Match Review: Southampton 2 Arsenal 2 - Premier League 28.01.14

I think Arseblog summed it up perfectly on Wednesday morning. The match against Southampton was a stumble, not a fall. We played very poorly in the first half and no more than OK in the second and we came away with a pretty fortunate point in the end. To be honest I’m quite relieved we did get a point considering how the match panned out. From, beginning to end it was a bit of a disaster, starting with the coach arriving late and ending with a red card that sees Flamini miss four big games. Yet it’s not the beginning of the apocalypse, as many seem to feel. We’re coming off the back of seven wins, a slip was never going to be far away and remember Man City, the great and powerful titans of world football, only achieved a point at St Mary’s too.

According to a few sources on Twitter, Arsenal’s team coach was delayed because of traffic and a request was made to delay the kick off by 15 minutes to allow for lost warm up time. A similar situation occurred in the reverse fixture, where tube issues and traffic problems prompted Mark Clattenburg to delay kick off. However, this time Lee Mason decided that kick off would be as scheduled. Maybe the disruption affected the players a bit, because Southampton were all over us from the first minute.

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth on Twitter as Arteta and Flamini started in midfield. Unfortunately it was the only option available to the manager. Wilshere and Ramsey both missed out with injury and Chamberlain was definitely not ready to start in the middle. Neither Cazorla or Özil suit a deeper lying midfield role so the manager’s hands were tied. But Southampton’s much vaunted pressing game suffocated us and we could barely string two passes together. Usually in a game such as this, we soak things up for a while and then work our way into the game. For whatever reason though, it didn’t happen on this occasion and we were punished in the 21st minute.

The goal started with Lee Mason calling an absolutely ridiculous foul on Mertesacker. The German got the ball, Rodriguez took a tumble and bought a free kick. From that, Luke Shaw got the ball on the left and whipped a cross to the back post and it was headed in by Jose Fonte. The goal was allowed to stand despite a clear foul on Monreal at the back post. Fonte’s elbow was clearly in the back of the Spaniard’s neck and stopped him from challenging for the ball. All in all it was a bit of a travesty, but we found ourselves a goal down. Things could have got a lot worse after that too, Southampton had a number of opportunities, including one where Monreal’s attempted clearance deflected into the path of debutant Gallagher, but he skewed wide from just yards out. All things considered, we were lucky to go in just the one down.

It was clear that we needed a reaction in the second half and we got it. Arsenal were level on 48 minutes as Monreal got the ball on the left and sent in a deep cross. The cross was a little aimless and found neither of the intended targets, but Bacary Sagna muscled in front of Rodriguez to get the ball and drove to the byline. Sagna’s cut back found Giroud, who held off his defender and flicked the ball behind him and into the corner. Palpable relief after the first half horror show.

There wasn’t much time for the game to settle down before we scored again. Mesut Özil was the man getting forward on the right and he played the ball to the edge of the area, probably for Giroud, but the ball evaded the Frenchman and found Cazorla instead. The Spaniard continued his recent good form by hitting a low shot that faded away from Boruc and nestled in the corner. We’d turned the game around in seven minutes and improved our performance immeasurably from the first half. Alas, it would not last, as we suffered an almost instant lapse.

Straight from kick off, Southampton went forward and caught us off guard. Jay Rodriguez beat Sagna too easily on the right and there was far too much space in the area. Rodriguez poked the ball through Mertesacker’s legs and the ball was smashed home by Adam Lallana. The midfielder had somehow got forward unchecked and he had a pretty simple task to finish. It was a crushing disappointment to undo all our good work so quickly. Flamini and Arteta were found wanting in the middle and Sagna really should have done more to stop Rodriguez, even if he could only foul him and concede a free kick. The Saints are an impressive outfit and they punished our uncharacteristic lapse.

After the equaliser, neither side dominated. Both teams had chances to take the lead as the game became a little more end to end. Arsenal probably had a little more of the ball, but Southampton were a real threat and were still frustrating us in the middle. Mesut Özil nearly gave us the lead with a magical run that started inside his own half. He blitzed past three or four Southampton players, before his shot was deflected and looped over the keeper, but crashed off the bar. Monreal then had our best chance of the game, being set clear in the area, but slicing high and wide. It was a glaring miss when he also had players to his right and capped off a horrible evening for the left back. Southampton also had a massive opportunity when Rodriguez was put clean through on goal, only for Szczesny to race out of his goal and tackle him in time.

Things seemed set for a last ten minutes of Arsenal pressure punctuated with Southampton counter attacks, but all that went out the window with a reckless challenge from Matthieu Flamini. The combative midfielder lost his composure and flew into a wild, dangerous, two-footed tackle. He got the ball and didn’t harm the man, but it was an unnecessary and aggressive challenge and he deservedly received a straight red card. The Frenchman will surely know he let his teammates down. Even worse, it’s his second ban of the season, meaning a normal three game ban turns into four. He’ll now be missing for Crystal Palace, two games against Liverpool and the home tie with Manchester United. With Wilshere doubtful and Ramsey having suffered a set back, the manager’s only choice for the next few games may be a midfield duo of Arteta and Chamberlain.

The sending off changed our mentality and we had to switch to a contain and preserve method of play as opposed to pressing for the win. Kieran Gibbs was brought on in place of Cazorla and Chamberlain, who’d already replaced Gnabry, moved to the middle. Southampton, of course, sensed an opportunity for a rare win against us and started to pile on the pressure.

Szczesny had to be at his best to make sure the score stayed level, with one particularly fine stop from a deflected Luke Shaw cross. In the end, we hot footed it out of St Mary’s clinging to a largely underserved point. But it’s not reason to be distraught. We’ve bounced back from poor performances and results before. City and Chelsea face each other next Monday, so this is far from the end of our involvement in the title race. With an injury crisis brewing and talk of delegations negotiating for Draxler, let’s hope Arsene can give us a nice surprise and lift the squad ahead of a difficult month.

Stat of the game

Southampton completed more passes, had more possession and passed more times in the final third than Arsenal.

Teams

Southampton (4-2-3-1)
Boruc, Chambers, Yoshida, Fonte, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Cork, Rodriguez, Lallana, Davis (Do Prado 90’), Gallagher (Ward-Prowse 70’ ■)
Subs
Davis, Clyne, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Do Prado, Hooiveld, Isgrove

Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Arteta, Flamini ■, Cazorla (Gibbs 86’), Özil, Gnabry (Chamberlain 70’), Giroud ■ (Podolski 90’)
Subs
Fabianski, Jenkinson, Gibbs, Chamberlain, Podolski, Bendtner, Vermaelen

Player Ratings

Szczesny - 7/10 - Maybe a few questions over their first, but other saves atoned
Sagna - 6/10 - Was ok in the second half but Shaw gave him lots of problems
Mertesacker - 7/10 - His experience and calm was absolutely vital
Koscielny - 8/10 - Outstanding, MOTM. Was sensational throughout
Monreal - 5/10 - Horror show, usually dependable, but that was his worst game for us
Arteta - 6/10 - Only just back from injury and was practically pressed back into his own box
Flamini - 4/10 - Not awful for the most part, but his sending off was beyond irresponsible
Cazorla - 6/10 - Much like the rest of the attack, much improved in the second half
Özil - 7/10 - Struggled in the first half, but made a herculean effort in the second
Gnabry - 5/10 - Barely noticed him and didn’t make much of a contribution
Giroud - 6/10 - Took his goal well, but was very isolated up front
Subs
Chamberlain - 6/10 - Will no doubt play an important role in the coming weeks
Gibbs - N/A
Podolski - N/A

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