Arsenal 1-0 West Ham: Width and Alex finally get Arsenal on Song

Arsenal left it late, but finally got the 3 points home to West Ham.

Arsenal named almost the same team that beat Manchester City, with Laurent Koscielny replacing Johan Djourou. With Alex Song operating as a box to box player, Arsenal's formation was something between 4-1-2-3 and 4-2-1-3. West Ham started with only Frederic Piquionne up front, as they named a 5 man midfield to try and stifile Arsenal. Luis Boa Morte was used as a central midfielder, and Valeron Behrami was on the right and Victor Obinna on the left.
Early Success
Arsenal had early success down the right hand side with Bacary Sagna providing a threat for West Ham. Obinna wasn't tracking back as much as Behrami, who can also play as a wing back and is much more comfortable tracking back than Obinna. Sagna was able to get behind Obinna and put in some dangerous crosses, from which Arsenal failed to score. That, though was it for Arsenal's wide play, as they kept on trying to cut West Ham open through the middle. Last week at City, Arsenal had played with more width, because City were closing them down in the midfield. West Ham were closing Arsenal down, but they were still content to play through the middle, with Song becoming an extra attacking threat.

Song
Over the last few weeks, Alex Song has been at times the most attacking Arsenal midfielder. Last year he was a much more defensively minded midfielder, but this year he has evolved into a box to box midfielder. On Saturday, and last Sunday, Song was partnered with Denilson who is more aware defensively. Against Shakthar Donestk, Wilshere had the job to hold while Song went forward, though it is interesting that Wilshere is though of as a box to box midfielder. On Saturday, the 3 midfielders rotated between holder, box to box and attacking midfielder.

by Guardian Chalkboards
The chalkboard above shows how much his positioning has changed over the last 12 months.
This though means Fabregas plays deeper, not right behind the front man, as he did last year. This maybe because Fabregas has been marked tightly, leading to more space for Song to get forward.

Width
Some of Arsenal's best chances were coming in from wide, with Sagna cutting back for Fabregas and Walcott hitting the post after he came on for Denilson. His pace also forced West Ham to sit deeper, leaving more time for Arsenal to pass the ball around, and letting them get the ball out wide. Eventually, one of Arsenal's crosses found an Arsenal player, with Song scoring after Clichy's excellent cross. Right before, Arshavin had been brought off for Bendtner, getting more bodies in the box, and with the Russian ineffective on this day, Clichy getting forward was important.

Conclusion
A good result for Arsenal; another day and West Ham may have held out for a draw, or even snatched a goal on a set piece or counter. Song was magnificent, going forward and winning the ball back, and again Arsenal scored from wide.

Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City: Width Key and Newcastle 0-4 Arsenal: Counter Attack

Arsenal beat City 3-0 on Sunday, a scoreline that hides the fact that City were in large parts of the game.

After the sending off of Dedryck Boyata, City played a 4-3-1-1 formation, with the 3 sitting very narrow. Arsenal played less through the middle than they did against Birmingham, but on Sunday, Arsenal's wide players, Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin kept the width, exposing City, and forcing them to run more. Nasri and Arshavin would combine for the first goal, Nasri cutting in as Bacary Sagna crossed, and Nasri cutting in from the wing provided the ball for Bendtner for the third goal.
A chalkboard explains better than I do:

by Guardian Chalkboards
Against City, Arsenal's passing involved more width than a similar game, away to 10 man Liverpool, did. That may have to do with the different styles of Liverpool and City, but Arsenal's width was a key factor in their victory.


Newcastle 0-4 Arsenal

Arsenal's 4th round Carling Cup victory against Newcastle was a very scrappy and un-Arsenal like performance. Arsenal were sloppy in possession, pehaps down to the pitch, and players like Craig Eastmond in the team, but they seemed to play the long ball more than usual, and Walcott's two goals came from long passes out of defence, though one, by Koscielny, was very composed.
After going 2-0 up, Arsenal sat back a bit, and most of their attacking play in the second half was through the pace of Walcott, as he stretched Newcastle, who were pushing forward to get back into the match. Of the 3 goals in the second half, two were counter attacks, and winning the ball in the middle of the pitch.
Walcott's pace has been missed by Arsenal, as he gives them the pace to lead a quick counter attack, and time and time again a simple long ball from the back found him in a lot of space.

Arsenal 5-1 Shakhtar: Arsenal Rout Pitmen

Arsenal are all but through to the knockout stage after thumping Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1.

Arsenal welcomed Cesc Fabregas back and Tomas Rosicky replaced Andrey Arshavin as Arsenal played their usual 4-2-3-1, but with Nasri and Rosicky providing more width than normal. Shakhtar left Douglas Costa and Eduaro on the bench as they went for a more defensive 4-2-3-1.

The match started out slowly, with Arsenal content to sit back and let Shakhtar move the ball around in their own half. Even after going fortuitously up 1-0, they were still content to let Shakhtar move the ball around in defence. Shakhtar, however, were unable to string any coherent play together, and when they did, Arsenal's midfield was quick to press the man in possession.

Midfield Fluidity
The most interesting aspect of Arsenal's play on Tuesday was the fluid midfield of Jack Wilshere, Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song. Last year Song was ofter the most defensive midfielder, and was quite successful; this year he has become more attack minded player, and at times on Tuesday he was the furthest forward midfielder, and at times the deepest. Wilshere and Fabregas would sit back for Song, and it was remarkable how deep Fabregas and Wilshere were at times. After Denilson came on, Wilshere was liberated to move forward, as Denilson was more content to sit back and hold, and Wilshere promptly scored.


It was amazing how deep Arsenal sat back on Tuesday, and somewhat uncharacteristic. Perhaps they were worried about being caught out like they were by Birmingham and West Brom, or maybe they were conserving energy, being confident of there ability to break up play.

Chamakh soon added a 5th, and then Eduardo got a well received consolation to close out an easy game for Arsenal who never looked in danger of losing.

credit to Total Football iPhone App

Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal: Cole and Drogba do it again

Arsenal lost to Chelsea again last Sunday. Despite playing a lot better than they have in the last 4 times, Arsenal still lost, succumbing to the Cole to Drogba yet again.

Arsenal played 4-2-3-1, with Jack Wilshere and Alex Song playing in the deeper midfield role, and Abou Diaby behind Chamakh. Diaby was often ahead of Chamakh early in the match as Arsenal pressed very well in the first 20 minutes, and could've been ahead, with Laurent Koscielny missing over the bar.

Chelsea got back in the match, and took the lead when Cole crossed for Drogba, with Drogba finishing superbly. It was very similar to the goal Drogba scored at the Emirates last year, with Cole getting ahead of Nasri again, and crossing for Drogba again. Emmanuel Eboue may be a solution to stopping Cole, and tracking him. In the end, Arsenal need a player like Ji-Sung Park, who is in the side to specifically track Cole.

by Guardian Chalkboards

Arsenal played well in the second half, dominating possession but never creating enough chances, and when they did, they weren't as clinical as Chelsea. Obviously missing Van Persie and Fabregas hurt Arsenal, but they must be more clinical to win the big matches. Also, there is a defensive wobbly ness about Arsenal; both goals came from fouls that were stupidly conceded.

There isn't a lot more to say. Chelsea were excellent defensively and took their chances very well. There is a machine like efficiency about Chelsea, and they are favourites for the title. However, Arsenal were a lot better than they have been and the game was a lot closer than some pundits have said. There is still a big gap between the two, and tactically, if Arsenal are to beat Chelsea, they will need to have a player who tracks Ashley Cole and prevents him crossing in for Drogba, like he has in 2 of the last 3 meetings.

Arsenal 2-3 West Bromwich Albion: Thomas excellent against Arsenal

Arsenal expected to beat West Brom on Saturday, but instead West Bromwich Albion pulled off a shock, deservedly winning 3-2.

Both teams lined up in a similar 4-2-3-1, with WBA playing with a more compact midfield with the pace of Jerome Thomas on the left and Peter Odimwingie upfront always being a counter attacking threat.

WBA Pressing

West Brom started well and forced a lot of errant passes from Arsenal. This was because of West Brom's pressing, which Roberto Di Matteo revealed later, was there gameplan. They front players didn't give the defenders or defensive midfielders time to pick a pass to one of the attacking players, meaning that Arsenal moves broke down early, or ended up in loss of possession. West Brom's pressing did, however, leave space behind their defence that Arsenal were unable to exploit because of the lack of time to play a killer pass.

Arsenal Defensive Frailties

Arsenal's defence did not have a good game on Saturday. In the first half the defence played a high line, leaving them susceptible to through balls, like the one from Chris Brunt that found Peter Odimwingie and forced a penalty. In the second half, Arsenal were again undone by pace, as Jerome Thomas skinned Bacary Sagna, and crossed for Odimwingie to poke home. It was a good cross and good wing play, but no Arsenal defender tracked the run of Odimwingie. 2 minutes later, Brunt backheeled past Clichy, Koscielny didn't close down Jara and Almunia palmed it into his own net. That was the highlighted error, but just as bad was Koscielny's failure to close down Jara and force him out wide, and also Song's positioning was awful. Wilshere and Rosicky came on for the ineffectual Eboue and Diaby and Vela came on for Koscielny. WBA then scored again, Brunt evading Song's challenge and beating Almunia to the ball before crossing for Thomas to tap in. It was again poor goalkeeping by Almunia, but again not one defender tracked the run of Thomas and Song's defending was again poor.

Nasri immiedietly responded for Arsenal, who started to look more dangerous. Arshavin came into the center, Nasri had a drifting role, with Vela trying to cross from the left. Wilshere came on for Diaby and played a lot better than the Frenchman had, though WBA did allow more space as they sat back. Nasri would score again, but Arsenal were unable to score a third.

Conclusion

Arsenal were undone by pace and pressing today. West Brom pressedm rather like Sunderland did last week. Both teams didn't allow Arsenal time on the ball, which meant that Arsenal didn't really start to dominate until later in the match when the opposition tired. Arsenal will have to find some way to relieve the pressure. One way to relieve pressure is pace, and it would've been interesting to see if the pace of Walcott could've exploited the space behind West Brom's back line.
Arsenal's high defensive line meant they were susceptible to the pace of Thomas and Odemwingie, and it was those two, along with Chris Brunt, that caused the most damage for Arsenal. The fullbacks were paticularly bad, with Thomas and Brunt regularly getting the better of Sagna and Clichy. Whatever may happen in the following months for West Brom, this was a match they thoroughly deserved to win.

Fabulous Fabregas leads Arsenal in 6-0 thrashing

Cesc Fabregas was spectacular against Braga on Wednesday night; from his position in a 4-2-1-3/4-2-3-1 he dictated play, and was involved in all 6 goals for Arsenal.Arsenal lined up similarly to Saturday, in a 4-2-3-1 with Samir Nasri drifting in a lot, making the 4-2-3-1 become a 4-2-2-2 when either Arshavin or Fabregas pushed on. Braga also lined up in a 4-2-3-1, but a wider and deeper 4-2-3-1 than Arsenal's.

Arsenal started the game off extremely strong and were pressing the ball and passing the ball extremely well and could've had a penalty 3 minutes in. The breakthrough finally came through, and it was Fabregas playing in Chamakh.

All Through the Left
A lot of Arsenal's attacking play came through the left; with Samir Nasri replacing the injured Theo Walcott, Arsenal lacked width as Nasri liked the come inside. This was pointed out last week where I mentioned that Arsenal seemed to be playing a 4-2-2-2 at times. Tonight it looked like a diamond 4-4-2, with Wilshere, though at times defending deep, given license to move forward on the left of midfield, and with Arshavin prefering the left.
(Picture from soccernet.com. Arsenal's defenders are in red, Alex Song is the deepest midfielder, Wilshere and Nasri play on the left and right of the centre midfield, with Fabregas playing ahead of them, behind Chamakh and Arshavin (in black)).
Braga's strongest player was Alan, but as he was on their right, most of their attacks came down their right where Arsenal were strong in numbers, while if they had switched to the left, Arsenal could've been more exposed.

The Joy of Cesc
Braga found it difficult to mark Fabregas, as he was constantly moving between the lines. Fabregas was everywhere, either coming from deep, or appearing at times higher than Marouane Chamakh, and Braga couldn't cope with Fabregas' great all around play. Not only did he have 2 assists and 2 goals, but his pressing was very good, creating his second goal from it.
Chamakh's movement was again key for Arsenal, as he dragged defenders, creating space for both Fabregas and Arshavin.

Arsenal won't find many games easier than this, but it was still a fine attacking performance, and when called upon, they defended well. As Thomas Vermaelen pointed out, Koscielny "goes for the close marking style" and Squillaci is similar. This, as well as defending deep, countered Braga's counter attack threat. All in all, an excellent, joyful performance from Arsenal, and one that should make clubs across Europe take notice.

Chamakh Attack: Chamakh's movement key in 4-1 victory

Arsenal got all 3 points today in a fully deserved 4-1 victory against Bolton, though credit to Bolton as they made it very difficult for Arsenal.

Kieran Gibbs, Emmanuel Eboue, Sebastien Squillaci, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky came in for Arsenal, replacing Clichy, Sagna, Vermaelen, Diaby and Walcott from last week as they went for their standard 4-2-3-1/4-1-2-3 formation. With internationals behind and Champions League matches coming, Arsene Wenger went for a very attack minded defence, with Eboue and Gibbs two fullbacks who can also play as wingers. Bolton played a standard 4-4-2, with Holden and Muamba two more defensively minded midfielders.


Bolton started off strongly, with the aerial threat creating a couple of half chances, and were always a danger from set pieces, Arsenal however dealt with it, and their passing settled down.

Marouane Chamakh had a paticulary good game for Arsenal; his movement and build up play was very good, and he was willing to drift out wide. This allowed Arshavin to come inside, which he preferes, and Rosicky and Fabregas played killer passes for Arshavin on numerous occasions. He couldn't finish any of them, though he did win the corner that led to the opening goal. It could've been two when Chamakh, drifting to the left, played a great ball that Wilshere dummied for Rosicky, coming inside, weakly shot and was easily saved by Bogdan.

It was interesting to see Rosicky, the nominal right midfielder, come inside a lot, creating a formation that looked sometimes more like 4-2-2-2, very narrow. Eboue was trying his best to get forward on the right, but at times in the first half, Arsenal missed Walcott's direct outlet on the right.

A defensive error meant Arsenal went in level, but that was soon changed, when Fabregas took advantage of Bolton's sometimes suicidal high line yesterday to play a great ball over the top for Chamakh. The striker's shot was parried by Bogdan, but from the ensuing corner that wasn't completely cleared, Chamakh scored with his head after an excellent Fabregas cross.

It was Chamakh drifting out wide when he flicked the ball on for Arshavin and was taken out by Gary Cahill, who got sent off.

Song had a much more prominent role in the second half goign forward, and after excellent work from Arshavin, Song cheeklily chipped Bogdan for the third, and the 1000th under Arsene Wenger.

The fourth was an excellent goal. Vela won the ball, and the 24 passes later scored after a great Fabregas goal.


Not a very interesting game, tactically; Arsenal were the much better side, and deserved the 3 points. The only not of interest was that Rosicky was tucking in quite a lot, and switching with Fabregas so that Fabregas would play deeper and Rosicky more forward, or Rosicky deeper and Fabregas more forward. It created an assymetrical 4-2-2-2, which while it worked today as Bolton played a quite high line, against better defensive teams, the lack of width could hurt Arsenal. Chamakh is quite a good header of the ball, and so having width and crossing into Chamakh could be a successful way to goal for Arsenal.

Subsittutes change the game for Arsenal

It took Arsenal a long time to break down the organised Liverpool defence on Sunday afternoon, but the introduction of Robin van Persie, Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott changed the game for the Gunners.
The introduction of that trio gave Arsenal more options, and Arsenal got the ball into the box more after Rosicky came on, replacing the ineffectual Wilshere.

by Guardian Chalkboards

Here, the introduction of Theo Walcott gave Arsenal a more direct outlet on the right, and, coupled with Walcott's pace, it forced Liverpool to defend deeper, making more space for Arsenal to work in.


by Guardian Chalkboards


Finally, the introduction of Van Persie meant that he became the link up forward off Chamakh, leaving Chamakh the target man, leading to the goal that Arsenal scored.

On a defensive note, Laurent Koscielny had a superb game for Arsenal; he won 5 out of 6 tackles (including 4 out of 5 in the air) made 4 out of 5 clearaances successfully, and his passing from the back was superb, with his 1 unsuccessful pass coming in Liverpool's penalty box. It was a superb debut for the Frenchman, who gives Arsenal the kind of centre-half that they need.

by Guardian Chalkboards

Arsenal Under 18's 5-3 Nottingham Forest Under 18's

After a week delay, I finally have an article about Arsenal's youth team triumph 5-3 over Nottingham Forest. If you have Arsenal TV Online, I recommend watching the game.

Arsenal Under 18's captured the Premier Academy League title on Monday (Silverware!) after a 5-3 victory over Nottingham Forests' Under 18's. The played like an Arsenal team, attacking well, and defending poorly.

They lined up in a 4-3-3, but as the graphic shows, with Ozyakup drifting in, it was more like a 4-1-2-1-2. Freeman played on the left, but drifted in in the second half, and got more involved.
Arsenal pressed up high on the pitch, and started to dominate after going behind. Nottingham Forest had trouble getting out of their own half, and Arsenal were on the brink. They did, when a long pass from Henderson played in Afobe, and he scored after a rebound and pass from Freeman. Chucks Aneke, who reminded me of Abou Diaby and had an imperious game, played in Afobe for the second.
Ozyakup had a very good game, and it was his pass that led to the penalty won by Afobe. Freeman put away a second penalty and after Forest made it 4-3, Freeman ended the game with his second after a cross from Henderson.
Aneke, Afobe Ozyakup, Frimpong, Freeman and Miquel were all impressive, and I'm looking forward to seeing them in the Carling Cup.
For more on the youth team, check out younggunsblog.co.uk

Arsenal 4-0 Fulham

Arsenal concluded the 2009-10 season with a 4-0 victory over a disinterested Fulham, securing 3rd place and an automatic spot for next year's Champions League.

It was a good performance from Arsenal, as they dominated possession, and made 589 passes. Better finishing from Walcott and Van Persie and they would've had 6, and it was a good response to successive defeats.

Arsenal lined up in a 4-3-3, with Samir Nasri deeper than Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Eboue, who was the most advanced midfielder. Fulham lined up in a 4-4-2, with Stefano Okaka playing higher up than Nevland, while the 2 wide midfielders, Demspey and Riise, were forced to play deeper as Arshavin and Walcott saw a lot of the ball early, and were threats. The first goal had a bit of luck about it, but the second and third goals came after great team play.

Carlos Vela and Henri Lansbury made impressive cameo's: Vela scored with an esquisite chip
after brilliant play from Lansbury, Eboue and Nasri, while Lansbury, making his senior Arsenal debut after a spell at Watford, was impressive in the centre of the midfield, only making 2 errant passes.

by Guardian Chalkboards
He played a key role in Vela's goal, and it will be interesting to see how he fits in next year.

This game had some similarites to the 4-0 victory at home v Wigan earlier this year; 4-0 victories, and also the same kind of incising passing into the box that Arsenal didn't have when they missed Robin Van Persie.

by Guardian Chalkboards
Out of all the players Arsenal missed this season, it was Van Persie who was missed the most; not only did he have 8 goals when he went down, but he also was linking up extremely well with Fabregas, Arshavin and the right sided midfielder, and it is possible that with him fit, Arsenal would've won the league, and scored 100 goals, like Chelsea did.

Also, congratulations to the Under 18's for their Title winning 5-3 victory against Nottingham Forest, and we'll have a report on that game.

Wigan 3-2 Arsenal: What the hell happened there?

Earlier in the season, Arsenal pressed hard, they won the ball back, and they scored lots of goals. Against us last week, Barcelona did the same thing. Did Arsenal start to press again? No, but the teams they played, Tottenham and Wigan did press, and they won the 2 games. Arsenal didn't press, they didn't defend as a unit, and that cost them. If these same players had played Wigan in the beginning of the season, when Arsenal were pressing, they would've won the game comfortably.
Arsenal were very poor yesterday; they looked tired, they defended poorly, and their heads weren't in it. They passed poorly, 74%, and they allowed Wigan to get back in the game.


by Guardian Chalkboards
Arsenal's passing was poorer than usual, and Wigan were allowed back in the game.
Still, at 2-0 up, Arsenal should've held on to the lead, but they didn't. Defensive frailties, like Fabianski dropping the ball on Bramble's head (was Almunia really injured), and Silvestre being beaten easily (he actually had a decent game), but a major problem was holding the ball. Arsene Wenger said as much, and that issue was compoinded by Sol Campbell and Mikael Silvestre hoofing the ball in later periods.

If anything., late wins against Stoke, Wolves and Hull have shown that in the dying minutes the ball needs to be played on the ground, not hoofed in the air. Wenger also said the team became complacent, and changes should've been made to rectify that; starting from the 65th minute, Wigan, who had shown little, got into the ascendency. In the end, the subs were ineffectual and too late, and Wigan took advantage.


by Guardian Chalkboards
Wigan had control atfer their first goal went in, and Arsenal struggled to get the ball and get forward, and their second goal was fairly inevitable.

Defensive frailties the difference

Arsenal can take a lot from this two-legged tie with Barcelona. They showed us how to press well, and their passing was great. For Arsenal tonight, we need to take the positives, which I guess can be we scored. Defensive frailties were a major difference between Arsenal and Barcelona; while it was a Barca mistake for the first goal, Silvestre played a 1-2 with Messi. The second goal was just an excellent team goal all around, again Silvestre at fault a bit, and the third goal was a typical Arsenal goal to concede. Vermaelen goes forward, and it's wide open for Messi to complete his hat trick. 3-1, and the tie was over.
Like the first leg, this was a difficult game to analyze tactically. In fact, if you want a brief report you could say this: "Barcelona passing excellent, 61% possession, pressing excellent, Messi". And that is what it boiled down to; its not demeaning of Barcelona in any way, in fact it's a testament to the way that they control the game. They're passing and pressing were just top draw; ours (69% passing, must be the lowest this season) was not. As expected, Walcott started, and created the first goal, with his speed. But, as I feared, he didn't get in the game that much, and wasn't able to latch on to through balls. Rosicky was poor, Clichy was alright, and Silvestre was abject. It says enough about his defensive capabilities, that Sagna was pushed to centre half.
Disappointing, but not unexpected, and the better team won.

Arsenal nick lucky draw in remarkable comeback

Watching the first 20 minutes you can see why Barcelona are the best side in Europe, and what Arsenal need to do to match them. Barcelona pressed from the front, and won the ball back, and passed it with ease. The possession stats say it all: 71% in the first half, 65% overall.
They lined up in a 4-3-3 that could switch to a 4-2-4; Keita started on the left of the centre midfield, Pedro on the right wing, and Messi just off Ibrahimovic. Both William Gallas and Cesc Fabregas started, with Arshavin and Nasri switching flanks because of Nasri's greater defensive qualities.
Almunia made some great saves and Barcelona were unlucky to go into the break at half time at 0-0. Meanwhile, Arsenal had already made 2 subs due to injury-- Gallas going off with a calf injury which could be him for the season, and Arshavin also with a calf injury. Eboue came on for Arshavin, and Eboue's more defensive qualities helped Arsenal defensively, as Eboue would track back, and prevent Barca's fullbacks from pressing, unlike Arshavin. In fact, Barcelona didn't really have a great chance after Eboue came on, and then after half time, Arsenal's defense pushed up for a higher line, which squeezed the space but also lead them susceptible to the long ball, which is how their two goals arrived. The first, a mere 24 seconds into the second half was a bit of a mistake from Almunia, off his line, but it was a good finish from Ibrahimovic. The second was a mistake from Vermaelen who pushed forward to try and catch Ibrahimovic offside, but he was easily onside, and made it 2-0. But those were the only chances Barca had in the second half, and if you look back at the 2 goals they conceded, there was no pressure on the man with the ball at all;
As this picture shows, right when Pique kicks the ball, Bendtner is still a good couple of yards off of him, and for the second goal
It was almost a carbon copy of defending for the second goal, Abou Diaby doesn't press Xavi, and he ahs all the time in the world to play the perfect ball.
Walcott came on in an inspired sub, and was the difference. Arsenal had pace to hit Barca on the counter, and unsettled Maxwell. Walcott is at his best as an impact sub, and scored after Bendtner played him in. It was Walcott's cross that lead to the penalty that Cesc put away, though damaging his leg in the process. A great comeback, but possibly a costly one.

Not Only Almunia was at fault

Obviously, the main talking point is Manuel Almunia's inability to catch Kevin Phillips' deflected shot effort, and how the title chances look over again. Yes, Almunia should've dealt with the effort, and it came from a stupidly conceded free kick. Andrey Arshavin should be going into the corner rather than the penalty box at that stage. Personally, I thought that the goal shouldn't of counted because Chucho is offside when the ball is played and is interfering with play.
In regards to the title, we need Man United to drop 5 points, and Chelsea 4 because of how far behind we are in terms of goal difference. Can they drop those points? Obviously, a dour 0-0 draw between the pair, with Rooney, Drogba, Terry and Vidic being sent off is the best result, or any draw. If we win, and they draw then we are only 2 points behind Man United and 1 behind Chelsea. The title is still doable, but it is difficult.
I also have a problem with the team selection. Arsene Wenger said this before the match:

I don't choose at the moment, I think the League for me is the most important. Birmingham is the absolute priority for me

Yet, despite saying that, Arsenal started both Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky, instead of Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin. Walcott and Rosicky were fairly ineffectual, though Walcott was not as bad as some said, he just didn't get the ball to run at people. Nasri and Arshavin came on, and made a difference as Nasri scored, and Arshavin opened space. Nasri could've scored again, so too could've Arshavin. After the match, he said that Arshavin had a groin problem and Nasri a bit of a knock, but I think thats bullshit. If they weren't fit enough to start, then they aren't fit enough to be on the bench. Obviously he had Barcelona in mind, he gambled and he lost. But that could be a decision that comes back to haunt us if we lose the title by 1 or 2 points.

But Almunia is still at fault. The shot was right at him, and he flapped. I'm not sure what the complete ratio is of shots on target/per goal and how much you can draw into that, but one thing you can look at is his kicking. Against Birmingham, his kicking was horrible, and not for the first time. On the other hand, Joe Hart made 17 out of 31 passes successful, and most were longer passes than Almunia. Hart is a top class goalkeeper, Arsenal need a top class goalkeeper, and we don't have one.

by Guardian Chalkboards

10 Men Arsenal Go Top

First off, Arsenal showed why it is so hard to play against 10 men, and why there is an increasing trend of 10 men winning games. Arsenal were compact, organized, and they didn't change their shape all that much, especially when Abou Diaby came on, allowing Arsenal to play something like a 4-1-3-1, with Andrey Arshavin up front, and Emmanuel Eboue on the right of the 3, Abou Diaby on the left, and Denilson, who had an excellent game, holding. Alex Song dropped back to replace Vermaelen in the defence. After the first 10 minutes of the half, Arsenal looked more threatening to score than West Ham, and that has to do with the introduction of Abou Diaby. Bendtner was up front on his own, and Arsenal needed a midfielder to help defensively, which Andrey Arshavin can not do. Diaby came on, Arshavin was freed of his defensive abilitites, and Diaby played very well.
Arsenal were fairly comfortable after that, and the only real difference from the first half is that there isn't as many passes to the left wing in the second half after Bendtner was withdrawn for Diaby.
Arsenal's passing was similar in the second half despite having 10 men
by Guardian Chalkboards
West Ham failed to take advantage of the extra man, and they did not make many passes in the final third.
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Sagna came on for Nasri, allowing Eboue to push up forward, and not only was he involved in the second goal, and also allowing for Eboue to cancel out Daprela's runs forward.
Arsenal were more likely to score, and that happened when Fabregas won the ball the back, passed to Eboue, recieved it back, and clipped it off the hand of Upson. Upson was lucky not to get a second yellow and be sent off. Fabregas duly scored the penalty, and Arsenal were home and dry.
I know I recapped the second half first. In the first half, we scored with maybe our first attack of the game. A 6 pass move, with Clichy crossing to Bendtner, who knoked it back to Denilson, who played a 1-2 with Bendtner before firing into the bottom right corner for his 6th goal. Another early goal, this one 5 minutes in, and Arsenal had other chances to double the lead. Denilson should've passed to Fabregas a few moments afterwards, and Fabregas almost played in Nasri. Then, almost at half time, the otherwise excellent Song lost the ball in midfield, a long ball was clipped, Vermaelen got behind Franco, and tangled with him. The linesman signalled for a foul, a penalty was given, and Vermaelen was given a straight red by the referee who was miles away from play. It was a bad decision from an inconsistent referee, and a bad decision from the linesman. For one thing, Franco didn't have complete control of the ball, and Campbell could've got a tackle in as well, there was barely any contact, Franco went down easily and for me it wasn't an obvious goal scoring opportunity. Almunia made a great save from Diamanti, and the good news is that Vermaelen will only miss one game because he was sent off for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity.
We go top, though Chelsea has 2 games in hand, and plays Blackburn away today, and Man United are at home to Liverpool, and lets all hope Fernando Torres celebrates his birthday in style.

Hull 1-2 Arsenal: Last minute goals gets Arsenal 3 points

For the second half against Hull, you could almost substitute the second half against Stoke and not notice the difference. A crap pitch, hostile crowd, lots of injury time, and Arsenal trying to break through a packed defence.

by Guardian Chalkboards
The second half against Stoke and Hull were similar as Arsenal struggled to find a breakthrough.
Obviously there wasn't a horrific injury to an Arsenal player, but there could've been from the first half. George Boateng deserved a straight red for his challenge on Bacary Sagna, and in my opinion, it was worse than Shawcross'. Boateng's was high (on his knee), late and studs up, while Shawcross, which was reckless, was lower and wasn't studs up. It could've been much worse for Sagna, and Boateng should've been sent off earlier for poking Bendtner in the eye. Inexplicably, Bendtner was booked along with Boateng.
The first half was quite promising; Arshavin scored after 14 minutes after great build up play by Eboue, Sagna, Nasri and the final ball to Arshavin. It was a great goal, and Hull were on the ropes. Then the referee and the linesman decided to help Hull back into it, and Hull got a penalty when the ball was flicked over to Venegoor of Hesselink, and Campbell nudged him and he went down. Venegoor was offside, and the linesman was looking right at him. Phil Brown thought Campbell should've been sent off for it, but V of H did not have full control of the ball (it was behind his head), so it wasn't an obvious goal scoring opportunity. In fact, it was the kind of penalty that we don't get; Bullard put it away and it was 1-1.
The second half was all Arsenal; Hull had maybe one attack, when Zayatte broke forward, and got injured when Campbell tackled him. Again, Phil Brown wanted him sent off for it, but for me it was an excellent tackle. The BBC interviewer tried to compare it with Shawcross' but Wenger was having none of that.
Arsenal continued to press forward, but it didn't look like happening. Our passing wasn't the best, and Arshavin missed a glorious chance to score, when Walcott set him up, and he hit it about 30 yards in the air. He also missed a couple in the first half, so it wasn't a great game for him despite the goal. Eduardo came on for the disappointing Nasri, who didn't have the cutting edge that Fabregas might've had in this game. Nasri, though was jaded, and Eduardo played in Walcott, but he couldn't get his shot away. Bendtner had a shot blocked, and even though there were 6 minutes of added time, we really didn't look like getting anything until Denilson, given time and space, shot from 30 yards. The ball was swerving and dipping, but their keeper should've dealt with, but he parried to Bendtner, and the Dane coolly finished for his 6th goal in 5 games. A tough game, but a big three points; this might've been a game previous Arsenal teams would've lost, as Arsene pointed out in his post game interview

We needed the three points and we got it after 90 minutes, exactly like at Stoke. It tells you that it was a difficult game, but as well that we have desire and mental strength and we never give up. And for such a young team that is great

Vermalen was excellent again, he was a bargain for £10 million. Denilson was alright, but we'll be happy to see Song back next week, Nasri was so-so, Eboue was good, and was upset to be subbed off, he's been in good form, and Sanga and Clichy did well attacking on the flanks. Clichy should've had a penalty in the first half when he was brought down by Boateng, I think, but we don't get those kinds of penalties.

Arsene Wenger gets the tactics right as Arsenal hammer Porto

Arsenal went through to the quarter final with a 5-0 victory, which at times wasn't as comfortable as the scoreline suggested. Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue's goals 90 seconds of football apart made the final 20 minutes routine.

Arsene Wenger went with Samir Nasri in the Fabregas role as expected, and Arshavin, Diaby, Song, Campbell and Sagna came in for Fabregas, Walcott, Denilson, Silvestre and Eboue. Arshavin on the left was big, as it gave Nasri the freedom to roam behind Nicklas Bendtner, and Arshavin provided another creative option in the absence of Fabregas. It was Nasri who found Arshavin before the ball rebounded to Bendtner for the first goal. Arshavin was involved for the second goal; Fucile gave the ball away, and Arshavin's brilliant run then cross found Bendtner to tap in. 2-0 25 minutes in, and it looked smooth sailing. However, Porto pushed back; while they didn't threaten that much (Nasri cleared one of the line just before scoring), they held the ball, and forced Arsenal to give it away. That all changed in the 62nd minute, when Nasri got the ball from Diaby, cut inside, beat 3 defenders and finished with aplomb. It was a brilliant goal, and Nasri's freedom to roam allowed him to get into position. Also, the training that Arsene Wenger has Arsenal do, like keeping the ball in tight spaces really came out in this goal.
Arsenal's fourth than came 90 seconds of football later; Porto's corner was headed clear by Clichy, Arshavin broke and played in Eboue who was steaming forward, Eboue than took it round the keeper and finished with his left foot. Porto were beaten, Arsenal spent the next 20 mintues controlling the ball, and we got our 5th when Eboue was tugged down in the area. Bendtner completed his hat trick with a good penalty, and the hat trick will do him good after the misses against Burnley.
At time Arsenal's play wasn't the best; we gave the ball away a lot, but we ruined Porto's gameplan within 10 minutes, and we were clinical.
Arshavin on the left gave space to the midfield trio of Nasri, Song and Diaby. Song in Paticular was getting forward more than usual.
Defensively, Vermaelen was excellent as usual, and Campbell had some dodgy moments due to his lack of pace, but knew what he was doing. Clichy had one nervy moment, but both he and Sagna were good going forward. Almunia still needs to work on kicking. Bendtner showed again that he does get into good spaces. Also Eboue's corners were surprisingly impressive and more dangerous than the usual corners that we have.
So, Arsenal are in the last 8 of Europe for the third straight year, and unlike the last 2 years, we still have the league to fight for.
Possession: 54%
Shots: 17
On Target: 12
Passing: 80% successful

Arsenal 3-1 Burnley

This game was almost a carbon copy of the Sunderland game from 2 weeks ago. Almost the same lineup, with Denilson and Rosicky coming in for Song and Ramsey. We had tons of chances to open the scoring, and should've won comfortably. However, bad finishing from Arsenal meant that the game was on tenterhooks, and it took a late goal, by Andrei Arshavin to seal it. Nicklas Bendtner had 8 shots, and no goals, and missed 2 or 3 wide open chances after good crosses from Walcott. Walcott had a much better game than against Sunderland. His final product was much better as his crosses and his well taken goal show. He answered his England critics with a fine performance against Burnley. Samir Nasri had a good game, and played really well after Fabregas left.

After Fabregas left, Nasri took a more central role.

by Guardian Chalkboards
Diaby and Denilson sat back a bit, and Rosicky and Nasri switched between the center and the wing, though once Arshavin came on, Nasri was firmly in the center. The fact that Nasri played so well in the centre makes me feel better if Fabregas is to miss the match against Porto on Tuesday, because Nasri can take his place easily. I would imagine that if Fabregas doesn't play on Tuesday it will be Nasri, Song and Diaby in the midfield three, and Rosicky, Bendtner and Arshavin up front.

The goal we conceded was a stupid one; Eboue cleared it somewhat badly, and Silvestre and Vermaelen failed to deal with a header, and Nugent shinned it past Almunia. We cannot defend like that against Porto.

Also, the support for Aaron Ramsey showed by the club and the fans was fantastic, and it was quite a heart warming moment to see the banners for him and the shirts worn by the club.


Possession: 65%
Passing: 86% (434/504)
Shots on Target: 11
Shots 20

Stoke 1-3 Arsenal, The FA need to address these challenges

On The Challenge
It was a 50-50 ball, and Shawcross goes into kick the ball, which Ramsey has controlled and moved, and Shawcross follows through. I don't think it was intentional, but Shawcross does have a history of being a dirty player, and he could've quite possbly followed through to make his mark on Ramsey.
But I for one don't care whether Shawcross left crying and had to be picked up by his mum. I don't care if he doesn't have a bad bone in his body (Well thats why Shawcross went through Adebayor when the ball was off the pitch and went through Francis Jeffers). This is the third time in 4 years an Arsenal player has had a serious career threatening broken leg from a bad challenge, and Patrick Barclay made a great point: If the challenge is on the ground, neither Eduardo or Ramsey get legs broken. I think the FA need to do something to prevent challenges like this happening, and it should start with Shawcross getting a lengthy ban for the challenge. I've just read Barney Ronay's article in the Guardian, and listened to Rafa Honigstein on Football Weekly, and I agree completely, with what they have to say, which is that the challenge was excessively forceful, and that these challenges are systematic with English football. Spurs, Hull, Everton may be fouled more, but we've suffered more. Also, Arseblog's post on Sunday, and today and Gunnerblog's post are very good as well.
Also fair play to Glenn Whelan who stayed with Ramsey after the challenge until he was stretchered off and fair play to the Stoke supporters who clapped him off. Those who made wanker signs should be ashamed of themselves.
The Game
Stoke started quickly as they usually do, and scored in the 8th minute. Song foolishly decided to concede a throw rather than a corner, and Delap's throw was headed across by Shawcross for Pugh to head home. However Stoke went into a shell and indtead of playing 4-4-2, they went into effectively a 8-0-2. Arsenal came back into the game, and Fabregas crossed for Bendtner to brilliantly head home in the 32nd minute. Arsenal continued to push forward, and the two central defenders, Campbell and Vermaelen did brilliantly to deal with Fuller and Sidibe. We came out the better team after half time and should've had a penalty when Ramsey, played in by Fabregas, was bundled over by Shawcross and another agricultural defender. However, we didn't get the penalty, and then Shawcross broke Ramsey's leg. After that we could've collapsed like we did at Birmingham 2 years ago, but we didn't, with Cesc galvanizing the team, and we finally got a penalty when Bendtner's pass hit Pugh's arm. Cesc put the penalty away.

Arsenal got a third when Rosicky's shot was parried, Fabregas beat Sorensen to the rebound and passed to Vermaelen who finished, and was very pumped after being one of the most devastated players with Ramsey's injury.
Afterwards the players gathered into a huddle, and you can tell that mentally this team is better than the 07-08 team. 3 points behind Chelsea, 2 behind United and with Chelsea struggling we are in a good position. A tough day, emotionally, physically and mentally, but Arsenal came through and we are firmly in the tile race.

Tale of 2 Half's against Liverpool

Funny old game football is. We play awful against Liverpool, but get a goal and a victory and we play well against Chelsea and don't score. Arsenal had about 200 less passes against Liverpool than Chelsea (382 attempted passes, 79% successful, and 503 attempted passes against Chelsea, at 80.5% successful). Liverpool came to Arsenal choosing to play like Chelsea and hit Arsenal on the break. The only problem is that Liverpool do not break quickly, and do not have the likes of Didier Drogba (or Fernando Torres). Liverpool actually out possessed Arsenal, but it was Arsenal who came away with the victory thanks to a header by Abou Diaby after good work from Nicklas Bendtner and Tomas Rosicky. Arsenal had a much better second half after a tentative and boring first half, which was so boring that Bendtner's shot over the bar and Fabregas' long range effort were the highlights of the first half on Match of the Day. One reason Arsenal had a better second half was due to the increase of passing in the final third, in the middle. Arsenal didn't do that in the first half, but created more chances in the second half.

by Guardian Chalkboards

Fabregas was able to play more in the middle and higher up the pitch in the second half, and it's his run and pass to Bendtner that sets up the Arsenal goal. During that passage of play, he made a run that drew attention from the Liverpool defenders, leaving Diaby to be unmarked.

by Guardian Chalkboards
Arsenal now have a week until their next game, Porto away in the Champions League. Eduardo should be back, but Arshavin might miss out with a hamstring and Song had some medial knee ligament issues, but Arsene hopes he's back in a week.