Kevin Whitcher
I have a recollection of writing about the trip to Montpellier recently and acknowledging that, ultimately, if you get the points, it doesn’t really matter how. Problems can be worked on. And looking at last night’s performance, this team is unquestionably a work in progress. Having had a look at Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as partners to Mikel Arteta on Saturday, Francis Coquelin was given a go last night. I’m not blaming the young Frenchman for Arsenal’s general lack of zest during the match, but he didn’t have an outstanding game by any stretch of the imagination. Then again, few did.
It was a tale of getting it right at the key moments and getting lucky at others. The visitors should certainly have scored more than once in the first half. However, two quality finishes from Gervinho and Podolski reaped the spoils. The Gunners’ third goal was so late, it was academic.
The game was a sell out, but as has become familiar on autumn Champions League nights, many season ticket holders had better things to do, or other places to watch the game. The physical attendance was probably around the 48,000 mark. It is a consequence of the gradual filtering down of the amount of quality matches in the groups. Remember the days when we had Barcelona and Fiorentina in the same group? On one level, it is encouraging that more genuine champions are taking part, but there is limited interest in seeing a lot of the names that make up the 32 teams in the group stages, especially if the stakes are not so high as they become in the knockout rounds. This is, I believe, the third time in four seasons Arsenal have faced Olympiacos at this stage. Weird how there are such a choice of obscure teams to draw these days and we invariably end up with the same team.
The goal that the visitors did score will have had Andy Carroll licking his lips ahead of the weekend fixture with West Ham. Per Mertesacker had flu and was watching last night’s match at home, making a return at Upton Park unlikely. However, the defensive solidity that the side began the season with has gradually evaporated, and when Olympiacos won corners, the familiar feeling of dread started to return. How much of the good defensive organization was down to Mertesacker is presumably a question that will be answered when he is picked again, but things did not look tight last night. Whether Abou Diaby is another factor in this is one for debate. It will be intriguing to see who is selected on Saturday. Emmanuel Frimpong hasn’t had a turn yet, and we are all obviously waiting to see if Jack Wilshere can make a successful return.
The third Arsenal goal was good to see, even if half the crowd had made for the exit by that stage. The referee had his whistle in his lips to blow for full time, but as the ball was knocked on, allowed the move to reach its conclusion. It would have been devastating if it had happened that way at the other end, although obviously the home side would have been defending deeper.
So a 3-1 scoreline looks respectable, and you can’t argue with six points out of six. It was not, however, a comfortable night. At times the team were sloppy, as they were against Chelsea. They need to pick their game up at West Ham as they will are unlikely to get away with it there. And as wonderful as Santi Cazorla is, he really needs to work on his finishing. He could easily be the club’s top scorer by now, given the amount of chances he’s put high or wide. Dare I suggest that Gervinho is more clinical? What a thought.
One final oddity about yesterday evening was that there was no clock, or team line-ups on the scoreboard. Strange. Maybe the computer wasn’t working properly. Or is that some new UEFA dictate?
The current issue of The Gooner will be on sale away at West Ham, although there are only a very limited number left. 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
