Written by Mean Lean on Monday, 31 January 2011 13:37

I am in an unusual position of writing thoughts on a game that I have only seen once. I didn't get the chance to see Match of the day or any highlights so excuse me if I make any bad judgements on the game.

I felt rather strange watching the match, I must say. An FA Cup tie at home and one that we won should have left me feeling jubilant but the feeling of joy was completely dampened by the hamstring strain of Samir Nasri. As soon as he hobbled off the pitch, my attention span had practically disappeared. The team stuck the gear stick into neutral and decided to cruise after Bendtner deflected his shot off a defender and into the net. That annoyed me but the thought of losing Samir Nasri, our player of the season, our match winner for up to three weeks was a massive concern. While many are giving us no chance of beating Barcelona over two legs, I felt that as long as we had Nasri, Cesc and Van Persie playing together along with the pace of Theo then we could pose them serious problems.

Today, I have told myself that Nasri is a quick healer and he might just make a miraculous recovery and could still have the task of turning Dani Alves inside, out.

I expected the team to start the game a little disjointed, a little bit as they did against Leeds United at the Emirates. Squillaci had been out for a few weeks, Abou Diaby hadn't played since hobbling off against Wigan at the end of December. The rest of the team would be packed with players who have had bit part roles so far this season.

Instead the team had started pretty brightly and the passing was quicker and sharper than expected. Bendtner, probably buoyed by his lovely goal against Ipswich was our best attacker in the early stages, coming in from the right and linking well with his team mates. He had a great chance before he scored when he swung his right foot and caught air instead of the ball. Moments later he had opened the scoring with a lucky deflection.

That goal should have sparked us into life, instead it was almost the killing of us. We pulled our foot dramatically off the accelerator and slowed the game down to almost walking pace. No desire to carve open chances, no determination to wrap up the game and it became another training session.

These players have been here before, they have seen what happens when you do not capitalise on the massive amounts of possession. The opposition started to get back into the game. League one side Huddersfield fought their way into the game and started to put the Arsenal defence under pressure.

I thought Squillaci's red card was harsh, especially when Emmanuel Eboue and perhaps even Koscielny were in close attendance. It was a foul, a clear foul and Squillaci has a habit of being caught square on and then beaten for pace but a red card?

Gary Neville and Rafael are allowed to get away with those, especially in the penalty area but I suppose an Arsenal player cannot take that gamble.

Wenger must be a little frustrated with that dismissal as he had been waiting for Squillaci's return to rest Koscielny and Djourou. It is only a one game ban so not all is lost.

Song replaced Chamakh who hadn't really been at the races and I wonder if he has in fact fallen from first in the pecking order to third behind Nicklas Bendtner as the weeks have gone on. He has had a fantastic debut season and was so important to us at the start of the season but nothing is quite coming off from him now.

Alex Song partnered Koscielny at the back whilst Bendtner moved into the center on his own to lead the line.

It was only a matter of time before they scored a deserved equaliser and I was certainly not at all surprised when it came. It was no smash and grab goal either, Manuel Almunia, in goal for the first time since West Brom at home made an amazing flying save to deny Lee moments earlier.

Cesc replaced Abou Diaby late on and once again he made the difference in the final third, his low ball into the box was heading towards Bendtner before the Dane fell to the floor. Penalty and yellow card. I have only seen the penalty incident from a stream and couldn't tell you how much contact was given but I would love someone to explain to me how their defender received a yellow card. Inside the penalty area, last man and all he got was a yellow.

I have nothing against the guy and don't wish for cards to be dished out willy nilly but Clattenburg, why you being so silly? Squillaci sent off with Arsenal players on the cover but a yellow when the offence was much more obvious.

Cesc once again came to the rescue from the penalty spot in the FA Cup and the draw has once again been pretty kind to us as the biggest team in Leyton, the Orient face what is likely to be another second string team, therefore yet another tough clash if previous rounds are anything to go by.

Almunia (7)
Eboue (6)
Squillaci (5)
Koscielny (6)
Gibbs (5)
Denilson (5)
Diaby (6)
Nasri (6.5)
Bendtner (7)
Chamakh (5)
Arshavin (6)

Please note that ratings are only my interpretations of the game and that others will have differing opinions

• Add New
• RSS

Comments (24)

• 31-Jan-2011 14:00 | | Clive  - Almunia
  

  I was at the match and thought Almunia was poor. Didn't inspire confidence in his defence and was totally out of place on the goal. He is a great athlete, but a poor player.
  
  Let's hope Chesney stays fit, especially if Fabianski is out for a while.

• 31-Jan-2011 14:03 | | Clive  - Bendtner and Arshavin
  

  Bendtner put in a shift and is showing he deserves to wear the shirt.
  
  Arshavin still not on song, but better.
  
  This team (8 or 9 internationals) should have been able to walk over Hudderfield (no internationals).

• 31-Jan-2011 14:03 | | Don
  

  I thought Arshavin was the brightest player for the opening half. I would not have rated him with most of the rest of the team but up there with Bendtner and Fab personally.

• 31-Jan-2011 14:18 | | Stuart  - Wakefield, Town Faan
  

  Certainly wasn't a penalty. I could clearly see that Bendtner put his leg, on purpose, against out players leg and then fell over - cheating of the highest order. And Fabrgas's antics arfe a disgrace. Why does someone with so much talent, behave like a baby - another fist class cheat.

• 31-Jan-2011 14:27 | | richie  - I Agree Shava coming back
  

  Shava looked the sharpest I've seen him for a while, he needs to net one which will boost him some more I think.

• 31-Jan-2011 14:54 | | undead
  

  stuart i wonder what part of d Tv u see the game from the screen or the back

• 31-Jan-2011 14:57 | | richie  - Playing out of position
  

  ML Chamakh hasn't looked so good since Arsene moved him out wide and put RvP in the middle. Neither has NB. Both of the above are being played out of out of position to accomodate RvP's return to center stage.
  Personally I think RvP plays best slightly behind a front man. He can lead the line but I don't think we get the best of his link up play when he does.
  
  Chamakh can lead the line very effectively, because he takes defenders deep which leaves space behind. He holds the ball up very well giving time for others to join in the attacks. RvP's attacking style comes more from making space for himself and sweeping the ball forward, which is ok when the defense is stretched, but when its massed against us (much of the time) its less effective. Its far more difficult to break down with RvP than with Chamakh.
  
  It drives me mad when our own jump on our own players backs without realising that they are being asked to do a job by their manager. Song in my humble is the best DM in the prem but he's far less effective now as a central defender, nevertheless if asked to he'll play there for the team.
  
  We all remember Shava last year playing as a center forward which we all know he ain't, but he did his best when asked to imitate a pint sized one. Bendy ain't a winger but he's trying. Chamakh likewise isn't as effective out wide, but I guess if its a question of play out wide or not he'll play.

• 31-Jan-2011 15:16 | | richie  - Out of position 2
  

  I forgot to finish off by saying when Chamakh has spent time out of his normal position if he's then asked to return to it, it'll take time for him to re-adjust same for Bendy. I say this not as a criticism of Arsene, but just to note that this has always been a product of his style of management.
  
  Remember Thierry H was a center forward when he arrived at Monaco, AW made him play on the wing, then returned him to the middle when he came to us. (It took TH time to adjust his positional play both physically and mentally) Theo has likewise been winged out but eventually will probably play in the middle. I don't wanna try and second guess the prof but I think AW thinks that footballers should be able to play vertually everywhere.

• 31-Jan-2011 15:20 | | richie  - spelling correction "Virtually"
  

  ML for us illiterate's get a spelling check auto added to your site please

• 31-Jan-2011 15:25 | | TJ DA GOON
  

  It was a clear penalty mate. Bendtner had a real chance of getting onto the pass and his attempt was ILLEGALLY thwarted. Whether he would have got his toe to it or not we don't know, but he was impeded, which is all that matters. It doesn't matter whether there was minimal contact or not or whether he went down easily (which he did) or not as the fact of the matter remains that he was ILLEGALLY stopped. A player going down easily looking for a pen is nothing new and happens all over the world - get over it! Our 49 game unbeaten run came to an end due to a penalty decision against us where there was NO CONTACT WHATSOEVER so who should feel more aggrieved here? The real farce is, as Mean Lean mentioned in the article, how your player only received a yellow for the offence. I don't know whats worse, this one or Halsey's last week against Ipswich where he stopped the game because the ball hit him and bounced kindly for an Arsenal player in a position which looked very precarious for Ipswich. It's got to the point where Fabregas has begun reminding the refs of certain laws of the game, hence yesterday's reaction and last week's refusal of Halsey's orders to give the ball back to Ipswich after said incident. Don't get it twisted either, AFC have do battle against 11 committed individuals AND the wanker referee MOST games we play thanks to the gutter press who have used blatant propaganda over the past 4-5 years to turn a nation against our 'foreign club'. Some people should try supporting Arsenal for a week to see what injustice really is!

• 31-Jan-2011 15:51 | | MeanLean
  

  Very well put.

• 31-Jan-2011 15:56 | | MeanLean
  

  Yup would agree with you on that. Wenger wants his players to learn all different roles as our players interchange continuously throughout the game.
  
  Bendtner clearly would like to play as the leading man, in Van Persie's position but he is down the pecking order right now, he has to continue to work hard out of position and develop in that area just as Diaby had to, Henry had to , Walcott has to etc etc
  
  If he keeps working hard and waits to get his chance then it is down to him to show that he cannot be dropped from center forward when the chance arrives.

• 31-Jan-2011 15:56 | | Karmapolice
  

  Cesc came on & saved the game. Which begs the question:-
  what were 11 men (assumption here) who are paid 40k a week doing on the pitch for an hour? Were they not instructed on the scope of their work or were they simply incapable of the task assigned?
  Please don't tell me "but we won". You are not supposed to feel proud by beating up a 5 yr old in a fist fight, & losing your front teeth in the process.

• 31-Jan-2011 15:58 | | MeanLean
  

  I need one myself. I have only realised how bad my spelling and grammar is. I now triple check my writing when once I used to submit without checking at all.
  
  Shocking stuff! Sorry to all who used to read this site years ago. Tut tut

• 31-Jan-2011 16:03 | | MeanLean
  

  I agree with the fact that we should have been good enough to have beaten them convincingly but football is never as cut and dried as to say that x player earns x amount therefore they should perform.
  
  It is not always as straight forward as that.
  
  I still believe that the main problem is that this bunch of players have been playing poorly because they lack a run of games.
  
  We have seen it with Cesc, Van Persie, Walcott and a number of the 'first 11' when they have just come into the side.
  
  I don't know what the answer would be to solve that issue because obviously we have to play our best team when we can.
  
  I was more annoyed that we took our feet off the pedal when we went 1-0 up

• 31-Jan-2011 17:51 | | TJ DA GOON
  

  That, sir, is the ultimate question. It's been obvious to me for a few months now that when there is no Nasri, Fabregas, Wilshere or RVP on the pitch, we badly, badly lack creativity. Apart from them, you may be lucky to see Rosicky or Arshavin create one or two chances but i have to be honest when it comes to these two. Rosicky has lost EVERYTHING good about his game. He still possesses qualities but they have all waned considerably. As for AA23, i've never fancied him playing for Arsenal. He doesn't fit in with AW's philosophy of the game and this is the reason he frustrates so many Gooners with his constant giving away of possession very cheaply (funny that most seem to only realise this now when he's been like this since the beginning of his AFC career). His thoughts are often too direct and our other players hardly ever read his intentions or he mis-executes his final pass or shot badly. Many, many Arsenal attacks break down because of him! He also gives possession away cheaply by simply being moved off the ball. It's as if he was never coached/taught how to use his body to shield the ball from an opponent. Maybe he should take some personal lessons from Nasri on this (who is mustard at the art). It's also funny that he plays this way all the time and might score one or set up one or two and then people point to his stats. It's not all about stats. They are not the be all and end all of football games. £15m worth of talent should deliver far more in a team as talented as Arsenal's first eleven than he does. Also, GREAT players like Nasri, Fabregas, Iniesta and Xavi hardly EVER give the ball away, they are true playmakers and dictate the tempo of matches (even lil Jack does this brilliantly) so i don't want to hear how Andrey is a great player coz he clearly isn't. He's just a good player who's not good enough for AFC imo. Bloody hell, i'm getting side-tracked here......
  
  To get to the point, i would say the 11 who started the game were not up to the standard required to dispatch of a team from the third tier of English football. In fact, only Kos (who's grown on me big time lately - potential future AFC legend imho), Gibbs (who had a poor game, it must be said), NB52 (who's easily the most unappreciated player ANYWHERE in the world of football) and obviously Super Sam should be anywhere near the first team. The rest are not good enough in my humble opinion. I would much rather see Lansbury, Frimpong and Coquelin in the first team squad instead of Rosicky, Diaby and Denilson next season, Bartley in as fourth choice and Squillaci (who's worse, him or Stepanovs?) bombed out as well as seeing JET given a chance (provided he doesn't mess up his loan spell at Cardiff) ahead of Chamakh (who i have love for coz i know he loves AFC and ran his socks off in a league that's alien to him at the beginning of the campaign, playing a huge part in keeping us in the title race thus far) who doesn't have the killer instinct or hunger for goals (which i've NEVER witnessed in any striker, apart from Heskey, of course). I just feel Arsenal are too good for these poor to mediocre squad players and we would be better served getting them off the wage bill as well as pick up a nice tidy profit on all of them as they are now at the age where they will improve very little or not at all and are holding back others who clearly have the talent to at least stake a claim in the AFC first team from as early as next season and will continue to improve for the next 5-10 years.

• 31-Jan-2011 18:38 | | EasyOne
  

  TJ DA GOON: It's funny when you say AA23 is too direct, and still "other players hardly ever read his intentions". What intentions they want to read then? Probably his intentions were too direct when he crossed to Bendtner into the square?
  
  It's not about intentions and all that, it's is about while AA23 sometimes run too slow, some other players think too slow instead. I cannot tell what is worse, while I suspect the latter is.

• 31-Jan-2011 19:03 | | MeanLean
  

  I think the thoughts on Andrey being a little too direct in his play actually makes plenty of sense. It would explain his high number of assists and without looking at his stats I would imagine his shots per game ratio and misplaced passes count must be pretty high.
  
  It is little wonder his assists are so high because it feels like every time he has the ball in the final third he attempts a final ball.
  
  Personally I would rather he was more like Nasri and co, concentrating on keeping the ball moving until the final ball was more nailed on. It would probably be more beneficial to his confidence and build up play, instead of giving it away and hearing the groans and moans from a rather impatient Emirates crowd.
  
  Now is the time for the old Arshavin to return, his form has been getting better in the last few weeks. I cannot believe I failed to mention his fantastic last ditch tackle in our penalty area.
  
  He has so much talent, I think going back to basics and then pulling out the rabbit from the hat when it is more likely to come off would be a good move for our magician.

• 31-Jan-2011 19:04 | | Double Dapper
  

  Hey ML,
  
  How do you change your avatar?

• 31-Jan-2011 19:07 | | MeanLean
  

  DD,
  
  You can upload your pictures to either Wordpress.com or gravatar.com
  
  And all you have to do is register with Arsenal Vision with the same email address as your Gravatar one.
  
  Let me know if you need any help

• 31-Jan-2011 21:43 | | DJ Dragonfly
  

  We played badly and we won. I'll take that. I don't understand why some Gooners are stressing out too much. Man United haven't been playing consistently well all season, yet they currently lie on top of the Premier League. You don't hear their fans kicking up a huge fuss over their style of play?
  
  I'm not a big fan of Almunia, but he pulled off a stupendous save to keep us ahead when we were 1-0 up.
  
  Losing Nasri to an hamstring injury is a massive blow, but we have a quality replacement in Arshavin, so I think we'll be fine. He put in a good shift yesterday against a dogged Huddersfield side.

• 01-Feb-2011 01:58 | | richie  - unconvinced
  

  If one player is played centrally and another wide, the wide player is disincentivised to play well wide, because he might get type cast as a wide man, and never get the chance to play centrally where he could actually be brilliant

• 01-Feb-2011 02:21 | | richie  - Transfer merry-go-round
  

  The EPL is being totally distorted by the looney's! The mega rich if we are not careful with distroy the game. Suarez 25million Carol 35million Torres 50 Million so what price our Fab's? our Nasri? our Song? our RvP? Which brings up Xavi, Iniesta,and Messi. If Torres is 50 then Messi must now be 250+ in the prem. Its madness! I see a time when insurrance companies won't allow their insured plays in all games. Some might be too risky.
  Arsene's sanity stands out!

• 01-Feb-2011 10:49 | | richie  - Re Shava
  

  AA suffers from the way he plays on more than one level. His game isn't just about his undoubted dribbling and lack of backlift ping.
  Like Cesc and the Magnificent Bergy before him he's more than capable of playing "the killer pass" that splits the defence totally.
  But for his "Killer defence splitter to be effective". It can't be read by the opposition, or it won't work, but must be read by at least one member of his own team.
  
  So his game can be dependant on the intelligence of his team mates, and to some extent the intelligence of the opposition. Thierry H was an intelligent player and therefore benefitted massively from Dennis's killer through balls. But we've all seen the "killer reverse pass" roll harmlessly through to the defence, because no one picked it up, or no one ran onto it, or worse a player checked his forward run. Unfortunately we've seen this happen time and again from both Shava and Cesc, when their intelligence has gone to waste.
  
  On his day at his best he is virtually unplayable, if he resolves to do the defensive work that he needs to it could be like a new signing.

Write comment

Your Details:

Name:

Comment:

Title:

Message:

Powered by Compojoom comment 4.1.7 stable