Everton 2-2 Arsenal: character

Good evening folks.

Ah, the joys of a working Internet connection. I didn't have that luxury in Greece, even at the airport. I arrived there in time for the kick-off and was buoyed that Wi-Fi was free, but my happiness was short-lived. The connection worked like friendzone. It was there, but it wasn't functioning properly.

And so I had to make do with live text updates and ramble on Twitter. Both ways of following the game proved to be pretty effective, to my immense surprise and relief. I got a very clear picture of what was happening on the pitch and today's extended highlights were just an icing on the cake. However, let's start at the beginning.

The set-up

When I saw the squad over on Arseblog (where I got the updates from) I began to drool. Ozil, Mertesacker and Oxlade all started, while Alexis played in a central striker position. The ineffective Cazorla and, to a lesser extent, Giroud, were dropped. Podolski was omitted altogether and I don't like it.

Of the three Germans Poldi was involved the least (during the World Cup) and still hasn't even made the bench. Looks like he's on the brink of leaving Arsenal and I'll be both sad and worried if he does. The Twitter expert is a clinical finisher, had a brilliant goals-per-minute ratio last season despite not playing much and is also a mood-lifter/setter. Rumour has it we are willing to let Poldi go in order to replace him with Reus and, while I'm more than just fine with such a switch, I'll still miss Poldi's presence if he really does go.

Back to the squad, however and Alexis wasn't the only surprise in his newly-found role. Ozil started on the left with Oxlade on the right, but the defense looked even more intriguing, as Mert was paired up not with Koscielny, but rather Chambers. On paper, this set-up looked mouthwatering.

First half

It looked less so on the pitch. Oxlade was really the only one with opportunities to score, but his finishing and (sometimes) decision-making were off.

In defense, Arsenal were even less convincing. From what I can gather both Debuchy and Monreal were repeatedly caught out of position and Ozil didn't help much. The German just wasn't willing to track runners and we paid for it in the 19th minute. Barry put in a cross, no one cared enough to mark Coleman and so he headed home from close range. While our defending wasn't up to scratch, the goal is debatable, in my view.

Thing is, when Barry crossed, Lukaku was offside. He didn't touch the ball, but he surely held back some of our defenders, creating space for Coleman. The goal stood, however, and the matters deteriorated quickly enough for Everton to be 2-0 up at half-time.

Now, the second goal is a clear blunder from at least two referees: the main and the linesman. Lukaku fouled Mertesacker in the build-up and then put Naismaith clean through, only for Naismith to be offside.

You noticed how I didn't say "Naismith was flagged offside"? That's because he wasn't. He received the ball and slotted it home and the board showed 2-0 and the ref pointed to the centre. What makes this goal even more frustrating is the fact that offside wasn't coincidental. Debuchy and Flamini purposefully created an offside trap, only for the ref to suddenly become blind. And so Arsenal was two goals down at half-time.

Second half

During the break Arsene made a substitution: Alexis gave way to Giroud and at first it seemed like it was not going to be the Frenchman's day. He missed three chances some other clinical striker would have probably buried, but then Giroud's appearance magnificently paid off.

First things first, though. Again Arsenal struggled to find a breakthrough, however Giroud's presence up front lifted the spirit and we slowly started to dominate and create chances. Wilshere looked sharper with Giroud on and then Arsene introduced Campbell and Cazorla.

The Spaniard became the hero in the 83rd minute. Our little magician can be brilliant on his day and this was definitely his day. Santi combined with Ozil on the left and then put in a low cross in the box. Ramsey was on hand to poke home and give us a lifeline.

Which we held on to. In the 90th minute Ramsey seemed to have overhit his cross to Monreal, but before Everton fans finished their gleeful "waaaaay" cry, Monreal's cross into the box found Giroud. And Giroud's header found the net. 2-2 and it's a draw that feels like a win.

The win was somewhat darkened by Giroud's injury, which he sustained late in the game. The Frenchman seemed to have strained his ankle when blocking a shot and was limping badly for the remaining couple of minutes. Arsene later stated that the sprained ankle doesn't look too good, however, Giroud himself has gone on record today and said he hopes to recover in time for our crucial midweek game. I sincerely hope he will, we cannot afford to lose him.

The aftermath

In short, we showed great spirit and resilience to earn a point. The game wasn't going our way for several reasons (atrocious refereeing not being the last), but we kept at it, which is hugely encouraging. This is what Arsene said:

"We got a strong point but a deserved one if you look at all the chances we had through the game. I think especially in the second half we had plenty of chances and we came back very late but our spirit maybe got us that point".

 And this is important from a purely psychological point of view. We now know that even when things are bad we can dig in and get a result. And earning points in unfavourable circumstances is a sign of true champions. It's very early to say it, I know, but I also know big teams will drop points at Goodison. So our point at this stage of the season may actually become a point gained.

That's it for today. Back with fresh news as soon as they find their way to me. Or the other way around.

Until later

Follow me on Twitter @AlexBaguzin

Everton preview: three out, three in

Evening everyone.

It's an away game at Goodison tomorrow in what will be a very important build-up to our midweek fixture.

Overview

Team news is mixed: Arteta, who sustained an ankle injury against Besiktas, is out. For how long, remains to be seen, but Guardian suggests it'll be at least two weeks before our skipper can help us again. Wenger admitted he may have to get creative if the ankle sprain is more than just a sprain.

This is an injury that worries me, I have to say. I've already argued Arteta's case and came to the conclusion that Arsene hasn't made Arteta captain to then drop the Spaniard in favour of a shiny new buy. This effectively rules out the possibility of a signing in that area, because we are already well-stocked on numbers in the centre of the park. There certainly remains a worry of Arteta being overrun in big games, but we better have it this way and figure something out, than have Mikel unavailable altogether. So people suggesting Arteta's injury is a blessing in disguise, an occurrence that may force the manager's hand in bringing in a 'DM' should sort out their priorities. I don't, in any way, think that the absence of one of our most heavily-relied upon midfielder is a good thing.

On the bright side, everyone else, who came through the Besiktas game, seems alright:

"We just have Mikel Arteta who is out for sure from the Everton game. Everybody else we have to check this morning, but we have no major [new] problems apart from him compared to Besiktas".

So, apart from Gibbs, Arteta and (possibly) Sanogo we have the same squad. Even better, the Germans are back in contention:

"I will check of course today and tomorrow to see if they will be available for selection. That is a target I fixed to them to prepare to be ready for selection against Everton. Will I use the three? Certainly not because they lack competition but they might be included for Saturday".

My bet is that these will replace Arteta, Miquel and Bellerin/Campbell which brings us to the matter of team selection.

Defense

It's Szczesny in goal, no doubt about it. He performed brilliantly against Besiktas after not the best of displays against Palace, so no reason whatsoever to drop Wojciech.

Debuchy and Monreal will continue on the flanks, having also put in a strong outing in Turkey. Besides, there really is no one to replace them.

The central pair looks the most interesting to me. Arsene, from my point of view, has a legitimate reason to play any two defenders. Mert can start on the bench because he's only just returned, Koscielny may be omitted due to his Achilles problems and Chambers is a) not really a CB and b) has played a lot of minutes recently. Moreover, the Englishman can be utilised further up the pitch, so no eyebrows will be raised should Calum not feature in central defense come tomorrow.

It's a tough choice, really. I'd go with the Mertescielny axis to give Chambers a breather, but only if both Mertesacker and Koscielny are alright.

Midfield

I'm almost positive Wilshere will start, that after being talked up and shielded from criticism by Wenger. Though Jack will still have to find his on-pitch position and push someone down the pecking order to become a regular starter, Arsene definitely trusts the Englishman and I see no reason why we shouldn't do the same. True, Jack is a bit hit-and-miss at the moment regarding his performances, but I'm ready (as most Arsenal fans are) to provide him with the support he needs to blossom. That he has potential to do so, I don't doubt.

The other two can prove to be tricky. I'd personally start Ozil and then think long and hard about who should replace Arteta in his holding position. With Ozil, it's obvious. We've lacked his penetration and ability to slice defences apart in the opening two games, so he should come back and assume his position, if fully fit.

It's difficult to pick the third player in our triquetra. It's either Chambers (who's done brilliantly thus far, though in a slightly different position) or Flamini. I see why people crave to start Chambers there, especially after all the talk from Wenger about how he sees Chambers in defensive midfield in the future. But I still think it's a risky thing to do. Chambers is the only back-up to Mertescielny we currently have, and if the Englishman gets crocked then we'll find ourselves down to four senior defenders. And this isn't pretty. So I'd go with Flamini. And his desire to defend his teammates is not the last thing on my list "Why I'd pick Flamini".

Attack

The trickiest bit. Should Arsene reconsider his strategy of playing with a target man after a weak showing from both Sanogo and Giroud? Or was their respective weak performances down to little service?

If it's the second scenario, then Ozil's reintroduction should do the trick. If, for some reason, both Frenchmen are unable to produce at the moment, then keep the elder in reserve and drop Sanogo altogether.

And play Sanchez up front. Truth be told, I'm excited about this prospect. The Chilean up front with Ozil feeding him is a mouthwatering possibility.

However, we also have to think about the flanks. I'd have no problem starting Oxlade after his strong cameos from the bench, but who should play on the left? We have some options to consider, all are not ideal and this is the part where I lament Walcott's absence. Had he been fit, I'd start him on the right and Oxlade on the left.

He's not, however, and so we have Cazorla, Campbell and Podolski to choose from. The main question is this: will Arsene trust Santi enough to start him after two bad outings? If he does, then Cazorla starts and Poldi is a bench sub. Campbell may not even make the squad. If he doesn't, then I'd go with the German, considering it may be one of his last games.

The verdict

Like it was the case last time, we have options in attack and midfield (especially since the Germans are back in action), but are once again a bit short in defense. Mertesacker's return steadies our ship a bit, however, so we can push defensive worries our of our heads for the time being and focus on getting a result, preferably with a good performance to go with it.

Goodison is a hard place to visit, but it's not like we are Burnley or QPR (no offence). Should we catch our rhythm (aargh), we can look forward to getting the three points.

Unfortunately, I'll most likely miss a chunk of the game, maybe even the size of 90 minutes, as I'll be at the airport. Had the kick-off not been a late one, I would have managed, but it's not. However, normal service will resume on August 24th when I'll lay my hands on some decent Internet and get back to you with my thoughts on the game.

Until then, have a good weekend.

And c'mon you Gunners

P.S. Completely forgot about Aaron Ramsey. Of course the Welshman will start, given he'll miss our midweek game. Ramsey is likely to feature alongside Flamini and that puts in jeopardy Wilshere's chances. Maybe the Englishman will play under the striker and Ozil will be on the bench. I don't exclude Wilshere's appearance on the left, at the expense of Cazorla either. That will put Podolski even farther down the line.

Besiktas 0-0 Arsenal: need a better performance in London

Evening folks.

So, on Tuesday we played out a 0-0 draw against Besiktas and the game turned out to be every bit as hard as I've predicted. There are positives to be taken from the game, first and foremost that we haven't lost, while also keeping our goal intact, but we also had a hell of a hard night.

First half

Koscielny and Wilshere were deemed fit to start, while Gibbs and Sanogo were left behind. Giroud started up front and it would prove to be not the best of decisions from Arsene. Bellerin, Miquel and Flamini (who recovered from his illness) made the bench.

It was obvious from the off Arsenal will have to dig deep to win the game. The atmosphere inside the stadium was so hostile even I felt uncomfortable just listening to all the whistling and booing. What it was like for the players in red-and-white, I don't like to think about.

The quality of the pitch, the heat and Besiktas players themselves (spurred on by the crowd) ensured we had a difficult first fifteen minutes. In fact, had it not been for Szczesny's alertness, Arsenal could have gone behind twice. The Pole deflected Ba's shot onto the bar when the striker's ambitious attempt from the half hit the target and then came out on top once more, when the Senegalese got behind Chambers and nearly slotted the ball home on the volley.

Arsenal then started to get back into the game, but lacked a clinical finisher in the final third. Alexis was creative and bullish, often creating space, but his teammates failed to capitalize on the Chilean's wit and energy. Cazorla flashed an effort wide, Wilshere's clever shot was saved and Giroud missed two clear-cut chances.

For the first, the Frenchamn received the ball in the six-yard box, but failed to to unleash a shot on the turn and for the second, he even failed to connect with the ball, after being weaved clean through by a clever lob pass from Ramsey. We could have paid dearly for such wastefulness a minute from half-time, but, thankfully, Ba dragged his effort wide with only Szczesny to beat.

Second half

The second period started with a bang. Giroud set up Ramsey, but the Welshman took too long on the ball when one-on-one and the defenders returned to snatch the ball from him. Besiktas responded immediately, but Sahan, mercifully, curled his shot just wide of the far post with Szczesny clutching thin air.

The affair soon got muddled. Besiktas had more of the ball, though we created better opportunities on the counter. The ineffectiveness of Cazorla, Giroud and Wilshere (completely lost in that second half) ensured we didn't make the most of our chances.

Then, on the hour, another problem added to the growing list of Arsene's worries, as Arteta had to be replaced because of an injury. Flamini came on, did his usual stunt (got booked), but was a positive influence overall. He wasn't as fluid or creative in his passing than the Spaniard, however.

Things quickly gone from bad to worse. We already had Monreal and Flamini on yellows, with Arteta subbed due to an ankle injury, then, on the 80th minute, Ramsey pulled back someone-someone and was branded a second booking. Arsenal was down to ten men, with ten minutes to go. I fully expected Arsene to close up shop and imagine my surprise when it didn't happen. Sure, Besiktas again saw more of the ball, but we actually could have nicked a winner right at the death.

First Chambers headed wide from a corner and then Oxlade powered his way into the box, danced around a defender and fired a vicious effort which rebounded off the post. Replays showed their keeper got a hand to it, otherwise we would have returned to London victorious, I suspect.

The aftermath

This is what Arsene had to say after the game:

"We always want to win but look, Besiktas could have won the game, and we could have won the game as well. Maybe a draw is a fair result because both teams had chances to win the game. We know Besiktas are a good team. They played with 100 per cent pace and did fought for every single ball. We faced a very good Besiktas team tonight who were at our level. Their commitment was absolutely fantastic."

Hard to argue with any of the above, really. I remember we had a very hard qualifier against Udinese a couple of years back, but back then we were not as strong financially and didn't possess such a roster of players. However, as I've said before the game, away games in Turkey are always very hard, for a number of reasons.

Now we need to get the job done at the Emirates and only a win will see us through. However, we'd be without Ramsey and very likely Arteta, while the performances of some others leave a great deal to be desired.

I, for one, think that Cazorla, Giroud and Wilshere all had a bad game. And I cannot grasp why. The World Cup is no excuse, because Sanchez, Debuchy, Koscielny and others delivered. And these have played a lot more than the aforementioned trio. However, if we are to remove Santi, Olivier and Jack from the starting line-up in a return leg it will add up to five changes, coupled with Ramsey's and (possibly) Arteta's absence.

Anyway, we have a game against Everton looming large, so we can discuss the squad choice tomorrow. For today, though, it's hard to say anything conclusive on the result against Besiktas. I have a good feeling we'll be able to overpower the Turks inside the Emirates, but it's only a hunch. Though I still think we shouldn't worry just yet. We have another game coming up and it's important we get a good performance in that one, to build up confidence.

Whether we have the ability to do it with the players we have, I'll be back to speculate on tomorrow.

Until then

Besiktas preview: find that rhythm

Evening folks.

It's Besiktas away tomorrow and the team has already travelled to Turkey. We are, however, in a spot of trouble with some of our players sidelined, so picking a capable starting eleven can prove to be tough.

Goalkeeping

No doubt in my mind Szczesny will start. Had Ospina been fit I wouldn't be so sure, but with the Colombian international still nursing a thigh injury, he wasn't even included. Ospina, like Walcott, will miss both qualifiers.

However, Szczesny definitely needs to be told by Arsene to keep his game safe and simple. The stakes are too high and it will be hard to get a positive result in any case, we don't want to make our life harder by serving Besiktas a couple of blunders on a silver platter.

Defense

It pretty much picks itself and it's scary. We could potentially end up without Koscielny (achilles) and Gibbs (hamstring), so only four senior defenders will be available: Debuchy, Chambers, Mertesacker and Monreal.

"We will assess Koscielny on Monday; if he's fit and capable to play, we play him. It was our plan to bring the Germans back in contention for Everton. But in case of emergency I will take Mertesacker.

"But we have Bellerin, who was 19 today, who can come in. We are a bit short. I hope Koscielny responds well to today's game."

Such a summary gives me the creeps. No word on Gibbs, Koscielny is a doubt and Mert is short on fitness and could be rushed back anyway. When Arsene brought up Bellerin it became painfully obvious just how short we are in the defensive department.

Why haven't we addressed it earlier? It was obvious Vermaelen will go (he was injured anyway) and that Debuchy, Koscielny and Mertesacker will all have a short pre-season. Yes, we've brought Chambers in (as a right-back, mind you) and that is why we are still afloat. He can play defensive midfield, right-back and centre-back, so I don't expect further arrivals in the first two areas, but we were always going to end up short in the middle now that Vermaelen's tenure has drawn to a close.

I'm all for promoting Bellerin, don't get me wrong. He's impressed during the Emirates Cup and it will only be sensible to have the Spaniard in the first squad, as it allows Chambers to cover at centre-back if needed, but even in that case we only have 7 defenders, two of which are 19. A further addition is vital, even if the player won't play against Besiktas. As for the Turks, what we have, we hold. Fingers crossed Koscielny is all right and will still be after the game.

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