Amongst all the excitement and euphoria from Gooners after the Chelsea victory, it was easy to forget that we had a Champions League match four days later. It seemed some of the players had forgotten as well. The team put so much into the win at Stamford Bridge that it wasn’t overly surprising that we looked slightly off the pace against Marseille. The match wasn’t without positives though.
Whilst we struggled going forward, to keep a second consecutive clean sheet in the Champions League is worthy of note. Marseille have been struggling in Ligue 1, but still have some good attacking players. In the game between the two of us in France, neither team were overly adventurous, but Marseille attacked more at the Emirates, so a clean sheet was very welcome.
Given how open we’d looked in the first half of the Chelsea match, we kept things tighter and it looked like Marseille were going to need to score a special goal to get past us. I was encouraged by the Mertesacker and Vermaelen partnership, and it puts us in the strange situation of having three good centre backs to choose from.
So often in recent seasons, we’ve had selection problems at the back because of how bad some of our centre backs have been. However we now have three centre backs that actually make me feel more confident about our defending. Per Mertesacker is still learning about English football and does lack a burst of pace, however his positioning at times this season have made up for that as he reads the game well.
Thomas Vermaelen is Thomas Vermaelen. Need I say more? After he missed most of last season, I was slightly worried that we thought more highly of Vermaelen due to his absence, that we had a mystical idea that he’d return and save our defence. The thing is though, he really is that good. At the start of the season, he looked excellent before getting injured again, so we can only hope that he gets a sustained period of full fitness.
I’d probably consider Mertesacker and Vermaelen as our first choice pair at the back, however Laurent Koscielny has arguably been our best centre back this season. He didn’t play last night, but was probably only rested as his performances didn’t merit being dropped. The challenge for Wenger is to keep the three of them fit, in form and comfortable playing in any combination. I don’t think we’ll play three at the back, but with Sagna out, playing Koscielny at right back is a good option as we can’t rely on Jenkinson to play every game for the next three months.
On full backs, Jenkinson put in another good shift on Tuesday, although Andre Santos’ defending does leave a lot to be desired. He’s clearly an attacking player that’s become a defender and does seem slightly limited in his tackling style. Going forward, he looks great. His cross in the first half to the back post for Ramsey was superb and should have resulted in a goal, and as we saw against Chelsea and Olympiacos, he can find the net himself. He’s a lot better going forward than Clichy was, but Santos does lack the pace to get back at players if he’s beaten or caught up field attacking, often leaving us exposed on the left. Despite a few issues, I still really like Santos, it might just be because of the mystical nature of an attacking full back. His defending will improve the more he plays, as undoubtedly he offers us an extra dimension going forward that we’ve lacked for a few years.
We created some good chances in the first half of the Marseille game, but the match fizzled out in the second half, even with the introduction of Robin van Persie. Marseille’s defending was better than Chelsea’s was at the weekend, not that that was hard, although we lacked some of the creativity we’ve seen more of in recent weeks. I think the best chance was spurned by Ramsey when he dallied in the box before having a shot blocked.
Ju-Young Park started ahead of Robin van Persie, and as much as we wanted to win, we have to be realistic about keeping van Persie fit, so resting him was understandable. Park did little to dispel the questions, particularly from some of the media, about what we’ll do if we lose van Persie to injury. After playing well against Bolton last week, Park was slightly anonymous. In fairness to him, he wasn’t given much to feed off up front, however his movement wasn’t as good as van Persie’s is to make space to receive the ball and make a difference.
It was a shame we didn’t qualify, and arguably, had van Persie started, we might have won the match and be through already. However, we’re still top of the group and should go through with a home game against Dortmund and a visit to Olympiacos to come. In a strange way, drawing against Marseille means we’ll take the other games left more seriously and therefore ensure we don’t finish second in the group. That cost us badly last season so winning the group is important.
Overall, the game was a reminder that scoring five at Stamford Bridge doesn’t mean we can relax. We didn’t play badly, but we didn’t have the same intensity and slick movement we saw on Saturday. The Chelsea was a crazy, fantastic match, but the reality is still that we’re a team that are developing and are nowhere the finished article.
The last game before the next international break is West Brom at the Emirates on Saturday. They got too many points off us last season, but Almunia won’t be playing this time around after his howlers at the Emirates and the Hawthornes. Robin van Persie should be back, and we need to take the confidence from last week to keep climbing the table. Going into most games this season, I’ve not been expecting great results from an Arsenal point of view, however I’m expecting three points on Saturday. We mustn’t be complacent, we mustn’t treat West Brom lightly, and we have to work hard as team. Chelsea and Marseille are gone so the team need to be ready to run their feet into the ground again for the club.
Source: Sam Limbert, ESPN Soccernet on 3 Nov 11
Showing posts with label Marseille. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marseille. Show all posts
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Thomas Vermaelen stands tall in making case for Arsenal's defence
Arsenal found solidity at the back in the shape of their injury-free Belgian captain
On a night of no goals and few chances in north London, the solid performance of Thomas Vermaelen represented the best news for Arsenal, particularly since he was called upon to take responsibility for marshalling a defence completed by Carl Jenkinson, Per Mertesacker and André Santos, hardly a line-up to guarantee a night free from alarms and diversions.
Of all the many players whose absences and departures coincided with the team's steady decline over the past two seasons, none has been more sorely missed than the Belgian, who arrived in the summer of 2009 and immediately looked just the man around whom to rebuild a defence that had begun to show signs of falling below acceptable standards.
Then, unhappily for Arsène Wenger, he started to suffer problems with an achilles tendon, restricting him to five appearances in his second season. He was present and correct at the start of this campaign, only for a recurrence to send him back to the sidelines after a handful of appearances. His return against Bolton in the Carling Cup last week and as a late substitute in the tumultuous victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was more than welcome and coincided with his acceptance of a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2015.
Last night he was paired with Per Mertesacker, the man bought from Werder Bremen during the last transfer window in response to the popular demand for a tall centre-back. The German is 6ft 4in while Vermaelen stands a mere 6ft, which has never seemed a handicap to a man whose ability to head the ball puts him in a class with other great centre-backs of relatively restricted stature, such as Daniel Passarella, the captain of Argentina's 1978 world champions, and Paolo Montero of Uruguay.
Sure enough, a Vermaelen header provided one of Arsenal's two decent chances on the night. When Mikel Arteta angled in a free-kick in the first minute of the second half, Mertesacker met the ball with a back-header into the six-yard box, where his partner rose to win a challenge with the excellent Steve Mandanda and glanced his effort inches over. It was as close as Arsenal came to penetrating the Phoenicians' defence until, with 12 minutes left, Robin van Persie raced clear before sending a chip tamely into the gloves of a relieved Mandanda. For Wenger, barring further accidents, the dilemma will be over which of his players to select alongside Vermaelen on a regular basis. While Mertesacker might possess the more obviously complementary characteristics, Laurent Koscielny is the more polished footballer and seemed on the way to creating a useful partnership with the Belgian before the onset of Vermaelen's injury problems.
Marseille tore into the match with the sort of aggressive intent notably lacking from their performance in defeat against the same opponents in the Stade Vélodrome a fortnight ago, promising a stringent test of Vermaelen's match fitness and of Wenger's defence as a whole. Wearing the captain's armband while Van Persie started the evening on the substitutes' bench, Vermaelen did his best to radiate his usual sense of calmness and security in the face of regular assaults mounted by Jordan and André Ayew, Loïc Remy, Mathieu Valbuena and the substitute Morgan Amalfitano on the right wing.
Any wingers facing Arsenal this season and seeing the names of Jenkinson and Santos on the team sheet will fancy their chances of getting something from the contest, thanks to the inexperience of the tall young Anglo-Finn at right-back and the wanderlust of the solidly built Brazilian on the opposite flank. Santos, in particular, will always provide entertainment as he launches himself into injudicious challenges, leaving acres of space to be attacked by opponents when he ventures upfield and seeming to run short of puff when urgently required to regain his defensive station.
As they did against Chelsea at the weekend, however, his attacking incursions tended to overshadow his defensive limitations. "I'm happy when he has the ball," Wenger said afterwards, "and I feel personally that he's much better defensively that many people think. He's an intelligent boy and he's getting better all the time."
The positive approach displayed by Didier Deschamps' team, and their renewed counterattacks in the closing minutes as Arsenal pressed forward in search of a decisive strike, certainly presented the members of the home side's reshuffled back four with a worthwhile test. They may have been surprised in recent days to hear their manager insisting that defence is no longer a priority of the English game, but if defences were largely on top last night, that did not make the match less enjoyable, although it would have been hard to mistake it for a bout between heavyweight contenders.
Source: Richard Williams, The Guardian on 2 Nov 11
On a night of no goals and few chances in north London, the solid performance of Thomas Vermaelen represented the best news for Arsenal, particularly since he was called upon to take responsibility for marshalling a defence completed by Carl Jenkinson, Per Mertesacker and André Santos, hardly a line-up to guarantee a night free from alarms and diversions.
Of all the many players whose absences and departures coincided with the team's steady decline over the past two seasons, none has been more sorely missed than the Belgian, who arrived in the summer of 2009 and immediately looked just the man around whom to rebuild a defence that had begun to show signs of falling below acceptable standards.
Then, unhappily for Arsène Wenger, he started to suffer problems with an achilles tendon, restricting him to five appearances in his second season. He was present and correct at the start of this campaign, only for a recurrence to send him back to the sidelines after a handful of appearances. His return against Bolton in the Carling Cup last week and as a late substitute in the tumultuous victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was more than welcome and coincided with his acceptance of a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2015.
Last night he was paired with Per Mertesacker, the man bought from Werder Bremen during the last transfer window in response to the popular demand for a tall centre-back. The German is 6ft 4in while Vermaelen stands a mere 6ft, which has never seemed a handicap to a man whose ability to head the ball puts him in a class with other great centre-backs of relatively restricted stature, such as Daniel Passarella, the captain of Argentina's 1978 world champions, and Paolo Montero of Uruguay.
Sure enough, a Vermaelen header provided one of Arsenal's two decent chances on the night. When Mikel Arteta angled in a free-kick in the first minute of the second half, Mertesacker met the ball with a back-header into the six-yard box, where his partner rose to win a challenge with the excellent Steve Mandanda and glanced his effort inches over. It was as close as Arsenal came to penetrating the Phoenicians' defence until, with 12 minutes left, Robin van Persie raced clear before sending a chip tamely into the gloves of a relieved Mandanda. For Wenger, barring further accidents, the dilemma will be over which of his players to select alongside Vermaelen on a regular basis. While Mertesacker might possess the more obviously complementary characteristics, Laurent Koscielny is the more polished footballer and seemed on the way to creating a useful partnership with the Belgian before the onset of Vermaelen's injury problems.
Marseille tore into the match with the sort of aggressive intent notably lacking from their performance in defeat against the same opponents in the Stade Vélodrome a fortnight ago, promising a stringent test of Vermaelen's match fitness and of Wenger's defence as a whole. Wearing the captain's armband while Van Persie started the evening on the substitutes' bench, Vermaelen did his best to radiate his usual sense of calmness and security in the face of regular assaults mounted by Jordan and André Ayew, Loïc Remy, Mathieu Valbuena and the substitute Morgan Amalfitano on the right wing.
Any wingers facing Arsenal this season and seeing the names of Jenkinson and Santos on the team sheet will fancy their chances of getting something from the contest, thanks to the inexperience of the tall young Anglo-Finn at right-back and the wanderlust of the solidly built Brazilian on the opposite flank. Santos, in particular, will always provide entertainment as he launches himself into injudicious challenges, leaving acres of space to be attacked by opponents when he ventures upfield and seeming to run short of puff when urgently required to regain his defensive station.
As they did against Chelsea at the weekend, however, his attacking incursions tended to overshadow his defensive limitations. "I'm happy when he has the ball," Wenger said afterwards, "and I feel personally that he's much better defensively that many people think. He's an intelligent boy and he's getting better all the time."
The positive approach displayed by Didier Deschamps' team, and their renewed counterattacks in the closing minutes as Arsenal pressed forward in search of a decisive strike, certainly presented the members of the home side's reshuffled back four with a worthwhile test. They may have been surprised in recent days to hear their manager insisting that defence is no longer a priority of the English game, but if defences were largely on top last night, that did not make the match less enjoyable, although it would have been hard to mistake it for a bout between heavyweight contenders.
Source: Richard Williams, The Guardian on 2 Nov 11
Arsenal vs Marseille: five things we learned
Arsène Wenger presided over a more prosaic match than his last Premier League outing, leaving questions to be answered
Arsenal are still capable of the mundane
"Five Alive" screamed the headline on the matchday programme, and it was not a reference to the mixed fruit drink. Arsenal's 5-3 triumph at Chelsea had been hailed for its restorative powers but this was a reality check to deflate the mood. As if to prove a handful of days can be a long time in football, Robin van Persie, the hat-trick hero of Stamford Bridge, who was a substitute here, messed up his team's best chance with an undercooked chip. There was the distinct lack of any stardust. It was all rather laboured. Still, Arsenal are top of Group F, they have a better head-to-head record with Marseille and third-placed Borussia Dortmund have yet to come to the Emirates. One fan summed things up as he departed. "You cannot win 5-3 every week."
Gunners' defending is still under the microscope
It was a curious night for the Arsenal defence, who had been asked by Arsène Wenger to show improvements but continued to look somewhat flaky. André Santos cannot have dreamed of stoic defending when he grew up in Brazil, and it shows. The left-back looks more comfortable when marauding forward but at the back he lost his bearings. He struggled to get to grips with Loïc Rémy. The maverick edge in Arsenal's rearguard was illustrated by Wojciech Szczesny, who performed a Cruyff-turn to beat an opponent on the edge of his penalty area. Heart-stopping stuff. Individual errors and a certain slackness pockmarked all of the defenders' games and yet Marseille did not score. Wenger will cherish the ends rather than the means.
Park Chu-young fluffed his lines
It was a big night for the South Korea striker, his appearance from the start representing his first non-Carling Cup action for Arsenal since his £3m transfer from Monaco. He had large boots to fill – Van Persie's annus mirabilis has been well-documented. The Dutchman had 33 goals in 37 appearances for him going into this one. Nobody expected Park to put Van Persie in the shade but he gave the crowd nothing to get excited about. He showed flashes of aerial ability and plenty of honest running but was a peripheral figure, easily contained by the Marseille centre-halves. When the player who likes to be known as Ju had his only glimmer of a chance, in the 30th minute and from Theo Walcott's pass, his first touch was heavy. Wenger had no option but to replace him with Van Persie.
L'OM earned plaudits
This was a different Marseille to the one Arsenal encountered two weeks ago, in both tactical and philosophical terms. Didier Deschamps, as he has done in Ligue 1 of late, where results have picked up, played his version of a 4-4-2, with Mathieu Valbuena pushed up with Jordan Ayew; Rémy on the right and André Ayew on the left. Bruno Cheyrou also pressed from his central midfield role. There was quicksilver attacking thrust about the visitors; at home, they had rather disappeared into their shells. Rémy had the beating of Santos and although he was theatrical on more than one occasion Valbuena looked classy. With the technique and pace of the Ayew brothers also a feature, the visitors ensured it was a nervy night for Arsenal.
Wenger's selection demonstrated his intent
The manager bears the scars of last season's competition, when his tinkering in the second half of the group phase saw Arsenal slip, finish second and then draw Barcelona in the last 16, with predictably disastrous consequences. The omissions of Van Persie and Laurent Koscielny apart, Wenger's starting XI were arguably as strong as possible and it advertised his desire to see off the challenge of Marseille and step boldly towards the knockout phase as group winner. Koscielny's omission was intriguing. He has suffered from aberrations and heavy criticism but he has been in excellent form of late. Wenger even singled him out for praise in his programme notes. It was tough on Koscielny and it raised a question as to whether Wenger might prefer to partner Thomas Vermaelen with a taller player, like Per Mertesacker. Or, simply, whether Mertesacker was in need of a confidence boost after his toils against Chelsea.
Source: David Hytner, The Guardian on 1 Nov 11
Arsenal are still capable of the mundane
"Five Alive" screamed the headline on the matchday programme, and it was not a reference to the mixed fruit drink. Arsenal's 5-3 triumph at Chelsea had been hailed for its restorative powers but this was a reality check to deflate the mood. As if to prove a handful of days can be a long time in football, Robin van Persie, the hat-trick hero of Stamford Bridge, who was a substitute here, messed up his team's best chance with an undercooked chip. There was the distinct lack of any stardust. It was all rather laboured. Still, Arsenal are top of Group F, they have a better head-to-head record with Marseille and third-placed Borussia Dortmund have yet to come to the Emirates. One fan summed things up as he departed. "You cannot win 5-3 every week."
Gunners' defending is still under the microscope
It was a curious night for the Arsenal defence, who had been asked by Arsène Wenger to show improvements but continued to look somewhat flaky. André Santos cannot have dreamed of stoic defending when he grew up in Brazil, and it shows. The left-back looks more comfortable when marauding forward but at the back he lost his bearings. He struggled to get to grips with Loïc Rémy. The maverick edge in Arsenal's rearguard was illustrated by Wojciech Szczesny, who performed a Cruyff-turn to beat an opponent on the edge of his penalty area. Heart-stopping stuff. Individual errors and a certain slackness pockmarked all of the defenders' games and yet Marseille did not score. Wenger will cherish the ends rather than the means.
Park Chu-young fluffed his lines
It was a big night for the South Korea striker, his appearance from the start representing his first non-Carling Cup action for Arsenal since his £3m transfer from Monaco. He had large boots to fill – Van Persie's annus mirabilis has been well-documented. The Dutchman had 33 goals in 37 appearances for him going into this one. Nobody expected Park to put Van Persie in the shade but he gave the crowd nothing to get excited about. He showed flashes of aerial ability and plenty of honest running but was a peripheral figure, easily contained by the Marseille centre-halves. When the player who likes to be known as Ju had his only glimmer of a chance, in the 30th minute and from Theo Walcott's pass, his first touch was heavy. Wenger had no option but to replace him with Van Persie.
L'OM earned plaudits
This was a different Marseille to the one Arsenal encountered two weeks ago, in both tactical and philosophical terms. Didier Deschamps, as he has done in Ligue 1 of late, where results have picked up, played his version of a 4-4-2, with Mathieu Valbuena pushed up with Jordan Ayew; Rémy on the right and André Ayew on the left. Bruno Cheyrou also pressed from his central midfield role. There was quicksilver attacking thrust about the visitors; at home, they had rather disappeared into their shells. Rémy had the beating of Santos and although he was theatrical on more than one occasion Valbuena looked classy. With the technique and pace of the Ayew brothers also a feature, the visitors ensured it was a nervy night for Arsenal.
Wenger's selection demonstrated his intent
The manager bears the scars of last season's competition, when his tinkering in the second half of the group phase saw Arsenal slip, finish second and then draw Barcelona in the last 16, with predictably disastrous consequences. The omissions of Van Persie and Laurent Koscielny apart, Wenger's starting XI were arguably as strong as possible and it advertised his desire to see off the challenge of Marseille and step boldly towards the knockout phase as group winner. Koscielny's omission was intriguing. He has suffered from aberrations and heavy criticism but he has been in excellent form of late. Wenger even singled him out for praise in his programme notes. It was tough on Koscielny and it raised a question as to whether Wenger might prefer to partner Thomas Vermaelen with a taller player, like Per Mertesacker. Or, simply, whether Mertesacker was in need of a confidence boost after his toils against Chelsea.
Source: David Hytner, The Guardian on 1 Nov 11
Gunners firing blanks without Van Persie
Robin van Persie's absence made the hearts of Arsenal fans grow fonder as the feast of Chelsea was followed by famine in his absence against Marseille.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, with a caution shaped by Van Persie's chequered injury history, restricted the hat-trick hero of Saturday's 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge to the role of substitute rather than offer him the full Champions League experience at Emirates Stadium.
And in doing so, Wenger laid bare the dilemma that will face him and his team as the importance - some might say indispensability - of Van Persie was exposed by this drab draw that denied Arsenal the opportunity to secure early qualification from the group phase.
Wenger explained the thinking behind his decision not to start Van Persie as he said: "It was a gamble. You can say tonight that it didn't come off. Robin was tired, that's why I left him out. It was down to fatigue. He cannot play 50 games."
There is sound logic in Wenger's argument, although hindsight suggests a better ploy might have been to start with Van Persie and use the wave of brilliant form he is currently riding to apply early pressure to Marseille in an attempt to establish a winning position before removing him.
Instead, the arrival of the team-sheet more or less set the tone for the evening. Arsenal's fans turned up on a high after Saturday but there was an almost instant sense of deflation when he was only listed among the substitutes.
Van Persie received a roar markedly more resounding than any of his team-mates when his name was read out, while even a gentle jog down the touchline, especially in one the many turgid passages during this group game, was greeted like the arrival of a conquering hero.
It was almost as if this game would not be complete until Van Persie made his entrance, which he did just after the hour. But when he arrived the pattern was set and Arsenal had lost momentum to such an extent that even he was unable to effect a change.
On the field at least, in the absence of injured Jack Wilshere and even with the rapidly developing Aaron Ramsey, Van Persie carries the hopes of this club.
It is disrespectful to those two talents and others besides to suggest Arsenal are a one-man team, but there is no doubt Van Persie's quality means he now wields a lop-sided influence.
So while there must be full understanding of the balancing act Wenger has to perform with this precious but occasionally fragile talent, it was a night that emphatically underlined why Van Persie now lines up just behind his manager as Arsenal's most influential figure.
And it also illustrated the potential consequences should Van Persie suffer more frailty with his fitness. At the sharp end of Arsenal's game the Netherlands striker is starting to look irreplaceable, especially when statistics such as 28 goals in his last 27 Premier League games and 33 in his last 37 all told are presented.
Van Persie may have missed Arsenal's best chance of the game 13 minutes from time when he failed to get enough height on his attempted chip over Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda, but he carries an air of menace no other striker at Wenger's disposal comes close to giving off.
Gervinho was hard-working but unsure of touch against Marseille, while the South Korean Ju-Young Park looked a work in progress, off the pace and a marginal figure.
Andrey Arshavin emerged as a substitute with no impact and has undergone a rapid decline in performances, while the injured Marouane Chamakh's recent displays have provoked the jibe that he is the free transfer that looks increasingly like a waste of money.
Should Van Persie suffer an absence of any length - and his class alone means no-one with Arsenal or the Premier League's best interests at heart would want this - that particular cupboard looks bare.
Wenger would have to mix-and-match should that happen and even then he may have to consider strengthening in January, never the ideal time to add real quality to a club with ambitions in the Champions League and Premier League.
At least, while Wenger keeps his fingers crossed that his finest player stays in his current rude health, Arsenal kept a clean sheet despite a disappointing performance and remain in control at the top of their Champions League group.
They will have high hopes of topping the group and avoiding the most hazardous opponents in the knockout phase, while another player of great importance returned to show his quality.
Thomas Vermaelen was captain in Van Persie's absence and showed the authority that has been sorely missed in his battle to recover from an Achilles injury.
He coaxed a more assured performance from his central defensive partner Per Mertesacker, and a happier conundrum for Wenger will be how to accommodate that pair and Laurent Koscielny, outstanding at Chelsea but sitting alongside Van Persie on the bench on Tuesday.
The Belgian may yet end up at left-back as Andre Santos once again showed he is a real talent with the ball at his feet but has a very loose interpretation of his description as a defender. The Brazilian, still looking short of fitness, covers plenty of ground but much of it is when he is out of position.
Santos is a wing-back masquerading as a left-back, too prone to indisciplined runs upfield and too often the cause of gaping holes on the left side of Arsenal's defence. He is, to put it kindly, a free spirit when it comes to positioning.
He will undoubtedly be fun, but Wenger's task is to harness natural gifts on the ball to the structure of his team to ensure he is fun in a good way for Arsenal.
No serious damage was done to Arsenal's Champions League aspirations by this result but it was an opportunity missed to confirm qualification.
This can be achieved with a point at home to Borussia Dortmund later this month, but history and last season's exit to Barcelona will tell Wenger finishing at the head of Group F has to be top priority.
Van Persie is central to all those ambitions as the one reliable, ruthless attacking weapon Wenger has in his armoury.
Arsenal supporters, understandably frustrated on Tuesday, may point to the talent elsewhere in Wenger's squad but reality, the sort of reality they saw against Marseille, will tell them Van Persie is the man they need to stay fit.
Source: Phil McNulty, BBC Sport on 2 Nov 11
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, with a caution shaped by Van Persie's chequered injury history, restricted the hat-trick hero of Saturday's 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge to the role of substitute rather than offer him the full Champions League experience at Emirates Stadium.
And in doing so, Wenger laid bare the dilemma that will face him and his team as the importance - some might say indispensability - of Van Persie was exposed by this drab draw that denied Arsenal the opportunity to secure early qualification from the group phase.
Wenger explained the thinking behind his decision not to start Van Persie as he said: "It was a gamble. You can say tonight that it didn't come off. Robin was tired, that's why I left him out. It was down to fatigue. He cannot play 50 games."
There is sound logic in Wenger's argument, although hindsight suggests a better ploy might have been to start with Van Persie and use the wave of brilliant form he is currently riding to apply early pressure to Marseille in an attempt to establish a winning position before removing him.
Instead, the arrival of the team-sheet more or less set the tone for the evening. Arsenal's fans turned up on a high after Saturday but there was an almost instant sense of deflation when he was only listed among the substitutes.
Van Persie received a roar markedly more resounding than any of his team-mates when his name was read out, while even a gentle jog down the touchline, especially in one the many turgid passages during this group game, was greeted like the arrival of a conquering hero.
It was almost as if this game would not be complete until Van Persie made his entrance, which he did just after the hour. But when he arrived the pattern was set and Arsenal had lost momentum to such an extent that even he was unable to effect a change.
On the field at least, in the absence of injured Jack Wilshere and even with the rapidly developing Aaron Ramsey, Van Persie carries the hopes of this club.
It is disrespectful to those two talents and others besides to suggest Arsenal are a one-man team, but there is no doubt Van Persie's quality means he now wields a lop-sided influence.
So while there must be full understanding of the balancing act Wenger has to perform with this precious but occasionally fragile talent, it was a night that emphatically underlined why Van Persie now lines up just behind his manager as Arsenal's most influential figure.
And it also illustrated the potential consequences should Van Persie suffer more frailty with his fitness. At the sharp end of Arsenal's game the Netherlands striker is starting to look irreplaceable, especially when statistics such as 28 goals in his last 27 Premier League games and 33 in his last 37 all told are presented.
Van Persie may have missed Arsenal's best chance of the game 13 minutes from time when he failed to get enough height on his attempted chip over Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda, but he carries an air of menace no other striker at Wenger's disposal comes close to giving off.
Gervinho was hard-working but unsure of touch against Marseille, while the South Korean Ju-Young Park looked a work in progress, off the pace and a marginal figure.
Andrey Arshavin emerged as a substitute with no impact and has undergone a rapid decline in performances, while the injured Marouane Chamakh's recent displays have provoked the jibe that he is the free transfer that looks increasingly like a waste of money.
Should Van Persie suffer an absence of any length - and his class alone means no-one with Arsenal or the Premier League's best interests at heart would want this - that particular cupboard looks bare.
Wenger would have to mix-and-match should that happen and even then he may have to consider strengthening in January, never the ideal time to add real quality to a club with ambitions in the Champions League and Premier League.
At least, while Wenger keeps his fingers crossed that his finest player stays in his current rude health, Arsenal kept a clean sheet despite a disappointing performance and remain in control at the top of their Champions League group.
They will have high hopes of topping the group and avoiding the most hazardous opponents in the knockout phase, while another player of great importance returned to show his quality.
Thomas Vermaelen was captain in Van Persie's absence and showed the authority that has been sorely missed in his battle to recover from an Achilles injury.
He coaxed a more assured performance from his central defensive partner Per Mertesacker, and a happier conundrum for Wenger will be how to accommodate that pair and Laurent Koscielny, outstanding at Chelsea but sitting alongside Van Persie on the bench on Tuesday.
The Belgian may yet end up at left-back as Andre Santos once again showed he is a real talent with the ball at his feet but has a very loose interpretation of his description as a defender. The Brazilian, still looking short of fitness, covers plenty of ground but much of it is when he is out of position.
Santos is a wing-back masquerading as a left-back, too prone to indisciplined runs upfield and too often the cause of gaping holes on the left side of Arsenal's defence. He is, to put it kindly, a free spirit when it comes to positioning.
He will undoubtedly be fun, but Wenger's task is to harness natural gifts on the ball to the structure of his team to ensure he is fun in a good way for Arsenal.
No serious damage was done to Arsenal's Champions League aspirations by this result but it was an opportunity missed to confirm qualification.
This can be achieved with a point at home to Borussia Dortmund later this month, but history and last season's exit to Barcelona will tell Wenger finishing at the head of Group F has to be top priority.
Van Persie is central to all those ambitions as the one reliable, ruthless attacking weapon Wenger has in his armoury.
Arsenal supporters, understandably frustrated on Tuesday, may point to the talent elsewhere in Wenger's squad but reality, the sort of reality they saw against Marseille, will tell them Van Persie is the man they need to stay fit.
Source: Phil McNulty, BBC Sport on 2 Nov 11
Spirits remain but Gunners fire blanks
Robin Van Persie had simply destroyed Chelsea but his fragility matches his value to his team. His manager has pledged to protect his finest asset. "He was tired, it was fatigue," said Arsene Wenger of his decision to bench the Dutchman for all but the last 30 minutes. "We are playing 50 games in a year and he cannot play 50 games."
So, can the revival continue without Van Persie in the ranks? It is a question that still hangs after this goalless, and often listless, draw.
Here was a dress-rehearsal run, with the flying Dutchman benched and Park Chu-young, after last week's excellent strike in the Carling Cup, given a start. The Korean is not expected to replicate the leadership that Van Persie has displayed, both by example of excellence and a hitherto unrecognised statesmanship. What Arsenal want from Park is to be the player they lost when Eduardo's leg was broken at St Andrew's in 2008. A finisher to complement the all-round qualities of Van Persie would do just nicely.
An hour in, and Park departed, his claim for a regular place unlikely to be met for the foreseeable future. Van Persie's arrival was little surprise. Park had faded from view; his moment of truth denied by a heavy touch after Gervinho and Aaron Ramsey had carved him a first-half chance. It was a disappointment greeted with groans. An enterprising start was too soon lost in the heavy traffic of the Marseille defence. "At the moment, he lacks the pace of the game," suggested Wenger. "He has not played enough."
Not even Van Persie at his peak could alter the unerringly blank destiny of this match. A single burst through the OM offside trap was followed by a chipped improvisation that failed to break the deadlock.
Weekend hero Theo Walcott reverted to frustrating type after a tenth minute shot had fizzed past Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda, a moment that on reflection of the whole 90 minutes, was possibly the best chance of the game for Arsenal. That Marseille's best attack came in the very first minute for Andre Ayew shows what type of game this was.
Olympique Marseille are another team undergoing a positive shift in fortunes and an adventurous start swiftly reverted to defending in numbers, with counter-attacking the order of their day. The fireworks of the Bridge were not to be repeated. Wenger suggested his own team's flatness came "emotionally more than physically" and that it was "difficult to be on a high three days later".
Victory at Chelsea was a triumph for Arsenal's attacking principles but it was also a match in which horrid defending played an equal part in the thrills. As John Terry's bad week got yet worse, two of Chelsea's three goals had resulted from mistakes by Andre Santos and Per Mertesacker, recent arrivals suffering early problems. Carl Jenkinson meanwhile, is as raw as the sushi on offer in the Emirates' dining halls, and faced a test in the languid skills of Ayew. He came through it, just about.
Wenger has a taste for full-backs who can overlap, which the sometime Finn can certainly do, but his understanding of the organisation of an offside trap is not exactly in the traditions of Steve Bould and Tony Adams. The same goes for Andre Santos on the other side. Building an almost entirely new back four was always going to be difficult but their manager was encouraged by the results here. "It's positive that we did not concede a goal," said Wenger. "And in the third period of the pitch we know we can do better.
"It's not all perfect but Mertesacker was solid, Jenkinson was fine but lacks experience in certain situations and I am happy when Santos has the ball," mounted their manager's case for the defence before he described Santos as "a very intelligent boy".
The return of Thomas Vermaelen added defensive leadership, experience that his three colleagues cannot yet offer. Like Van Persie, the Belgian must be wrapped in cotton wool if honours and a 15th straight Champions League place are to be grasped, such have been his own problems with physiology.
Good chances for Morgan Amalfitano and Loic Remy may have been given up, but at least there was an air of defensive calm, where once there was panic and farce. The attack has been restored to former glories, it is now time to concentrate on the backline, itself the weakness that has denied Wenger the glory he feels his team's efforts have deserved in the last six years.
The mix is not yet right. The two elements of attack and defence are yet to work properly in tandem but this stalemate should not halt any sense of revival. A win would have meant avoiding what happpened last year, where a second-placed finish resulted in the knock-out nemesis of Barcelona hovering into view. As it stands, there is still a possibility of history repeating itself for a second time. That is for a future that may not be realised. In a different but no less valid fashion than Saturday's celebrations, Arsenal looked like a team again.
ARSENAL VERDICT
The highs of Saturday were not to be repeated. Attacks broke down rather too often. But at least there was a solidity to Arsenal that looked lost a few weeks ago. There is the positive to derive from this rather dull draw.
MARSEILLE VERDICT
Didier Deschamps spoke of "fighting spirit" but admitted his team required "caution at the back". They showed both of those, while Ayew and Valbuena both looked dangerous. A win would have been something of a smash n' grab, though a taste of the medicine OM received from Arsenal two weeks ago.
BALLON BORE
Arsene Wenger seemed somewhat embarrassed in pre-match when he was reminded that he has been nominated for "Coach of the Year". He was dismissive post-match when asked why he thought Van Persie was not in European football's Top 50. "I don't make the list, I don't know," said a rather irked Wenger.
Source: John Brewin, ESPN Soccernet on 1 Nov 11
Wenger's reaction to the Arsenal 0-0 Marseille match
He had a great chance when he came on, you know? He tried to chip the keeper but overall you cannot say that one player always has to make the difference.
on the 0-0 draw...
I felt it was a game where we were not physically at our sharpest. Marseille started stronger than us and after that we got back in the game. In the first half I feel we had opportunities to kill the game. After that we were disciplined, we were willing, but you have to give credit to Marseille - they defended very well. They stopped us from playing and we were not sharp enough to get them out of position. The positives are that we did not concede a goal, Marseille only had one shot on target and overall we know that in the final third we can do better.
on his back four...
I was happy with them. It's not all perfect but we have rebuilt a back four. Overall Vermaelen had a good game, Mertesacker had a solid performance tonight, Santos as well. Jenkinson has just come back and he lacks experience in certain situations but overall he did well.
on Andre Santos' attacking nature...
I am happy when he has the ball. I feel personally he is much better defensively than many people think. He is getting stronger in every game. He is a very intelligent boy who learns very quickly and obviously he has to adapt to the pace of the English game. That is not easy, to play game after game.
on what Saturday's game took out of his team...
Emotionally more than physically maybe. It is difficult to be on a high three days later again but we still had opportunities, especially Ramsey in the first half, he had two great chances. Gervinho had a chance, and in a game like that you still expect to take one of these chances.
on Ju Young Park…
He did very well last week. Tonight you could see that he lacked the pace of the game a little bit because he has not played enough games.
on not securing qualification…
Well we wanted to achieve that tonight but you have to say as well to be fair that we have taken four points against Marseille in our two games. Four points overall is not too bad.
on hopes of finishing top of group…
I just looked at the numbers of Olympiacos, who did extremely well tonight. They dominated possession and they played very well. Everybody thought that Olympiacos would be the easy game but you could see that even in Dortmund tonight they lost just 1-0. They were strong in the game from what I've heard. If we win our next home game we have a good chance.
on any injuries from the game…
Everyone looks alright.
Source: Arsenal.com on 1 Nov 11
1 November 2011: Arsenal 0-0 Marseille, The Emirates
At the Stade Velodrome at fortnight earlier, Aaron Ramsey’s last-gasp goal had split two evenly-matched sides in a sterile game. This was a much more lively affair but the deadlock could not be broken.
Andre Ayew spurned Marseille’s best chance in the opening minutes while Ramsey sidefooted wide the standout opportunity for the Arsène Wenger’s outfit.
Both teams displayed energy and enterprise in pursuit of a winner, with the visitors enjoying a territorial advantage in the latter stages.
But, with Thomas Vermaelen and Per Mertesacker in tandem for the first time, the home defence stood firm.
Even in-form Robin van Persie, who had been bench-bound at kick-off, could not find the net after his introduction.
Dortmund’s 1-0 win over Olympiacos leaves Arsenal a point clear of their opponents this evening and four beyond the German side in third.
They visit Emirates Stadium on November 23 and a home victory will secure safe passage to the Knockout Stages of the Champions League for the 12th successive season.
In his pre-match press conference, Wenger had revealed that he was tempted to stick with the side that swept past Chelsea in the second half on Saturday.
In the end, he resisted.
The talismanic Van Persie was a substitute so, with Marouane Chamakh (knee) out injured, Ju Young Park was the spearhead striker.
Carl Jenkinson replaced Johan Djourou at right-back and Vermaelen came in. Laurent Koscielny, a star at Stamford Bridge, was rested.
The first game between this sides at fortnight ago had been a pretty flat affair and the sides had been separated by a late Arsenal flourish.
The match began in exactly the opposite fashion.
Marseille had strung together three straight wins since then. As a result, they were sparky and penetrative from the opening whistle. But most importantly, they were prepared to gamble going forward.
The Ayew brothers might have grabbed a goal apiece in the opening minutes.
First Jordan’s backheel went wide of one post then Andre stabbed Loic Remy’s cross inches wide of the other.
The supplier also fired over the bar.
Arsenal had to responded – and they did. Gervinho fed Walcott on the right and the winger, whose goal had instigated the comeback at Chelsea, saw a low drive tipped past the far post by Steve Mandanda.
By the midway point of the half the home side had not restored equilibrium and they might have gone ahead when Santos stormed forward and clipped a cross to the far post for the onrushing Ramsey.
The Welshman steered his shot wide and then thumped the ground at his own profligacy.
However, Remy was still a pest on the right. He cut in and raced onto Benoit Cheyrou’s flick before firing wide.
Still, by the half-hour, Arsenal had a measure of control and spurned a couple of solid chances with Ramsey and Park both dithering when they had a glimpse of goal.
The Welshman was having another impressive game in midfield as Arsenal successfully began to turn defence into attack successfully.
However, they could not find the opener before the break.
Within four minutes of the restart, Van Persie began to warm-up. It was an incentive for the Arsenal XI on the pitch and a threat for their opposition. Before that, Vermaelen had headed over for the home side.
However, as they had in the first half, Marseille started well. When Cheyrou’s cross flashed past Szczesny and spliced the six-yard box on the hour, Wenger had seen enough.
On came Van Persie. Park’s workmanlike game was over. Shortly afterwards, Tomas Rosicky replaced Ramsey.
The manager was freshening up his side and looking for the victory which would secure qualification.
It did not have an immediate effect.
In fact, as we entered the final 15 minutes, Marseille still had the edge and Van Persie was employed clearing up chances in his own area rather than making them at the other end.
In fairness, on 77 minutes, the Dutchman did find space beyond the visiting defence but his chip was snaffled by Mandanda.
It had been a half of few chances but both sides began to gamble as the minutes ticked away.
Andre Ayew headed wide and Morgan Amalfitano drove off target as Marseille grew in confidence. Arsenal were pretty much playing on the break at the end.
A goal never came and Marseille’s celebrations suggested they were the happier side at the final whistle.
However, for Arsenal, this result was surely a minor detour en route to the Knockout Stages.
Source: Richard Clarke, Arsenal.com on 1 Nov 11
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey leaves it late to make a mark at Marseille
The victory gained was not pretty and the tie could be filed under one for the committed. Certainly, there was plenty to admire about Arsenal's resilience, which was epitomised by the man-of-the-match Laurent Koscielny, and having drawn the sting from what had shaped up as an intimidating game, they grabbed the glory at the death, when all of their substitutes combined to devastating effect.
Johan Djourou slung over a cross from the right, Gervinho touched the ball on and there was Aaron Ramsey, in yards of space, to drill low and unerringly into the near corner. Wenger had demanded four points from the two games against Marseille to top the group and avoid the other group winners in the last 16. He is emphatically ahead of schedule before the return with Marseille in two weeks' time.
Wenger might joke that smash-and-grab raids were more suited to the Marseille of the Bernard Tapie era, yet his team snatched all three points. They had endured a nervous start but gradually they wore down their opponents, who lost their way and their attacking vim. Towards the end it was Arsenal who created the chances and even Didier Deschamps, the Marseille manager, admitted that Ramsey's goal had been coming.
Arsenal have not gained renown on their European travels in recent times. They arrived in the south of France with only three away wins since the beginning of the 2008-09 season (excluding play-offs) and, despite Marseille's domestic toils and the intense pressure on Deschamps, there was a feeling that this tie represented their toughest assignment in the group.
It was cagey at the outset, with Arsenal pock-marking their play with errors, and the first-half was most notable for three handball controversies, with Marseille feeling the sense of injustice first. Jérémy Morel's cross from the left appeared to strike Carl Jenkinson's arm and although unintentional, the penalty pleas looked to have grounds. André Ayew's protests were so vociferous he was booked.
Arsenal's penalty claim was only visible after TV replays, but at the time they were more aggrieved that Robin van Persie's looping header following Mikel Arteta's corner had been cleared off the line by Alou Diarra. Upon closer examination it was clear that the defender Souleymane Diawara's hand had pawed at Arteta's delivery.
André Santos made up the hat-trick. Already booked, harshly, for a check on Mathieu Valbuena, Arsenal's left-back went for a header, missed it, but with an arm outstretched, he handled. The Brazilian was fortunate that the referee did not deem it worthy of a second yellow card.
Wenger seemed happy to contain in the first half. There was little incision or tempo from his team, despite Van Persie's inventive movement off the ball. They were also grateful to Koscielny for a perfectly timed tackle on Loic Remy, and Lucho González missed the only real chance of the half when he touched wide from Valbuena's cross.
It was stodgy fare. Arsenal struggled to get much out of Theo Walcott and Andrey Arshavin, but eventually they took control of the midfield. Patience was the watchword and Marseille, who looked happier on the counter-attack, could not force the issue.
Arsenal lost Jenkinson on the hour after he stretched his right knee when making a routine clearance. Wenger's headache at right-back deepened. Already without Bacary Sagna due to a broken leg, Jenkinson is his only other specialist in the position. Djourou came on in his stead.
Wenger could be pleased with the discipline that his team showed. The often-maligned Koscielny barely put a foot wrong and together with Per Mertesacker and Song in front of them, he helped to restrict Marseille. Wojciech Szczesny did not have a save to make while Arteta was neat and tidy throughout.
Arsenal created more openings as the game wore on. From Rosicky's pass after 64 minutes Walcott got the better of Nicolas N'Koulou, who was guilty of a slip and the winger wriggled through on goal. Steve Mandanda, though, narrowed the angle to block. The Marseille keeper had to repeat the feat to deny Van Persie soon after but he was powerless and exposed when Ramsey struck. Wenger's men now have one foot in the knock-out stage.
Source: David Hytner, The Guardian on 19 Oct 11
Nothing wrong with a good old 1-0
Our match against Blackburn was exciting and we played some good attacking football that day, but we lost and I never want to see that game again. As much as I want to always see Arsenal playing exhilarating football, at the moment I’m more than happy for us to revert to a more restrained style if it means getting results. Sometimes, as we proved last night, you can get as much satisfaction out of a good old ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ as you do out of games that in theory are more exciting.
What made the win on Wednesday even better, was that I was struggling to see how either team was going to score the longer the game went on. You only needed to look at the reaction of the travelling fans, and undoubtedly the reaction of fans in living rooms and pubs, when Aaron Ramsey scored, to know that winning away in the Champions League really matters, however it’s done. The players looked chuffed as well. Surely it’ll give them extra motivation in the league to make sure they can experience such wins in Europe next season.
In truth, there really weren’t many other key moments to note in the game except for Ramsey’s winner. Johan Djourou, who did well after coming on at right back, clipped the ball towards the box, Gervinho miscontrolled it, but Ramsey arrived and finished brilliantly. Was it lucky that Gervinho accidently flicked the ball on? Probably, but it helped produce a moment reminded us why we follow football, and particularly the Arsenal. We never take the easy route, but sometimes they come up with moments that make you feel awesome. A late winner always does that, regardless of how good the game was beforehand.
One of the reasons the match was fairly dull before second half injury time was that we looked organised at the back and limited Marseille’s chances to attack. There were still some scary moments, we’ve come to expect that of the Arsenal defence, but generally they looked more disciplined and like they knew what they were doing. After Jenkinson went off, it was the same back four that finished the embarrassment at Ewood Park in September. The improvement defensively since then has been massive, although work still has to be done.
Laurent Kosicelny had an excellent game, and when Thomas Vermaelen returns, Arsene Wenger has a tough choice to make about his centre backs. With the injuries at right back, I think Koscielny will play there, with Mertesacker and Vermaelen in the centre. Mertesacker is becoming increasingly composed with each game. He can still look sluggish, but particularly in European matches, his positional sense and reading of the game is very good. As he’s becoming more confident, he’s becoming more dominant in the air when defending, and that is something we’ve missed in a centre back for a long time.
Admittedly, Marseille weren’t over ambitious going forward, as they’ve had an even worse start to their league season than we’ve had in the Premier League, but a clean sheet away from home in the Champions League should be seen as a massive positive. Plus it’s been a long time in coming. It was our first away shut out in Europe since AC Milan in 2008.
There was still a lack of creativity in midfield, however Arteta, Song and Rosicky couldn’t be criticised for not covering the ground in France. Obviously the departures of Fabregas and Nasri were going to have an effect, but we do appear to have sacrificed our more open attacking style to have a more organised midfield. Whilst we’re still a team trying to gel and trying to fight for points, being more organised is the best policy. Let’s make sure we can’t get beaten, as we still have good enough players going forward to score the necessary goals. All three midfielders did some great work defensively in not allowing Marseille to settle on their home ground and should take some of the credit for the improved defensive performance.
We’re now top of the group, with seven points from three games, and can qualify with a win against Marseille in two weeks at the Emirates. Ahead of the Udinese qualifier, with the state of our team, if someone offered me the chance to be unbeaten in Europe after three games of the groups and be one win away from qualifying, I’d have bitten their hand off and devoured it.
Arsene Wenger has been rightly criticised at different points during this season, but just quietly there are signs he’s turning things round again. We’ve got five wins in six games in all competitions, and there is a definite team spirit developing within the squad, and a willingness to run their feet into the ground for each other, that is really encouraging for the rest of the season. Keep it up Arsene.
Our next game sees Stoke come to the Emirates on Sunday. We all know what to expect from them, but hopefully our big German turns out to be good at repelling long throw-ins. We’re slowly building momentum, and with a lot of ill-feeling still existing between some supporters, a win would improve the spirit in the dressing room even further.
Just a reminder for those going to game on Sunday, don’t leave early as after the match, there is the chance to see the Arsenal under-18’s play the Chelsea under-18’s in a friendly. I’d definitely recommend staying.
Finally, it was great to hear that Thomas Vermaelen has signed a new contract. With other players supposedly being unsure about committing to the club, it’s reassuring that the vice-captain has set the example to the others by signing. Hopefully we’ll see a domino effect with others following his lead. Even at this early stage of this Arsenal’s team existence together, it’s important everyone stays as they’re capable of a result that was staple score-line for some Gunners sides; ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’. Another one on Sunday would be greatly appreciated.
Source: Sam Limbert, ESPN Soccernet on 21 Oct 11
Wenger's reaction to the Marseille 0-1 Arsenal match
We left it very late but we had a difficult start. We lost some balls in the first half due to the fact Marseille pressed us well.
They didn't find their fluency but in the second half we took over and I don't think Marseille were dangerous at all [after half-time]. Marseille defended very well but you could see in the last 15 minutes we created some chances and were rewarded because we kept going and got an important victory.
on the potential to win the group...
We've made a little step forward but we have to be humble. We are a team who must continue to grow and we have to show that. The next game at home against Marseille is very important."
on growing with confidence…
Yes it will help us but if you look back last five or six games you will see we only have one defeat. We are slowly getting there - that will help tonight.
on Carl Jenkinson's injury…
He has a knee problem. He overstretched his knee and we will check that tomorrow.
on Aaron Ramsey's impact...
It was a great finish, you see Ramsey in front of goal and you know you have a good chance to score. He is a goalscorer. I do not want to overplay him. I have seen in my mind that he had been injured for a year - Wilshere played a lot last year [and is now injured]. I try to be a bit more cautious when I can.
on the question of luck...
We lost two points in Dortmund in the last seconds of the game. We lost a Champions League Final in the last part of the game with 10 men. We are not always lucky but when you face good opposition you need to take your chances.
on the second-half improvement...
I felt like we needed to be patient and intelligent. You could see our midfield had experience - we didn't make stupid mistakes and we didn't play stupid balls. It's an important win but you take any win away from home in the Champions League.
on Marseille's chances of taking second place...
They have a chance to qualify. They are a good team, they were intelligent and disciplined. The game was blocked tactically by two teams. We tried to push Marseille but sometimes this is the way of football, these games happen.
Source: Arsenal.com on 19 Oct 11
19 October 2011: Marseille 0-1 Arsenal, Stade Velodrome
A tense, tight stalemate seemed to be meandering to a close when Johan Djourou’s raking cross from the right was nudged on by Gervinho to the unmarked Welshman at the far post.
He took a touch to steady himself then fired his side to the top of the table.
It was a goal out of nothing. Before then both defences had been on top and there had been little to split the sides.
Both had seen solid penalty shouts turned down, as well as enjoying one decent chance apiece – Walcott for Arsenal, Lucho Gonzalez for Marseille.
Still, you get what you grab in the Champions League and Arsenal now lead Group F with seven points. Marseille have six, Olympiacos three and Dortmund one.
With two of their three remaining games at Emirates Stadium, Wenger’s side have the fate firmly in their own hands.
And, as far the 'recovery' goes, this was Arsenal's fifth win in their last six matches.
Wenger had promised to field his strongest possible side in, along with the trip to Dortmund, their toughest fixture in Group F. He made two changes from the team that had edged out Sunderland 2-1 at the weekend.
Kieran Gibbs (stomach muscle) was replaced by Andre Santos at left back while Andrey Arshavin was preferred to Gervinho on the left. With Theo Walcott retained on the right and Rosicky in central midfield, it was an attacking selection.
The Stade Velodrome is known for possessing one of Europe’s most partisan atmospheres. It was loud enough this evening despite one of the stands being empty - apart from the 1,400 travelling supporters. The stadium is in the middle of reconstruction work ahead of Euro 2016.
Uefa’s official previews had described Marseille’s 3-0 over Dortmund last time out as “a counter-attacking masterclass”. Certainly the feeling was that they had ceded ample possession to the German champions, ridden their luck but, most importantly, taken their chances.
There was an indication of that last quality after only three minutes this evening when Loic Remy pounced on hesitation by Alex Song just outside the area. The Arsenal midfielder hauled down the winger in a desperate attempt to regain possession and picked up a booking for his troubles. Andre Ayew barely tested Wojciech Szczesny with the free-kick.
At the other end Van Persie dived to nod wide a Theo Walcott cross, unaware that he had been already flagged offside.
However, it was an isolated effort as Arsenal struggled to settle. Marseille bossed the first quarter-hour. Benoit Cheyrou fired over then a left-wing cross from Jeremy Morel hit the hand of Carl Jenkinson at the near post. On another night, it would have been a penalty - Ayew was booked for protesting the decision.
The let-off only served to inspire Arsenal. They staged a five-minute siege on the Marseille goal midway through the half.
First Arteta’s corner had to be punched clear by Steve Mandanda. Then the Spaniard flung in another that Mertesacker nodded back into the area and Van Persie’s header was cleared off the line by Souleymane Diawara. Replays later confirmed the same defender had clearly handled when the initial ball had been played in.
It was now 1-1 in solid penalty shouts.
On the half-hour, Remy shone again on the left for Marseille. He nudged the ball past Mertesacker on the byline then fooled Jenkinson before sending a deflected effort across the face of Szczesny's goal.
Shortly afterwards, Lucho Gonzalez nudged an effort just beyond the far post from Mathieu Valbuena’s clipped in cross.
They were Marseille’s best efforts so far but, in an open game of many half-chances, neither side had really carved out anything clear-cut.
The second half began in similar fashion. A melee in the goal area on the hour typified a game in which the attacking elements had never quite clicked into place.
Remy hoisted the ball into the area where Ayew and Lucho tussled Jenkinson and Mertesacker for a five-second period in which no-one had control of the ball.
Song stepped in with a fine challenge and eventually Jenkinson hacked the ball clear. However, he injured himself in the process and hobbled off. Johan Djourou replaced him.
In the 63rd minute, Arsenal created perhaps their first clear chance at goal. Walcott squeezed the ball past Alou Diarra but could not prod an angled shot past Mandanda from six yards out.
It was the winger’s last act. Two minutes later he was replaced by Gervinho.
The substitutions had done little for Arsenal going forward. As time ticked away both sides seemed to have settled for a point apiece.
Valbeuna fooled Mertesacker on the right but his cross amounted to nothing. All Gervinho’s energy came to no avail.
Ramsey’s strike came with virtually the last kick of the match and was as unexpected as it was welcome. Djourou's searching ball eventually landed at the feet of the Welshman, who cut inside before finishing coolly to seal the points for Wenger's side.
It seems that all Arsenal’s good fortune is reserved for the Champions League at the moment.
But this was a welcome win for a fast-recovering side.
Source: Richard Clarke, Arsenal.com on 19 Oct 11
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)