Written by Mean Lean on Sunday, 21 November 2010 12:59

Match Review - Arsenal 2 Tottenham Hotspur 3 - Premier League

I absolutely do not want to write this, I would much rather continue to sit, hand on head in the darkest corner of my house, especially given the fact that I am writing this the night before you will probably be reading this.

I feel like a pregnant woman at the moment, raging mad one minute then weepy the next. I say that partly tongue in cheek but what was certainly no laughing matter was my feeling at full time. I was so frothing mad that I could feel myself welling up, being the brave man that I am, I managed to hold back but surely that kind of emotion is just not healthy for you.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of it all, I would just like to give and then take back credit to and from our north London rivals. Credit to them for coming to the Emirates with such a positive attitude and credit to them for not wilting when being utterly stuffed at half time.

Now being a Gooner and I cannot just hand over free praise to those lot for free. They can pat themselves on the back as much as they want but the truth is once again we have beaten ourselves and beaten ourselves pretty badly.

As low as the low's were, the first half was fantastic and it would be easy for us forget all the good work that was on show in the first 45 minutes.

Tottenham came out with the intention to push us back and take the game to us, win the ball high up and create chances. They were picked off, passed around as if they were not even there.

Cesc was playing like a matador, chest puffed out, cutting through the Tottenham defence like a knife through butter.

Samir Nasri opened the scoring after Cesc sent him through, Gomes should have come out quicker but he stalled and fumbled the ball back to Nasri who scored from the tightest of angles. Nine minutes on the clock and deservedly 1-0 up.

We had a spring in our step, we were full of confidence and used the ball superbly. The second goal came just before half an hour, Arshavin's left foot cross found the outside of the boot of Chamakh to guide in our second of the game.

Tottenham were chasing shadows, we were in total control and surely it was a matter of time before we struck again. That was my thinking at the half time whistle, how many can we get? I am sure I was not the only one to have thought that. I was about to post that very question on twitter until something snapped in my head. I mood had just changed out of the blue to fear, so I lowered my phone.

I thought to myself that the next goal would be crucial. In fact I wrote that on twitter during the first minute or so of the second half. If we score the next goal then we are home and dry, if Spurs get it then we could be in trouble. I remember thinking to myself that Spurs cannot win the game but they certainly can draw if they scored the first goal.

Five minutes into the second half my worst nightmares began. Defoe beat Clichy in the air following a long thump down field. van der Vaart poked the ball on to Bale who out paced our defence and slotted wide of Fabianski. A well taken goal.

That in my eyes is where the game crumbled. We lost our purpose and our belief. We pulled up that mental handbrake and stopped attacking. We passed for the sake of passing and lost all our first half penetration.

Twenty minutes later, Alex Song was penalised for a foul on Modric that simply did not exist, he won the ball clearly but nevertheless the free kick was given. van der Vaart curled a shot towards Fabianski's goal and Cesc in the wall inexplicably raised his arm across Chamakh's face and deflected the ball. I would have much rather fancied my chances of a Fabianski save than have the chance of a penalty given. It was silly and suicidal.

van der Vaart slotted wide and high past Fabianski for 2-2. With twenty minutes to go, my half time nerves were incorrect, we could most certainly lose this unless we grow some balls and impose ourselves on a game that we had grasped in both hands in the first 45 minutes.

It was the same old story unfortunately. Van Persie immediately replaced Chamakh who had some fantastic chances to shoot at goal but instead came back inside to look for the pass. Both bad decisions but what can we do about that? He has many strengths, he gives so much to the team but what he is not and I don't think it will ever come naturally, is the type of player to hit the ball past the defender, run on and smash a shot past the keeper. He looks like a forward who simply cannot shoot.

With Chamakh it looks like we have to take the rough with the smooth. If you want a bit of individual brilliance to win a game then look away from Chamakh but if you want a grafter who will improve others then he is your man.

Robin Van Persie did not have the same impact as he had at White Hart lane last season, he looked short of games, lacking that spark and that is why Wenger threw him on, hoping that his wand of a left foot could produce something special. Well it almost contributed as Arsenal had the ball in the back of the net a few minutes later. Van Persie's floated free kick was flicked on by Cesc who was in an offside position, his header across goal was tapped in by Squillaci at the back post but the flag interrupted my half celebrations. Don't you just hate when that happens?

Cesc volleyed over the bar and then had a curling effort saved by Gomes, from the resulting corner we really should have taken the lead but Koscielny criminally missed a header from point blank range after Van Persie jinked and crossed to the far post. Koscielny is a defender that I rate very highly, I expect him to become our best central defender, that is how highly I rate him but his headers against both Chelsea and now Tottenham were just not good enough. On both occasions he needed to keep the ball down but instead headed over from close range. Those are the margins and when you don't take your chances then you lose games in which you shouldn't.

Four minutes from time the unthinkable happened, Koscielny brought down Defoe in a wide position and van der Vaart's curling free kick was flicked into the net by Kaboul.

We huffed and puffed after that, our two wide substitutes missed half chances, Walcott blazing over and Rosicky hitting a drive into the hands of Gomes. And that was that.

Conclusion

Where to start? we all have our views and opinions as to why we let such a strong position slip, I tend to believe that the players lost the edge that they had in the first half and due to Tottenham's early second goal, we mentally pulled up the handbrake, almost unsure of how to play out the rest of the game. We didn't want to let them back into the game yet we still needed to score so we were in limbo. A football limbo where we do not have a game plan.

We are a team and squad built to attack and play football. We are not built to sit off at 2-0 and close out the game. Chelsea are capable of doing that, making themselves difficult to score against and then up the gears again late on and kill off the game. We were not able to do that.

So if we are not built like that, we needed to continue to dominate the game and score the first goal of the second half, if we had done that then the score line could have been 5-1.

We bottled it, we didn't want to drive on and kill off the game, we thought we had it won and we suffered the worst possible consequences.

This result has sickened me as I am sure it has with 99% of Gooners around the world but let us have a little perspective. Whilst many are coming out in their droves, demanding Wenger to be sacked let us not forget that had Koscielny followed the unwritten rule when going for a header and kept it down we could well be sitting top of the league this afternoon. We are two points off the top in November, hardly time to start committing suicide.

We are not competing with the invincibles, we are competing with a Chelsea team who have lost back to back against Sunderland and Birmingham. We are competing with a Manchester United side who are dropping points they would have normally won with their eyes closed.

This result hurts and the fact that it is against them lot who apparently are going to win the league now makes it all worse but we are in November, no time for feeling sorry for ourselves. The players owe it to the fans and the manager to put it right against Aston Villa and in Braga.

We have dropped stupid points at the Emirates, the players have to make this up by beating Manchester United at Old Trafford and then when we go to White Hart lane later in the season.

We are down but certainly not out.

SORT IT OUT ARSENAL!

Fabianski (7)
Sagna (7)
Koscielny (5)
Squillaci (6)
Clichy (7)
Song (6)
Denilson (6.5)
Cesc (7.5)
Nasri (7)
Chamakh (6)
Arshavin (7)

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Comments (24)

• 21-Nov-2010 13:28 | | Ole Gunner
  

  Their first goal changed the game. Until they scored it we were comfortably on top. And even after they scored, we were still more likely to score. Then they got the penalty gift.
  
  Suddenly we had to attack and they could hit us on the break

• 21-Nov-2010 13:33 | | A Gooner among others
  

  Hi Mean Lean,
  
  I think you are not harsh enough with the players.
  They let us down. They let us down badly.
  How many times have we heard the "we will learn from our mistakes" ? How many times ?
  AW always says his players are intelligent; well frankly I don't think they are.
  
  You say we are built to attack. That is true. But we cannot be champions if we can't do anything else.
  Remember that night at Anfield in the CL ?
  It still hurts, right ? Liverpool qualified because they could do more things than us.
  
  We are incredibly lucky to still be in the race.
  
  My opinion is that if we fix our mental issues, then we will be champions and with a good margin.
  But will we ?
  
  I would like the players to apologise. I would like them to refuse their November salaries.
  If they cared about the fans, they would do it naturally.

• 21-Nov-2010 13:38 | | RedandDread  - Vs Spurs
  

  This type of result has been on the cards for some time now-sort it out you say. The current set-up has not been able to sort it out for the best part of 6 years. Trust me, regadless of where we are in the league, this team does not have the nous to win this thing. They cannot defend effectively and they continue to squander opportunities to win games-the end result is exactly what happened yesterday and my dear fellow Gooners will continue to happen as long as the status quo remains as it is!

• 21-Nov-2010 14:04 | | julie reeves
  

  24 hrs on still speechless still gutted enough said!!!

• 21-Nov-2010 14:04 | | julie reeves
  

  24 hrs on still speechless still gutted enough said!!!

• 21-Nov-2010 14:31 | | richie  - With the benefit of hindsight comes perspective
  

  Well put ML like you at the end of that game a murderous blackness decended on me like the fog of the last week. Thankfully with time and analysis my out look has improved if not my mood.
  We are 3rd in November 2 points off the top.
  How many would've settled for that at the start of the season?
  My question is like the one following the defeat to the Toon why didn't someone drill our defense on what to expect as most of us knew the only way they'd score was a ball overthetop for Carol. Who didn't know the spuds would come at us and go for it 2nd half?
  
  Are we still in with a shout of the title? Mathamatically yes but our margins for error get slimmer by the game. We need the mother of all winning runs now & that defeat will take the mother of all psychological talks to lift the moral and erase the effects of the defeat from the players minds. We now have a mountain to climb that will tell us a lot about our players, its worse that we don't seem to have a rallying personality on the pitch.
  
  Like you ML I expect Kosh to develope into a great defender he has bundles of that now infamous word in Arsenal terms "potential". Dare I say it "yes" because it was a defeat that wasn't only down to Kosh it was collectively bad defending.
  
  Everyone on the field played their part. "If only" seems to be our epitaph. "If only" our finishing had only been more clinical, "If only" we had taken our chances, "If only" we'd defended as a team, "If only" the ball had ended in row "Z" (al la any center half ) instead of being allowed to travel, "If only" the ref hadn't blown for a foul that never was "If only" Cesc hadn't raised his arm. "If only" we'd had a big personality out there to marshal the troops. "If only"...........................................................

• 21-Nov-2010 14:33 | | Realistic Gunner Fan  - The CRAPPYNESS continues
  

  I really do hope the deluded ‘Arsene knows best’ fans have fully awaken to the real world. Simply put, the decline started after the Unbeaten season. Replacing very good, skillful and technically gifted players with a bunch of ordinary players who tend to have a good game occasionally. These bunch of players have given a lot of the fans a reason to rightly question their quality, potential, mentality and attitude. It was never so with the likes of Henry, Bergkamp, Pires, Viera etc. I cant remember the fans ever being divided or ever questioning their quality or mentality.
  Mr. Wenger replaced quality with potential which is still costing us till today. We all know that going for potential (Bentley, Amaury Bischoff,Lupoli etc – AW rated them all highly, where are they today? )is a lot of gamble and most of the time doesnt materialize.
  I also think that team selection should be strictly performance and merit based (not based on AWs perception of the players potentials) and not that some would player would just glide back into the starting line up.
  I still believe there is a fundamental flaw in the way Arsene prepares for matches. I remember reading this a while back by Cesc “Here they give us much more information than they do at Arsenal, definitely. At Arsenal we don’t really look at anything from the other team, we look for ourselves and that’s it. Here, maybe two three days before the game, we start looking at some videos, we know more or less the starting eleven that is going to play… we know nearly everything about them.”
  http://wearearsenalblog.com/cesc-criticizes-arsenals-preperation/

• 21-Nov-2010 14:38 | | kelly
  

  first let me thank the SPURS for winning I hate draws they don't teach u anything.the reason arsenal don't play 442 is because song is no good enough DM; slow n one dimensional. I pity those who pay for the inflated tickets to the EMIRATES to watch song,diaby,denilson,koscienly,clichy and squillaci play surely you deserve better! AFC needs a DEFENSIVE COACH here and now. I repeat song ,diaby,denilson,koscienly and squilaci are not FIRST TEAM players in a TOP4 TEAM. denilson miss timed a ball and almost peed in his pants I thot he would faint.this team is so close yet so far. for those bashing CHAMACH get a reality check he's better than DROGBA '06/07 VERSION. he will slowly adjust to being a lone striker in a team with good play makers. however song and diaby are at the end of the curve unless song can be injected with walcots DNA. for me a FLETCHER in midfield n a VIDIC at the back will do.

• 21-Nov-2010 14:46 | | Will
  

  I think 7.5 is too high for Cesc. If he doesn't give away that penalty were still on top and I think in control. He should apologise for doing something so stupid. He should know much better. I feel so let down by him.
  
  Chamakh may have missed a couple glorious opportunities but he did his best. Cesc however has no excuse for what he did. For all the talk of learning how to close a game out learning how to not needlessly and deliberately handball in your own box must rate a lot higher in any list of priorities.

• 21-Nov-2010 14:53 | | Momo  - We lack a leader
  

  we have put up with wenger's experimentation for about 6 yrs and finally its yielding in the squard.but we truelly lack aleader in that team,u realise that each time we conceded no one called on players to talk 2 them or apprehend them n thats the work of a captain.so do we have a weak captain????

• 21-Nov-2010 15:47 | | richie  - Not that old cherry again please
  

  Surely after this defeat we aren't gonna have our own rehashing this old crap about Arsene replacing the invincibles with potential.
  Everyone knows that Arsene had to replace the expensive salaried invincibles with youth because of our stadium debt, which unluckily coincided with a world recession. A wonderful job was done too because we are now financially stable, unlike many a current Premier club.
  Arsene himself has said now is the time for him to start winning again after the debt became managable.Lets move on.

• 21-Nov-2010 15:59 | | dkgooner  - Still seething
  

  Thought I'd got it off my chest yesterday, but even with Chelsea losing too, I'm still mad as hell. Disagree totally on Koscielny - I know he looked good in early season when partnering TV but recently he's been dire. Squillaci is far the better of the two. As for Djourou, what has the poor guy got to do to get a regular place in the team? Covered superbly during Koscielny's suspension and then gets dropped. If I was him, I'd just say fuck it in January and find another club. If the form he's shown isn't good enough, then he'll be better off somewhere else where he's appreciated.
  Walcott came on and produced diddly squat - again. Another flash-in-the-pan player who just isn't good enough. I'd rather have had Eboué on - at least he has the confidence to run at the opposition and wins free-kicks.
  The first Tott's goal was a catalogue of disaster. First, Assou-Ekotto was given all the time in the world to bring the ball out, look up, take a few more touches, look up again and boot one forward. No pressure on him whatsoever. His belt forward should have been meat and drink to a decent defence, but no, Defoe, who's not much taller than a bloody leprechaun, gets highest to head the ball on. vdv brings it down while the Arsenal defence watch like rabbits caught in the headlights and then Bale runs into a gap big enough to drive a combine harvester through. 2-1. And that was the turning point - not the pen. Because it was so bloody easy and the whole team went into shock, instead of going straight up the other end and making it 3-1.
  I'd like to believe all the platitudes about learning from mistakes but it's so clear they don't. They still have enormous defensive problems; they still get complacent/arrogant when in front; and they still don't convert enough chances. Yes, I know we're only two points off the top but there is something basic missing in this squad - bottle. And without that, they'll win nothing. Hope I'm wrong but I'll lay bets.
  dkg

• 21-Nov-2010 16:56 | | Eagleye
  

  ML as always you give a well rounded analysis and managed to keep it positive to some degree in the end.
  
  I have tried to think of two positive things at least to gain from yesterday:
  
  One positive thing i will say is that Wenger appears to be extremely angry about this result. Nobody will be more hurt than Arsene and he will be drawing up plans now for our next fixutres to get everyone focused. If we beat Manure and Villa away (As i think we will) i genuinely believe we will be able put a run together that will help us forget about this result.
  
  Secondly, we rarely lose to Spurs full stop!! Losing twice in a season is unthinkable, so when we go to WHL at the business end of the season winning will be a far better result than a win would have done yesterday.
  
  We still believe....

• 21-Nov-2010 18:17 | | Marlon  - J-gooner
  

  Arsenal is at best a third place team. And the reasons are there for all to see. There use to be a fight with Liverpool for the spot with a regular swapping during and at the end of the season but due to Liverpool's doing Arsenal have taken ownership. Arsenal can never beat out Chelsea or Man U for first or second despite what our beloved Arsene Wenger says. Our manager is a third place manager and like wise the team. We can't capitalize on a piece of bread and better.
  
  When my friend and I, who are serious Gunners, heard of the derby match, we came out with it simultaneously, asking where will the match be played. We prefer when Arsenal to play away. These days whoever comes to the Emirates we are likely to get a beaten, whether its a promoted team or a bottom of the table team. Until we buy a no-none-sense striker (not really skilled but will put the ball into the net), a tall physical defender (who will never forget his defensive duties) and an experienced goal keeper we'll essentially be a third place team and look out cause our North London rivals are on the up.

• 21-Nov-2010 19:51 | | Homer
  

  From a Spurs fan on the guardian:
  
  "Not sure how many of these posters were at the game. I was. Spurs were truly awful - outplayed for 95 minutes. Fortunately for them they came up against an Arsenal team who a) have no leaders b) have no defence worth speaking of and c) can't finish games off despite plenty of chances to do so.
  
  Till the above changes, make no mistake, neither of these teams will come ANYWHERE NEAR winning the league."
  
  Spot on. Now suck it.

• 21-Nov-2010 20:10 | | Bigsy  - Heads Up Lads
  

  we lost to a strong Spurs team, and lets look at the facts for a minute , we have dominated that lot for years but right now would Modric, Defoe, Van der Vaart , Bale , Crouch , and i suppose we have to say Gallas get in our team ? yes they would !..and that is why we lost they are better than us at the moment...less hotels with women and more signing players Arsene ...GUTTED !

• 21-Nov-2010 21:49 | | eduardo  - be more flexible and vocal
  

  For the entire first half the stadium was rocking! Five minutes into the second half we knew what was possible and we did not help the players by showing it. As we all knew it could/would happen all we did was stand there biting our nails. As a consequence you could tell the players felt it as well. So the players and fans all knew it so we/they panicked. Fans stopped singing and the players totally stopped playing. I think that the only person who "did not see it" was Wenger. Twitchy Redknapp played a blinder at half time. By going 4-4-2 he knew we would crumble. Our defense can cope with "one up top" but not two. Wenger had three options after the break. 1) keep as is. 2) match twitch like for like (4-4-2) or 3) Tell Song to be the 3rd CB and ask Clichy and Sagna to defend. As we know due to his stubborness he chose 1). This played into their hands and the rest is history.
  I think our 4-3-3 (4-5-1) works well away but we need to play 4-4-2 at home. West Brom, Newcastle and now the scum have done us this season so everyone knows we are vulnerable at home now so will attack us so expect a few more home losses this season but good away form.
  Wenger has been there and done it but needs to sort our home form out and us fans need to have a look at ourselves too.
  Just think if we had beaten WBA/Newcastle and the scum we would be 7 points clear of Chavski and IO man U.

• 22-Nov-2010 05:04 | | ufonobong
  

  I believe part of our problem has always been when we pair Kos and Squilaci as the CB for matches. If i'm not wrong, all three defeats at home has occured when they are both playing. Our defending on the day was atrocious.

• 22-Nov-2010 06:54 | | arsenesfather  - Shambles
  

  I agree with ufonobong, our defence is just woeful. I think every game Koshitny has played we have not won. I cannot imagine what Wenger saw in him. He's not tall, not fast, not great in the air. He checks none of the boxes for a centre back. I cannot fathom why he was bought. For the first goal I would like to know where both our defenders were. Why was Clichy challenging Defoe in the CENTRE of our half. Not even on the sides like they usually target Clichy. Bang in the middle of the park Clichy was there losing in the air against someone as small as Defoe. Anyway, we need a big strong centre half which we have needed for a long long time now. And it doesn't look likely in the near future. Neither does a trophy to be honest.
  
  Gutted.

• 22-Nov-2010 10:19 | | richie  - Defensive woe's
  

  Reluctantly I have to agree with Ufonobong - Kos & Squilla played against both the toon & the brom not only that but I think they were on at the bridge
  so with the spuds all 4 defeats came with the same pairing. We begs the question are we learning from our mistakes?
  
  I disagree with Arsene's father though because I think Kos has (dare I say it) potential in fact alongside TV early on he looked good, central defenders come in pairs partnerships need to be developed.

• 22-Nov-2010 10:36 | | dkgooner  - Thanks
  

  Thx ufonobong for this observation - it had passed me by. Let's hope AW knows

• 22-Nov-2010 14:43 | | Man United Killa  - Rubbish Arsenal
  

  Our Beloved Rubbish Arsenal is at it again.As I always say:"WE WONT EVEN WIN A PLASTIC CUP"

• 24-Nov-2010 11:18 | | Rambo
  

  Our house is built with a pack of cards. When is wenger going to get it we need A DEFENSIVE COACH!

• 24-Nov-2010 11:19 | | Rambo
  

  We have a house built on a pack of cards. We NEED A DEFENSIVE COACH!!!

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