Arsenal 3-0 Stoke: justice served

Good day to you.

Well, what a stark contrast this game was compared to the one in December. We took the game to the Orcs straight away, scored an early goal and never looked in any kind of trouble. Were it not for Begovic and a couple of near misses, we would have won by a far greater margin.

The squad

The team sheet emerged an hour before kick-off and it answered many questions: Ospina started in goal, Coquelin kept his place despite a fully-fit Flamini making the squad and Giroud came straight back in. While definite conclusions still can't be made concerning some players (I'm pretty sure Ramsey, Ozil and Walcott are all guaranteed starters when 100% ready), it was interesting to see Szczesny and Flamini omitted. By doing this Wenger basically said that he won't tolerate recurring breaches of discipline (Szczesny) and cannot guarantee anyone a place in the starting XI should an understudy do better (Flamini). Other omissions included Sanogo (the Frenchman is already at Palace on loan, it seems), Chambers and Gibbs (both weren't fully fit). Bellerin got a place on the bench and boy am I glad he did.

The first half

Just like the manager, the team wasn't messing around. Sanchez made his mark on the game in the 2nd minute already, only for Begovic to palm away Chilean's curled effort. Three minutes later Rosicky stormed into the box and Begovic was again called into action. A corner ensued.

Alexis crossed the ball to the near post (just stop doing that!), some Orc cleared and the ball fell to Koscielny, who returned it to Sanchez. Alexis waited for the Frenchman to get back into position and then his laser-like cross found Kos unmarked some 8 yards out. A thumping header and Begovic was left flailing his arms at thin air. 1-0.

We were deservedly in front, but minutes later the attention of all Arsenal fans was diverted by not the most wonderful thing that could have happened to us: an injury to Debuchy. However, it's not the injury itself, but the manner of how the Frenchman got it and the referee's reaction to it that sent the Arsenal's fan base into overdrive. With a ball going out of play from a Stoke player, Debuchy protected it with his body and, as he was hanging in mid-air following the ball's trajectory, the Frenchman received the most cynical of shoves in the back from Arnautovic. There was no intention of getting to the ball, no "the usual run of play" thing: it was a deliberate and dirty action from the Stoke player. Debuchy dislocated his shoulder as a result and it took full five minutes to get him on a stretcher. He'll be out for the minimum of six weeks.

But was Arnautovic punished? No. Not even a foul was called by the joke of a referee that is Jonathan Moss. Moreover, the FA Committee decided to not punish Arnautovic retrospectively, hiding behind the rule "that the referee saw the incident". That's incompetence at it's finest. During the game it led to several more dirty challenges from Stoke, because they knew it could go unpunished. In the longer run, we are left without our best right-back, Arnautovic walks free and Moss will continue refereeing games. I have no words for this. The whole thing was brilliantly broken down by @7amkickoff, so give it a read.

Thankfully, our dynamic wasn't affected by the injury. Bellerin came on for Debuchy, who was carried off to a round of applause, and we continued attacking. Moments after the substitution Oxlade's shot fizzed just wide. It took us some minutes to create another clear-cut chance, but when we did, it went in.

The attack started on the left flank. After losing the ball Sanchez immediately got it back, played a one-two with Rosicky, stormed into the box and powered a shot into the bottom corner. 2-0.

The second half

We sealed the game three minutes after the restart. Oxlade was hacked down near the box by Sidwell and Moss whistled for a free-kick. Alexis stepped up and his low shot flew between the defenders' legs and into the bottom corner. 3-0 and game over.

The game settled into a routine, with both teams realising there could be no doubts over the result. We still could have added to our tally through first Cazorla, whose chipped effort went over and then substitute Walcott blew a brilliant chance after Alexis has sent the Englishman one-on-one with Begovic. Ozil then also had a half-chance, only for his right-footed shot to go over the bar. 3-0 it ended.

The aftermath

Arsene later said:

"We moved well without the ball and moved the ball well, which is the basis of our game. Overall, we created chances, were mobile and the speed of our game created problems for Stoke. We took advantage of that."

It was probably the best performance from Arsenal this season. We created opportunities, took them and all the while haven't let Stoke anywhere near our goal. Their only moment of danger happened deep into injury time and Ospina dealt with it well. The dark spot we have from this performance is Debuchy's injury. I'm honestly starting to worry about Calum Chambers in this context. The young man has featured in 28 games this season, only just got a break and now Debuchy's out again.

Fortunately, Bellerin seems to be maturing really quickly and the manager also confirmed we are in the market for a defender:

"We were in the market anyway. Monreal and Debuchy can play centre back, but if Gibbs is not here Monreal cannot play centre back and if Debuchy is not here he cannot play centre back. This is a position where we are short."

Fingers crossed we'll get through without Debuchy alright. On the bright side, we have Ozil, Ramsey and Flamini all back, with Walcott nearing full fitness and Welbeck due to return before our clash against City. And so the manager should have options on his hands.

That's it for now, back on the 15th most likely with a fresh batch of news.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Stoke preview: a little revenge, please

Good evening to you.

It's Stoke City tomorrow and we finally have some good news on the injury front going into the game.

Team news update

"Ramsey is back in training, Ozil is back in training and Flamini is back in training. We’ve got three players back. Welbeck is still not available for Sunday because he is a bit short. Maybe next week he will be available. Giroud is back from suspension."

Apart from Welbeck we also have Arteta and (obviously) Wilshere out, but it's peanuts compared to even last week when we had Maitland-Niles on the bench and Alexis as a lone forward. Not that I have anything against the Chilean playing there, I'm just not sure he would if we had one of Giroud/Welbeck/Sanogo fit.

However, most of our problems seem to be in the past. With Welbeck and Arteta edging closer to full fitness we'll soon have to omit really good players from the bench, despite loaning out Podolski and having plans in place for loaning Campbell and Sanogo.

All of this finally gives us the opportunity to pick a proper squad.

The back five

The main question is who'll play in goal. I'll break the pros and cons of each choice down:

Playing Szczesny/Ospina:

1. The Pole will work very hard and will do his best not to disappoint. Especially after being backed by Arsene
2. Wojciech has more experience playing in the Premier League, let's not forget that

However:

1. Chezza's performance is going to be scrutinised should he start. If he makes another mistake, there'll be calls for his and the manager's heads
2. So it can probably be beneficial to all parties concerned to take Szczesny out of the firing line. Rest him, play Ospina and when the Colombian will have a downfall in form, people will be more condescending to Szczesny and will look at the young Pole through a more forging prism

I'm pretty sure we'll see Szczesny in goal tomorrow, as you wouldn't normally expect Arsene to drop a player after one bad performance, however, it remains to be seen just how important that smoking incident is for Wenger's decision.

As for the back four, I'm expecting our strongest one to start. That means a Debuchy-Per-Kos-Gibbs quartet. Keeping my fingers crossed they'll fare better tomorrow.

The midfield

Despite three midfielders returning from injury, it doesn't look like Wenger is drowning in options. That's why I'll be pretty surprised if we don't see a Ramsey-Flamini-Cazorla trio tomorrow.

While Ramsey for Rosicky is understandable (and kind of obvious), I'd still play Coquelin ahead of Flamini on the basis of what I've seen from Francis so far. However, I'm also pretty sure the manager has more faith in Flamini.

As for Cazorla/Ozil decision, it's the Spaniard for me. There are two reasons:

1. Wenger generally eases players back into action, don't see why he might change his mind with Ozil. We aren't in dire need of creating opportunities right now, no point in risking our best playmaker immediately upon his return from injury
2. It's Stoke we are playing. Not the most gentle of sides. Some of these enterprised individuals like to do this. For this reason alone I won't let Ozil anywhere near that lot

However, I'm also curious whether Arsene will want to revisit his 4-1-4-1 experiment, now that he has more midfielders at his disposal. Him not doing so tomorrow will mean nothing, however, so moving on.

The attack

Giroud and Alexis are guaranteed starters tomorrow, though it's intriguing who'll complement them. Walcott or Oxlade? Guess it'll depend on whether Theo is fully ready. Then again, he never will be unless he plays.

We also have to take into account the Ox played in every our game since the start of the season. Koscielny's return gave Chambers a chance to recover, with Ozil back Cazorla will also be able to take a break (maybe even tomorrow) and Alexis just seems to be superhuman. Out of 30 games he played in 29 (missed Gala away) and has 28 starts. I'll just stop saying Alexis needs a breather, he very obviously doesn't. But Oxlade is another story and Walcott's timely return may allow Arsene to rest the Ox.

The verdict

For me Stoke players are a bit like those pirates from the first part of the "Pirates of the Caribbean". At home they are ugly and undead (just like the pirates in the moonlight), away from home they are far less scary. And while our away record against them is truly atrocious, we have won our last six home games against the Orcs in a row. I'll be very surprised should we fail to get the three points tomorrow.

So come on you Gunners

And I'll be back with a customary review. Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

On Szczesny, transfers and brinkmanship

Good evening.

It's been a bit quiet in terms of Arsenal-related news for the last couple of days. And this probably shouldn't come as a surprise: the last game was won (so no introspection is required), our next FA Cup opponent is not Bayern Munich and the situation on the injury front is about to be drastically improved with the returns of Flamini, Ramsey, Ozil, Welbeck and Giroud. Still, there are bits and pieces I'd like to discuss. Starting with

Szczmoking habits

The story of our №1 goalkeeper having a smoke in the showers after the defeat to Saints has been all over the newspapers. Initially, some reports hinted at a row between the manager and Wojciech. A falling-out (if there was one) is understandable: a self-inflicted 2-0 defeat, with Chezza the main man to blame on one hand, and a dissatisfied Arsene on the other. These reports were consequently squashed by Arsenal's press team, but soon others emerged: these of Wojciech being punished for having a smoke in the showers. For that the Pole was allegedly fined £20 000 and there is no consensus reached on whether or not Wojciech would be dropped and if he would be, then for how long.

The bit about fining Szczesny doesn't worry me in the slightest: he's a wealthy guy earning £100k per week. It's pocket money for him, literally a day's work. The smoking itself also is of little concern to me. As long as it doesn't affect his performances, he can smoke three packs a day for all I care: he's a grown man who can decide for himself what's in his best interests.

But here we've come to the most important part: DOES smoking affect his performances? If this incident in the showers is a one-off, then definitely not. However, if Wojciech has made a habit of it and it's influencing the way he plays, then he should be dropped.

I think this particular "dropping" bit should be decided solely on the Pole's performances. As for me, I think a spell on the sidelines can do Chezza some good. The impression he's left this season is not particularly shiny: only 3 clean sheets in 24 games and a stupid red card against Galatasaray. Add the absolutely atrocious performance against Southampton on top and both Ospina and Martinez look better-placed to protect our goal right now. Damian has three clean sheets in four starts, Ospina has one in two.

So I'd drop Szczesny and give the Colombian a run in the side. He's had a solid performance against Hull (they didn't prove much of a threat, but still) and, as I've said, it can be highly educational for Szczesny. One such spell on the bench back in 2013 brought about the desired effect, so we can repeat the experiment.

Transfers

No, we haven't brought anyone in. Right now Bielik and Perrin seem our most likely transfer targets, but there are question marks over the latter, because, though he himself claimed to have been contacted by Arsene, Saint-Etienne denied receiving any bids.

However, I'm not too worried we haven't bought anyone yet: we always tend to close deals very late in the transfer window, so I don't expect any arrivals before the last week, most probably before the very last day. Yes, there are beautiful exceptions to us buying players early in the window (Sanchez, Giroud), but: a) I cannot recall us buying early in winter b) it's the exception, not the norm. The norm is Ozil, Welbeck, Arteta etc.

It's the game of brinkmanship Wenger plays and who would blame him? When Bony goes for £30 million to consequently sit on the bench or Falcao's loan is worth £20 million, Arsene is really trying to find value for the money he pays. As he often does just that, I see no sense in questioning the way he does things.

Finally, if you are still getting worked up because of Podolski's departure, check out this article. It explains why exactly losing Podolski isn't such a big loss after all.

That's it for now. Back with a preview on the 10th, most likely.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Arsenal 2-0 Hull: Alexis the difference as we progress into the 4th round

Well, that was much better, wasn't it? A deserved win, a convincing performance from back to front and we end the hectic Christmas schedule on a high note. A really nice day at the office.

The squad

It received an injection of fresh blood, but also managed to maintain a rather serious look about it. Ospina, Bellerin, Chambers, Monreal, Campbell and Walcott all came in (the Englishman starting his first game in exactly a year). The side didn't look unbalanced despite so many changes, however. A team better than Hull could have probably exploited our flanks, as neither Monreal and Campbell, nor Bellerin and Walcott have played together before (and are unlikely to do so anytime soon), but we should given a break already. While City, United and Chelsea entertained themselves with the likes of Sheffield, Yovil and Watford, we played a Premier League side in the very first round.

The first half

We set out with a serious intention of putting Hull under pressure and scoring as early as we can and it's fair to say we succeeded on both fronts.

We could have taken the lead in the 5th minute already, when a one-two between Campbell and Sanchez saw the former clean through, but Joel's effort was saved by Harper. I cannot say it was a particularly bad shot or a spectacular save, so I'll settle for "A player with more minutes would have tucked it away".

Next chance fell to Sanchez (who once again started and once again did so in the CF position). The Chilean was sent through on goal by Walcott and saw his first shot blocked, before sending a rebound over the bar/ However, we went ahead soon after that.

Surprisingly, the goal came from a corner. After the first delivery from Santi was cleared at the near post (just stop crossing there already), Sanchez took the ball from the Spaniard and showed how things should be done. The Chilean's corner was met with a thumping header from Mertesacker and the board lit up to show 1-0 to the Arsenal.

The former Barcelona man could have scored himself after Rosicky sent Alexis through. Sanchez gratefully took the ball, rounded off the keeper and released a powerful low shot, only for McShane to clear if off the line. Sagbo nearly scored an own goal from a resulting corner, but Harper was on hand to save again. Hull, meanwhile, had only Ince's shot to show for their (non-existent) attacking effort. And so the first half ended 1-0.

The second half

For some reason, we decided to put the foot of the gas, gifting Hull the ball. It was as if we dared them to try and score. Only some twenty minutes into the half (when we started attacking again) did it cross my mind that half our squad played a lot of minutes recently and were just tired to produce a stunning attacking display for the whole 90 minutes.

However, not much happened inside these first 20 minutes. Hull looked as toothless as it gets and after it became painfully clear to everyone involved we piled men forward in search for a second goal.

Campbell had the first chance after a cut back from Alexis, but the Costa-Rican dragged his shot wide. Then Walcott entered the scene. First he failed to hit the target after a brilliant through ball from Cazorla sent him one-on-one, then a no less brilliant lofted pass from Coquelin ended up in the hands of Harper after Theo failed to control it. Frustrating finishing from Walcott, no doubt, but he'll put it right after a couple of games. The most important thing is, Theo still times his runs perfectly and gets into these dangerous positions.

Thankfully, we sealed the game eight minutes from time and who do you think did it? That's right, ladies and gentlemen, Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean received the ball with his back to the goal, took one touch to get it under control, then swerved and shot. I'm not even sure he looked where the shot was going. 2-0 and game over.

The aftermath

That's what Arsene said after the game:

"I believe we had a serious performance. We were in control and it was a positive game. We created many chances and it took us a while until the 82nd minute to get the second goal but overall I think we had a serious, positive and good collective performance."

And on not resting Alexis:

"I was tempted. Giroud was still suspended today and I knew that it was an important game for us. In the end, he always feels ready.

I feel that when the players are confident it’s important to keep them going, especially when they have that physical potential. He recovers very quickly and we’ll see. At the moment he doesn’t look in our tests like he has any fatigue problem."

Well, what more can I add? I good win, we are through to the next round, the players will finally have a week's rest and by the time we face Stoke we should have Flamini, Ramsey, Ozil, Giroud and Welbeck all back. Though personally, I wouldn't sub Coquelin for Flamini. Francis has done really well and demonstrated (to me, at least) that he's more capable than Flam in this role.

That's it for now. Back in a couple of days.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin). And subscribe by using the e-mail form on the right

Hull preview + Podolski's loan move

Good evening.

Starting with bit that has everyone's minds: Lukas Podolski has joined Inter Milan on loan. It will last till the end of the season, Inter will pay Poldi's wages in full, while Arsenal will receive around £2 million for this deal. I'm not sure there's a buy-out clause, but it's not the important thing right now.

The essence of it all is that Poldi's stint at the Emirates has effectively drawn to a close. He may or may not return in the summer, but I doubt he'll feature in a competitive game for us again. And it's a bit sad, really. Podolski is not a bad player by any means, in fact, he's our best finisher, but his main problem is that the German isn't suited to our system.

Poldi is not someone in Giroud's mould, he's not that typical centre-forward who can play with his back to the goal. As such, he'll always have Giroud and Welbeck in front of him. But he's also losing (lost?) the contest to play on the left, with the likes of Sanchez, Oxlade and the same Welbeck all preferred to the German. And that's the sticking point. All three, while not possessing Poldi's hammer of a left foot, contribute more to our game, by either tracking back, being better with the ball or just having electric pace.

In an ideal world, Poldi is best suited to a 4-4-2, which relieves him of his defensive duties, while also presents with more opportunities up front. But few teams rely on a 4-4-2 these days. Fewer still will accept one of their players not tracking back to help, even if we are talking about a striker. And so Poldi has become surplus to requirements. Could it have panned out differently? Maybe yes, had the German realised the importance of working hard in defense, but there's no telling. I wish him all the best, though, and sincerely hope he gets his chance to shine at Inter. He didn't get that chance with us, for reasons I've mentioned above.

However, while a move away is probably beneficial to the German and his career, I struggle to see in which way it is beneficial for us. In short, we've just lost a powerful weapon from the bench and, given our current dearth of options in attack overall, the timing of this deal is downright harmful. With all the whispers about Campbell's and Sanogo's potential loan moves, I would be not just surprised, but furious if we don't target a decent winger in this transfer window. After we've bought a CB and a CDM, of course.

All of this leads us back to the task at hand: Hull. The press conference took place today, so we have some bits to chew on.

Team news update

In short, we'll most likely have exactly the same squad (bar Szczesny) and that's genuinely scary. While some measure of rotation can still take place at the back, with Bellerin, Chambers and Monreal all healthy, the midfield and attack have a fat chance of getting some rest.

Of course, the official site says that Welbeck, Sanogo, Ramsey, Flamini and Ozil are all "doubts", meaning some of them can actually make it, this bit from the manager is terrifying:

"The two keepers, Ospina and Martinez, will come in. After that, we will see. I cannot rotate too much either because we need stability. Who comes back? We have the 18 players [that played against Southampton] - nobody else will play."

This gives me the creeps. It's obvious guys like Cazorla, Oxlade and Alexis are on the brink, in the red zone or whatever you call it, yet if they all have to play a 5th game in 14 days I'm not sure anyone will benefit from it. Not us, not them. Though Hull might.

The back four

Ospina will come in, while Martinez takes a place on the bench, so this bit we can be sure of. However, I think that, in case Ospina does well, we need to give him a run of games in the Premier League. This will serve the double purpose of showing Szczesny childish mistakes will not be tolerated, while also ensuring we have a calmer goalkeeper between the sticks. The one who doesn't have these frequent and rather damaging rushes of blood.

I would also rotate the back four. Chambers for Mertesacker and Monreal for Gibbs (both Mert and Gibbo has played a lot) and, depending on Debuchy's energy reserves, introducing Bellerin may also be a good idea. One of the few games Bellerin started this season was against Hull and the Spaniard did pretty well.

The midfield

Didn't like how Chambers looked alongside Coquelin, moreover, Calum will most likely be needed elsewhere. So Rosicky seems the best option. He's relatively fresh, and also happen to be a brilliant playmaker, so the Czech should play in central midfield, in my opinion.

Cazorla, meanwhile, must be bracing himself for another 90 minutes under the striker. There's a slight chance Ozil will return, but even if it happens, it'd be foolish to think the German will start after spending so much time out. An appearance from the bench is possible, but I wouldn't count on it.

The attack

Alexis needs a rest, pure and simple. He looked knackered against the Saints, moreover, I'm not sure CF is his best position. For now, at least. That's why I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for Welbeck or even Sanogo to return.

Assuming they don't, the only replacement we can offer is Campbell, It's either him as a lone striker with Walcott on the right or vice versa. And Oxlade comes in on the left to complete our attacking trio. Stupid, stupid Giroud.

The verdict

I honestly don't know what to expect from this game. All the talk of how we were not fulfilling our potential and should bounce back went down the drain two days ago. Then again, I don't exclude the possibility of that loss being a freak occurrence. It's hard to get 9 points out of 9 in such a busy period, so us getting 6 is actually not that bad. Chelsea has four, while United has five, for instance. The most most accumulated is seven. Nobody has nine.

But tomorrow we have to win. It's vital for our confidence, self-belief and psychology to do that. It's a home game, the first round of the FA Cup, to go out would be a catastrophe, one which can easily send us in a freefall. Give it your all, win it by hook or crook and then there'll be a nice long rest with Ozil, Ramsey and Co providing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Come on you Gunners.

And I'll be back with a review on the 5th.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin). And subscribe using a form on the right