Kevin Whitcher
The most important thing in this home fixture against the club lying at the foot of the Premier League were the three points that resulted. Yet, the performance has raised concerns, because on chances created, Leicester were worth the minimum of a draw.
Having taken a 2-0 lead, it was time for cruise control, but in the match up to that point, the Foxes had already enjoyed some excellent chances. They became more numerous after the interval as the Gunners’ positional discipline seemed to desert them. Old habits die hard.
There were some positives. Both of Arsenal’s goals were thanks to the work of Mesut Ozil in their creation, winning, and then taking the corner for the first, then shooting from distance, which led to Walcott’s very well taken finish. To these eyes, the first goal, stabbed in by Koscielny, actually looked like a well-worked training ground routine, and hopefully that is what it actually was as Arsenal do not get enough return from corners.
Well taken as Theo’s goal was, he was guilty of a very poor miss when clean through on the keeper with the game goalless, and it did take a while for Arsenal to get their act together in the first half.
Consistently throughout the game, Leicester proved a danger. This should have been sorted out at half-time, but it seemed that complacency reigned. The players were not switched on, and almost paid the price.
Ramsey and Giroud stepped down from the defeat at Tottenham, with Alexis and Rosicky coming in. I was speaking to a French journalist before the game, and he told me that in France, people are amazed that Giroud is the first choice forward for a club of Arsenal’s stature. He also told me that Wenger’s stock in his own country is not so high these days because, apparently, his years as a TV pundit have given him the reputation as having little real insight into matches he is analyzing. His analysis is of the ‘that was a good shot’ level – telling the viewer the bleeding obvious. He is more interesting when he talks about the foibles of his own players, but is not now seen as a genuine prospect to take the national job one day. Additionally, the tax implications of him working in France would make a move to the likes of Paris St Germain very unlikely. Tax avoidance in the UK is so much easier than across the channel.
Anyway, without Giroud, whatever you think of him, Arsenal seemed to lack a focal point up front. It was a disparate performance. In fairness, things didn’t change greatly when he came on, but the tone was set by then, Leicester had gained confidence and realized they had every chance of getting something out of the game.
Some might be critical of David Ospina, and there is a growing concern over his tendency to punch or parry, rather than try and hold onto shots or crosses. I am uncertain if he was unsighted for the Leicester goal, but there was plenty of shambolic defending in the build-up to it. As for the keeper, I am not yet convinced he has cost us a goal with an error of Szczesny proportions (I maintain he did well to save the header that led to Spurs’ equalizer on Sunday) and so am prepared to wait a few more matches before demanding a new keeper in the summer.
As far as the table is concerned, a win is a win, and picking up the points when playing badly is often lauded as a positive trait. Whether or not this is a temporary malaise, we will find out soon enough. Certainly, complacency will be a risky indulgence on Sunday when Middlesbrough visit, backed by up to 9,000 supporters. It will make for a cracking atmosphere, and the Gunners cannot afford to field too weak line-up, or we will see a repeat of what happened when Blackburn visited a couple of years ago. The FA Cup is unquestionably Arsenal’s best chance of a trophy and they should prioritize winning trophies rather than sacrificing them.
A note on the referee Mike Jones. His decision making as the match wore on became very questionable. I assume the club are appealing the yellow card waved at Giroud, who had the temerity to be running away from Mark Schwarzer when the Leicester keeper booted the ball into his back. Giroud was given a rough ride by the opposition defenders, but once he realized the ref was going to allow it, he should have just got up, got on with it, and given as good as he was getting. Incidentally, for those that have an interest in how referees can influence matches, there is an interesting article about Jonathan Moss here. It’s pretty damning stuff.
Aaron Ramsey, a sub, was subbed himself with a re-occurrence of his hamstring injury. He, along with Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta, look like heading down the Abou Diaby route as far as yo-yo comebacks are concerned. Arteta (along with Diaby himself) will presumably be released in the summer, and there is an argument to let Wilshere go, given how often he is unavailable. The squad can only carry so many perma-crocks, and if they are to challenge for the title ever again, they need a settled side. Alexis’ injury means we are unlikely to see him again until Palace away at the earliest, although I suspect he will be saved for the Monaco home leg.
To finish, it was entertaining to see Ian Wright and Lee Dixon interviewed on the pitch at half-time. I do not know why the club do not make these available on Arsenal player. How Arsenal could have used those two players in their prime in a match like this one.
I am now on Twitter@KevinWhitcher01.
The new issue of The Gooner can be bought online here. It will also be on sale at the home game v Middlesbrough on Sunday.
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Further Reading
A sequel to Arsènal – The Making of a Modern Superclub and entitled Arsène and Arsenal The Quest to Rediscover Past Glories has been written by myself and co-author Alex Fynn. It takes up the story of the club from the last update of the previous book, and can be bought online here. Use the promo code ‘Gooner’ to get 10% off the publisher’s price of £8.99.
