Arsenal 2-1 Sunderland Hooray!! We won!!

Report Arsenal         2 - 1 Sunderland
            RVP (1,82)   2 - 1  Larsson

Arsenal are back with a certain RVP on fire!!

Thankfully the dreaded international break is over and we start on a good note- with a win. I do not for a moment suggest that we have turned a corner, but hey, there is little to celebrate at Arsenal these days so when we win, I sure as hell will make the most of it!!

We started the game very brightly, scored the opening goal within 30 seconds of the kick-off. Gervinho slipping a ball from the left across the sunderland goal for RVP to fire home with his chocolate leg. I'll have more of that Chocolate leg please.

For the next 20 minutes, we were comfortable, too comfortable for my liking. I thought we should have gone for the second goal to kill the game off early. And we did have the chances to score a second and even a third.  RVP struck the post with a delightful chip over the stranded Mignolet. But after 34 minutes, Larsson fired a brilliant free kick into the Arsenal goal. 1-1 the score. The nerves started returning, suddenly we didnt look so clever on and off the ball. Sunderland sensed this and started to play some football.

we came back in the second half, huffed and puffed and eventually started to find our confidence. After 60 monutes, the game started to open up more and we were finding space to attack but our movement in the final third was letting us down.

Eventually, with 8 minutes remaining, RVP fired a free kick into the net!! my word, did I jump and scream with delight. The wife, who was asleep, woke up alarmed!!

Sunderland had a goal rightly disallowed for offside after we scored the second. But you gotta be concerned. However, we calmed down, played some delay tactics, generally tried to keep ball and attack in equal measure.

Overall, we deserved the 3 points. Sunderland didn't really threaten our goal, except for the 2 or 3 chances that they had in the first half after they equalised. One was saved point blank range by Chezny. Thats the mark of a quality keeper. It is on moments like that that games change. And he changed it in our favour.

The Strike force- RVP is really a man on fire right now, I just wish the rest of the team were on his wave length. Gervinho is still looking useful, but could do better with his shooting. if he could keep his shots low, he would have scored yesterday. Theo had an average game, floating in and out of the game.

Defence- Apart from the free kick, I thought we defended well. Per Mertesacker looks calm and confident. Koscielny was his usual self- good. Jenkison had a moment of madness where he inexplicably lost the ball, but after that, he played better. Good lad. Gibbs played ok. Santos did well when he replaced Gibbs in the 54th minute.

Midfield- Song had a very good game. This boy has really come up in leaps and bounds and for me, except that RVP is in a world of his own, song is my man of the moment. Arteta does fine but doesn't really drive us forward. Rosicky played well but ran out of steam. Benayoun and especially Arshavin gave us some forward thrust. Arshavin I think must play centrally as an attacking midfielder. 

So, we are up to 10th in the league. Lets take it a game at a time. In the coming weeks, Diaby and Vermaelen will be coming back into the squad. This will only make our defence and midfield stronger. Lets keep grinding results like yesterday.

Upwards crawls the Arsenal!! 

Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal; Arsenal Fighting Relegation

To be perfectly honest, I didn't fancy our chances before the game at Whitehart Lane before the game. I looked at our team for the day and on paper, compared to Tottenham, I thought, "How did we get here?"

You see, up until a few seasons ago, Tottenham never struck any fear in my heart whenever we faced them. Lately, I get the jitters before any game. Gone are the days when the Arsenal team struct fear in the hearts and boots of opponents before the ball was kicked.

When the game kicked off, I thought we did ok but the longer it went, I couldnt see us getting a point. Our defenders played well, its just the players ahead of them who were not helping. If you have as poor a midifeld and attacking performance display as ours on Sunday, your defence will struggle.

Midfield is our weakness
Aaron Ramsey had an absolute stinker of a match. apart from the goal he scored, he couldnt get anything done right throughout the whole match. I thought he would be substituted at half time. He gave the ball away carelessly, even when he wasnt under pressure. Thus was disrupting our momentum and cohesion. It was also leading to spates of counter-attacks by Tottenham when he gave the ball away.

Mikel Arteta is really worrying me. He is ok. And thats all. We need something more than OK. Abou Diaby, on his day, is a far better midfielder than Arteta. And at his age, is there really any room for improvement? I doubt.
Coquelin played very well, he broke up several attacks, won the ball cleanly and gave it to the players who are supposed to attack. They failed dismally.
Our attacking play is stale
We have become all too predictable. We lack penetration and proper wing play. We lack speed and movement in the final third. Gervinho and Theo didn't do enough for me on the wings. They didnt run and make crosses, they didn't run the channels. Instead we were constricted inwards thus reducing our threat on the wings. Gervinho missed a sitter in the first half. Theo fired a couple of shots wide. when your attacking players are on such poor form at this level, you know you are screwed. Van Persie was absent for long spells, isolated and failing to drop deep to influence the game.
Arshavin seems to be to us what Hleb is to Barcelona. So much promise but nothing really doing.

The manager can't get the best out of the team
The most worrying thing for me is that our squad quality is not that bad. But the fact that the manager is failing to get the best out of the massive potential we have. That we cannot adapt our tactics to conquer our opponents. It was clear Ramsey was having a bad day yesterday. Why didnt Benayoun get a chance earlier? perhaps our midfield might have played a bit better with him and Arteta on the day. Van Persie, Theo and Gervinho should have dropped deeper to help more seeing as our midfield was struggling terribly on the day.

There is a mental frailty in this team
 With 20 minutes left to play, a goal down and we didnt pepper their goal with shots nor crosses. Mertesacker went upfield in a attempt to do a Chris Samba in the final minutes of the game, but we still played side-ways tippy-tappy on the centre circle. Nobody taking responsibility by driving the ball forwards, every player taking to easy option of making a 10 yard pass when a more direct route was necessary.

That shows that there is a fundamental mental weakness in this team. That can only be changed by the manager and his coaching staff.

We are still failing to turn that proverbial corner, instead we keep on the same straight. I'm sure when the league resumes in 2 weeks time, we shall once again be told that our season starts "now".

We are fighting relegation
Unfortunately, the season started 7 games ago. We are averaging 1 point per game. Thats relegation standard. Does Arsene still know? He said we played with the handbrake on. Well Arsene, take the fucking handbrake off the team. Only you know what and where that handbrake is. You put it there so take it the fuck off.

We are fighting relegation this season.

I am now counting the months before Robin Van Persie leaves Arsenal.
I really want to believe that Arsene is the man to take the club forward, but I hate that niggly feeling I keep getting telling me that, sadly, he may have taken the club as far as he can go.

Until then, I continue to languish in the love I have for my Arsenal.
Tick... tock... tick... tock... Mr. Arsene Wenger....