Kevin Whitcher
An interesting team selection at Palace with Mathieu Flamini returning to the side, pushing Aaron Ramsey into a wide attacking berth. Accusations of the manager playing his favoured players regardless of position could have been justified with Rosicky and Gnabry on the bench. In this type of match, against opposition of this quality, there was a good argument for Gnabry to start. It would have meant one of Ramsey, Flamini and Arteta being on the bench, but you can’t play everyone.
Palace began with an understandable approach of ensuring that they did not concede first above anything else. Arsenal’s formation issues improved when Flamini had to leave the fray early and was replaced by Gnabry. One assumes the groin strain came from nowhere as it is difficult to imagine the player being risked for this game with Liverpool on the horizon next weekend. Against Palace, a midfield of Arteta and Ramsey would have appeared more than adequate. Gnabry picked up where he had left off and impressed with the level of his involvement and confidence. He worked hard defensively too.
The Eagles denied the visitors much in terms of real chances, and had more than one decent attempt as the game reached the interval without score. Arsenal wearing white socks instead of the yellow and blue hooped affairs made them look a little like Brazil. That was before the game started, as during the first half there was not too much of the ‘jogo bonito’ about them, in spite of early dominance of the ball. The hope was that as the second half wore on the greater gaps would provide Arsenal with the opportunities to win the game. However, a penalty soon after the re-start gave the Gunners ascendancy as Gnabry was fouled and the spot kick dispatched convincingly by Arteta.
The home side had to go for it and caused concern in the Arsenal ranks. Chamakh, who had shown in the first half why he figured so little for Arsene Wenger in his latter time at the club, was brought down by Arteta and my immediate reaction was that it was a red card offence. Yes, the incident was a long way out, but there was nothing between Chamakh and the goal except Szczesny. The irony being that if you could probably allow any player a one-on-one with the keeper and get away with it, it was probably the Moroccan.
Down to ten men, Arsenal understandably played much deeper and opted for survival over style. I was surprised to see Gnabry brought off for Wilshere, as Cazorla would have been a more obvious sacrifice, given the young German’s workrate, but soon after Cazorla was hauled off anyway for Monreal. Arsenal’s central midfield was now Wilshere and Ramsey. Assuming Mike Arteta gets a one match ban, this would mean he can return for the Liverpool game next weekend.
Wojciech Szczesny pulled off a couple of excellent saves to keep his team in the lead and is proving himself a more reliable keeper than many feared after some questionable form at times last season. The last 20 minutes was like a reverse of the first 20, with Arsenal offering little and concentrating on denial of their opponents.
The pressure was released moments from the end, with a beautifully crafted goal between Ramsey and Giroud on the counter-attack. Palace did not give up, but it was a mountain to climb, even against ten men. Credit to their supporters for their marvelous backing. I suspect many feel they might not be in the top flight for long and are making the most of it. There’s no doubt they are vulnerable given the current lack of points, but there is still time to turn things around if they can get a manager in who can organize and motivate. Whether Tony Pulis is that man is something I don’t really want to think about.
Back to the Gunners, and it has been pointed out more than once that the only team in the top half of the table that Arsenal have played in their nine matches so far is Tottenham. Granted, this may leave questions about the genuine validity of a title challenge, but picking up points against the lower ranked teams has often proved a stumbling block to success for Wenger’s teams in recent years. It is refreshing to see them make a habit of it this time out. Certainly, they will now need to produce some respectable results against better teams than they have faced so far, but momentum is something that should build confidence. Everyone realizes that the end of December will provide the real story of Arsenal’s improvement, and it would be foolish to get carried away after less than a quarter of the campaign.
However, all that Arsenal can do is beat what’s in front of them and this they have managed so far, with a couple of exceptions. The feelgood factor amongst the fans is reflected in the demand for tickets (and on that note, if anyone has a spare pair for Liverpool, do get in touch!) and the actual number of bums on seats at home matches these days. People are interested again. It must be hoped that Mathieu Flamini’s injury is not serious, as any extended absence is likely to weaken the team’s defensive abilities. Next weekend will tell us plenty, whether the Frenchman can begin the game or not. Before then, a Capital One Cup match which I will not even be in the country for and am not optimistic I will be able to catch on a live stream due to a questionable internet connection where I will be. That being the case, I will try to get someone else to provide a piece on the tie against Chelsea.
Palace away was a workmanlike win. Nothing wrong with that, and the three points were key to ensure the Dortmund defeat did not play on the mind. Arsenal simply need to continue picking up the points for now, with the tougher challenges lying ahead, and this they did yesterday. Two points clear at the top of the table is all that can be asked of Arsenal at this point. Let’s hope we can say the same in seven days’ time.
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