Win over Dortmund secures path to the knock-out stages

Arsenal bounced back from back to back league defeats to both Swansea and Man United with a crucial Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund. An injury plagued squad managed to overcome an under performing Dortmund side to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. A first goal for Sanogo and then an effort from Alexis Sanchez secured a 2-0 win at the Emirates in front of a crowd that needed desperately cheering up.

Yaya Sanogo scored his first Gunners goal as Arsenal beat Dortmund

To put it bluntly, Arsenal simply haven't been good enough this season. However, a win over a Dortmund team who were cruising through this Champions League group should give the Gunners renewed hope. It was a hugely intelligent performance from the Gunners, who showed both an attacking prowess and a more conservative approach between the defence and midfield's link-up play.

Too often over the past few seasons we've started well in the big games but failed to take our chances. Bayern last year and Man United at the weekend are prime examples of that. Against Dortmund though, our fortunes seemed to change. Yaya Sanogo opened the scoring with his first goal for the club within just two minutes. He exchanged passes with Santi Cazorla before firing under Weidenfeller much to the delight of the Frenchman.

Sanogo hasn't been shy of big game experience, he had to lead the line towards the back end of last season when Giroud was injured, and with him and Welbeck both missing, he did a good job up front. With Sanogo upfront we appeared to change the way we played. There were a lot of occasions where we looked to go into Sanogo to hold the ball up rather than in behind and it worked to great affect.

Alexis Sanchez looked a little fatigued at the weekend, which was understandable considering his international schedule, but against Dortmund the Chilean had a spring back in his step. His finish was precise as he curled the ball home from outside the area. It was an exceptional finish from a player who now has 13 in 20 this season.

Another man who had a spring back in his step was Santi Cazorla. He provided the assist for both goals and looked a lot more assured and confident on the ball. It came as no coincidence that he played a lot better in a more central role, compared to the wide one he's been used to this season.

The defence meanwhile went relatively untroubled, but when called upon, Emiliano Martinez in goal had a comfortable game. He replaced Szczesny who was injured at the weekend, and showed no signs of nervousness in what was his Champions League debut.

There were negatives though. Once again we suffered injuries and the main one fell to Arteta who looks set to be out for a number of weeks with a calf problem. The Spaniard has been a calming influence in the side this season so he'll be a big loss, especially with Wilshere's injury. Sanogo meanwhile limped off late on so here's hoping Welbeck and Giroud will be fine for the weekend.

The team's line-ups:

Arsenal: Martinez, Chambers, Mertesacker, Monreal, Gibbs, Arteta(66), Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain(89), Cazorla, Sanchez, Sanogo(79).
Subs: Huddart, Koscielny, Bellerin, Flamini(66), Rosicky, Campbell(89) Podolski(79).

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Piszczek, Subotic, Ginter, Schmelzer, Bender, Gundogan, Aubameyang(60), Mkhitaryan, Grosskreutz(78), Immobile(60).
Subs: Langerak, Hornschuh, Durm, Kehl, Jojic(78), Kagawa(60), Ramos(60).

My man of the match: Santi Cazorla.

Referee: Viktor Kassai
Attendance: 59,902.

Dortmund dominant as Arsenal fall to first defeat

Tuesday night saw Arsenal embark on their 2014/15 Champions League campaign after successfully fending off the challenge of Besiktas in the qualifying stages last month. It wasn't a welcome return though as the Gunners were defeated 2-0 at the hands of German side Borussia Dortmund. It was one of the worst Arsenal performances in recent years and signaled our first defeat of the 2014/15 season having been unbeaten up to now.

In terms of the line-up Arsenal made three changes, two of which were forced. Debuchy and Monreal were both out with injury whilst Chambers had tonsillitis. Defence was the place we didn't want any injuries and being Arsenal that is of course the area we now seriously lack in. Debuchy's injury and Chambers not being 100% meant Bellerin came in for his first start whilst Gibbs returned at left back. The other change saw Arteta come in for Flamini.

It was a bad day at the office for Arsenal who were wearing their new blue kit for the first time

It's difficult to know where to start with Arsenal's performance in Germany yesterday evening. It was filled with a lot of flaws, and not a lot of positives, if any. At the moment there appears to be an open debate over whether to blame the players or the tactics of Wenger for our performances recently. It can be argued that there is a bit of both involved but one of the most frustrating things at the moment is the managers inability to not change his tactics.

Many a pundit recently has picked up on our inability to change our game when we come up against the big teams. It appears as though we approach every game with the same game plan and so far this season 4-1-4-1 just simply hasn't worked whatsoever. Our full-backs bombing forward seem to be the main issue at the moment, but that wouldn't be an issue if we had an enforcer in the middle of the park. Whether Wenger tells the full-backs to effectively play as wingers or whether they chose to do it themselves remains an unanswered question but our centre-backs are being left with no cover. Last season we got opened up against the big teams on the counter attack and against City and Dortmund it's been no different.

That was evident with the goal Ciro Immobile opened the scoring with yesterday. He exploited the gap in midfield and drove into the space where the left back should be. Although he perhaps got a little lucky with a touch to take him away from Koscielny he still provided a confident finish. The second goal meanwhile was a ball in behind and after Szczesny came racing out of his goal, Aubameyang stole in to fire into an empty net.

It was an extremely poor defensive performance which wasn't helped by Mikel Arteta's inability to keep the ball in midfield. Our new skipper is definitely not the answer to our defensive midfield woes and at the moment I'm finding it difficult to find a solution to that role. It amazes me how we failed to sign a player in that position despite having the funds available. Flamini, despite being a bully in midfield isn't the type of player that we're looking for to break up play and move it on throughout the different phases. Until that problem is addressed I can't see Arsenal doing particularly well in the big games, which comes as no surprise really.

On a more mundane level Hector Bellerin had an average game on his first start for the club. His attacking play was good but he looked a little vulnerable defensively, an area which I've already touched on.

Despite Dortmund's dominance throughout the game, Arsenal did have chances in the game and all of them seemed to fall to Danny Welbeck. Despite the fact that Dortmund probably should've won the game by a much bigger margin we did have our chances. In the first half Welbeck dragged a similar chance to the one he had against City wide, before in the second half blazing a chance over the bar after turning nicely past Sokratis. It's difficult to judge him after two tough games and I'm sure he'll improve but from first sightings he does look as though he needs to improve his composure, something that was picked up on during his spell at Man United.

The players will need to get this result out of their system quickly and move on and hopefully put in a much different performance next time out. Arsenal will be looking for their first win in four matches on Saturday as they travel to the Midlands to face a high flying Aston Villa side.

The team's line-ups:

Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Durm, Subotic, Sokratis, Schmelzer(79), Kehl(45), Bender, Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan, Grosskreutz, Immobile(85).
Subs: Langerak, Bandowski, Ginter(45), Amini, Jojic(79), Kagawa, Ramos(85).

Arsenal: Szczesny, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta(77), Ozil(61), Ramsey(61), Wilshere, Sanchez, Welbeck.
Subs: Ospina, Chambers, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain(61), Rosicky, Cazorla(61), Campbell, Podolski(77).

Referee: Olegario Benquerenca.
Attendance: 65,851. 

Ramsey goal seals famous win in Dortmund

Aaron Ramsey continued his somewhat ridiculous run of form as Arsenal sent a message out to the rest of Europe as they beat Borussia Dortmund 1-0 in their own back yard. In what was a nervy but controlled game Ramsey popped up just after the hour mark to ensure Arsenal remained top of their Champions League group. Following on from the Gunners win over Liverpool at the weekend, this week was only getting for Arsenal, as an unchanged line-up from the weekend boosted by a fit Kieran Gibbs having limped off injured at the weekend, managed to make Dortmund look pretty average for most parts of the game. Wilshere and Flamini remained injured but that didn't seem to matter as we comfortably ran out victors in the end.

Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker played a vital role in Arsenal's win

Arsenal have done what no other English club has done before, beaten Germany's top two teams, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund at their own grounds. Both done in the same year and only having lost 3 games between them. This was a massive statement and after the victory at the weekend reminded the doubters that Arsenal are in fact the real deal and not a team to be taken lightly.

The biggest reason for Arsenal's win yesterday, was because of two men, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. Arsenal's defence has come under a lot of scrutiny in recent seasons but two clean sheets in 2 games against Suarez, Sturridge, Lewandowski and Reus just highlighted how far our centre back pairing of Mertesacker and Koscielny have come recently. It's no wonder they're keeping club captain Thomas Vermaelen out of the starting line-up.

They have been extremely solid of late and the combination of height (Mertesacker) and pace (Koscielny) complements the two of them perfectly. Both of them were very calm and composed last night which wore off on the rest of the team and allowed them to get the job done in what was a massive night in the Champions League. Mertesacker is usually one of the most calmest defenders out there but Koscielny is known for being a little rash and throwing himself into the tackles but in the past few weeks he's added a calmness to his game which has only improved him.

Mertesacker is most often taken a dig at by neutrals because he's extremely slow. However his reading of the game and his interceptions are up there with the best defenders in the game. The tall German has had some of the best strikers in the world in his back pocket recently as has Koscielny. The Frenchman, again criticised for being too inconsistent has been brilliant in 2013. He had a great pre-season but then lost his form a little bit in my opinion in the first few games of the campaign. However he's come back brilliantly and his burst of pace has been useful when getting us out of tricky situations at the back. The cost a combined £16.5m which makes the fact they're doing so well even sweeter.

Another player that caught the eye against Dortmund was a former player of theirs in Tomas Rosicky. Plagued with injuries during his time at Arsenal when he has played he's been a very useful player. He was signed in 2006 and over the past few hours has rediscovered the form he was first in when he came to Arsenal. He's a hugely underrated player and against Dortmund he was running everywhere. His work rate was brilliant, he continuously tracked back and would step in to make vital challenges when Dortmund were away on the counter. The way the Czech went about his business gave you the impression that he was 21 years old, not 33. He was the unsung hero of the game in a sense as he did all the dirty stuff well and played an important role out on the right hand flank.

As for Aaron Ramsey, the Welshman just can't stop scoring, his headed goal was a lovely bit of build-up play which led to Ozil crossing for Giroud to knock the ball into Ramsey who found the net for his 11th of the season. A remarkable record and it's left pundits thinking he can go on to become as big a scorer as the likes of Frank Lampard.

This game will only give the team more confidence and for the first time in a while Arsenal will go into a game against Man United, which is at the weekend, looking like the favourites to win. If we can ask for one more massive performance than that would be great. A win over United would send statements out further and would surely leave the doubters with no other option but to finally take Arsenal seriously and see them as contenders domestically and abroad this season.

The teams lineups:

Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Grosskreutz, Subotic, Papastathopoulos, Schmelzer, Bender(75), Sahin, Blaszczykowski(75), Mkhitaryan, Reus(86), Lewandowski.
Subs: Langerak, Durm, Kirch, Kehl, Hofmann(75), Aubameyang(75), Schieber(86).

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Ramsey, Rosicky(90), Ozil, Cazorla(75), Giroud(90).
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen(90), Jenkinson, Monreal(75), Hayden, Gnabry, Bendtner(75). 

My man of the match: Per Mertesacker.

Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (NED)
Attendance: 65,829.

Arsenal suffer first loss in group against Dortmund

Arsenal's lengthy unbeaten run has finally come to an end. Borussia Dortmund, last years beaten finalists proved to be too much for an inform Gunners side as they lost 2-1. Although not really playing badly, the game looked to be heading for a draw despite Arsenal dominating in the second half. However Lewandowski popped up with a heart breaking winner with eight minutes remaining. Giroud was the Arsenal scorer as he equalised just before the break when Mkhitaryan had opened the scoring for the German side. It was a bad way to lose the game when we'd played so well for long periods of the game. Arsenal made two changes from the side that thumped Norwich at the weekend. Ramsey started this time in place of Flamini who wasn't involved at all through injury whilst Rosicky started against his former club in place of Cazorla.

Olivier Giroud got himself on the score sheet but it wasn't enough as Arsenal lost

The last time these two sides met the score line was a reverse result as Arsenal ran out victors. Both sides had very different lineups that day almost 2 years ago. Both now have better sides but there was no repeat of last time out as the German side ran out victors. The result left 3 sides, Arsenal, Dortmund and Napoli all on 6 points in the 'Group of Death'.

There were still positives to find from the game despite the defeat. Mikel Arteta played his best game in an Arsenal shirt this season making 11 successful tackles in a man of the match display from the skipper. Compared to recent weeks when he'd been paired with Flamini in the middle it was a much more reassuring performance as he was next to Ramsey. However that somewhat limited Ramsey's performance a bit. Against weaker opposition on Saturday it worked perfectly fine but this time against a much stronger side it didn't quite have the same effect. Ramsey, despite all the plaudits he has rightly received so far this season was at fault for the first goal. Perhaps suffering from over confidence he tried to dribble the ball out of defence instead of finding Szczesny or just kicking the ball forward. He lost possession which gave Mkhitaryan the chance to bury a shot from the edge of the area. The Welshman looked very tired and it will be no surprise if he is rested against Palace.

Although Flamini was missed the main players that were missed in this game and have been in recent weeks are the wide players. Having Walcott, Podolski and Oxlade-Chamberlain all out injured has caused problems when we've needed width. It's been fine in the league where we've scored some excellent goals by playing a narrower game. However against a stronger side in Dortmund we lacked a real outlet who would get running at the defence and stretch them. Someone like Walcott would've been an ideal player in this fixture. Santi Cazorla was brilliant when he came on out wide. The Spaniard changed the pace of the game and hit the bar with a curling effort from the edge of the box. The fact we didn't have an out an out wide player lead to us conceding what ended up as the winner. Dortmund caught us out on the break and with Sagna effectively playing as a right wing back he was left stranded in attack as Grosskreutz crossed for Lewandowski at the back post to slide home. Had Sagna been further back then the goal could've been easily prevented.You could argue that Lewandowski was lucky to even be on the pitch. The pole could've easily been sent off for elbowing Koscielny in the face.

Saying that, when Sagna did get a chance to go forward he did well. He supplied the cross for Giroud's goal. The Frenchman wanted it a little more than the Dortmund keeper and he nipped in to then smash the ball home from close range. It was a game of ifs and maybes; Rosicky had a chance cleared off the line in the first half whilst as I said Cazorla struck the bar. On another night Lewandowski may well have seen red too. Enough of the excuses though, Arsenal lacked a little bit of maturity and errors caused us to in turn lose the game when they could easily have got something from the game.

It was a tough result to take but it's only our 2nd loss in 25 matches. There's still plenty to be positive about, we're still top of the Premier League and you can back Arsenal to bounce back against Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime. Hopefully the players won't dwell on this performance and will take on board the mistakes they made and look to cut them out. Tougher tests potentially lie ahead in the next few weeks. We play Chelsea in the League Cup in a weeks time whilst Liverpool, Manchester United and Dortmund away are up and coming.

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Ramsey(87), Arteta, Wilshere(59), Ozil, Rosicky(90), Giroud.
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Jenkinson, Monreal, Cazorla(59), Gnabry(90), Bendtner(87). 

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Grosskreutz, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer, Bender, Sahin, Blaszczykowski(68), Mkhitaryan(68), Reus(87), Lewandowski. 
Subs: Langerak, Kirch, Papastathopoulos(87), Durm, Hofmann(68), Aubameyang(68), Schieber. 

My man of the match: Mikel Arteta

Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Attendance: 60,011

Flamini re-joins whilst Arsenal find out European Opponents

Yesterday was a busy day for Arsenal, we actually signed someone, allbeit on a free transfer. We also found out our Champions League group stage opponents.

I'll start off with the news of the club's latest recruit. French defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini has re-joined the club following his release from AC Milan. He had been training with the club over the past week and his determination and ambition sparked Wenger to make a move for him. Hardly a marquee signing but one that should provide good cover and competition for places. He has experience of playing in England before and already knows the club and Wenger. He had a troublesome time at Milan not really being able to show the talent he had produced at the Emirates. However he's back and is eager to make an impression once more. He fills the defensive midfield position we needed whilst he can also cover at full back which he showed in his first spell as a Gunner. With injuries all over the place he'll slot straight into the 18 man squad for Sunday's crucial game against North London Rivals Spurs. A game that'll be tough as ever considering their recent spending.

Onto the Champions League group stage draw. We've been alotted into group F, along with French side Marseille and runners up from last time out Borussia Dortmund. We also have Napoli who we played in the pre-season Emirates Cup. The draw could not have been tougher bar having PSG instead of Marseille. The draw has given another reason, if any more reasons were needed to be given, that the club needs to spend and get world class players in. The latest to be rumoured are the Real Madrid trio of Benzema, Ozil and Di Maria. Di Maria would be the most likely due to the imminent arrival of Gareth Bale in the Spanish capital. I can't really see all three joining though. Arsenal still have a keen interest in Newcastle's Yohan Cabaye but Wenger is reluctant to bid the £17m required. Young defensive midfielder Josuha Guilavogui, who plays for Saint-Etienne, is subject of an £8.5m bid should we not persue Cabaye any further.

The transfer window closes on Monday, but before that is the North London Derby. The next few days could determine our season despite being at such an early stage!

Van Persie double sends Arsenal into knockout stages

Robin Van Persie scored twice as Arsenal beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on Wednesday night in the Champions League. The win ensured knockout football for the Gunners for the 12th successive time as they ensured top spot in group F with a game left to play. Arsenal are the only English side to qualify for the knockout round so far and were also the only English side to win this week in Europe. The team that played was unchanged from the weekend's side that faced Norwich, as the skipper, Van Persie continued his brilliant form leading the line and Koscielny once again played at right back. Meanwhile Abou Diaby made his comeback from a lengthy spell on the sidelines as he played the last four minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Van Persie was the difference as Arsenal reached the knockout stages

The first chance of the match found its way to Arsenal. Song played Walcott in on goal but as he went to take the ball around Weidenfeller in the Dortmund goal, he managed to intercept the ball.

Dortmund's first chance fell to Lewandowski who drove a shot from outside the box just wide of Szczesny's goal.

The German side's next chance came to Schmelzer who also hit a shot from outside the box but his effort was straight at the Arsenal goalkeeper.

Arsenal then almost managed to take the lead as Walcott swung in a cross which almost found its way to Van Persie but Weidenfeller came out and stopped the ball from reaching the Arsenal captain.

The score at half time was 0-0.

The first chance of the second half came to Kagawa and Borussia Dortmund. The Japanese international got down the left hand side and then tried to beat Szczesny at his near post from a tight angle but his shot was tame and straight at Szczesny.

Arsenal were then ahead four minutes into the half. Alex Song did brilliantly in beating three players before crossing the ball onto the head of Van Persie to make it 1-0 to Arsenal.

Gervinho then had a great chance to make it 2-0 as the ball was poked through to him by Ramsey but as he tried to round the Dortmund keeper, Hummels came across and stopped Gervinho from what would have been a goal.

Arteta then tried a shot from outside the box from a freekick after Hummels had brought down Van Persie. Arteta struck the free kick but it hit the wall and went out for a corner.

Four minutes from the end Arsenal doubled their lead and Van Persie had his second of the night. Arteta swung in a corner which was flicked on by Vermaelen and into the path of Van Persie who tapped the ball in from close range.

However in the last minute Borussia Dortmund did managed to pull a goal back. Song gave the ball away to Perisic who then found Lowandowski. He then set the ball up for Kagawa who slotted the ball past Szczesny and into the back of the net.

The final score finished Arsenal 2-1 Borussia Dortmund. 

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Koscielny(83), Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Santos, Song, Arteta, Ramsey, Walcott(86), Gervinho(74), Van Persie.
Subs: Fabianski, Djourou(83), Frimpong, Benayoun(74), Arshavin, Diaby(86), Chamakh.

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Hummels, Kruse, Schmelzer, Santana, Grosskreutz, Kehl(64), Kagawa, Gotze(29), Bender(25), Lewandowski.
Subs: Langerak, Blaszczykowski, Gundogan, Owomoyela, Perisic(29), Leitner(25), Barrios(64).

My man of the match: Alex Song

Referee: Frank De Bleeckere
Attendance: 59,531 

Arsenal earn draw in tough away fixture

Arsenal managed to earn a 1-1 draw in their opening Champions League group stage game against German champions Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park. Robin Van Persie gave the Gunners the lead but a late goal from Persic ensured both teams came away with a point in a tough group F encounter. In the group are also French side Marseille and Greek team Olympiacos. In the match, loan signing Yossi Benayoun was making his first start for the club whilst Andre Santos came off the bench to make his first appearance for Arsenal.

Van Persie celebrates his goal

The first chance of the game fell to Arsenal and Gervinho as the ball bounced off a defender and into the path of the Ivorian but Weidenfeller in the Dortmund goal kept the shot out.

Borussia Dortmund's first chance came moments later as they broke forward and then Grosskreutz manged to work a shot but he fired the ball miles over the bar. Their next chance fell to Kagawa as the ball was put down field but once again the ball was seen sailing over the cross bar.

The German side were dominating. They then had a brilliant chance to take the lead as young midfielder Mario Gotze found Lewandowski who rounded the keeper but then saw his shot cleared off the line by Sagna.

Arsenal finally managed to work a chance as Benayoun found Van Persie in space. He then drove forward and hit a shot which was just tipped wide by the Dortmund keeper.

3 minutes before the break Arsenal against the run of play took the lead. Van Persie winning the ball back in midfield before finding Walcott who then slipped a ball back through to the Gunner's skipper; Van Persie who smashed a right footed effort past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

The score at half time was 1-0 to Arsenal.

Dortmunds wonderkid - Mario Gotze

The first chance of the second half came to Gervinho of Arsenal as he got past one man before seeing his shot saved by Weidenfeller.

The first really good chance of the second half fell to the German side as Gotze's corner found Subotic who hit a shot which was somehow saved by Szczesny.

2 minutes from the end of time Borussia Dortmund equalised as Schmelzer's free kick was headed out by Gibbs but straight to Perisic who unleashed a looping volley which beat Szczesny and went into the back of the net.

The final score ended Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Arsenal.

The teams lineups:

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Subotic, Hummels, Piszczek, Schmelzer, Kehl(67), Gotze, Grosskreutz(68). Bender, Lewandowski, Kagawa(83).
Subs: Langerak, Santana, Da Silva, Blaszczykowski(67), Gundogan, Perisic(68), Zidan(83).

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Song, Arteta, Benayoun, Walcott(76), Gervinho(84), Van Persie(84).   
Subs: Fabianski, Djourou, Santos(84), Frimpong(76), Arshavin, Park, Chamakh(84).

My man of the match: Alex Song

Referee: Gianluca Rocchi

Attendance: 75,000