Kevin Whitcher
It augurs well for Wembley, that six goals in two matches have come against teams floating above the relegation zone. Four of them have been scored by Lukas Podolski and a bit of me wonders, given his goal threat, whether he shouldn’t be an automatic starter. Certainly the defensive side of his game is a weakness, but there must be a way to compensate. Dare I suggest a 4-4-2 formation with the German playing in tandem with Olivier Giroud? It’s never been tried, but was surely worth a look sometime if the reason the number nine does not start too many games when everyone is fit is his lack of nous when the opposition are attacking. The conclusion is that when played wide he is a liability and does not put in a shift, hence he finds himself on the bench a great deal of the time. Shades of Andrey Arshavin?
It’s been obvious how big a loss Aaron Ramsey has been, and after his performance at the KC Stadium, questions need to be asked about why he missed over three months with a thigh strain. Who is overseeing the rehabilitation of these injured players and are they qualified to do the job? The absence of Ramsey and soon after, Walcott stripped the team of a great deal of its drive and pace, although Ramsey’s contribution at Hull demonstrated that Arsenal can play some very good football without Theo.
I noted the three triangles that led to Arsenal’s goals:
Ozil – Cazorla – Ramsey
Giroud – Ramsey – Podolski
Cazorla – Ramsey – Podolski (albeit via a parry from the Hull keeper)
No doubt about the common denominator there. Aside from the issue about how you get players back from straightforward injuries a little quicker, the other dilemma is how you compensate for their absence while they are injured. Of course, no-one knew how good Ramsey would be this season, but one imagines the plan was that Jack Wilshere is a similar type of player, a driving midfielder. Arsene Wenger has also stated his belief that the natural position of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is as a deep central midfield man. However, neither of the those two have been anywhere near as effective as Ramsey. Arsenal’s problem with his loss was that they were unable to adapt their game sufficiently to compensate for his loss, and with Theo Walcott injured on 4th January, legitimate questions need to be raised about why so much money was left lying in the bank after the end of the January transfer window.
Granted, Arsenal posted five consecutive Premier League wins beginning with the Boxing Day game in which Ramsey limped off, but at times, they looked laboured, and there were signs the wheels were about to come off when the side visited Southampton and were largely outplayed. There followed a sequence of ten league matches which saw three wins, three draws and four defeats, including embarrassing performances at Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton which definitively killed off any title ambitions.
However, given they were battling for first place throughout January, the opportunity to maximise their chances of overcoming the sides around them was passed up, leaving questions about the genuine priorities at the club.
Still, after winning at Hull, fourth place and another ride on the Champions League gravy train is still on the cards, although Everton do not look as if they are going to give up the chase easily.
The team started sluggishly, but changed gear after scoring the opening goal on half an hour. The second was a thing of delight. Jelavic went down softly under a challenge from Arteta and the referee didn’t buy it. What followed was old style Arsenal with a quick break and no nonsense before the ball was headed towards the net after Ramsey had chested the ball down for Podolski.
The visitors controlled the game after that and could have scored more than the three they mustered. Hull did fathom the odd chance themselves, but in goal Szczesny played as if he is actually competing for his place – which of course he will be where the FA Cup Final is concerned. It’s an interesting dilemma for the manager, but on the assumption that Fabianski is offski in the summer, you would imagine he is going to look at the future and opt for the younger Pole, possibly bringing on Fabianski for the last ten minutes if the game becomes a procession similar to this one.
It was good to see Mesut Ozil playing again, although his impact was fairly limited, understandable given his lack of match fitness. I can see him playing 65 minutes of every game between now and the end of the season, but not 90.
It was a good performance, but we have seen a number of these against teams in the bottom half of the division. It should be no surprise, but what Arsenal need to look at is the lack of success against the top teams, a trend that has become progressively worse over the years, and the reasons behind it. For now, though, continue in flat track bully mode and fourth place and the FA Cup will give the board satisfaction. The rather worrying speculation that Arsene Wenger has already signed his contract but that the club are waiting until the right moment to release the news means this is as good as it’s going to get for at least another couple of years. The purgatory is set to continue.
The current issue of The Gooner can be bought online here. A new issue will be out for the Newcastle game, a 64 page special priced at £3 and including an interview with Sol Campbell and special sections on the 10th anniversary of the Invincibles and Arsenal in the Cup Final.
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