Its often said that the best get going when the pressure is on the team and if there ever was a doubt about Robin van Persie’s status as one of the league’s most fearsome strikers, it was put to bed on Sunday evening in what was quite simply a superb performance by the Arsenal captain.
15th in the table going into the match, anything less than an Arsenal victory would have been detrimental to the Gunners’ hopes of finishing in the top four. With Liverpool drawing against Manchester United in Saturday’s early kickoff, the onus was on the Gunners to make up some ground and while it was nervy, Arsenal bagged the much needed three points and that’s all that matters.
Its not been the ideal start to the season for the Gunners but despite all this, Arsene Wenger and the team have remained positive. And that’s key. Things will not always go your way and its how you bounce back from them that define you.
Losses to Liverpool and Manchester United isn’t the best way to start your season especially when one takes into consideration the manner of the defeats especially the latter but the team seems to be finally getting back to form as they notched up their 4th win out of five matches and their fifth on the trot at the Emirates.
Last season Arsenal’s home form left a lot to be desired as the Gunners dropped silly points at home but with six wins out of seven home games, Arsenal seems to have solved their issues at home.
With Aaron Ramsey having played both of Wales’ Euro 2012 qualifying fixtures over the course of the two week International break, Wenger chose to give Tomas Rosicky his first start since the match at Old Trafford. Laurent Koscielny returned from injury and returned straight into the lineup with Song moving back into his preferred defensive midfield role. The final change from the side that lost to Spurs on October 2nd was one that had to be made. Bacary Sagna’s injury meant that Carl Jenkinson was handed his third Premier League start.
The 2-1 scoreline indicates a close match but the match was more a case of Arsenal missing their chances than Sunderland frustrating the Gunners.
If there ever was any nerves prior to kickoff, it was put to bed 28 seconds later as the Gunners scored their fastest goal of the Premier League era. Nice work by Rosicky saw Gervinho move inside and while van Persie wanted the ball earlier, he adjusted himself superbly and slotted past a hapless Mignolet with his weaker foot. With no natural striker in his side, Steve Bruce would have wanted his team to frustrate the Gunners and look to nick something out of the match but that plan went right out of the window.
The first 20-25 minutes were Arsenal at their best. Arsenal bossed the game and Sunderland’s only hope was long balls forward by Mignolet to Sessegnon which easily dealt with by the Arsenal defense. Arsenal dealt with set pieces with ease and this was of performance the Arsenal fans were eager to see.
Van Persie could have had a hat trick within the first few minutes as he scored one, had one bounce of the inside of the post and one that was just wide of the post. The one that hit the post was sheer brilliance from the Arsenal captain.
Gervinho too could have and should have done better when presented with a chance after Koscielny’s long ball picked him out.
How often have we seen the Gunners dominate the game, but their inability to finish off their chances came back to haunt them and just live Déjà Vu, Sebastian Larsson made the Gunners pay for their profligacy with a well taken free kick in the 31st minute.
Sunderland didn’t deserve to be on level with the Gunners but two minutes later it required a world class save from Szczesny to deny Cattermole what looked to be a sure goal. I’m sure most Arsenal fans thought it was a goal and the benefit of having a world class shot stopper saved the day for the Gunners.
Szczesny was not without mistakes of his own and a couple of minutes before the Sunderland goal, it required a timely interception from Song to rescue the Gunners after Szczesny’s sprint out of the box nearly proved costly.
Wenger has spoken about how brittle confidence is in football and how easily a team can lose it. If ever there required a better example of a team losing confidence in the matter of minutes, it was Arsenal’s reaction to conceding. Prior to the goal, Arsenal played with the swagger and confidence that the fans have failed to see this season, at least for a long spell.
After the Sunderland goal, it all fell apart for the Gunners as they looked short on ideas and it was Sunderland who did all the dominating for the rest of the half.
Arsenal responded brightly and dominated the entire second half. They had plenty of possession and got into a few good positions but lacked the cutting edge until of course van Persie took matters into his own hands.
Arsenal had already had three free kicks in promising areas which was taken by Andre Santos, Mikel Arteta and Theo Walcott. While Larsson’s free kick was top notch, right there among the best, calling the ones taken by the Arsenal player disappointing would be a huge understatement. Theo Walcott showed just why he shouldn’t be allowed to freekicks any more. Talking about Walcott, there is no doubt that the Englishman had a poor day against Sunderland. His pace didn’t cause the kind of problems that would actually worry the defense and while he did show some good touches and decent passes, his form left a lot to be desired.
Walcott still continues to be an enigma and his starting place is one that is debatable. On one hand he ensures that the opposition left back is pinned back, and forces the opposition to defend with a deep backline, in order to negate his pace. When on fire he can cause havoc to opposition defenses and his pace has been known to cause problems for the best of defenses including Chelsea and Barcelona.
On the other hand he has been far too inconsistent this season. Often fading away and showing real skill only in patches, it might be worth a try to use him more as a super sub rather than a regular starter. Arsenal have the likes of Yossi Benayoun, Andrei Arshavin and Oxlade Chamberlain, all worthy of fighting it out for a starting spot. I like Walcott, I really do. But at one point, the team needs consistency and this season Walcott hasn’t been all that consistent, at least not as much as last season.
Van Persie’s moment of inspiration saved the Gunners from the blushes once again and continued Arsenal’s surprisingly good home form.
On the whole Arsenal fans will be delighted with the performance not just because it brought a valuable three points but also because some players performed superbly.
Robin van Persie’s scoring form was a huge positive and yet at the same time it cruelly exposed Arsenal’s lack of goalscorers in the absence of van Persie. It is hard not to get the feeling that if van Persie does indeed pick up an injury, the team will be short of goals. The likes of Gervinho and Walcott are yet to show that they can bear the goalscoring burden although Gervinho repeatedly gets into great positions thanks to his dribbling ability.
Arsenal have Park and Chamakh in their squad but with Chamakh finding goals hard to come by and with Park not being given the chance to shine, it is all down to van Persie to net the goals. One has got to feel sorry for Park and question Wenger’s repeated reluctance to play the South Korean captain.
When you are desperately needing a goal, whether it be a goal to equalize or a goal to win it, it is common knowledge to bring in a striker and that is why the team has Park on the bench. Yet first against Tottenham and Sunderland, Wenger chose to keep Park on the bench and brought in the likes of Benayoun, Arshavin. Whether it be his desire to retain shape and maintain the same formation or simply that Park isn’t ready yet, it is baffling nevertheless and one has got to feel sorry for the South Korean who sacrificed a move to Lille to join Arsenal and has so far seen just the 90 minutes of playing time against Shrewsbury.
Moving to Arsenal’s defense and once again Laurent Koscielny showed that he is a player with plenty of promise. Always on hand to clear danger he had a sturdy outing save for that one moment when his poor decision to play the offside trap nearly backfired. His composure with the ball on the feet was remarkable considering that he is a defender and often his balls out of defense helped build attacks.
The statistics indicate that he had a great day and there is no denying it as he put in another solid shift alongside Mertesacker. Mertesacker has adjusted well into the pace of the league and all the initial fears about his pace or the lack of it has proven to be a unfound so far as he once again showed great reading and composure.
Gibbs had a decent outing and while he proved to be a willing runner down the left and did pop up with a couple of vital clearances, his game can still improve although his injury will open the way for Santos to be look to displace him from the team.
Prior to the game all eyes were on Jenkinson to see how he would cope in his first match since Sagna’s injury and he did put in a decent shift. He has still has a tendency to make mistakes as he was dispossessed far too easily and a goal was only prevented thanks to a superb save from Szczesny.
A loan spell would be great for him but considering the circumstances he will be forced to learn the trade at Arsenal itself. His crossing ability looks to be a real positive as he put in a few dangerous crosses into the box and although no one really got into the end of them, he did show talent.
But the huge positive to take away from the match was the performance of the Little Mozart, Tomas Rosicky. Often accused of not adding anything to the team, he showed his vast quality and would have been the man of the match hands down had it not been for a certain Robin van Persie.
That 5-yard acceleration that we all thought was no longer a part of the game was once again on display as he showed the qualities that made Arsenal fans so excited upon his arrival in 2006. A series of injuries have prevented him from scaling great heights but the sale of Nasri and Fabregas have opened up new opportunities for the Czech international and he took the game by the scruff of the neck when the team needed someone to do exactly that.
Great passing, good running into the box and an all round hard working display showed that using a combination of Rosicky with Ramsey or Arteta might just be the way forward as Rosicky is someone who likes making the runs forward while the other two like to see the game go through them. Both Arteta and Ramsey are similar in style and that might be a reason why the duo haven’t looked great on a consistent basis.
Rosicky is definitely not suited to play in week in and out considering his age and the best option would be to rotate him along with Ramsey until Diaby and Wilshere return. His pace and direct running proved to be key to Arsenal against Sunderland and if he can keep it, there is no reason why he can’t stay at Arsenal.
From one player who put in a solid performance to another. Andrei Arshavin has received his fair share of criticism at Arsenal but showed just what he can do with a bright cameo after replacing Gervinho. Quick and incisive, it was only after his introduction that the Gunners went really close to retaking the lead. A mazy dribble, as good as any you might see, carved open the Sunderland like they weren’t even there and while the finish flattered to deceive, he showed in that brief moment what he can achieve.
Arshavin’s problem has always been in achieving consistency, whether it be over the course of the season or over the course of the entire 90 minutes. It is key that he builds on performances like this and take the opportunities presented to him with both hands.
It was a must win match for the Gunners and while it wasn’t easy, it was a precious three points nevertheless, one that lifts the Gunners into the top half. Games like this are must win, if the Gunners are to achieve a top four finish and with both Liverpool and Tottenham dropping points, Arsenal gained valuable ground over the weekend.
The key lies in building on these results and going on a streak that can lift the Gunners higher up the table. For now, the rebuilding continues with Marseille.
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