Kevin Whitcher
Arsenal’s two previous visits to the Hawthorns have resulted in, perhaps, undeserved wins, although without those key points, they would have failed to make the Champions League this season and last. Certainly, it has become a fixture that no-one would anticipate an easy victory from. And so it proved yesterday. The line-up was very similar to that which gave Napoli no chance last Tuesday evening, with Wilshere for Rosicky and Jenkinson for Sagna the only changes.
However, Steve Clarke had done his homework and put a team out to make life difficult for Arsenal in the midfield. It worked. The Gunners never really established much in the way of fluidity as moves were broken up before they really got going. Plan B would have been to use more width, but with Wilshere and Ramsey nominally the wide attackers and the full backs not particularly effective at using the ball well in the final third, Arsenal did not have many ideas.
Ultimately, it was a below par performance from which a point was as much as could be expected, not least because of Nicolas Anelka’s pair of misses early in the second half when the Baggies were 1-0 up.
Remembering that West Brom took all three points at Old Trafford last weekend, a draw at their place is no bad result. If they finish in the top half of the table and Arsenal can take four points out of the six on offer from their two fixtures against Clarke’s team, it will be a decent enough return. The record run of away wins had to end sometime, and over the course of it, Arsenal have certainly been off the boil at times but managed to win. QPR away comes to mind for one.
Wenger’s concern will be whether or not others see West Brom’s performance as a blueprint in how to stop Arsenal playing. It was a frustrating afternoon. Against Napoli, the two goals came from creative play in the wide areas, but this simply did not happen yesterday. So the team have the players to make things happen, they were just unable to create the danger.
I don’t think there is any point in over-analysing this kind of game. If the Gunners had somehow managed to fathom a goal before West Brom scored, it could have been a very different afternoon. Perhaps the number of matches they are playing is beginning to take its toll, given the inability to rotate in certain positions. Aaron Ramsey was not particularly influential, but that can hardly be a surprise as the player is not a machine.
Laurent Koscielny had a slightly erratic afternoon. His challenge in injury time which the ref shrugged off could have been another cheaply conceded and unnecessary penalty and in spite of the presence of Flamini and Arteta to screen the defence, there seemed a vulnerability about the Gunners’ backline on this occasion.
Perhaps, most importantly, the team go into the two week international break off the back of a draw rather than a defeat. The table is looking interesting after seven matches, with Arsenal ahead of Liverpool on goal difference, but only two points clear of Southampton. It’s been that kind of season. Some strange results. What the Gunners must do is to continue winning the matches they should, and with the obvious exception, they have managed that so far.
Who knows whether sheer jadedness played any part in the performance yesterday? What is key is that the team win their next two league matches at home to Norwich and away to Palace to get their momentum back on track before entertaining Liverpool at home in early November. In theory, Santi Cazorla should return to the fray after the international break to give the manager the chance to rest players as the matches come thick and fast.
I pointed out last week that from the equivalent 2012/13 matches against the opposition played so far in the league this season, Arsenal had gained 18 points out of 18 (15 out of 18 so far this time). That now becomes 16 out of 21 against 21 out of 21 last time around. I am not making out that this is any major failing, but it is just very strange the way the fixture list has worked out, given the number of points that Arsenal did drop last season. Norwich at home are next up which was a 3-1 win in the previous campaign. Weird.
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