Giroud Proves He Can Change Games But Arsenal Still Need To Buy

Match Review: Everton 2 Arsenal 2 - Premier League 23.08.14

I think the best word to describe our start to the season would be stuttering. Saturday’s game was a real struggle for us and for most of it, it looked like we were going to be condemned to our first defeat of the campaign. But a very late show saved us and despite three very average performances, we’re yet to lose. What is very clear though, is that we really need to sort ourselves out both on the pitch and in terms of transfers. Our next five Premier League fixture see games against Man City, Sp*rs and a daunting away trip to Chelsea. If we don’t make the right additions and we continue to play so disjointedly, we will not get many points from those games.

There were a few surprises in the starting line up we named. Mertesacker, Özil, Chamberlain and Flamini all started the game, with Koscielny, Cazorla, Giroud and obviously Arteta dropping out. It meant Chambers playing alongside Mertesacker in central defence, while Özil started on the left wing, with Alexis through the middle in a continuation of the new 4-3-3. It meant both teams formations matched up and it would seem a straight battle of who could control the game and dominate the midfield.

I didn’t think we started too badly, we got into the final third well enough, we just didn’t seem to know what to do once we were there. It’s seems to be part of the process of adapting to a new formation and a few new team mates too, but we don’t attack like a cohesive unit at the moment. I also don’t think Alexis can play as the striker in a 4-3-3, he hasn’t got the physicality or the presence to hold up the ball and is far too isolated in this system. We also have no out ball under pressure as we know there is little chance of him winning the ball against a pair like Distin and Jagielka. With no number 10 to thread the ball through to him, his runs in behind are wasted and there’s no point crossing the ball as we had no-one capable of winning header up front. It all meant that our attacks fizzled out with frustrating inevitability and to compound it all, we fell asleep at the back.

Everton were given a very questionable freekick and from that Barry worked a crossing position in the middle, under very little pressure. Özil failed to track Coleman at the back post and the right back stole in to power a header past Szczesny. Not really hugely with or against the run of play, but certainly not a goal that Everton hugely deserved. Not only did we go behind, but we then fell apart at the back and let Everton in a couple more times and one of these occasions we were maybe lucky not to concede a penalty as Mirallas failed to convert when through on goal. Eventually, we did concede again, but in controversial circumstances.

Mertesacker went to cut out a ball to Lukaku, but the Belgian striker clearly fouled the Arsenal man barging into the back of him and tripping him. The referee, who had already shown before that he didn’t really have a grip on what was going on, let play go and Lukaku stormed forward. Chambers showed his naivety and went diving in to a challenge which Lukaku avoided before playing the ball through to Naismith, who slid the ball through Szczesny’s legs. Replays showed afterwards that Naismith was offside. Just like last year we were 2-0 down and looking unlikely to mount a comeback.

In a surprising move, Wenger made an immediate change at half time, hooking Alexis and replacing him with Giroud. I thought it was a touch harsh on Alexis, he wasn’t bad in the first half, just not able to influence in such an isolated position. I’d have thought that a more natural change would have been to take off Chamberlain or Özil and shift Alexis out wide, but the change nearly paid instant dividends as Giroud was found at the back post, but volleyed over. We controlled the game a lot better, probably through a combination of Everton dropping off a bit more and our play being a bit better.

Image - PA

We created a number of chances, most of which fell to Giroud. He had a shot from just outside the area trickle just wide, another from inside the area that Howard saved and one he couldn’t get out of his feet after Wilshere got in his way. But for all our efforts, we looked doomed until the 84th minute when, almost out of nowhere, Cazorla managed to fizz a ball across the six yard box and Ramsey stole in to convert. Even by Arsenal standards, a comeback had seemed nearly impossible, but the Ramsey goal gave us hope and I think it unnerved Everton a bit too.