Kevin Whitcher
This doesn’t require too much analysis. Diego Costa did what Diego Costa often does. Get into wars with his markers, attempting to wind them up, then appealing to the referee when they react. Gabriel, a fellow Brazilian, fell for it hook, line and sinker, his dismissal so unnecessary. He might as well have broken Costa’s leg if he was going to be sent off for something.
Naturally, Arsenal’s chances of getting anything from the game pretty much disappeared at that point, one goal down due to some atrocious set piece defending. Nacho Monreal may be an ok full back when the ball is on the floor, but in recent years, only Bacary Sagna has shown any strength in the full back position when the ball has been in the air. Sadly, technique alone will rarely be enough in the Premier League. Yet, Monreal might be excused for giving Zouma a free run under the misapprehension his colleagues were playing an offside line. Koscielny completely ballsed that up. Sadly, he is not the great defender some would like to think he is. The offside line is a basic.
Arsenal had made a decent fist of an end to end game up to the first goal. Chelsea were playing better than they have of late in their league matches. A lot more committed and switched on, but the visitors were creating too. There seemed to be a bit more pace and directness about their play.
However, as in Croatia, a first half red card did for them, and handed the initiative to the opposition. Cesc Fabregas pulled the strings in a way that Cazorla, in an identical position, was unable to, and with Hazard returning to his form of last season, there was no way back. Arsenal of all teams should have known better than to allow Fabregas time and space on the ball.
The second half, for the most part, was an exercise in ensuring that there was no humiliation along the lines of the 6-0 scoreline of two seasons ago, although Alexis did have one great chance. When Arsenal did get a set piece in a decent position, it was wasted. This is a weakness in their game. They need to work harder at creating something that is going to lead to a genuine chance, something a bit more imaginative than just lumping a ball into the box.
To return to Gabriel, I actually liked the way he stood up to Costa initially after he had floored Koscielny, who would have done better to imitate his opponent and writhe around the floor for a while clutching his face. However, he obviously took it too far, suckered by a cuter opponent.
With Coquelin lost to injury at half time, the Gunners were pretty toothless. The removal at the same time of Ozil and Alexis from the match kind of summed up Arsenal’s match – the big hitters did not perform.
Cazorla’s second yellow and Arsenal’s reduction to nine men felt pretty academic, although Wenger the gamesman might have considered getting two players to feign serious injury at the same time as the clock ticked down, leaving his team with seven men on the pitch and forcing the abandonment of the game. Neil Warnock did this a few seasons ago, I think with Sheffield United. Someone can tell me what the Football League decided to do with that result in the comments. It would have at least spoilt the Chelsea party and avoided a second goal.
Theo Walcott had an injury time header which he could have sent goalwards but merely confirmed that, in the air, he is far from up to the centre forward’s job. Arsenal looked like a team in need of a better striker, but this is territory that we do not need to return to. You pay your money (or not as the case may be) and take your choice. We have Giroud, Theo and Joel Campbell, assuming Danny Welbeck is out for the season, as Roy Hodgson let the cat out of the bag.
So that’s Zagreb and Chelsea done with. Just Spurs and Leicester to go before we can start with the Groundhog Day stuff in earnest. Time for a change of manager who will get Arsenal playing winning football and cease shooting themselves in the foot by failing to organize their defence and picking up cheap red cards. It’s all too nicey nicey. When Wenger had winning teams, he had characters, attitude and a winning mentality in his players, in addition to red cards. Oh for a return to those halcyon days…
I am now on Twitter@KevinWhitcher01.
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