Written by Mean Lean
on
Tuesday, 03 May 2011 00:41
Arsene Wenger sent out the Premier League's youngest team for two years against the experienced Manchester United. It was almost literally men against boys and the boys were certainly the better team on the day. The average age of the Arsenal team was only 23.3 years of age and the performance on the day was that of a top experienced Champions League side. Controlling the midfield, tight defensively and offensively dangerous in the final third.
Cesc Fabregas was pulled out of the squad due to a thigh problem suffered in training so it gave Aaron Ramsey the chance to step into the first team and show what he was capable of.
A brave decision from the manager, especially when he had the experienced Andrey Arshavin on the bench. He could have played Samir Nasri in the middle and started Arshavin on the left. Perhaps Arsene didn't fancy Arshavin tracking the runs of Fabio da Silva, well maybe by the time the match ended on Sunday, he may have just changed his mind.
We had started the game crisply and sharply. Our fluency had returned, there was no longer a hesitation before each pass and you could tell that we were up for the game from the first whistle. Jack Wilshere could have opened the scoring very early on when a Vidic clearance fell at his feet just outside the penalty area but his first touch was unusually heavy for him and it made him snatch at his shot.
Everything that had been wrong about our game in recent weeks was put right from the very beginning. The tempo in our game was quick, we were stretching the play with both Clichy and Walcott on either side and we were mixing up our game.
Clichy, Nasri, Walcott and Sagna all whipped low crosses into the box for Manchester United to deal with. I love Theo's role right now. When Sagna pushes forward, he sprints into a central striking position alongside Van Persie and when Bac stays back, Theo tested Evra and fired in some lovely crosses.
The Vidic handball was as clear as day. I struggle to imagine that both the assistant referee and the referee could have missed that. At least one of them would have seen it but one or both decided to turn a blind eye to it. Jack Wilshere who was running alongside the referee shot his hand up and screamed at the referee.
Manchester United were poor and frightened of Arsenal. They were scared to take on an Arsenal side who were in a fragile state of mind. To be honest I didn't think they played much different to the last two times they played against us. Defending deep, trying to congest the middle and play long balls to their strikers.
This time we defended and attacking perfectly as a team and did not make any crucial mistakes to give them the chance to score as we did in the FA Cup game at Old Trafford a few months ago.
Aaron Ramsey put in a top performance in midfield but I think many are getting somewhat carried away with talk of allowing Cesc to leave. Ramsey or pretty much any midfielder in world football cannot create the amount of goalscoring chances that Cesc Fabregas can.
However, Arsenal did benefit massively from Cesc's absence in one way and that was the rotation between Ramsey and Wilshere. Carrick could not just sit in the midfield and stick on one player because Wilshere and Ramsey took it in turns to play as the number 10. Wilshere dribbled through to the 18 yard box whilst Ramsey stepped back to support Song and Ramsey would do the same when Wilshere sat deeper.
Wilshere gives the team a new dynamic when he skates through opposition midfielders and it seems like the only option will be to trip him over before he reaches the penalty area. I am looking forward to when he develops further and starts to score goals more often. He will be running past players, playing a one-two with Van Persie and then bending it low past goalkeepers.
Ramsey is ahead of Wilshere in this department and in the 56th minute the 20 year old Welshman proved his calmness in front of goal. Van Persie received a pass from Ramsey in the right channel, he jinked his way left and right trying to make space for a left footed shot but Ramsey had found his way to the edge of the area, arms outstretched wide, begging for the ball. So much so that he had to readjust himself to side foot a right footed shot into the corner of Van der Sar's net.
Ji-Sung Park would have received an earful from his manager as he strolled towards his penalty box without a care in the world, allowing Ramsey to receive his pass unopposed. Which once again proves the point that not only Arsenal make defensive team mistakes.
A word on Alex Song, he was utterly immense and it was his interception that started the move for our goal. He sat ahead of the defence and had Rooney tucked away nicely in his pocket for much of the game. Alex Song has been out of form for the last few weeks and our team has not been the same without him but he was back to his shielding, body swerving, visible wall self on Sunday.
Laurent Koscielny can tick off yet another nimble and quick player neutralised by his dominant quick intercepting style. Hernandez hardly had a sniff in all the time he was on the pitch. I shake my head at the criticism levelled at him so often this season. If this is the first season at 24 then I cannot wait to see what he turns out like when he reaches his prime.
Andrey Arshavin had replaced a hamstrung Samir Nasri at half time and the under fire Russian put in a massive effort. He won so many tackles that one could mistake the creative wide man as an extra left back to shore up the left side.
Manchester United had no choice but to attack in the second half but they found it hard work trying to break down the Arsenal rearguard. A few long range free kicks had tested us but we dealt with them well. The drama was not over though, substitute Michael Owen was clipped in the penalty area late on, a certain penalty but it was waved away.
I doubt that the same non decision would have been given if the officials had given the penalty and red card on Vidic in the first half. Not that evening up decisions has any place in the rule book.
The final whistle blew and the good feeling that had been severely missed in recent weeks had returned to the players and supporters.
Conclusion
At the full time whistle I had a strong sense of mixed feelings. Very happy that we had found form and beaten Manchester United at long last, very happy that our young team had shown so much quality at both ends of the pitch and ecstatic for Ramsey after such a difficult 14 months. As well as that positivity, I had an underlining frustration that a team as good as ours couldn't show that quality in recent weeks at a time when it really mattered.
Why couldn't the team fight and close down Sunderland, Blackburn, West Brom in the first half and many other teams?
Every side goes through a drop of form and passes will go astray but in those games if our effort matched what it did on Sunday then we would have turned many more draws into victories and defeats into draws.
A squad as young as ours has the quality to beat Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United at the Emirates. Manchester City, Everton and many more away from home so we know we have the quality. It is the attitude of the players that needs adjusting.
The first instructions on that tactics board in the dressing room should be fight for the right to play, the rest can follow that. A great victory, a top performance but a little too late.
Szczesny (8)
Sagna (7)
Koscielny (8)
Djourou (7)
Clichy (7)
Song (9)
Ramsey (8)
Wilshere (8)
Walcott (8)
Van Persie (7)
Nasri (7)
Please note that ratings are only my interpretations of the game and that others will have differing opinions
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