tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44877301568019927772024-03-05T18:35:09.692+00:00Matt's Arsenal blogMatt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.comBlogger339125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-88222463363682354112015-10-21T15:16:00.001+01:002015-10-21T15:21:36.560+01:00Arsenal stun Bayern to reignite European campaignReaders of my blog may have realised that I haven't had too many opportunities to write my thoughts on games this season, commitments elsewhere have swung that. However the game against Bayern Munich presented me with a chance to write about one of the Gunners best wins in recent seasons, as Giroud and Ozil were on hand to grab a vital win.<br />
<br />
My last musings on here was after the win over <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/cech-stars-as-arsenal-draw-with.html" target="_blank">Liverpool</a>, since then Arsenal have endured a good run in the League, but not such a good period in Europe. Three consecutive League victories over Leicester, Watford and most notably Manchester United have seemingly rejuvenated this Arsenal side after defeats to both Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. However an incredible 2-0 win over Bayern on Tuesday night for Wenger's men has installed new belief into their exploits in Europe this season.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilliFlYO0B0j_U8jv8NMAyF7Knrx8QegSaE6TS1qhlhKM_ieCcX-1b1DWmOr1Iv6eHcQd5r0vsdQuIQo1Sz2r4EPx_gaugvPJSnw_kkpZ2ioPHvj7kNiVnTPL2KA6QY0SEPVD0J0_P9J7m/s1600/Ozil+v+Bayern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilliFlYO0B0j_U8jv8NMAyF7Knrx8QegSaE6TS1qhlhKM_ieCcX-1b1DWmOr1Iv6eHcQd5r0vsdQuIQo1Sz2r4EPx_gaugvPJSnw_kkpZ2ioPHvj7kNiVnTPL2KA6QY0SEPVD0J0_P9J7m/s400/Ozil+v+Bayern.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ozil showed his class as Arsenal beat Bayern.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There was an aura of optimism from the Arsenal fans before the game. Some sensed that their current Premier League form and the need to win on Tuesday night would spark a performance worthy of a great night of European football. Indeed Arsene Wenger's side provided exactly that. The possession stat of Bayern's 70% to Arsenal's 30% tells you all you need to know about how the Gunners have changed their mentality and style in big games in 2015.<br />
<br />
It's a credit to Arsene Wenger who for all the criticism he has received for the management of his side in games such as the United and Bayern ones, that Arsenal are now pulling off big results, and on a regular basis. Yes there's been that inconsistency but with Alexis Sanchez now fit and firing (although not scoring against Bayern) the Gunners are playing their best football again.<br />
<br />
A part of that has been the rejuvenation of Mesut Ozil. Everyone knows what he's capable of but so far in 2015/16 we're seeing the very best of a play-maker that's finally beginning to show why he was worth every penny Arsenal paid. His influence on games is growing as time goes by and that's summed up by the 6 assists and 2 goals he has in 11 games this campaign. Among those two goals was the one scored against Bayern. Hector Bellerin produced an unbelievable burst of pace to leave Alaba behind before squaring the ball to Ozil. The German just about found the goal as the fifth official ruled it had crossed the line despite Neuer's best efforts to claw it away.<br />
<br />
Ozil's performance against Manchester United was definitely the best he's had in an Arsenal shirt, and perhaps with that penalty miss against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/ten-men-arsenal-suffer-defeat-in-first.html" target="_blank">Bayern</a> two seasons ago in mind, he certainly made up for it on Tuesday night. Every time he got on the ball you expected something to happen. It's an aspect and noticeable difference in comparison to his early Arsenal days where he was being criticised, sometimes fairly, and sometimes unfairly. However he's now oozing in class and his confidence shows. Form it temporary, and class is very much permanent.<br />
<br />
Mesut Ozil's play has also benefited from Theo Walcott playing in a striking role. The fact that he makes runs in behind and plays on the shoulder of the defence and pushes them back, means the German has more space in which to operate. It's space that isn't perhaps there when Giroud comes short for the ball and holds the play up.<br />
<br />
Needless to say it was Olivier Giroud who opened the scoring. Theo Walcott had done himself no wrong with his display. Had it not been for an unbelievable stop from Manuel Neuer then Theo would've put the Gunners 1-0 ahead. He stretched the play and made the Bayern Munich defence drop off which aided the likes of Alexis and Ozil as they gained more time and space on the ball. However as said, it was Giroud who grabbed the opening goal, just a minute after coming on.<br />
<br />
Santi Cazorla floated in a free-kick which was followed by a rare mistake from Neuer. He came flying out of goal, failed to claim the ball, and Giroud was left with a chance he couldn't miss. Arsenal's goals are really being shared around this season and Wenger can raise one hand to the many (including myself) who wanted the addition of a quality striker. Wenger's utilisation of both Walcott and Giroud this season has been very good, with the latter making a habit of scoring goals from the bench. It was timely reminder to Arsenal fans of the qualities Olivier Giroud brings, especially with his threat from dead-ball situations.<br />
<br />
One of the key things from the game was the influence of Petr Cech. But for an error on the opening day against West Ham he's had a very good start to life in North London. He kept Arsenal in it against Bayern for large parts of the game, making some vital stops. One of which was a great save to deny the inform Robert Lewandowski from scoring just a minute before Arsenal broke the deadlock themselves.<br />
<br />
It was a display that only proved further why he should've been in goal against Olympiacos when David Ospina spilled the ball into his own net. The qualities of Petr Cech have been evident since his arrival and the presence he has in goal has definitely benefited the Gunners back line, keeping three clean-sheets in Arsenal's last three games.<br />
<br />
Another thing to pick up on was that of Arsene Wenger's tactics as got things spot on. Bayern were making life tough for Arsenal in the opening half hour of the game, with Douglas Costa targeting Bellerin and Monreal being dragged inside on the other side of defence. That meant that Sanchez and Ramsey had to do a lot of tracking back and therefore our attacking play was hindered. However a deliberate move from Wenger to move Ozil deeper worked wonders for Arsenal's counter attacking play. Sanchez and Walcott now had more freedom in the attacking areas of the pitch as their pace really started to hurt the Bayern defence late into that first half.<br />
<br />
It was a display that not many expected. We've seen on occasions that Arsenal can do it, and scoring two unanswered goals against Bayern Munich sends out a huge message, not just to the Premier League but to the rest of Europe. If the Gunners can get over their inconsistency and keep players fit then Arsenal fans have every reason to believe that this may just be their year, especially with Chelsea faltering in the League. However, how many times have we continued to say that down the years?<br />
<br />
<b>The team's line-ups: </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey(57), Ozil, Sanchez(82), Walcott(74).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Macey, Chambers, Debuchy, Gibbs(82), Arteta, Oxlade-Chamberlain(57), Giroud(74).<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #073763;">Bayern Munich: </b>Neuer, Lahm, Alaba, Boateng, Bernat, Vidal(70), Alonso(70), Muller, Thiago, Costa, Lewandowski.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Ulreich, Martinez, Rafinha(70), Kirchhoff, Gaudino, Coman, Kimmich(70).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Mesut Ozil.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Cuneyt Cakir (TUR).<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>59,824.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-30616815297570024742015-08-25T20:08:00.001+01:002015-08-25T20:08:47.511+01:00Cech stars as Arsenal draw with LiverpoolMonday night's game against Liverpool presented me with my first opportunity to write about an Arsenal game in depth this season. I was unfortunately busy during the first three weeks of the new campaign, including the Community Shield and therefore the 0-0 draw against the Reds yesterday night was the first time I'd been able to properly catch a game. My focus in the previous few weeks has been on the cricket, and enjoying another England home Ashes win. My priorities have been away from football and because of that I haven't been able to properly enjoy a Premier League weekend since the new campaign got underway. Now having watched Arsenal fail to score once more at the Emirates, I'm puzzled by our prospects for this season. Nonetheless, the game presented quite a few talking points to us Arsenal fans.<br />
<br />
It's clear to see that we haven't set the world alight with our early season form. Many had tipped Arsenal to be right up there this season, especially with the acquisition of Petr Cech, but a lack of further signings and tactical 'arrogance' as quoted by Gary Neville on MNF last night, is perhaps halting Arsenal in their progress. Their pre-season form was excellent, and that was backed up by a fantastic 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Community Shield. However that win seems a long time ago now with the Gunners taking just four points from a possible nine out of the opening three games of the new season.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Daggq7S336zr45aJ249xuGLaxsRb_RGLteRmUhjhsjjPauice-I_ETRXw1z-icSCuQ2eGGhyzEWVw4UuqB4HiOzLwaO8nxya2_wpmvuEWMWvIueDdVmVIcMOHfZTNnNoR-mL5jLpqP1T/s1600/Petr+cech+v+liverpool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Daggq7S336zr45aJ249xuGLaxsRb_RGLteRmUhjhsjjPauice-I_ETRXw1z-icSCuQ2eGGhyzEWVw4UuqB4HiOzLwaO8nxya2_wpmvuEWMWvIueDdVmVIcMOHfZTNnNoR-mL5jLpqP1T/s400/Petr+cech+v+liverpool.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petr Cech starred for Arsenal as he kept his side in the game</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The performance against Liverpool more or less summed up the Arsenal side of last season, and you can't help but feel something is missing again. The story in this particular fixture may well have been very different had Petr Cech not been playing though. He made mistakes that proved costly on the opening day but more than made amends against Liverpool on Monday night. He made a string of fine saves that kept Arsenal in the game during the first half. He made a top save at point blank range from Christian Benteke who should've scored before making a great diving save to his left hand side to tip Phillipe Coutinho's shot onto the post.<br />
<br />
Cech would not have been convinced by the defence in front of him. Both of our first choice centre halves were missing as Per Mertesacker had an illness and Koscielny a mild back problem. Therefore the unfamiliar pairing of Calum Chambers and Gabriel started in defence. Gabriel had a pretty good game in defence and you can see that the potential is there for the 24 year old Brazilian. This was probably his biggest test in an Arsenal shirt yet and I thought he dealt pretty well with the threat of Benteke. He showed his pace as being one of his strongest assets, an attribute that showed shades of a game similar to that of Laurent Koscielny. He meanwhile looked decent physically too. Calum Chambers didn't have the greatest of games though and he contributed in a negative way to Arsenal's poor first half performance where we seemed all over the place defensively. Monreal did well down the left which doesn't come as a surprise anymore whilst Bellerin still looked a little vulnerable.<br />
<br />
A part of that poor first half performance was the lack of chances we created. We didn't have a clear cut chance and continuously gave the ball away in promising areas. It's a trend that's become too frustrating in recent times for Arsenal. Olivier Giroud hardly saw any of the ball and was very isolated up front alone. It's been clear for a while that we do need a better striker, and one that can create moments of magic alone. However, I can't see where any type of signing will come from in the remaining few days, especially with Benzema now looking very much set to stay in Madrid.<br />
<br />
You'd probably look at me in a very weird way if I said Arsenal lack creativity; especially with Cazorla, Ozil and Sanchez all playing. However that's what Arsenal have lacked in the opening few games of the season. A part of that is because of Wenger's tactics. Much was talked about the midfield pairing of Cazorla and Coquelin on Sky Sports in the build-up to the game but they worked last season. However Wenger's continued desire to field Aaron Ramsey on the right hand side is hindering us in attack in my opinion. After Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's form in pre-season and his performance against Chelsea in the Community Shield I think it's absolutely ridiculous how he can't start on that right hand side at the moment. He showed signs of what we'd been missing against Liverpool when he came on, immediately running at the young Joe Gomez and causing problems for the visitors.<br />
<br />
Aaron Ramsey didn't necessarily have a bad game but he likes to come inside which I talked about a lot last season and therefore we lack an outlet on the right flank when he's supposedly playing in that position. Ramsey in fact was the only player to put the ball in the back of the net on the night. Cazorla played a lovely ball into him before he beat Mignolet at his near post. Unfortunately though the goal was ruled out for offside despite him looking marginally onside. If Wenger wants to get the best out of Aaron Ramsey though he may have to sacrifice Santi Cazorla's place in the side and get him back in the middle where he placed so well two season ago. It seems ages ago now that Ramsey was the star of our team but the manager is going to have to switch the pack around a bit if we're to find a winning formula going into our next few games.<br />
<br />
Arsenal's second half performance was a lot better though, and it came as no surprise that once Mesut Ozil got involved in proceedings more we looked a better outfit. We created a lot more chances and could've actually come away with a victory despite on the balance of the whole 90 minutes, a draw being the fair result. Alexis Sanchez had a very good chance, and it was one that had he'd had a pre-season he may well have scored. Olivier Giroud also had a big chance, one which was saved by Mignolet as the Frenchman looked to be pulled back by the defender as he went to shoot.<br />
<br />
Next up for Arsenal is a trip to Newcastle which has the potential to be another tough game, especially as the Magpies drew 0-0 with United in their previous encounter. You can never be too sure of which Newcastle side will turn up but it's vitally important that Arsenal start winning now, rather than later when it could already be too late. Another slow start like last season and the Gunners could find themselves out of the title race before they've even built up ahead of steam. Let's just hope they've learnt from last season in regards to this specific aspect.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Gabriel, Monreal, Coquelin(82), Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud(73).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Ospina, Debuchy, Gibbs, Flamini, Arteta, Oxlade-Chamberlain(82), Walcott(73).<br />
<br />
<b>Liverpool: </b>Mignolet, Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren, Gomez, Can, Lucas(75), Milner, Firmino(63), Coutinho(88), Benteke.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Bogdan, Sakho, Moreno(88), Rossiter(75), Ibe(63), Origi, Ings.<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Petr Cech.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Michael Oliver.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>60,080.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-81163745343611171312015-06-01T22:40:00.003+01:002015-06-01T22:57:15.176+01:00Arsenal thrash Villa to retain FA CupArsenal have done it again. For the second year in a row the Gunners have achieved success in the FA Cup. The Gunners managed wins over Hull, Brighton, Middlesborough, Manchester United, Reading and Aston Villa as Arsene Wenger guided his team to a twelve FA Cup success with a 4-0 win at Wembley in the final. It was a brilliant Arsenal performance as they dominated from start to finish against a Villa side who were never in the game. Goals from Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud rounded off our 2014/15 campaign in style as we achieved back to back FA Cup successes.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEj_ftFP2Qvd7G_OzDEratB0iGuSCfJ2-bHromuD1z4jUMNfaIRXPzKdWeiL6zCTe-TUQuXHAkr4Oitt_ZH-55IpTpkpgdcA7GLKuMcrh_vJvzxglpdOnGqpFemgM-mCOEbv3gjslriAlc/s1600/FA+Cup+win+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEj_ftFP2Qvd7G_OzDEratB0iGuSCfJ2-bHromuD1z4jUMNfaIRXPzKdWeiL6zCTe-TUQuXHAkr4Oitt_ZH-55IpTpkpgdcA7GLKuMcrh_vJvzxglpdOnGqpFemgM-mCOEbv3gjslriAlc/s400/FA+Cup+win+2015.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arsenal won the competition for a record twelfth time. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was a near perfect performance from Arsenal who never looked in trouble. Their task was made easier by the display from Aston Villa though who never really got going and didn't cause many threats, if any at all on Saturday evening at Wembley. Christian Benteke was outlined as their main attacking threat but he was isolated as a solid defensive display ensured we kept them at bay. That defensive performance though coincided with a ruthless attacking display as we lifted the FA Cup once more to make it two trophies in two years after that dreaded drought came to an end <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/the-wait-is-finally-over.html" target="_blank">last year</a>.<br />
<br />
One of the biggest credits I have to hand out from the final goes to Arsene Wenger though. In order for us to play to our potential in this final and cause Villa somewhat of a shock, we needed to stray away from the familiarity of our usual team this season. That was done by placing Theo Walcott up front. Last week against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/theo-walcott-scores-hat-trick-as.html" target="_blank">West Brom</a> he bagged a hat-trick and most of the pre-match talk leading up to the final from an Arsenal point of view was about whether it would be him or Giroud to start up top. For me picking Giroud, and the same XI that started over that period of unbeaten matches a few weeks back would've been the safe option. Picking Walcott however would be a brave decision and would show we were really willing to try something in the final. Giroud hadn't scored in eight before coming off the bench late on to score but Walcott's selection in that central role was justified perfectly throughout the game. Against a slow defence with the likes of Okore, Hutton and Vlaar in the Villa side Walcott was the perfect man to cause problems, and indeed that's what he did. His goal exemplified all the true poachers instincts as he gave us a deserved lead in the final. In my eyes it was a brilliant move, Monreal's ball picked out Sanchez who leaped brilliantly to head back into the path of Walcott who volleyed the ball home on his weaker foot.<br />
<br />
Theo Walcott has been talked about quite a lot in recent weeks, he arguably hasn't been getting the game time he deserves but in our final games of the season he has shown great form. It's form which is hugely encouraging going into next season as he looks set to 'sign da ting' again. Walcott however could've had more than the one. Before the deadlock was broken in the first half he had a near open goal blocked brilliantly by Kieran Richardson before misfiring later on in the game when the match was already wrapped up.<br />
<br />
It was a hugely impressive display from Arsenal, but the platform had been solidly laid from the first half. I mentioned Walcott's chance but Laurent Koscielny also had a header brilliantly kept out by Shay Given early on in the tie. For me though the Gunners stand out player in the first half of the final was Mesut Ozil. For ages we've been crying out for him to put in a performance when it's mattered and on occasion this season he has done that in what has been a solid campaign from the German World Cup winner. However the first half displayed everything good about him. He, along with Santi Cazorla, was at the heart of most of the good things Arsenal did from central areas. What was really prominent though was his tendency to drift past players with constant ease which made our football very pleasing to watch.<br />
<br />
It was Alexis Sanchez that grabbed us the goal that effectively put the tie to bed and allowed us to relax in the second half. The Chilean live wire has had a fantastic first season in English football but his goal in the final was probably his best goal yet in Arsenal colours. Tim Sherwood's men had originally come out fighting in the second half but Sanchez's goal simply knocked the stuffing out of the Villains. Nacho Moneral's run down the left flank allowed the space to open up for Sanchez in the middle as he let fly a swerving shot from distance which hit the underside of the bar and went in. Given in the Villa goal had absolutely no chance with it. It really was the perfect way for Alexis to finish his debut season in England.<br />
<br />
You could tell from then on in it was most certainly Arsenal's day. The score-line could've been a lot worse for Aston Villa if four isn't already bad enough but strangely enough for us we had created a healthy amount of chances from set-pieces in the game. This was caused by Villa's lackluster defending at times which clearly didn't help their cause. It was therefore no real surprise to see us actually grab a goal from a corner. The ball was swung in and Per Mertesacker escaped the clutches of Benteke before heading home from close range. It was a strike from a player, whom like Sanchez, loves a Wembley goal. He scored in the semi-final win over <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/arsenal-overcome-troubles-to-reach-fa.html" target="_blank">Wigan</a> last year, and also for Germany in an international friendly against England.<br />
<br />
Olivier Giroud can count himself quite unlucky not to have started the final but he made an impact when he came on, and offered a different proposition to the one offered by Theo Walcott for the majority of the game. For his goal the two subs combined as Oxlade-Chamberlain played the ball in and Giroud flicked the ball into the back of the net. It was a typical near post goal from the Frenchman who this campaign has had his best goals to game ratio so far in a season for Arsenal; it was his 19th in 36 games. Whether or not he'll still be our main striker come the start of the next season remains to be seen.<br />
<br />
I also feel as though it is important to pick up on Wojciech Szczesny's performance. One of the main selection dilemmas before the game was whether he or David Ospina would start. Indeed it was Szczesny who played, as for the second year running Wenger kept faith in his 'cup' keeper for the final. Although he didn't have a real save to make he was decisive off his line and made some important decisions to claim the ball instead of letting Benteke perhaps out jump the defender and have an effort on goal.<br />
<br />
It was a brilliant team effort, and it was great to see the celebrations unfold again at the final whistle. It didn't quite feel as special as last year but it certainly put a smile on all Arsenal fans once more after a slightly disappointing Premier league campaign. All that remains to be said is that here's to next season being even more successful than the previous two!<br />
<br />
<b>The team's line-ups: </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-weight: bold;">Aston Villa: </span>Given, Hutton, Okore, Vlaar, Richardson(68), Delph, Westwood(70), N'Zogbia(52), Cleverley, Grealish, Benteke.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Guzan, Baker, Bacuna(68), Sanchez(70), Cole, Sinclair, Agbonlahor(52).<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #ffd966;">Arsenal: </b>Szczesny, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil(77), Sanchez(89), Walcott(77).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Ospina, Gabriel, Gibbs, Flamini, Wilshere(77), Oxlade-Chamberlain(89), Giroud(77).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Alexis Sanchez.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Jonathan Moss.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>89,283.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-22302255340619346602015-05-25T20:32:00.003+01:002015-05-25T20:32:52.434+01:00Theo Walcott scores hat-trick as Arsenal win on final dayArsenal finished their 2014/15 Premier League campaign in style on Sunday afternoon, as they beat West Brom 4-1. A hat-trick from Theo Walcott and a stunning strike from Jack Wilshere sealed the points as McAuley grabbed a mere consolation goal for the Baggies. After the disappointment of previous results in the weeks leading up to the game it was a great win, and it was especially pleasing to see us score goals after a rather barren spell at the Emirates in recent weeks. It was a win meanwhile that should bring great confidence a week before the FA Cup final against Villa. Arsene Wenger made three changes from the side that drew to <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/poor-performance-costs-arsenal-in.html" target="_blank">Sunderland</a> in midweek as Coquelin returned, Gabriel replaced Koscielny, and Walcott started up front. Kieran Gibbs meanwhile retained his place at left back.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgC2qa8nK3NMSiluz9ojeqz6k9u1-MSamIaTpb28ib7UW7-EEvz-5hlSJSlgAe5wHgSnYyIsMZ1GvL7jGtSEAhOgWgZtFKTnyQYf2JnKWl70giSpej3LePDV8F0MU2rfs2hpGSRKpGnxAB/s1600/Wilshere+v+WBA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgC2qa8nK3NMSiluz9ojeqz6k9u1-MSamIaTpb28ib7UW7-EEvz-5hlSJSlgAe5wHgSnYyIsMZ1GvL7jGtSEAhOgWgZtFKTnyQYf2JnKWl70giSpej3LePDV8F0MU2rfs2hpGSRKpGnxAB/s400/Wilshere+v+WBA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Wilshere was in fine form as Arsenal beat West Brom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In a way, this was an extremely impressive win. It wasn't against a top side but it was a top performance from Arsenal. Against Tony Pulis' sides we usually struggle and they provide us with a tough opposition. However yesterday afternoon we dominated and put in a very convincing performance. Especially considering the circumstances; we hadn't scored in our previous three games at the Emirates whilst West Brom were coming off the back of a win against champions Chelsea. However a couple of outstanding goals gave us victory to end the Premier League season in great fashion. It was our 22nd win of the season as we finished the campaign in third place, not the dreaded fourth position, as we ended on 75 points.<br />
<br />
It was a game that certainly made up for the past few matches when we've failed to score and it certainly sets us up nicely for the final. The performance does however, also give Arsene Wenger a selection dilemma in the form of Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere who were both outstanding on the day.<br />
<br />
Walcott's hat-trick was well deserved and timely if you consider his recent run. Although he hasn't been granted a lot of playing time hopefully this will send messages going into the close season. It was great to see him finally get his chance, and indeed up front too, a position he wishes to play in more often. His first goal especially was of extreme quality as he smashed the ball home from an angle into the far corner. His second meanwhile was a typical Walcott goal in my opinion. He dinked the ball over the defender before comfortably finding the net by poking the ball home. He then rounded off the hat-trick after a flowing team move inside the area. Wilshere linked up well with Sanchez before Cazorla's ball across goal found Walcott who was left with a tap in.<br />
<br />
On any ordinary day Walcott would be guaranteed the man of the match award. However Jack Wilshere was equally as impressive against West Brom. Wilshere was a constant threat and despite playing on the right he drifted inside on a regular basis and offered a different sort of attacking play to Aaron Ramsey who has been utilised on the right in recent weeks. He linked up well with numerous players and for the most part was absolutely outstanding. It was a match that showed us signs of the player he was and we hope he still can be when he first burst onto the scene at Arsenal. His drive from midfield gave us much needed impetus, a sense of energy that's been missing in our goalless matches. His goal was meanwhile one of the best seen this season as he absolutely hammered the ball into the net from outside the box.<br />
<br />
It was meanwhile interesting to note Santi Cazorla's involvement in the game. He was a lot more involved than he has been lately and after a rather quiet spell he notched two assists as he was able to get forward more than previous. He was perhaps unlucky not to score himself, as he saw a deflected effort bounce wide and then Myhill saved well from a curling effort in the second half. Myhill could not have done a lot about the goals scored but apart from conceding the amount that his side did, he did well to keep it at just the four with some good saves.<br />
<br />
Our goalkeeper David Ospina didn't have the greatest of games despite the win though. He made a mistake for their goal as he failed to claim the ball from a corner and consequently Gareth McAuley got up above him to head into an empty net. In the dying moments he then allowed a shot to go through his hands and onto the bar from an effort which should have resulted in a straight forward save. Ospina has come under scrunity recently and it will be interesting to see which keeper starts at Wembley next weekend. Szczesny has been our cup keeper but you still feel as though Ospina would be the most comfortable bet between the sticks.<br />
<br />
Ramsey was meanwhile very good in the middle when he came on late in the game as he hit the post twice. It proved that Wenger does indeed have a very nice selection dilemma for the final next weekend. Saying that, Aaron Ramsey is likely to start and it'll probably be the same side that started for 7 straight games recently. Olivier Giroud hasn't scored in 8 games though and for that reason Theo Walcott could start down the middle in the final. However you get the feeling that Wenger will stick by the Frenchman.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Coquelin(68), Cazorla, Wilshere(76), Ozil, Sanchez, Walcott(68).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Ramsey(68), Oxlade-Chamberlain(76), Giroud(68).<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #073763;">West Brom: </b>Myhill, Olsson(51), Dawson, McAuley, Lescott, Morrison, Yacob(60), Fletcher, McManaman(54), Brunt, Berahino.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Palmer, Baird(60), Gamboa, Roberts, Gardner(54), Ideye, Anichebe(51).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Theo Walcott.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Robert Madley.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>59,971.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-40526311036975512072015-05-21T21:17:00.004+01:002015-05-21T21:22:05.508+01:00Poor performance costs Arsenal in goalless drawArsenal's distinctly average form continued at home to Sunderland yesterday evening as we drew 0-0. It was yet another game in which we failed to hit the ground running and for the most part was very similar to the game against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/wasted-chances-cost-arsenal-in-defeat.html" target="_blank">Swansea</a> the other week; we had plenty of possession but met a side who were determined to 'park the bus'. Sunderland came to do a job, and that job was successful as they achieved the point they needed to secure their safety. At no moment did we look entirely threatening and that we'd break them down. In my opinion, it's inexcusable how you can't score against Sunderland at home, especially after failing to score in our previous two games at the Emirates too. In terms of our line-up, we made two changes from our previous games. Jack Wilshere made his first start in over 6 months as he came in for Coquelin whilst Gibbs returned for his first League start in over 2 and a half months, replacing Nacho Monreal.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53nRCsrYwS2vqBCWVQWYHSu3pWJyluSF4bPr7nKhE3APVrHHxk3R_PRTFu43vtu1vox-pEeiSX4PKCPTMew1JvAtQYucC70fX5vhudrykJ-mzfCdNSKVLjopF25U7unyCv8ZmxLMtzg8y/s1600/Wilshere+v+Sunderland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53nRCsrYwS2vqBCWVQWYHSu3pWJyluSF4bPr7nKhE3APVrHHxk3R_PRTFu43vtu1vox-pEeiSX4PKCPTMew1JvAtQYucC70fX5vhudrykJ-mzfCdNSKVLjopF25U7unyCv8ZmxLMtzg8y/s400/Wilshere+v+Sunderland.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilshere made his first start for over 6 months as Arsenal drew 0-0</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once again there was a noticeable lack of intensity and pace in the final third. Barring Hector Bellerin we barely had anyone who was willing to take their man on. Because of that we made life easy for Sunderland as we played right into their hands by playing far too narrowly in attack. Alexis Sanchez in the past few matches has been the player we've needed to drive us forward in those types of areas but he didn't have a particularly good game. It was the third game in a row now where we've been poor in the first 45 minutes. A part of that could be the fact that we can be found guilty of trying to over play on a regular basis. There was a lot of opportunities when we got on the edge of the area and instead of shooting we played another pass. Saying that, our finishing was absolutely woeful in that first half.<br />
<br />
I don't mean to make certain players scapegoats but it hasn't helped that Olivier Giroud is currently on a very barren spell. He appears low on confidence and if we're to start playing well then we really need Giroud to start finding form again. The problem for him is that he's not even getting in the right areas, and that was particularly evident in the first half when he kept coming short and passing up opportunities rather than shooting. If he starts playing more to his strengths then we'll find that the goals in the team will start to come again. However he did come alive a little more in the second half as he saw a flicked effort from his favourite near post saved by Pantilimon, who like Fabianski against Swansea, kept his side in the game.<br />
<br />
Although we didn't score, the second half was greatly improved, as it was against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/late-own-goal-rescues-point-at-old.html" target="_blank">Manchester United</a>. We created a lot more as the game opened up but the primary reason behind why we created a lot more was because of Theo Walcott's introduction. Wilshere had had a decent game on the right but his first start since returning hadn't brought much joy. That did give Ramsey the chance to move back into his preferred central position though and his and Walcott's link-up play, as it was against United, was brilliant. When Theo was on the pitch we got in the wider areas more and we started to look more threatening. It's just a shame that he didn't start because after the impact he made at the weekend I thought he'd finally earned his chance.<br />
<br />
One of our best chances did indeed come from the Ramsey and Walcott combination. The Welshman slid a perfect through ball into Walcott but his dink over the keeper just didn't quite have enough legs to find the net. For me, this game against Sunderland showed exactly why he should start against West Brom, and possibly even the FA Cup final. When he came on he showed strong signs of returning to his best; at point point he took on his man, burst beyond the defender and struck a shot which was well kept out. It was a typical Walcott piece of play, and hopefully we'll start to see it more often again from now on.<br />
<br />
I also feel as though it's worth mentioning David Ospina's performance. His displays in recent weeks have come under a bit of scrutiny but against Sunderland he made a few important saves. Especially from Fletcher in the second half when one-on-one as he put the ball wide and out for a corner.<br />
<br />
The performances of Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil, along with Alexis Sanchez's, were a bit concerning. Cazorla has dropped off a bit in recent weeks compared to his form earlier in 2015, whilst Mesut Ozil slowed our game down a little when we needed that quick impetus. However you can't blame him when the movement for most parts of the game in the forward positions was non existent. In my opinion, if the German is to be a proper success in the Premier League then he needs to become more lively and energetic in the final third due to the pace of the English game.<br />
<br />
The most concerning aspect right now though is the run we're on. We're without a win in 4 matches which after being unbeaten in 9 games is hugely disappointing, especially ahead of a Cup final. In my opinion it's vitally important for our confidence that we finish on a high at home to West Brom on Sunday in our final league game.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Ramsey, Cazorla, Wilshere(67), Ozil(81), Sanchez, Giroud.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Gabriel, Monreal, Coquelin, Flamini, Rosicky(81), Walcott(67).<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #3d85c6;">Sunderland: </b>Pantilimon, Jones, O'Shea, Coates, van Aanholt, Cattermole, Larsson, Johnson(74), Wickham(45), Defoe, Graham(45).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Mannone, Vergini, Reveillere, Rodwell(45), Giaccherini, Buckley(74), Fletcher(45).<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Anthony Taylor.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>59,987.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-86106114958091900612015-05-19T19:58:00.002+01:002015-05-19T19:58:44.459+01:00Late own goal rescues point at Old Trafford<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A draw in recent times
against Manchester United would be a good result; such is our form in the
League at Old Trafford that we still haven’t won there in nine years in the
Premiership. However we have every reason to be disappointed with only managing
a 1-1 draw, especially after <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/welbeck-scores-against-former-club-to.html" target="_blank">beating them</a> in the FA Cup at Old Trafford a few
months ago. What makes the last two games especially frustrating though is that
we’ve squandered the chance to finish second in the League. A defeat to <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/wasted-chances-cost-arsenal-in-defeat.html" target="_blank">Swansea</a>
and now a draw with United has put a halt on our end of season form which had
been so promising. The Gunners had again been unchanged in the 1-1 draw, as Aaron Ramsey once
more started on the right with Coquelin and Cazorla in the middle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYHRmbmYfSDvfhD0yiCpkG8B3pclTafn8GUjoVL1kkUS56-EI4ayTYGEl5t8FKEmcBiwoc4zvAPf5AIM__wkvbaQ3qIXnyMcHswxRRZ0mgrq-0xnD67gVzQgkaLp_s2h9j4Oj8GEdQ0iK/s1600/Walcott+v+United.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYHRmbmYfSDvfhD0yiCpkG8B3pclTafn8GUjoVL1kkUS56-EI4ayTYGEl5t8FKEmcBiwoc4zvAPf5AIM__wkvbaQ3qIXnyMcHswxRRZ0mgrq-0xnD67gVzQgkaLp_s2h9j4Oj8GEdQ0iK/s400/Walcott+v+United.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walcott came off the bench to play a part in the equalising goal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our first half performance
at Old Trafford was arguably the reason we didn’t win the game. It was laboured
and slow, and we failed to have a single shot on David de Gea’s goal. Our
passing was poor and we lacked intensity all over the pitch. I wouldn’t say
that no one was up for the game but considering the magnitude of the match it was a very disappointing game from an Arsenal point of view. Even
Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla were having poor games which didn’t help our
cause. The usual fast flowing way with which we play our football was seemingly not
on show.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It summed up our first
halves display that we conceded a rather tame goal for the second game running.
Ashley Young was causing numerous problems for us (a phrase that probably
hasn’t been used much this season) and his crossing to the back post towards
the likes of Fellaini was proving a constant threat. However it was Ander
Herrera who broke the deadlock. The ball was crossed to the back post and for
some reason Herrera had been left alone to consequently side foot the ball home. Even
after the goal we didn’t really wake up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the reasons for our
moderately average displays in the past few weeks has arguably been down to the
team selection. For once we have a near fully fit squad but Wenger simply isn’t
rotating at the moment. I’m not saying that the team put out there isn’t good
enough because it is, but against United especially, it was visible that with Ramsey on the right, we hadn't set up in the right way tactically. Time and time
again down the years we’ve seen Ramsey utilised in that position and it hasn’t
worked at all. The same can be said in the past few weeks. Besides the game
against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/sanchez-and-ramsey-score-as-arsenal.html" target="_blank">Hull</a>, his performances have been average to say the least. In
the first half of the United game he offered nothing on the right once more and
he rarely touched the ball or made an attacking run. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Aaron Ramsey’s second half
display was far and away better though as he played a pivotal role in our
revival. He made a lot more runs in behind and when moved centrally, a role
which he should be playing in if he’s to discover his best football, he was excellent.
He looked a lot more confident in that role and our football became more fluid,
especially when he was alongside Jack Wilshere in the middle of the park. Arsenal’s
situation was also helped by Theo Walcott who after a series of poorer
performances off the bench had a real impact which was very pleasing to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Both of Ramsey and Walcott's roles in
the equaliser exemplified their roles in the side perfectly. Aaron Ramsey
played a lovely long ball into Walcott, who got at Tyler Blackett before firing
a cross across goal which took a deflection off the young defender and spun
into the net. On merit for their second half performance it was probably a
deserved goal for the Gunners, and on the balance of play a 1-1 draw was
probably right. Man United dropped a little in terms of their intensity in the
second half which allowed us to get back into the game when we changed our
set-up with a series of substitutions. To me it came as no
surprise that we actually looked threatening with an actual winger on the
flank. Finally we had a man getting at the defence down the right hand side,
and it resultantly ended in a goal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To add to that we may well
have been able to actually win the game. Olivier Giroud is on a barren spell
after being in such a good run of form previously but he had two chances of
particular note that were wasted. One of them was a move where Ozil played
the ball into the Frenchman at the near post but his sweeping effort was put wide from
a position </span>we've<span style="font-family: inherit;"> seen him score so regularly from. Another move saw him use
great strength to get to the ball ahead of Rojo but de Gea came out to smother
him and he couldn’t get a meaningful contact on the ball. You can’t blame
Giroud for the defeat, but what we did lack was a person willing to run in
behind until Theo Walcott came on. You can’t help but feel that in order to
challenge next season we need a top class striker that can make things happen
of his own accord. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The game at Old Trafford was a rather dull affair but it goes without saying that it was important not to lose the game despite our game in hand over Sunderland on Wednesday. The draw stopped Louis van Gaal's men from over taking us for the time being and the point we gained has now pretty much all but </span>guaranteed<span style="font-family: inherit;"> a place in the top three. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The team's line-ups:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="color: red;">Manchester United: </b>de Gea(73), Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Rojo(73), Young, Blind, Herrera, Fellaini, Mata, Falcao(61).</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Subs: </b>Valdes(73), Blackett(73), McNair, Januzaj, di Maria, Wilson, van Persie(61).</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="color: #ffd966;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Bellerin(73), Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla(73), Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez(90), Giroud.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Gabriel, Gibbs, Flamini(90), Wilshere(73), Rosicky, Walcott(73).</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Referee: </b>Mike Dean.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b>Attendance: </b>75,323.</div>
Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-77625421642917150512015-05-12T21:19:00.002+01:002015-05-12T21:19:59.425+01:00Wasted chances cost Arsenal in defeat to SwanseaFor the first time in 10 Premier League games Arsenal have suffered defeat. Two weeks ago against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/arsenal-and-chelsea-held-in-bore-draw.html" target="_blank">Chelsea</a> was expected to be the stumbling block, rather than against a Swansea side who seemingly have nothing to play for but a place in the Europa League next season. It wasn't our best performance of the season, and neither was it our worst. However after a series of chances went begging we lost the game in the last five minutes with some lackluster defending and goal line technology giving the Swans the win. Swansea have been good against us at the Emirates in recent times but this was predicted to be a routine win, particularly with the great run of form we've been on lately. For the fifth game in a row we were unchanged but that didn't have a massive effect on proceedings despite losing 1-0 in a game we should have won if you base it on chances and possession stats.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HSSie1rccBxelPXhxicHxujy4kfLlBKotXbf0io8l2iIzaqhV032VFj487i5G9sxBVsSJDlNLWY06uGMpA9e3AGqMjLOvvluKmnBKM4a0iLpwVyd0ciLtiom5OenudeSGiHVIeWBugxm/s1600/Ospina+arsenal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HSSie1rccBxelPXhxicHxujy4kfLlBKotXbf0io8l2iIzaqhV032VFj487i5G9sxBVsSJDlNLWY06uGMpA9e3AGqMjLOvvluKmnBKM4a0iLpwVyd0ciLtiom5OenudeSGiHVIeWBugxm/s400/Ospina+arsenal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ospina was criticised for not stopping the goal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In my opinion it was always going to be one of those days. A dusky sky at the Emirates on a Monday evening gave the vibes that it wasn't going to go right. Why did I sense that? Well, from the distinct lack of atmosphere in the ground. Typically, as it usually has been against Swansea in recent times, it was indeed one of those nights. The Swans now remain unbeaten in their last three games against us at the Emirates which is bitterly frustrating. It was a match of bad omens as only for the second time this season we failed to score at the Emirates in the League after the 0-0 with Chelsea two weeks ago. It was meanwhile the first time we've failed to score in back to back home games for 4 years. It was a poor night all round in all honesty.<br />
<br />
In a way it was an Arsenal performance we've become accustomed to over the past few seasons, and indeed from our early 2014/15 form. It brought back rather dim feelings of the same old Arsenal. It was a story of wasted chances, over committing men and then conceding from poor defending. It was a poor game, a poor performance and a poor result but we must remember that we've been excellent in the past few months. It goes without saying though that it was a hugely disappointing way to stall after such a good run of form.<br />
<br />
The first half was a pretty dull 45 minutes of football. Arsenal were intent on keeping the ball and remaining patient. Swansea meanwhile were extremely well drilled and resolute. They came to the Emirates with a game plan and it was organised well. They managed to overcrowd our attacking players in the final third well, especially in the first half when they looked to counter each time they won the ball back. It wasn't until the second half that we did open up their defence when the game stretched out more. However the amount of wasted opportunities was something we haven't been used to in the past few months. We've been scoring regularly so for us to not mange to put the ball in the back of the net was very frustrating.<br />
<br />
It was perhaps one of Alexis Sanchez's poorer games in an Arsenal shirt so far. He was rather ineffective and was not his usual creative self. Late on in the second half he had an excellent chance to put us 1-0 up but instead he stuck it straight at Lukasz Fabianski. The former Gunners keeper was awarded the man of the match award, and in truth most of the saves he made were routine. Still, he kept his side in the game and showed the form he produced during our FA Cup triumph last season. Our play in the second half compared to the first was much better though. There was a faster intensity and we created a lot more. However when chances fell to the likes of Monreal, Sanchez and Walcott when he came on, they were all met with saves from the Polish keeper.<br />
<br />
What I did feel we lacked once again was width, as well as a driving force from midfield. Aaron Ramsey has been up and down in recent weeks. I mentioned last week against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/sanchez-and-ramsey-score-as-arsenal.html" target="_blank">Hull</a> that he did indeed have a very good game but in home games I think we need someone that can drag the play out more in the wider areas. Ramsey doesn't provide that but does offer a good option away when we're trying to squeeze the play more and playing deeper than we would at home. Yesterday I don't think he had a particularly good game, especially against a side that were intent on playing defensively. Ramsey's been average out wide and if Wenger wants him to produce his best football he needs to play him in the middle again. With Walcott in poor form too, Oxlade-Chamberlain can't come back quick enough.<br />
<br />
I mentioned the lack of a driving force from midfield. In my opinion that's what Ramsey is good at, but only when he is played in the middle. At the moment it's difficult to displace Cazorla and Coquelin. The game was tender made for Jack Wilshere who after impressing after coming on last week didn't do as well when he came on against Swansea. Nothing was really happening in the forward areas though as a result of a lack of width; the only person who was getting in promising areas was Alexis Sanchez who made the odd run in behind.<br />
<br />
However Arsenal's lack of impetus going forward despite the creative outlets in the team wasn't the worst part of the night. Instead our defending for the goal was. Swansea weren't playing with a central striker until the last 15 minutes or so. In my opinion taking Francis Coquelin off at 0-0 was critical in terms of us conceding. Once he went off there was a noticable gap and there was less cover for the defence. However the goal stemmed from errors in the build-up. Monreal had had a good game up to the goal but he allowed a simple one-two to go by him. The cross in wasn't great but it came out to Montero on the opposite flank. For some reason both Mertesacker and Koscielny went for the same man which left Bafetimbi Gomis to out jump Nacho Monreal. Gomis on Moneral meant it was almost identical to Gomis' goal at the Liberty in <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/defence-exploited-as-arsenal-slip-up.html" target="_blank">November</a>. However this goal could have been further prevented. Ospina got down slow and was in a poor position as the cross came in. Originally it didn't look as though it had crossed the line but goal-line technology rightly said it had gone over.<br />
<br />
Although the goal could've been prevented and the game should've been won before that moment, it reaffirmed what pundits have been saying about the fact that we need a top quality keeper in order to compete properly at the top. Not much has been made of Ospina, he's been comfortable in goal but nothing to write home about. However I do agree that we need a goalkeeper, a player that we haven't really had since the days of Jens Lehmann and David Season. For example David de Gea has won games on his own for United this season. It does beg the question though of who is actually available. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head, especially as Chelsea won't sell us Cech whilst rumours continue to circulate about Iker Casillas who appears likely to stay at Real Madrid.<br />
<br />
The loss, despite not having a huge effect on the season now, did have a lot of talking points, and it quickly brought us back down to earth. These games are shock results, but we do need 2 or 3 signings to really challenge for the title next season. As for the present, we need to focus on the remaining three games in the League and that starts with Manchester United next Sunday.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin(67), Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez, Giroud(69).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Gabriel, Gibbs, Flamini, Wilshere(67), Rosicky, Walcott(69).<br />
<br />
<b>Swansea: </b>Fabianski, Rangel(60), Williams, Fernandez, Taylor, Cork, Ki(73), Dyer(79), Shelvey, Montero, Sigurdsson.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Tremmel, Richards(60), Grimes, Britton, Barrow(79), Emnes, Gomis(73).<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Kevin Friend.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>59,989.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-83432783374862265302015-05-05T20:19:00.000+01:002015-05-05T20:19:01.386+01:00Sanchez and Ramsey score as Arsenal beat HullArsenal were at the free flowing best on Monday night as they overcame relegation threatened Hull 3-1 at the KC Stadium. The Gunners had had to wait quite a long time since their last game, a <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/arsenal-and-chelsea-held-in-bore-draw.html" target="_blank">0-0 draw with Chelsea</a> while the hosts Hull were coming off the back of a 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield. Therefore it was a surprise to see Hull dominated quite so badly if you look at how well they played against Liverpool. However the Gunners football was brilliant and thanks to a double from Alexis Sanchez and a goal from Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal moved level with Manchester City in second place. From the previous game Arsenal were unchanged as Ramsey continued on the right. The only change was on the bench where Welbeck missed out with a supposed knee injury as Rosicky came into the squad.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh-a4Y8VABLK-Nt2z7g1fc4DNt9v0TIIR2LfxOVdTDaY9nEbFp46m8OT51f4UVEsMFOcSmulc8WuOT6n0KGS4s7eWQfTCmaZyKNCewpylqsvjofwjV3_g6UJiSo92HqrPZ34RzA8l1FKG/s1600/Cazorla+and+Ramsey+v+Hull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh-a4Y8VABLK-Nt2z7g1fc4DNt9v0TIIR2LfxOVdTDaY9nEbFp46m8OT51f4UVEsMFOcSmulc8WuOT6n0KGS4s7eWQfTCmaZyKNCewpylqsvjofwjV3_g6UJiSo92HqrPZ34RzA8l1FKG/s1600/Cazorla+and+Ramsey+v+Hull.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey were at their fluent best</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Arsenal's form recently has been nothing short of phenomenal. They're unbeaten in their past ten games with the Gunners only blip coming against Chelsea last week. We came close to beating them but yesterday night we were back to winning ways, and back amongst the goals after a 0-0 draw. In my opinion it was up there with one of our best away displays of the season. Our football was outstanding and Hull couldn't contain our fast attacking football. In attack we looked comfortable all game, especially in a first halves display that saw us score three times. We know Arsenal's link-up play can be exceptional but yesterday just exemplified that.<br />
<br />
Despite the opening two goals taking deflections our second and third goals were of extreme quality as Sanchez took his tally to 24 this season. The first goal came from a free-kick which he was able to draw himself. He has scored some excellent goals this season but this one was rather fortuitous as his free-kick took a deflection and wrong footed Harper in the Hull goal. Our other goals were brilliant though. The second was assisted by Spaniard Santi Cazorla who was outstanding in the middle of the park with his array of passing. He ran the game in the midfield and set up Aaron Ramsey with a perfectly waited long ball into the Welshman. Ramsey however still had a lot to do, as his touch was perfect before firing into the corner via a deflection. For the third Ramsey turned provider, playing a great through ball into Sanchez who took it round the keeper before firing into the empty net.<br />
<br />
I must admit I criticised Arsene Wenger's decision to start Aaron Ramsey on the right hand side again. It's not that I don't think he shouldn't be in the team, because he's a brilliant player but in recent games he hasn't offered a lot on the right flank and has been getting dragged inside on too many occasions. That did happen a few times against Hull but he proved why he was starting with a brilliant display. He was at the centre of most of the good things we did as he took his goal tally to the season into double figures. I'd like to reiterate a point made my Jamie Carragher on MNF last night on Sky that he is easily becoming one of the best midfielders in the Premier League; down the years the Premier League has had its fair share of goal scoring midfielders from Lampard and Gerrard. However they both took penalties so for Aaron Ramsey to be scoring as many goals as he has in the past two seasons is quite incredible. He really has taken his game to the next level in my opinion this season despite not scoring on as regular a basis.<br />
<br />
I meanwhile thought Mesut Ozil had a very good game too. Some of his touches were outstanding and at one point he played a ridiculous flick into Sanchez in the final third of the pitch. He doesn't assist goals as much as he did at Real Madrid but he's had a very positive impact on the way we've played so far in 2015. He looks a lot more confident and assured on the ball than he did when he first joined us and he always looks keen to really show for the ball.<br />
<br />
Injuries have plagued our midfield over the past two seasons but we're finally getting those players back and Jack Wilshere's performance after returning from injury exemplified the wealth of luxuries we have in that position. It was Jack's first game for the first team since 22nd November and it was brilliant to see him make such an impressive impression when he came on. His classic drive forward was in operation and his return will be a bonus going into the end of the season.<br />
<br />
The only negative aspect of the game was the way we conceded the goal. Koscielny was down and had arguably been fouled by Meyler but nonetheless the referee allowed play go on. That meant that there was a gap in defence which Hull managed to exploit as Quinn popped up to head home. Apart from that the defence had had a relatively untroubled night. On occasion Mertesacker was caught out by the pace of N'Doye but ultimately Hull lacked quality in the final third and they didn't really have a final ball.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: orange;">Hull: </b>Harper, Elmohamady, McShane, Dawson, Chester, Brady, Livermore(45), Huddlestone, Quinn(81), Aluko(65), N'Doye.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>McGregor, Bruce, Rosenior, Robertson(65), Meyler(45), Hernandez, Jelavic(81).<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey(67), Ozil, Sanchez, Giroud(85).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Gabriel, Gibbs, Flamini, Wilshere(67), Rosicky, Walcott(85).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Santi Cazorla.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Lee Mason.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>23,628.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-90306101896287402552015-04-26T20:40:00.002+01:002015-04-27T19:21:02.865+01:00Arsenal and Chelsea held in bore drawIt was inevitable really wasn't it. A scoreless draw against a Chelsea team who never really had their sights on winning the game. Such was the result that John Terry came out afterwards and said all they were looking to do was ensure we dropped points. Of course as they so often do in these big games, they hold themselves well and ggt a result. Arsenal still remain 10 points off Chelsea but if there was any hint of a challenge from Arsenal that has been severely dented by the Blues who can now win the League next weekend providing they beat Leicester in mid-week. Despite the lack of goals it was a good performance from Arsenal though who looked far more comfortable this weekend with the team selection differing from the one at Wembley. Ospina, Bellerin and Monreal returned whilst Mertesacker was fit despite an ankle injury last weekend. Olivier Giroud meanwhile came in for Welbeck as the rest of the team was unchanged.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbYbVa95PTrjnDM4k_bOaqBUBTaxFFUpqdCDgI9oyje4ForAczvgBwcF9QZYtm9agHEN-5h6Pdcx6tK5Lb9YPgg0B9X3NfOdpAM36AoX-bLXwfkF_ad2tO4Z7A9jlaxRS1ENPs5UIbsoX/s1600/Bellerin+v+Chelsea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbYbVa95PTrjnDM4k_bOaqBUBTaxFFUpqdCDgI9oyje4ForAczvgBwcF9QZYtm9agHEN-5h6Pdcx6tK5Lb9YPgg0B9X3NfOdpAM36AoX-bLXwfkF_ad2tO4Z7A9jlaxRS1ENPs5UIbsoX/s1600/Bellerin+v+Chelsea.jpg" height="288" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hector Bellerin was impressive at right back.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The game was one of two halves, but not in a sense that one dominated the other in each 45 minutes. It was more of a matter of how the game panned out. The pace and intensity of the match early on was one of the quickest I've seen in recent times. It was end to end, free flowing and the passing was extremely fast. The second half was like a different game from the first half though and it was in stark contrast. Despite us pushing hard in the final five minutes for a winner it was a dull and slow second 45 minutes of football. In the first half we moved the ball quickly going forward but in the second we never really got going until we introduced pace into the game in the final quarter of the match.<br />
<br />
The game was pretty much set-up for a 0-0 draw from the first whistle, it was inevitable really but what we did do well was restrict them when they got forward. Chelsea were very hard to play against; proving resolute and strong in defence. Such was the importance for them to come away with a result that they celebrated a scoreless draw. It merely summed up a Jose Mourinho team. They were pretty boring to watch and in all honesty we really should have won the game. We didn't quite do enough to grab the win though but neither did Chelsea. Therefore a draw was merited but it was a frustrating result against a team we just can't seem to beat.<br />
<br />
Previously against the big sides we've had chances early on that have potentially swung the game which made defeats in the past bitter hard to swallow. However today there wasn't really a moment where the game hinged on a specific chance in front of goal. We did have our chances, but then again Chelsea had two shouts for a penalty. Whichever team you support you're bound to have conflicting opinions but nevertheless none were given. Oscar had two shouts waved away, Fabregas was booked for diving on a hard return to the Emirates with plenty of boos, whilst fellow Spaniard Cazorla had a shot blocked by the arms of Cahill inside the area.<br />
<br />
Both sides defended extremely well though and John Terry and Laurent Koscielny who in my opinion have been the best two centre-halves in the division this season were at the heart of the 0-0 draw. Koscielny sweeped brilliantly throughout whilst Terry was first to every ball, whether it be clearing the ball away at the near post or heading clear. Chelsea didn't cause a huge amount of threat going forward but when we came forward their defence dealt with it fairly easily.<br />
<br />
What was most frustrating for us was that when we got into good positions in the first half we seemed to make the wrong final decision when a chance could have arisen. Alexis Sanchez was probably our brightest spark up top but even he made the wrong decision on occasion. We were at our best when we moved the ball quickly but our best chances didn't fall until the final minutes of the game. Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott came on late on which showed Wenger was willing to go for it for a change. They added something we hadn't had all game; an option in behind. It was Welbeck who should have scored to win the game though. Monreal got to the byline and squared the ball towards the Englishman but somehow he failed to make any meaningful contact. That was before Cazorla had skewed an effort on his usually reliable weaker foot wide with 15 minutes remaining. For Giroud though it was a game of little chances and he proved a very isolated figure as he has been in recent weeks. Saying that though his presence up top was important and was utilised well when we looked to build an attack.<br />
<br />
Our performance, although better than last week against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/sanchez-double-fires-arsenal-into-final.html" target="_blank">Reading</a> was similar in a few ways when we went forward. Again Mesut Ozil was at the heart of most things when we got the ball in the central areas but he wasn't helped by the lack of movement in the wider areas. Again Aaron Ramsey was playing on the right but he drifted in far too centrally. When he did find space out-wide though we looked threatening and direct. The Welshman once more had a fairly average game but did show some brilliant touches and brought others into the game well.<br />
<br />
One of the players Aaron Ramsey often brought into play was Hector Bellerin who as usual was a threat down the right and tracked back well. He also denied a probable goal by heading clear after Oscar had lobbed Ospina. The progression he's shown since the beginning of the season is remarkable. In my opinion his rise has been similar to that of Francis Coquelin who himself had a good game again. Last season Bellerin was playing in the Championship for newly promoted Watford but now he's one of the best young talents in the Premier League. Although he isn't as solid as Debuchy in defence he typifies what a modern-day full back is and in an Arsenal side that love to go forward he's becoming ever more important.<br />
<br />
This result won't have any bearing on what will happen this season but it does offer encouragement for 2015/16 with Arsenal looking to build into the new campaign and really challenge for the title. Next up for the Gunners is a trip to Hull City which isn't until Monday 4th May. A break of 8 days which hopefully won't upset the rhythm of the team as we look to continue this unbeaten run we're on and make second place our own.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin(76), Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez, Giroud(83).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Debuchy, Gibbs, Flamini, Wilshere, Walcott(83), Welbeck(76).<br />
<br />
<b style="color: blue;">Chelsea: </b>Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Matic, Fabregas(90), Ramires, Willian(90), Hazard, Oscar(45).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Cech, Filipe Luis, Zouma(90), Mikel, Loftus-Cheek, Cuadrado(90), Drogba(45).<br />
<br />
<b>My Arsenal man of the match: </b>Hector Bellerin<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Michael Oliver.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>60,066.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-50027596868503681802015-04-20T16:44:00.002+01:002015-04-20T16:44:32.114+01:00Sanchez double fires Arsenal into the finalAlexis Sanchez scored twice on Saturday evening as Arsenal managed to fight off Reading at Wembley. For the second successive season the Gunners had managed to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup, and after a 2-1 victory after extra time last night, marched into another final. It was a difficult game and one we should have been able to win quite comfortably considering the opposition. Reading are near the bottom end of the Championship but they put up a great fight as we put in a similarly poor display to the semi against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/arsenal-overcome-troubles-to-reach-fa.html" target="_blank">Wigan</a> last season as the Royals made it extremely hard for us to play. However rather fortuitously, we managed to score the winning goal in the first half of extra time. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJMKsRzgqB3OS7a9pu_RED8Jmmq5Dw1twp_r-U_tsOBiSuzz3qrxRmSm3oR_mqCMFpWro-0z5-Ramy4tUNzKdbXa1R9yxFMB3zu0NRxgcDTNONJnigfF1y0SYXjlSzizZf02peQxfajiS/s1600/Sanchez+FA+Cup+semi-final.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJMKsRzgqB3OS7a9pu_RED8Jmmq5Dw1twp_r-U_tsOBiSuzz3qrxRmSm3oR_mqCMFpWro-0z5-Ramy4tUNzKdbXa1R9yxFMB3zu0NRxgcDTNONJnigfF1y0SYXjlSzizZf02peQxfajiS/s1600/Sanchez+FA+Cup+semi-final.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexis Sanchez scored twice as Arsenal reached the final of the FA Cup.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you consider Arsenal's recent form then you'll realise that Saturday's semi-final was far from what we've become accustomed to lately. Our build-up play was slower than usual and we lacked width, especially on the right hand side. We struggled to get any sort of rhythm going throughout the match but we did create the better chances throughout the game and due to that we deserved to go through. Reading impressed me heavily. The last time the two sides met it was that famous <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/remarkable-comeback-sees-arsenal-beat.html" target="_blank">7-5 result</a> in the League cup and although there was no repeat of that this time round they did look dangerous. Similarly to <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/ramsey-strike-enough-to-seal-points-for.html" target="_blank">Burnley</a> in our previous game, they looked to get the ball to their wide players and put balls in to the penalty area. Meanwhile with the work rate of Jamie Mackie, the defence had to be vary.<br />
<br />
However one of the reasons I think we struggled, despite Mertesacker's lack of pace when Reading put the ball in behind, was the team selection. Undoubtedly those Arsenal players selected have quality way above that of the Reading players, but a few players hadn't played in a while and that could be told. Wojciech Szczesny did himself no favours in goal with a slight error for the goal. He hasn't played since our <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/welbeck-scores-against-former-club-to.html" target="_blank">last cup tie </a>and after failing to stop Gareth McClearly's effort, he reaffirmed why David Ospina has been playing lately. I don't think the defence necerssarily had a bad game but it didn't help changing around what had been a solid back four in the League. Debuchy had to play 120 minutes in his first game for three months whilst Kieran Gibbs was shaky at left back after a month on the bench. Hector Bellerin has been playing brilliantly recently so it was a bit bizarre that he wasn't in the squad at all. Changes were expected and I can understand those that were made but it seemed to upset the rhythm of the team a little.<br />
<br />
The other change was Danny Welbeck in for Olivier Giroud. Welbeck scored against United in the last round and despite Giroud's incredible form he was on the bench. Many slated Welbeck's performance and it wasn't the best but he was always looking for the ball. He appeared to be in the areas where Reading were crowding us out though and that's why he had little impact. Giroud came in on the second half and was able to give us a more direct presence after struggling in the second period as we had to withstand constant Reading pressure.<br />
<br />
It was an extremely poor performance and that was down to not only the changes to the side, and the way Reading played, but because we lacked width. Over the last few games Aaron Ramsey has been playing out on the right and has struggled a little despite his goal against Burnley. In the semi-final though he was ineffective. He got dragged inside too much and slowed our play down and at times we were playing without a right winger. With Hector Bellerin making overlapping runs it works but with Debuchy who is a lot more defensive we had no presence down that right. In my opinion Ramsey had a poor game which was summed up by him smacking the post from a matter of yards out when it looked easier to score than miss. Thankfully on the left we did have width though, and it came as no surprise that that was where the goals came from.<br />
<br />
Alexis Sanchez has been brilliant this season and celebrated his PFA Player of the Year nomination with two goals at Wembley. The first was of great quality. Mesut Ozil picked out Sanchez who was brilliantly composed to calmly slot the ball between Federici's legs. The second goal was rather fortuitious though. Federici in the Reading goal had had a brilliant game, most notably he'd made a great save to deny Gabriel in the second half but his error cost his side the game. Alexis cut inside and then fired a tame effort towards goal but the Australian keeper let it through his legs and into the net. It wasn't a nice way to win a game but when you're in the semi-final you don't care how you get through.<br />
<br />
The quality of our attacking play was quite poor but when we did look good it was because Mesut Ozil was on the ball. Everything that we seemed to create came through the German and it was one of his better displays in an Arsenal shirt. He assisted both goals, with the first being of excellent vision. Instead of finding the simple ball he looked up and played a lovely ball into Sanchez. He almost scored a free-kick and twice set-up Gabriel who almost helped himself to two goals. Such was the performance of Mesut Ozil that the compilation below is effectively a match highlights package from the game if you exclude the Reading goal.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n3OnncKjtNs/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n3OnncKjtNs?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
Whether Arsenal deserved to win is arguable. Neither side created any significant danger to each other but Reading gave us too much space and that consequently led to both goals as Sanchez was allowed to drift inside and make runs off the ball leaving us with space for chances to be scored from. Francis Coquelin didn't have the best of games on what is a very large Wembley pitch and the midfield on occasion were quite sloppy. Regardless of that though we managed to reach the final in which we'll face Aston Villa after they beat Liverpool on Sunday.<br />
<br />
Before that though we need to finish strongly in the League. Chelsea will be our biggest test in recent months and hopefully we'll able to continue our winning run and extend our lead over Manchester United next weekend by beating Jose Mourinho's side.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: blue;">Reading: </b>Federici, Gunter, Hector, Pearce, Obita, McCleary, Williams, Chalobah(105), Robson-Kanu(90), Mackie, Pogrebnyak(111).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Andersen, Kelly, Cooper, Norwood, Karacan(90), Cox(106), Yakubu(111).<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Szczesny, Debuchy, Mertesacker(63), Koscielny, Gibbs, Coquelin(101), Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez, Welbeck(72).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Ospina, Gabriel(63), Monreal, Flamini, Wilshere, Walcott(101) Giroud(72).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Alexis Sanchez.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Martin Atkinson.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>84,081.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-11286896840398739492015-04-11T21:19:00.001+01:002015-04-11T21:19:19.998+01:00Ramsey strike enough to seal points for ArsenalAaron Ramsey's early first half goal was enough for Arsenal as they beat Burnley 1-0 on Saturday evening. The Welshman's goal was the only real bright spark of the game as the Gunners managed to hold on for a hard earned three points. After the convincing win over <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/arsenal-up-to-second-with-win-over.html" target="_blank">Liverpool</a> last weekend this one was far from that. It wasn't our greatest display this season but nonetheless it was a victory that made sure we remained in second place for the time being. Wenger's line-up was unchanged from the previous game, as we made it eight successive victories in the Premier League; the first team to do so in the League in 2014/15.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Km_e4xCE3u38QK5Xy61ilYy27NYGC9TK8akOfiX9otVB4AYvl_zWL79sJmxZkM7lHlbEQs9Zrg2D3BBd0tn_8aoGCossK9BSZ7dTgFpKXdPEcQjUY0d0KGUgDBE0EGl2X_YSVZktBz0l/s1600/Ramsey+goal+v+Burnley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Km_e4xCE3u38QK5Xy61ilYy27NYGC9TK8akOfiX9otVB4AYvl_zWL79sJmxZkM7lHlbEQs9Zrg2D3BBd0tn_8aoGCossK9BSZ7dTgFpKXdPEcQjUY0d0KGUgDBE0EGl2X_YSVZktBz0l/s1600/Ramsey+goal+v+Burnley.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaron Ramsey's early goal gave Arsenal the win</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This season Burnley have been a team full of fight, they've pulled off some brilliant results against the bigger sides in the division and that was a reason for us to be wary as we traveled to Turf Moor. However despite us being on an incredible run of form we didn't win as comfortably as we would've liked against a team fighting for survival. That meant it was a test of the team's mentality and thankfully they managed to pass that. It wasn't convincing, nor was it flooded with quality, but we got the job done and at this stage of the season that's all you can do.<br />
<br />
It was typical of the game that it's only goal was an extremely scrappy one. Mesut Ozil originally saw a shot saved before Sanchez's effort was blocked. Then among the bodies, Aaron Ramsey managed to find the net for his fifth league goal of the campaign. Last week's goals against Liverpool had all been of extreme quality but there was perhaps a slice of luck about today's one as the ball rebounded off a Burnley defender before bouncing to Ramsey.<br />
<br />
Arsenal's play for the most part was quite sloppy though. We did look incisive on the break away but we didn't create an awful lot in terms of goal scoring opportunities which was the only real negative from the match. However they didn't have many clear cut chances either. The most frustrated player on the pitch probably would've been Olivier Giroud who didn't manage to extend his scoring run this evening. It wasn't the Frenchman's day at all and his only impact was as a focal point for the long balls we had to pump forward as Burnley continuously pressed us backwards. Giroud didn't have any chances of note and was a rather isolated figure up front. Welbeck made a more positive impact when he came on though and almost extended the lead late on.<br />
<br />
For the second game in a row Aaron Ramsey was deployed on the right flank. In my opinion he didn't have the greatest of games outwide but at the end of the day he got the goal that won us the game. It is a bit bizarre that with Walcott and Welbeck on the bench that one of them didn't start out wide but in Aaron Ramsey we have a man who has a knack of picking up vital goals. I would prefer to see Ramsey utilised centrally and I'm sure others would too but due to us having an almost fully fit squad it's difficult to fit him in the midfield. Especially with the way Cazorla and Coquelin have both been performing. One of the most positive aspects at the club right now is the fact we have practically every player fit. For once we have a real competition for places and it's a great luxury to have.<br />
<br />
A key part of our win as usual was Francis Coquelin. He had a great game in front of the back four and broke up the play brilliantly. He was able to stop Burnley advancing with the ball and that was evident in the fact he made 11 interceptions; 6 more than anyone else in the match. He seems to be able to seek out the danger with relative ease and he has been a revelation in 2015 for us. The only danger Burnley did cause though was from balls from from the wide areas into the box but both Mertesacker and Koscielny dealt with that confidently.<br />
<br />
Alexis Sanchez was our brightest player going forward and he is beginning to show signs of getting back to his form from earlier in the campaign after a little dry spell before last weekend. His desire is phenomenal and his drive aided us significantly in the final third. I also want to give a mention to Hector Bellerin who seemed to be everywhere. He was rampaging down the right hand side on numerous occasions and although looked a little shaky once or twice in defence, he had a very good game offensively. His pace is truly breathtaking!<br />
<br />
Our form at the moment has been nothing short of brilliant and with Reading in the FA Cup semi-final to come next weekend, we look in a good position to reach the final once more if we play like we have been recently.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #741b47;">Burnley: </b>Heaton, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee, Boyd, Arfield, Jones(90), Barnes, Vokes, Ings.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Gilks, Keane, Ward, Ulvestad, Taylor(90), Kightly, Jutkiewicz.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ffd966; font-weight: bold;">Arsenal: </span>Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez(90), Giroud(81).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Chambers(90), Gibbs, Flamini, Rosicky, Walcott, Welbeck(81).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Francis Coquelin.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Mike Dean.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>20,615.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-78832104952756842642015-04-04T16:36:00.001+01:002015-04-07T22:36:59.778+01:00Arsenal up to second with win over LiverpoolArsenal put in a brilliant display against Liverpool to earn themselves a 4-1 victory on Saturday afternoon. It was a magnificent attacking display as the Gunners got revenge for their crushing defeat at Anfield <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/arsenal-blown-away-in-thrashing-against.html" target="_blank">last season</a>. Bellerin opened the scoring before goals from Ozil, Alexis and Giroud sealed the win as we moved up to second in the table with Man City still to play this weekend. It was pleasing to see us do so well after returning from the international break, as we'd been in such good form before hand and I was worried that it would ruin our momentum. However that was far from what happened as we thrashed Liverpool. From the win over <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/giroud-double-secures-win-over-newcastle.html" target="_blank">Newcastle</a> two weeks previous, Wenger made three changes as Bellerin, Mertesacker and Ozil came in for Chambers, Gabriel and Welbeck.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3Yoay0CdlWCDIqOSaGazT6XEuEVTyNtDs8gisK3zC9tWMgqB85U_Cik__duWPn5AcXtmAj-sXdNJj5eNk2zQvHCHDpEwbInbTxOUGr0RLXQeoUz32iVxwdAp5A_d6EZg5PMBRd4bISIo/s1600/Ozil+free-kick+v+Liverpool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3Yoay0CdlWCDIqOSaGazT6XEuEVTyNtDs8gisK3zC9tWMgqB85U_Cik__duWPn5AcXtmAj-sXdNJj5eNk2zQvHCHDpEwbInbTxOUGr0RLXQeoUz32iVxwdAp5A_d6EZg5PMBRd4bISIo/s1600/Ozil+free-kick+v+Liverpool.jpg" height="245" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mesut Ozil scored the second goal from a free-kick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At first it had seemed as though it was going to be one of those days where it doesn't quite happen. We started the game incredibly brightly and after Ramsey failed to score a one-on-one with Mignolet I thought we had spurned it in a similar way to the game against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/poor-form-continues-as-united-defeat.html" target="_blank">Man United</a> earlier in the season. It was inevitable that after a dominant spell at the beginning of the game and after a wasted chance that Liverpool would come back fighting. We were lucky not to actually fall behind after Markovic just over played the ball for Sterling who would've had an open net. Instead we managed to fire on all cylinders thanks to an explosive end to the first half.<br />
<br />
It was from an unlikely source that we did break the deadlock though as Bellerin curled the ball home after finding space inside the area. The Spaniard has been fantastic of late and is proving his worth to the side with some ever improving displays. Apart from bringing down Sterling for Liverpool's consolation penalty late on he had a very good game which was shown with the quality of his goal. He managed to cut inside Moreno before bending the ball into the far corner for his second Gunners goal.<br />
<br />
The second goal of the game was to come from Mesut Ozil who I thought was Arsenal's best player on the day. I've said numerous times since his return from injury near the beginning of the year that he has been very good. He's sometimes been a little inconsistent but he was at his fluid best against Liverpool and lead the majority of the attacks. He played a lovely ball out wide into Ramsey which lead to the first, and then scored a beautiful second. He lined up a free-kick before placing it brilliantly in to the same corner as Hector Bellerin did. It was sumptuous strike from a man that is finding real form in 2015. Much of the creative spark this season has come from Santi Cazorla but today it was Ozil and everything seemed to come through the German. At times he was unplayable, jinking and feinting past players in order to find space to lead away an attack.<br />
<br />
The third came from one of Arsenal's outstanding contributors this season; Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean has been a little off the boil in recent months but after the international break showed no signs of fatigues as he blasted home the third goal moments before the break. Alexis has scored a host of fantastic goals this season but today's strike has to be up there with one of his best in an Arsenal shirt. Bellerin played an incisive pass to Ramsey before the Welshman found Sanchez. Toure slid in which then allowed Sanchez to find space and then hit a lovely effort into the roof of the net.<br />
<br />
A heavy lead going into the second half usually means that games peter off, and that indeed did happen at the Emirates. Daniel Sturridge came on for Liverpool at the break and made a positive impact. One has to ask why he didn't start the game in the first place. Sterling did well running into the channels but he didn't offer a focal point and as a result, their attacking play was limited in the first half. They were much better when it came to their attacks in the second though. That goes to say that they didn't still actually create a lot barring their goal from the penalty spot. Despite the quality of Arsenal's goals Liverpool were painstakingly bad at the back. Skrtel was missing through suspension and the sending off of Emre Can late on summed up the visitors day. Kolo Toure had a particularly poor afternoon and it was no surprise that Arsenal dished out a thrashing.<br />
<br />
The win was to be brilliantly finished off in injury time. Sanchez found Olivier Giroud and instead of playing in Cazorla, he cut inside and curled the ball past Mignolet for another exceptional Arsenal goal. Giroud is in fantastic form, and the March player of the month celebrated in perfect style with three points and another goal. He now has seven in his last six Premier League games. The Frenchman hadn't had the best of matches until his goal and his usual link-up play wasn't required due to the brilliance of the Gunners' strikes. However he took matters into his own hands with a lovely finish to round things off with the fourth goal.<br />
<br />
The only downers from the match were the fact that Koscielny and Ramsey had to be taken off with injuries. However after the game, Wenger claimed that they weren't serious so hopefully they'll be fine for the Burnley game next weekend. In the week it was the first time for a considerable amount of months or even years that we had everyone fit and in training. Diaby, Debuchy, Arteta and Wilshere had all played in an Arsenal XI game in the week and a few of them will all be vying for places after long spells out in the not too distant future. I don't want to put a curse on things but Arsenal Football Club are in a very good place as it stands.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny(49), Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey(62), Cazorla, Ozil(73), Sanchez, Giroud.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Macey, Gabriel(49), Gibbs, Flamini(62), Rosicky, Walcott, Welbeck(73).<br />
<br />
<b>Liverpool: </b>Mignolet, Henderson, Can, Toure, Sakho, Moreno, Lucas, Allen, Coutinho, Markovic(45), Sterling.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Jones, Lovren, Johnson, Manquillo, Brannagan, Borini, Sturridge(45).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Mesut Ozil.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Anthony Taylor.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>60,081.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-43364058472868253172015-03-22T19:23:00.000+00:002015-04-04T15:14:16.455+01:00Giroud double secures win over NewcastleI may as well get the <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">cliché</span></span> out the way at the beginning; our game against Newcastle was very much one of two halves. In the first half we put in a good attacking display but in the second we spent the majority of the half pegged back. Luckily though Arsenal managed to hold on thanks to a brace from Olivier Giroud. Out of our most recent matches domestically it was probably the least convincing performance I have seen from this team. We looked very comfortable in the first 45 minutes but Newcastle came after us and managed to exploit what weaknesses were on show. Vitally though, we came out with three points to ensure we remained in third place. Unsurprisingly changes were made after the <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/arsenal-bow-out-on-away-goals.html" target="_blank">Monaco</a> game in the week. Chambers replaced Bellerin, Gabriel came in for Mertesacker, and Ramsey started over Mesut Ozil who missed the game through illness.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HMCqgm3LUZrNltZxTTDxrRyV_avM3LBLm67y0RIAlAeJ_0PDQuvaaztffN-XN_RdLvFPPeKyzqKelJ_Jajn0VlKWsR1wg0mPWICogDmDtu7I7CHwkYv5qacwiJovgtPHJ73cyyTVTInc/s1600/giroud+v+newcastle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HMCqgm3LUZrNltZxTTDxrRyV_avM3LBLm67y0RIAlAeJ_0PDQuvaaztffN-XN_RdLvFPPeKyzqKelJ_Jajn0VlKWsR1wg0mPWICogDmDtu7I7CHwkYv5qacwiJovgtPHJ73cyyTVTInc/s1600/giroud+v+newcastle.png" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giroud now has 17 goals in 26 games this season</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Arsenal can be hugely thankful of Olivier Giroud for their victory yesterday as he played a pivotal role in aiding the win. The Frenchman has been in incredible form of late and he can't seem to stop scoring. Whenever he has an exceptional game I feel obliged to go back to that first leg against Monaco and stand corrected. That night he was abysmal and in my comments after the game I was perhaps a little harsh on him. However for all the criticism he has received in an Arsenal shirt he's just got out there on the pitch and given his all. Therefore big credit has to go out to him because he's bounced back in phenomenal fashion. One can only begin to imagine the goal tally he would be on if he hadn't had a long spell out through injury.<br />
<br />
I think it's safe to say that Olivier Giroud is one of the most under appreciated players in this Arsenal side and in the Premier League. His finishes against Newcastle yesterday were both very instinctive and they showed exactly why he's in the form of his life. Both goals weren't really Arsenal type goals but nonetheless Giroud found the positions and duly obliged in front of goal. The first was from a Cazorla free-kick. The ball was flicked on by Welbeck and then Giroud stuck out a knee to find the back of the net. Four minutes later Cazorla's corner found the French striker who muscled off Williamson to head home. They were two very well taken goals and hopefully he'll continue it to the end of the season. He now has 8 in 6 against Newcastle and 9 in his last 9 outings in all competitions. His form really has been paramount in 2015.<br />
<br />
I feel as though that praise from me for Olivier Giroud has been long overdue but unfortunately we have to move onto the negatives. It was a very intense first half but we managed to go into the break two ahead. Because of the amount of effort we had put into our second leg against Monaco in the week I think the players lacked that extra burst of energy required to convincingly get us over the line. Instead we just about made it to the final whistle with all three points.<br />
<br />
We were pegged back massively and that didn't help by conceding almost immediately after the break. Ryan Taylor and Remy Cabella were allowed all too easily to link up down the right hand side and then find Sissoko who was bizarrely unmarked on the edge of the area. He consequently slotted the ball past Ospina. From that moment on it was an upward struggle. We couldn't get a hold of the ball and if it wasn't for some desperate defending and some crucial Ospina saves then we probably would've drawn the game. I don't think we were necessarily bad in defence but Calum Chambers was definitely a weak spot. Hector Bellerin needed to start for me but for the first time in a while both full backs seemed to be exposed. Monreal didn't have the greatest of games by his standards recently whilst Chambers continues to be vulnerable out wide rather than in the centre. I did think Gabriel had a good game though and he made himself busy, especially in the opening exchanges.<br />
<br />
One aspect of the way Newcastle got back into the match though was through seemingly over crowding the midfield. From my point of view it was the first time in a long time that we exposed ourselves in that area of the pitch. Francis Coquelin had his customary good game but Aaron Ramsey's return to the starting line-up today brought about a number of problems. Santi Cazorla has operated well beside Coquelin and they have formed a very good partnership in the middle of the pitch. However yesterday away from home when both Cazorla and Ramsey were trying to get forward it left a lot of space in the middle of the pitch.<br />
<br />
Ramsey was a very frustrating figure yesterday. He had scored in consecutive games before this match and when he offers that kind of option he has a good game. Yesterday it was a different story though. He can perhaps be guilty of over playing at times and trying too hard to do something rather than going simple. His late runs offer a lot but when it goes wrong, like it did yesterday, he denied what could have been Giroud's hat-trick by taking the ball on instead of letting it run for his team-mate.<br />
<br />
Saying that, I don't think we need to dwell on performances like Ramsey's yesterday too much. We're in good form and we managed to hold on for a good three points even when we weren't at our best. We now head into the international break off the back of 9 wins in our last 10 Premier League matches. Liverpool at home awaits and here's hoping all our players come back from the break fit and fighting.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b>Newcastle: </b>Krul, Taylor, Janmaat, Williamson, Colback, Sissoko, Anita(70), Gouffran, Cabella, Ameobi(88), Ayoze.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Elliot, Satka, Kemen, Obertan, Gutierrez(70), Riviere, Armstrong(88).<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Chambers, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monrael, Coquelin, Ramsey, Welbeck(88), Cazorla(70), Sanchez(70), Giroud.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Bellerin(88), Flamini(70), Rosicky(70), Walcott.<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Olivier Giroud.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Mike Jones.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>50,544.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-34345561872182292812015-03-18T20:11:00.002+00:002015-03-18T23:15:58.162+00:00Arsenal bow out on away goalsFor the fifth season in a row Arsenal have failed to qualify for the last eight of the Champions League. Time and time again it's been so close yet so far and it doesn't seem to matter who the opponents are. I was very angry after the final whistle went, simply because of the naivety of the performance in the <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/arsenal-suffer-first-leg-defeat-to.html" target="_blank">first leg</a>. We went into this tie full of positivity; at last we had dodged the bullet of a Barcelona or Bayern Munich but because of our first leg performance we were left ruing what could have been after beating Monaco 2-0 in the second leg last night. Yes it was a very good display last night but I was struggling to find words when people were claiming it was a spirited performance.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESXa2HhbQdQkHXPRVdo7Jzwxs5lhZyiJoyN17yr2tU19SQTC17LmTVbQZR4zHZpMO9cGx0g4DoV2v2VFhwuXwUstYncW4j8NH-BrGPwSOdz3s1p2rCQsgn9LN3hGBMDlnmWOFWO9hXNTU/s1600/Cazorla+dejected+v+Monaco+away+leg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESXa2HhbQdQkHXPRVdo7Jzwxs5lhZyiJoyN17yr2tU19SQTC17LmTVbQZR4zHZpMO9cGx0g4DoV2v2VFhwuXwUstYncW4j8NH-BrGPwSOdz3s1p2rCQsgn9LN3hGBMDlnmWOFWO9hXNTU/s1600/Cazorla+dejected+v+Monaco+away+leg.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santi Cazorla tried to work his magic on a night Arsenal crashed out of Europe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course Arsenal did well to score two goals against a side that rarely concede this season but how long is it until we do actually advance beyond the last 16? For me that's the main concern here. We consistently do well in the league to reach this competition but at the end of the day what's it been for? To be knocked out in the last 16 for five years in a row? That shouldn't be the case at all. This team are a lot better than that and we should expect a lot more.<br />
<br />
It remains to be said that there were plenty of positives to take though. I can't say I'm proud because at the end of the day the tie was over two legs and in my opinion the right team deserved to go through on the balance of 180 minutes of football. I perhaps overreacted at the final whistle, after all we have the FA Cup semi-final to look forward to whilst we're in great form in the Premier League. We have set ourselves up very well for the back end of the season so to go out at this stage in the Champions League is hugely frustrating.<br />
<br />
Arsene Wenger's tactics in the first leg were questionable. At 2-1 down we were fine in terms of leaving something for us get at it the second leg. However, had we not conceded a simply ludicrous third then we'd be in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. In the return leg yesterday we were of course a lot better. Not that he had much choice though as we attacked from the off. We were perhaps a little timid in our approach in the opening 20 minutes or so but once we got going Monaco found us very hard to deal with. Danny Welbeck once again proved his selection and he was very lively down the right, he set up Giroud for the first goal and showed good pace to beat Kurzawa at left back on a few occasions. Aaron Ramsey's exclusion was the only doubt as only one change was made from the first leg; Monreal in for Gibbs.<br />
<br />
Olivier Giroud certainly atoned for his first leg performance to some extent. Since his awful night in front of goal that night at the Emirates he's been in great form and he added to his tally for the season with an emphatic finish last night. It was his first and only Champions League goal of the season after being injured earlier in the campaign. Welbeck sent him through and after Giroud saw his shot saved he fired home the rebound into the roof of the net.<br />
<br />
This Arsenal performance was exemplarly of us under Arsene Wenger in the last couple of years and was almost predictable. Score a goal at a vital time, go for it in the second half, score with little time remaining to give us hope and then fail to score the most crucial goal that would've taken us through. Because of that it remains hugely frustrating as it's an all too similar feeling. Aaron Ramsey's introduction in the second half gave us a bigger impetus from which to perform from. He completely changed the game when he came on and gave us an extra drive from midfield. He scored at the <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/arsenal-maintain-form-with-win-over.html" target="_blank">weekend</a> and added the second in this game, comfortably slotting home after a lapse in defence from Kurzawa. The return of the Welshman from injury who looks to be firing on all cylinders is a huge positive and he will produce a real selection dilemma going into Newcastle on Saturday.<br />
<br />
The most disappointing aspect of the second leg last night was the performances of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil; neither really offered a considerable goal threat throughout the tie. Sanchez was trying his best but on too many occasions he tried to overplay and instead of passing the ball ran into the man and wasted possession. It's harsh to lay into him but for me he didn't have a good game and when you pay that sort of money for a player you expect them to be able to play a bigger role in the tie than he did. Sanchez has looked to be tiring recently and he is due a rest. On his day he's an exceptional talent but in the last few matches, excluding <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/sanchez-ends-goal-drought-as-arsenal.html" target="_blank">QPR</a>, he's looked off the boil.<br />
<br />
A similar sort of thing can be said for Mesut Ozil who didn't come alive until the final quarter of the game. Some begged to differ over the German's performance and said he played well. It wasn't his worst game but he repetitively gave the ball away in certain situations when an easy ball was on. He did however offer something we haven't seen from him in the past, and that is why many are saying he had a good game. Instead of petering off in the latter stages of the game he was willing to track back and work hard for the team. His body language for a change was a very positive one and you can tell he loves this competition. Lets hope he can now transfer that into Arsenal's domestic games.<br />
<br />
The defence were improved from the first leg, but they didn't have much to do. Mertesacker against the pace of Martial and Carrasco still seemed to struggle whilst Monreal wasn't always as solid as we've come to expect of him in recent months. Laurent Koscielny however was outstanding again and he played a similar role to the one against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/arsenal-maintain-form-with-win-over.html" target="_blank">West Ham</a>.<br />
<br />
As said, it is very annoying to go out at this stage but there's plenty to remain positive about. We're in the semi-final of the FA Cup whilst we remain just a point of second placed Manchester City in the Premier League.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Monaco: </b>Subasic, Fabinho, Abdennour, Wallace, Kurzawa, Toulalan, Kondogbia, Moutinho, Dirar(86), Martial(59), Berbatov(69).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Stekelenburg, R.Carvalho, M.Carvalho, Silva(69), Ferreira-Carrasco(59), Elderson(86), Toure.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #0b5394;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal(83), Coquelin(63), Cazorla, Welbeck(71), Ozil, Sanchez, Giroud.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Gabriel, Chambers, Gibbs(83), Flamini, Ramsey(63), Walcott(71).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Laurent Koscielny.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR).<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>17,263.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-17167882125819602652015-03-15T21:47:00.001+00:002015-03-15T21:48:13.675+00:00Arsenal maintain form with win over West HamArsenal maintained their excellent form in the Premier League on Saturday with a comfortable win over West Ham. Such is the form that we've now won eight consecutive League games at home for the first time since 2005. Earlier in the season we managed to overcome the same opposition at Upton Park when they were in form. However they're now in poor form and we took advantage of that to stay in third place and rise to within a point of City after their defeat to Burnley. After the game against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/welbeck-scores-against-former-club-to.html" target="_blank">Manchester United</a> the team were full of confidence and you could see that with some of the play and the way with which we moved the ball around. Arsene Wenger did however have Monaco in midweek in mind as we made a few changes from the game against United. Ospina returned in place of Szczesny whilst Chambers was recalled ahead of Bellerin. Walcott earned a rare start whilst Giroud replaced Welbeck. The other change saw Cazorla rested as Aaron Ramsey started.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERIqwdB8gOelgvQlHWIjWcryWpeI49DSGUIFvTmtPAXX4gvnR0hblkLsCuvQnblUqPWtk4Z_32exX-LlH_n037aHNiFxJQ7auy1eMnP9tUERVUbhAI6HkUqrqWCmb-DOTLrZ8urTPt7Tw/s1600/Ramsey+v+West+Ham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERIqwdB8gOelgvQlHWIjWcryWpeI49DSGUIFvTmtPAXX4gvnR0hblkLsCuvQnblUqPWtk4Z_32exX-LlH_n037aHNiFxJQ7auy1eMnP9tUERVUbhAI6HkUqrqWCmb-DOTLrZ8urTPt7Tw/s1600/Ramsey+v+West+Ham.jpg" height="246" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaron Ramsey scored and assisted a goal as Arsenal beat West Ham</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What was most pleasing about this Arsenal performance was the quality of the goals we scored. We had to remain patient in the first half and chances went begging through Walcott who had a brilliant chance early on. However remaining patient is what Arsenal under Arsene Wenger has been all about. The goals though epitomised Wenger's Arsenal. West Ham had set-up to frustrate us, their back four sat deep whilst their midfield left barely any room for our midfield to break though. For that reason it was going to take something special to break the deadlock but that was exactly what happened. Ozil, Ramsey and Giroud all interlinked brilliantly with one touch fast paced football which accumulated in the opening goal. Ramsey set the ball back to Giroud who got the ball out of his feet before hammering the ball home. It was an extremely clinical finish from a man who looks to be in the form of his life.<br />
<br />
Olivier Giroud was vital in the win, and his flicks and delicate touches lead to a host of Arsenal chances. I mentioned the Walcott chance above, and it was one he really should have scored. However in the build up Giroud played a lovely flick into Theo. Giroud was also to play a similar role in what turned out be the third goal, turning the ball round the corner for Cazorla who had a brilliant second half cameo when he came on. The Spaniard played the ball across goal for Mathieu Flamini to tap home for a rare goal. It was his first goal since March 2014. That only added to Giroud's contribution to the game though as he assisted the second goal of the game, scored by Aaron Ramsey. Giroud feinted out the way of the ball before Ramsey played a one-two with him and then slotted home on his left foot.<br />
<br />
Aaron Ramsey was indeed another of the game's outstanding performers and his goal was greatly deserved. He's struggled with injuries this season but on occasions has shown signs of his form in 2013/14. Yesterday against West Ham he certainly showed the qualities he displayed last season. Ramsey provided a brilliant partnership with Coquelin in midfield and his late runs into the penalty area caused the Hammers defence all sorts of problems. The Welshman was unlucky not to open the scoring in the first half, seeing a close range volley saved well by Adrian. Of course Ramsey would go onto get his goal in the second half, but he also supplied Giroud for the first. It was a brilliant display from the midfield man and hopefully now he can kick on as we head into the final stretch of the season.<br />
<br />
Not just was our attacking performance convincing but so was the defensive side. I thought Laurent Koscielny was absolutely outstanding at the back and he dealt well with the threat in behind of Diafra Sakho. Koscielny played brilliantly as he effectively acted as a sweeper, clearing balls out and getting in ahead of the opposition on numerous occasions to prevent goal scoring chances. Per Mertesacker was improved and put in a solid display, as did the ever improving Nacho Monreal. Calum Chambers was good in attack and set up a few chances but he still remains a defensive vulnerability at times. On occasion he let Jarvis go but West Ham's end ball into the box always seemed to be lacking which meant for a relatively easy afternoon for Arsenal's defence.<br />
<br />
Arsenal's subs all played a role in helping to extend the lead when they came on though. Danny Welbeck was very lively when he entered the fray and he definitely offered more than Theo Walcott. I must admit I've had my doubts over Welbeck's inclusion over Walcott in recent games but yesterday exemplified why Welbeck has been starting more. Theo seemed quite rusty and had quite a poor game by his standards. He should and could have had two goals but he lacked that clinicalness in front of goal. I mentioned Cazorla's cameo when he came on too, grabbing an assist for Flamini who's goal should give him a boost of confidence after returning to the side.<br />
<br />
Our passing game throughout was absolutely exceptional. On numerous occasions the midfield and attack interlinked brilliantly which was shown with the extreme quality of the goals and how easy we made them look. We could perhaps be guilty of not scoring more as both Ozil and Walcott spurned chances. One improvement I noticed from recent weeks was that we looked a lot more calm and composed on the ball, something that we'll have to maintain as we go to Monaco in the week.<br />
<br />
Results since that first leg defeat have given me confidence that we can indeed go there and reach the quarter-finals but I can't help but feel we've left ourselves with too much to do. Only time will tell but this squad has immense confidence at the moment so a miracle could happen!<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Walcott(71), Ozil(83), Sanchez(65), Giroud.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Gibbs, Bellerin, Flamini(83), Cazorla(71), Welbeck(65), Akpom.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #3d85c6;">West Ham: </b>Adrian, O'Brien, Kouyate, Collins, Cresswell, Song, Noble(83), Jarvis(75), Nolan, Downing, Sakho.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Jaaskelainen, Demel, Onariase, Cullen, Poyet, Amalfitano(75), Nene(83).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Aaron Ramsey.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Chris Foy (Replaced by Anthony Taylor mid-way through second half)<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>60,002.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-67262638302140207812015-03-10T20:38:00.001+00:002015-03-10T20:43:01.542+00:00Welbeck scores against former club to take Arsenal to WembleyArsenal are through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup after a fantastic 2-1 win over rivals Manchester United. The Gunners put in a very professional performance that drew comparisons to our win over <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/arsenal-pull-of-surprise-win-against.html" target="_blank">Manchester City</a> not so long ago. Goals from Nacho Monreal and Danny Welbeck back at his old club ensured we reached Wembley for the second season in a row as our dreams of retaining the FA Cup remain very much alive. Arsene Wenger's team selection was a brave one; Szczesny came back in for David Ospina whilst Welbeck started ahead of the inform Giroud up front. They were the only two surprise inclusions but Welbeck especially justified his selection as Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanchez started on the wings with Ozil beside them.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnvTI68v-8twJEPwHw3LqVWXYLTngHlTLba4FROldFnZuk3c9QQdQXwp1ZnrHc0zljnl1esFyCSaJpf5cmiJ-iAj9cl6NCI0xrux-fYxPrqFuJX0iA1mF1ZbnfShb5AGVXT6D532cfVqk/s1600/Welbeck+goal+v+United.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnvTI68v-8twJEPwHw3LqVWXYLTngHlTLba4FROldFnZuk3c9QQdQXwp1ZnrHc0zljnl1esFyCSaJpf5cmiJ-iAj9cl6NCI0xrux-fYxPrqFuJX0iA1mF1ZbnfShb5AGVXT6D532cfVqk/s1600/Welbeck+goal+v+United.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welbeck scored the winner against his old club as Arsenal advanced in the FA Cup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After the debacle against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/arsenal-suffer-first-leg-defeat-to.html" target="_blank">Monaco</a> you'd be forgiven for thinking that Arsenal would crumble under pressure against Manchester United last night, especially considering our recent record against them. However to bounce back in a game as big as this so soon after what happened in the Champions League was incredibly satisfying. I said how after that game we hadn't learnt our lesson from last season's exploits. But with victories away from home against both Manchester clubs this season it shows that Arsenal are indeed progressing forward, and slowly learning what they have to do in order to beat the big clubs.<br />
<br />
We set up in a similar fashion to the game at the Etihad with the defence for the most part playing very solidly with Coquelin supporting them in the holding role. It worked a treat as we kept a solid line and didn't commit too many forward. The majority of our attacks came with us moving the ball quickly forward and with the pace of Alexis, Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain Arsenal were able to hurt a team that seem to have been troubled by pace previously this season.<br />
<br />
However our first goal was to come from a very unlikely source; Nacho Monreal. We moved the ball quickly down the left before play opened up for Mesut Ozil. Instead of running towards the penalty area he found Chamberlain who tip-toed his way brilliantly to the edge of the area. He was then able to pick out the unmarked Monreal who finished with the composure of a striker for only his second Gunners goal. It was a vital goal in the context of the game as like with the game against City we had taken the lead and had something to hold on to.<br />
<br />
Albeit what we did have to hold on to didn't last long. One thing we can be found guilty of from last night was not getting tight enough to Angel di Maria. He hasn't been in the best of form this season but still has that extreme quality. Monreal had dealt well with him for most of the game but this was one instance in which him or Coquelin could have done more to close him down. The Argentine's ball was perfect for Wayne Rooney who headed home the equaliser. After that it seemed as though United ran out of ideas though.<br />
<br />
Their man game plan was to get di Maria on the ball or pump it long to Fellaini. Not many chances came of that though in what was a hugely solid performance from Koscielny and Mertesacker, and also from Monreal who I thought was our man of the match.<br />
<br />
We managed to press well at the right moments in the game and sat back when needed, much like the game against City. Danny Welbeck's work rate was brilliant all game which is expected and that's what brought him what turned out to be the winning goal. Valencia's back pass was seized upon by Welbeck and he knocked it past de Gea before sliding the ball into an empty net. It was a deserved goal and one that marked huge significance coming against his boyhood club and the team he once played for. It brought a huge sense of elation for Arsenal fans who for too long have seen former players come back to haunt them. The names of which won't be mentioned because for now we deserve to celebrate.<br />
<br />
Mesut Ozil's form instantly after returning from injury was brilliant and he has peter'd off in the last couple of games. However for me we shouldn't be concerned about that. He played a vital role in the first goal and his work-rate of late has been outstanding. He's covered a lot of ground and although he hasn't offered much in terms of goals/assists in the last few matches the way he has covered the ground has made up for it. A similar sort of thing can be said for Alexis Sanchez. He scored against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/sanchez-ends-goal-drought-as-arsenal.html" target="_blank">QPR</a> and his work rate against United was also exceptional and he did well in helping out Monreal down United's right flank. He was at the heart of most our attacks and caused Valencia all sorts of problems. He was only denied a goal late on by a brilliant de Gea save.<br />
<br />
Goalkeeper de Gea has been Manchester United's outstanding performer this season and Santi Cazorla who played very well alongside Coquelin again, had a volley superbly kept out by the Spanish keeper. His ball retention was excellent and he drove us forward well. Our task of course was made easier by di Maria's sending off but our performance up to then had been brilliant.<br />
<br />
This game was of course an FA Cup tie so to get the win in what is most likely our only remaining chance of achieving silverware this season was crucial. We hadn't beaten United at Old Trafford in years so to finally get the monkey off our back shows how much progression this team is making together. We're now off to Wembley where we'll face either Bradford or Reading who are due to replay each other, in the semi-finals.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Manchester United: </b>de Gea, Valencia, Rojo(73), Smalling, Shaw(45), Blind, Herrera(45), Fellaini, di Maria, Young, Rooney.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Valdes, Jones(45), Rafael, Carrick(45), Mata, Januzaj(73), Falcao.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #073763;">Arsenal: </b>Szczesny, Bellerin(66), Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain(50), Ozil, Sanchez, Welbeck(74).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Martinez, Chambers(66), Gibbs, Ramsey(50), Walcott, Akpom, Giroud(74).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Nacho Monreal.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Michael Oliver.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>74,285.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-65153571676196478682015-03-05T18:37:00.001+00:002015-03-05T18:37:27.644+00:00Sanchez ends goal drought as Arsenal beat QPRA week ago Arsenal suffered one of the worst nights in Europe in the club's history. A week later they took on a very different opposition in the form of relegation threatened QPR. The hosts made life difficult for us in the first half but we came alive in the second as goals from Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez sealed all three points despite Charlie Austin's late goal. The win means we remain in third position in the league table with the battle for the top four hotting up. At one point it looked as though we were going to extend our lead over Manchester United but a late goal in their game over Newcastle saw them keep the gap to just one point between them in fourth and us in third. Changes were expected and Wenger obliged. Tomas Rosicky came in for Oxlade-Chamberlain whilst Mertesacker returned to the starting line-up in place of Koscielny. Ramsey was back amongst the subs whilst Monreal missed out through a slight back strain and Szczesny through illness.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha004LyCn6VChnQIkoGxFn6iW69oEb64PrlYd7XGO9_cOd0hPixnVdhQSs7wXAGzs5VsaZ2q5uipMHxpBzRrNV4wDn6aRPgdmPouDRjUlcLp7Q5Oqm5lM009hOcea83PAn36iY1jC3BJcT/s1600/sanchez+v+qpr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha004LyCn6VChnQIkoGxFn6iW69oEb64PrlYd7XGO9_cOd0hPixnVdhQSs7wXAGzs5VsaZ2q5uipMHxpBzRrNV4wDn6aRPgdmPouDRjUlcLp7Q5Oqm5lM009hOcea83PAn36iY1jC3BJcT/s1600/sanchez+v+qpr.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanchez returned to form against QPR</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Arsenal had taken a while to get going against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/arsenal-bounce-back-with-win-over.html" target="_blank">Everton</a> at the weekend and the story was similar against QPR. I wouldn't say it was one of the worst halves of football I've seen from us this season but without the likes of Welbeck, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott in the starting XI we lacked pace. For that reason it probably explains why we lacked any energy in the first half and why it was a very uneventful 45 minutes to start the game off. The hosts weren't afraid to battle and they did make life hard for the defence at times. Gabriel had to go off early with an injury, but up to then Charlie Austin and Bobby Zamora had done very well at physicalising the forward line for QPR. They acted as focal points from with which they held the ball up well and kept us out the game. Because of the lack of pace it meant that when we got the ball we didn't have anyone to really drive the team forward. Ozil is a very good player but sometimes his transitional play can be quite slow compared to the quicker and more livelier players in the side.<br />
<br />
Now I'm not criticising Ozil there because I thought he had a very good game. Most of his play looked effortless and the majority of the attacks seemed to flow through him in the final third. The attacking players can be accused a little in the first half of not getting at their man enough and the only player that really did test their fullbacks was Hector Bellerin. Bellerin I thought was outstanding and he is quickly becoming a key player in this side; so much so that I think he'll keep Debuchy out of the team when he returns from injury.<br />
<br />
It was when we finally got players at their back line that we eventually scored. Alexis Sanchez's second half performance was brilliant compared to the first, and when he got up against the young Furlong at right back we looked very dangerous. It was down that left hand side that both our goals came from. Kieran Gibbs was very lively in attack and he assisted each goal. His ball was blocked inside the penalty area and then Olivier Giroud was left with a simple task of finding the net from a matter of yards out for the first. The Frenchman's form in front of goal, excusing <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/arsenal-suffer-first-leg-defeat-to.html" target="_blank">Monaco</a>, has been brilliant since the turn of the year.<br />
<br />
As mentioned Alexis Sanchez had a very good second half, and he was to score what proved to be the winning goal. Moments before his strike, he looked to have squandered a chance to put the game to bed. Giroud dispossessed Hill and the Chilean ran in on goal before attempting to square it to Ozil. Sanchez had taken too long however and Green was there to thwart him. If there was ever a sense of doubt over Alexis' quality he answered it minutes later. He had gone eight games without a goal until now but he didn't show any indication of that when he did indeed find the back of the net. Gibbs layed the ball into him and then he performed a mazy run into the penalty area before wrong-footing the keeper at his near post.<br />
<br />
Arsenal's defence had gone relatively untroubled and it was only Charlie Austin who was really causing a threat. It was indeed Austin who found a way back for QPR, albeit a mere consolation in the end. He had shown on numerous occasions that he had the capabilities to shoot from range and we failed to close him down which resulted in a powerful effort beating Ospina. Similarly to the game against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/arsenal-return-to-top-four-with-win.html" target="_blank">Palace</a> it was disappointing to concede late on but thankfully we managed to hold on for a crucial three points.<br />
<br />
Francis Coquelin played with a mask after passing doubts over whether he would feature after breaking his nose against Everton. That didn't seem to upset his rhythm though as he had another fine game in front of the back four.<br />
<br />
Aaron Ramsey came off the bench late on which was encouraging and it would be a real bonus now if he could find some form after returning from injury. It is worth noting the quality of the Arsenal bench last night; the likes of Welbeck, the Ox, Walcott and of course Ramsey were all on it.<br />
<br />
Our next game is arguably our biggest of the season; a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. It's a massive clash and because the game is on Monday night we have quite a bit of time to recover after our midweek exploits at Loftus Road. Our games against United in recent season's have been awful from our point of view but the fact we're one of the most inform sides in the League should give us encouragement to go there and get a result. Fingers crossed!<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: blue;">QPR: </b>Green, Furlong, Caulker, Onuoha(45), Yun, Phillips, Sandro(56), Henry, Hoilett(72), Austin, Zamora.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>McCarthy, Hill(45), Isla(72), Kranjcar(56), Wright-Phillips, Vargas, Zarate.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Gabriel(36), Gibbs, Coquelin, Cazorla, Rosicky(86), Sanchez, Ozil(90), Giroud.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Martinez, Koscielny(36), Chambers, Ramsey(86), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Welbeck(90).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Hector Bellerin.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Kevin Friend.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>17,977Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-11148692038870097052015-03-01T17:07:00.001+00:002015-03-01T17:12:43.611+00:00Arsenal bounce back with win over EvertonAfter the shambles in mid-week against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/arsenal-suffer-first-leg-defeat-to.html" target="_blank">Monaco</a> it was crucial that Arsenal responded at the weekend against an Everton team who had also played during the week. It was important that the defeat in the Champions League hadn't left the team without confidence and despite a timid start we managed to retain our spot in 3rd place after United's win yesterday. Olivier Giroud opened the scoring before Tomas Rosicky scored late on to ensure all three points in a top four race that is incredibly tight. Changes were inevitable after such a poor performance against Monaco and they came at the back and also in attack. Gabriel started in the Premier League for the first time, replacing Per Mertesacker, whilst Oxlade-Chamberlain came in for Danny Welbeck.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTMAJZMp6Kvy28fOtay39dXyC_l24TuZJk4yRZHFnfJJuW-KDUbT6O4CYd1mfjiKstiJerA04ttSXsuU5wQed4o3JNY1ule9XxriBsYBgV-m6m-32eiu1XiaBZUt_w5xQZE6gITu4iSSq/s1600/Giroud+v+Everton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTMAJZMp6Kvy28fOtay39dXyC_l24TuZJk4yRZHFnfJJuW-KDUbT6O4CYd1mfjiKstiJerA04ttSXsuU5wQed4o3JNY1ule9XxriBsYBgV-m6m-32eiu1XiaBZUt_w5xQZE6gITu4iSSq/s1600/Giroud+v+Everton.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olivier Giroud was back among the scorers against Everton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I said, our start to the match was very timid, and you can't really blame them after the horror show last time out. Against Monaco everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. However this time we bounced back with a very professional performance. There were a few moments that left me with similar feelings as to the ones I bitterly felt in the week but overall it was a very pleasing display. Those feelings only came in the first 20 odd minutes though. Gabriel let a ball bounce instead of clearing it which almost lead to an Everton goal and we were also misplacing passes all over the place. It was a very slow start to the game and it seemed as though Everton could get a result. Giroud and Rosicky made sure that wasn't going to happen though.<br />
<br />
Olivier Giroud was on the end of some ruthless comments after his display against Monaco; he continued to get in the right positions before proceeding to stick the ball wide or high of the target. Today was a different display though, it showed exactly why Wenger shows so much belief in his French striker and also why he's been in such good form for the majority of the season. My previous two blogs have showed varied viewpoints from myself on Giroud, both praising and criticising him. Against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/arsenal-return-to-top-four-with-win.html" target="_blank">Palace</a> I commented on his conversion rate improving which was hugely ironic after he played so poorly against Monaco. Today against Everton though he bounced back brilliantly and indeed showed why he's so important to this side, steering home well from a Mesut Ozil corner. He also showed great strength inside the penalty area and held the ball up well which lead to a few chances. That's not to say we don't need a top class striker that can do it all though.<br />
<br />
Mesut Ozil was non-existent against Monaco, but like Giroud, he bounced back positively against Everton. At times he was carried through the game by Santi Cazorla who controlled the game nicely but the German managed to bag himself two assists. He of course supplied the corner from which Giroud scored, and then set up Rosicky as we sealed the points late on. Rosicky wasn't on for long but showed great willingness to involve himself in play. The finish did take a deflection but it capped off a lovely little cameo from the Czech midfielder. He could well play against QPR on Wednesday night.<br />
<br />
David Ospina came under some scrutiny for his performance against Monaco and also against Crystal Palace slightly. He started off his Arsenal career in fine form after he replaced Szczesny almost two months ago now, but that form has begun to slightly peter out. He potentially could have tipped Carrasco's effort which led to a goal in the week wide of the post but like numerous other players he bounced back brilliantly against Everton and was one of our key players in the win. After Gabirel let the ball bounce instead of heading clear in the first half, Ospina managed to race out and deny Lukaku what probably would've been a goal. He also made another vital stop from Lukaku in the second half and was brave coming out of his goal to meet crosses.<br />
<br />
Despite Gabriel Paulista having a shaky start to today's match he actually had a very good game in what was his first Premier League start. Arsene Wenger claimed that the reason Mertesacker was left out was due to the amount of games he's played this season, but after his display against Monaco you wouldn't excuse Wenger for leaving him out on that basis. Gabriel made a vital tackle in the first half to deny Lukaku before putting himself about well in the second half. His acquisition in January could prove vital, especially after our failure to sign a recognised centre half last summer cost us points during the early parts of the campaign.<br />
<br />
Hector Bellerin also deserves a mention. He was dragged in far too much against Monaco and therefore left Martial with a lot of space but against Everton he was back to his usual best. What I like about him is if we lose the ball down that right hand side he's quickly snapping on the heels of the opposition to win the ball back. He has great determination and that's why he's quickly becoming a fan favourite.<br />
<br />
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was meanwhile at the heart of most our attacks. He marked his return from injury in the week with a goal and was a real bright spark down the right. Chamberlain's energy, drive and willingness to take on a man make him a very tricky player to deal with and he really does deserve more goals and assists to his name than he already has.<br />
<br />
This part of the season is absolutely vital, and after QPR in the week we face Manchester United in the FA Cup; a huge clash.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Ospina, Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Gibbs, Coquelin(89), Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain(82), Ozil, Sanchez(87), Giroud.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Mertesacker, Chambers(89), Monreal, Rosicky(82), Welbeck(87), Walcott.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: blue;">Everton: </b>Howard, Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Garbutt, McCarthy, Barry(84), Besic(76), Barkley, Mirallas(62), Lukaku.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Joel, Alcaraz, Osman, Gibson(84), Lennon(62), Naismith(76), Kone.<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Olivier Giroud.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Andre Marriner.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>59,925.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-45485289014814137302015-02-27T16:33:00.001+00:002015-02-27T16:33:16.473+00:00Arsenal suffer first leg defeat to Monaco<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s almost impossible to begin to think of
what to start with when writing this. To put it simply though, it was the worst
Arsenal performance I have seen in a very long time. To make matters worse, I
was in the ground for this game and from the very beginning we </span>didn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> even look
like a side that wanted to win the game. The whole match was littered with
errors but we must give credit to Monaco who played very well. Arsene Wenger
was tactically outdone by his ex-club who showed exactly why </span>they've<span style="font-family: inherit;"> been in such
solid form this season. We only breached their defence late on in a game that
saw our defence more </span>naive<span style="font-family: inherit;"> than </span>I've<span style="font-family: inherit;"> ever seen them be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREBjulIQ3u1hmkV8pOvJgJ93XfIF1tt_GRhH4Ye9AjBmxEZ957qZAkhs-RkjCtUixpl1qbcScs6K9RS4MxkedvxiMqUEKju77PFB2HS4eMS_HjJvyW0IUwaud86quN_sdW8yLrDbA7iBO/s1600/Arsenal+1-3+Monaco.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREBjulIQ3u1hmkV8pOvJgJ93XfIF1tt_GRhH4Ye9AjBmxEZ957qZAkhs-RkjCtUixpl1qbcScs6K9RS4MxkedvxiMqUEKju77PFB2HS4eMS_HjJvyW0IUwaud86quN_sdW8yLrDbA7iBO/s1600/Arsenal+1-3+Monaco.png" height="235" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arsenal players stand dejected after another poor performance in the last 16 of the Champions League</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Monaco came to the Emirates and set up
brilliantly well, their midfield out did ours, they were sharp on the break and
resilient at the back. If this sort of result had happened once you could
forgive them but this error stricken game is something that has happened for
numerous seasons now. We’re on the verge of crashing out of the Champions
League last 16 for the fifth year running. Arsenal’s lack of progression is
quite staggering, as is their inability to turn up in the big games. At the
moment the victory over Manchester City seems a freak result, we played well
but Manchester City </span>didn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> really trouble us. Something at the club desperately
needs to change.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We went into this game being given the easiest
draw we could've hoped for. We’d finally dodged the Barcelona and Bayern bullet
that has so often seen us falter. AS Monaco would offer a different proposition
but it was a challenge we fell desperately short of. None of our big players
turned up and no one looked as though they believed they could win the tie, you
could see it on the players faces. It was a desperate performance from a side
that has actually been in pretty good form of late. The performance was as
frustrating as it was disappointing and it was the naivety of the defence that
cost us the game, not to mention Olivier Giroud’s shocking finishing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I mentioned at the weekend how Giroud’s conversion
rate had become higher this season, and how he was in good form. After the
Monaco game on Wednesday night I have nothing but criticism for him. He missed
a great chance in the first half before skying an open goal into the stands in
the second. His night was summed up by being brought off on the hour mark to a
chorus of boos. It’s hard to work out why the belief </span>wasn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> there, but you have
to look to one man in the equation and that is Arsene Wenger. Until he goes I
can’t see this club progressing much further than the FA Cup victory last
season. A triumph that seems years back now. After the Man City game I thought
the defence had learnt, and I know you have to be attacking at home but the
amount of space we continuously gave Monaco's wide-men and central midfielders
was ridiculous. Their midfield completely overran us and Kondogbia was at the
heart of that. He scored a deflected effort to open the scoring and it was all
downhill from then on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The line-up Wenger played has worked to some
degree in the past but it’s far too attacking and that was seen on Wednesday
night. Coquelin seemed to get dragged into going towards the man too often and
as a result their midfield players found pockets of space on regular occasions
and were able to dictate the tempo. At the end of the day Coquelin does all the
simple things right, but on a big Champions League night can he do it? From the
looks of it the answer is no. The worrying thing to me is the lack of World
Class players that were non-existent. Mesut Ozil was rarely in the game whilst Sanchez
showed glimpses but on too rare occasions. I had genuinely forgotten they were
even playing at points. Santi Cazorla was also poor in the middle of the park
whilst Danny Welbeck offered little. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It </span>wasn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> until Oxlade-Chamberlain came on
that we had some urgency in attack. Up to that point there was nothing; no
drive, no urgency, no impetus and most of the players looked disinterested.
Chamberlain brought Arsenal back into the tie with a brilliant effort from
outside the box but then gave the ball away as Arsenal conceded a farcical
third in the dying moments. There was no defence and the substitute Carrasco
ran in on goal and found the net via the far post. If you're looking for even
more to moan about then Ospina's attempt at saving the ball was a pretty poor
one. He seemed rooted to the spot rather than being ready for the shot to come
in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We were products of our downfall, and the
defensive display was very alarming. Hector Bellerin had continued to give
pacey winger Martial space down the left throughout most of the game and he was
where the second goal came from. It was similar to Monaco’s third. Laurent
Koscielny was the only defender back and they countered leaving Berbatov to
fire home comfortably. Santi Cazorla’s reaction summed it up. He had raced back
and was effectively last man as he tried to put the Bulgarian striker under
pressure. As the ball rippled the net Cazorla proceeded to lean on the
advertising hoarding with a face of frustration and dejection. It was an
extremely sorry sight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The incompetency of the defence was beyond
belief. Why on earth where we chucking everyone forward in the first leg? It
was beyond ridiculous and it’s hard to describe exactly how I felt as I walked
out the ground. That third goal has all but put the game to bed. We’ll have to
go to Monaco and score three to go through. That’s three against a team that
rarely concede. I had an ounce of belief after the Ox’s goal but that third
from Carrasco destroyed the fans, and will also have destroyed the player’s
morale. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dimitar Berbatov said after the game that
Monaco wanted it more, and he </span>couldn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> have been more right. No Arsenal player
looked in the game. Everton is at the weekend and I’m expecting a huge
response. These are the months where our season has been known to slip. Please
don't let it happen again Arsenal! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The team’s line-ups: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: red;">Arsenal: </span></b>Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker,
Koscielny, Gibbs, Coquelin(68), Cazorla(81), Welbeck, Ozil, Sanchez,
Giroud(60). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Gabriel, Chambers, Monreal,
Rosicky(81), Oxlade-Chamberlain(68), Walcott(60).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Monaco:</span><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></b>Subasic,<b> </b>Toure, Tavares, Abdennour, Echiejile, Santos, Kondogbia, Moutinho,
Dirar(81), Martial(84), Berbatov(75).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Subs: </b>Stekelenburg, Kurzawa(81), Diallo,
Carvalho, Silva, Carrasco(75), Traore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Referee: </b>Deniz Aytekin (GER)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Attendance: </b>59,868</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-24087252368798215092015-02-23T21:08:00.002+00:002015-02-23T21:11:50.008+00:00Arsenal return to top four with win over PalaceArsenal's recent run of form, excluding a defeat to a team we shan't mention has been particularly good of late and the win over Palace on Saturday afternoon only reaffirmed our credentials in the race for the top four. This weekend was near perfect for the Gunners though as Cazorla and Giroud sealed a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park whilst Spurs, Manchester United and Southampton all dropped points. Although it wasn't the most important of London derbies we'll play this season it was still crucial that we got the win, but it wasn't perhaps as comfortable as first thought. We were pegged back late on but still managed to hold on to leap to third place in the table. Wenger named a slightly changed team from the win over <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/arsenal-through-with-comfortable-win.html" target="_blank">Middlesbrough</a> in the cup; Coquelin and Mertesacker returned to the starting line-up, as Chambers came in for Bellerin. Jack Wilshere was meanwhile back on the bench after 3 months out.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2A0Z_4mNufgT5bhp6rkxCExZW88vsIUmslQ1DA3fK8kkgplC9rXDcr2TwwEsZEpYecSxrBkfTzKF88HtTWW3GBXrjX1cuwrC55xQQePen9anm-qG6AQZdXrz3byez1MrzQNmZTZFCMSCe/s1600/Giroud+v+Palace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2A0Z_4mNufgT5bhp6rkxCExZW88vsIUmslQ1DA3fK8kkgplC9rXDcr2TwwEsZEpYecSxrBkfTzKF88HtTWW3GBXrjX1cuwrC55xQQePen9anm-qG6AQZdXrz3byez1MrzQNmZTZFCMSCe/s1600/Giroud+v+Palace.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olivier Giroud scored his 50th goal for the club in the win over Palace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The nature of the game was quite a weird one, especially the opening exchanges. The officials didn't have a great start and there seemed to be a few wrong decisions all over the place. Ozil should not have been offside at one point when he had proceeded to score, and then Coquelin should have been booked for a high foot. Monreal looked to have committed a foul down the left and the decision for the penalty with which our first goal came from was marginal. The original challenge from Souare looked to be right on the edge of the area but Welbeck fell into the area and the penalty was given. It was a debatable decision but nonetheless Santi Cazorla scored to keep his fine run going.<br />
<br />
Crystal Palace have been in good form under Alan Pardew and against us they showed that. They did also show signs of their poor form at home this season. Both of which were shown in the ways that they attacked and defended. Palace have the players that can trouble teams and through Gayle and Zaha down the wings they had that. They didn't have the final ball though and that's why they rarely actually troubled Ospina. Bolasie came on late on and caused further problems, and he is where their late burst of pressure came from. He created a chance for Gayle who headed over and his delivery found Murray who hit the post with virtually the last phase of play in the match. Murray however had got one back a few minutes later.<br />
<br />
It was a soft goal to concede though having failed to clear the ball. We had managed to clear a lot of balls away throughout the game and therefore it was disappointing not to get rid of the ball on this occasion. With all the bodies in there we should not have conceded but Murray popped up to find the net from short range. It was a very poor final few minutes, and after Wenger had put Gibbs and Gabriel on for his League debut we now had 6 defenders on the pitch. Because of that we should have been able to see the game out more comfortably than we did. Luckily Olivier Giroud had scored on the stroke of half time otherwise it would've been two points dropped.<br />
<br />
Olivier Giroud has been in a rich vein of form recently and is starting to score on a consistent basis; he now has 8 in his last 11 whilst the one against Palace was his 50th in Arsenal colours. It was perhaps one of the most simple out of the 50 though, pouncing on a save from Speroni to fire into an empty net. It's particularly good to see him converting chances at a regular rate compared to previous seasons where he's been frustrating in front of goal.<br />
<br />
Danny Welbeck was the man whose shot was saved and he made himself busy all game, winning the penalty too. I had originally wanted Theo Walcott to start, and although he looks more threatening in front of goal, Welbeck proved me wrong in terms of his performance against Palace. I criticised him a little after last week's win but what he lacks in composure he makes up for in his running and work rate. He's full of vim and that is very encouraging to see as along with Sanchez, he produces the full backs with a lot of support.<br />
<br />
It's worth also touching on the performance of Mesut Ozil. He's been talked about a lot recently, and for all the right reasons. His form has been exceptional and although he didn't score or assist he showed what he could do with the new found strength he has; ushering the ball out of play and even winning a header which came off the bar. He also lead a brilliant break away which we were unlucky not to score from. He flicked the ball over the defender before finding Sanchez who fired inches wide of the target.<br />
<br />
It was a good win to continue the momentum we have and of course for our bid for Champions League football next season. Our next game is in fact in that competition as we face Monaco at the Emirates in the first leg of our last 16 tie with them on Wednesday.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: blue;">Crystal Palace: </b>Speroni, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare, Zaha, Ledley(79), Mutch, Puncheon, Gayle(79), Campbell(57).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Hennessey, Hangeland, Kelly, Jedinak, Bolasie(57), Murray(79), Ameobi(79).<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Arsenal:</span></b><b style="color: red;"> </b>Ospina, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Welbeck(76), Ozil(76), Sanchez(89), Giroud.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Szczesny, Gabriel(89), Gibbs(76), Bellerin, Wilshere, Rosicky(76), Walcott.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Mark Clattenburg.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>24,721.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-58443335040480787292015-02-17T10:46:00.001+00:002015-02-17T10:46:46.978+00:00Arsenal through with comfortable win over BoroArsenal are through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after a double from Olivier Giroud sealed a 2-0 win at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon. We were in action against a Middlesbrough side who had gone to the Etihad and beaten Manchester City in the last round so we had every right to be wary of potentially another shock. However, we managed to brush aside any threat from the Championship side as Arsenal put in a comfortable display to remain in the hunt for a successive FA Cup. We will of course have to face Man United though, as the draw was made the day after and I am writing this a little later than usual. Nonetheless it was a performance that sees our brilliant home form continue. Wojciech Szczesny was back in goal for the win as Gabriel made his debut in a team that was vastly changed from <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/arsenal-scrape-win-over-relegation.html" target="_blank">Leicester</a> in midweek. Chambers, Gibbs, Flamini and Welbeck all came back into the team as Cazorla captained the side.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYAFY6jwYwqRuo98or4U6b60SCOcUESu47vGZ-PZwO5H5BWYzbtuhBFcjOVv2HTV5ec7e5OPL0MtjdVHGTbe5VRizFMKMCKmmG2JbSbbTnSnbUFQgxcGCmnc4xbrIY34wMb8cMKrPLy1F/s1600/Giroud+v+Boro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYAFY6jwYwqRuo98or4U6b60SCOcUESu47vGZ-PZwO5H5BWYzbtuhBFcjOVv2HTV5ec7e5OPL0MtjdVHGTbe5VRizFMKMCKmmG2JbSbbTnSnbUFQgxcGCmnc4xbrIY34wMb8cMKrPLy1F/s1600/Giroud+v+Boro.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giroud's brace took Arsenal through to the quarter-finals</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was always going to be a game that Arsenal dominated, but after the two goals we scored the same thing that usually happens with this Arsenal side happened; we sat off. It occured against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/mertesacker-and-sanchez-goals-take.html" target="_blank">Hull</a> in round three and again against Leicester in the week. The difference from the week was that Middlesbrough weren't able to put as much pressure on us. However, the fact that we do have to withstand so much late pressure against many sides remains an issue and it's something that clearly needs addressing. Some may argue that we don't score enough goals, but it is important that we keep our leads, Anderlecht in the Champions League is an example of that. Against the smaller teams we do need to score more goals though, especially at home. A 2-0 win over a side that had beaten City in the last round is nothing to complain about but the feeling of the game petering out was rather disappointing as Giroud killed the game off with two goals in as many minutes. Both of his goals were of real quality though.<br />
<br />
Santi Cazorla ran the game from a deeper position again and that's the position we could start to see him occupy more often with Ramsey and Wilshere injured, and with the return of Ozil and Walcott. However, Cazorla played a big part in Giroud's first goal. Such was Arsenal's dominance and ability to keep the ball that every member of the team touched the ball before it found the back of the net. The Gunners were devastating in and around the penalty area as Cazorla played a lovely ball out to Gibbs who then picked out Giroud who diverted the ball home. It was refreshing to see us score goals of such quality, but with relative ease. The second goal was exemplary of that. The Middlesbrough defence switched off from a corner as Sanchez's delivery found Giroud at the near post and he was able to volley home brilliantly.<br />
<br />
Olivier Giroud's performances this season have been very good and it's very frustrating that he spent most of the first half of the season out with injury. Since his return in mid-December our form has picked up and we've looked like a better team because of having him as a focal point. The Frenchman has a very good return this campaign, scoring 10 goals in 18 games - long may his form continue!<br />
<br />
Alongside Cazorla, Ozil put in another great display. The German didn't assist or score any this time round but you can see that his confidence is high. His performances since returning from injury have been excellent and he's trying things that he wasn't necessarily doing in his first season at the club. He's showing more of an urge to have a shot on goal. This was evident against Leicester in the fact that his shot ended up in Walcott's goal but a few times against Boro he showed his willingness to drive forward a little more and have a shot or play a telling pass. With him, Cazorla, Walcott, Giroud and Sanchez firing on all cylinders we will be a very dangerous side.<br />
<br />
Sanchez has looked a little off the gas since his minor injury in the past couple of weeks. Against Leicester he picked up a knock and therefore had a quiet game. I was quite surprised that he started against Middlesbrough considering the vast amount of options we have in that role. Unsurprisingly he wasn't at his marvelous best again and that was because of his injury. There were moments where we saw his spark but it may take him a few more games to find his ever fluent best.<br />
<br />
One of the players that plays in a similar role to Sanchez on the pitch is Danny Welbeck. His summer arrival was met with optimism and criticism. A lot of people thought he would score more goals than he has done, and his injury wasn't really timed well as he missed quite a few games at the beginning of 2015. With Walcott's return to the side he really needs to start performing better than he is. He was rather non-existent against Middlesbrough and against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/kane-goals-undo-arsenal-in-north-london.html" target="_blank">Spurs</a> the weekend before he was in similar sort of form.<br />
<br />
The game against Middlesbrough gave us our first look at new Brazilian defender Gabriel. His debut was a very efficient one and there looks to be a lot of potential for him and Koscielny at the back. He looked solid and seemed to fit the bill of a ball playing defender. He made one or two crucial tackles and took a yellow for the team at one point when Boro could have been through. Overall the defence looked more comfortable compared to our previous game and so they should have done. The visitors didn't cause any trouble and I'm struggling to remember Szczesny making a strenuous save. Chambers staked his claim at right back whilst Gibbs looked very good going forward. Monreal's defensive game has been excellent of late and both of them offer very good options at left back.<br />
<br />
Next up is a trip to Crystal Palace, a potentially tough away game as Alan Pardew has them playing well since he took them. After that, is the first leg of our Champions League tie with Monaco.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Arsenal: </b>Szczesny, Chambers, Gabriel, Koscielny, Gibbs, Flamini, Cazorla, Welbeck(71), Ozil, Sanchez(71), Giroud(82).<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Martinez, Mertesacker, Monreal, Coquelin, Rosicky(71), Walcott(71), Akpom(82).<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #073763;">Middlesbrough: </b>Mejias, Fredericks, Gibson, Omeruo, Friend, Clayton, Leadbitter, Tomlin(53), Bamford(53), Adomah, Kike.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Husband, Woodgate, Ripley, Whitehead, Reach(53), Nsue, Vossen(53).<br />
<br />
<b>My man of the match: </b>Olivier Giroud.<br />
<br />
<b>Referee: </b>Mike Dean.<br />
<b>Attendance: </b>59,823.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-14872426077637236582015-02-11T19:55:00.001+00:002015-02-11T19:55:03.519+00:00Arsenal scrape win over relegation threatened LeicesterAfter a demoralising defeat to North London rivals <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/kane-goals-undo-arsenal-in-north-london.html" target="_blank">Spurs</a> at the weekend, it was important for Arsenal to get back to winning ways. A home game against Leicester, who are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League was exactly the game we needed in order to bounce back. We did indeed return to winning ways as Koscielny and Walcott scored in a 2-1 victory. It was far from comfortable and Leicester were the better side in the second half. The Gunners were brilliant in the first half and had the visitors taken some of the brilliant chances they had, it may well have been a very different game. The Gunners were far from their best and it was an extremely poor performance against a side that we should've comfortably beaten considering the two team's positions in the League. Nevertheless, the win brought us back into the top four with Man United to play tonight, and Tottenham's defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1xXndYM_rGS4j2dhipKuXLyBljkNYUtgeT6xITIN1rzAONs5KvPiiATOww3UgBgjshf3OtBmRf0bLyBLgWL8joZnnDXHDheWwLwFSDEZlU1qUcaqO6CVtwWfF_979glmI9QLi02R5aVP/s1600/Walcott+goal+v+Leicester.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1xXndYM_rGS4j2dhipKuXLyBljkNYUtgeT6xITIN1rzAONs5KvPiiATOww3UgBgjshf3OtBmRf0bLyBLgWL8joZnnDXHDheWwLwFSDEZlU1qUcaqO6CVtwWfF_979glmI9QLi02R5aVP/s1600/Walcott+goal+v+Leicester.jpg" height="288" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theo Walcott was on hand to score Arsenal's second</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Both sides came into this game needing a win, Arsenal for the sake of a top four place, and Leicester in terms of their battle for survival. Indeed it was Arsenal who came out on top despite the visitors best attempts to frustrate. They set up with five at the back, which made it hard to break them down in the first half. Our struggles to break them down were only exacerbated by Alexis Sanchez who picked up a knock and consequently was substituted later on in the second half. The Chilean was miles off his game and that made our play in the final third slower than we would've liked. However, we did go into the break with a 2-0 lead, after the Leicester defence switched off on two occasions. <br />
<br />
The first goal was to come from the boot of Laurent Koscielny. Mesut Ozil, the stand out performer on the night swung the ball in from the corner and the French defender was there with a free run to find the back of the net. The defending was sloppy from the visitors but for a defender it was a composed finish from Koscielny. Ozil was at the heart of the second goal too. The German let fly from outside the box and Schwarzer could only palm his swerving shot straight to Walcott. Theo then got ahead of the defender to fire home brilliantly. Both Walcott and Ozil have been in good form since returning from injury, particularly Ozil who is finally showing why we brought him to the club.<br />
<br />
Ozil now has four assists and three goals since his return, a fantastic run of form and long may it continue. Most of his appearances since returning have been on the left wing, and since bulking up he's looked a lot more comfortable in that position compared to when he was weaker before his injury. He did however drift into more central roles in the first half of the game yesterday evening. <br />
<br />
What was to happen in the second half was something that not many would've predicted. From this position we should have gone on to score a few more in a bid to boost the goal difference. However Nigel Pearson changed his game plan, and rightfully so. In the first half they were willing to play on the counter and soak up the pressure we put on them. In the second they looked to get at us. Mahrez down the right hand side had proved to be extremely dangerous, causing problems when he ran at both Mertesacker and Koscielny. Arsenal's rhythm from the first half had clearly been unsettled. <br />
<br />
Our shape just completely disappeared and the defence seemed to panic whenever they got on the ball. The same problem occurred during Saturday's defeat to Spurs; we couldn't keep the ball. The team in the second half lacked balance and the defence left themselves wide open on too many occasions. Against a more clinical opponent we would've been punished. In a sense we were lucky to win. The goal with which we conceded from was extremely poor. We failed to clear our lines in the penalty area and as a result the ball landed to Kramaric who found the back of the net through a crowd of players. <br />
<br />
The lackadaisical defending in front of David Ospina clearly unnerved him. In the games in which he kept clean-sheets he looked solid when called upon. I'm not saying bring Szczesny back but it's no coincidence that our keepers look shaky whenever the defence starts to panic. Ospina seemed to panic himself and came for balls he didn't have to. Szczesny is likely to start against Middlesborough in the FA Cup at the weekend but who starts in goal for our next league game could be interesting. <br />
<br />
As can be seen the game was littered with negatives that should not have occurred against the opposition we were against. No disrespect to Leicester but they are bottom of the table and our performance should have been a lot better. I am perhaps making it out that we lost but we did win and it was hugely important to move back into the top four for the time being. Aaron Ramsey's injury just 10 minutes after he came on didn't help either. It seems that whenever we get players back new ones pick up injuries. Something clearly needs to be addressed because it keeps happening season after season.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups: <br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><strong>Arsenal: </strong></span><span style="color: black;">Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Walcott(73), Rosicky, Ozil, Sanchez(67). </span><br />
<strong>Subs: </strong>Szczesny, Gabriel, Gibbs, Flamini<strong>(82),</strong> Ramsey(73)<strong>(82)</strong>, Welbeck, Giroud(67). <br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><strong>Leicester: </strong></span><span style="color: black;">Schwarzer, Simpson, Morgan(80), Huth, Upson(59), Konchesky, Cambiasso, James, Mahrez, Schlupp(86), Kramaric. </span><br />
<strong>Subs: </strong>Hamer, Wasilewski(59), Drinkwater, King, Albrighton, Ulloa(80), Nugent(86). <br />
<br />
<strong>My man of the match: </strong>Mesut Ozil.<br />
<br />
<strong>Referee: </strong>Mike Jones.<br />
<strong>Attendance: </strong>60,032. Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-14726214416418973032015-02-08T15:32:00.000+00:002015-02-08T15:32:00.544+00:00Kane goals undo Arsenal in North London DerbySome things never change. Well so it seems anyway. Arsenal went into this North London derby full of confidence. They'd beaten the champions in their own back yard, reached the last sixteen of the FA Cup and thrashed Villa last weekend. The Gunners were one of the most in form sides in the League but that counts for nothing in a derby. It appears the Man City game hasn't changed anything, and we were back to our usual selves in what was our biggest game of the season in many people's eyes. On paper this Arsenal side looks a lot better than this Spurs side but credit where it's due to Mauricio Pochettino who has got the best out of his players. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLucY5jV0Y-etEl9Bg-_btdxrnCKW8vF04qp-8ScnaRqrwMVenvhShkdpB2gQcUTAi4baX9nXpXHIPunGWwhxKzHfzhHbHWrqPaZ2IfXJuSyv8Mk6WKw6ilIW3Kj9aagrxhRqUInSpUFG/s1600/Ozil+goal+v+Spurs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLucY5jV0Y-etEl9Bg-_btdxrnCKW8vF04qp-8ScnaRqrwMVenvhShkdpB2gQcUTAi4baX9nXpXHIPunGWwhxKzHfzhHbHWrqPaZ2IfXJuSyv8Mk6WKw6ilIW3Kj9aagrxhRqUInSpUFG/s1600/Ozil+goal+v+Spurs.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mesut Ozil scored for the third game running</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It wasn't the defence that necessarily let us down though. Although both goals from Harry Kane were pretty soft to concede it was the midfield's performance that let us down the most. We appeared incapable of keeping the ball and that ultimately led to our downfall. We rarely kept the ball for a period of two minutes or longer and created next to nothing. In truth, Spurs deserved to win, and that hurts to say. Arsenal's performance was quite bizarre though, despite never being in the game, we weren't troubled to a huge extent in terms of efforts on our goal. David Ospina was forced into making a few decent saves in the first half but despite a hefty amount of pressure put on the Arsenal defence, Spurs didn't create an awful lot to worry us. But then again, neither did we.<br />
<br />
Arsene Wenger's team selection caused a little bit of a stir, but it wasn't his fault we lost the game. Big game player Tomas Rosicky didn't start, and neither did Theo Walcott. Instead Danny Welbeck started down the right hand side, possibly for his work rate in terms of defence but it was his first game back from injury. Theo on the other hand, had just started to come into form. Although Theo would have offered more going forward it was Welbeck that created our goal. He left Danny Rose for dead, a man with whom he had an ongoing conflict with throughout the game, before picking out Giroud inside the area. The Frenchman scuffed his effort and found Ozil who volleyed home. It was the German's third goal in as many games and he's been a real influence since returning from injury. <br />
<br />
That goal however, was the only bright spark of Arsenal's miserable day. Aaron Ramsey hasn't been the same player we saw last season and it seems as though he desperately needs to get back to the basics. He tries to over complicate things as a result slows our play down, and often gets dispossessed quite easily. Francis Coquelin's new contract wasn't exactly celebrated in the best of ways either on what was a tough afternoon for him. He broke up the play nicely at times but him and Ramsey didn't do a good job of controlling the game at all. It hasn't been said many times this season, but we missed Mikel Arteta and his calming influence. <br />
<br />
The best Arsenal player though is up for debate but in my opinion I thought that went to Nacho Monreal. He hasn't had the easiest of times this season but he displayed against Spurs why he's been starting over one of our most consistent players in recent times, Kieran Gibbs. He dealt with Erik Lamela brilliantly and didn't put a foot wrong all match. He made some important interceptions and was also useful in the air, an asset he seems to have gained since playing in central defence when Koscielny was out injured. Our other fullback endured a much tougher game. Spurs were keen to get down that left hand side and tended on overloading through Eriksen, Kane and Danny Rose who got forward on plenty of occasions. Bellerin had a great game against Villa but looked more out of his depth this time around. He was often caught being dragged across, which left space down the left hand side. <br />
<br />
It goes to say that Arsenal looked a lot better when Tomas Rosicky was introduced on 67 minutes. Cazorla who hadn't had the best game by his high standards was taken off and Rosicky's drive offered us something going forward in the latter stages. He managed to take the pressure off the defence a little by keeping possession in the final third but nothing ever seemed to be on for Arsenal. Spurs' defence wasn't really tested and with four minutes left Kane scored the winner with a fantastic header. Koscielny didn't get tight enough to him and he was allowed the freedom of the penalty area to head home. <br />
<br />
I would've taken a draw, especially after all the pressure we had soaked up until that point. It's important that we don't linger on this result and a home game against Leicester on Tuesday night will be a good chance to avenge the result yesterday. The race for the fop four is really hotting up, and we need all the points we can get right now. <br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Tottenham: </strong></span><span style="color: black;">Lloris, Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose, Bentaleb, Mason(90), Dembele(75), Lamela(89), Eriksen, Kane. </span><br />
<strong>Subs: </strong>Vorm, Fazio, Davies, Stambouli(89), Paulinho(90), Chadli(75), Soldado. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><strong>Arsenal: </strong></span><span style="color: black;">Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin(89), Ramsey, Welbeck(78), Cazorla(67), Ozil, Giroud. </span><br />
<strong>Subs: </strong>Szczesny, Gabriel, Gibbs, Flamini, Rosicky(67), Walcott(78), Akpom(89). <br />
<br />
<strong>My man of the match: </strong>Nacho Monreal.<br />
<br />
<strong>Referee: </strong>Martin Atkinson. <br />
<strong>Attendance: </strong>35,659.Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-82449925278671370612015-02-02T21:28:00.002+00:002015-02-02T21:28:41.270+00:00Arsenal record resounding win over Villa
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s been a long time since Arsenal last won this
convincing; in fact you’ll have to flash back to over two years ago to find a
result that last saw us win in the League by over three goals. However,
yesterday afternoon the Gunners ran out comfortable victors against a laboured
Aston Villa side. Giroud, Ozil, Walcott, Cazorla, and Bellerin were all on the
score-sheet as Arsenal won 5-0 at the Emirates. What made the result more
impressive was the fact that Alexis Sanchez wasn’t playing at all. With players
back now though we needn’t worry as Ozil put in a performance of the highest
quality. Theo Walcott was starting his first League game in over a year, whilst
new signing Gabriel Paulista made the bench. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFIwgWTrJx2l01pddlRloC65GBKllJzVAYIspaYMyTy1aqZzG4l-qXrueGizxdEOQPSriMtAFcL9bY6UiBFNlqRty9LUl3EaLX5rASzw58TEHEBetO8AlY-pOadZ53SzvxHSPHGLzGItw/s1600/Ozil+goal+v+Villa+(H).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFIwgWTrJx2l01pddlRloC65GBKllJzVAYIspaYMyTy1aqZzG4l-qXrueGizxdEOQPSriMtAFcL9bY6UiBFNlqRty9LUl3EaLX5rASzw58TEHEBetO8AlY-pOadZ53SzvxHSPHGLzGItw/s1600/Ozil+goal+v+Villa+(H).jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mesut Ozil was the star as Arsenal comfortably beat Villa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Following on from wins over <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/arsenal-pull-of-surprise-win-against.html" target="_blank">City</a> and <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/arsenal-through-on-weekend-of-shocks_26.html" target="_blank">Brighton</a> in the Cup, it
was important Arsenal didn’t switch off against an Aston Villa side that beat
them here at the Emirates <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/arsenal-suffer-opening-day-defeat-to.html" target="_blank">last season</a>. For that reason we had to be wary, but as
expected they didn’t really cause a challenge. After this game, Paul Lambert’s
side haven’t scored in over ten hours of Premier League football. The Villains
weren’t helped that they came up against the most clinical Arsenal side all
season. Mesut Ozil was at the forefront of everything that came through Arsenal
despite playing in his unfavoured left midfield role. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The German’s flick into Giroud was matched with a dink over
the keeper from the striker who scored his fifth goal in six games. That goal
was made from a central region and since returning from injury Ozil has been a
revelation. Giroud turned provider for the second as he set Ozil free before
burying the chance comfortably. 2 in 2 games now for a man who was slated
hugely towards the back end of last season. Consequently, both of his goals and
assists in the League this season have come against Aston Villa. Giroud’s
performance was meanwhile heavily impressive too and he’s playing himself into
some real form after being injured for the majority of the first half of the campaign. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Santi Cazorla also had a very good game again. He didn’t
feature against Brighton in the Cup, but his performance against City was of
course outstanding. He continued in the same manner at home to Villa yesterday.
He supplied two goals, including Theo Walcott who now has 2 in 2 after scoring
last week-end too. He rolled the ball into Walcott who took the ball past the
defender before slotting home for his first Emirates goal since <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/arsenal-start-new-year-with-late-win.html" target="_blank">Cardiff</a> on New
Year’s Day in 2014. Cazorla has become known for scoring a lot of penalties
recently and against Villa it was no different. The quality of the penalty
wasn’t perhaps as good as we’ve been used to but nonetheless it resulted in a goal.
He slammed the ball straight at Guzan but he could only palm it into the net. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Spaniard also supplied Hector Bellerin’s first goal for
the club. Mathieu Debuchy’s injury problems this season have perhaps been a
blessing in disguise because it’s allowed Bellerin to rise to prominence. Since
that game against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/dortmund-dominant-as-arsenal-fall-to.html" target="_blank">Dortmund</a> in which he made his first start, he’s improved so much.
His defensive side of his game is getting better game by game and he offers a
lot going forward too. That was typified with the goal he scored as he placed a
lovely shot into the far corner in the final few minutes. The boy from
Barcelona certainly looks a hot prospect for the future. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At the moment it’s hard not to notice Francis Coquelin’s
performances. He’s been the exact anchor man we’ve been looking for, and its
prompted suggestions that we don’t require an addition to the defensive midfield
department. Of course Bielik was signed but he’s for the future. For the time
being, Coquelin deserves to be an ever present thorn in the side. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another player that deserves an ever present role is David
Ospina. He hasn’t made a single mistake since replacing Szczesny, whose
errors against <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/new-year-but-same-old-problems-for.html" target="_blank">Southampton</a> at the beginning of the year has cost him his
place. He’s been relatively untroubled in the games he’s played in so far but
played an important role against Aston Villa. His distribution is top class,
and it set the Gunners away for the third goal. He also made an unbelievable save to
deny a consolation goal with the last kick of the game; flying to his right
hand side to deny Kieran Westwood. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Chuba Akpom also deserves a mention. He looked a threat when
he came on against Brighton last weekend and was again dangerous yesterday. He
won the penalty and could’ve had a goal late on but was denied by Guzan. His
contract is up at the end of the season and it’s important we renew it before
he enters negotiations with other clubs because he looks a top talent. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next up is a much tougher test; the North London derby at
White Hart Lane lies ahead, and we’ve proved that without Sanchez we can still
look very good in attack whether or not he’s back. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>The team’s line-ups:</strong> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Arsenal:</span></strong> Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal,
Coquelin, Ramsey(76), Cazorla, Walcott(70), Ozil, Giroud(70). </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<strong>Subs:</strong> Szczesny, Gabriel, Chambers, Gibbs, Flamini(76),
Rosicky(70), Akpom(70). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: #4c1130;">Aston Villa:</span></strong> Guzan, Hutton, Okore, Clark, Richardson,
Sanchez(75), Cleverley(65), Delph, Gil, Weimann(65), Benteke. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<strong>Subs:</strong> Given, Baker, Cissokho, Westwood(75), Bacuna,
Sinclair(65), Agbonlahor(65). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>My man of the match:</strong> Mesut Ozil.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Referee:</strong> Anthony Taylor.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<strong>Attendance:</strong> 59,958.</span>Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4487730156801992777.post-20663196596707289872015-01-26T16:53:00.002+00:002015-01-26T16:53:35.104+00:00Arsenal through on weekend of shocksThis weekend threw up what was perhaps one of the most
exciting of FA Cup weekends in the competitions long history. Chelsea and
Manchester City were both dumped out by lower league
opposition whilst Liverpool and Man United face replays. However, Arsenal
marched through in what turned out to be a tougher tie than had first thought.
The Gunners returned to the scene of their victory over <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/giroud-double-helps-arsenal-into-next.html" target="_blank">Brighton in 2013</a> in
which they ran out 3-2 winners. The same result occurred this time around too.
Goals from Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil and Tomas Rosicky sealed Arsenal’s passage
to the fifth round despite two Brighton goals that kept things interesting. Arsene Wenger made seven changes from the win over <a href="http://mattsarsenalblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/arsenal-pull-of-surprise-win-against.html" target="_blank">City</a> as Szczesny, Chambers and Gibbs came in with Ozil, Flamini, Walcott and Rosicky. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Embedded image permalink" height="289" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8NrO7NIEAA6nE6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil were back amongst the goals</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
It wasn’t the most convincing of Arsenal displays, but after
a 2-0 win at the Etihad last weekend we were full of confidence. This was shown
in how quick we took the lead. It was a blistering start and after what we’d
seen on Saturday afternoon it was great to get off to such a brilliant start. Theo
Walcott’s progression back into the first team has been a slow one since his
injury but he hit the ground running against Brighton, scoring just moments
into the game. Calum Chambers got down the right before delivering the ball
into Theo who steadied himself before finding the far corner. Theo’s
performance in the first half offered us a constant threat and it was great to
see him in full flow once again. His last FA Cup goal had come against Brighton
two years ago, and he almost came close to grabbing his second of the game later on but showed signs of rustiness with a poor touch. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tomas Rosicky was the star of the show though, supplying the
second and scoring what proved to be the winner with our third. We have an
array of attacking midfielders, and at the moment they all seem to be playing
their part. Santi Cazorla’s performance against Manchester City was sublime and
he’ll need to continue that after both the Czech and Mesut Ozil showed promise
against Brighton. Ozil’s return has been met with excitement and he took his
goal very nicely. Rosicky’s though was a cracking finish. He played a no look
pass into Giroud before the Frenchman played the ball back to him to volley
beyond Stockdale in goal. Rosicky was at the heart of everything Arsenal did;
his assist was exquisite and the finish for his goal clinical. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Olivier Giroud’s performance proved pivotal, linking up well
with the players around him as usual and it was almost a complete performance
but for a goal. In all fairness, he didn’t have any chances. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The defensive display wasn’t that convincing though as we
rang the changes. Wojciech Szczesny returned in place of David Ospina which I
thought was a bit of a weird change and despite Brighton offering very little
they scored two goals that were easily avoidable. Chambers wasn’t strong enough
for the first and Koscielny failed to get close enough to O’Grady who found the
back of the net past a despondent Szczesny.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Szczesny was then arguably at fault for the hosts second
goal, scored by Sam Baldock who made himself busy all afternoon. Nacho Monreal
stepped up instead of keeping the line with Koscielny which allowed Baldock a
run at goal. Szczesny then came haring out of his goal instead of letting
Koscielny attempt to block the shot. Resultantly Baldock dinked the ball
over the keeper to set up an interesting final fifteen minutes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In order to aid Arsenal’s chances in the final few minutes
Francis Coquelin came on to shore things up after another distinctly average
display from Flamini.
With him at the base of the midfield we seem to panic whenever we lose the ball
and there appeared to be no sense of organisation. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Arsenal’s other subs also made themselves busy. Alexis
Sanchez was brought on and hit the bar from a deflected free-kick. He tried to
weave his magic throughout the final exchanges but when he came on the Brighton
players proceeded to foul him as much as possible. Chuba Akpom though showed
great signs of promise and had a chance to score himself. He was a little
selfish but his ability to run at defenders caused danger. With Sanogo and Podolski out on loan, and with Campbell rumoured to be
joining Villarreal on loan in an exchange for Paulista, Akpom's chance could come now.<br />
<br />
The team's line-ups:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Brighton: </b></span>Stockdale, Greer, Bruno(63), Dunk, Bennett, Holla, Calderon, Ince, O'Grady, Forster-Caskey(82), Baldock.<br />
<b>Subs: </b>Walton, Hughes, Rea, Chicksen, March(63), Mackail-Smith, Colunga(82).<br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Arsenal: </b><span style="color: black;">Szczesny, Chambers, Koscielny, Monreal, Gibbs, Flamini, Ramsey, Rosicky, Walcott(69), Ozil(79), Giroud(69). </span></span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Subs: </b>Martinez, Mertesacker, Bellerin, Coquelin(79), Cazorla, Sanchez(69), Akpom(69). </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: black;"><b>My man of the match: </b>Tomas Rosicky.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Referee: </b>Michael Oliver.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Attendance: </b>30,278. </span></span><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
Matt Dawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15579386326002923090noreply@blogger.com0