Kevin Whitcher
It was a relatively strong line-up that took the field for Arsenal against League One side Coventry. On one level, the inclusion of the likes of Wilshere, Ozil and the central defensive partnership relatively soon before the away game v Southampton indicated the manager was taking the competition more seriously than in recent seasons, and yet, maybe it actually betrayed a lack of squad depth. Would any of the quartet have played if there were other credible back up options?
One player who did get a chance to prove a point, against lower league opposition was Nicklas Bendtner. That he was substituted kind of sums it all up. There can be no illusions now that, in the event of Giroud’s injury, the not so Great Dane can be relied upon. Given the quality of the players he was facing, he had a poor game. There is a week remaining of the transfer window to rectify this glaring deficiency. To add to the ignominy, Giroud scored within minutes of entering the fray.
Although Arsenal dominated the opening 45 minutes, Coventry did have a very decent chance to make the game more interesting, forcing Fabianski into a good one handed save after Mertesacker had been made to look a bit of a mug. Podolski’s two goals confirmed his ability to put the ball into the net when given the opportunity, and given this, it is a wonder he does not start more matches. Is there some issue with the manager? Gnabry has been picked above him lately, presumably on the basis that the manager does not think Podolski or Cazorla can do a job on the right side of the attack.
Anyway, aside from the Fabianski save, it was a comfortable, if rain sodden 45 minutes. Arsenal rarely needed to get out of first gear. The visitors gave it a bit more of a go in the second half and certainly created a few decent chances, but poor finishing let them down. One might be alarmed at the ease with which, at times, the Arsenal defence was exposed, but here were a group of players that were not really switched on, playing at the level of a training session. It was energy preservation stuff, which was fair enough as long as the two goal margin was in place.
There was a fine comedic moment towards the end of the first half when there was partial floodlight failure and the crowd turned on their phone torches to illuminate the stadium. It felt like a Take That concert or similar.
A good number of the crowd left ahead of time, with the game looking settled, but missed two late goals as a consequence. The culture of leaving early is now set in stone and tarnishes the concluding moments of most games these days. Football has changed so much. Late arrivals for evening matches have always been a phenomenon, although if people acted as if the kick off was at 7.30 instead, there would be less of it. There is a card display planned for the Bayern Munich game that will be a damp squib if fans turn up at the normal time. We will be regularly reminding attendees to get there early for that one.
Performance wise, few really stood out because no-one played in a really committed fashion. It’s excusable. Cup games are about making sure you are in the hat for the next round. Wilshere perhaps showed a bit more spike than others. Difficult to make any conclusions about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s suitability for a deep midfield role based on this performance, because he was not really tested. At times, you wondered if Ozil was on the field, although you could have said that about Dennis Bergkamp in a large number of games. With this kind of player, it is about key moments of quality that make a difference, and Ozil’s pass to set up the opening goal was one such.
So we can all have a relaxing weekend now and wait for the draw for the last 16. If Arsenal can avoid the teams around them at the top of the table, they have a great chance in this competition. Certainly, the significance of a trophy win should not be underestimated. Manchester City won the FA Cup the season before they won the Premier League. That is not to discount the Gunners’ chances in the league itself, but those two sets of fixtures in February and March where the difficult matches come thick and fast look ominous. Will Arsène Wenger strengthen the chances of negotiating those by buying before the month is out? Life, they say, is full of surprises.
The new issue of The Gooner will be on sale outside the stadium at the forthcoming home match v Crystal Palace can be bought online here.
DIGITAL ISSUES
The Gooner is also available in digital form, through The Gooner App on iPhones and iPads, the Exactly App for Android devices and now Kindle Fire owners can also get their fix by searching the Amazon App Store for The Gooner.
You can also subscribe at www.exacteditions.com and read it through your internet browser as well as receiving a code which will enable you to access issues on all the above devices.
All digital subscriptions include access to our digital back issue library which dates back to August 2010.
