Arsène Wenger's wait for a trophy may well continue while the team's defensive frailties remain
Perhaps this competition is not Arsenal's to lose after all
Arsenal were sloppy, unable to impose their slick style for long periods and frustrated by their hosts' urgency and industry. Arsène Wenger wore a thunderous expression as his team spluttered, with the home side's narrow victory utterly merited. The Premier League players will tell themselves that Ipswich will be more vulnerable at the Emirates, but they should acknowledge that an opportunity to take the initiative in the tie has been surrendered. The club's first silverware in six years will be denied them if the complacency that seemed to set in here is maintained. It was as if they had expected a walkover against a team who were humiliated at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Certainly, the visitors' coaching staff demanded more than this disjointed display. They cannot be this obliging again.
Arsenal's issues at centre-half can be exposed even by Championship attacks
This was not the occasion to judge the real quality of Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou, the only fit senior centre-backs available to Wenger, but it did provide another reminder of their frailties. Just after the half-hour mark, Carlos Edwards' deep corner was headed back into the six-yard box by Darren O'Dea and over the bar by Gareth McAuley with visiting defenders grounded. They were exposed whenever passes were launched upfield after the interval, Tamas Priskin spreading panic. In the absence of Thomas Vermaelen and Sébastien Squillaci, who already felt like a stopgap signing, strengthening is urgently required. Wenger is apparently considering the likes of Gary Cahill, Christopher Samba and Matthew Upson. Progress has to be made on that front if this team is truly to challenge.
Andrey Arshavin's dip in form continues
The midfielder is unrecognisable from the player who excelled for Russia at Euro 2008, and who initially thrilled the Premier League following his mid-season move to Arsenal. Gone is ability to bamboozle back-tracking defenders with his close-control and dribbling in the area. Instead, he seems shorn of self-belief. He was sent through early in the second half by Cesc Fábregas's beautifully weighted pass, but lacked the conviction to bear down on goal and, despite being away from McAuley, could only slice the effort high and wide. At times, marooned out on the left, he cut an isolated figure as the game passed him by. Life on the periphery does not suit him.
The Premier League beckons for Connor Wickham
The 17-year-old has yet to score this season but continues to attract the scouts, with this a showcase of his considerable potential. Asked to fill in on the left of a five-man midfield, particularly when Arsenal were in possession, Wickham impressed with his industry and delivery, both with his feet and the long throws arrowed into the area. He tracked back to thwart the erratic Emmanuel Eboué when he could, showed strength to hold off challenges when he ventured infield, bursts of pace across the turf, and power in his shot. He is raw but could be brilliant. Harry Redknapp was due to attend this match. He will have returned to Tottenham Hotspur intrigued by the gem Ipswich have uncovered.
The task awaiting Paul Jewell is perhaps not quite so daunting as it had seemed
Jewell took Marcus Evans' call last Thursday, hours after Roy Keane had been sacked, and had agreed to return to club management by the time his new employers were walloped 7-0 at Chelsea. That was their eighth defeat in 11 matches and, in his programme notes, Jewell said they were suffering "a crisis of confidence". Yet, even as he watched from the stands, he will have been impressed by the endeavour, commitment and ability on show. His immediate task will be to haul Town from the relegation scrap, an eminently achievable objective given the calibre of player available to him even if five from the starting line-up have entered the last few months of their current contracts.
Source: Dominic Fifield, The Guardian on 12 Jan 11
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