FINALLY OFF THE MARK: CRYSTAL PALACE 1-2 ARSENAL

“It was a bad result, but the most important thing in football is to bounce back, keep your faith in your game, and we did that today.”

Doesn’t it feel good? No, doesn’t it feel great? Doesn’t it feel good to bounce back, to get three points in what was always going to be a difficult away fixture? Doesn’t it feel especially great that our first goal of the season was that peach of a scissors kick by Olivier Giroud? But best of all, did it not feel great to pick up three points then have the luxury to kick back, relax and watch Jose Mourinho getting stuffed in Manchester? I’m sorry, I digress. But wasn’t it great to watch? Anyway.

Arsenal finally got off the mark in a pulsating, sometimes nerve-jangling 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. A Gunners side riding on the intoxicating wave of optimism following a highly successful pre-season was humbled in a 0-2 reverse at home to West Ham was coming up against a Palace side high on confidence following a morale-boosting 3-1 win at Norwich; and to quote Arsene Wenger: “To lose today would have been a big blow mentally.”

THE LINE-UP: The line-up featured two changes from last weekend’s chastising defeat: Hector Bellerin came in for Mathieu Debuchy at right-back, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made way for a returning Alexis Sanchez. That Bellerin was picked ahead of Debuchy was no major surprise, as the Spaniard’s pace would be ideal to deal with Palace’s threat on the flanks, and he possesses greater attacking impetus. The second change was a little more puzzling. The Ox was the only player who looked capable of creating and offering something different against a resolute West Ham defence, but seeing as someone had to make way for Alexis it’s only unfortunate that it had to be him. I don’t think it sends the right kind of message to a player who looks in-form and is tipped to achieve great things this campaign. He’s done nothing to warrant losing his place in the starting line-up, yet finds himself a victim of circumstance all the same. Ramsey therefore took his place wide right, with the manager choosing to restore Coqzorla partnership that served us with distinction last season down the middle.

THE SET-UP: Ramsey had 96 touches (led all players) but you can bet only a few came on the right. The Welshman regularly drifted in-field, popping up in space between the Palace lines which helped push them back earlier on in the tie. He also looked to help make up the numbers in the box, and that showed as he had four attempts on goal, only one coming from outside the box. He may not be everyone’s cup of tea as a winger, but his efforts certainly lent credence to a more potent Arsenal side with four attempts (two on target) and four key passes. He could have kept the ball better though; he had a passing accuracy of 77% and was dispossessed twice.

Alexis on the other flank looked more of a threat, and gave the Palace back line no end of trouble all game. He had seven attempts (led all players) and with only two on target, will probably look back on this one and realize he should have buried a few of the chances that came his way. Palace blocked 7 Arsenal attempts yesterday, 3 of them from Sanchez alone, including one goal line clearance. He was also dispossessed five times, which perhaps is testament to his rustiness more than anything else.

After a tepid outing last weekend where all the focus post-match was on our midfield balance, I think this time round Coqzorla acquitted themselves admirably both on and off the ball. Santi Cazorla, in typical Cazorla fashion, made 82 passes with a 91.5% passing accuracy and was by-and-large in control of proceedings from deep. Coquelin, meanwhile, was under scrutiny after his passing was brought under disrepute by most of us (myself included). Much like the Arsenal, Coquelin bounced back with a 92.7% passing accuracy from 55 passes. Also, last weekend he was 2/5 on long balls… yesterday he was 5/6, yes, 5/6 on long balls! The only outfield player with more accurate long passes was Santi (surprise surprise) who was 7/8. Not that he forgot what he’s great at; he was 6/8 on tackles, made an interception, a clearance and blocked two attempts. He might have been a little fortunate not to get sent off, and was taken out of the firing line early as a result.

Defensively, we were all aware of the threat that Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie posed with their pace and direct style, and this went entirely to script. Bolasie and Zaha looked to take on Bellerin and Nacho Monreal at every opportunity, with Jason Puncheon also looking to join in on the act. What pleased me though is it appears we had scouted Palace and prepared to deal with this particular threat, as the Palace wide players were rarely left one-on-one with our fullbacks. Coquelin, Ramsey and even Laurent Koscielny took turns to double up on Bolasie/Zaha. Four of Coquelin’s tackles came against Zaha, Bolasie and Puncheon, and five of the tackles came in wide areas. Three of Ramsey’s six attempted tackles came down the right against Puncheon and fullback Papa Souaré.

THE GOALS: We were made to wait 111 minutes for it, but the quality of our first goal of the 2015/2016 EPL season almost made it worth the wait didn’t it? Alexis won the ball back after an Arsenal attack broke down on the left and fed it to Mesut Ozil. Ozil measured in a perfect, low cross for Giroud to finish with a lovely scissors kick on the half-volley first time into the bottom corner. Giroud was speaking to Sky Sports after the game where he mentioned how Wenger had spoken to him about improving his finishing by taking his shots on the first touch:

“Apparently last year I scored 16 goals and nine were with my first touch. The boss told me in the box I should take it with one touch so I try to do it and I scored with my first touch.”

Palace pegged us back 12 minutes later, but our second goal was all about the delivery of Hector Bellerin and the determination of Alexis, and Arsene echoed this when he called the Chilean “a fighter”:

“He brings a drive forward. He brings the pressure on the opponent. He brings goal chances. When it was 1-1 it is no coincidence that he found the header over Ward [and] maybe it’s a typical Alexis goal. More desire than fitness, he is still a bit short fitness-wise but he is a fighter.”

The ball was worked out wide, and Hector Bellerin picked out Alexis with a cross at the far post…  Joel Ward should have been favourite for the ball, but Sanchez momentum and sheer will meant he rose highest to meet it with a firm header which was turned in to his own net by Damien Delaney.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH:

“He had a very good performance. He was important getting out from the back, getting out of tight areas. It is a pleasure to watch the quality of his passing and the intelligence of his passing. What I told you is what I want from him more is a few more goals this season. For the rest of the build-up in the game he was magnificent. He works harder than people thinks he does. He is not spectacular in his defending but he wants to do the job, he wants to help the team. What I liked in his game today was he made many runs without the ball behind the defenders, which is a bit new as he likes to come with the ball. Today he mixed up his game better.”

55 passes, with a passing accuracy of 98%, and 37 of them coming in the final third, I thought Mesut Ozil ran the show for us at the business end of the pitch. I thought his movement was great as he looked to create at every opportunity, and he was always available for a pass. Ozil made five key passes, and again, we really should have been more clinical with the chances created. Did I mention Ozil was never dispossessed the entire match?

*Images adapted from Arsenal Media*

*Quotes adapted from www.arsenal.com*