"We started the game too late and we have to learn from that." Arsene Wenger. Post West Brom. A lesson not learnt.
There was a Highbury time when our title marching sides would race out of the traps and swat teams away by the 20 minute mark. Those sides realised the need to impose their superior game upon the opponent in order to win. The win wasn't just going to fall into their grateful laps following a few neat passes, and without the effort required to break sweat.
This attitude was ingrained in players such as Adams and Keown, and couldn't help but be passed on to Vieira. They didn't need any motivation to know what was required each time they stepped out in red and white.
West Brom. West Ham. Newcastle. Each of the last three league games at home has been approached with victory assumed. From each opening whistle, we have stood off our 'lesser' opponents, waiting for them to concede possession without closing them down, and forcing them to do so. We seem carelessly confident that such sides do not have the capabilities to hurt us, or to cope with our own attacking prowess.
We failed against West Brom. Embarrassingly and miserably so, despite an all too late Nasri rally. We lucked out against West Ham. Robert Green was called into heroic action on three or so occasions, but it wasn't a good Arsenal performance and it took a late goal to secure all three points. It was a game that could have easily gone the same way as Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle, on the back of a rousing derby massacre, confidently kept the ball early on. They didn't trouble us, but whilst they had the ball, neither could we them. We had no great urgency to win the ball back. It's been said before, but if Arsene is modelling this side on Barcelona, a key part hasn't been included in the construction kit. The desire and tenacity to win the ball back almost as soon as it has been lost.
The best Arsenal effort of the first half came from Nasri, who's fierce curling effort forced a fine save towards the end, with Cesc also coming close when drilling low into the side netting, having previously clipped the bar from a deflected free kick.
We had started to find our way in the game when a free kick was launched into the box, heading for one direction only. Target Carroll.
The pony tailed giant found himself goal side of deep Arsenal defence. Sensing danger, Fabianski came to claim and take the problem away from his defenders. Pony tail got there first, and glanced into an unguarded net.
Fabianski will not be the only keeper to fall short of such a mistake when trying to deal with the Geordie, and it was by no means an embarrassing error, but a keeper should not come for such a ball unless he is certain of claiming it. Carroll would still have had a free header, but it would've been harder to score with Fabianski in his goal.
On the plus side, the error was learnt from, and a similar situation was dealt with in exemplary fashion in the second half. The mistake isn't enough to undo his recent good work, and he is by no means alone in being responsible for the defeat.
A goal down at half time, and if the atmosphere created by the fans off the pitch has any effect on performance produced on it, we deserved no more. Audley Harrison didn't help either.
It wasn't working, but Arsene doesn't make changes at half time. The players know this. Would individual performances improve if they were playing with the fear of being dragged off at the interval?
The second half was an improvement. On the pitch and in the stands. But neither to the sufficient standard required to turn around a goal deficit. The closest to an equaliser we came was via Theo's only contribution over ninety minutes, as he burst into the box and thundered an effort against the bar.
Cesc Fabregas gave a critique of his first half performance against West Ham, saying it was one of the worse he has produced, a troubling hamstring to blame. The problem persists, and he will have been even harsher on himself following this injury stained, inept, display. Our captain was awful, but he isn't that bad without reason.
Cesc was struggling. Arsenal were struggling.
Alex Song still has ideas of being the kind of player he is not, and, despite recent goals, would do well to remember the role that made him so important in the first place. Judging by his programme notes, Arsene has been reminding him. Perhaps he needs to do so in stronger terms.
Song was by no means terrible, and perhaps in some cases he was trying to cover ground in making up for others’ shortcomings. But the bottom line with Song, for me, is that I'd rather he was behind Fabregas and Wilshere, shielding the back four, more times than he was in front of them, trying to breach our opponents.
Song defends better. Wilshere attacks better. Simple basics.
Jack again shone. He was the player who wanted it more than any other. He tackled and hurried like he cared, and he is always going to be a threat around the edge of the box. So questionable was it then, when his number was up and he made way for Bendtner. He may have played a full game in Ukraine, but he wasn't showing any ill effects from doing so.
Against West Ham we managed to keep a clean sheet and snatch one at the end, but it could easily have gone the same way as the Newcastle result did, had they had a tiny bit more teeth in attack.
I'm glad to see Wenger discuss the issue of our home form after the game, because it has been far from sparkling. The walk home down Liverpool Road had us discussing the formation, and whether it could be changed to four-four-two. The centre forward is often isolated as a result of the current formation. Time after time we chipped it into Chamakh or another, only for it to be headed easily away by either one of two centre backs.
The four-three-three set up also permits teams to play their way out of defence against us. It only takes one pass to a full back, or winger, for teams to be able to get at our unprotected full backs. If we had wide men they'd stop this.
A four-four-two might see us penning teams in at home, with two forwards also closing down the defenders and working together to cause problems further up the pitch, where it matters most. The main question raised from this discussion would be who would partner Cesc in a two man central midfield, with Song being the obvious choice.
"Our home form is a concern because against Birmingham and West Ham they were struggling wins. Everybody comes here and plays very tight and when we are not in full form we have problems to play through the lines. When you score the first goal it is alright because teams have to come out but as long as they can sit deep we have a problem to play through when we are not on full power." Arsene's words following the latest defeat. He realises there is a problem that would be cured by getting that first goal.
Perhaps we should come out with more desire to get it.
The Chelsea result made ours even more infuriating.
Source: Joe Mardon, The Online Gooner on 8 Nov 10
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