Arsène Wenger will issue a timely reminder to his players before they face Birmingham on Saturday: it’s good to talk.
Fingers have been pointing at Arsenal’s defence since they shipped a late equaliser against ten-man Wigan on Wednesday night when Sebastien Squillaci headed past his own keeper.
Critics claim that Wenger’s team lack leadership and, although the manager disagrees with that assessment, he admits that communication could be better at the back.
“I have been asked how can we improve after conceding the goal the way we did in the final part of the [Wigan] game and I must say we have the individual quality,” said Wenger.
“But we have to take more initiative on the communication side. Sometimes I felt people are not informed enough, when they are alone they could control the ball instead of letting it out. That’s just details."
“A team is always on the search to improve and communicating is one of the natural ways to achieve that. You encourage [the players to communicate]. You have some who talk more than others and people are not so much talkative so you have to encourage them to do it."
“Of course [we have the players to do that]. It’s down to our coaching staff to encourage that.”
Source: Chris Harris, Arsenal.com on 31 Dec 10
Friday, December 31, 2010
Arsenal aim to banish bad memories against Blues
Arsenal's excellent performance against the reigning champions on December 27 led Arsene Wenger to claim his side may have reached "a very pivotal moment", but they swung firmly back into the outsiders' category on Wednesday when following that victory over their London rivals with a disappointing 2-2 draw at Wigan that leaves them two points behind Manchester United having played a game more. Wenger was accused of carelessness having made eight changes for his side's second game in three days, but in truth his team were more than capable of securing a win, and the attack functioned well with Andrei Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner on target. Instead it was defensive frailties that came into play - a familiar state of affairs this season.
However, Birmingham appear ill-equipped to exploit such a weakness given their impotence in front of goal; Craig Gardner is their top scorer with four goals while only Wigan, with 17, have scored fewer than Blues' 18 goals in 18 games this season. The fact that Alex McLeish's side are out of the relegation zone thanks to goal difference points to a parsimonious defence, and in fact the hosts have conceded one goal less than Arsenal in the Premier League. Though their form has been disappointing of late, Birmingham showed good resolve to draw 1-1 with Manchester United on December 28 and have also defeated Chelsea at home. Arsenal won 2-1 at Emirates Stadium earlier in the season in a game that saw Jack Wilshere dismissed for a nasty foul on Nikola Zigic.
Having appeared, and subsequently been replaced, as a substitute against Wigan, Wilshere could well return to the starting line-up as the Gunners are expected to make a number of changes for Saturday's game, with captain Cesc Fabregas returning from suspension and Jack Wilshere, Alex Song, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie pushing for starts. Thomas Vermaelen, crucially, remains absent from defence and Abou Diaby joins him on the sidelines after suffering a calf strain against Wigan. Birmingham are missing James McFadden to a knee injury.
Birmingham player to watch: Lee Bowyer
Thirty-four next week, the midfielder rarely scores these days, but when he does they tend to be important goals. Bowyer's two strikes this season have come in a 1-0 home defeat of Chelsea and the 1-1 draw with Manchester United on December 28, suggesting he reserves his best for the big occasion. He also scored against Arsenal last season at Emirates Stadium and will be a threat in a Birmingham side that has aggregated only nine goals in nine home games this season.
Arsenal player to watch: Andrei Arshavin
After being unexpectedly supplanted in the starting XI by Theo Walcott for the 3-1 win over Chelsea, the Russian responded impressively when scoring a fine scissor-kick and setting up Nicklas Bendtner as a much-changed side drew 2-2 at Wigan. Arshavin's performances this season have been punctuated by flashes of genius and decisive contributions, but his default setting continues to be that of morose mediocrity, and it will be instructive to see whether he reclaims his place in Arsene Wenger's first-choice line-up on Saturday.
Key Battle: Sebastian Larsson v Lukasz Fabianski
They may not come within ten metres of each other on Saturday, but the Swedish midfielder and the Polish goalkeeper will be the key protagonists at Birmingham's set-pieces - an element of the game which could decide the final outcome. Larsson, who learned his trade with the Gunners, is very proficient at corners and free-kicks and his dangerous deliveries are likely to be of some concern to Fabianski, who has shown consistently that he can be a liability in such situations. If the Pole can avoid catastrophe and deal convincingly with whatever Larsson throws at him, then Birmingham will be significantly less dangerous.
Source: ESPN Soccernet on 31 Dec 10
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wenger attacks defence
The Gunners have looked repeatedly vulnerable from set pieces this season and saw Sebastien Squillaci head into his own goal after 81 minutes of a 2-2 draw at Wigan when the visiting side failed to deal with a corner.
The draw at the DW Stadium undid the good work of Monday's 3-1 defeat of Chelsea and Wenger was in no mood to gloss over his players' shortcomings in his post mortem.
"It is [a concern] because nobody looks from the outside to take charge on the organisation side," Wenger told Sky Sports.
"There is no voice when the focus drops a little bit. You don't feel that anybody takes charge on alertness and we need to communicate much better than that. The way we conceded this corner is of course very disappointing but you have to give credit to Wigan."
When asked if Arsenal could be pushed into action in the January transfer window, though, Wenger replied: "No, we focus on the players we have and I think we have enough quality. The players are conscious of that and will rectify that."
Arsenal could have secured a late win as a Samir Nasri free-kick struck Wigan's James McArthur on the arm, but no penalty was awarded.
It was a carbon copy of an incident against Tottenham that saw Cesc Fabregas concede a spot-kick earlier in the season, and taking to his Twitter account following the 2-2 draw, the Arsenal captain showed his frustration.
Fabregas wrote: "What's the difference between this handball and my one versus Spurs? Referees don't want us to complain about them but they make life difficult for themselves. I'm not complaining at all, I'm just saying why on the same thing some refs say it's a penalty and some not. Is it a rule or just what they feel?"
Source: ESPN Soccernet on 30 Dec 10
Sébastien Squillaci shoots Arsenal in foot as Wigan hold Wenger's men
By that point, 12 minutes from the end, Arsenal, showing eight changes from the side that beat Chelsea, had come from a goal behind and ought to have been further ahead. Andrey Arshavin had just failed to add a second goal to the equaliser and assist he provided in the first half. Taking the ball across goal from Tomas Rosicky's pass he attempted to turn and shoot, but found Ali al-Habsi equal to the effort.
Then Lukasz Fabianski, culpable on at least two occasions here last season, made a fine save to deny N'Zogbia, before Wigan's best player was dismissed. That looked to be the end of the contest, yet Wigan equalised with 10 men after Hugo Rodallega climbed to reach Ben Watson's corner at the far post and Sébastien Squillaci forced the ball over his own line under pressure from Gary Caldwell.
"We were 2-1 up and they were down to 10 men; it should have been a winning position," Arsène Wenger said. "But we conceded twice from set-pieces. The equaliser came from a corner and it doesn't matter how many men you have on the pitch then, you have to defend the corner better than we did. We found it hard today, after the Chelsea game, even though I made changes. We came back well in the first half but didn't produce enough in the second. Wigan did well. I would say a draw was fair."
The home side could have gone in front after a couple of minutes, when Arsenal lost possession and Tom Cleverley's alert cross found Rodallega on his own in front of goal, but the Colombian failed to get anything on the ball except a hand. Restored to the side at Theo Walcott's expense Arshavin shot too high with a chance at the other end before Wigan took the lead after 17 minutes, when N'Zogbia's dribbling skills won a penalty from Laurent Koscielny and Watson thumped the ball in from the spot. The Arsenal defender could have few complaints.
N'Zogbia had already cut inside past Abou Diaby, and when a further twist took him inside the area and past Koscielny at the same time the stranded centre back stuck out a despairing leg and brought the winger down. Rather surprisingly he escaped without a card of any description, which came in handy a couple of minutes later when he had to execute a carefully timed tackle in the area to keep out Rodallega. This time he unquestionably played the ball and not the man.
The referee's lenience was pushed to the limit in a scruffy period around the half hour, when Wigan's Hendry Thomas was on the receiving end of a couple of rash challenges. Although the game had settled down again by the time Arsenal drew level, the move that led to the equaliser began with Emmanuel Eboué complaining about a free-kick decision he thought had been awarded the other way.
Once on the edge of Wigan's area Marouane Chamakh scooped a pass forward to create a shooting opportunity for Nicklas Bendtner. Al-Habsi responded with a diving parry but was powerless to do anything about the follow-up, acrobatically drilled into the unguarded net by Arshavin.
If Wigan thought that was bad there was worse to come, and again the Arshavin-Bendtner combination did the damage. The Russian poked a clever pass forward that caught Antolin Alcaraz with his back to the action and allowed Bendtner to hold off the other centre half, Caldwell, to score his second league goal of the season, with a low shot.
Wigan did not abandon all hope, it took a Fabianski save from Rodallega to preserve Arsenal's advantage at the interval, though after leading for much of the half they displayed something of a habitual failing by losing concentration completely.
A Cleverley shot that only cleared the bar by inches was the closest Wigan came to rescuing a point with 11 men, and when N'Zogbia went on a run shortly before his dismissal to shoot after exchanging passes with James McArthur it appeared Fabianski had kept out the best Wigan could produce.
The fun, in fact, was only just starting. It was ridiculous for N'Zogbia to get himself dismissed in a game where the referee seemed determined to let almost anything go, and his manager offered no excuses.
"It was an unacceptable reaction, something I don't like to see and Charles knows that," Roberto Martínez said.
"He let his team down, but the reaction of the players after the dismissal got him out of jail. We needed to come back with character at that point, and we did. We beat Arsenal 1-0 with 10 men."
Source: Paul Wilson, The Guardian on 29 Dec 10
Lack of killer instinct hurts Gunners
It was not the disaster of last season, when Arsenal collapsed from 2-0 up to lose 3-2, but manager Arsene Wenger - who had gambled on eight changes from the side which beat Chelsea - will feel easy points were dropped in the tightest of title races.
The Gunners led 2-1, with Charles N'Zogbia having been sent off for Wigan, only for the home side to level thanks to an own goal from Sebastian Squillaci.
Ben Watson's penalty had given the home side a deserved lead, but Arsenal replied to take the lead at the break through Andrei Arshavin's brilliant scissor-kick and Nicklas Bendtner's calm finish.
Perhaps Wenger's changes heartened Wigan because they started off in spirited fashion and had the Gunners rocking on their heels.
Much of Arsenal's early struggles were self-inflicted. Squillaci gave up a contest with Hugo Rodallega claiming he had been fouled and fellow centre-back Laurent Koscielny had to rescue him with a perfectly-timed challenge in the box.
Then Bendtner's appallingly loose pass was seized upon by N'Zogbia, who rattled in a low shot which was comfortable for Lukasz Fabianksi.
Tomas Rosicky, Arsenal's captain on the night, finally managed to bring some composure to the visitors and his vision set Arshavin free only for the Russian to fire over the bar.
Bendtner earned a free-kick on the edge of the Wigan box and took it himself, only to see it deflected off the wall and past the post with Ali Al Habsi flatfooted.
In the 17th minute Wigan broke swiftly and N'Zogbia burst down the right before tumbled over Koscielny's trailing leg just on the edge of the box.
A penalty looked the right decision and Watson hammered it home to give the home side a deserved lead.
Arsenal were a whisker away from an equaliser when Rosicky's shot was parried by Al Habsi and Koscielny looked favourite to slot home, only for Gary Caldwell to dive in bravely to thwart the Frenchman.
Before the half-hour was out, Wenger was forced to make a change with Jack Wilshere coming on for Abou Diaby, who had picked up an injury, and his arrival seemed to settle Arsenal down.
Arshavin had been at his frustrating worst for most of the half but it was down to his brilliant volley that Arsenal equalised six minutes before the break.
Marouane Chamakh had lobbed the ball on for Bendtner to hit a shot on the bounce and when Al Habsi managed to keep it out, it dropped for Arshavin to strike a lovely scissor-kick back past the Wigan goalkeeper.
The goal seemed to breathe life into Arsenal and particularly Arshavin, who created a goal for Bendtner in the 43rd minute.
Arshavin tussled for and won possession in the centre circle, then bustled forward and found Bendtner, who used his strength to brush off a couple of weak challenges and then make no mistake from 12 yards out.
Wilshere's anchoring abilities made Arsenal appear more resilient generally and Antolin Alcaraz breathed a sigh of relief after heading just wide of his own net.
From the resulting corner an unmarked Chamakh sent his header into almost exactly the same spot when he should really have hit the target.
Although Arsenal's grip on the game had tightened, Wigan still looked capable of causing problems and Tom Cleverley was not a million miles away from finding the top corner after the usually-dependable Bacary Sagna had slipped.
The Gunners' passing game had been slowly reasserting itself and it clicked into gear perfectly in the 70th minute with a mouthwatering move that simply begged to be finished off, but Al Habsi stood tall to deny Arshavin.
N'Zogbia had looked Wigan's most potent threat all night and with 15 minutes left Arsenal were grateful to Fabianski for a one-on-one save.
Having played so well, N'Zogbia then got himself sent off for pushing his head into Wilshere's face after an exchange of words, leaving referee Lee Probert little option but to show red.
Far from being disheartened, the dismissal fired up the home side and with 10 minutes left they equalised.
Rodallega headed back a corner at the far post and Squillaci, trying to thwart Caldwell, could only head into his own net.
Wenger had to go for broke and did, bringing on Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri.
There was one escape for Wigan when James McArthur deflected Nasri's free-kick with his hands, and once more the Gunners left the DW Stadium frustrated.
Arsene Wenger insisted his decision to make eight changes was not a gamble that backfired despite Arsenal letting 10-man Wigan off the hook.
The Arsenal manager said: "I had to change the team - with all these matches we cannot play always with the same team - but I don't think that was a problem at all.
"We had a disadvantage that Manchester United has not got - Wigan played three days ago and we played 48 hours ago, a big game in the evening."
"It is a point and we will see at the end of the season how important it is - last night Man U played 1-1 at Birmingham and we played 2-2 today."
"I don't think it's a shame - overall the draw was all right. Wigan had chances as well.''
Ben Watson's penalty had given the home side a deserved lead but Arsenal replied to go in ahead at the break through Andrei Arshavin's brilliant scissor-kick and Nicklas Bendtner's calm finish.
Wenger admitted Squillaci's own goal was disappointing - but not as bad as last season when the Gunners threw away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2.
He added: "It was disappointing because we were 2-1 up, playing against 10 men and dropped two points. But overall it was a difficult game, very physical, with a high level of commitment from Wigan and they caught us a bit at the start.
"You always felt any mistake at the back and we could pay for it as long as we didn't score the third goal.''
Wilshere had come on in the 27th minute for Abou Diaby, who suffered a calf injury that will keep him out for several weeks, and the England midfielder was then substituted himself shortly after N'Zogbia's red card.
Wenger added: "I felt he was a bit becoming controversial he wanted to force decisions and he looked a bit tired because he played the whole game against Chelsea and I didn't want to expose him.''
Arsenal claimed they should have had a late penalty when Tom Cleverley appeared to block Samir Nasri's free-kick with his hands.
"I personally did not see it,'' said Wenger. "Nasri is adamant it was a 100% penalty.''
Cesc Fabregas criticised referees for inconsistency, claiming the shout was identical to the offence he was penalised for against Tottenham.
Fabregas said on his Twitter account: "What's the difference between this handball and my one versus Spurs? Referees don't want us to complain about them but they make life difficult for themselves. I'm not complaining at all, I'm just saying why on the same thing some refs say it's a penalty and some not. Is it a rule or just what they feel?''
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez declared himself "extremely pleased'' with the result but criticised N'Zogbia for his red card, though claimed the French winger had come in for rough treatment.
Martinez said: "There's no excuses - that's unacceptable, it's a bad reaction. Charles started the game very well, he won a penalty, he gets kicked in every game and there's a lot of emotions but you cannot accept that sort of reaction."
"He let his team down - football is team game and the reaction of the players got Charles out of jail in that respect. We'll deal with it internally but it's something I don't like."
"Sometimes in football you need to react in the right manner even if you are getting kicked all over the place.
"From the first minute Charles got a rough treatment and you want to protect the skilful players and that protection should come from other areas not from himself.''
Martinez insisted Wenger's decision to make so many changes had not aided Wigan.
He said: "Not at all - looking at them they are all full internationals with really good experience. I would have preferred to play against the team that played against Chelsea and it would have been practically impossible for them to have recovered.''
Source: ESPN Soccernet on 29 Dec 10
Arsenal miss chance at Wigan
A boring ruthlessness is anathema to Arsenal, but that counts against them on evenings such as this. When they were a goal up and had a one-man advantage against a Wigan team deprived of their best player, the prime example of self-destruction appeared to be Charles N'Zogbia's head-butt on Jack Wilshere.
Then that perception was radically altered. Sebastien Squillaci's own goal, the latest of the many set-piece concessions that have pockmarked Arsenal's season, highlighted age-old concerns about the back four. The manner of it reopened the questions about mental strength that Monday's win over Chelsea appeared to have answered. And the loss of two points while many of their premier players languished on the bench left Arsene Wenger open to accusations; of taking Wigan lightly, arguably, and of displaying an excessive amount of faith in his squad players.
The gruelling programme is a legitimate explanation. "I had to change because we play again Saturday and again Wednesday and next Saturday," said Wenger, after retaining only three of the conquerors of Chelsea. "We cannot always play with the same team." Yet the side who most resembled Wenger's for much of the match were Wigan; N'Zogbia, Hugo Rodallega and Tom Cleverley form as inventive a front three as there is in the lower half of the league.
They broke with pace and verve. As Wenger said: "They scored from two set-pieces." That simple fact does not reflect the style of Wigan's play, however. Ben Watson's precise penalty was expertly converted, but awarded after N'Zogbia's was elegantly weaving his way through the Arsenal defence, albeit at express pace, when he was caught by Laurent Koscielny's heel.
Their second goal was more direct. Under pressure from Gary Caldwell, Squillaci headed over his own line after Rodallega had redirected Watson's corner back into the six-yard box. It came three minutes after N'Zogbia had floored Wilshere and three before Wenger substituted his substitute. "I felt Jack was becoming a bit controversial," he said. His replacement, Samir Nasri, struck a free kick that hit Cleverley on the arm. "Nasri is adamant it is 100 percent penalty," said Wenger, who missed the incident.
His side had gone had gone from disjointed to destructive in the space of six minutes just before half-time, when Andrey Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner scored. The Russian has the title of Arsenal's greatest enigma but, while Wenger remains one of the game's great modernisers, it seemed old-fashioned psychology spurred Arshavin into form. Given a watching brief for the win over Chelsea, it was possible to detect a bruised ego in his response on his recall.
He scored a goal of acrobatic accuracy, a swivelling volley that was struck with enough power to prevent Ali Al Habsi from making a second save after the Omani parried Bendtner's shot into his path.
Another significant contribution followed soon after. Arshavin's direct dribbling preceded a deft, outside-of-the-boot pass that gave Bendtner the chance to power between Caldwell and Antolin Alcaraz and prod his shot past Al Habsi.
And that should have been that. But, as Wenger admitted: "In the second half, we didn't do enough." Wigan, in comparison, stepped up their efforts. "In the manner the game went we needed a real reaction with character, with passion and with understanding what the game needs," said Roberto Martinez. "In the second half, we beat Arsenal 1-0 with 10 men and that speaks volumes."
It has been a profitable Christmas for his side, with the sole blight being N'Zogbia's dismissal and three-match ban. "You cannot accept that kind of reaction," Martinez added. "Football is a team game. The reaction of the players probably got Charles out of jail. It is something we will deal with internally."
The Spaniard concluded: "Football is a game of errors and a game of mistakes and it is how you react." He was talking about this match but, as an explanation of the battle at the Premier League summit, it sufficed. Arsenal, once again, are looking for a reaction.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Hugo Rodallega
His pace and movement troubled Arsenal throughout. The Colombian doesn't always score enough goals but he enables Wigan to play a brand of football that is unusual among relegation strugglers.
WIGAN VERDICT
Martinez's men began impressively and ended excellently. Apart from a dip in performance levels at the end of the first half, the sole blight was N'Zogbia's dismissal. It leaves a small squad that lacks goalscorers looking stretched in a busy week. Newcastle, Sunday's visitors to the DW Stadium, may be especially relieved that their former player will be suspended.
ARSENAL VERDICT
The lead they gained was undeserved, but it should have been retained. Defensive frailty remains a concern but it would not have mattered had Arsenal been more fluent after the break. Nasri and Theo Walcott, late replacements, perhaps could have been brought on earlier.
Source: Richard Jolly, ESPN Soccernet on 29 Dec 10
Wenger's reaction to the Wigan Athletic 2-2 Arsenal match
On a disappointing result…
We were 2-1 up and playing against ten men and we dropped two points. Overall, it was a difficult game with high levels of commitment from Wigan. They caught us a bit at the start and after that we came back into it a little bit. In the second half we didn’t do enough and we conceded two goals from two set pieces.
On a stubborn Wigan side…
Credit to them, they didn’t give up. I thought we tried very hard. The pitch became more and more difficult for us to put passes together. They defended deeper in the second half and it was more difficult for us to find space. Wigan fought very hard today. I felt in the first half we had a great dominance and came back well but in the second half we didn’t produce enough or offer enough.
On making eight changes for the game…
We had a disadvantage that Wigan played three days ago and only 48 hours ago we played a big game in the evening. I had to change it because we play on Saturday and again on Wednesday so we can't always play with the same team. But I don’t think that was a problem at all.
On an open Premier League title race...
Last night Manchester United drew 1-1 with Birmingham, we drew 2-2 today so we will know at the end of the season. It was a difficult game, you always felt that any mistake at the back and we could pay for it. As long as we didn't score the third goal in this kind of game it can end 2-2.
On conceding from a corner…
They got a corner and then it doesn’t matter if you have 9, 10 or 14 [players], you can still score. The number of men on the pitch doesn’t really count. You have to defend a corner.
On taking off Jack Wilshere...
He was becoming a bit controversial and was looking to force decisions. He was a bit tired too. He played the whole game against Chelsea and I did not want to expose him.
On Arsenal's late penalty shout...
Personally, I did not see it. Nasri is adamant that is was 100 per cent a penalty.
Source: Arsenal.com on 29 Dec 10
We were 2-1 up and playing against ten men and we dropped two points. Overall, it was a difficult game with high levels of commitment from Wigan. They caught us a bit at the start and after that we came back into it a little bit. In the second half we didn’t do enough and we conceded two goals from two set pieces.
On a stubborn Wigan side…
Credit to them, they didn’t give up. I thought we tried very hard. The pitch became more and more difficult for us to put passes together. They defended deeper in the second half and it was more difficult for us to find space. Wigan fought very hard today. I felt in the first half we had a great dominance and came back well but in the second half we didn’t produce enough or offer enough.
On making eight changes for the game…
We had a disadvantage that Wigan played three days ago and only 48 hours ago we played a big game in the evening. I had to change it because we play on Saturday and again on Wednesday so we can't always play with the same team. But I don’t think that was a problem at all.
On an open Premier League title race...
Last night Manchester United drew 1-1 with Birmingham, we drew 2-2 today so we will know at the end of the season. It was a difficult game, you always felt that any mistake at the back and we could pay for it. As long as we didn't score the third goal in this kind of game it can end 2-2.
On conceding from a corner…
They got a corner and then it doesn’t matter if you have 9, 10 or 14 [players], you can still score. The number of men on the pitch doesn’t really count. You have to defend a corner.
On taking off Jack Wilshere...
He was becoming a bit controversial and was looking to force decisions. He was a bit tired too. He played the whole game against Chelsea and I did not want to expose him.
On Arsenal's late penalty shout...
Personally, I did not see it. Nasri is adamant that is was 100 per cent a penalty.
Source: Arsenal.com on 29 Dec 10
29 December 2010: Wigan Athletic 2-2 Arsenal, The DW Stadium
Arsène Wenger’s side went behind from a hotly debatable 17th-minute penalty but still lead at the break thanks to late brace. Andrey Arshavin scored the first and made the second for Nicklas Bendtner.
The visitors seemed to have control in the second half. And their cause was helped when Wigan’s best player on the night, Charles N’Zogbia, was sent off for apparently headbutting Jack Wilshere.
The game was digesting the dismissal when, 10 minutes from time, Sebastien Squillaci headed into his own net as he attempted to stop Gary Caldwell scoring.
After beating Chelsea so wonderfully on Monday this was a big blow to Arsenal’s title hopes.
But they reach the midway point of the season with 36 points from 19 games - two points off leaders Manchester United.
This was a disappointing night but Arsenal are still very much in the title race.
Wenger retained only three players from Monday’s starting line-up. They were Lukasz Fabianski, Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny.
The Frenchman clearly had the next two games – Birmingham away and Manchester City at home - in mind. He was managing his resources.
The following players came in: Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky, Denilson, Squillaci, Arshavin, Emmanuel Eboue, Marouane Chamakh and Bendtner.
Robin van Persie and Alex Song were left out entirely. Cesc Fabregas was suspended. The rest of Monday’s side was on the bench.
It was a bit of a gamble given Arsenal had gained so much momentum from the win over Chelsea. But this is arguably the most intense time of the season so Wenger rolled the dice.
For a time, it appeared he had lost.
The first 10 minutes were fast, frenetic and dominated by Wigan. N’Zogbia skipped past Eboue on the left hand side to reach the byline. However, his cross was misdirected. Then Hugo Rodallega drifted off Koscielny at the far post but failed to connect with his header.
The Frenchman got some sort of revenge when he stopped the striker in his tracks after Squillaci had been beaten.
Arshavin prodded an effort over the bar but N’Zogbia tested Fabianski from distance. The visitors were under pressure.
However, as time wore on, Arsenal gained control. Bendtner’s goalbound free-kick hit Squillaci in the wall and Eboue’s cross found Arshavin at the far post but the Russian’s volley was blocked.
So, the opener, when it arrived in the 17th minute was slightly against the run of play – and very controversial.
N’Zogbia danced inside Diaby in the right-hand channel and though Koscielny flicked out a foot he was withdrawing it by the time the midfielder went past him. Replays cast doubt there was contact but referee Lee Probert pointed to the spot.
Ben Watson converted the penalty with aplomb.
In fact, Wigan would have stronger claims for a spot-kick shortly afterwards when Fabianski took out Rodallega. Arsenal were saved because Koscielny, the covering defender, had prodded the ball well clear.
Midway through the half, Ali Al Habsi spilled Rosicky’s piledriver and only a perfectly-timed challenge from Caldwell stopped Koscielny stabbing home from close range.
Shortly after that Diaby limped off and Wilshere replaced him. Though the change was not planned it added an urgency and energy to Arsenal’s game.
By half time, they were in the lead.
Seven minutes from the whistle, Chamakh flicked Bendtner into space on the right. The Dane’s drive was shoveled out to Arshavin by Al Habsi. It was a difficult height for the diminutive Russian but he waited for the ball to fall and hooked his shot into the corner.
Arshavin had been quiet until that moment but suddenly he was at the hub of the Arsenal attack. Two minutes before the whistle he fashioned their second by driving at the Wigan defence and prodding a ball through to Bendtner.
The striker bundled home his fourth goal of the season.
The brace gave Arsenal a cushion they would enjoy at the start of the second half. The visitors were happy to keep the ball and invite Wigan on. For the first time in the game, the hosts had to bring the game to Arsenal.
It meant that the chances dried up. Wilshere burst into the area and Sagna’s right-wing cross was headed into his own sidenetting by Antolin Alcaraz.
Just before the hour, Cleverley latched on to the full back’s clearance and fired over. But Wigan seemed to be running out of ideas.
And, in the 70th minute, Arsenal might have killed the game. Arshavin timed his run perfectly to collect Wilshere’s clip into the area. However, the Russian could not lift his shot over Al Habsi.
But as the visitors started to look further forward, so Wigan had space to create - and they nearly profited.
In the 75th minute, substitute James McArthur sent N’Zogbia clear and his drive was batted away by Fabianski from point-blank range.
It would be the last meaningful act of the midfielder’s game. Two minutes later he appeared to headbutt Wilshere and was sent off.
Sometimes late dismissals kill off the chasing team, this one did not.
In the 80th minute, Watson’s deep corner was headed back into the area by Rodallega and Squillaci, in trying the prevent Caldwell from scoring, nodded the ball into his own net.
Wenger threw on Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri immediately.
Four minutes from time, the Frenchman’s free-kick hit a flailing Wigan arm in the wall but referee Probert waved play on.
Arsenal pressed and pressed in the dying minutes but the winner would not come.
This was certainly two points dropped but it has not done terminal damage to Wenger's title aspirations.
Source: Richard Clarke, Arsenal.com on 29 Dec 10
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Match Preview: Wigan Athletic vs Arsenal
If his Arsenal side look like they have bought into the hype from that potentially season-shaping win on Monday, then the manager can always just pop in a DVD marked “Wigan (a) 09/10” and fast forward to the final stages.
Wenger’s men went to the DW Stadium last April clinging onto the last vestiges of their title bid. Although Tottenham had just beaten them at White Hart Lane, Harry Redknapp’s side then turned over leaders Chelsea the following Saturday. It opened up a glimpse of a chance the next day.
Goals in each half seemed to have restored Arsenal’s poise and some of their pride. But in the 80th minute, Ben Watson reduced the arrears and suddenly the visitors seemed fragile.
Then, in the 88th, Titus Bramble equalised.
And, quite incredibly, in injury time Charles N’Zogbia curled home a winner.
Basically, think Tottenham last month and condense it into a quarter of the time.
And the memory provides a powerful grounding ahead of a game Arsenal are fully expected to win. Not that Wenger needs any reminding.
“I have avoided watching it again,” he admitted to Arsenal.com. “But I don’t need to watch it, the feeling is still in my head.
“I will never forget this game because we were 2-0 up and we lost 3-2 in the final part of a game we controlled.”
Manchester United’s draw at Birmingham on Tuesday means Arsenal can go level on points with the joint-leaders if they win at the DW Stadium. But they will need to win by five clear goals to sit on top of the table at the New Year.
This game is the 19th of Arsenal’s Premier League season; the halfway point of the campaign. If they win, Wenger’s men will have averaged two points per match in the first half. Surely the eventual champions will need to have a better second half.
For the Frenchman, that is precisely why Monday’s win over Chelsea was more than just three points. But only victories at places like Wigan will prove him right.
“Chelsea was big because of the table but also because of the future of the team,” said Wenger. “It was a big psychological hurdle.
“We hope we can move on and become even stronger. It keeps us in touch with the top teams and it can strengthen the belief that we will have a word to say in this title race. Let’s see if we can turn up on Wednesday night now - that will be very useful.”
There were no immediate injuries reported in the aftermath of Monday’s game. Cesc Fabregas was withdrawn late on because the captain was “a bit tired and he gave a lot”.
Either way, he misses the Wigan game after picking up his fifth booking of the season on Monday.
Wenger added: “We will have to rotate some players but fortunately we have some fresh ones available.”
Arsenal’s bench was made up of full internationals on Monday including the likes of Marouane Chamakh, Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky. It would be no surprise if the six outfield players all start on Wednesday.
This is one of the most intense few days of Arsenal's season and, in that time, Birmingham have already shown they can take points off title-chasers.
Arsenal go to St Andrews on Saturday then Manchester City, the other joint-leaders, visit Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
It all makes Wigan very much the game in between.
That victory last season was their first in ten Premier League games against Arsenal. Of their other nine, Wenger’s team have won eight and drawn the other. Indeed, Wigan have lost 35 of their 43 League games against the Big Four since they reached the top flight.
This season Roberto Martinez has fashioned a capable yet inconsistent side. Since losing to Arsenal in the Carling Cup Quarter-Final they have drawn at home to Stoke, picked up another point at Everton and won 2-1 at Wolves. It is perhaps their best mini-run of the campaign and yet they are still in the drop zone.
They are also unbeaten in five games at home but, at the same time, have scored the least and conceded the most on their own territory.
Away from home Arsenal have conceded the least and only Manchester City have scored more. Until recently their road form was holding up their title challenge. In the next few days, it needs to drive it forward.
“It’s a big game,” said Wenger. “You never go to Wigan and take easy points.
“Let’s hope the Chelsea game has a positive psychological influence on the Wigan game.
“We must use our fresh players because it’s just 48 hours afterwards. Wigan have a longer recovery. That’s why we have as well mentally to be prepared to go there and give absolutely everything.
“As we know, the most consistent team will make it. We had a great game against Chelsea and we need to have a great one on Wednesday as well.”
Source: Richard Clarke, Arsenal.com on 29 Dec 10
In Arsenal’s Win, Glimpses of Steely Calm and Shaky Ground
On Monday night, Arsenal’s maturing team eclipsed Chelsea’s aging one with a performance even more emphatic than the 3-1 score suggested.
The good news for Arsenal, masterfully led by its 23-year-old captain and creative heart, Cesc Fàbregas, is that its form is excellent to carry forward to the Gunners’ next game, at Wigan on Wednesday.
The bad news for Chelsea, eight of whose players are the high side of 30, is that playing twice in 48 hours is a less comforting aspect of the bloated Christmas soccer schedule in England.
The players know the games pile up when they sign their multimillion-dollar contracts. They also know that the winter weather can make travel unpleasant, but they just hope that experience carries them through.
At Arsenal, however, the boot of experience was on the other foot.
Fàbregas is a veteran at 23. He was schooled at Barcelona, stolen by Arsenal when he was 16 and has pretty much been a regular in the Premier League ever since. In his seventh season, Fàbregas displays leadership and know-how that few of Chelsea’s senior citizens will ever acquire.
He has a vision that is almost a sixth sense. He reads the game so smartly, so intelligently, so quickly that he makes the decisive pass quicker than most players can see it.
And he talks a good game, too. Before Monday, with Fàbregas recovering from hamstring injuries that were the almost inevitable result of playing so many matches in a World Cup year, Arsenal appeared to have growing pains. The quality of the players was never in doubt, but confidence was lacking.
The team had the talent to put on a show inside almost any stadium, but its record against the handful of opponents who dominate the English Premier League was poor. Before the Chelsea game, Arsenal had looked defeated before it even took the field against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Fàbregas, playing only as a substitute while he recovered from injury, summed up that 1-0 defeat in one word, describing his team as being “scared” of the big occasion.
Rather than chastise Fàbregas, his captain, the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, qualified the criticism.
“Scared is a big word,” Wenger said. “But we played a little bit with the hand brake on at Manchester. It is down to the fact that the team wants to do well.”
Even with his captain, Wenger said, there was a need to banish fear. Fàbregas appears to be a born leader, but with both hamstrings breaking down, he had looked like a troubled athlete until Monday.
One performance against Chelsea does not erase a season of doubts, but Fàbregas said immediately after the convincing victory: “Belief was the difference. The difference between a good team and a great team is very little.
“Tonight, we did what a great team does. It felt fantastic, but England is like no other league in the world — in two days we have to go again.”
Fàbregas scored the second goal against Chelsea on a Theo Walcott pass and created the third goal for Walcott to score. “We made Chelsea look average at times,” the 21-year-old Walcott said. “But like Cesc says, we have another game on Wednesday.”
Like Cesc says. He looks, and sounds, as if he is the fulcrum of Arsenal’s approach. Last summer, Wenger had shown infinite patience laced with fatherly toughness when he talked Fàbregas out of wanting to return home to rejoin Barcelona.
It was understandable on all sides. Barça nurtured Fàbregas at its academy and wanted him back to play alongside Xavi and Lionel Messi, players he grew up with, playing in the same system.
But Wenger said no. And he has time on his side, because while Wenger has been building a team at Arsenal, Chelsea has gone through eight coaching changes. And even now, under the experienced, successful Italian Carlo Ancelotti, there is deep insecurity.
Ancelotti helped Chelsea’s old hands to a league and cup double in England in his first season. Yet he was hired to win his specialty, the Champions League. And that, as Ancelotti proved at A.C. Milan, is where experienced, even aged, players can make the difference.
Unlike Wenger, whose authority over playing matters is virtually unquestioned by the club’s board, Ancelotti acknowledges that he does not know how long he will retain the trust of the autocratic Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich.
“The league table is not good, that is the reality,” Ancelotti said Monday. “I’m not worried for my job. We have to work, but this is a question you have to ask the owner, not me.”
The owner removed Felipe Scolari, a World Cup-winning coach, after a less-troubled losing streak than the one Ancelotti is mired in.
Abramovich removes coaches like dusting snow off his shoes, and has already undermined Ancelotti by firing his assistant, Ray Wilkins, without a public explanation.
Wilkins was a faithful No. 2, a support, in a way an interpreter is in what it takes to maintain consistency in the English league. Without him, Ancelotti appears visibly alone on the bench. And since Wilkins’s abrupt exit in November, Chelsea has not won in seven league matches, its worst run since Abramovich bought the club lock, stock and Russian oil barrel in 2003.
Ancelotti is always commendably honest in front of the news media, but his summary of what went wrong at Arsenal on Monday could not have been music to Abramovich’s ears. “The difference was the quality,” the coach said. “Arsenal put more quality on the pitch than us.”
Source: Rob Hughes, The New York Times on 28 Dec 10
Theo Walcott urges Arsenal to forget win over Chelsea as Wigan beckon
The truth was rather less dramatic. Arsenal regularly take the train from Euston to and from their matches in the north-west because it is quicker and this occasion was no different. Yet Wenger's rage was very real. Had his team won at Wigan, they would have sat three points behind the league leaders Chelsea with three games to play. Chelsea still had to go to Liverpool. But the result killed off any lingering hopes of a first championship success since 2004.
In the wake of the euphoria of their breakthrough victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium last night, the experience serves as a salutary lesson. It feels as if we are constantly talking about the learning of lessons with Arsenal. Maybe it is because of their youth, but there is little doubt that the steps forward taken against Chelsea would be quickly retraced if they were to go to the DW Stadium tomorrow night and lose again.
"These games are very important, just as big as the ones against Chelsea," said the winger Theo Walcott. "We need to go to Wigan and show what champions are made of and try to win. We have to go on a run of wins. If you want to be champions, you need to go to places like Wigan and win.
"Everyone was buzzing after the Chelsea result but it's gone now. We can't dwell on it. We could be disappointed if we win against Chelsea and then lose at Wigan."
Arsenal had not played since their 1-0 defeat at Manchester United on 13 December due to their home game against Stoke City on the Saturday before last being postponed and they positively overflowed with energy. They pressed Chelsea from the first minute to the last, and they did not allow them to find a groove.
The Stoke postponement had also fired fury within them. They knew that they had let themselves down at Old Trafford and, having revved themselves up to make amends against Stoke, they were denied the opportunity when the heavy snow fell in north London.
Cesc Fábregas, the captain, wrote in the programme about his frustration at the game being called off. His attitude was that if you are not going to have a winter break, then the matches must be played whatever the weather, while Walcott confirmed that "there was a bit of anger".
Arsenal unleashed the pent-up emotions against Chelsea, and it was as much the diligence and focus of their defensive work that caught the eye. Walcott suggested it was unusual for Arsenal to maintain such levels for the 90 minutes and the challenge now is to repeat them when they play again inside 48 hours.
"Everyone got their duties right and it was just nice to see in an Arsenal team for a change," Walcott said. "All 11 players defensively were pressing at the right moments and we made Chelsea look quite average at times.
"When we've got the ball, we're fantastic but when we don't, it's a different story. But against Chelsea, we showed how great we were off the ball. We need to do that in every game and come Wednesday, we need to do it again because it's going to be tough. We lost there last season and we have to travel a long distance to get there as well."
Source: David Hytner, The Guardian on 28 Dec 10
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Arsenal v Chelsea: five things we learned
1. Theo Walcott is able to seize his chance
Arsenal's players have been grumbling among themselves about what they perceive to be the preferential treatment afforded by the manager, Arsène Wenger, to Andrey Arshavin. The Russia forward tends to enjoy a roaming brief yet without the responsibility to track back, even in training. Wenger reasons that Arshavin is worth it because he has the capacity to change a game with one flash of genius. But even Wenger reached the end of his tether at Arshavin's non-performance at Manchester United two weeks ago. The Frenchman wielded the axe and presented Walcott with a glorious chance from the start. It was incumbent on Walcott to take it. Walcott's game is built upon making the difference, even if it is only in one or two flashes. In the space of two second-half minutes, he contributed an assist and a goal, his ninth of the season. Job done.
2. Cesc Fábregas has been sorely missed
Whatever the debate about where Cesc Fábregas's problem lies – is it in his hamstring or his head? – there can be no doubting his class when the whistle blows and he puts everything on the line. There was something gloriously reassuring at the Emirates about his return from the start to occupy the "hole" behind Arsenal's lone striker, in this case Robin van Persie. The midfielder showcased his ability to find pockets of space, even if he had to drop deep from his starting position to do so, while the weight and vision of his passing was delightful. An example? His pass for Theo Walcott's goal. Fábregas's determination to topple Chelsea was etched into his performance, from his throwing himself into the melee that preceded Alex Song's goal to his celebrations after his goal.
3. Chelsea's blip is far from over
When the defending champions puffed out their chests and raised the intensity against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in their previous fixture, emerging with a creditable 1-1 draw, it felt as if they had turned a corner. Those predictions needed to be hastily revised after this, a disjointed and laboured display that was, frankly, dismal. Lukasz Fabianski was not required to make a save. Chelsea's manager, Carlo Ancelotti, could name the spine of the team he favours, with Frank Lampard back. However, the west London team looked anything but champions-in-waiting again. One positive was that they did not let their heads drop at 3-0 but it was scraping the barrel. It is now six points from an available 24 in the Premier League. "You're getting sacked in the morning," Arsenal's fans informed Ancelotti. The worry grows at Stamford Bridge.
4. Didier Drogba is mortal
The joke that used to do the rounds about Philippe Senderos, the former Arsenal defender, was that he would jump six feet into the air if you shouted "Didier Drogba" at him. Chelsea's Ivorian striker has enjoyed plenty of sport in tormenting central defenders in red and white and entered this contest with 13 goals in 13 unbeaten games against them. The respect/wariness towards him was shown early on when he rumbled through and Arsenal's defence backed off and backed off. He shot and saw the effort fizz just wide. Fábregas dared not even mention Drogba's name in his programme notes. "They have a player who loves scoring against us," he wrote.But this was not to be another of those nights when Drogba bullied and Arsenal meekly rolled over. Chelsea failed to get him into dangerous areas and it said much that his best moment was his taking of the free-kick that led to Branislav Ivanovic's goal.
5. Chelsea's resources look stretched up front
The pre-match news that Nicolas Anelka had withdrawn because of knee trouble shone a harsh light on the attacking options available to Ancelotti. In came Salomon Kalou but what of the substitutes' bench? Ancelotti was unable to name a single striker, with the attacking midfielder Gaël Kakuta the only offensive player on it. Fabio Borini is out of favour because of a contract dispute and is injured, while Daniel Sturridge picked up a knock in training. Chelsea's bench had four academy players and a grand total of two goals, both of them scored by José Bosingwa. Ancelotti says he will not buy a striker next month but can his team sustain a title defence and a tilt at the Champions League without a little extra help?
Source: David Hytner, The Guardian on 27 Dec 10
This is no longer a dip. All the signs are that Chelsea are in decline
While Arsenal celebrate a victory which Arsène Wenger will offer as proof that this is a team whose moment has come at last, Chelsea will be wondering if last night was the moment at which a dip turned into a decline. A return of six points from a possible 24 in their last eight Premier League games, and no wins in the last six matches, suggest that something has gone badly wrong for the champions in recent weeks.
The effort was certainly there, verging on the frenetic in the final half-hour, but it was not accompanied by a demonstration of the kind of focused power that they learnt to deploy under José Mourinho's tutelage. Rather than relying on a series of carefully drilled responses, they were reduced to making it up as they went along, and never achieved sustained coherence.
Roman Abramovich will not have been impressed and the result will do little for Carlo Ancelotti's standing. It may be that even last season's league and cup double will not be enough to save him if there is a continuation of the team's present disjointed form, such a contrast with the imperious manner in which they began their defence of the championship.
Ancelotti was in a self-critical mood afterwards. "We have gone to sleep," he kept saying. "We have to wake up. Maybe I have to be the first to wake up." But if the team and their manager could not rouse themselves for a trip to the Emirates in their present position it is hard to see from where the wake-up call will come.
The manager could point to injuries to key players in recent weeks – John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Alex, Michael Essien, José Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov among them – but so well resourced a club must expect to ride such losses without forfeiting their ability to maintain a challenge at the top. More worrying is the loss of a sense of structure within the team.
When Ancelotti referred to the inability of the players to build on their solid defensive work in the first half by making a solid transition from defence to attack, he was emphasising the extent of the team's fall from grace. This was the dimension of the game in which Mourinho made them so formidable, as he had done with Porto and would do with Internazionale. They retained the habit through other men's brief reigns, and even through Ancelotti's own first season, but the patterns are starting to look threadbare.
Most of the big names are now restored to fitness. Lampard was making his first start for Chelsea since 28 August, hoping to rekindle some of the qualities of imagination and unpredictability that have been so clearly lacking. Ancelotti should be concerned that the team leans so heavily on a 32-year-old, albeit one whose 317 league games in the blue shirt have produced 106 goals.
One day the 17-year-old Josh McEachran will inherit Lampard's role. But were McEachran an Arsenal player, no doubt he would already be making regular starts in big games. Last night Wenger sent out a side including no player over the age of 27, and with an average of 23 and a half. Ancelotti, by contrast, picked six players in their thirties in a team averaging three years older than their opponents. There was never a sense that youthful zest would be forced to bow to guile and experience.
When Lampard began his prolonged period on the treatment table, he had started Chelsea's first three Premier League matches of the season, after which the defending champions' record made fine reading: played three, won three, 14 goals scored and none conceded. At that stage, as Wenger remarked in his programme notes for last night's match, they looked unbeatable.
Any side would notice the absence of a midfielder whose habit is to score 20 goals a season, and the midfield trio of Michael Essien, Mikel John Obi and the Brazilian newcomer Ramires certainly missed Lampard's contribution, notably his knack of timing his arrival on the edge of the opposition penalty area to maximum advantage and the way he unobtrusively lubricates the movement of others. Last night, however, Lampard's priorities were elsewhere.
As Arsenal set out to swamp the visitors' rearguard with fast, fluid, one-touch passing moves, he was often occupied in helping Ashley Cole to resist the incursions of Theo Walcott. Only when that duty had been fulfilled was he able to turn his attention to breaking forward and supporting Chelsea's three forwards.
But it was too much to expect that, after only one brief appearance as a substitute at White Hart Lane a fortnight ago, he would be back to top form. One sumptuous pass out to Salomon Kalou in the opening 10 minutes apart, he had little to offer in the attacking areas and ended up in the referee's notebook for a scruffy foul on Alex Song shortly after Branislav Ivanovic had pulled a goal back. That was how it went for him, and for a Chelsea side whose chance of retaining their title, even in this unusually volatile season, may already have gone.
Source: Richard Williams, The Guardian on 28 Dec 10
Ruthless Arsenal come of age to turn Chelsea's slump into a crisis
Arsenal still did not look commanding in defence despite alterations. That was to be of no account as, from the latter stages of the first half, they hit a tempo that made Chelsea ache. While the losers wonder about the years ahead, Arsenal have reached a moment when they must no longer depict themselves as a work in progress.
It is time simply for the club to be a real power. The age profile will usually be in their favour, and while Theo Walcott has seemed to regress at times to the status of impact substitute, he was a force here. His initial purpose would have been to pin down Ashley Cole, but eventually he achieved much more. Arsène Wenger would be happy to see that as the embodiment of the entire Arsenal project.
This, of course, was merely a single match. The win over these opponents did not cancel out three losses already endured at the Emirates to supposedly lesser visitors in the league, but it might encourage an assurance that will limit the number of lapses. Results transform attitudes, and Arsenal had waited a while for this alchemy.
They presented themselves with a 3-0 lead here after opening the scoring on the verge of the interval. A first victory over Chelsea in 25 months was all but inevitable even then, since Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, has a team in decline. Their response with a goal was a last spark of pride in a squad that looked burnt out. Even so, Arsenal had still needed to think long and hard about a test they passed well enough to suggest they may still compete hard for the title.
The match weighed heavily on Wenger. Instead of sticking to habit, he had made decisions that saw, for instance, Johan Djourou and Walcott in the starting line-up in preference to Sébastien Squillaci and Andrey Arshavin respectively. Such verdicts did not have an immediate impact, and for a while Arsenal's play was smooth but lacking a contrasting pointedness in the penalty area.
There had nevertheless been a rising tempo and confidence, which was rewarded in the 44th minute. Alex Song began the move. His pass brushed against Cesc Fábregas before Jack Wilshere returned play to Song, who shot low past Petr Cech from an angle on the left. Arsenal had gradually increased the tempo in a thoughtful fashion that suggested memories of meetings with Chelsea had been cleansed from the memory.
Arsenal's last victory over Chelsea had been in November 2008, the month when they also recorded their most recent win against Manchester United. Arsenal's captain, Fábregas, who had been injured and merely came off the substitutes' bench in the defeat two weeks ago at Old Trafford, said Arsenal had been scared that night. The club does not spend at the level of its peers but, at a time when Manchester City alone look bullish in the transfer market, there should still be a possibility of Wenger's team staying to the fore.
In this match, it was to be expected that there would be a spring in Arsenal's step. Fábregas began his first game for the club since 23 November. Chelsea, too, had a particular midfielder who had not been present at kick-off since 28 August. A 32-year-old Frank Lampard, understandably, could not galvanise those around him or present a danger in the goalmouth. He struck some good passes in the first half, yet did not cause panic.
Arsenal, a goal ahead, had the composure of a side that could afford to be calm, particularly since there was, by then, an erratic tone to Chelsea. With 51 minutes gone, Michael Essien's effort to tackle Robin van Persie merely guided the ball to Walcott, and he drew Cech before setting up Fábregas to shoot into the unattended net.
The competence had deteriorated further at the next Arsenal goal, two minutes later. Florent Malouda was dispossessed by Walcott, and when Fábregas returned the ball to him the finish was elementary. By that stage, all that remained of the once formidable Chelsea was the persistence that counted at a Didier Drogba free-kick, with Branislav Ivanovic leaping above Laurent Koscielny to head a goal in the 57th minute.
In its own way, even that moment has its uses for Arsenal as an indication that they can be more efficient in defence. So far as Chelsea were concerned, the visitors had already been much too capable.
Source: Kevin McCarra, The Guardian on 27 Dec 10
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
It moved the Gunners up to second in the table, two points behind Manchester United but having played a game more, while Chelsea - also a match ahead of United - are in fourth and six points off the pace.
Arsene Wenger admitted halting a barren run of 11 games in all competitions without a victory over closest rivals Chelsea and Manchester United - including 10 defeats - would provide a psychological lift as they bid to secure their first silverware since 2005.
And they will take huge confidence from the manner and margin of their first win against Chelsea since a 2-1 triumph at Stamford Bridge in November 2008.
Alex Song put them on the path to victory with a goal seconds before the interval, but the real damage was inflicted on Chelsea with a double salvo from Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott in the space of two minutes just after the restart.
Branislav Ivanovic's header set up the prospect of an anxious last 30 minutes for Arsenal, but it never materialised as they held out comfortably in the face of a timid Chelsea challenge.
Didier Drogba, for so long the scourge of Arsenal with 13 goals in 13 games before this defeat, remained a peripheral figure and his only flash of serious aggression came in an angry confrontation with Chelsea captain John Terry after Walcott put Arsenal three goals up.
Wenger's game plan worked to perfection, with the recalled Johan Djourou helping to keep Drogba at bay, Fabregas ruling midfield as he started again after injury and Walcott performing the dual role of ensuring Ashley Cole's attacking instincts were curbed by his presence and terrorising Chelsea with his pace.
Arsenal's fans celebrated as if they knew the significance of this result and three points that will surely inject them with real self-belief as the title enters its second phase.
For Chelsea, their decline continues from the golden days of early season - they have now gone six league games without a win - as they lacked inspiration and a threadbare squad was exposed by the attacking variety Arsenal had on the bench and in reserve.
Carlo Ancelotti will be under pressure to turn their fortunes around, but perhaps the greater pressure is on owner Roman Abramovich to make funds available to rejuvenate the squad and restore some semblance of an equilibrium that seems to have been disturbed by the unceremonious sacking of the popular assistant manager Ray Wilkins.
Chelsea, as expected, recalled Frank Lampard for his first start following a four-month absence with a groin problem but he was unable to exert any serious influence as Arsenal controlled the first half.
Drogba posted Chelsea's only serious threat with an effort that he pulled just wide and a header that was deflected over the top, while Fabregas marked his return to the Arsenal starting line-up by pulling the strings in midfield.
Robin van Persie, leading Arsenal's attack with Marouane Chamakh and Andrey Arshavin relegated to the bench, was twice off target as the old flaw of failing to transform possession into goals against Chelsea threatened to resurface.
Samir Nasri's delicate chip brought a fine save from Chelsea keeper Petr Cech before Song gave Arsenal the lead they deserved a minute before the interval. They owed a debt to fine refereeing from Mark Clattenburg, who played a crucial advantage after Paulo Ferreira appeared to foul Fabregas to allow Song to slide a close-range finish past Cech.
Ancelotti made a change at the start of the second half, sending on Ramires for Jon Mikel Obi, but his plans were in shreds as Arsenal struck twice in the space of two minutes just after the break.
Fabregas added the second from Walcott's pass after Michael Essien inadvertently turned the ball towards his own goal. Walcott then sent the home fans at the Emirates into ecstasy by adding a third in Arsenal's next attack, racing clear to beat Cech as Fabregas returned the favour with a perfect pass to send him through.
Chelsea were stunned and their frustrations surfaced as Drogba and Terry were involved in a furious exchange of views near the centre circle as Arsenal's elated players celebrated.
Ancelotti's side needed a swift response to offer any hope of a revival and it came after 57 minutes when Ivanovic reached Drogba's angled free-kick ahead of keeper Lukasz Fabianski to head home.
Wenger was furious in his technical area, but Nasri should have calmed his nerves when he took advantage of more Chelsea uncertainty at the back only to fire tamely at Cech.
Chelsea probed in the closing stages, but Arsenal were never in serious discomfort and closed out an outstanding triumph.
Source: Phil McNulty, BBC Sport on 27 Dec 10
Wenger hails "pivotal" win
The Gunners had lost each of their previous five matches against Chelsea, stretching back to November 2008, and were beaten 1-0 at Manchester United in their last league match.
However, the poor run of form against their fellow championship contenders came to an end at Emirates Stadium as Wenger's side beat the Blues 3-1 and heaped more pressure on Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, who is without a win in six games.
Arsenal moved back up into second place, behind Premier League leaders United by two points, having now played a match more ahead of the midweek fixtures which see the Gunners travel to Wigan on Wednesday.
"It was a double impact,'' Wenger said of the victory. "Mathematically, it keeps us in touch with the leaders of the league, and psychologically, it was important because we were questioned about our capability of winning big games.
"I am happy with the desire in the team. We kept good discipline in the team for 90 minutes and put in a real team performance.
"It can be a very pivotal moment, but we have to respond away at Wigan on Wednesday night in a game where we want to turn up and take points. We know to beat the big teams at home will have an important impact on this league.''
The Arsenal manager declared: "We are not bullied any more. That is for sure.
"Two years ago with the same players we were maybe battered by Chelsea. Last year we felt we were getting closer. This year, at United and Chelsea, we were more frustrated because we were more in the game and there was no real difference.
"It was a slow learning process that we got out of our system.''
Arsenal head to Birmingham on New Year's Day, and then host Manchester City, who are level on points but played a game more, ahead of their FA Cup third-round tie with Leeds and a Carling Cup semi-final against Ipswich. United come to Emirates at the end of April.
"We have to be at our best and continue to improve,'' Wenger observed. "I hope the victory [over Chelsea] will convince the team that we are moving in the right direction and we continue to improve.''
Wenger added: "However, this league is very difficult to predict - every game is difficult for everybody. We have to show we have got that out of our system and show we can be consistent.''
Source: ESPN Soccernet on 28 Dec 10
Fabregas: Belief was key to victory
Fabregas scored one and made another as the Gunners put the out-of-form champions to the sword at the Emirates, just two weeks after they had disappointed against Manchester United.
''Belief was the difference,'' Fabregas told Sky Sports 1. ''The difference between a good team and a great team is very little. We did what a great team does. We were fantastic. The league is so tight. Anyone can win it. We will try to do our best.''
Another goalscorer, Theo Walcott, said he had not thought of Chelsea's recent dominance of his side, adding: ''We didn't think about the past. We can't change that. We concentrated on pressing. Everyone was pressing. We didn't give Chelsea any space at all.
''We got the win but another game is just around the corner. Everything went well. We made Chelsea look average at times. We played some great football and wanted to do it for the fans because in recent years against Chelsea we've been disappointing.''
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti urged his side to ''wake up'' after their winless run stretched to six games. The Blues are six points adrift of leaders Manchester United, just two months after leading the table by five points.
''The difference was the quality,'' Ancelotti said. ''Arsenal put more quality on the pitch than us. They were able to play with the football. They played better than us.
''We didn't play well. We're in a difficult moment. We need to try and win the game against Bolton. We have to continue to work. We worked well these last two weeks. We didn't have a good performance today but we'll try in the next game.
''The table is not good but this is the reality. We have to wake up. Now we are sleeping.''
When asked if he was worried about his future, he added: ''I am not. This is a question you have to ask the owner. I'm confident.''
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praised the patience of his side.
He said: ''We have matured. We have been disciplined, matured and played for each other. The focus of the team was good, even when we had to be less adventurous at some stages.
''We were quite solid. They scored on a set-piece. Drogba takes them very well. In open play, we were solid. Let's hope that it strengthens our belief that we can challenge for the championship and it strengthens our belief we're on the right way.''
Source: ESPN Soccernet on 27 Dec 10
Arsenal banish demons
The Gunners had lost each of their previous five matches against Chelsea, but Alex Song put them ahead before half-time, with quickfire strikes from captain Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott giving Arsene Wenger's side a three-goal cushion.
Chelsea reduced the deficit through Branislav Ivanovic, but there was no way back for Carlo Ancelotti's men, who have now taken just six points from their last eight league games - the club's worst run since 1998.
Arsenal, beaten at Manchester United in their previous game, were positive during the opening exchanges.
Robin van Persie almost collected Song's chip into the box, but the ball bounced just ahead of the Dutch striker.
There was a warning with Chelsea's first meaningful attack as Didier Drogba - with 13 goals in as many games against the Gunners - shrugged off his marker to drag a 20-yard shot wide.
John Terry pulled back Van Persie as the Gunners looked to break on the half-way line, but a stern talking-to from referee Mark Clattenburg was all the Chelsea skipper received.
The home side continued to press, and had a penalty appeal waved away when Florent Malouda looked to have made some contact with Van Persie at the edge of the box.
Nasri's 25-yard free-kick was on target, but held by Petr Cech.
Walcott latched on to a long ball over the Chelsea defence, but just as he aimed to cut back into the area, his touch was poor and Terry recovered to clear.
On 29 minutes, former Gunner Ashley Cole went into the referee's book for tripping Walcott as his England colleague turned him on the right touchline.
Van Persie was then put through into the left by Nasri after some clever one-touch passing, the Dutchman snatched at his angled shot, which flew high and wide.
Salomon Kalou was perhaps fortunate to receive only a yellow card after jumping in, studs up on Gael Clichy.
Arsenal increased the tempo as half-time approached.
Walcott scampered into the right side of the Chelsea penalty area and was blocked by Cech at the near post before the goalkeeper turned over Nasri's chip which was looping into the top-left corner.
The Gunners finally made the breakthrough after 43 minutes.
Jack Wilshere and Song exchanged passes on the edge of the area, with the Cameroon midfielder carrying the ball into the box.
Paulo Ferreira slid in and tripped Fabregas, but Song had the presence of mind not to wait for a whistle and swept a low left-footed shot across goal and into the bottom right corner.
Chelsea made a change at the start of the second half as the creative Brazilian Ramires replaced John Obi Mikel.
Arsenal, though, had a two-goal cushion after 51 minutes.
Van Persie held the ball up 30 yards out, and, as he was closed down, Michael Essien's challenge inadvertently pushed the ball straight to Walcott clean through on goal.
The England winger dashed to the edge of the box, where he drew Cech before sliding the ball along to Fabregas and the Arsenal skipper made no mistake from 15 yards.
Chelsea had little chance to recover, as Walcott smashed in goal number three just 90 seconds later.
Walcott robbed Malouda and fed Fabregas, who repaid the favour by sending the Arsenal winger away down the right for him to slot a low shot into the bottom left corner.
Ancelotti had to do something, and sent on Gael Kakuta, replacing Malouda.
Chelsea snatched a lifeline after 57 minutes when Drogba's free-kick floated through to the six-yard box, where it was nodded in by Ivanovic.
Given Arsenal's recent record of failing to hold on to winning positions, the visitors rallied.
Chelsea made a final change when Ferreira was replaced by Jose Bosingwa.
Arsenal just about weathered the storm as the contest entered the final 20 minutes.
Nasri should then have done better when Kakuta's tame back-pass presented him with the ball 10 yards from goal, but Cech was out quickly to block.
With 18 minutes left, Walcott was replaced by defensive midfielder Abou Diaby who made his first appearance since mid-October, before Marouane Chamakh came on for Van Persie.
Diaby's close-range effort was blocked by Frank Lampard and Kakuta's bundled effort was ruled out for offside as the Gunners closed out for a long-overdue victory against their championship rivals and moved within two points of leaders Manchester United, albeit having played a game more.
Source: ESPN Soccernet on 27 Dec 10
Arsenal expose Chelsea cracks
It was only seven months ago, at the end of his first campaign at Stamford Bridge, that Ancelotti added his name to the elite ranks of those who have claimed the domestic double of league and FA Cup.
And yet, after an abject and emphatic defeat at the hands of an Arsenal side they have made their personal playthings in the past, Chelsea's coach was fending off questions about his future as he admitted it was not just his fading team that needed to wake swiftly from their current nightmare.
How times change. Like two leading men swapping roles at the end of a long-running production, it was Wenger who was released from the shackles Chelsea have imposed on him while Ancelotti was suddenly the man in chains.
Arsenal cleared the barrier Wenger regarded as a psychological hurdle for the first time since November 2008, answering questions even posed from within their own ranks about their ability to overcome superpowers such as Chelsea and Manchester United.
The tables were turned as Wenger eulogised about the "mannish dimension" to Arsenal's win and warned the days when they could be bullied - particularly by the likes of Chelsea and Didier Drogba - were over.
Wenger has bridled in the past about "men against boys" jibes aimed at Arsenal in defeat to Chelsea, so he was entitled to return fire after such a convincing victory.
In this season of swings, Arsenal must now regard themselves as serious contenders for the crown if they can bottle the self-belief this deserved 3-1 win will give them and carry it with them through the rest of the season.
The very notion of Ancelotti being under threat is, in most circumstances, a ridiculous one but the shadow an impatient and demanding owner in the shape of Roman Abramovich hangs permanently over Stamford Bridge.
Abramovich is not renowned for limitless patience and past history tells us he will not take kindly to a run of only six points out of a possible 24 for a Chelsea side that opened so impressively that many thought the title would be wrapped up by this very Christmas.
Luiz Felipe Scolari lasted only seven months after a similar golden start slipped into the sort of decline that has accompanied a sudden air of instability and unease settling on Chelsea this season.
And Ancelotti was not hiding from what he knows to be the reality under Abramovich as he said: "We have to wake up. Now we are sleeping and maybe I have to be the first to wake up."
In the past Chelsea's experience has been the crucial factor as they have, to use Wenger's own word, "battered" Arsenal. Here at the Emirates experience looked suspiciously like ageing as Arsenal's young legs simply had too much pace and intensity for Ancelotti's side.
Chelsea and Ancelotti deserve more respect than to be written off after one bad run, but the warning signs are flashing as they drop to fourth place in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Manchester United having played a game more.
Ancelotti, for all the past expenditure, has a threadbare squad at his disposal. Chelsea's bench was embarrassingly inferior to Arsenal's where Wenger had Marouane Chamakh, Abou Diaby, Andrey Arshavin, Tomas Rosicky and Nicklas Bendtner to call on.
Much has been made of the sacking of Ancelotti's assistant Ray Wilkins as the catalyst for their slide, a decision that clearly failed to meet with his approval. And in a moment when four members of Chelsea's backroom staff appeared in the technical area at the Emirates to offer advice, there was no sign of Wilkins' successor Michael Emanolo.
Wilkins was a popular member of Ancelotti's staff, but if his departure really has led to Chelsea's form jumping off a cliff then the entire empire was built on the flakiest foundations. It is an unlikely story.
Ancelotti said: "I know Roman Abramovich won't be happy about this moment but I have to take my responsibility and I will take my responsibility."
He added: "Everybody said last year that I did a fantastic job. Everybody can now say that my job is not good - and that first one who says this is me. We are in a bad moment. I thought we were out of it and I was surprised by this performance because we have had two good weeks of training.
"I'm worried, obviously, because that's six or seven games we've not been able to win. I didn't see the team playing the way we want."
If there is pressure on Ancelotti to turn results around, surely there is even greater pressure on Abramovich to support the Italian with the serious funds needed to fill out a squad that has been allowed to get too thin.
When I asked Ancelotti if he believed Abramovich would also fulfil his responsibility, he responded: "We are speaking about this. If we are able to do something we will."
Ancelotti is a dignified, diplomatic figure and he will recognise that twin factors are behind Chelsea's recent demise - a loss of form and a squad that is not up to strength, something he alluded to significantly when he admitted: "We don't have the possibility to change a lot of players."
The core strength remains in Ancelotti's squad, but it now needs a period of renewal as well as strengthening around the edges and certainly with better buys than £17m Brazilian Ramires, who looks lightweight and out of his depth.
No-one can criticise Abramovich for instigating a period of austerity in west London after the lavish early spending, but Ancelotti will surely request for the purse strings to be loosened now to augment gifted players who remain in the hunt for major trophies.
Chelsea were simply swept aside by Arsenal, driven on by the lift of Alex Song's goal on the stroke of half-time. Laboured, although there was no lack of effort, Chelsea lacked the urgency to inflict any of the punishment they usually reserve for the Gunners.
Arsenal hustled and harried Chelsea out of the defensive certainty that was once their calling card as Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott added two more in the space of two minutes just after the interval to confirm the win.
Branislav Ivanovic's header cannot even be filed under consolation. There was no consolation for Chelsea on this miserable night. And the frustrations bubbling close to the surface flared up as John Terry and Drogba confronted each other angrily near the centre circle immediately after Walcott's goal, one of the few obvious signs of passion on show from a surprisingly timid Chelsea.
The contrast in emotions in the two camps was stark. This was the sort of affirming performance Wenger has craved amid the criticism, plenty of it here it should be said, that Arsenal do not deliver when it matters.
I have been accused of being too harsh on Arsenal in the past. Not this time. They were impressive almost from first whistle to last, although Wenger himself issued wise words of wisdom when he warned victory against Chelsea must not be undermined by under-performance at Wigan later this week.
Wenger's blueprint was perfect and Arsenal carried it out to the letter. Johan Djourou subdued the tormentor Drogba, while Walcott's pace drove Chelsea on to the back foot and put an instant stop to Ashley Cole's usual attacking intent.
When I questioned Wenger on what the victory, and the manner of victory, would do for Arsenal he said: "It is a team we needed to beat because it gave a double impact. Mathematically it keeps us in touch with the leaders and psychologically there was also an impact because we have proved we are capable of winning these big games."
Arsenal's season is alive and well. Ancelotti must now find the formula to awaken the sleeping giants of Chelsea.
Source: Phil McNulty, BBC Sport on 28 Dec 10
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