Good morning readers,
I decided not to type up this blog for a few hours after the game so I wouldn't say something I'd sooner regret. I had a good feeling about this weekend all week. United had a tough game against Wolves without Rooney, Berbatov and Nani, Spurs and City had tricky away games while Chelsea took on former giants Liverpool (Notice former hehe). It had all the makings of a great weekend and I was really confident Arsenal would do their part.
It kicked off on a good note as Bolton took apart Spurs in a 4-2 win. Everything seemed to be going according to plan at Old Trafford until Wolves decided to switch off in injury time AGAIN. It was rather sickening, now I know how others feel when we score late goals at the Grove. I remained optimistic though that we would do our job.
This morning I woke up still feeling good about getting the win we needed. I know Newcastle were on a good run coming into the game but we were on a good run domestically ourselves and with all the players making the right noises, a good performance was on the cards.
Last night I revealed the rumour that Van Persie was going to start via my Twitter and Facebook accounts. It took a while for me to even consider that it might be true when I first heard it. Arsene revealed in his press conference on Friday that Robin had just completed his first full training session since August and didn't give the slightest hint he would be in the squad for today. He wasn't even asked by the media and rightly so because it sounded absurd at the time.
That was just about the only shock as far as the team selections went. Walcott started ahead of Arshavin, inevitably in some peoples minds. Jack was welcomed back into midfield alongside Cesc and Song. It was a very strong line-up and the bench was full of quality too, more reasons for me to be optimistic.
The game began as all games do at the Emirates with us having all the possession, moving it around looking for an early opener. We looked bright early on but I wasn't getting too carried away because we have said the same for games we have gone on to struggle in. With just ten minutes gone, a Cesc free-kick was deflected onto Tim Krul's bar and over, nearly the perfect start. The Spaniard had yet another opportunity when Newcastle were carved open but he flashed his shot across goal.
Just before half-time we gained momentum as Nasri superb effort destined for the top right hand corner was brilliantly saved by Krul. This was followed up by Cesc finding space in the box yet again only to fire his shot into the side netting. Then on the stroke of half-time the Emirates was left stunned as an inswinging Barton free-kick was met on the Carroll and his header found its way into the back of the net despite the challenge from Fabianski. I know everyone is pointing the blame at the keeper but to be honest, there wasn't a whole lot he could do. People say he should have stayed on his line, not for me. Seeing as Chamakh decided to give up on tracking him Fab had no option but to come out and go for it, unfortunately the ox beat him to it. If he didn't come out Carroll would have had a free header and if he scored people would say, well why didn't he come off his line. It's a win win situation for the critics to be honest. It was obvious that when Fab made a mistake everyone would eventually jump right on his back again. Let them think what they want, he's our number one for now and I can't see that changing for a long time and rightly so.
At half-time I'll admit it, I feared the worst. Newcastle were looking really solid and we lacked creativity. There was nobody on the pitch who looked like taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Chamakh is a fantastic player and deserves all the praise that has come his way but he is not a goalscorer like RVP. I'm not critisising him, I'm just saying when you really need a goal maybe there are better options, thing is Robin ain't 100%.
We began the 2nd half looking for an early breakthrough and we nearly got one when Walcott crashed his shot against the bar. Moments later neat foot work from Song nearly left Chamakh with a tap in but he was beaten to the cross by Williamson. If we were going to introduce RVP I would have expected it to be in the final ten minutes or there abouts but incredibly he was introduced with 35 minutes to go in place of Chamakh as expected. Shortly after Nasri picked up a knock and was replaced by Arshavin who brought new life into the game to be fair. Still though, the lack of creativity was really beginning to concern me and Wenger too clearly as he brought on Bendtner for Wilshere. Very much desperation stuff at this stage. I was expecting a flurry of chances and constant pressure in the last quarter of the game but I couldn't have been more wrong. It was as though we got more sloppy as the game wore on. Cesc's passing was woeful, the midfield looked tired and couldn't get the ball into the forwards, it was just strange to be honest. It wasn't the Arsenal we know. The final chance fell to Cesc but his diving header was straight at Krul but the action wasn't over as Ksocielny brought down Ranger and because he was the last man back, Dean felt he had no other option than to give him a straight red card. If you ask me or Arsene he did have another option. Was it a clear goalscoring opportunity? It's debatable as he still had a long way to run and Squillaci was sprinting back too, make up your own mind but it means he misses the next three games.
As the final whistle went you couldn't hear the boo's as they were over-roared by the celebrations at the away end. Fair play to Newcastle but what the fuck Arsenal? That final quarter was dier. There was no pressure to win the ball back off Newcastle, instead we waited for them to misplace a pass, no urgency going forward no nothing. The players looked as though they'd been put through a rigorous training session the night before. Arsene has said since the West Brom game we have learned our lesson but clearly we haven't. He can give them as many earfuls as they want but at the end of the day, the players need to get their heads right. These performances are not good enough and its been coming if you ask me. We've scraped past the likes of Birmingham and West Ham at home. I don't want to sound arrogant but we should be beating these sides comfortably.
Fortunately enough we were let off the hook as Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-0 at Anfield. It means we remain 5 points behind Chelsea when it could well have been 8 or if you want to squeeze your balls for a second...2! So my good feeling about this weekend is now a distant memory. Hopefully the players went home this evening with sore arses and we won't have to watch such a lacklustre display again. We've got Wolves away next, far from an easy game but a must win considering the fixtures that follow it. Hopefully Vermaelen will be back for the run in, we really have missed his presence even though the others have filled in well.
Now for the player ratings:
Fabianski: 6 - Mistimed jump for the goal but other than that he did everything right.
Sagna: 5 - Not his day.
Squillaci: 7 - Solid performance, I really have taken a liking to this guy.
Koscielny: 6 - Just as good as Squillaci but red card spoiled his day.
Clichy: 6 - Did okay but still looks vulnerable, thankfully Newcastle didn't have a natural winger on.
Song: 7 - Good performance.
Wilshere: 8 - My man of the match, looked the sharpest going forward.
Fabregas: 5 - Very disappointed with Cesc, I know he's having difficulty with his hamstring but I still expect better than that.
Walcott: 7 - Looked sharp but his end product was frustrating at times.
Nasri: 6 - Glimpses of quality but far from enough and was forced off injured.
Chamakh: 5 - Lacked service, nothing came off for him today and was replaced early in the 2nd half.
Subs:
Van Persie: 6 - Looked bright but will need time to get back to his old self.
Arshavin: 7 - Injected life into the game and gave his all, thats all I ask.
Bendtner: No service at all, couldn't possibly do anything.
Well the ratings just about sum it up, good here, poor there. Just not good enough if you want to fight for the title. This inconsistancy issue needs sorting out fast. I think I've said enough for today. Possible Wolves preview in the next few days. Till next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment