Arsene Wenger marked his 750th game in charge of the club with a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Norwich but some sections of the crowd protested against his reign during the match.
Although Wenger has achieved good things during his time with the Gunners, including league and cup doubles and an unbeaten season, no Premier League trophy in 12 years has seen his tenure questioned more and more in recent years.
With title rivals Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all underperforming it was seen by many as Arsenal's best opportunity to win the league in a long time. Credit to Leicester, they fully deserve to be top on merit regardless of how we have done but there is no denying that we should have done a lot better than we did.
There are no easy games in the Premier League but to comfortably beat Leicester away and Manchester United at home, and then lose against West Brom and West Ham really is frustrating. In some games I truly believe if we'd had a top class striker we could've turned some of the defeats into wins and things may have looked different, but it's all ifs and buts.
It isn't even the results at times but more some of the performances. Even against Norwich we looked void of ideas for at least the first 45 minutes and, although I was delighted with the win, we should be creating a lot more in attack.
The introduction of Danny Welbeck proved the difference as he came off the bench after 56 minutes before netting the winner and being named man of the match.
But Arsenal started slowly and it was their opponents who created the first real chance of the match after five minutes. The lively Nathan Redmond took a touch before shooting low towards goal, but Petr Cech did enough to keep the ball out with a decent save.
The Gunners tried to respond with Alex Iwobi shooting across the face of goal before Olivier Giroud saw a shot well blocked by Russell Martin.
A planned protest took place after 12 minutes as it is 12 years since we last won the league title, but some sections of the crowd disagreed and chanted in support of their long-serving manager. In some ways I can understand people wanting change but the protest itself was a bit pathetic.
On the pitch Arsenal were being reduced to half chances as Alexis Sanchez and Mohamed Elneny both had shots blocked by the defence, while Laurent Koscielny sent his headed effort over the bar.
Norwich had the best chance of the first half after 42 minutes as Cech showed great reactions to keep out Redmond's volley and push it away from danger. Redmond tried his luck again in the closing minutes of the first half but sent his effort wide as the scores remained goalless at half-time.
Per Mertesacker limped off within five minutes of the restart, with Gabriel coming on in his place and Koscielny taking the captain's armband before a substitution from the hosts raised a few eyebrows. Iwobi had been one of the more lively players on the pitch for the Gunners yet he was withdrawn after 55 minutes, with some fans wishing Giroud had been sacrificed instead.
Leaving Giroud on actually paid off though as he set up Welbeck for the winner shortly before the hour mark, with what was Arsenal's first shot on target in the match. Giroud cushioned a header down for the England striker to hit on the half-volley beyond John Ruddy and into the bottom corner of the net.
Norwich tried to find a way back into the game and only a superb sliding block from Gabriel denied substitute Dieumerci Mbokani a decent goal-scoring opportunity.
Arsenal had two chances in quick succession to double their advantage. A sublime pass from Mesut Ozil released Alexis Sanchez, but the Chilean shot straight at Ruddy. Ozil then came close with a volley, but his effort was excellently tipped over the bar by Ruddy, or at least it seemed to be but a goal kick was given.
At the other end Norwich were not creating too many chances and Sebastien Bassong's off-target header was about as good as it got for the visitors in the closing stages.
There were more protests against Wenger 12 minutes from time but they did little to have a positive or negative affect from what was in large parts a dull game.
Arsenal could've added a second eight minutes from time when Giroud set up Elneny, but the midfielder's strike was well tipped over by Ruddy.
Ozil picked up a silly booking five minutes from time following a challenge on Gary O'Neil and then turned his back on the referee.
The remaining minutes faded out with very little drama, although Ruddy did push forward in the hope of helping his side to an equaliser at the death but to no avail. Norwich remain in the bottom three but do have a game in hand over some of their opponents so could yet beat the drop.
The win moves Arsenal up into third place with just two games remaining, with both second place and finishing outside the top four both still possibilities for Wenger's men.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Norwich fan Adam Edwards believes his side were not clinical enough in the final third to have got anything out of the game.
"Norwich gave a solid defensive performance but produced only a couple of possible goal scoring opportunities," said Edwards.
"Norwich looked the more likely to score in the first half, but Arsenal's second half pressure warranted the win.
"Poor touches in the final third prevented Norwich putting more pressure on a team struggling with protesting supporters."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Depending on other results and how we perform in our final two league matches, we could finish anywhere from second down to sixth but as we haven't claimed top spot it could be seen as a failure regardless of where we end up.
I don't think the protests really achieved much but the criticism is undoubtedly going to continue over the coming weeks and months, but for now I just want to focus my energy on getting behind the boys ahead of the team's trip to top-four rivals Manchester City.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Saturday, 30 April 2016
Sunday, 24 April 2016
Jack back as Gunners draw
Jack Wilshere came off the bench to make his long-awaited comeback from injury as Arsenal once again dropped frustrating points in a goalless draw at Sunderland.
The midfielder came on to replace Mesut Ozil for the final seven minutes in what was his first competitive appearance since last May. That aside, it was hard to find too many other positives from the game from an Arsenal point of view.
At times we looked excellent in attack, with some good passing moves, but we didn't test Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone enough and should've really done far better than we did.
Sunderland were plucky and battled hard throughout to gain the point they needed to take them out of the bottom three, but we really should be winning games like this and taking far better advantage of our attacking opportunities. Mannone did excellently to keep out some of our efforts but there was no excuse with the rest.
Although the title race is over for us, we could really do without needing a Champions League qualifier and had a great chance to move above Manchester City into third if we could've won...but we didn't and it was very frustrating. The result means we stay fourth and behind third-placed Manchester City, who we play next month, on goal difference.
Arsenal started brightly with Alex Iwobi shooting wide inside the opening three minutes before Per Mertesacker and Mohamed Elneny saw their efforts comfortably saved by Mannone. At the other end Lee Cattermole shot wide from the edge of the box, while Patrick Van Aanholt came closest to breaking the deadlock for the visitors as his free-kick hit the bar.
Mannone did well to saved Mesut Ozil's deflected shot before producing a superb one-handed stop to push Alexis Sanchez's free-kick behind for a corner. From the resulting corner, Mannone made an excellent save on the line to once against keep Arsenal at bay.
Both sides saw penalty shouts waved away by referee Mike Dean in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe saw his shot smash against the arm of Mertesacker. There didn't seem to be any intent by the defender but sometimes they get given, so Sunderland may have felt hard done by. But things were then evened out as Dean also failed to give Arsenal a penalty after Iwobi's shot was blocked by the hand of DeAndre Yedlin.
Arsenal had Petr Cech to thank for keeping the scores level as the goalkeeper produced a superb double save within four minutes of the restart. Jermain Defoe latched onto an excellent long ball from Jan Kirchhoff before unleashing a half volley, but Cech beat his effort away before getting across quickly to parry Yann M'Vila's follow-up.
Cech was called into action again just minutes later as he got down well to his right to parry Wahbi Khazri's effort. At the other end Iwobi and Aaron Ramsey both sent their efforts off target, while Elneny saw his strike block by the defence.
Sunderland were having the better of the chances in the second half and very nearly broke the deadlock shortly after the hour mark. Lee Cattermole's long ball released Defoe and the striker's lob went over Cech and just wide.
Arsenal were then nearly gifted a goal when Cech sent a long goal kick towards substitute Danny Welbeck. Mannone raced out of the box and misjudged his header of the ball the wrong way and Arsenal could've had a potentially great chance to score, only for Sunderland to somehow get away with it.
Welbeck tried his luck in the closing stages but the England striker shot straight at Mannone before Wilshere entered the action. It was great to see Wilshere back on the field but neither him or his team-mates were able to affect the scoreline.
Arsenal came very close to breaking Sunderland hearts four minutes from time when Sanchez cut inside and fired a low shot towards goal, but Mannone reacted superbly to parry the Chilean's effort.
As the game entered injury time, Sunderland wasted the chance to get a dramatic late winner when Lamine Kone sent an overhead kick over the bar. Neither side was able to add a late goal and the point was a lot more valuable to Sunderland than it was to us.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Sunderland fan Shaun Clewes was in positive mood after his side's hard-earned draw.
"I am happy with the performance but we could have got more from the match than the point," said Clewes. "We defended well and I felt that our penalty shout was much stronger than the Arsenal one, but am pleased that there was some consistency from the ref.
"The point doesn't really help either side but we are out of the bottom three which is the main thing."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It was a rather uninspiring performance from the Gunners. Although we were excellent with are passing moves at times, it simply wasn't enough. We didn't test Mannone enough and we seemed to lack ideas in attack at times. This game was never going to be easy but we still should've performed a lot better than we did.
Although we have known our fate for several weeks, we are now officially mathematically out of the title race and need to be careful to not also drop out of the top four. Technically we could still finish second but we could also finish below fourth, so we need to make sure we finish strongly to avoid that happening.
Second, third or fourth all mean the same thing in that we will have failed to win the title but we need to make sure we at least get Champions League football without having to play a qualifier. This means we must finish in the top three if possible although even that wouldn't really be enough as with our squad we should be doing better than we are.
Our last game of April sees us host relegation-threatened Norwich and, although we don't have much left to play for, we can't think like that and must make sure we produce three strong performances in our remaining league games.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
The midfielder came on to replace Mesut Ozil for the final seven minutes in what was his first competitive appearance since last May. That aside, it was hard to find too many other positives from the game from an Arsenal point of view.
At times we looked excellent in attack, with some good passing moves, but we didn't test Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone enough and should've really done far better than we did.
Sunderland were plucky and battled hard throughout to gain the point they needed to take them out of the bottom three, but we really should be winning games like this and taking far better advantage of our attacking opportunities. Mannone did excellently to keep out some of our efforts but there was no excuse with the rest.
Although the title race is over for us, we could really do without needing a Champions League qualifier and had a great chance to move above Manchester City into third if we could've won...but we didn't and it was very frustrating. The result means we stay fourth and behind third-placed Manchester City, who we play next month, on goal difference.
Arsenal started brightly with Alex Iwobi shooting wide inside the opening three minutes before Per Mertesacker and Mohamed Elneny saw their efforts comfortably saved by Mannone. At the other end Lee Cattermole shot wide from the edge of the box, while Patrick Van Aanholt came closest to breaking the deadlock for the visitors as his free-kick hit the bar.
Mannone did well to saved Mesut Ozil's deflected shot before producing a superb one-handed stop to push Alexis Sanchez's free-kick behind for a corner. From the resulting corner, Mannone made an excellent save on the line to once against keep Arsenal at bay.
Both sides saw penalty shouts waved away by referee Mike Dean in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe saw his shot smash against the arm of Mertesacker. There didn't seem to be any intent by the defender but sometimes they get given, so Sunderland may have felt hard done by. But things were then evened out as Dean also failed to give Arsenal a penalty after Iwobi's shot was blocked by the hand of DeAndre Yedlin.
Arsenal had Petr Cech to thank for keeping the scores level as the goalkeeper produced a superb double save within four minutes of the restart. Jermain Defoe latched onto an excellent long ball from Jan Kirchhoff before unleashing a half volley, but Cech beat his effort away before getting across quickly to parry Yann M'Vila's follow-up.
Cech was called into action again just minutes later as he got down well to his right to parry Wahbi Khazri's effort. At the other end Iwobi and Aaron Ramsey both sent their efforts off target, while Elneny saw his strike block by the defence.
Sunderland were having the better of the chances in the second half and very nearly broke the deadlock shortly after the hour mark. Lee Cattermole's long ball released Defoe and the striker's lob went over Cech and just wide.
Arsenal were then nearly gifted a goal when Cech sent a long goal kick towards substitute Danny Welbeck. Mannone raced out of the box and misjudged his header of the ball the wrong way and Arsenal could've had a potentially great chance to score, only for Sunderland to somehow get away with it.
Welbeck tried his luck in the closing stages but the England striker shot straight at Mannone before Wilshere entered the action. It was great to see Wilshere back on the field but neither him or his team-mates were able to affect the scoreline.
Arsenal came very close to breaking Sunderland hearts four minutes from time when Sanchez cut inside and fired a low shot towards goal, but Mannone reacted superbly to parry the Chilean's effort.
As the game entered injury time, Sunderland wasted the chance to get a dramatic late winner when Lamine Kone sent an overhead kick over the bar. Neither side was able to add a late goal and the point was a lot more valuable to Sunderland than it was to us.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Sunderland fan Shaun Clewes was in positive mood after his side's hard-earned draw.
"I am happy with the performance but we could have got more from the match than the point," said Clewes. "We defended well and I felt that our penalty shout was much stronger than the Arsenal one, but am pleased that there was some consistency from the ref.
"The point doesn't really help either side but we are out of the bottom three which is the main thing."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It was a rather uninspiring performance from the Gunners. Although we were excellent with are passing moves at times, it simply wasn't enough. We didn't test Mannone enough and we seemed to lack ideas in attack at times. This game was never going to be easy but we still should've performed a lot better than we did.
Although we have known our fate for several weeks, we are now officially mathematically out of the title race and need to be careful to not also drop out of the top four. Technically we could still finish second but we could also finish below fourth, so we need to make sure we finish strongly to avoid that happening.
Second, third or fourth all mean the same thing in that we will have failed to win the title but we need to make sure we at least get Champions League football without having to play a qualifier. This means we must finish in the top three if possible although even that wouldn't really be enough as with our squad we should be doing better than we are.
Our last game of April sees us host relegation-threatened Norwich and, although we don't have much left to play for, we can't think like that and must make sure we produce three strong performances in our remaining league games.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Super Sanchez Downs Baggies
At times we were unplayable, at times the passing was a joy to watch, but it is a shame Arsenal couldn't have done this more often following the 2-0 win over West Brom.
Alexis Sanchez chipped in with two well-taken goals and, in truth, the score could have been a lot higher at the Emirates. The result eased concerns of the possibility of us finishing outside the top four as we moved up to third in the table. But it still left me with a frustrating feeling of what might have been had we been more consistent this season. Our form has been far too mixed but the win over West Brom was certainly an enjoyable one to watch for the most part.
With only four games remaining we need to focus on our own job and attempt to win them all if we are to stand a chance of catching our bitter rivals second-placed Spurs, who are currently five points above us.
Arsenal started brightly and took the lead after just six minutes when Mesut Ozil set up Sanchez to spin past his marker to score a fine low shot on the turn. The Gunners continued to pile forward with Ozil seeing his effort blocked before Hector Bellerin fired a shot just off target.
The hosts were in cruise control but their lack of adding a second goal nearly came back to haunt them when West Brom almost grabbed an equaliser shortly before the half hour mark. Baggies' defender Gareth McAuley's header beat Petr Cech in the Arsenal goal, only for the crossbar to keep him out.
Another chance went begging for Arsenal as Ozil saw a shot cleared off the line by Craig Dawson, but the hosts made amends by doubling their advantage seven minutes before the break. Sanchez curled a delightful free-kick beyond Ben Foster and finally the Gunners could put a bit of distance between themselves and their opponents, although a 2-0 lead by no means meant the game was yet over.
Arsenal tried to add further goals in the second half, with Foster denying Giroud before the hosts saw a penalty shout waved away after Alex Iwobi had gone down in the box. There was also a half shout for a spot-kick when Mohamed Elneny went down in the area but there didn't seem much in it and the referee, from the first viewing of the incident, was probably right to wave play on.
Foster ensured there would be no further goals as he kept out efforts from Ozil and Iwobi, while Olivier Giroud and substitute Joel Campbell shot wide in the closing minutes.
Although it was slightly frustrating to see the match finish just 2-0, it was a confident performance from the Gunners in the penultimate month of the season.
OPPOSITION VIEW
West Brom fan Mike Beddoes felt both teams wasted chances in what was a disappointing night for the Baggies.
"I'd say it was a game where it could have as easily been 4-0 Arsenal as it could have been 2-2," said Beddoes. "Missed opportunities aplenty from both sides.
"It was more decided by how weak both sides are than how strong either team performed."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
For large spells this was a great performance but in the grand scheme of things it means very little. A win is always good and I was delighted to see us confidently beat West Brom, but in context of the whole league season it isn't going to affect our failed title bid.
We have a remote hope of catching Tottenham and, although second-placed would still ultimately be a failure, we must make sure we focus on keeping up our slim hopes of getting above our London rivals rather than letting our season fizzle out even more.
So let's make sure we put in a big strong performance at Sunderland next time around.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Alexis Sanchez chipped in with two well-taken goals and, in truth, the score could have been a lot higher at the Emirates. The result eased concerns of the possibility of us finishing outside the top four as we moved up to third in the table. But it still left me with a frustrating feeling of what might have been had we been more consistent this season. Our form has been far too mixed but the win over West Brom was certainly an enjoyable one to watch for the most part.
With only four games remaining we need to focus on our own job and attempt to win them all if we are to stand a chance of catching our bitter rivals second-placed Spurs, who are currently five points above us.
Arsenal started brightly and took the lead after just six minutes when Mesut Ozil set up Sanchez to spin past his marker to score a fine low shot on the turn. The Gunners continued to pile forward with Ozil seeing his effort blocked before Hector Bellerin fired a shot just off target.
The hosts were in cruise control but their lack of adding a second goal nearly came back to haunt them when West Brom almost grabbed an equaliser shortly before the half hour mark. Baggies' defender Gareth McAuley's header beat Petr Cech in the Arsenal goal, only for the crossbar to keep him out.
Another chance went begging for Arsenal as Ozil saw a shot cleared off the line by Craig Dawson, but the hosts made amends by doubling their advantage seven minutes before the break. Sanchez curled a delightful free-kick beyond Ben Foster and finally the Gunners could put a bit of distance between themselves and their opponents, although a 2-0 lead by no means meant the game was yet over.
Arsenal tried to add further goals in the second half, with Foster denying Giroud before the hosts saw a penalty shout waved away after Alex Iwobi had gone down in the box. There was also a half shout for a spot-kick when Mohamed Elneny went down in the area but there didn't seem much in it and the referee, from the first viewing of the incident, was probably right to wave play on.
Foster ensured there would be no further goals as he kept out efforts from Ozil and Iwobi, while Olivier Giroud and substitute Joel Campbell shot wide in the closing minutes.
Although it was slightly frustrating to see the match finish just 2-0, it was a confident performance from the Gunners in the penultimate month of the season.
OPPOSITION VIEW
West Brom fan Mike Beddoes felt both teams wasted chances in what was a disappointing night for the Baggies.
"I'd say it was a game where it could have as easily been 4-0 Arsenal as it could have been 2-2," said Beddoes. "Missed opportunities aplenty from both sides.
"It was more decided by how weak both sides are than how strong either team performed."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
For large spells this was a great performance but in the grand scheme of things it means very little. A win is always good and I was delighted to see us confidently beat West Brom, but in context of the whole league season it isn't going to affect our failed title bid.
We have a remote hope of catching Tottenham and, although second-placed would still ultimately be a failure, we must make sure we focus on keeping up our slim hopes of getting above our London rivals rather than letting our season fizzle out even more.
So let's make sure we put in a big strong performance at Sunderland next time around.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Monday, 18 April 2016
Gunners drop points again
Another league season is fizzling away from us and the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace almost typified what has been wrong with our season.
Admittedly it wasn't the greatest of games but if you are going to win a league title this is the type of match you have to be getting maximum points in, rather than dropping two points by conceding a late goal.
On this particular occasion, had we won the game I don't think it would have affected the title race as we are already too far behind but we should, at the very least, have put up a better fight to try and stop Tottenham finishing above us. Leaders Leicester dropped points over the weekend so, although the title race is nearly over for us, we should've been ready to try and take advantage...but we didn't!
What looked like it could be a promising season has become a race for second and third over the last few months and then, more recently, could now even become the race for fourth or missing out completely on Champions League football. In all honesty, whether we finish second, third, fourth or lower, the outcome is the same - no league title - and this has got to change.
With over 70% of the possession and more than 20 shots on target, we still only managed a draw. It certainly didn't feel like we had had over 20 shots, with some only being half chances, but either way we should have done better. How can we have that much of the ball, create that many chances, and still not win the game? Arsene Wenger's lack of spending is among the reasons because, had we bought a world class striker and maybe another centre-back, things might have been different. Some want Wenger to stay, while others think his time is up and that a change is needed. The players also need to take some of the responsibility for underachieving as we have been too inconsistent. Excluding injuries, how can the same squad of players beat Manchester United 3-0, win twice against leaders Leicester but then drop points against the likes of West Brom, West Ham and Crystal Palace. That isn't meant in any way as disrespectful to those sides as there are no easy games in the Premier League but, for any sides serious about a title challenge, we need to be killing off games much better than we have been doing of late.
The first half against Palace was rather tedious viewing, with neither side doing too much to get the fans out of their seats. Palace defender Scott Dann headed off target, while Yannick Bolasie's curling shot was comfortably saved by Petr Cech in the Arsenal goal.
At the other end, Alexis Sanchez saw his free-kick deflect wide before Mesut Ozil's close-range effort was well kept out by Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey soon after.
The deadlock was finally broken on the stroke of half-time when Danny Welbeck won back possession and chipped a delightful pass into the path of Sanchez for the Chilean to head over Hennessey and into the net.
Arsenal started the second half brightly with Alex Iwobi heading wide within five minutes of the restart before Ozil curled a free-kick narrowly off target shortly before the hour mark.
Hennessey kept out Welbeck's volley from point-blank range before Sanchez sent a header just wide as the Gunners continued to try and find a second goal.
A quickly-taken free-kick very nearly saw Arsenal double their advantage but Ozil's excellent delivery was headed agonisingly wide by Sanchez. Although Arsenal were dominating at this point, 1-0 is always a very dangerous scoreline but the hosts just couldn't kill the game off.
Palace came very close to equalising but Cech managed to get something on the ball to tip Bakary Sako’s header over the bar for a corner.
Arsenal also wasted another chance as Sanchez dragged a shot wide after having got himself in a good position with a decent touch. That miss proved costly as Palace levelled the scores eight minutes from time. Bolasie got the better of Coquelin before beating Cech at his near post with a low shot from outside the box.
The Gunners still had time to turn the game back in their favour when Gabriel got on the end of Ozil's free-kick, but the defender's header was comfortably saved by Hennessey.
Arsenal could've ended the game empty handed had Palace not wasted a chance in injury time. Wilfried Zaha won the ball back and raced into the box but, instead of crossing the ball for Emmanuel Adebayor, he delayed and Gabriel got back to deny him with a great challenge.
Sanchez sent a shot over the bar as the full-time whistle went and it definitely felt more like two points dropped than a point gained against the Eagles.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Palace fan James Chick believes a draw was a fair result and he was critical of both goalkeepers and the Arsenal defence following the game.
"It was a fair result," said Chick. "I think both sides would be disappointed to have lost that game.
"Poor goalkeeping for both goals and further evidence for me that (Julian) Speroni should be the first-choice goalkeeper. Zaha is a nugget for not looking up at the end there but after a 50 yard run beating two players, I can't be too harsh; he should have started.
From an Arsenal perspective, Gabriel was poor and a centre-back should join a striker and a central midfielder as the essential purchases in the summer.
"If I was Ozil I would be considering my options. He must be absolutely sick of his life playing with the likes of (Theo) Walcott, Gabriel, (Mohamed) Elneny and (Francis) Coquelin. He is too good for this current Arsenal side."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
I expected far more from this game despite the fact that our title hopes were virtually already over before the game anyway. I thought after having dropped points at West Ham, we would've been out to respond in style yet it didn't happen.
Not only is the title virtually over, but we are in real danger of finishing below our bitter rivals Tottenham. Should Tottenham fail to beat Stoke in their next game, then we would have a chance of finishing second if we can win our game in hand against West Brom. I actually think Tottenham will beat Stoke but if other sides do drop points we need to be ready to take advantage instead of just letting our season fade away. Roll on West Brom!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Admittedly it wasn't the greatest of games but if you are going to win a league title this is the type of match you have to be getting maximum points in, rather than dropping two points by conceding a late goal.
On this particular occasion, had we won the game I don't think it would have affected the title race as we are already too far behind but we should, at the very least, have put up a better fight to try and stop Tottenham finishing above us. Leaders Leicester dropped points over the weekend so, although the title race is nearly over for us, we should've been ready to try and take advantage...but we didn't!
What looked like it could be a promising season has become a race for second and third over the last few months and then, more recently, could now even become the race for fourth or missing out completely on Champions League football. In all honesty, whether we finish second, third, fourth or lower, the outcome is the same - no league title - and this has got to change.
With over 70% of the possession and more than 20 shots on target, we still only managed a draw. It certainly didn't feel like we had had over 20 shots, with some only being half chances, but either way we should have done better. How can we have that much of the ball, create that many chances, and still not win the game? Arsene Wenger's lack of spending is among the reasons because, had we bought a world class striker and maybe another centre-back, things might have been different. Some want Wenger to stay, while others think his time is up and that a change is needed. The players also need to take some of the responsibility for underachieving as we have been too inconsistent. Excluding injuries, how can the same squad of players beat Manchester United 3-0, win twice against leaders Leicester but then drop points against the likes of West Brom, West Ham and Crystal Palace. That isn't meant in any way as disrespectful to those sides as there are no easy games in the Premier League but, for any sides serious about a title challenge, we need to be killing off games much better than we have been doing of late.
The first half against Palace was rather tedious viewing, with neither side doing too much to get the fans out of their seats. Palace defender Scott Dann headed off target, while Yannick Bolasie's curling shot was comfortably saved by Petr Cech in the Arsenal goal.
At the other end, Alexis Sanchez saw his free-kick deflect wide before Mesut Ozil's close-range effort was well kept out by Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey soon after.
The deadlock was finally broken on the stroke of half-time when Danny Welbeck won back possession and chipped a delightful pass into the path of Sanchez for the Chilean to head over Hennessey and into the net.
Arsenal started the second half brightly with Alex Iwobi heading wide within five minutes of the restart before Ozil curled a free-kick narrowly off target shortly before the hour mark.
Hennessey kept out Welbeck's volley from point-blank range before Sanchez sent a header just wide as the Gunners continued to try and find a second goal.
A quickly-taken free-kick very nearly saw Arsenal double their advantage but Ozil's excellent delivery was headed agonisingly wide by Sanchez. Although Arsenal were dominating at this point, 1-0 is always a very dangerous scoreline but the hosts just couldn't kill the game off.
Palace came very close to equalising but Cech managed to get something on the ball to tip Bakary Sako’s header over the bar for a corner.
Arsenal also wasted another chance as Sanchez dragged a shot wide after having got himself in a good position with a decent touch. That miss proved costly as Palace levelled the scores eight minutes from time. Bolasie got the better of Coquelin before beating Cech at his near post with a low shot from outside the box.
The Gunners still had time to turn the game back in their favour when Gabriel got on the end of Ozil's free-kick, but the defender's header was comfortably saved by Hennessey.
Arsenal could've ended the game empty handed had Palace not wasted a chance in injury time. Wilfried Zaha won the ball back and raced into the box but, instead of crossing the ball for Emmanuel Adebayor, he delayed and Gabriel got back to deny him with a great challenge.
Sanchez sent a shot over the bar as the full-time whistle went and it definitely felt more like two points dropped than a point gained against the Eagles.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Palace fan James Chick believes a draw was a fair result and he was critical of both goalkeepers and the Arsenal defence following the game.
"It was a fair result," said Chick. "I think both sides would be disappointed to have lost that game.
"Poor goalkeeping for both goals and further evidence for me that (Julian) Speroni should be the first-choice goalkeeper. Zaha is a nugget for not looking up at the end there but after a 50 yard run beating two players, I can't be too harsh; he should have started.
From an Arsenal perspective, Gabriel was poor and a centre-back should join a striker and a central midfielder as the essential purchases in the summer.
"If I was Ozil I would be considering my options. He must be absolutely sick of his life playing with the likes of (Theo) Walcott, Gabriel, (Mohamed) Elneny and (Francis) Coquelin. He is too good for this current Arsenal side."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
I expected far more from this game despite the fact that our title hopes were virtually already over before the game anyway. I thought after having dropped points at West Ham, we would've been out to respond in style yet it didn't happen.
Not only is the title virtually over, but we are in real danger of finishing below our bitter rivals Tottenham. Should Tottenham fail to beat Stoke in their next game, then we would have a chance of finishing second if we can win our game in hand against West Brom. I actually think Tottenham will beat Stoke but if other sides do drop points we need to be ready to take advantage instead of just letting our season fade away. Roll on West Brom!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 10 April 2016
Carroll treble frustrates Gunners
Playing away against West Ham is never easy and before the game I maybe would've taken a point and that's what we got following a 3-3 draw.
Whilst a point against the Hammers isn't too bad, it is very difficult to defend the manner in which it happened. After taking a commanding 2-0 lead we should have been able to see the game off far better than we did, so to then blow that and not come away with the victory was very frustrating. A two-goal lead should've seen our confidence increase and a much-better performance for the full 90 minutes, but instead Andy Carroll managed to net a hat-trick against us. It wasn't just letting a two-goal lead that hurt but the fact that West Ham levelled the scores with two goals in a minute. No team should be conceding two goals in such quick succession and it is inexcusable to have collapse like that.
With Leicester and Tottenham both winning our faint title hopes are now virtually over but, if we can win our game in hand, there is a slight chance we can at least salvage some pride by not allowing Spurs to finish above us.
The way things are going it doesn't look likely that we will catch Spurs but winning the game in hand would make the gap between us just three points so who knows. Whether we finish second, third or fourth, or lower, all lead to the same end result of no title and that is extremely frustrating. Credit to Leicester though, they are top of the table on merit.
The linesman flag twice denied West Ham inside the opening 15 minutes, with Manuel Lanzini flicking his first effort just wide of goal. The Argentine midfielder was unlucky to see his header ruled out for offside after nodding in from Carroll overhead kick.
Arsenal began to find their stride and opened the scoring after 18 minutes through Mesut Ozil. Arsenal saw a penalty appeal turned down after Nacho Monreal went down in the box, but play continued and Alex Iwobi passed the ball through for Ozil to send a shot into the bottom corner.
The Gunners tried to increase their advantage shortly before the half hour mark but Alexis Sanchez's effort was comfortably saved by Adrian in the West Ham goal.
Arsenal made no mistake after 35 minutes as Sanchez doubled their advantage with a well-taken finish from yet another Iwobi assist.
West Ham reduced the deficit as Carroll headed in Aaron Cresswell's cross a minute before the break, and the Hammers turn around was complete soon after as the striker fired in from a rebound in first-half injury time. What had looked like it was going to be a great day for Arsenal was quickly turning into a nightmare.
West Ham saw a goal disallowed for Carroll's foul on Laurent Koscielny early in the second half, but things soon got even worse for Arsenal when the forward completed his hat-trick by heading in Michail Antonio's cross after 52 minutes.
Arsenal tried to force an equaliser and very nearly got one through Monreal, but the defender's strike was cleared off the line. The Gunners did level matters 20 minutes from time though as Ozil and Danny Welbeck combined to set up Koscielny to fire a shot into the top corner.
Both sides had chances to win it as Arsenal substitute Olivier Giroud headed wide from Monreal's cross, while goalkeeper David Ospina palmed away an effort from Cresswell at the other end.
Arsenal wasted a half chance in stoppage time as Theo Walcott sent his cross straight into the arms of Adrian.
Despite facing tough opposition it felt a lot more like two points dropped than one pointed gained due to failing to make the most of having a commanding 2-0 lead.
OPPOSITION VIEW
West Ham fan Alex Saich felt a draw was a correct result and was pleased with some of the play coming from his side.
"Tactics from both teams changed when the news came through that Carroll would start after Sakho was rumoured to have stormed out the ground after a bust up with Bilic," said Saich. "Feeling around the ground before was wary but optimistic, a new feeling for us, normally it's just dread, but if we can keep Ozil and Sanchez quiet we will win.
"Two down early and all feared the worst, but then we started to play with a lot of width. Antonio, Cresswell and (Dimitri) Payet changed things in the first half for us. Good delivery into Carroll and we went in 2-2.
"The thing everyone knows with arsenal is when on form they're unplayable, but when it's not going their way they are quite average. Our work rate increased tenfold after half an hour to stifle the attacking risk.
"Going 3-2 up we knew we needed a fourth goal. The attacking play of Arsenal would force plenty of chances and proved so with the equaliser. I was impressed with their young centre forward and Lanzini, Antonio and Carroll excelled for us.
"Leaving the ground everyone was shattered never mind the players. Both had chances to win but a draw was correct...the less said about the ref the better, or I may say something I'll regret."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
With no FA Cup to fall back on and our Premier League title hopes continuing to fade rapidly, this has become yet another frustrating season for us. Sometimes we can be unplayable and sensational and beat anyone in front of us, but then other times we can make the most basic of errors or simply fail to kill games of when we are on top.
We really are missing a world class striker, the type to bang in 30 goals a season, and that is one of the main reasons why we are sitting third and not higher up in the table. This will certainly need address over the summer. Iwobi has impressed in recent weeks and Giroud and Welbeck can be a handful on their day, but it isn't really enough. We need a WORLD CLASS striker and should pay what it takes to get one.
Without being disrespectful to our upcoming opponents, we should really be targeting maximum points and a 12-point haul from the games against Crystal Palace, West Brom, Sunderland and Norwich. The reality is that probably won't happen though, which is another reason why we are third. But let's focus on one game at a time and let's hope we show big improvement when we host Crystal Palace.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Whilst a point against the Hammers isn't too bad, it is very difficult to defend the manner in which it happened. After taking a commanding 2-0 lead we should have been able to see the game off far better than we did, so to then blow that and not come away with the victory was very frustrating. A two-goal lead should've seen our confidence increase and a much-better performance for the full 90 minutes, but instead Andy Carroll managed to net a hat-trick against us. It wasn't just letting a two-goal lead that hurt but the fact that West Ham levelled the scores with two goals in a minute. No team should be conceding two goals in such quick succession and it is inexcusable to have collapse like that.
With Leicester and Tottenham both winning our faint title hopes are now virtually over but, if we can win our game in hand, there is a slight chance we can at least salvage some pride by not allowing Spurs to finish above us.
The way things are going it doesn't look likely that we will catch Spurs but winning the game in hand would make the gap between us just three points so who knows. Whether we finish second, third or fourth, or lower, all lead to the same end result of no title and that is extremely frustrating. Credit to Leicester though, they are top of the table on merit.
The linesman flag twice denied West Ham inside the opening 15 minutes, with Manuel Lanzini flicking his first effort just wide of goal. The Argentine midfielder was unlucky to see his header ruled out for offside after nodding in from Carroll overhead kick.
Arsenal began to find their stride and opened the scoring after 18 minutes through Mesut Ozil. Arsenal saw a penalty appeal turned down after Nacho Monreal went down in the box, but play continued and Alex Iwobi passed the ball through for Ozil to send a shot into the bottom corner.
The Gunners tried to increase their advantage shortly before the half hour mark but Alexis Sanchez's effort was comfortably saved by Adrian in the West Ham goal.
Arsenal made no mistake after 35 minutes as Sanchez doubled their advantage with a well-taken finish from yet another Iwobi assist.
West Ham reduced the deficit as Carroll headed in Aaron Cresswell's cross a minute before the break, and the Hammers turn around was complete soon after as the striker fired in from a rebound in first-half injury time. What had looked like it was going to be a great day for Arsenal was quickly turning into a nightmare.
West Ham saw a goal disallowed for Carroll's foul on Laurent Koscielny early in the second half, but things soon got even worse for Arsenal when the forward completed his hat-trick by heading in Michail Antonio's cross after 52 minutes.
Arsenal tried to force an equaliser and very nearly got one through Monreal, but the defender's strike was cleared off the line. The Gunners did level matters 20 minutes from time though as Ozil and Danny Welbeck combined to set up Koscielny to fire a shot into the top corner.
Both sides had chances to win it as Arsenal substitute Olivier Giroud headed wide from Monreal's cross, while goalkeeper David Ospina palmed away an effort from Cresswell at the other end.
Arsenal wasted a half chance in stoppage time as Theo Walcott sent his cross straight into the arms of Adrian.
Despite facing tough opposition it felt a lot more like two points dropped than one pointed gained due to failing to make the most of having a commanding 2-0 lead.
OPPOSITION VIEW
West Ham fan Alex Saich felt a draw was a correct result and was pleased with some of the play coming from his side.
"Tactics from both teams changed when the news came through that Carroll would start after Sakho was rumoured to have stormed out the ground after a bust up with Bilic," said Saich. "Feeling around the ground before was wary but optimistic, a new feeling for us, normally it's just dread, but if we can keep Ozil and Sanchez quiet we will win.
"Two down early and all feared the worst, but then we started to play with a lot of width. Antonio, Cresswell and (Dimitri) Payet changed things in the first half for us. Good delivery into Carroll and we went in 2-2.
"The thing everyone knows with arsenal is when on form they're unplayable, but when it's not going their way they are quite average. Our work rate increased tenfold after half an hour to stifle the attacking risk.
"Going 3-2 up we knew we needed a fourth goal. The attacking play of Arsenal would force plenty of chances and proved so with the equaliser. I was impressed with their young centre forward and Lanzini, Antonio and Carroll excelled for us.
"Leaving the ground everyone was shattered never mind the players. Both had chances to win but a draw was correct...the less said about the ref the better, or I may say something I'll regret."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
With no FA Cup to fall back on and our Premier League title hopes continuing to fade rapidly, this has become yet another frustrating season for us. Sometimes we can be unplayable and sensational and beat anyone in front of us, but then other times we can make the most basic of errors or simply fail to kill games of when we are on top.
We really are missing a world class striker, the type to bang in 30 goals a season, and that is one of the main reasons why we are sitting third and not higher up in the table. This will certainly need address over the summer. Iwobi has impressed in recent weeks and Giroud and Welbeck can be a handful on their day, but it isn't really enough. We need a WORLD CLASS striker and should pay what it takes to get one.
Without being disrespectful to our upcoming opponents, we should really be targeting maximum points and a 12-point haul from the games against Crystal Palace, West Brom, Sunderland and Norwich. The reality is that probably won't happen though, which is another reason why we are third. But let's focus on one game at a time and let's hope we show big improvement when we host Crystal Palace.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 3 April 2016
Dominant Gunners thrash Hornets
Arsenal are certainly playing catch up in the title race but a thumping 4-0 win over Watford keeps their very faint hopes alive as the season enters its final months.
Alexis Sanchez set the ball rolling with the opening goal after just four minutes before man of the match Alex Iwobi doubled the Gunners' advantage before half-time. Second-half goals from Hector Bellerin and substitute Theo Walcott completed the rout.
It was a superb result but does make you wonder why we couldn't be that clinical when we were knocked out of the FA Cup by the Hornets last month. As for the title race, although we are in decent form at the moment I think it is too little too late. We have a game in hand over leaders Leicester and second-placed Tottenham. If we win that, we'd only be a point behind Spurs, but it would still leave us eight points behind Leicester and time is rapidly running out. We can't give up until it is mathematically impossible but we would need to win all our games and hope the Foxes suffer a huge decline in form, which I really can't see happening.
A four-goal victory over Watford is very impressive but we just haven't done that often enough. We will certainly need to be in that kind of scoring form if we are to win our next game as a trip to West Ham is a very tricky proposition. We'd also need to try and hit the ground running with an early goal, just as we did against Watford.
Iwobi picked up the ball just outside the box before curling in a cross for Sanchez to head towards goal. Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes did excellently to parry the Chilean's header but Sanchez pounced on the loose ball to score the rebound.
The home crowd were soon cheering again after seven minutes, but this time in tribute to former player and Gunners legend David Rocastle, who died just over 15 years ago.
The lively Iwobi continued to be in the thick of the action and only a fine save from Gomes, who tipped the Nigerian's curling effort over the bar, denied Arsenal a second. Some of Arsenal's passing was a joy to watch and, after a great move, a crucial deflection, forced Danny Welbeck's shot wide.
Arsenal continued to pour forward with Francis Coquelin seeing his shot blocked by the defence, while Sanchez's free-kick was well palmed away by Gomes.
At the other end, David Ospina had to react quickly to deny the onrushing Odion Ighalo what could've been a decent shot at goal.
The Gunners made their dominance count as they doubled their advantage seven minutes before the break. Sanchez latched onto a fine pass from Coquelin before racing into the box and cutting the ball back for Iwobi to fire home.
Bellerin netted his first goal of the season as Arsenal added a third within just three minutes of the restart. The defender exchanged passes with Sanchez before the latter's cross into the box was cleared, but Bellerin was on hand to beat Gomes with a volley via a deflection.
Arsenal continued to control the game and Iwobi came very close to scoring his second of the afternoon, but his curling effort hit the crossbar.
Watford tried to muster a response but Nathan Ake sent a shot wide before Troy Deeney's strike was palmed away by Ospina. The Colombian shot-stopper then re-gathered the loose ball to prevent it going out for a corner.
Arsenal added their fourth and final goal in the final minute of normal time. Joel Campbell latched onto a lovely long ball from Mesut Ozil before beating his man and racing into the box to set up his fellow substitute Walcott to score from close range.
It was a great performance by Arsenal and I just wish we could be this clinical every week!
OPPOSITION VIEW
Watford fan Erik Grigg was disappointed by his side's result and also dismissed Arsenal's title chances.
"We were deliberately rubbish just to show Arsenal what a poor team they blew their only silverware chances against," joked Grigg.
"Seriously, we need to strengthen the squad," he continued. "We only have one method of scoring goals, race down the wings, pass to Deeney who flicks it on to Ighalo. All the top teams have sussed it out.
"That said, Arsenal are the only team to hammer us home and away in the league. Just goes to show if they do blow the title (as they seem likely to) it will be a massive missed opportunity considering how poor the other 'big' teams have been."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
With Arsenal away at West Ham and Spurs facing a tricky match against Manchester United next time out, Leicester may be feeling more and more confident about their title credentials.
There are no easy games in this league and Sunderland getting a result against Leicester can't be completely ruled out, but the Foxes certainly do look the part and will completely deserve what looks likely to be title success.
We can't think too much about what is going on elsewhere and must focus on getting our own job done. West Ham away isn't a game that fills me with a lot of confidence but if we play like we do against Watford then it could yet be another good day.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Alexis Sanchez set the ball rolling with the opening goal after just four minutes before man of the match Alex Iwobi doubled the Gunners' advantage before half-time. Second-half goals from Hector Bellerin and substitute Theo Walcott completed the rout.
It was a superb result but does make you wonder why we couldn't be that clinical when we were knocked out of the FA Cup by the Hornets last month. As for the title race, although we are in decent form at the moment I think it is too little too late. We have a game in hand over leaders Leicester and second-placed Tottenham. If we win that, we'd only be a point behind Spurs, but it would still leave us eight points behind Leicester and time is rapidly running out. We can't give up until it is mathematically impossible but we would need to win all our games and hope the Foxes suffer a huge decline in form, which I really can't see happening.
A four-goal victory over Watford is very impressive but we just haven't done that often enough. We will certainly need to be in that kind of scoring form if we are to win our next game as a trip to West Ham is a very tricky proposition. We'd also need to try and hit the ground running with an early goal, just as we did against Watford.
Iwobi picked up the ball just outside the box before curling in a cross for Sanchez to head towards goal. Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes did excellently to parry the Chilean's header but Sanchez pounced on the loose ball to score the rebound.
The home crowd were soon cheering again after seven minutes, but this time in tribute to former player and Gunners legend David Rocastle, who died just over 15 years ago.
The lively Iwobi continued to be in the thick of the action and only a fine save from Gomes, who tipped the Nigerian's curling effort over the bar, denied Arsenal a second. Some of Arsenal's passing was a joy to watch and, after a great move, a crucial deflection, forced Danny Welbeck's shot wide.
Arsenal continued to pour forward with Francis Coquelin seeing his shot blocked by the defence, while Sanchez's free-kick was well palmed away by Gomes.
At the other end, David Ospina had to react quickly to deny the onrushing Odion Ighalo what could've been a decent shot at goal.
The Gunners made their dominance count as they doubled their advantage seven minutes before the break. Sanchez latched onto a fine pass from Coquelin before racing into the box and cutting the ball back for Iwobi to fire home.
Bellerin netted his first goal of the season as Arsenal added a third within just three minutes of the restart. The defender exchanged passes with Sanchez before the latter's cross into the box was cleared, but Bellerin was on hand to beat Gomes with a volley via a deflection.
Arsenal continued to control the game and Iwobi came very close to scoring his second of the afternoon, but his curling effort hit the crossbar.
Watford tried to muster a response but Nathan Ake sent a shot wide before Troy Deeney's strike was palmed away by Ospina. The Colombian shot-stopper then re-gathered the loose ball to prevent it going out for a corner.
Arsenal added their fourth and final goal in the final minute of normal time. Joel Campbell latched onto a lovely long ball from Mesut Ozil before beating his man and racing into the box to set up his fellow substitute Walcott to score from close range.
It was a great performance by Arsenal and I just wish we could be this clinical every week!
OPPOSITION VIEW
Watford fan Erik Grigg was disappointed by his side's result and also dismissed Arsenal's title chances.
"We were deliberately rubbish just to show Arsenal what a poor team they blew their only silverware chances against," joked Grigg.
"Seriously, we need to strengthen the squad," he continued. "We only have one method of scoring goals, race down the wings, pass to Deeney who flicks it on to Ighalo. All the top teams have sussed it out.
"That said, Arsenal are the only team to hammer us home and away in the league. Just goes to show if they do blow the title (as they seem likely to) it will be a massive missed opportunity considering how poor the other 'big' teams have been."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
With Arsenal away at West Ham and Spurs facing a tricky match against Manchester United next time out, Leicester may be feeling more and more confident about their title credentials.
There are no easy games in this league and Sunderland getting a result against Leicester can't be completely ruled out, but the Foxes certainly do look the part and will completely deserve what looks likely to be title success.
We can't think too much about what is going on elsewhere and must focus on getting our own job done. West Ham away isn't a game that fills me with a lot of confidence but if we play like we do against Watford then it could yet be another good day.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
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