Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace: a victory hard-fought, but thoroughly deserved

Evening everyone.

First off, I have to apologise: two days ago I stated that Pulis is the current manager of Crystal Palace, but I was wrong and only found out about it yesterday. Keith Millen is now in charge of the proceedings, while Tony Pulis left the club on August 14th. I don't have the faintest idea why the manager of the season left the Eagles so abruptly and without an obvious cause, but I don't really care. I never liked Pulis as a person and I am convinced the Premier League will be much better off without him.

And now, onto the game itself. I've said in the preview that should Arsenal find it's rhythm we'll have no problems sweeping Palace aside. That explains why we nearly dropped points in the first game: we've never truly kicked on and only our desire and willpower saw us get the win (the first one in six years in a season opener). Which was no less than we deserved. However, the game was rather tedious with few chances created, so I'll go with the manager on this one:

on the last-gasp winner…

It was not the plan, the plan was to win the game, but because of the physicality and organisation level of Crystal Palace, it was very difficult for us. We lacked a bit of pace in the final third to change what we built up into dangerous situations.

Well, it was obvious before the game what Palace's plan will be: put ten men behind the ball and boot it long towards Chamakh. And try to get the maximum from set-pieces. The fact that this plan almost cost us two points is what surprised me: shouldn't we be ready for these situations? Shouldn't there be a plan B if plan A doesn't work? Why, for example, the manager changed Sanogo for Giroud instead of trying Alexis up front? You don't judge the winners, especially on the opening day and against a team defending so deep, but had we not won, questions would definitely have been asked.

on the patience of the supporters…

I am grateful for that because before, sometimes we had to face that frustration. Today, at 1-0 down they stayed behind the team. At 1-1 when we started to have heavy legs, they gave us some energy.

The fans really got behind the team and spurred the Gunners on, which was a magnificent sight. And just what the team needed. When there are sixty thousand people inside the stadium singing "We love you Arsenal" it's something to behold. I think the difference between yesterday and last year was our actions during the transfer window. Buying players doesn't win you games and titles, yet the effect on the fans is almost the same.

on Calum Chambers…

I must say, honestly, we bought him as a right back, but in my opinion he could play centre back. I tried it in pre-season and from game to game he becomes stronger. Today he had a remarkable performance.

Man of the match. Chambers started alongside Koscielny and had another great game: tackling, intercepting and, basically, laying waste. He was even spotted bombing forward later on, with Arteta (an unsung hero with a 96% pass completion) dropping back to cover for the Englishman. My personal pick, however, happened in the first half: we've lost possession and Palace tried to break on the counter, only for Chambers to commit a cynical foul on the half. Got booked, but stopped a dangerous attack like a seasoned pro. Love this guy.

on Laurent Koscielny…

He can respond [to setbacks like the first goal]. We had concerns about playing him today because he didn't practise for two or three days, but he has outstanding physical qualities and pace. He's another one who is at the right place in the box. He is not the tallest but if you look he is always on the first or the second ball in the box as a defender, and that's a great quality.

Need a scrappy goal from a set-piece? Call the Frenchman. He's done it at least four times in decisive moments (West Brom two years ago, Newcastle a year back, Hull in the final and now), so I think congrats are in order. Right attitude, match-saving goals.

However, I also wanted to take note of some things I didn't like. They could easily have cost us yesterday, so I hope they won't happen again. Starting with:

Wojciech Szczesny

I've hailed him after the Community Shield, now it's time to point out his flaws. He's made two mistakes yesterday: at 0-0 and at 1-1, so both could have easily led to a loss. The first one happened when the Pole went full Almunia and decided to sweep up. His clearance fell to Chamakh and were it not for Koscielny, we could have found ourselves down. The second happened deep inside the second half, when Szczesny tried to look too cute and clever and played cat-and-mouth with whatever bloke spearheaded Palace's attack. Instead of clearing his lines when under pressure, Wojciech tried a return pass to Debuchy, the pass which was nearly intercepted. Arsene needs to tell our №1 to cut this out, or he won't remain our №1 for long.

Santi Cazorla

It feels odd to level critique at him, but I see no way to soften the blow. Santi failed to make his mark on the match, with misplaced passes and badly thought-through decisions pursuing him the whole game. Him shifting to under-the-striker when Wilshere was substituted for Oxlade didn't help in the slightest: Santi failed at least two passes which were potentially dangerous and once lost the ball near the box. Luckily, his mistakes didn't prove costly, though it remained a mystery to me as to why the Spaniard wasn't taken off for, say, Campbell. Hope it's just one bad game for Santi, nothing more.

We've won it in the end and boy am I glad we did. Despite Palace's organisation and time-wasting antics we've knuckled down and worked hard, showed desire and determination and had Ramsey in the box at the right place at the right time. I'm sure we'll become more fluent in our game as the season progresses, but for now we've got the job done, while, for example, United, lost. (Is it possible? A mighty United side, aspiring champions with the world's bestest manager, lost? At home? To Swansea? Don't know how to put even more sarcasm in writing, so this will have to do).

That's yer lot for today, back here tomorrow with Besiktas preview.

Until then, enjoy the win

Follow me on Twitter @AlexBaguzin

Crystal Palace preview: smash and grab

Evening everyone.

All right, I take my words back: the Internet connection here is atrocious. It's slow, you cannot log in two gadgets simultaneously and logout procedure is a pain. Also, you can just forget about watching videos and downloading music. Hell, even the pictures take a while to pop up in your news feed or elsewhere. This hotel won't be getting a positive review from me.

Anyway, onto matters more interesting and we face Crystal Palace tomorrow in a season opener. We play at the Emirates and the kickoff is a late one: at 5.30. Taken into account we play Besiktas away on Tuesday, the situation is far from ideal, but we have to knuckle down and try to win both games.

We'll have to do so without at least Walcott, Ospina and the Germans (Gnabry included). During his press-conference today, Arsene has confirmed Theo won't return until late September, while Ospina is out for two to three weeks due to a thigh injury he sustained against Brazil. Ah, damn these international games.

Ryo also won't play for a while (the manager refused to give a time frame on him), but I've basically given up on him. Same with Diaby. The Frenchman has resumed normal training, but I just don't know. He's only played once during this pre-season (as far as I can remember) and then sustained an 'insert any body part here' injury and went straight to the hospital. I'm sure the staff there greeted Abou as one of their own, given him his usual room and assured his belongings haven't been sent out yet. Cozy.

However, in a good piece of news, Koscielny will be available and there are even whispers Mert can feature. I won't rush our vice-captain back if it was up to me, seeing as Chambers looks very good and shouldn't be unduly troubled in a pair with Kos. I even look forward to how well they will interact.

With Ospina out, Szczesny should start and Martinez (who've been promoted to the first team and given number 26 shirt) will provide backup. In defence, it's Debuchy-Koscielny-Chambers-Gibbs who should get the nod. Again, Mertesacker may be an option (having only featured during the group stages for Germany), but I see no point in rushing him back. We can manage without him for now.

The midfield also shouldn't be much changed. It's Arteta-Ramsey-Wilshere for me and it looks sensible. With Ozil unavailable and Cazorla being utilised on the left (especially in the absence of both Walcott and Podolski), this trio looks the best we can get.

Wilshere wants to prove himself, so he will start at every opportunity, Ramsey is, well, the Welsh Jesus with a haircut to rival Giroud and Arteta is the captain. I expect the Spaniard to start every game by default. Which basically means we're unlikely to buy a 'DM' everyone so craves for. One of my readers raised a point that it's unacceptable, that a DM should definitely be bought, as Arteta tends to be overrun in big games and you can see the logic behind his thinking. However, Arteta is no Vermaelen and I don't think the manager has entrusted the Spaniard with the armband to then unceremoniously drop him. So the issue of big games remain and Arsene will have to find a solution. Especially after all the talk of how we should improve on our record against the top six.

In attack, it'll probably be Cazorla, Alexis (why has he opted to write Alexis instead of Sanchez on his shirt?) and either Giroud or Sanogo. I've been thinking about this decision two days ago and ploughed for Giroud in the end. After all, the elder Frenchman possesses valuable experience in the BPL and, as much as you can see why Arsene puts so much faith into Sanogo, I don't think Yaya is ready yet. He will, of course, play during this season (and I suspect he'll play a lot), but he's not yet first-choice.

I'm also interested where Campbell will fit in. He's definitely behind the likes of Sanchez and Giroud, but right now it seems he's even behind Sanogo. Which means, he's just an afterthought, should everyone stay fit, which makes me dubious once again as to why we haven't loaned the Costa-Rican out. Guess we'll see soon enough. Arsene said he has plans for Joel and I hope that involves actually using him for something else other than (occasionally) letting him warm up the bench. Otherwise it won't make sense.

I haven't bothered to look up what kind of Orcs Pulis will throw at Arsenal come tomorrow evening, but should we catch our rhythm it won't matter. Arsene has himself admitted we are just too much quality, so let's prove it on the pitch tomorrow. A win in front of our fans will be the best way to start a season.

As always, I'll watch the game tomorrow and give my thoughts on it in two days, so stay tuned.

Until later and c'mon you Gunners

Follow me on Twitter @AlexBaguzin

An unlikely scenario

Evening everyone.

The countdown to the first (official) game of the season is well and truly on, but the euphoria of Arsenal beating City isn't dying down. Which is understandable. We had huge problems dealing with the moneybags last year and to get up from 6-3 and deliver on such a scale demonstrates how far this Arsenal team progressed.

We were in a mess at the Etihad. Szczesny was helplessly watching the ball ripple in the back of his net time and again, Koscielny was subbed at 2-1 to give way to an erratic Vermaelen, Arteta was overrun in midfield. The peak of entropy was reached when Wilshere, frustrated at not being able to impose himself on the game, flipped home fans the bird. I even have a lurking suspicion we finished that game with ten men.

And what a way to bounce back. Almost all the players I've mentioned featured three days ago and they demonstrated just how professional they can be. I was especially impressed with Arteta and Wilshere, who seemed to have undergone a radical change since the thumping at the Etihad. Arteta was calm and composed in the centre of the park, while Jack didn't try to shape the game the way he sees it, but rather caught its natural rhythm and adapted to it. It was after this game that Arteta was named captain.

Did the change of formation help our skipper to shine once more? I've already noticed how we played with almost three holding midfielders against Monaco and Benfica, but this bit looks at the situation in greater detail. Against City this weekend Arsenal had no clear under-the-striker player. Arteta sat back as always, but Wilshere and Ramsey were deployed on the same (imaginary) line and both were much closer to our skipper, than usual. A inverted triangle, if you like.

This ensured both Ramsey and Wilshere had space to spray passes and burst forward, but it also allowed our back four to be much better protected. Both Aaron and Jack traced back to either help Arteta out or cover the flanks. Or one of them stayed behind, while the other bombed forward. 

I like this setup, cause it allows to bring the best out of all three, while balancing the game in midfield, but it's unlikely Arsene will be willing to use this formation as default. When Ozil returns, he will play much further upfield than Ramsey and Wilshere did against City. For now, though, we're all set to start the campaign with a kind of 4-1-2-3, while Ozil is being eased into action.

However, there's another interesting dilemma Arsene will have to solve before Crystal Palace comes to town. A year ago I would have laughed at the possibility, but now it doesn't seem as unlikely. Who will Arsene pick as a centre forward for the season opener: Sanogo or Giroud? The author of this article comes to the conclusion that it's still a bit too soon for Sanogo to establish himself as our first-choice forward, but he also hits the jackpot several times.

Thing is, even at this early stage of his career Sanogo has qualities Giroud doesn't have and is unlikely to develop. Sanogo is a surprisingly quick runner (that with his height), while Giroud is more static. Sanogo can drag defenders into channels opening up space for his teammates, while Giroud finds it tough going. Most importantly, Sanogo can beat defenders with his face to the goal, thus creating space out of nowhere, something Giroud can't do. And it's a vital quality, let me tell you. For two years I couldn't pinpoint why exactly I felt a tinge of uneasiness every time Giroud tried to take defenders on. Three days ago it hit me: Olivier isn't technical enough with the ball at his feet to come out on top in a 1v1, but Sanogo, for all his rough edges, can do this.

However, one thing remains is certain: Giroud is a more clinical finisher right now. His goal against City highlighted it. Could his younger counterpart pull that shot off? I doubt it. Also, Giroud possesses valuable experience playing at the top level, so he's likely to remain a our go-to striker for this season. But that's not to say Sanogo won't play. With the manager's faith in him and the flashes of promise he's demonstrated, Sanogo should play a lot.

Finally for today, there's a lot of rumours linking Arsenal to different defenders, but nothing concrete for now. I'm hoping we'll add in that department over the next three days, for Koscielny seems to have suffered a slight injury. The prospect of facing any PL team with Chambers and Montreal for central defenders is a bit uncomfortable. Especially since Mertesacker has only just returned and it's unclear how soon it is till he's ready.

Right, that's it for today. Back here on the 15th with a proper preview of our first game.

Until then

Arsenal 3-0 City: up for the second cup

A very good day to you.

Without further ado: we've won the Cup! And we've done so in a glorious, thrilling and entertaining way. My thoughts are still in a scramble after a fantastic day out in the sports bar, so I'll break my review down in points. Starting with:

The atmosphere

It was great both in the bar, which was overrun with Arsenal fans and, of course, inside the stadium. The cups were presented before the game, Pat Rice made an appearance (and a memorable one) and large swathes of fans were sporting red-and-white colours. I gotta say, our fans were brilliant throughout the game, so much so they have run out of chants by its climax. "There's only one Arsene Wenger", anyone?

The line-ups

It was obvious Arsene meant business by fielding such a strong side, but saying City's squad was weak would be a lie. Sure, the defense was make-shift (what do you want with three key players out?), but midfield and attack were packed with quality. To say they've missed Aguero means to diminish City's earlier achievements, cause they've basically won the BPL without the Argentine.

For us, Chambers started alongside Koscielny at the heart of the defense, Wilshere played under the striker and the striker himself was Sanogo. This choice raised some eyebrows (including mine), but the Frenchman showed just why Arsene placed so much belief into him.

The goals

Cazorla, Ramsey, Giroud. Two assists from Sanogo. We could have been 3-0 up by half time, but Sanchez didn't make the most of his one-on-one. However, while Cazorla's and Giroud's strikes were touches of class from the Spaniard and the Frenchman respectively, my personal favourite is Ramsey's goal.

The Welsh Jesus picked up where he left off last season, but it was the build-up play that caught the eye.
We came flying out of the blocks on the counter, Sanchez sliced City's defense apart with a perfect pass which found Sanogo and the Frenchman laid the ball out on a silver platter for Ramsey. Aaron smashed the ball into the bottom corner from close range. Brilliant team work and a classic Arsenal goal.

Individual performances

Is the idea of singling players out in a team game wrong? I'm not sure. When we talk about a particular player, we have to keep in mind that he operates in a certain environment. In other words, he's only as good as his teammates, that's why it's hard to pick someone out as a shining example after a poor performance and vice versa, everyone could become MoM after a good one.

However, as I've mentioned earlier some of the manager's choices looked questionable on paper, so I have to give credit where it's due to:

1. Wojciech Szczesny. Not a questionable choice, but his performance was brilliant. Strong in the air (made just one mistake late on, when we were already miles ahead), quick reflexes (I can recall at least two great saves) and ready to sweep up for his defenders. Ospina has to get well quickly, or he'll find it nigh on impossible to win this two-horse race with Wojciech.
2. Calum Chambers. I've run out of superlatives for this guy. I've seen Calum in three games and he looked mature beyond his years. Tackling, intercepting, winning aerial duels and doing all this while being ridiculously photogenic. Chambers' mere presence at the heart of our defense is soothing, maybe because he makes hard stuff look easy. He reminds me of Mertesacker, but another comparison from a guy on Twitter caught my eye: Tony Adams. A bit soon to say that, but I love the way this guy thinks.
3. Jack Wilshere. Ran his heart out (no surprise here), but had method to his actions. Very few misplaced passes, some lovely dribbles and, most importantly, Jack slotted in without any trouble. The fact that he caught the rhythm of the game and adapted to it is very promising indeed. Got subbed late on, but fully deserves all the applause he received.
4. Yaya Sanogo. Looked very sharp and not a little bit out of place. Nastasic and Boyata are probably still wearing sunglasses, such a headache the Frenchman gave them. His actions up front ensured Yaya got two assists and he also could have scored, but dragged his shot just wide. When Giroud came on, we've lost some of Sanogo's restless energy up front. Got a great goal in return, though.
5. Arsene Wenger. The mastermind behind our great display. He personally oiled and honed this Arsenal machine and it works. We had a strong starting eleven, a fantastic bench and that's without the German trio and Walcott. We'll surely add another centre-half, but make no mistake: this side is rife with quality already. We need someone to replace Vermaelen, but only for the numbers to look good.

The aftermath

We got ourselves another trophy and have comprehensively beaten the reigning champions in the process. Those who say Community Shield is nothing to be particularly proud of are either Arsenal haters or City fans. And you don't want to waste your nervous system on both, do you?

Bottom line is this: you have to win either the BPL or the FA Cup in order to have a shot at Community Shield, so the trophy is as real and valuable as it gets. Embrace it.

I haven't included the manager's quotes from the press conference, but it doesn't make these any less enlightening. So check them out. And the highlights. I know you don't need me to view these on the official site, but personally I can watch us ripping City in two for hours on end.

One last thing. The Internet isn't particularly hard to come by here in Zakinthos, but I still can't use it as regularly as I need to write daily posts. So check back every two days and I'll definitely be here for all the previews and reviews.

Until later

Follow me on Twitter @AlexBaguzin

Saturday morning quickie

Hello folks.

Turns out my plane is leaving later than I thought, so I have time for a quick round-up for you.

Starting with the big news: Vermaelen is on his way to Barcelona. From what I can gather, United and Barca were fighting tooth and nail over our captain and Wenger capitalised on the situation. United wanted Vermaelen for £15 million, we wanted a player + cash deal. Van Gaal said no deal, Arsene said go to hell and sold Verminator to Barca for the same amount.

It's a brilliant piece of business we've done, so I don't get the reaction of most people on Twitter. We've sold our third-choice centre-half for approximately £5 million more than I expected and he's not going to our direct rivals. Just think of it: we've sold a player who've been sitting on the bench for 18 months and before that had an atrocious run of form for another 6 and we've sold him for such money. Put your hands together for Le Prof.

The player himself wanted to go to United (at least at first), but then Barca did their magic and persuaded another one of our captains to join them. I don't much care what they did, but it's an amazing piece of business for us.

Now we need a centre-half, though. And I'm sure Wenger will bring someone in. There are rumours he can buy a player to fill both at the back and in midfield and I don't see a flaw with this plan.

In other news, we've drawn Besiktas in the Champions League. Not the best opponent possible, as we know the atmosphere there will be fiendishly hard (remember how last year Fenerbahce's fans didn't allow our players to get a good night's sleep?). On the other hand, Besiktas is definitely inferior to Fener and we've powered past them without problems last year, so I'm not overly concerned. Travel and away fans are an issue, but our squad is quality, no doubt about that.

Finally, the game against City. The basics remain the same, I've gone over these yesterday, but it appears City will have to make do without some key players. Aguero, Negredo, Lampard, Fernandinho, Demichelis, Kompany, Sabaleta and our old pal Sagna all miss out. While their midfield is rife with good players and City will hardly notice the absences of Lampard and Fernandinho, their attack and defense have suffered considerably. Pellegrini's side still has Djeko and Jovetic up front, so we should be on our guard, but the blow to their defense is damaging. Two right-backs and two centre-halfs, three of these would have started under different circumstances. I think it's high time to pick City apart. We can even try breaking through down the middle, that with Sanchez up front and their make-shift defense.

Arteta has also talked about how important this game from a psychological point of view and I agree. We'll be fighting not only against City, we'll be fighting back from three huge defeats we've suffered. If we come out on top, in just one game, it may become a turning point.

So c'mon you Gunners.

That's it for today, I'll do my best to get back to you tomorrow (after the game) or in two days, so check back here.

Follow me on Twitter @AlexBaguzin