MATCH DAY 3

MATCH DAY 3:

LIVERPOOL VS ARSENAL:

Two games into the season and no wins registered, it might be safe to say that Arsenal’s season had simply not started yet. Even worse, we were yet to score a goal, and having played Stoke and Sunderland (at home) that’s saying something. So it was fitting, then, that our next outing would be against a club with a somewhat similar story to ours, Liverpool. The clubs would face off both badly needing a result to kick-start their season, and the pressure told as both sides looked to impose themselves early on in the game. But one could distinctly tell that this game would be different from the first two for the Arsenal. While Stoke and Sunderland looked to defend from deep and were more than willing to let us dominate possession, Liverpool set out to compete in midfield and, with Joe Allen, control the game. From history, Arsenal plays better when put up against teams that play more open football, and this fixture turned out to be no different. Thirty-one minutes on the clock and a loose Steven Gerrard pass sets up a swift counter-attack for the Arsenal, with Podolski finding Cazorla and running into space to receive the return and smash the ball past a helpless Pepe Reina. Minutes later and it should have been 2-0, this time Diaby flying through the middle and slipping in Giroud in yet another counter-attack, only for the Frenchman to fire wide of the upright. This looked eerily like the missed Sunderland opportunity, with Giroud again making the right runs but simply lacking the composure to finish. Truth be told, he still looks (and plays) like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Or more like RvP’s 30 goals last season on his shoulders maybe. Anyway, heading into the break, despite Liverpool having played more football, we were ahead where it mattered most.

It was simply more of the same in the second half, where Liverpool’s passing was easy on the eye yet lacking in end-product, while our passing was both. Sixty-eight minutes in, and with Cazorla thriving in the spaces left by the Liverpool midfield, he profited from a Podolski through-ball to drive the ball hard and low past Reina and put give us a two-goal cushion. The final whistle was greeted with sighs of relief from the Arsenal fans worldwide and rightfully so. Two goals scored, none conceded, and two of the three new signings finally off the mark. We are currently the only team left that is yet to concede a goal. Another positive was the solid nature of our performance, especially in midfield with Arteta and Diaby providing a solid base from which to spring our attacks. Actually, goals aside, Diaby was the man-of-the-match for me. Wenger always said that a fit Diaby was the best midfielder in France, and coming off a performance like this it’s hard not to see why. Someone rightly said that he might be an upgrade on Alex Song. An imposing physical presence in midfield, strong on the ball, exceptional dribbling and an impressive awareness of everything that goes on around him, he might just go on to be the box-to-box midfielder that we’ve been lacking for a while now. This performance will have given him a great (and much needed) confidence boost, and he can only go up from here. It also goes to show us Gooners the value of being patient with a player, and vindicated Wenger’s choice to stick with him as well.

It would be cruel not to give a mention to Jenkinson for keeping Sterling in check for most of the game, though this appeared to have an adverse effect on his attacking as he spent most of his time keeping an eye on the tricky teenager. He also looked a little nervous with his clearances but an otherwise solid performance from him. His counterpart Gibbs, however, had no such worries, bombing forward at every available opportunity. This left Podolski having to sit that little bit deeper and defending against Borini and then Downing (not that difficult you would imagine though). Credit to our centre-back pairing for keeping a lid on Suarez, and to Steve Bould for yet another clean sheet. I’m beginning to wonder how long we can keep this up? With more illustrious opponents in the horizon, we might find out sooner rather than later.

With two of our new signings having opened their accounts however, all eyes will turn to Olivier Giroud. Yet another gilt-edged chance missed and people are beginning to talk. Is he good enough? Is the Ligue 1 too easy? Can he mix it with the big boys? Is he the next Chamakh? I say he needs to score, and soon, for his own good too. Any sort of goal, even a Gallas-esque goal off his back would do him a world of good in getting the monkey off his back. For the rest of us, we would do well to give him time (it’s sounding like a chorus now) to find his feet. We also need to work on our crossing, as many balls into the box were not good enough for Giroud to profit from.

This win puts us in good stead heading into the international break, and with Southampton coming next, our immediate future looks safe. Our fullbacks will have to defend from wider positions though, to prevent crosses coming in for Lambert, but otherwise we should be okay for this one.

One question though, this game proved that we play best when our opponents set up to play football. What happens when we come up against one that doesn’t, that will let us have the ball and won’t let us counter-attack? Up to you Mr. Wenger.

Oh, and our third-choice keeper now has more clean sheets than both Manchester clubs and TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS. Well I’m just saying…

Till next week then!