Kevin Whitcher
The scoreline may have only been 2-0 but this was a far more conclusive display by Arsene Wenger’s team. Marseille are obviously the whipping boys of this group, but such teams can pick up unexpected points even when eliminated. And the French team did not seem to show any lack of commitment and played the game like it mattered. Fortunately, Ozil’s laconic penalty aside, there was no sense of complacency from Arsenal either. With the very real possibility that both Dortmund and Napoli could end up level with the Gunners on 12 points, it was just as well.
Rotation was the name of the game, with Cazorla, Arteta and Gibbs rested from the match against Southampton. Rosicky, Flamini and Monreal started instead but there seemed no weakening of the team. It’s a phenomenon of midweek home fixtures at the Grove that many of the crowd arrive after the game kicks off, partly due to the sheer number of those leaving it to the last minute creating queues at the turnstiles. It used to happen at Highbury too. The price is that occasionally many will miss an early goal. And so it proved last night.
Wilshere’s run from just inside the opposition half and exquisite finish was a thing of beauty. The player has the talent to score many more than he does, and it must be hoped that, like Aaron Ramsey, he can develop the scoring side of his game. That he started in a more advanced position than was customary before this season may be a factor in the pair he converted against Marseille. He set up Aaron Ramsey for a relative sitter soon afterwards, but for once, the number 16 did not convert.
A 1-0 lead is always precarious, although the Gunners contained their opponents with authority, limiting their chances severely. The football in possession was of high quality, a real contrast to the performance against Southampton when they really had to dig in. This was a Marseille weakness. Certainly they allowed Arsenal more space than the likes of Dortmund did when they were in town.
The home side were also very determined when the ball was lost and worked hard to hunt down the opposition. They are conscious that closing down the passing options will mean a quicker return of the ball and seem to be more active on this front. It isn’t Barcelona’s hunting in packs, but there is a sense of everyone being responsible for marking someone so that defenders have less options and are forced to play the ball back to their keeper sometimes.
Wilshere probably took the man of the match award, but I thought Flamini had a fantastic game. He once again cut his long sleeves off, which looks like something we will have to get used to. But he metaphorically rolled his sleeves up and led the team on the field, even without the armband. The side now has a spine of Szczesny – Mertesacker – Flamini – Giroud when it is at its best. Interesting to note that there is not a lot of flair there, but a great deal of commitment.
I can’t quite get my head around the Ozil penalty. It won’t matter in the end, as goal difference in the games against Marseille is not going to be a factor in determining this group should three teams finish with 12 points. It was very un-German. I think he tried to outfox the keeper and simply got it wrong. Better to put it out of reach even if he goes the right way, although someone texted me to say that the Marseille keeper Mandanda was a long way off his line. Refresh my memory about what it is that the officials standing behind the goal do. In fairness, it did not look like the foul leading to the spot kick occurred inside the box at the time, a view confirmed later on TV. So maybe justice was done.
Although there was always the theoretical danger of an equaliser, Arsenal’s control of the match was such that the chances were slim to say the least, and eventually, it was made comfortable by Wilshere’s second. The introductions from the bench of Cazorla, Walcott and Arteta indicate the potential strength in depth when everyone is fit. The manager will certainly need to spread the load a little if the team are to continue the good form shown so far this season. Although Szczesny had little to do, when called upon he pulled off an excellent interception (first half) and a world class save towards the end of normal time. On another night, the chances Arsenal failed to take could have cost, in spite of their overall superiority.
As for the final game, the indications are that Napoli will have to win convincingly to progress, assuming Dortmund do take all three points in Marseille. So a containing job is required. As long as Flamini and Mertesacker are fit, there is every reason for optimism that the Gunners can get the required result. However, the San Paolo can be an intimidating place and the last thing Arsenal want is for the crowd to get any sense of encouragement from what is happening on the field. I still recall a match from 1989 in the UEFA Cup quarter final. Juventus had won the first leg 2-0 and then travelled south for the return. We don’t want to see the likes of this again, thank you very much. Still, they don’t have Diego Maradona these days I suppose.
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