It has become a cliché to note that Arsenal over-elaborate once entering enemy territory and against Birmingham City here on Saturday they were again culpable of this. With Cesc Fábregas back to lead the team the theory ran that he would show team-mates the killer route to goal.
So it proved. On 15 minutes the Spain midfielder produced the first Arsenal cross aimed straight for the area and, though his delivery yielded nothing, route one was about to produce the lead. This time Nasri flipped in a hanging cross from the left that Yaroslav Rakitskiy headed away from the lurking Marouane Chamakh for a corner. When this was delivered into the area Sébastien Squillaci headed on and Andriy Pyatov, Shakhtar's goalkeeper, dropped a regulation catch. Johan Djourou poked a toe at the ball and Song forced home.
"Let's not deduce too much, we have shown good quality but it is just the start – let's continue to improve," Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, said. "I'm cautious because as soon as you lose urgency your level drops dramatically. The team has good potential and they have shown that again tonight."
A decade ago these two sides had met in this competition for a group game and two strikes from Martin Keown helped Arsenal to a 3-2 victory. Since that win in September 2000 Arsenal have contested a Champions League final – in Paris against Barcelona in 2006 – but have yet to claim the one trophy that separates Wenger from counterparts who have secured a place in the pantheon of great managers by doing so.
These include Sir Alex Ferguson and José Mourinho, who have each won the European Cup twice. Wenger would settle for the single triumph that would allow a peaceful retirement yet, despite also featuring in the semi-finals in 2008, last season's journey ended a stage earlier, as it had done a decade ago.
Still, as the Frenchman stated before kick-off, his club have become comfortable enough in the Champions League to expect the true test of their abilities to arrive after Christmas. Mircea Lucescu's side arrived at the Emirates having won their first two outings in this season's competition, like Arsenal, but were no match.
Wenger had sent his side back out for the second 45 minutes with a two-goal advantage after a smart move that involved Emmanuel Eboué and Song down the right, before the latter placed a pass into Nasri's path in the area. A slick touch with his knee took the ball on to his left foot and the finish allowed Pyatov no chance.
By the hour and Arsenal's third this had become too easy for Wenger's troops. Tomas Hubschman was booked following a foul on Fábregas and, when the Arsenal captain floated the free-kick into the area, Luiz Adriano wrestled Djourou to the floor and the referee awarded the penalty.
Step forward Fábregas to record a first goal since his previous appearance – against Sunderland in September – before Wenger, with an eye on the City game, replaced him. "I wanted to have 60-70 minutes and at 3-0 it was time to come off," Fábregas said, before adding of the hamstring problem that had kept him out: "I didn't feel anything, it felt great. We thought it was better to start the game because mentally you are more ready and you warm up better. It felt fine."
Jack Wilshere is not available for the trip to Eastlands after his late red card on Saturday. But the 18-year-old again indicated the force he may become by scoring Arsenal's fourth, swapping passes with Tomas Rosicky, before using his left foot to dink a finish beyond Pyatov.
There was more. Chamakh collected his sixth of a supremely successful start to his career in north London by taking Nasri's lob over the Donetsk defence, coolly checking he was not being flagged for offside and finishing.
The home support's mood was relaxed enough for them to greet a consolation goal by their former favourite Eduardo da Silva with warm applause. It was that kind of evening.
All that remained was to ask Wenger the inevitable question regarding whether he might consider a move to take an unsettled Wayne Rooney from Manchester United. "We are not buying anybody," he said. Pressed if this was a 100% denial of a January move, the manager added: "We are not interested."
Source: Jamie Jackson, The Guardian on 19 Oct 10
No comments:
Post a Comment