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A strong performance in midweek turned into a strong performance on Saturday against Alan Pardew’s Newcastle. Arsenal kept the offense going to record another 4-1 win in what I think, may be one of our best, if not the best, matches we have played this season. It was also the weekend for the NC is Red event with the Camel City Gooners and Triangle City Gooners. Some of us Queen City Gooners traveled up to Winston-Salem to sing loud and proud at Small Batch bar with our NC brethren.
Arsene Wenger announced the lineup and Gooners everywhere were concerned about our lack of depth in the back four. Gibbs and Bellerin flanked Mertesacker and Debuchy to start the match in the absence of Koscielny, Monreal, and Chambers. All eyes were on Debuchy as he got his first start against his old club and in an unfamiliar position no doubt. Arsenal started brightly with a header by Mertesacker off a corner early in match. The ball hit the bar and bounced clear. It was unfair to the tall German as it would have been a great goal and who doesn’t love watching the BFG celebrate scoring a headed goal? It was a sign that this may be our day even so early in the match as we continued to pressure Newcastle. It didn’t take long for the deadlock to be broken. Bellerin broke up the play near the halfway line and fed Giroud who passed to Alexis, who crossed brilliantly over the defense where Giroud leapt into the air to meet the ball and it flew into the top corner. 1-0. Welbeck then appeared to put the ball in the net on an excellent chip over the keeper’s shoulder from the left, but it was ruled out, unfairly, for a foul on the defender. That was not a foul, Welbeck was fighting off a challenge while he had possession and he muscled his way clear. Towards the end of the half, Arsenal let the pressure off slightly and Newcastle had a few chances to level the match but Szczesny was equal to the task. It was 1-0 at halftime. The start of the second saw some Newcastle possession as they chopped our legs every time we had the ball. Alexis, in particular, was a clear target. It was their obvious tactic to take him out the game at every opportunity. We should not be surprised by this tactic at all since Alexis is by far our biggest threat in attack. On Saturday though, the thug-like tactics would not stop us from scoring, because Santi Cazorla found his shooting boots and showed us some of his classy finishing on his birthday. We all know that he capable of a great goal, just look at the free kick in the FA Cup final but his chips for his first and the penalty for his second were pure class. I truly hope he has played his way out of the tough run of form because we desperately need all of our fit players to perform. Giroud scored an equally impressive goal midway through the second with a clip that sent the ball into the roof after a great cross by Bellerin. The goals seemed to come at perfect moments too. Every time Newcastle looked as if they were going to get back into the game, we scored to pull away. That killer instinct is what we keep lacking in our matches. We never look comfortable after we gain the lead. We actually seem to get worse with a lead. Against Newcastle, we kept pressing the attack and turning the screw not stopping until the win was assured. The Anderlecht match crossed some of our minds, I am sure, but despite our recent poor form I never thought we were going to lose the lead, even when Newcastle got a goal back late on. The match overall was great and praise has to be given to the players. I don’t want to speak too soon but the squad may be finally starting to click. Defense is still a toss up and without spending in January, that won’t change at all, so there is no reason to keep beating that dead horse. Our starting XI is the main issue and it is hard to see what our best XI is, when everyone is healthy. Our back four is set with whoever isn’t sitting on an operators table, but in midfield and attack it is far less clear. The only player you can say with certainty is Alexis. After that, Giroud, Welbeck and Cazorla and that is about it. It becomes a game of who played well last game and who is healthy. The form game must be played as we go to Anfield this weekend to take on Liverpool, who as a top four club last season is in worse shape than us. The memory of last season’s embarrassing loss will still be painfully fresh in all our minds and the players. That must be rectified. Liverpool just lost to Manchester United and they will not be looking to make it another loss in a row so they will give us plenty of problems. Apart from being in poor form, they also have a defense that is more ragged than ours so we have to believe that our winning ways can continue. I am confident, but wary that the ghost of last season will haunt us. You would have to expect that Arsene Wenger has made the squad watch the video of that horrid match over and over until every player wakes up in a cold sweat at night; right after Daniel Sturridge does that ridiculous dance. Then they all hobble to London Colney and create a plan to wipe the smug smiles off the Liverpool fans’ faces. Let’s not forget that the media will be reminding us every minute of every day leading up to the match that that awful day happened. They do love bringing up every time we play poorly. Arsene will be asked about it, as will the players so I hope Wenger gives the media that wry smile in his press conference and on Sunday, we give the media something new to never talk about: a commanding Arsenal win at Anfield (since they never mention our good wins, just our losses). To all the Gooners who were at the NC is Red event, it was a blast and I hope there are more events like that across this great state. We were all in full voice, out to prove that NC truly is painted the red of Arsenal. I am proud to be a part of such a great club with a great history, but even more so to have fellow supporters like we have in NC and all over the US. Here’s to a win against on Sunday! Come on you Gunners, let’s keep this winning train rolling!
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The last few days have been pretty bewildering as an Arsenal fan. Arsenal had to travel to the depths of Mordor and fight the Uruk-hai in Mount Doom. Along the way Frodo lost the One Ring and Sauron’s forces defeated us. It was a humiliating defeat, one that should have sent the entire club into red alert. We bounced back with a win over Galatasaray in the final match of the group stage. Frankly, it was a consolation match at best, as we were guaranteed a spot in the next round and it would have taken a 6 goal route with a Dortmund draw to top the group and as poor as our form has been, that probably wasn’t going to happen.
Taking on Stoke in Stoke, was always going to be rough. Arsenal seems to struggle there and the Orcs filling the Britannia Stadium love it. They grunt, growl and roar any time we make a clear, honest play and cheer uncontrollably when one of their Uruks, namely their chieftains Shawcross and Crouch, maniacally tackle one of our players, often resulting in an injury. They have the audacity to back one of their own when he tears through Aaron Ramsey’s leg like a cleaver through a cow’s back, and think it was Ramsey’s fault! Repeatedly, we go to Stoke and fight hard to get a result of any kind, but we have a mental block. The rugby tactics and lowbrow fans always get the better of us. Arsene Wenger has been criticized of struggling against Jose Mourinho and more recently, teams in the top four but to me the struggle against this pack of wild maniacs is more infuriating. Lose to a top four side and they were the better team, but lose to Stoke and their lack of footballing tactics and violent ways got the better of us. Why can’t we get over it? We know that they will play that way. They play long balls to Crouch and attempt to injure any of us that touch the ball. They would tackle an infant in a stroller if he was holding a pacifier shaped like a football. So it should be no surprise to see them play that way again. Yet Wenger seems perplexed that it happens, EVERY TIME! He had the gall to say that there were positives after the match. What positives could there possibly be? We were down 3-0 at halftime! TO STOKE CITY! This is an embarrassment to the club and to us fans. Only one of their goals was a legitimately decent goal. Sure we came back to make it 3-2 but once Chambers was sent off, the damage was done. Wenger got it wrong again, but this time the loss was in the team sheet and the tactics. We can play the ref blame game all we want, and the ref was bad but Wenger is having a hard time adjusting his team to the challenges on match day. Wenger put us in this position. The lack of defensive signings over the summer has bitten us. We had six healthy defenders at the start of the season, 2 CB, 2 LB and 2 RB, we have had a combination of 2-3 of them injured at any given time, including long term injuries to Koscielny and Debuchy. This has forced us to play Monreal out of position and give starts to Chambers and Bellerin who are still raw. Don’t get me wrong, I think highly of both of them but they are inexperienced. We have until January to hold on without proper backup in the back. I have no idea what to expect when the January transfer window opens but to be honest, we probably wont get a defender or a defensive mid. Wenger will play the “I trust my players to do their jobs when asked” card even though they are completely knackered. This lack of squad rotation also causes us to drop points. Our lack of signings in the back means there isn’t much we can do there, but in midfield and attack we have quite a few healthy players. It is bewildering to see players like Joel Campbell and Lukas Podolski sitting on the bench game after game while Alexis is dragging because he is carrying the weight of 25 players and millions of fans on his back. Cazorla fluctuates in form as drastically as the rest of the club and Ramsey over-thinks every pass. Has Rosicky even started a match? I do not understand what is keeping so many players rotting on the bench while the players struggling for form and energy are forced to play every minute. Wenger needs to start rotating and soon. A little squad rotation would do the team some good. At Galatasaray, Wenger did rotate his players and not only did we win, but the majority of our starters got some much needed rest. The starting lineup saw Debuchy back as well as starts for Podolski, Campbell and Sanogo. Podolski and Ramsey each got a brace of goals during our 4-1 win. Everyone knows how much of a Podolski fan I am so I won’t fill this blog with superlatives. The real praise needs to go to Ramsey’s strike. If you have not seen it, what are you waiting for? The half-volley from 30 yards out seemed like another desperate whack into the nosebleeds, but it was not so. That shot rifled into the top corner so fast and hard, I am surprised the net wasn’t taken into orbit. Not only was he surprised but so was the entire team and everyone watching the match. Easily one of the best goals I have ever seen and it got me thinking of the myriad of goals he scored for us last year (Norwich, Liverpool at home, etc) and how I wish he would keep that form up. The sight of the team all celebrating that goal was awesome and humorous. Wenger rotated a few players in the second half as we left off the pressure a bit. The young players who got to play in the Champions League did their duty well, but to be fair the match was essentially over and Galatasaray aren’t exactly a powerhouse. It was just nice to have a good win after the Stoke loss. Hopefully, and I know I say this every week, we will get some consistency in our performances. Despite my gripes with this season, I still feel like we have a great group of players that can go far, but we are 2-3 players away from a full enough squad to challenge on all fronts. Since Wenger actually rested players, I have a good feeling about Newcastle this weekend. The only caveat is they are coming off a good win over Chelsea, hilariously spoiling all the Mourinho-loving media imbeciles’ premature “new-invincibles” party. Watching Mourinho get angry and call the opposition names shows what a spoiled, pedantic brat he really is. All hilarity aside, Newcastle will be up to drop another giant so we need to be on toes and play to our tempo and strengths from kick off. Come on You Gunners! Edit: Sorry for all the Lord of the Rings references but I truly feel like Stoke are the orcs from the Tolkien novels. He just new what a classless bunch they are. Before I start I hope all of you Gooners had a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
Two wins in a row. That’s right, a 60th minute header from Danny Welbeck gave Arsenal the deserved lead against West Brom on Saturday. Was it a perfect, comprehensive win? No, of course not, this is the Arsenal; however there are many positives to take from this match. Our attack is starting to click as this season goes on and the single goal hides the fact that we looked solid when pressing the West Brom defense. Danny Welbeck started on the left with Giroud in the center and Alexis on the right. Santi Cazorla took up the central attacking mid position and those 4 players seemed up for the fight. Cazorla had the kind of game we all wish we would see from him more often. If there is one position this season that we can’t seem to get right with the players we have is the one that is normally occupied by the still-injured Mesut Özil. Cazorla is obviously the natural man to fulfill this role, but he has been moved left most matches and he hasn’t been able to find his feet lately, in either position. This is unfortunate because we all know how good he is with both feet. I remember the curling shot from outside the box against West Ham in his first season or the brace he scored against Fulham in January. His tricky dribbles and slick passes have been missing from his game and on Saturday, he had his best match in a long time. He never gave up on a loose ball or a dribble and always drove the attack forward. He kept the ball from going over the line and lifted it over the defense for Welbeck to smash it in with his head. That wasn’t his only key pass either. As the holiday matches begin to flood our schedule, now is the time for Cazorla to step up and help direct the attack for more goals. Continuing with the attack, I was also pleased with the movement of Welbeck even after losing his starting spot as striker to Olivier Giroud. I never expected Welbeck to contribute as much as he has when we signed him from Manchester United. I thought he was a filler buy, something for Wenger to say, “There you go, another striker”, but he has really come and fit in quickly. He still has a lot to prove at the top level but he has won me over. His early goal scoring contributions may have a pleasant side effect as well: forcing Giroud and our other forwards to fight for the position. This is something we have been lacking over the last few seasons. Prior to his traitorous exodus, Robin van Persie was the main striker we relied on to keep us in the top four. With his vacancy, it was up to Giroud, Podolski and Walcott to compete for that coveted striker role. It quickly became apparent though that Wenger did not see Podolski or to lesser extent, Walcott in that position. This left Giroud as the only striker we had. When he gets a knock, Wenger threw Podolski or Walcott centrally and expected them to play the same way. This is a bizarre tactic as neither of those players can do what Giroud does for this side. All three of them have different skills as strikers that Wenger doesn’t seem to capitalize on. The problem is that Arsene is too set in his tactics to change it up to fit the abilities of his players. As I stated last week, Wenger seems to have a faux hands off approach to managing. By that, I mean his only direction he gives is, “this is how I want you all to play, now do it but play to your own strengths”. Throwing Podolski or Walcott centrally and asking them to hold up the ball and bring the midfield into the attack is as asinine as asking Giroud to run faster than Walcott. I will never understand our lack of a plan B or C when A doesn’t work at all. At the end of the day, this is simply my cynical view and my opinion on our tactics doesn’t matter as I am not a manager, simply a blogger for the Queen City Gooners, the best supporters club in the US. Enough negativity, as this is not the discussion today. Our defense looked so much better with Koscielny and Mertesacker as the CB pairing. Monreal has done the job when called upon but he never looked like he belongs there and why should he? He is a left back. Wenger has reported that Koscielny is still not 100% so expect some shakeup in the defense as the compact schedule comes at us. Monreal is facing a fitness test as is Gibbs so we could be looking at a void to fill for the Southampton match. We could potentially see Bellerin at right back, Flamini at left back and Chambers alongside Mertesacker. This is not what we want but such is the price we pay for not buying more defenders. The matches are coming fast and furious in the coming month and we will have to tweak our squad to deal with the fatigue and injuries. I fear the injuries the most but they are something we have to deal with as Arsenal fans. It is impossible for our players to stay healthy. The old adage of playing one match at a time is going to be par for the course for the next few weeks. I wouldn’t be able to call myself an Arsenal blogger if I didn’t mention that King Henry is looking to return to the Arsenal after his tenure at New York Red Bulls. I would love to see him return the club in some capacity. His love for Arsenal and all of us Gooners is very clear and he would do whatever it takes to see us successful (he specifically mentioned the Champions League). I know that it wouldn’t be a large role at first but I think a coaching role isn’t out of the cards to potentially groom him to be the manager. Fingers crossed that all goes well for him and the path is laid out. We have a match against Southampton and Stoke before I write again. Let’s all hope that our players overcome their injuries and be ready to take out the side that is sitting in 3rd place. As a fan of the game you can’t hope but admire the tenacity of that club. They are out to prove the pundits wrong that they would struggle losing so many players in the summer. Do I think they will remain there? No, because we are coming for the top four and they will hit a rough patch. We just need to capitalize and get some points. We have been unable to take points off the top four and that trend has to end for us to be successful. Until next time, Come on you Gunners! efore I start I hope all of you Gooners had a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Two wins in a row. That’s right, a 60th minute header from Danny Welbeck gave Arsenal the deserved lead against West Brom on Saturday. Was it a perfect, comprehensive win? No, of course not, this is the Arsenal; however there are many positives to take from this match. Our attack is starting to click as this season goes on and the single goal hides the fact that we looked solid when pressing the West Brom defense. Danny Welbeck started on the left with Giroud in the center and Alexis on the right. Santi Cazorla took up the central attacking mid position and those 4 players seemed up for the fight. Cazorla had the kind of game we all wish we would see from him more often. If there is one position this season that we can’t seem to get right with the players we have is the one that is normally occupied by the still-injured Mesut Özil. Cazorla is obviously the natural man to fulfill this role, but he has been moved left most matches and he hasn’t been able to find his feet lately, in either position. This is unfortunate because we all know how good he is with both feet. I remember the curling shot from outside the box against West Ham in his first season or the brace he scored against Fulham in January. His tricky dribbles and slick passes have been missing from his game and on Saturday, he had his best match in a long time. He never gave up on a loose ball or a dribble and always drove the attack forward. He kept the ball from going over the line and lifted it over the defense for Welbeck to smash it in with his head. That wasn’t his only key pass either. As the holiday matches begin to flood our schedule, now is the time for Cazorla to step up and help direct the attack for more goals. Continuing with the attack, I was also pleased with the movement of Welbeck even after losing his starting spot as striker to Olivier Giroud. I never expected Welbeck to contribute as much as he has when we signed him from Manchester United. I thought he was a filler buy, something for Wenger to say, “There you go, another striker”, but he has really come and fit in quickly. He still has a lot to prove at the top level but he has won me over. His early goal scoring contributions may have a pleasant side effect as well: forcing Giroud and our other forwards to fight for the position. This is something we have been lacking over the last few seasons. Prior to his traitorous exodus, Robin van Persie was the main striker we relied on to keep us in the top four. With his vacancy, it was up to Giroud, Podolski and Walcott to compete for that coveted striker role. It quickly became apparent though that Wenger did not see Podolski or to lesser extent, Walcott in that position. This left Giroud as the only striker we had. When he gets a knock, Wenger threw Podolski or Walcott centrally and expected them to play the same way. This is a bizarre tactic as neither of those players can do what Giroud does for this side. All three of them have different skills as strikers that Wenger doesn’t seem to capitalize on. The problem is that Arsene is too set in his tactics to change it up to fit the abilities of his players. As I stated last week, Wenger seems to have a faux hands off approach to managing. By that, I mean his only direction he gives is, “this is how I want you all to play, now do it but play to your own strengths”. Throwing Podolski or Walcott centrally and asking them to hold up the ball and bring the midfield into the attack is as asinine as asking Giroud to run faster than Walcott. I will never understand our lack of a plan B or C when A doesn’t work at all. At the end of the day, this is simply my cynical view and my opinion on our tactics doesn’t matter as I am not a manager, simply a blogger for the Queen City Gooners, the best supporters club in the US. Enough negativity, as this is not the discussion today. Our defense looked so much better with Koscielny and Mertesacker as the CB pairing. Monreal has done the job when called upon but he never looked like he belongs there and why should he? He is a left back. Wenger has reported that Koscielny is still not 100% so expect some shakeup in the defense as the compact schedule comes at us. Monreal is facing a fitness test as is Gibbs so we could be looking at a void to fill for the Southampton match. We could potentially see Bellerin at right back, Flamini at left back and Chambers alongside Mertesacker. This is not what we want but such is the price we pay for not buying more defenders. The matches are coming fast and furious in the coming month and we will have to tweak our squad to deal with the fatigue and injuries. I fear the injuries the most but they are something we have to deal with as Arsenal fans. It is impossible for our players to stay healthy. The old adage of playing one match at a time is going to be par for the course for the next few weeks. I wouldn’t be able to call myself an Arsenal blogger if I didn’t mention that King Henry is looking to return to the Arsenal after his tenure at New York Red Bulls. I would love to see him return the club in some capacity. His love for Arsenal and all of us Gooners is very clear and he would do whatever it takes to see us successful (he specifically mentioned the Champions League). I know that it wouldn’t be a large role at first but I think a coaching role isn’t out of the cards to potentially groom him to be the manager. Fingers crossed that all goes well for him and the path is laid out. We have a match against Southampton and Stoke before I write again. Let’s all hope that our players overcome their injuries and be ready to take out the side that is sitting in 3rd place. As a fan of the game you can’t hope but admire the tenacity of that club. They are out to prove the pundits wrong that they would struggle losing so many players in the summer. Do I think they will remain there? No, because we are coming for the top four and they will hit a rough patch. We just need to capitalize and get some points. We have been unable to take points off the top four and that trend has to end for us to be successful. Until next time, Come on you Gunners! |
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