinking along the same lines, that's why our squad was given a few days off. In a week's time all the hell will break loose and Arsenal will need to be both physically and mentally up to the challenge.

I'm pretty sure everything is alright with our mentality (as Poldi here points out). On the other front we probably could have done better. Diaby and Walcott aside, as many as four our players may not feature against Stoke. Ramsey will remain sidelined for another two weeks (he himself hopes to return against Spurs), no update was given on Kallstrom (hope that's because he'll be available sooner rather than later), while both our left-backs will undergo late check-ups.

This may mean Vermaelen can be asked to play in his, arguably, weaker position, not to mention the Belgian has only just recovered from a knee injury himself. Not the best option possible.

However, everyone else got the green light, so I expect the team to deliver. There are plenty attacking options, all players have got a proper R&R, and I can't think of even one player who can be considered out of form. Some may lack practise, true, but it's not like they are way behind those who don't. We have, at the end of the day, a pretty large squad with no weak links. Anyone can start and you can be sure he'll be at his best. This is what proper competition for places does to the team.

A win tomorrow will do us world of good, as we face Everton eight days from now and playing the Toffees on the back of two wins will no doubt  put us in a strong position to win the third game in a row. So let's hope we get that win tomorrow.

In other news, Platini has called for rule change regarding triple punishment for a foul in the box. I've talked at length about how this particular rule left us with little chances to make it past Bayern, but let's not forget City has suffered exactly the same fate 24 hours prior to us. Platini says all FIFA and UEFA committees are against such harsh punishment, but it's still up to the International FA Board to decide whether this rule needs to be changed. From what I've heard, Blatter is against such change. We'll have to wait and see what happens, but it's a real shame it took two very high-profile failures inside one day for this matter to be brought up.

Not much else going on, so I'll leave it here. Here's for the all-important three points tomorrow and I wish you all a pleasant weekend.

Back Monday with a review. Until then

Tom to the rescue + Ozil thoughts

Since our game is on Saturday, things are quieter than usual. However, there's talk Tomas Rosicky will extend his contact sooner rather than later, so we have an opportunity to discuss just what the Czech brings to the team and why the manager is so keen to keep him.

In the immediate aftermath of our game against Sunderland, Tomas drew praise from Arsene, who likened the 33-year-old to Dennis Bergkamp. No small comparison, either, since Dennis just had his statue unveiled.

Wenger talked (however brief) of Tomas' qualities, highlighting the Czech's loyalty to the club as one of the rarest things in modern football. Our experienced midfielder has been pulling on the Arsenal shirt for almost eight years now (only Walcott and Sagna play longer) and, though I may be mistaken, Tomas has had the same wages for the duration of this period.

In one way, it's easy to keep him. Tomas doesn't want a shiny new salary, nor a long-term contract. But Wenger was right when he said Rosicky is an exception to the general rule. Tomas loves the Club and is prepared to stay with us whatever. I don't know, whether other clubs approached the Czech, but I get the feeling those clubs would have been turned down. I call it loyalty, others may apply other terms to Rosicky's stance.

However, it's not just his devotion that deserves praise. Though he is 33, Tomas is full of energy and drive. It's not a coincidence that our game against Sunderland is among the best, when it came to denying our opponents space and putting them under pressure. We've talked how Rosicky sets the right (frenetic) tempo to our game and it is more apparent when we're forced to play off the ball. He closes men in possession tirelessly and it had a direct influence at least twice. First, when he scored against Tottenham. Saturday was a second time. You can read more about the role Tomas played in our 4-1 win here. It's a quite brilliant piece of analysis.

Ozil doesn't do the same amount of work off the ball as the Czech. Or, at least, he doesn't do it often enough to make it count. He's an another type of player, one who prefers to split defences open with an inch-perfect pass. Mesut cuts a less noticeable figure on the pitch, yet his raw numbers are much better than that of Tomas. Sure, he plays more, but the point I'm trying to get across, is that different styles of play is normal and both players are equally important. Some, however, have already written Ozil off, which just goes to demonstrate how quickly people's opinion change.

Honestly, I don't understand the criticism aimed at the German international. For example, all this crap about him shying away from his defensive duties. Ozil does do them, but he's not a defender, for God's sake, he can't be as effective at tackling or intercepting the ball as our back four + defensive midfielders. And for those who think Ozil doesn't track runners, he's second in distance covered to only Flamini (in the Bayern game). Yes, Ozil is going through a bad patch of form, but we all know he's a world-class footballer. He'll find his game soon enough, I'm sure he will. All Mesut needs is support. If not from everyone, then definitely from Arsenal fans. We were all happy when Ozil was signed for a reason and if every time Mesut's form takes a dip we start calling him a shitty footballer, it would have been best if he hadn't signed at all. Give the man some support, he needs it as much as everyone else, even though he's our all-time record transfer.

Until later

Arsenal 4-1 Sunderland: a good ending to a difficult month

Our midweek result was put well and truly behind us yesterday as we have swept aside Sunderland at home to maintain pressure on Chelsea. Their late goal ensured they got the points, so it was vital for us to get a win.

Before the game, however, all eyes were turned to Dennis Bergkamp. Our legendary number ten flew to London to witness the unveiling of his statue and gave a short speech. He then stayed to watch the game and was not disappointed.

Arsene made a lot of changes to the side that went down to Bayern. Ozil, Gibbs, Flamini, Oxlade and Sanogo were all replaced, the former two didn't even make the squad because of an injury. I suspect Ozil has no injury and was just taken out of the firing line, but, whatever the reason, the German needs that break.

Arsenal started in splendid fashion, determined to show the strength of their character and managed to do just that. Five minutes into the game Arsenal were ahead.

Wilshere burst through the middle, drew four defenders to himself and laid the ball off for Giroud. The Frenchman grabbed his chance and sent the ball into the bottom corner. His celebration was tame somewhat, I suspect this is down to him feeling he's let the manager down.

We didn't back off, though and continued to pass the ball around in our opponents' half. This led to a good shot from Podolski (outside the box), which was saved by our old friend Mannone. However, our relentless pressing lead to a second goal soon enough.

In the 32nd minute Sunderland was forced to play the ball back to their keeper, who found Vergini on the right. After a short interchange with some bloke, he was forced by Rosicky and Podolski to play it back again, but mistimed his pass. Giroud made this count and sent the ball into the net to double our lead.

Eleven minutes later we were 3-0 up. An interchange between Wilshere, Cazorla, Giroud and Rosicky sent the latter one-on-one and the Czech dinked the ball over Mannone. This goal reminded me heavily of Wilshere's goal against Norwich. The same dazzling speed, the same quick thinking and movement. A great goal, a contender for the best goal of the season, no doubt.

The ref blew for half-time three minutes later. In 45 minutes Sunderland had only one half-decent chance and enjoyed just 25% of possession.

In the second half, Arsenal lowered the tempo and basically surrendered the ball for the first ten minutes. Whether it were the effects of playing a second game in three days, the fact that they've won the game or just some good play from Sunderland, it's hard to tell. Whatever it is, the Black Cats seized the initiative and had two very respectable chances in the opening minutes of the second half. Szczesny made two brilliant saves, but everyone inside the stadium sensed a goal coming.

It did, but at the other end of the pitch. We burst into a counterattack, Sagna crossed the ball and Vergini made a sloppy clearance. Santi sent in a cross, Koscielny escaped his marker and planted a firm header into the bottom corner to make it 4-0.

If there were any questions before this goal, they evaporated. Arsenal had done their job, Sunderland had an eye on the League Cup final, so the remainder of the game was pretty boring. Gnabry (who replaced Rosicky) could have scored another, but lingered too long and his shot was easily blocked by Manonne.

However, Sunderland managed to grab their consolation goal, thus leaving us without a clean sheet. After Giroud fouled some bloke on the wing and some other bloke crossed the ball, Szczesny punched the it away and it fell to Giaccerinni. The Italian smashed home a beautiful low shot from about 30 yards. I was actually amazed no one got in the way, since our box resembled my local underground station at 8 a.m., but you have to give credit to Giaccerinni. It was a beautiful shot. The game finished 4-1.

After the game, Arsene hailed his team's spirit:

"We had a very demanding week physically and mentally and we gave the right response today. We did the job in the first half and we scored two great ‘Arsenal’ goals; one of them scored by Giroud, the other by Rosicky".

He also spoke about Giroud's display:

"I had no hesitation about his strength of character. Of course you want him to come back into the team and be successful, which he was today because he scored two goals. One great one at the end of great movement and the other a little bit of a gift from Sunderland. He got an assist as well, so he did well".

For me, the Frenchman showed just how important he is to our current set-up once again. Bendtner may be a decent  replacement, Sanogo has shown promise, but Giroud demonstrated he can, more often than not, make his presence count. With Rosicky, Wilshere, Cazorla and even Podolski to make runs off the Frenchman, our attacks looked dangerous every time, despite Sunderland playing some very good defensive football. Giroud may have his shortcomings, but right now he has to be number one choice, family problems or not.

Another thing, that will no doubt worry the manager, is our makeshift defence in the latter stages. We finished the game with Jenks on the right, Sagna in the centre and Flamini on the left. Monreal was taken off at half-time, Koscielny left the pitch twenty minutes from the final whistle and Gibbs and Vermaelen are still not back. Wenger said both Kos and Monreal only carry knocks and should be fine for the next game (against Stoke), but the situation is flimsy to say the least.

Another casualty was Jack Wilshere. The Englishman has pulled a muscle in the closing stages, but was forced to continue as we've run out of subs. Wenger was less optimistic on Jack but, hopefully, he too makes the squad this weekend.

So, a great win, and an even better performance is just what we needed to rebuild confidence ahead of a tough run of fixtures. It's even more important as City, Chelsea and Liverpool have all scraped a win. Let's win our next two games and see what we can make of our trip to Munich.

At this stage, I'm positive Bayern will have a hard time making it to the last eight.

Sunderland preview: only one response

 Hi everyone.

Tomorrow Premier League action returns and we face Sunderland in a very important (psychologically) game.

Sunderland had an atrocious start of the season, but had gone a long way since Poyet became their manager. The Black Cats now sit 18th in the table and their battle to avoid relegation is no longer seems a lost one. Moreover, Sunderland is still fighting in both the FA Cup and the League Cup and have progressed to the finals in the latter. It's obvious they are a dangerous side and Arsenal will have to work hard to best them again.

The news is, Gibbs and Vermaelen are definitely out for this game, but we welcome Arteta back, while the Ox had, most likely, avoided an injury that may prevent him from playing. If luck is on our side (which it almost always isn't), we may even see Kallstrom involved.

Whatever squad plays, the manager had hinted rotation will take place and Sanogo, Ozil and Sagna top my list to make the bench.

This trio has played almost every minute against Liverpool and Bayern and looked dead on their feet in the last stages of our midweek clash.

On top of physical exhaustion, Ozil also needs a mental break, if I may. He's been criticised by all and sundry for his penalty miss and a couple of crappy performances, so taking him out of the firing line is a good idea.

I expect Giroud and Podolski to replace Sanogo and Ozil respectively, while Arteta can come back at Oxlade-Chamberlain's expense. Injury or no injury, he's played a lot and risking the Ox is stupid. Better let Wilshere play on the flank.

Apart from that, the manager has touched on how Arsenal can produce a stunning response against the Bavarian giants and I think he's not just being arrogant or disrespectful.

As you probably remember, Arsenal had a flying start on Wednesday night and Bayern found themselves on the ropes, as we cut open their defence time and again. Had Ozil scored the spot-kick, I bet we would have won the game, perhaps by a good margin.

Producing such a start in Munich may lead to a goal we need to get back into the tie and the game would be an open one after that. Bayern won't dare go into an all-out-attack mode out of fear of getting caught on the counter, while Arsenal goes to Germany with nothing to lose and everything to win and will no doubt play without any pressure. Of course, should Bayern score first, we are are out of the tie, but, thankfully, we have a blueprint of how to play, courtesy of last year.

What is even more important is that today's Arsenal is completely different to the team we've seen last year at this stage. I view our loss in the first game as a freak occurrence, or, to be more precise, a game ruined by poor refereeing. I've watched the episode with the penalty once again and my opinion remains the same. It was a dive from Robben after he realised he's lost control of the ball, pure and simple, and the ref bought it. It's sad really. It was a  beautiful game, a game of two sides and after the suspension only one team was in it.

I really think the rules ought to change. Let alone that the punishment for such a foul is absurdly harsh, the fact, that the ref was basically tricked into making an unfair decision is outrageous. It's nothing new, footballers do this all the time, but that's exactly what I'm talking about. Video replays need to be put in place to prevent refs from making game-defining decisions. The reality is, the quality of refereeing is probably better than it was, say, forty years ago, but now the whole world sees when the ref makes a mistake. Match officials are not to blame for making mistakes, the system is. Actually, I more often than not sit in quiet awe when, for example, the linesman spots an offside we struggle to see with all the replays. No, referees are all right, they just don't receive enough help to become impeccable.

Right, I'll leave it at this, back Monday for a review. Have a good weekend