Alexis Sanchez produced of a man of the match display as Arsenal won 3-2 at Crystal Palace in their penultimate match of 2017.
The Chilean international has been the subject of intense transfer speculation and could leave in January, or for free in the summer, and his recent performances have been criticised. A player that previously showed so much hunger and desire to win the ball and make the most of it, has looked far from his normal self this season so it was refreshing to see him perform how he did at Selhurst Park.
It was great to see him perform like that and long may it continue. Some fans labelled his performance as incredible and, whilst I agree it was vastly improved, I still don't think he was quite at his best. We have seen some superb displays by Sanchez since he joined the club in the summer of 2014. Don't get me wrong he was definitely the stand out player against Palace and he took his goals very well. Maybe my expectations of him are too high, but having seen him in top form I also know what he is capable of. I'm taking nothing away from his display though, he was excellent. I hope this is the start of a turnaround in form for him as he is a great player and can make key impacts on games as he showed against Palace, with two goals in four minutes to secure three points.
Both sides tried their luck from distance in the opening quarter of the match with Granit Xhaka sending a long-range shot over the crossbar, while Yohan Cabaye's effort sailed just wide at the other end.
Sanchez was looking lively and he combined well with Mesut Ozil before the latter set up Xhaka, whose shot was blocked by the Palace defence. Jack Wilshere's shot was comfortably saved by Julian Speroni soon after as Arsenal continued to create chances. But the Gunners were not to be denied as Shkodran Mustafi opened the scoring after 25 minutes. The German defender reacted quickest to calmly slot the ball home after Speroni had parried Alexandre Lacazette's effort.
Arsenal came close to increasing their lead shortly before the half hour mark as Ozil latched onto a fine through ball by Sanchez, but Speroni reacted quickly to keep out the German's effort.
Wilfried Zaha fizzed a shot narrowly wide as Palace tried to find a way back into the match before Arsenal were soon back on the attack. Lacazette showed great control and footwork to twist and turn past several defenders before firing a shot just wide.
Arsenal were unable to add a second goal before the break as Ozil burst through into the box, but his lay-off was just too strong for Hector Bellerin and when the ball was worked back in Xhaka shot straight at Speroni.
Those missed chances came back to bite Arsenal, albeit temporarily, as Palace levelled the scores within five minutes of the restart. Zaha got the better of Calum Chambers before his low ball into the box was met by an impressive first-time finish from Andros Townsend.
At 1-1 it was inevitable for some Gunners' fans to be feeling nervous that we might crumble or be forced to settle for a draw, but fortunately Jeffrey Schlupp shot into the side netting and, more importantly, Sanchez had other ideas. Lacazette controlled the ball well before teeing up Sanchez, who squeezed a great effort in at the near post to put the Gunners in front after 62 minutes.
Sanchez added a second four minutes later as he latched onto a terrific ball over the top from Wilshere and showed great control before slotting the ball beyond Speroni and into the corner of the net.
Arsenal tried to add further gloss to the scoreline late on, but Speroni produced a great save to parry Bellerin's volley.
Palace wasted a glorious chance to reduce the deficit eight minutes from time when Zaha somehow headed harmlessly wide when it looked easier to have scored.
Xhaka was forced off through injury late on as the game endured a nervy finish. Bakary Sako saw a shot deflected wide in the final minutes of normal time, but Palace made no mistake from the resulting corner as James Tomkins headed home.
Arsenal held on for victory to claim a three-point haul that sees them behind bitter rivals Tottenham by only goal difference and one point off the top four.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Crystal Palace fan Chris Williams believes it was a fair result, but was left frustrated by the performances of certain players.
Williams is, however, delighted with the job manager Roy Hodgson has done since being appointed in September and is hoping for new signings in January.
"Over the course of 90 minutes Arsenal deserved to win but from a Palace point of view it is a shame our unbeaten run of eight games has come to an end," said Williams. "Throughout the whole game Palace only troubled Arsenal during two spells, at the start and end of the second half.
"Once again Wilfried Zaha was a threat but he lacked support. If Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Bakary Sako had their shooting boots on then the result could have been different.
"I am running out of patience with Christian Benteke, I cannot see what benefit he brings the team. It seems his presence on the pitch makes us play a long ball style, but Palace are far more dangerous with the ball on the floor at our feet.
"Roy Hodgson has done a great job since arriving in September; this was only our third defeat in the last 13 games.
"We should not forget that Palace lost the opening seven games of the season without scoring a single goal; so to be 16th in the table is a mightily impressive turnaround.
"It will be interesting to see what players Roy will recruit in January. The squad needs strengthening in all departments after a disappointing summer transfer window.
"But before all that it is the small matter of Manchester City on Sunday. Wish us luck."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
So is this a sign that Sanchez is getting back to his best? I hope so! Whether he likely leaves in January or the summer or somehow has a miraculous turnaround and stays at the club, we need the likes of him and Ozil in top form if we are to improve our season.
We reacted positively to the equaliser and didn't let it stop us from getting the points, which was good to see, and Wilshere once again had a great game. But we need to tighten things up more at the back and maybe should have killed the game off with our earlier chances before Palace even got their equaliser.
Palace have been in great form under Roy Hodgson so it had the potential to be a difficult away fixture, but we got the result and that's what matters and now we need to focus our attentions to ending 2017 on a high with victory at West Brom.
Whatever happens it has been another mixed year for Arsenal and let's keep our fingers crossed for our big stars staying and also a few new additions arriving in January. We can but hope!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Friday, 29 December 2017
Sunday, 24 December 2017
Six-minute goal blitz rescues Gunners
A 3-3 draw against Liverpool may not seem like too bad a result from outside, but when reflecting on the performance there is a big feeling of frustration and questions must be asked about the poor first-half display.
Liverpool took a 2-0 lead in under an hour thanks to goals from Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah and it could have been so much worse if Sadio Mane hadn't missed an open goal.
The defending by Arsenal in the first half was all over the place and how we were still even in the game was lucky. But then came a fantastic quarter of an hour where we turned the game on its head and scored three goals in just six minutes. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil scored either side of a thumping Granit Xhaka strike.
The football during this spell was sensational, but begs the question as to where on earth this had been in the first half? We are too Jekyll and Hyde at times and not consistent enough. We need to play like that 15 minute spell more often and a lot less like we did in that first half.
Somehow we had turned the game around and were looking good to claim what had previously looked an unlikely win. But it wouldn't be an Arsenal Vs Liverpool fixture without yet more drama and frustratingly we gifted Roberto Firmino a goal 19 minutes from time.
Maybe on another day I'd have happily taken a point, but after how poorly we had played in the reverse fixture at Anfield and how frustrating the first-half performance was this time around and throwing away our 3-2 lead, I can't help but feel irritated.
Jack Wilshere was a real engine room in midfield, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles isn't looking too out of place in the first team lately, but the defence on the whole was disappointing to say the least.
Liverpool lost Jordan Henderson to injury after just 11 minutes, but that didn't stop the visitors from controlling the first half as Coutinho sent a shot wide from outside the box.
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech had to be alert to parry Firmino's header behind for a corner as Liverpool continued to attack. Firmino headed another effort wide before Liverpool opened the scoring after 26 minutes. James Milner released Salah in behind Laurent Koscielny before the Egyptian playmaker's deflected cross was flicked over Cech and in by the head of Coutinho. It was a decent finish by Coutinho, but the deflection gifted the ball to him.
Did this fire us into action and to look for a response? No, if anything it put Liverpool more in control. Some fans from both sides in the pub I was watching the match in thought it was 2-0 after 33 minutes. Firmino curled a great strike beyond Cech and it looked as if it had gone in off the woodwork when actually it was just wide.
Liverpool really should have doubled their lead a minute before the break and the miss was a very big let off for Arsenal. A slip by Koscielny put the visitors in on goal - maybe Salah should have done slightly better with his initial strike, but credit to Cech for spreading himself well to make a decent save. The rebound then fell to Mane, who for some reason tried the spectacular rather than score a simple finish and ended up missing an open goal with an acrobatic effort.
I don't think I was the only Arsenal fan fearing the worst, and wondering if we were going to get a repeat of the Anfield horror show, when Salah doubled Liverpool's advantage within seven minutes of the restart. Cech denied Salah earlier in the second half before the Egypt international got the goal his performance deserved. Firmino and Salah swapped passes and the latter still had plenty of work to do, but the Arsenal defence stood off and made it far too easy for him to calmly score with a deflected strike.
It really had been a terrible performance from us for most of the match so far and then, out of nowhere, it was suddenly game on as Sanchez headed home from Hector Bellerin's cross a minute later.
Suddenly we had woken up and were looking a much better team. We seem to wait too long to kick into gear in games and when we do it can be devastating, but why does it take us nearly an hour to do it?
Our second goal after 56 minutes was well and truly worth the wait. After picking up the ball from Alex Iwobi, Xhaka thumped a powerful strike beyond a helpless Simon Mignolet from 25 yards, although some felt the Liverpool goalkeeper should have done better.
We were looking hungry for goals and just three minutes later we took the lead for the first time in the match. Wilshere showed great endeavour to win the ball back and Ozil swapped passes with Lacazette, latching onto the Frenchman's backheel before dinking the ball over Mignolet.
We had gone from looking all over the place to being in control and suddenly things felt good again, but fans of both sides knew there could still be more goals in this game. After such a great comeback to swing the score back in our favour, we really should have done better at holding onto the 3-2 lead, but it wasn't to be.
Xhaka shot just wide as Arsenal tried to extend their lead, but it was Liverpool who scored the game's next goal and in what were frustrating circumstances for the Gunners. Cech produced a decent save to deny Mane from close-range, before Liverpool's defence did just enough to put Lacazette's effort behind for a corner at the other end.
Cech should have done much better to prevent the equaliser after 71 minutes. The Arsenal goalkeeper got a hand to Firmino's shot that for a split second looked to have taken the sting out of the strike, but instead it merely helped the ball bounce over the line and it was poor from Cech.
Both sides were keen to find a winning goal and Arsenal came close 13 minutes from time as Ozil released Bellerin in the box, but Mignolet reacted well to tip the Spanish defender's effort over the crossbar.
Sanchez forced Mignolet into a save before Salah sent an effort inches wide and it was impossible to see which way the game was going to go. Both sides were showing some great play in attack, but looked too easy to open up in defence so if there had been a seventh goal it wouldn't have been surprising.
Arsenal very nearly snatched a win in stoppage time as Ozil's cross nearly dipped under the crossbar, but Mignolet was on hand to tip the German's effort behind a corner.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Liverpool fan Darren Warburton labelled the 3-3 thriller as "possibly one of the games of the season and of Premiership history" after seeing his side take a point at the Emirates.
"Wow - what a game. Surely a contender for game of the season so far," said Warburton. "I was quietly confident going into the game - as felt Liverpool would have the players to hurt Arsenal on the counter.
"That thought came true as we dominated the first half and chance after chance went begging before Coutinho scored with a clever headed finish.
"Mane had a great opportunity to make it two - with the goal at his mercy he tried to acrobatically volley in and blazed over rather than trying to compose himself.
"Second half Liverpool once again started well. Arsenal showed more going forward, but we caught them on the counter and that man Salah scored again! Albeit with a deflection, but a nice finish.
"Then came the crazy seven minutes where Arsenal suddenly woke up. Scoring within minutes of Salah - Sanchez halved the deficit.
"The lift they needed and Xhaka then scored the equaliser in what looked like a superb strike, but on reflection Mignolet should have saved it. Once again showing why Liverpool need to strengthen their goalkeeping department.
"Arsenal were flying and so were their fans. And in a dramatic turnaround Ozil then made it 3-2 with a lovely finish. Klopp looked shell shocked as did all Liverpool fans. Paying for them missed opportunities!
"That wasn't the end of the action with Firmino then getting the equaliser in the 70th minute.
"You would have thought there were surely more goals to come with 20 mins remaining, but it wasn't to be and the points were shared. Quite possibly one of the games of the season and of premiership history!
"Frustrated not to get a win especially at 2-0 - you have to see that through, but credit Arsenal for showing great grit and determination to come back. A fantastic early Christmas cracker!"
Fellow Liverpool fan Michael John felt disappointed by the result and is hoping manager Jurgen Klopp strengthens the squad in the January transfer window.
"I've not seen much in the way of highlights, but it felt like a disappointing result," added John. "Arsenal were not really in it until that five-minute spell when we gifted them three goals.
"Poor positioning from Gomez and not attacking the cross for the first, a big reminder of how poor Mignolet is for the second, no way he should have let that in, it was straight at him.
"And while the third was well worked, we shouldn't be giving them that much space. To be fair Gomez again for the third should be tracking Ozil, but just stood off and let him through. Klopp needs to get the defence sorted in January or we'll fall further back."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
The comeback was great, we showed good character for some of the second half and there was some pulsating attacking football at times.
But unfortunately sloppy defending is more what the game will be remembered for. Okay yes Xhaka scored a great goal, but so many of the six could have been prevented. The defence of both sides, particularly us, was poor and not good enough.
We got away with a point this time, but on another day we might not have been so lucky. Again we started the match far too slowly and we need to stop taking so long to wake up as on another day the score could have been embarrassing.
We need to tighten things up in defence and really take the game to our opponents right from minute one, especially at home where we should be producing much better first-half performances than the one we witnessed this time.
Arsenal have two games left of 2017 - trips to Crystal Palace and West Brom. Whilst neither game is easy, as no game is in the Premier League, these are definitely two winnable games, providing we replicate the positive aspects of our last match and not the kamikaze defending as that can get punished far too easily.
After having played half our league matches we lie fifth in the league table and quite frankly that isn't good enough. Nobody is going to catch Manchester City and we are miles off the pace in terms of the title, but with just four points separating us from Chelsea and Spurs in third and fourth we need to start making up more ground.
Merry Christmas everyone!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Liverpool took a 2-0 lead in under an hour thanks to goals from Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah and it could have been so much worse if Sadio Mane hadn't missed an open goal.
The defending by Arsenal in the first half was all over the place and how we were still even in the game was lucky. But then came a fantastic quarter of an hour where we turned the game on its head and scored three goals in just six minutes. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil scored either side of a thumping Granit Xhaka strike.
The football during this spell was sensational, but begs the question as to where on earth this had been in the first half? We are too Jekyll and Hyde at times and not consistent enough. We need to play like that 15 minute spell more often and a lot less like we did in that first half.
Somehow we had turned the game around and were looking good to claim what had previously looked an unlikely win. But it wouldn't be an Arsenal Vs Liverpool fixture without yet more drama and frustratingly we gifted Roberto Firmino a goal 19 minutes from time.
Maybe on another day I'd have happily taken a point, but after how poorly we had played in the reverse fixture at Anfield and how frustrating the first-half performance was this time around and throwing away our 3-2 lead, I can't help but feel irritated.
Jack Wilshere was a real engine room in midfield, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles isn't looking too out of place in the first team lately, but the defence on the whole was disappointing to say the least.
Liverpool lost Jordan Henderson to injury after just 11 minutes, but that didn't stop the visitors from controlling the first half as Coutinho sent a shot wide from outside the box.
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech had to be alert to parry Firmino's header behind for a corner as Liverpool continued to attack. Firmino headed another effort wide before Liverpool opened the scoring after 26 minutes. James Milner released Salah in behind Laurent Koscielny before the Egyptian playmaker's deflected cross was flicked over Cech and in by the head of Coutinho. It was a decent finish by Coutinho, but the deflection gifted the ball to him.
Did this fire us into action and to look for a response? No, if anything it put Liverpool more in control. Some fans from both sides in the pub I was watching the match in thought it was 2-0 after 33 minutes. Firmino curled a great strike beyond Cech and it looked as if it had gone in off the woodwork when actually it was just wide.
Liverpool really should have doubled their lead a minute before the break and the miss was a very big let off for Arsenal. A slip by Koscielny put the visitors in on goal - maybe Salah should have done slightly better with his initial strike, but credit to Cech for spreading himself well to make a decent save. The rebound then fell to Mane, who for some reason tried the spectacular rather than score a simple finish and ended up missing an open goal with an acrobatic effort.
I don't think I was the only Arsenal fan fearing the worst, and wondering if we were going to get a repeat of the Anfield horror show, when Salah doubled Liverpool's advantage within seven minutes of the restart. Cech denied Salah earlier in the second half before the Egypt international got the goal his performance deserved. Firmino and Salah swapped passes and the latter still had plenty of work to do, but the Arsenal defence stood off and made it far too easy for him to calmly score with a deflected strike.
It really had been a terrible performance from us for most of the match so far and then, out of nowhere, it was suddenly game on as Sanchez headed home from Hector Bellerin's cross a minute later.
Suddenly we had woken up and were looking a much better team. We seem to wait too long to kick into gear in games and when we do it can be devastating, but why does it take us nearly an hour to do it?
Our second goal after 56 minutes was well and truly worth the wait. After picking up the ball from Alex Iwobi, Xhaka thumped a powerful strike beyond a helpless Simon Mignolet from 25 yards, although some felt the Liverpool goalkeeper should have done better.
We were looking hungry for goals and just three minutes later we took the lead for the first time in the match. Wilshere showed great endeavour to win the ball back and Ozil swapped passes with Lacazette, latching onto the Frenchman's backheel before dinking the ball over Mignolet.
We had gone from looking all over the place to being in control and suddenly things felt good again, but fans of both sides knew there could still be more goals in this game. After such a great comeback to swing the score back in our favour, we really should have done better at holding onto the 3-2 lead, but it wasn't to be.
Xhaka shot just wide as Arsenal tried to extend their lead, but it was Liverpool who scored the game's next goal and in what were frustrating circumstances for the Gunners. Cech produced a decent save to deny Mane from close-range, before Liverpool's defence did just enough to put Lacazette's effort behind for a corner at the other end.
Cech should have done much better to prevent the equaliser after 71 minutes. The Arsenal goalkeeper got a hand to Firmino's shot that for a split second looked to have taken the sting out of the strike, but instead it merely helped the ball bounce over the line and it was poor from Cech.
Both sides were keen to find a winning goal and Arsenal came close 13 minutes from time as Ozil released Bellerin in the box, but Mignolet reacted well to tip the Spanish defender's effort over the crossbar.
Sanchez forced Mignolet into a save before Salah sent an effort inches wide and it was impossible to see which way the game was going to go. Both sides were showing some great play in attack, but looked too easy to open up in defence so if there had been a seventh goal it wouldn't have been surprising.
Arsenal very nearly snatched a win in stoppage time as Ozil's cross nearly dipped under the crossbar, but Mignolet was on hand to tip the German's effort behind a corner.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Liverpool fan Darren Warburton labelled the 3-3 thriller as "possibly one of the games of the season and of Premiership history" after seeing his side take a point at the Emirates.
"Wow - what a game. Surely a contender for game of the season so far," said Warburton. "I was quietly confident going into the game - as felt Liverpool would have the players to hurt Arsenal on the counter.
"That thought came true as we dominated the first half and chance after chance went begging before Coutinho scored with a clever headed finish.
"Mane had a great opportunity to make it two - with the goal at his mercy he tried to acrobatically volley in and blazed over rather than trying to compose himself.
"Second half Liverpool once again started well. Arsenal showed more going forward, but we caught them on the counter and that man Salah scored again! Albeit with a deflection, but a nice finish.
"Then came the crazy seven minutes where Arsenal suddenly woke up. Scoring within minutes of Salah - Sanchez halved the deficit.
"The lift they needed and Xhaka then scored the equaliser in what looked like a superb strike, but on reflection Mignolet should have saved it. Once again showing why Liverpool need to strengthen their goalkeeping department.
"Arsenal were flying and so were their fans. And in a dramatic turnaround Ozil then made it 3-2 with a lovely finish. Klopp looked shell shocked as did all Liverpool fans. Paying for them missed opportunities!
"That wasn't the end of the action with Firmino then getting the equaliser in the 70th minute.
"You would have thought there were surely more goals to come with 20 mins remaining, but it wasn't to be and the points were shared. Quite possibly one of the games of the season and of premiership history!
"Frustrated not to get a win especially at 2-0 - you have to see that through, but credit Arsenal for showing great grit and determination to come back. A fantastic early Christmas cracker!"
Fellow Liverpool fan Michael John felt disappointed by the result and is hoping manager Jurgen Klopp strengthens the squad in the January transfer window.
"I've not seen much in the way of highlights, but it felt like a disappointing result," added John. "Arsenal were not really in it until that five-minute spell when we gifted them three goals.
"Poor positioning from Gomez and not attacking the cross for the first, a big reminder of how poor Mignolet is for the second, no way he should have let that in, it was straight at him.
"And while the third was well worked, we shouldn't be giving them that much space. To be fair Gomez again for the third should be tracking Ozil, but just stood off and let him through. Klopp needs to get the defence sorted in January or we'll fall further back."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
The comeback was great, we showed good character for some of the second half and there was some pulsating attacking football at times.
But unfortunately sloppy defending is more what the game will be remembered for. Okay yes Xhaka scored a great goal, but so many of the six could have been prevented. The defence of both sides, particularly us, was poor and not good enough.
We got away with a point this time, but on another day we might not have been so lucky. Again we started the match far too slowly and we need to stop taking so long to wake up as on another day the score could have been embarrassing.
We need to tighten things up in defence and really take the game to our opponents right from minute one, especially at home where we should be producing much better first-half performances than the one we witnessed this time.
Arsenal have two games left of 2017 - trips to Crystal Palace and West Brom. Whilst neither game is easy, as no game is in the Premier League, these are definitely two winnable games, providing we replicate the positive aspects of our last match and not the kamikaze defending as that can get punished far too easily.
After having played half our league matches we lie fifth in the league table and quite frankly that isn't good enough. Nobody is going to catch Manchester City and we are miles off the pace in terms of the title, but with just four points separating us from Chelsea and Spurs in third and fourth we need to start making up more ground.
Merry Christmas everyone!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Tuesday, 19 December 2017
Welbeck edges Gunners into semis
The match was boring, the goal was scrappy, but it was job done as Arsenal claimed a narrow 1-0 win over London rivals West Ham to reach the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.
It took a goal by Danny Welbeck three minutes before half-time to settle a match of few clear-cut chances at the Emirates, but it's the result that counts and whoever we draw in the final four it is going to be tough.
Before Welbeck's winner the main chances had fallen to Arsenal, but were little to shout about. The striker saw a shot deflect behind for a corner before Theo Walcott somehow headed wide when in plenty of space in the box.
Arsenal finally made it count late in the first half as Francis Coquelin floated a great ball over to Mathieu Debuchy, who headed it across the area, and at the second attempt Welbeck scrambled the ball in from close range. Welbeck shot over the crossbar soon after as a rather dire first half ended in Arsenal's favour.
West Ham didn't really threaten any kind of comeback, with the visitors only shot of the game coming via Aaron Cresswell's free-kick that sailed harmlessly wide.
The cushion of a second goal would have made it more comfortable for the Gunners, but neither side really looked at the races. The Gunners failed to make the most of a free-kick in a decent position after Welbeck was fouled by West Ham's on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart just outside the box.
Arsenal held on for the victory and, although it wasn't a great attacking performance, it was a clean sheet and another positive result ahead of the huge league match against Liverpool.
There was concern for the Gunners before the end though as Olivier Giroud pulled up with a hamstring problem during a run and it didn't look too good, so let's just hope he isn't out for too long. Coquelin also limped off in the closing minute of normal time so let's hope he also makes a speedy recovery.
It may not have been a vintage display, but it's the result that matters most in terms of cup progression and we got that spot on at least.
OPPOSITION VIEW
West Ham fan Adam Brown was unhappy with the efforts of his side following their cup defeat.
"It was a terrible and completely boring game to watch," said Brown. "Arsenal should have won 2-0 easy with that Walcott chance.
"West Ham players out of position and half arsed effort most of the game, not much else to say really."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It wasn't the performance I was hoping for, but I'm delighted that we are through to the final four albeit of a competition I don't have a massive opinion of.
Obviously I'll be happy if we reach the final and win it as all silverware feels good, but it just doesn't compare at all with the FA Cup, which I am a lot more passionate about. Silverware would certainly be great for confidence though and we need to take the competition seriously. Not only does this present a chance to win a trophy, but looking at the teams left in the competition, it is a chance to get one over on our rivals and try to prove we can match them.
Manchester United and Chelsea have yet to play their quarter-final ties against Bristol City and Bournemouth respectively and the results of those games would affect who I would want to face in the next round, but we must focus on our own game and not that of others. Manchester City needed a penalty shootout to beat Leicester and are the team I most want to avoid in the semi-final.
We must now switch our attention back to the league and a massive clash against Liverpool. We can't afford to drop many more points and we need to prove that we can beat them and not collapse with a whimper like we did at Anfield earlier in this season. Regardless of how our season has gone so far, we have a huge point to prove in this game and Wenger and all the players must stand up to be counted!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
It took a goal by Danny Welbeck three minutes before half-time to settle a match of few clear-cut chances at the Emirates, but it's the result that counts and whoever we draw in the final four it is going to be tough.
Before Welbeck's winner the main chances had fallen to Arsenal, but were little to shout about. The striker saw a shot deflect behind for a corner before Theo Walcott somehow headed wide when in plenty of space in the box.
Arsenal finally made it count late in the first half as Francis Coquelin floated a great ball over to Mathieu Debuchy, who headed it across the area, and at the second attempt Welbeck scrambled the ball in from close range. Welbeck shot over the crossbar soon after as a rather dire first half ended in Arsenal's favour.
West Ham didn't really threaten any kind of comeback, with the visitors only shot of the game coming via Aaron Cresswell's free-kick that sailed harmlessly wide.
The cushion of a second goal would have made it more comfortable for the Gunners, but neither side really looked at the races. The Gunners failed to make the most of a free-kick in a decent position after Welbeck was fouled by West Ham's on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart just outside the box.
Arsenal held on for the victory and, although it wasn't a great attacking performance, it was a clean sheet and another positive result ahead of the huge league match against Liverpool.
There was concern for the Gunners before the end though as Olivier Giroud pulled up with a hamstring problem during a run and it didn't look too good, so let's just hope he isn't out for too long. Coquelin also limped off in the closing minute of normal time so let's hope he also makes a speedy recovery.
It may not have been a vintage display, but it's the result that matters most in terms of cup progression and we got that spot on at least.
OPPOSITION VIEW
West Ham fan Adam Brown was unhappy with the efforts of his side following their cup defeat.
"It was a terrible and completely boring game to watch," said Brown. "Arsenal should have won 2-0 easy with that Walcott chance.
"West Ham players out of position and half arsed effort most of the game, not much else to say really."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It wasn't the performance I was hoping for, but I'm delighted that we are through to the final four albeit of a competition I don't have a massive opinion of.
Obviously I'll be happy if we reach the final and win it as all silverware feels good, but it just doesn't compare at all with the FA Cup, which I am a lot more passionate about. Silverware would certainly be great for confidence though and we need to take the competition seriously. Not only does this present a chance to win a trophy, but looking at the teams left in the competition, it is a chance to get one over on our rivals and try to prove we can match them.
Manchester United and Chelsea have yet to play their quarter-final ties against Bristol City and Bournemouth respectively and the results of those games would affect who I would want to face in the next round, but we must focus on our own game and not that of others. Manchester City needed a penalty shootout to beat Leicester and are the team I most want to avoid in the semi-final.
We must now switch our attention back to the league and a massive clash against Liverpool. We can't afford to drop many more points and we need to prove that we can beat them and not collapse with a whimper like we did at Anfield earlier in this season. Regardless of how our season has gone so far, we have a huge point to prove in this game and Wenger and all the players must stand up to be counted!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 17 December 2017
1-0 to the Arsenal
1-0 to the Arsenal and back to winning ways certainly feels good, but we still need to become more clinical if we are to make up ground on the teams around us.
Yet again we created plenty of chances, but didn't really get enough of them on target and it took a sweetly struck volley by in-form Mesut Ozil to settle the contest. We got all three points and that's what matters, but we really need to kill off games earlier. With a tough clash with Liverpool looming the performance needs to go up another few levels.
We had over 70% possession and were in control for long spells, but 1-0 is always a dangerous scoreline and there was a rather nervy feeling in the closing stages of the match. We need to make our dominance count more!
Arsenal started brightly with Alexandre Lacazette's long-range strike forcing a save out of Rob Elliot in the Newcastle goal. Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech also had to be alert in the early stages as he parried Jamaal Lascelles' headed effort.
Hector Bellerin saw his shot deflected behind before Alexis Sanchez sent a first-time effort over the crossbar. The chances continued to come and go for Arsenal as Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who looked very lively at full-back, ran through the defence before his powerful strike sailed just wide and skimmed the side netting.
But the Gunners were not to be denied after 24 minutes as Ozil scored the game's only goal, and what a goal it was! Sanchez saw his initial effort blocked and he jumped with Newcastle's Florian Lejeune for the ball before the clearance dropped for Ozil, who showed great vision to thump a volley beyond Elliot.
Ozil has really improved of late which is great to see, but the overall team performance is still lacking that extra killer instinct in the final third. Bellerin and Sanchez both wasted further chances in the first half, while Elliot spread himself well to block Ozil's shot inside the box.
Arsenal continued to pile on the pressure in the second half with Elliot parrying a shot from Alex Iwobi, before reacting quickly to palm the loose ball clear and prevent the Nigeria international from getting to the rebound.
Maitland-Niles and Lacazette both missed the chances that came their way and on another day we could have been made to pay, but Newcastle were not able to take advantage at the other end. Matt Ritchie's shot from outside of the box flew over the crossbar before Jacob Murphy cut inside and forced a decent save from Cech.
Arsenal could have done with the cushion of a second goal, but weren't able to find it. Lacazette latched onto Iwobi's through pass before chipping a shot over Elliot and the crossbar. Iwobi sent an overhead kick off target soon after before seeing his next effort comfortably saved by Elliot.
The Gunners' best chance of a second goal fell to Jack Wilshere - the midfielder latched onto Olivier Giroud's headed assist before his first-time shot was excellently kept out by Elliot.
Arsenal were looking fairly comfortably, but with only a narrow one-goal lead the inevitable nervy finish followed. Joselu's strike from outside of the box deflected narrowly wide and behind for a corner.
Ayoze Perez wasted two late chances for the visitors as Arsenal held on for the victory and all three points
OPPOSITION VIEW
Newcastle fan David Charlesworth was left feeling disappointed by the result that saw his side drop into the relegation zone.
"Much like our recent trips to Manchester United and Chelsea, it felt like we needed to turn up, take our lumps and head back to the north-east," said Charlesworth. "The fact the teams were only separated by a goal is a small consolation as we drop into the bottom three.
"It's difficult to see where our next goal is coming from, let alone the next point. We are in complete freefall and the frustrating thing is this was all so predictable after failing to invest sufficiently in the summer.
"Not to get preachy but I remember the days when our fans were complaining about finishing outside the top four...we sacked Sir Bobby Robson and it can't be denied there have been more bad days than good since then. Moral of the story: be careful what you wish for!"
Fellow Magpies fan Alex Earle also spoke of his frustration, but believes the club may be able to turn a corner if manager Rafa Benitez is given the right money to spend.
"It was a disappointing result," added Earle. "To say Arsenal weren't at their best and we have only got one point in a possible 27 it can only hurt more!
"Chances need to be taken in a side lacking confidence. Give Rafa some money and we may be okay."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We have been praised in the past for our free-flowing attacking football and great goals, but goals is something I believe we are not seeing enough of at the moment.
When you look at our ratio of shot count to shots on target or scored in recent games it isn't all that great. We are definitely creating enough chances, but we need to do better at converting them. Against Newcastle it didn't come back to bite us and we got all three points, but that won't happen every time as we have already seen by the recent draws against Southampton and West Ham.
We have a huge home game against Liverpool looming in which Wenger and the players really owe us one after our capitulation at Anfield earlier in the season. In previous seasons I'd probably have taken a draw against Liverpool, but with some of the points we have dropped in recent months and how bad we played against them last time, nothing other than a win will do. We need to prove we can match them.
But before we can even begin to start thinking about that we must focus our attentions on the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against West Ham, where we need to make home advantage and chances count!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Yet again we created plenty of chances, but didn't really get enough of them on target and it took a sweetly struck volley by in-form Mesut Ozil to settle the contest. We got all three points and that's what matters, but we really need to kill off games earlier. With a tough clash with Liverpool looming the performance needs to go up another few levels.
We had over 70% possession and were in control for long spells, but 1-0 is always a dangerous scoreline and there was a rather nervy feeling in the closing stages of the match. We need to make our dominance count more!
Arsenal started brightly with Alexandre Lacazette's long-range strike forcing a save out of Rob Elliot in the Newcastle goal. Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech also had to be alert in the early stages as he parried Jamaal Lascelles' headed effort.
Hector Bellerin saw his shot deflected behind before Alexis Sanchez sent a first-time effort over the crossbar. The chances continued to come and go for Arsenal as Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who looked very lively at full-back, ran through the defence before his powerful strike sailed just wide and skimmed the side netting.
But the Gunners were not to be denied after 24 minutes as Ozil scored the game's only goal, and what a goal it was! Sanchez saw his initial effort blocked and he jumped with Newcastle's Florian Lejeune for the ball before the clearance dropped for Ozil, who showed great vision to thump a volley beyond Elliot.
Ozil has really improved of late which is great to see, but the overall team performance is still lacking that extra killer instinct in the final third. Bellerin and Sanchez both wasted further chances in the first half, while Elliot spread himself well to block Ozil's shot inside the box.
Arsenal continued to pile on the pressure in the second half with Elliot parrying a shot from Alex Iwobi, before reacting quickly to palm the loose ball clear and prevent the Nigeria international from getting to the rebound.
Maitland-Niles and Lacazette both missed the chances that came their way and on another day we could have been made to pay, but Newcastle were not able to take advantage at the other end. Matt Ritchie's shot from outside of the box flew over the crossbar before Jacob Murphy cut inside and forced a decent save from Cech.
Arsenal could have done with the cushion of a second goal, but weren't able to find it. Lacazette latched onto Iwobi's through pass before chipping a shot over Elliot and the crossbar. Iwobi sent an overhead kick off target soon after before seeing his next effort comfortably saved by Elliot.
The Gunners' best chance of a second goal fell to Jack Wilshere - the midfielder latched onto Olivier Giroud's headed assist before his first-time shot was excellently kept out by Elliot.
Arsenal were looking fairly comfortably, but with only a narrow one-goal lead the inevitable nervy finish followed. Joselu's strike from outside of the box deflected narrowly wide and behind for a corner.
Ayoze Perez wasted two late chances for the visitors as Arsenal held on for the victory and all three points
OPPOSITION VIEW
Newcastle fan David Charlesworth was left feeling disappointed by the result that saw his side drop into the relegation zone.
"Much like our recent trips to Manchester United and Chelsea, it felt like we needed to turn up, take our lumps and head back to the north-east," said Charlesworth. "The fact the teams were only separated by a goal is a small consolation as we drop into the bottom three.
"It's difficult to see where our next goal is coming from, let alone the next point. We are in complete freefall and the frustrating thing is this was all so predictable after failing to invest sufficiently in the summer.
"Not to get preachy but I remember the days when our fans were complaining about finishing outside the top four...we sacked Sir Bobby Robson and it can't be denied there have been more bad days than good since then. Moral of the story: be careful what you wish for!"
Fellow Magpies fan Alex Earle also spoke of his frustration, but believes the club may be able to turn a corner if manager Rafa Benitez is given the right money to spend.
"It was a disappointing result," added Earle. "To say Arsenal weren't at their best and we have only got one point in a possible 27 it can only hurt more!
"Chances need to be taken in a side lacking confidence. Give Rafa some money and we may be okay."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We have been praised in the past for our free-flowing attacking football and great goals, but goals is something I believe we are not seeing enough of at the moment.
When you look at our ratio of shot count to shots on target or scored in recent games it isn't all that great. We are definitely creating enough chances, but we need to do better at converting them. Against Newcastle it didn't come back to bite us and we got all three points, but that won't happen every time as we have already seen by the recent draws against Southampton and West Ham.
We have a huge home game against Liverpool looming in which Wenger and the players really owe us one after our capitulation at Anfield earlier in the season. In previous seasons I'd probably have taken a draw against Liverpool, but with some of the points we have dropped in recent months and how bad we played against them last time, nothing other than a win will do. We need to prove we can match them.
But before we can even begin to start thinking about that we must focus our attentions on the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against West Ham, where we need to make home advantage and chances count!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Gunners in frustrating draw with Hammers
Dominating possession and the shot count, but yet again we are forced to settle for a point - this time following a goalless draw at West Ham.
An away derby clash is never expected to be easy and on another day maybe a point would have been easier to accept, but we were far too wasteful and for all our dominance the end product was disappointing. Yes, West Ham deserve some credit for defending well, but we really should have done better in attack.
It was great to see Jack Wilshere given his first league start since May 2016 and most of his passing was spot on, but other than that there wasn't too much for us Gunners fans to feel positive about after the draw.
Alexis Sanchez forced an early save out of Adrian in the West Ham goal, but it was in fact the hosts who created the best chance of the first half after 15 minutes. Arthur Masuaku's cross was headed home by Marko Arnautovic, but the referee disallowed his effort for offside. It was a very tight decision, but it looked correct and we were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who was one of the few positives to come out of the game for the visitors, shot wide after 22 minutes. Although it was good to see him get a start, I don't understand at all why Sead Kolasinac was left on the bench. Kolasinac has looked a bargain and a decent signing and is not a player who should be among the substitutes, especially for a London derby clash.
Alex Iwobi had Arsenal's best chance of the first half shortly before the half hour mark, but his effort hit the woodwork following good play by Sanchez.
West Ham saw their penalty appeals turned away after Manuel Lanzini went down in the box. Some sections of the crowd believed he had been fouled in the box by Granit Xhaka, but I genuinely felt the Swiss midfielder was merely shielding the ball out of play.
Arsenal began to show more purpose in the second half with Hector Bellerin shooting off target before Olivier Giroud headed just wide soon after. At the other end Arnautovic sent an effort over the crossbar.
The chances continued to come and go for Arsenal as Sanchez's effort deflected into the path of Mesut Ozil, but the German playmaker's half-volley went wide.
The officials spared Arsenal's blushes after 65 minutes when Arnautovic's shot was cleared off the line by Nacho Monreal. Although it was decent defending by the Spanish full-back, maybe things could have ended differently had the flag not gone up beforehand. It looked to have been pulled back for a push on Laurent Koscielny although I have seen some suggestion that it was for offside.
Back came Arsenal and after an excellent headed assist by Giroud, Wilshere controlled the ball in the box, but unfortunately the midfielder fired his shot over the crossbar.
The closest the Gunners came to a goal in the second half was when Sanchez's free-kick was superbly parried by Adrian, but in truth the visitors didn't trouble the Hammers' goalkeeper enough.
Bellerin and Sanchez saw their efforts blocked by the defence as time continued to run out for Arsenal, and it was in fact West Ham who came closest to breaking the deadlock. Substitute Javier Hernandez latched onto a fine pass from Mark Noble before his shot hit the crossbar and bounced just the wrong side of the line.
It was a very big let off for Arsenal on what was a frustrating evening for Arsene Wenger's men, who have now dropped down to seventh in the league and this is simply not good enough!
OPPOSITION VIEW
West Ham fan Adam Brown was pleased with elements of his side's performance and believes a draw was a fair result.
"I think West Ham defended really well, made it hard for Sanchez and Ozil to get anything going," said Brown. "Marko and Hernandez were two huge chances and should have taken them.
"We were so unlucky not to steal it at the end. Although Arsenal controlled most of the game, Wenger should have noticed our defensive compactness against City and Chelsea and planned against it with width to stretch us.
"Both sides missed big chances so a draw seemed fair in the end."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We need to start being more clinical in attack and quickly and that is a large factor as to what has seen us drop more points in recent months.
22 shots and three on target is an embarrassing statistic! Yes, creating that many chances is great, but it means nothing if you don't score and there's no point dominating teams if we don't win the match. Arsene Wenger said after that match that he wasn't worried about a lack of ruthlessness and he thinks it will come back again. Inevitably it will come back again at some point, but I am more concerned about the situation, as we don't just need it to return we need it to be consistent and regular.
It is frustrating that Alexandre Lacazette didn't start or even come off the bench until the final eight minutes. Although he reportedly had a hamstring problem, if he was fit enough to make the bench we should have given him longer than eight minutes to make an impact.
Regardless of that the team which started the match was more than good enough to have won it on another day, but the level performance, especially in the final third, wasn't up to the standard that it should have been.
Recently we learnt that our round of 32 Europa League opponents would be Swedish side Osterunds. I am fairly pleased with the draw as that is a very winnable game providing we don't underestimate our opponents and we need to actually take our chances.
We now need to focus our attentions on the visit of Newcastle and a game that I feel is an absolutely must win. I would have thought that anyway, but after two draws in a row we need the win badly and the manager and players need to raise their game to make it happen.
After that we face West Ham again, but this time in the League Cup, and one thing is for sure - if we are to improve on our results we must start improving in the final third and need to be a lot more clinical with the chances that come our way.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 10 December 2017
Giroud rescues slow-starting Gunners
Before the game I'd have taken a point, but I still couldn't help feel frustrated following Arsenal's 1-1 draw at Southampton.
Once again we were punished for a slow start by conceding an early goal. We at least got a share of the spoils this time thanks to Olivier Giroud's late header, but there was far too much tippy tappy passing again.
We controlled possession and had more chances, but we didn't do enough with it. We passed far too often when some of the time we should have just got a shot in to test Fraser Forster in the Southampton goal.
A point at St Mary's isn't a bad result, but not making the most of periods of dominance leaves me with an all too familiar feeling of frustration.
Although Charlie Austin deserves credit for good control and a calm finish on the half-volley from Dusan Tadic's reverse pass, the defence in the build-up should have been a lot better than it was.
Austin was clearly in confident mood as the striker forced a save from Petr Cech before seeing another shot hit a post and this was all inside the opening 10 minutes.
Once we got going we started to play better, but we really need to work on our starts having conceded early in our last two league matches. We also need to be more clinical with our chances as Alexandre Lacazette tamely shot at Forster in the first half.
Cech kept the score down by tipping over a looping free-kick from James Ward-Prowse, but at the other end Arsenal failed to make the most of their first-half chances. Hector Bellerin's low cross was met by Aaron Ramsey, but Forster made a decent save low and to his left to deny the Welsh midfielder.
Lacazette blazed over the crossbar in the closing stages of the first half, but Arsenal seemed to improve after the break with more attacking purpose in the second half albeit with too much tippy tappy passing. Southampton though were creating the better chances and Arsenal didn't call Forster into action nearly as much as they should have done.
Ramsey dragged a low shot wide, while Oriol Romeu's long-range strike hit the crossbar and Ryan Bertrand somehow sent an effort off target at the other end.
Arsenal came close to levelling the scores five minutes from time, but Forster produced a decent save to punch the ball away from Alexis Sanchez's free-kick. But two minutes from time Arsenal grabbed an equaliser as substitute Giroud glanced a header beyond Forster from Sanchez's cross.
We probably deserved the point, but if we had started the match better from minute one who knows what might have happened. Lessons must be learned and quickly as if this continues we won't always get away with a point.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Southampton fan Mavis John found plenty of reason to be positive with the result.
"When Charlie Austin scored in the third minute, I couldn't quite believe that we could hold onto the lead," said John. "However, as the match progressed, it seemed that we were deserving of our lead - so I was actually disappointed that it finished in a draw.
"The introduction of Charlie Austin into the starting line-up, as opposed to him playing a bit part as a sub, has made a positive difference to Saints - as, indeed, have several other changes Pellegrino has recently made to his starting line-up.
"Saints definitely seem to be playing with more creativity and self-belief, but we still have the problem in many matches of not being able to make the most of our chances and score.
"That happened against Arsenal. However, the fact that we were able to keep Arsenal at bay, even when they really got into the game, is cause for more optimism than we felt earlier in the season."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It was a fairly decent result, but definitely not the ideal performance. A slow start nearly saw us come out of a game with nothing for the second week running, but luckily Giroud saved our blushes.
There is no denying Giroud made a great and decisive impact, but with the players at our disposal should we really be having to rely on being rescued by a late goal? Credit must go to Southampton though as it wasn't all about us passing too much and defending poorly at times. Southampton put in some great challenges and battled hard to make it a tough contest and St Mary's is a hard place to go.
We play West Ham twice, in the league and then Carabao Cup, either side of the visit of Newcastle. These are the kind of matches we need to be getting maximum points from if we are truly wanting to challenge the teams around us.
West Ham's recent victory over Chelsea gave us a great chance to make up ground on the current champions, but we failed to do so and we need to start making things count.
Let's hope Arsenal travel to West Ham and show us the kind of performance they put in against Tottenham and not the ones from our last two league matches.
The performance needs to go up another few levels and we need to make sure that this time we start strongly!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Once again we were punished for a slow start by conceding an early goal. We at least got a share of the spoils this time thanks to Olivier Giroud's late header, but there was far too much tippy tappy passing again.
We controlled possession and had more chances, but we didn't do enough with it. We passed far too often when some of the time we should have just got a shot in to test Fraser Forster in the Southampton goal.
A point at St Mary's isn't a bad result, but not making the most of periods of dominance leaves me with an all too familiar feeling of frustration.
Although Charlie Austin deserves credit for good control and a calm finish on the half-volley from Dusan Tadic's reverse pass, the defence in the build-up should have been a lot better than it was.
Austin was clearly in confident mood as the striker forced a save from Petr Cech before seeing another shot hit a post and this was all inside the opening 10 minutes.
Once we got going we started to play better, but we really need to work on our starts having conceded early in our last two league matches. We also need to be more clinical with our chances as Alexandre Lacazette tamely shot at Forster in the first half.
Cech kept the score down by tipping over a looping free-kick from James Ward-Prowse, but at the other end Arsenal failed to make the most of their first-half chances. Hector Bellerin's low cross was met by Aaron Ramsey, but Forster made a decent save low and to his left to deny the Welsh midfielder.
Lacazette blazed over the crossbar in the closing stages of the first half, but Arsenal seemed to improve after the break with more attacking purpose in the second half albeit with too much tippy tappy passing. Southampton though were creating the better chances and Arsenal didn't call Forster into action nearly as much as they should have done.
Ramsey dragged a low shot wide, while Oriol Romeu's long-range strike hit the crossbar and Ryan Bertrand somehow sent an effort off target at the other end.
Arsenal came close to levelling the scores five minutes from time, but Forster produced a decent save to punch the ball away from Alexis Sanchez's free-kick. But two minutes from time Arsenal grabbed an equaliser as substitute Giroud glanced a header beyond Forster from Sanchez's cross.
We probably deserved the point, but if we had started the match better from minute one who knows what might have happened. Lessons must be learned and quickly as if this continues we won't always get away with a point.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Southampton fan Mavis John found plenty of reason to be positive with the result.
"When Charlie Austin scored in the third minute, I couldn't quite believe that we could hold onto the lead," said John. "However, as the match progressed, it seemed that we were deserving of our lead - so I was actually disappointed that it finished in a draw.
"The introduction of Charlie Austin into the starting line-up, as opposed to him playing a bit part as a sub, has made a positive difference to Saints - as, indeed, have several other changes Pellegrino has recently made to his starting line-up.
"Saints definitely seem to be playing with more creativity and self-belief, but we still have the problem in many matches of not being able to make the most of our chances and score.
"That happened against Arsenal. However, the fact that we were able to keep Arsenal at bay, even when they really got into the game, is cause for more optimism than we felt earlier in the season."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
It was a fairly decent result, but definitely not the ideal performance. A slow start nearly saw us come out of a game with nothing for the second week running, but luckily Giroud saved our blushes.
There is no denying Giroud made a great and decisive impact, but with the players at our disposal should we really be having to rely on being rescued by a late goal? Credit must go to Southampton though as it wasn't all about us passing too much and defending poorly at times. Southampton put in some great challenges and battled hard to make it a tough contest and St Mary's is a hard place to go.
We play West Ham twice, in the league and then Carabao Cup, either side of the visit of Newcastle. These are the kind of matches we need to be getting maximum points from if we are truly wanting to challenge the teams around us.
West Ham's recent victory over Chelsea gave us a great chance to make up ground on the current champions, but we failed to do so and we need to start making things count.
Let's hope Arsenal travel to West Ham and show us the kind of performance they put in against Tottenham and not the ones from our last two league matches.
The performance needs to go up another few levels and we need to make sure that this time we start strongly!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Thursday, 7 December 2017
Ruthless Gunners finish group stages in style
Jack Wilshere got back among the goals as Arsenal put in an excellent performance to round off the Europa League group stages with an emphatic 6-0 home win over BATE Borisov.
The Gunners didn't have much to play for, but you can only play what's put in front of you and, with qualification and top spot already secure, complacency could have crept in. Arsenal didn't let it affect them and put in arguably their best performance of the six group games as manager Arsene Wenger racked up his 700th win in charge.
Wilshere added to first-half efforts from Mathieu Debuchy and Theo Walcott for his first competitive goal since 2015. Yet again the midfielder impressed and surely he has to start a league game soon. He has certainly given Wenger food for thought and I would much rather see Wilshere start and would put him ahead of both Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka.
We certainly deserve credit for a decent performance as Olivier Giroud and Mohamed Elneny scored after an own goal to complete the rout. But our opposition BATE Borisov looked nothing like the team we had faced in Belarus back in September.
Admittedly we didn't have the toughest of groups, but we got the job done by finishing top of the group and reaching the round of 32.
Arsenal started brightly and could have opened the scoring inside three minutes had Elneny's shot not hit a post. At the other end Mirko Ivanic showed a great first touch before shooting harmlessly off target and that miss proved costly for the visitors as Arsenal soon broke the deadlock.
Debuchy, who hadn't scored since December 2014, fired a rocket of a first-time shot into the corner of the net and what a way it was for the French full-back to end a long run without a goal!
BATE goalkeeper Denis Scherbitski raced out to block an effort from Danny Welbeck before producing a great save to prevent an own goal. But there was nothing the visitors' number one could do about Arsenal's second after 37 minutes. Welbeck took one touch too many and the defender got to the ball, but it was poorly cleared straight to Walcott for an easy finish. Walcott nearly doubled his tally soon after, but his shot was cleared off the line by Nemanja Milunovic.
Arsenal were in full control and added a third through Wilshere two minutes before the break. The midfielder saw a curling shot excellently tipped over the crossbar by Scherbitski, but nothing was to stop him next time around. A good passing move set up Wilshere, who took a few touches before firing home a low shot from just inside the box.
The hosts continued to dominate in the second half and increased their lead to four goals within seven minutes of the restart. Walcott latched onto a pass from Wilshere before sending a low ball across goal, which Denis Polyakov accidentally turned into his own net.
Arsenal continued to attack and it was becoming a question of simply how many would they score? Scherbitski had to be alert as he produced an excellent save to deny Welbeck from point-blank range, but the Gunners didn't have to wait too long for goal number five shortly after the hour mark.
Walcott was fouled in the box before Giroud scored from the spot, but the French striker was soon ordered to re-take the penalty, which he netted again with no problem.
BATE rarely threatened at the Emirates, but the Belarus outfit very nearly fashioned a consolation goal after 67 minutes. Igor Stasevich's turn and shot in the box forced David Ospina into a good save to preserve Arsenal's clean sheet.
Wilshere was once again involved as his pass set up Elneny to curl in a great sixth goal for Arsenal after 74 minutes, before substitute Reiss Nelson saw his effort blocked by the defence.
BATE tried to muster a late response, but Ospina ensured his clean sheet by parrying a shot from Mikhail Gordeychuk.
GROUP H
The Europa League group stages are now over and, although I would have been hoping for a higher points tally, there is no denying we got the job done as we comfortably achieved our objective of winning Group H.
In truth this is the kind of performance we should really have been putting in in the previous five games, but it's the results that matter and four wins, a draw and a defeat was enough to see us through.
The race for second place in our group went right down to the wire with Red Star Belgrade beating FC Cologne by a narrow 1-0 margin to finish as runners-up.
The knock-out stages will present a completely different kind of challenge and, whilst I admire the selection of some of the youngsters in this competition we may need to start using more of our more regular senior players to ensure we progress as far as possible in the Europa League.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Looking at the list of possible opponents for the round of 32, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli are the ones I want to avoid, whilst I would prefer not to face Atletico Madrid in any of the next few rounds if possible.
There are no easy games, but there are certainly several sides left in the competition that if drawn against we really should be beating so we could be largely in charge of our own destiny. But that guarantees nothing and we must make sure we don't get complacent and we need to be at our best and avoid any silly errors if this is to be a memorable Europa League campaign.
Before we can even begin to think about who we might draw in the round of 32 we must quickly turn our attentions back to the Premier League. We need to get back to winning ways in the league as soon as we can and the trip to Southampton will certainly be a tough encounter, but one I feel we can get something out of.
We need to keep it tight at the back and be as clinical as we were against BATE and then I'm sure we can beat Southampton. But realistically the game at St Mary's won't be quite so comfortable! It is definitely a winnable game though so we need to go and show them what we are made of!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
The Gunners didn't have much to play for, but you can only play what's put in front of you and, with qualification and top spot already secure, complacency could have crept in. Arsenal didn't let it affect them and put in arguably their best performance of the six group games as manager Arsene Wenger racked up his 700th win in charge.
Wilshere added to first-half efforts from Mathieu Debuchy and Theo Walcott for his first competitive goal since 2015. Yet again the midfielder impressed and surely he has to start a league game soon. He has certainly given Wenger food for thought and I would much rather see Wilshere start and would put him ahead of both Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka.
We certainly deserve credit for a decent performance as Olivier Giroud and Mohamed Elneny scored after an own goal to complete the rout. But our opposition BATE Borisov looked nothing like the team we had faced in Belarus back in September.
Admittedly we didn't have the toughest of groups, but we got the job done by finishing top of the group and reaching the round of 32.
Arsenal started brightly and could have opened the scoring inside three minutes had Elneny's shot not hit a post. At the other end Mirko Ivanic showed a great first touch before shooting harmlessly off target and that miss proved costly for the visitors as Arsenal soon broke the deadlock.
Debuchy, who hadn't scored since December 2014, fired a rocket of a first-time shot into the corner of the net and what a way it was for the French full-back to end a long run without a goal!
BATE goalkeeper Denis Scherbitski raced out to block an effort from Danny Welbeck before producing a great save to prevent an own goal. But there was nothing the visitors' number one could do about Arsenal's second after 37 minutes. Welbeck took one touch too many and the defender got to the ball, but it was poorly cleared straight to Walcott for an easy finish. Walcott nearly doubled his tally soon after, but his shot was cleared off the line by Nemanja Milunovic.
Arsenal were in full control and added a third through Wilshere two minutes before the break. The midfielder saw a curling shot excellently tipped over the crossbar by Scherbitski, but nothing was to stop him next time around. A good passing move set up Wilshere, who took a few touches before firing home a low shot from just inside the box.
The hosts continued to dominate in the second half and increased their lead to four goals within seven minutes of the restart. Walcott latched onto a pass from Wilshere before sending a low ball across goal, which Denis Polyakov accidentally turned into his own net.
Arsenal continued to attack and it was becoming a question of simply how many would they score? Scherbitski had to be alert as he produced an excellent save to deny Welbeck from point-blank range, but the Gunners didn't have to wait too long for goal number five shortly after the hour mark.
Walcott was fouled in the box before Giroud scored from the spot, but the French striker was soon ordered to re-take the penalty, which he netted again with no problem.
BATE rarely threatened at the Emirates, but the Belarus outfit very nearly fashioned a consolation goal after 67 minutes. Igor Stasevich's turn and shot in the box forced David Ospina into a good save to preserve Arsenal's clean sheet.
Wilshere was once again involved as his pass set up Elneny to curl in a great sixth goal for Arsenal after 74 minutes, before substitute Reiss Nelson saw his effort blocked by the defence.
BATE tried to muster a late response, but Ospina ensured his clean sheet by parrying a shot from Mikhail Gordeychuk.
GROUP H
The Europa League group stages are now over and, although I would have been hoping for a higher points tally, there is no denying we got the job done as we comfortably achieved our objective of winning Group H.
In truth this is the kind of performance we should really have been putting in in the previous five games, but it's the results that matter and four wins, a draw and a defeat was enough to see us through.
The race for second place in our group went right down to the wire with Red Star Belgrade beating FC Cologne by a narrow 1-0 margin to finish as runners-up.
The knock-out stages will present a completely different kind of challenge and, whilst I admire the selection of some of the youngsters in this competition we may need to start using more of our more regular senior players to ensure we progress as far as possible in the Europa League.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Looking at the list of possible opponents for the round of 32, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli are the ones I want to avoid, whilst I would prefer not to face Atletico Madrid in any of the next few rounds if possible.
There are no easy games, but there are certainly several sides left in the competition that if drawn against we really should be beating so we could be largely in charge of our own destiny. But that guarantees nothing and we must make sure we don't get complacent and we need to be at our best and avoid any silly errors if this is to be a memorable Europa League campaign.
Before we can even begin to think about who we might draw in the round of 32 we must quickly turn our attentions back to the Premier League. We need to get back to winning ways in the league as soon as we can and the trip to Southampton will certainly be a tough encounter, but one I feel we can get something out of.
We need to keep it tight at the back and be as clinical as we were against BATE and then I'm sure we can beat Southampton. But realistically the game at St Mary's won't be quite so comfortable! It is definitely a winnable game though so we need to go and show them what we are made of!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Sunday, 3 December 2017
De Gea masterclass frustrates Gunners
Only one statistic really matters and it went against us as Arsenal suffered a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of 10-man Manchester United.
Over 30 shots on goal and some impressive attacking football could on another day be seen as a big positive, but when you come out of the game with nothing it matters little.
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is considered among the world's best for a good reason and he once again proved his top class ability with 14 saves to keep Arsenal out. It is the most saves by a goalkeeper in a single game in Premier League history and was a major factor in the game.
We were also denied a penalty, which was very frustrating, but we can't simply hide behind this. Yes, it had a big impact on the game, but as Arsene Wenger pointed out we weren't efficient enough. Over half of our total shot count were off target and our disastrous start that saw us go 2-0 down in 11 minutes gave us too much of a mountain to climb. Regardless of the goalkeeping masterclass and penalty shouts, this isn't good enough. There's not much you can do to prevent a fantastic performance from a goalkeeper, but some of the elements in our control, such as defensive errors, could have been avoided.
No matter how good elements of the performance are, it is the result that gets remembered the most and this was certainly a bad one for us! It only took Manchester United four minutes to open the scoring when, after we gave the ball away far too easily, Antonio Valenica powered a low angle drive under Petr Cech.
It soon got worse for Arsenal just seven minutes later when Shkodran Mustafi, who was forced off injured soon after, was caught in possession. The German defender really should have done better and it was a soft goal to concede. But Manchester United deserve some credit for a well-worked finish as Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial combined well to set up Jesse Lingard to prod the ball past Cech.
Arsenal tried to find a way back into the match and very nearly got one after a quick break, but somehow the visitors scrambled it behind for a corner. From the resulting set-piece Alexandre Lacazette forced a save out of De Gea before the ball then bobbled wide off the French striker's knee. De Gea was again called into action soon after as he saved Aaron Ramsey's long-range effort.
The Gunners continued to create chances as Lacazette hit the crossbar from close range before Alex Iwobi saw his follow-up blocked and Granit Xhaka shot just wide.
Mesut Ozil's first-time strike was well saved by De Gea before Nemanja Matic made a crucial block to deny Ramsey.
Arsenal were definitely creating enough chances, but they just simply could not find a way to get past De Gea, who produced fine saves in the closing stages of the first half to parry efforts from Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac.
In added time of the first half De Gea kept out a close-range effort from Xhaka, which took a touch off Lukaku, as the visitors continued to frustrate Arsenal.
Arsenal reduced the deficit and got the goal their positive play deserved within four minutes of the restart. Alexis Sanchez dinked the ball over the top for Ramsey, who hit it first time for Lacazette to take a touch and fire the ball beyond De Gea.
But Manchester United very nearly restored their two-goal advantage soon after. Lingard got in behind the defence before his effort was blocked by Cech and it then hit a post.
There was no wonder that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho labelled De Gea's performance as the "best from a goalkeeper in the world" as the Spanish shot-stopper was simply outstanding. De Gea produced a great save to parry an effort from Arsenal substitute Alex Iwobi, before the same player headed straight at the goalkeeper.
De Gea produced an even better moment of goalkeeping soon after, with a one-handed save to deny Lacazette before somehow keeping out Alexis Sanchez's rebound. It was a truly remarkable double save from a world class goalkeeper!
Those saves proved crucial as, instead of what should have been Arsenal level and back in the game, the Gunners was punished with a third goal from the visitors shortly after the hour mark. Paul Pogba and Lingard combined well before the latter tapped in from close range.
It is not that often a Premier League goalkeeper has to make quite so many saves, but De Gea was determined not to be beaten again as he parried Sanchez's powerful strike from outside of the box.
Arsenal were given hope of a possible comeback when Pogba was shown a red card for a stamp on the back of Bellerin's knee with 15 minutes remaining. It was a nasty challenge and a careless one!
Substitute Danny Welbeck tried his luck eight minutes from time, but his deflected effort was tipped over the crossbar by De Gea. Arsenal were denied what looked like a clear penalty when Welbeck was fouled in the box late on to show that it really wasn't going to be our day.
Ramsey blazed over the bar in stoppage time as Arsenal's day ended in disappointment.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Manchester United fan Aran Scarrott believes the "thrilling" contest at the Emirates showed the difference between the two sides.
"Two different teams with different styles both contributed to a thrilling game to watch," said Scarrott. "I think United were pretty lucky to get the win and I'm sure most Arsenal fans can't believe that they lost.
"In a way I think the game epitomised the Mourinho/Wenger stereotypes. One team were largely uninspiring, but ruthless, the other were attractive but ultimately ineffective."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Although this was a very frustrating defeat, I've got to simply hold my hands up and say what a great goalkeeper De Gea is.
Don't get me wrong I rate our goalkeeper Petr Cech and he can be excellent, but De Gea is like a whole different level compared to all the others in the Premier League. But this wasn't only down to the goalkeeper as we were also wasteful in front of goal at times.
We are way off the pace in terms of the title race as we have fallen even further behind leaders Manchester City - sitting fifth and 12 points away from them isn't really good enough. We are only one point behind Liverpool though and third-placed Chelsea are four above us, so we need to work hard on catching the teams around us.
Frustratingly this seems to be another failed title challenge, but if we cut out the silly mistakes and are more clinical there is no reason why we can't finish second or third. But if we are not careful we could slip further behind so we need to make sure we get back to winning ways in the league when we travel to Southampton.
Before we can think about that though, we must switch our attention to the Europa League and our final Group H game at home against BATE Borisov.
We have already qualified for the knock-out stages and secured top spot in the group, so rotation is inevitable, but we can have a big say in who finishes runner-up as only one point separates BATE, Cologne and Red Star Belgrade.
We need to do a professional job and go up another level as this next game isn't just about the result, it is about putting in the right level of performance. Without being disrespectful to the opposition this isn't a match we should be scraping 1-0 and we need to make sure we are more clinical if we are to get a big win.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Over 30 shots on goal and some impressive attacking football could on another day be seen as a big positive, but when you come out of the game with nothing it matters little.
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is considered among the world's best for a good reason and he once again proved his top class ability with 14 saves to keep Arsenal out. It is the most saves by a goalkeeper in a single game in Premier League history and was a major factor in the game.
We were also denied a penalty, which was very frustrating, but we can't simply hide behind this. Yes, it had a big impact on the game, but as Arsene Wenger pointed out we weren't efficient enough. Over half of our total shot count were off target and our disastrous start that saw us go 2-0 down in 11 minutes gave us too much of a mountain to climb. Regardless of the goalkeeping masterclass and penalty shouts, this isn't good enough. There's not much you can do to prevent a fantastic performance from a goalkeeper, but some of the elements in our control, such as defensive errors, could have been avoided.
No matter how good elements of the performance are, it is the result that gets remembered the most and this was certainly a bad one for us! It only took Manchester United four minutes to open the scoring when, after we gave the ball away far too easily, Antonio Valenica powered a low angle drive under Petr Cech.
It soon got worse for Arsenal just seven minutes later when Shkodran Mustafi, who was forced off injured soon after, was caught in possession. The German defender really should have done better and it was a soft goal to concede. But Manchester United deserve some credit for a well-worked finish as Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial combined well to set up Jesse Lingard to prod the ball past Cech.
Arsenal tried to find a way back into the match and very nearly got one after a quick break, but somehow the visitors scrambled it behind for a corner. From the resulting set-piece Alexandre Lacazette forced a save out of De Gea before the ball then bobbled wide off the French striker's knee. De Gea was again called into action soon after as he saved Aaron Ramsey's long-range effort.
The Gunners continued to create chances as Lacazette hit the crossbar from close range before Alex Iwobi saw his follow-up blocked and Granit Xhaka shot just wide.
Mesut Ozil's first-time strike was well saved by De Gea before Nemanja Matic made a crucial block to deny Ramsey.
Arsenal were definitely creating enough chances, but they just simply could not find a way to get past De Gea, who produced fine saves in the closing stages of the first half to parry efforts from Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac.
In added time of the first half De Gea kept out a close-range effort from Xhaka, which took a touch off Lukaku, as the visitors continued to frustrate Arsenal.
Arsenal reduced the deficit and got the goal their positive play deserved within four minutes of the restart. Alexis Sanchez dinked the ball over the top for Ramsey, who hit it first time for Lacazette to take a touch and fire the ball beyond De Gea.
But Manchester United very nearly restored their two-goal advantage soon after. Lingard got in behind the defence before his effort was blocked by Cech and it then hit a post.
There was no wonder that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho labelled De Gea's performance as the "best from a goalkeeper in the world" as the Spanish shot-stopper was simply outstanding. De Gea produced a great save to parry an effort from Arsenal substitute Alex Iwobi, before the same player headed straight at the goalkeeper.
De Gea produced an even better moment of goalkeeping soon after, with a one-handed save to deny Lacazette before somehow keeping out Alexis Sanchez's rebound. It was a truly remarkable double save from a world class goalkeeper!
Those saves proved crucial as, instead of what should have been Arsenal level and back in the game, the Gunners was punished with a third goal from the visitors shortly after the hour mark. Paul Pogba and Lingard combined well before the latter tapped in from close range.
It is not that often a Premier League goalkeeper has to make quite so many saves, but De Gea was determined not to be beaten again as he parried Sanchez's powerful strike from outside of the box.
Arsenal were given hope of a possible comeback when Pogba was shown a red card for a stamp on the back of Bellerin's knee with 15 minutes remaining. It was a nasty challenge and a careless one!
Substitute Danny Welbeck tried his luck eight minutes from time, but his deflected effort was tipped over the crossbar by De Gea. Arsenal were denied what looked like a clear penalty when Welbeck was fouled in the box late on to show that it really wasn't going to be our day.
Ramsey blazed over the bar in stoppage time as Arsenal's day ended in disappointment.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Manchester United fan Aran Scarrott believes the "thrilling" contest at the Emirates showed the difference between the two sides.
"Two different teams with different styles both contributed to a thrilling game to watch," said Scarrott. "I think United were pretty lucky to get the win and I'm sure most Arsenal fans can't believe that they lost.
"In a way I think the game epitomised the Mourinho/Wenger stereotypes. One team were largely uninspiring, but ruthless, the other were attractive but ultimately ineffective."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Although this was a very frustrating defeat, I've got to simply hold my hands up and say what a great goalkeeper De Gea is.
Don't get me wrong I rate our goalkeeper Petr Cech and he can be excellent, but De Gea is like a whole different level compared to all the others in the Premier League. But this wasn't only down to the goalkeeper as we were also wasteful in front of goal at times.
We are way off the pace in terms of the title race as we have fallen even further behind leaders Manchester City - sitting fifth and 12 points away from them isn't really good enough. We are only one point behind Liverpool though and third-placed Chelsea are four above us, so we need to work hard on catching the teams around us.
Frustratingly this seems to be another failed title challenge, but if we cut out the silly mistakes and are more clinical there is no reason why we can't finish second or third. But if we are not careful we could slip further behind so we need to make sure we get back to winning ways in the league when we travel to Southampton.
Before we can think about that though, we must switch our attention to the Europa League and our final Group H game at home against BATE Borisov.
We have already qualified for the knock-out stages and secured top spot in the group, so rotation is inevitable, but we can have a big say in who finishes runner-up as only one point separates BATE, Cologne and Red Star Belgrade.
We need to do a professional job and go up another level as this next game isn't just about the result, it is about putting in the right level of performance. Without being disrespectful to the opposition this isn't a match we should be scraping 1-0 and we need to make sure we are more clinical if we are to get a big win.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
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