Kevin Whitcher
I was intrigued to learn before the match that Coventry, once a top flight fixture are currently languishing in the depths of League One. And the 90 minutes that followed indicated why the once top flight perennials are unlikely to return any time soon.
They made a decent fist of it for most of the first half. A typically (for this competition) mix and match home team understandably lacked in fluidity and understanding. Not so long ago, Arsene Wenger treated the tournament as an extension of the Youth Cup, and experienced names were a rarity in the early rounds. Now, there is an element of giving more established squad players some match time on the pitch. It was telling though, that Ignasi Miquel started with Sebastien Squillaci on the bench. That Marouane Chamakh was named as only a substitute was also significant. Nico Yennaris – who has received most of his first team exposure at right back, was preferred to Emmanuel Frimpong in central midfield.
Weirdest of all was that, for the first time I can remember, Andrey Arshavin was finally started in the position that suits him best – that of shadow striker.
Coventry had a decent go at it and enjoyed a few attacks before the interval. The Arsenal defensive line seemed more cautious than the normal first choicers. Even Andre Santos seemed to hold back and be wary of getting caught upfield, proof positive that things are very different at London Colney these days, creating a buzz amongst the fans and optimism that Arsenal might finally be in a position to challenge for honours once more. Perhaps the insurance of a tighter defence means the goals of last season’s now departed captain might be less crucial in obtaining points.
However, some still need to be scored, and it was a relief to see Olivier Giroud break his duck with a nicely taken opener, created by a timely Francis Coquelin assist. 1-0 at half time seemed just about right, as the Gunners had edged the visitors in the opening period, without being totally dominant.
That was to change in the second, as the pace of the game, and the need to claw their was back into it, caught up with Coventry and gaps slowly began to appear. Arsenal could even afford to miss a penalty, which hopefully won’t knock Olivier Giroud’s confidence, as he was the guilty party from 12 yards after Arshavin had been poleaxed. Perhaps he wasn’t helped by a pair of pitch invaders upon the award of the spot kick. I was sitting next to my sometime podcast co-panelist Marc Ollington to watch this game, and we pondered the fate of the pair. You could not call them streakers as they were both wearing boxer shorts. Marc reckoned they came from the Coventry section. As they were only wearing boxer shorts, one assumes they were without anything else on their person in the way of money or mobile phone. Aside from being bloody cold, what happens once they have been charged and released from custody? Released in the early hours of the morning onto the streets of Islington in just their underwear? Marc pointed out that their one permitted phone call probably addressed the dilemma, but in these days of numbers stored on the phone rather than the memory, perhaps not.
I doubt the quandary crossed Olivier Giroud’s mind for long, and our own attention was fully back in time to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain strike a stunning goal to give some comfort and begin the flood. Goals followed from Arshavin, Coventry (a consolation due to a lack of focus - I think from Santos and Djourou - but you can live with that if they are going in at volume at the other end), Miquel and a brace from Theo. Doubtless Walcott would argue his late goals justified his claims for a starting spot as the focal point of the attack, but he missed a couple of easy chances as well, and the quality of the opposition, alongside the times of the goal, should be considered. That didn’t stop him milking the crowd though, and it was pointed out later that he is very PR savvy. It will be interesting to see what his reasoning for moving on is next summer. In reality, it is of course financial, so my guess is he will come out with something about not being played in the right position by Wenger (even if wide attack is where he will probably turn out for his next employer).
Another thing that struck me is that in Andrey Arshavin, we have the kind of squad player that winning teams need. Granted, he is paid way too much money for his contribution, but if he can play to his potential when he is used, the club have a player of proven quality that is content to sit on the sidelines until required without making waves. Getting him to reproduce the quality when he is asked to is the tricky bit, but he performed well enough last night in terms of attitude, seeming hungry and competitive. So maybe there is hope he still has some kind of a contribution to make in his final season at the club.
The draw for the next round gave Arsenal a trip to Reading, who have started the season very poorly and look out of their depth in the top flight. That Manchester United and Chelsea were paired led to optimism that this trophy is winnable amongst those I spoke with afterwards. Time will tell, but a second 6-1 victory in a row means Gooners are getting good entertainment at home these days. I suspect we might not see that type of scoreline at the weekend, but any kind of win would be fantastic.
The current issue of The Gooner will be on sale for the home matches v Chelsea and (if we have any copies left) Olympiacos. It can be bought online here. There is also an e-version of the issue available to read on your ipad/tablet/iphone/android. The app is free and you can download the first few pages of each issue as a taster before deciding whether or not to purchase the whole thing
