West Brom review: spoils shared

Good day to you.

Yesterday we drew West Brom in a tight encounter and a point apiece was probably a fair reflection of the proceedings.

The manager pretty much stuck to the side that produced such a scintillating display against Napoli, with only Jenkinson and Whilshere coming in. The former was a forced change, while the latter got the rest he needed and substituted Rosicky, who hasn't returned to his best yet.

The first half was a rather tedious affair. We dominated possession, but couldn't make it count, while West Brom sat back, trying to hit us on the break. The first moment of real danger came when Berahino`s deflected shot nearly found the bottom corner, only for the wrong-footed Sczcesny to demonstrate superb reflexes and palm the ball away.

In the meantime, Arsenal tried to find their usual rhythm, but were unable to do so. I suspect our shortage of players finally showed.

West Brom smelled blood in the final five minutes or so and threw men forward. Their effort was rewarded in the 42nd minute, when a corner half-cleared resulted in another cross, which found Yacob. He made no mistake and headed the ball home.

The second half started in a similar style, only West Brom could have been further ahead in the 47th minute.

Jenkinson was caught out of position, Berahino`s clever through ball sent Anelka clear, only for the Frenchman to curl his effort wide of the far post. Replays didn't present a clear picture of whether on not Anelka was offside, but to me he looked onside.

This served as a wake-up call for the Gunners and we went forward with all determination we could muster.

Rosicky was trown on for Ramsey, who left the field nursing his knee, and added his usual zipness to proceedings. This resulted in a brilliant combination we pulled off around the hour mark. Ozil (I think) played the ball to Giroud, who held the ball, rounded off the defender and, when it seemed he was about to be robbed of possession, made a pass to Rosicky. The Czech, with his back to the goal, laid the ball off for Whilshere and the Englishman smashed his low effort past Myhill. The shot took a bit of a deflection, but was still a work of art from Jack.

In the final fifteen minutes, the game became open, end-to-end stuff, with chances to score for both teams. We came closer, when Whilshere`s pass split West Brom`s defense open. Giroud controlled the ball well, poked it around the keeper, and when it seemed the goal was inevitable, Myhill recovered himself and produced a stunning save to deny us the three points. Bendther came on for Giroud in the dying minutes, but wasn't able to come up with anything.

Afterwards, Arsene said about the result:
«Pleased? No because I want to win but if you ask me if it was a fair point over the 90 minutes I would say yes. Why? Because we were 1-0 down just before half-time and straight after half-time Anelka misses a chance for 2-0 and that would have made it difficult. After that I have some regrets because when we came back to 1-1 in the last half an hour we had the chances to score a second goal but we have shown spirit to come back and we did give it».

Such resilience can only be good for the team's confidence, battling from a goal down to earn a valuable point (under these circumstances), so fair play to everybody involved. They gave their all.

And just a few words about individual performances. I'd like to give the thumbs up to Szczesny and Whilshere. The Pole had another good game and was unlucky not to keep a clean sheet. His improvement from the Villa game is huge and, what's even more important, he's become consistent. Let's hope, he keeps it up, then the clean sheets would come.

Whilshere had a sloppy first half, losing possession and being knocked about all over the pitch, but he put it behind him and came flying out of the blocks for the second period. He scored, set up Giroud and was basically our best player.

And Jenkinson. Well, a poor game for him. Didn't do enough to stop Yacob from scoring, was continuously caught out of possession and his right flank was the go-to for West Brom when they attacked. The young full-back should pick himself up and produce better next time he's called upon.

So, what now? The Interlull. Fingers crossed our guys won't return in pieces after it, while the, as someone called them, walking wounded recover from their respective knocks in time for the real action.

Until later

West Brom preview: Sagna out + Whilshere stuff

Hello everyone.

Tomorrow we play against WBA on their turf in what will be the last game before the international break. The last international break this season. Good. If our players return from it unscathed, the only injures they'll sustain this year will be in their club matches. Something tells me these won't be as severe and lasting as the ones they can pick up on international duty.

Sagna, however, won't have the luxury of getting his leg snapped in two during the next fourteen days, seeing as he pulled his hamstring against Napoli. The Frenchman will remain sidelined for two to three weeks, but still has a good chance to play in our first game after the Interlull (is it against Norwich?)

Anyway, we should be able to cope with Sagna loss for now (with Jenkinson getting ready to join the action). Certainly we can go one game without the French international, so nothing to worry about.

Another piece of bad news concerns Cazorla. Despite his claims, that he'll be in contention for Sunday, he won't. The manager flat-out denied Cazorla`s availability, so what we have for now, we hold. Whether Arsene is playing mind games with Del Bosque remains to be seen, but I'd back our manager if he does. Even had the Spaniard been fully ready, I would not have risked him. Fresh from injury, that has kept him out for three weeks, in for a flight and a late cameo, which will probably only aggravate his injury (it doesn't have to, but it will). Not a good prospect. Spain will manage without him, but we will be hard pressed, should we lose Cazorla again. So he should stay put. Better miss an encounter against WBA now, than the slew of important games after the break.

Everyone else, though, should be gunned and ready for our trip to the Hawthorns. They are a tricky opponent, surely, but we've dispatched trickier ones this season. Napoli game looks like our best yet, so I see no reason, why we shouldn't take all the three points on Sunday. Ozil has opened his scoring account, Giroud rediscovered his earlier form, Ramsey is, well, Ramsey. At his best.

I'm also interested, whether Gnabry will start. Rosicky`s return gave us an option on the flanks, but Gnabry is, without doubt, more suited to this position. He's also in good form, something you can't say about Rosicky for now. So I think the German needs to play.

In other news, Whilshere was spotted having a smoke yesterday. All kinds of theories and statements have been thrown around since then, but it's not the fact itself (smoking) that makes my blood boil. I'm pretty sure it was a prank of some kind, but even if it wasn't, I'm outraged at how little privacy footballers get. I do get they are public figures, maybe role models, but the fact, that someone managed to take a shot of Whilshere having a smoke, cause they could only operate at very short notice, disgusts me.

After all, Jack is 20 years old (maybe even 19). Give the guy a rest, a moment's peace, some privacy. Don't hold your cameras at the ready, when he pops up at the nearest nightclub. The picture without a context can give a wrong impression, and I think that's exactly what's happening now.

Other than that, not much going on, so I'll leave it at that. Here's hoping for three points tomorrow, so we'll go into the break on a high.

Until later

Napoli review: Özilmandias

Good day to you.

Tuesday evening saw us take on Napoli, and, whatever I was expecting from the game, this was not it. It's not so much about the victory, rather the style we pulled it off with. Arsenal were in control of the situation for the entire game and I cannot recall any moment of danger near our own goal.

Arsene made a couple of changes to the side that played against Swansea, with Rosicky coming in for Whilshere and Arteta substituting Gnabry. The last one wasn't as straightforward as the first and saw Ramsey move to the right flank.

The hosts played in full gear right from the start and our two-goal lead by the quarter of the hour mark was as deserved as it gets.

The first move saw Sagna flick a pass towards Giroud, who chested the ball down and kept the defender at bay, all the while waiting for Ramsey`s run. The Welshman didn't disappoint and mere seconds later cut the ball across goal. At first I thought he mistimed his pass, but then I saw Ozil running towards the ball completely unmarked. His first-time shot from the edge of the penalty box swerved past Reina and into the net.

The German celebrated his first goal for Arsenal with gusto, but the combination itself should not be forgotten in the light of this goal. I especially liked how Giroud did the bulk of the job flawlessly, thus setting up Ramsey.

The second goal came seven minutes later, this time Giroud being the scorer. We capitalized on Napoli`s mistake from the throw-in, which saw Giroud take possession in their half and make a quick pas to Ozil. The latter made a run towards the byline, waited till Giroud got into a good position and executed a return pass. All that was left for the Frenchman, was to poke the ball home.

After that the game calmed down. We probed till the half-time whistle came, Ramsey driving the team forward, but the third goal didn't come. Napoli, in the meantime, were listless, unable to wake from their coma and restricted to shots from distance.

The second half wasn't much more interesting, than the thirty minutes leading to it. Napoli played with more purpose, but were still a long way from scoring. We sparked the game up occasionally on counter attacks and were actually much closer to scoring a third, than Napoli their first. Ozil stood out, his delivery from corners and free-kicks creating opportunities. We didn't take them, but it didn't matter in the end. The game petered out and we took the the points.

The manager summed it up nicely during the press conference, saying we went for it, got  what we wanted and calmed down, content to let Napoli move it around.

A really great win, we now top the group with six points. 180 minutes against Borussia to follow.

In other news, Wenger seems to have been offered a new contract which, if signed, could see him remain at the helm till 2017. On the back of some outstanding performances it looks well placed, but Arsene himself was quick to play down any talk, saying he's got to prove his worth first. Here we go round the merry-go-round. The matter has been discussed at length already, so I'll leave it at that.

Until later

Napoli preview: finally, some options

Today we host Napoli in what will no doubt be a thrilling encounter.

The Italian side is yet to lose a game under Benitez, and that's saying something about their current shape. They provide a stern challenge, probably our first real test since Spurs came to town. The players they have are top quality guys, something we had a chance to see for ourselves, when the two teams met in the Emirates cup.

Even Arsene Wenger expressed his surprise at how quickly they made the transit from defense to attack. He pointed to Insigne, Gamshik and Higuain as their most dangerous players, whose abilities make it possible to pull off such counter-attacks. Arsene therefore warned our players against any complacency and defensive mistakes.

Both managers have also paid tribute to one another, recognizing their achievements. Rafa named Arsene the best coach in the league and said he isn't at all surprised Arsenal are currently occupying the top spot. He also wished Wenger all the luck to win the Champions League, though later, rather than sooner.

Arsene, in his turn, spoke highly of Benitez abilities, saying it's no wonder Napoli has beaten Borussia and adopt such an attractive (and tactically brilliant) style of play. He hailed Benitez further still, when he said the Italian side now stand a real chance of winning Scudetto.

It'll be interesting to see, how the game unfolds from a strategic point of view, seeing as both managers have an extensive knowledge of one another's play style. Don't think it'll be the case of canceling each other out, so we're most likely in for a thrilling contest, end-to-end stuff.

In terms of availability, everyone who played against Swansea should be ready, while we also have good news, regarding Rosicky, who's back in contention for the game. I say, if he's fully fit, he should start. We have Gnabry (and maybe Whilshere), who could use a breather. Both have been brilliant recently, but the former played a lot of minutes (especially for his age) and the latter may have sustained a knock and in this case, it's better to take no risks. We'll need him in the long run, so taking a gamble on him for the sake of just one game won't do us any good.

I'm also slightly concerned for Mertesacker`s and Flamini`s states. Both have put in quite a shift recently, so it may be a better option to use them only as subs, while Arteta and Vermaelen get some playing time under their belts. Besides, the more technical Spaniard might prove more useful in this particular game.

Whatever the manager`s thoughts are on the starting eleven, I think Gnabry will be our only youngster in the whole squad. It's good to finally have some options for a change.

In other news, the manager has also spoken of his desire to fill in the gap in his CV and win the Champions League. He named bad luck as a reason for out recent failures in Europe and, looking at who we faced in the knockout stages recently, it's hard to disagree. Double trouble from Barcelona, tough games against Bayern Munich and Milan is hardly a dream of any team at this stage.

Arsene also cited the lack of quality in our squad as one of the reasons we were unable to go through in these encounters. The quality which we now possess, so fingers crossed we can really achieve something this year.

That's it for today. Back tomorrow with a review. Until then

Swansea review: a worthy replacement

Good day everyone.
Saturday saw us win 9th straight game this season and 12th in a row away game. What made the result even more satisfying, is the fact that we retained the top spot in the league, while a blunder from Spurs ensured we are now two points clear.
It was a day of surprises, because not only did Tottenham share the spoils with Chelsea, but both clubs from Manchester lost their respective games. After that, BBC was quick to note, that the last time Arsenal were eight points ahead of United was in 2005. The day kept getting better.
September 28th marked another occasion. It was on this day that Arsene Wenger joined the club 17 years ago. Later the man has noted, that a win was better than any cake. And while I think, he could have both things, I'm still joyous at how committed Arsene is to our cause.
The first 45 minutes were rather dull. Swansea was dominating possession, but chances were few and far between. The closest they came was when Michu seemingly left the ball in play, only for some bloke to squander the opportunity to send the ball into an empty goal. The linesman, however, raised the flag seconds earlier, to signal that the ball did indeed went out of play. Replays proved him right.
Other than that, Szczesny dealt with everything thrown his way (which mostly came down to claiming crosses) with composure and relative ease.
Our best (and probably only) good chance came in the dying moments of the half, when Gnabry sent Giroud clear, only for the Frenchman to roll the ball wide from a devastating position. I'm not inclined to blame him, however, cause a couple of minutes prior to this opportunity, Giroud went down in pain, nursing his ankle. The moment was made even scarier, when Bendtner started warming up. Luckily, it didn't go beyond this.
The second half wasn't much better for the first ten minutes or so, but we did have more of the ball this time around. The goal came basically from nowhere, and I was as surprised as Swansea defenders were. Giroud miscontrolled pass fell to Ramsey, but the Welshman seemed ready for such a surprise.
He slid a pass for the onrushing Gnabry, whose first-time shot found the bottom corner. Truth be told, such a finish reminds me of Theo Walcott at his best. The timing of the run, the quality of his finish and the relative ease, with which Gnabry converted his chance didn't suit his young looks at all. He didn't look like a youngster, fresh out of the academy, rather a seasoned pro. His unconstrained joy at proving his worth was all the more welcome.
The next frenetic five minutes saw Ozil spurn a wonderful opportunity after Ramsey set him up, before the Welshman took matters in his own hands.
Aaron flicked a pass towards Whilshere, continued his run and, after some fancy backheel passing from Giroud, was set up nicely to smash the ball into the roof of the net. It marked 8th goal for Ramsey this season. I've run out of superlatives to describe how brilliant Aaron is this season. He is in out-of-this-world-good form.
After that, we kept the tempo of the play down, basically gave the ball away and seemed content to let Swansea come at us. The overwhelming sense of confidence in our back four, complemented by Flamini`s and later Arteta`s presence played a bad joke with our clean sheet in the end.
The warning signs were there alright, first when Dyer lashed out a low shot, which Szczesny had to go full-stretch to palm away and then Whilshere gifted Bony a chance, which he, mercifully, wasted.
The goal came in the 81th minute. Davies stormed down our right flank, passed the ball to Bony, kept running, received the return pass and sent the ball into the net. Sagna is partly guilty of this goal, by letting Davies make the run in the first place, but honestly, it was a good combination from Swansea, so let's give them credit where it's due.
After that, they did their best to find an equaliser, but never came close and we snatched all the three points in the end.
Once again we saw a side of our game, which isn't all that attractive, but necessary to achieve results. We played well on counter-attacks, took the few chances we had, and dug in defensively the rest of the time. It's very pleasing to witness us deliver performance after performance with that level of defensive discipline and commitment. It bodes well for the future.
The manager expressed his delight at the current form of the team, while also picking out Gnabry and Ramsey. Enough has been said about the latter, but it's interesting to see Wenger express such confidence, that the young German is ready to step up and play on a regular basis. Once Rosicky and Cazorla return, it leaves a dilemma for Arsene to solve, namely: who should be dropped from the first team. We're not quite there yet, but Gnabry had certainly proved he can play on the flank week in, week out.
That's it for today, back tomorrow for Napoli preview