Plucky Arsenal Survive First Big Test But Not Unscathed
Match Review: Arsenal 2 Man City 2 - Premier League 13.09.14
After a deadline day which saw us pinch Danny Welbeck from Man United and a tedious international break, real football returned in the form of an early kick off against Man City. Our games against the top three of last season yielded little reward, but the positive results we did get came at home, with a win against Liverpool and draws against the other two. City were also coming off the back of a shock home defeat to Stoke, so while nobody would have been expecting a win for sure, there was room for some confidence ahead of the match up.
There were a lot of different options for Wenger to consider in his line up. Aaron Ramsey had been doubtful after turning his ankle in Wales’ game against Andorra, but recovered to make the starting XI. Mikel Arteta was only fit for the bench after returning from a thigh injury, meaning Flamini played the holding role with Wilshere completing the midfield trio. The back four picked itself, but the big debate was over the forward positions, in who would be selected and where would they play. In the end Wenger handed a debut to new man Welbeck, with Alexis and Özil either side. When compared to the City line-up, which included a few squad players in Lampard and Milner, it stacked up pretty evenly and I thought we had a great chance to grab a win.
We had much the better of the opening exchanges. The thing about our 4-3-3 formation is that it is well suited to big games rather than those against the clubs from six or seventh downwards. The three in midfield is more solid than the two in the pivot, especially when the opposing side has talented and powerful midfielders themselves. The system just suits a game in which the balance of control will switch often and neither team expects to dominate. It’s something Wenger hasn’t really wanted to accept as he always feels he can impose his own game onto the opposition. That isn’t possible against quality teams like City, Chelsea and Liverpool, especially away from home. We also played with a lot more intensity than in previous big games and that nearly yielded the opening goal.
Martin Demichellis hastily hacked a ball clear to David Silva, who, under pressure from Alexis, tried to pass back to his central defender, but only succeeded in playing a beautiful through ball for Danny Welbeck. Welbeck raced onto the ball and looked set to make an instant impact, but what looked like a glorious chip over the keeper floated agonisingly onto the post and back into Joe Hart’s hands. Now, I’m all for a young striker with bags of confidence and ability, but I have to say I’m also a fan of absolutely hammering the ball into the net. Although it nearly worked beautifully, I’d prefer to see Danny stick his foot through the ball and break the net a few times before he starts getting cute with his finishing. Apart from the Welbeck chance, we looked dangerous and had a number of shots from in and around the area. It was all set up for City to grab a goal on the break and they duly obliged.
Flamini went into a crunching challenge with Aguero as City looked to break out from defence. The ball looked to be looping away for a throw in, but Navas’ unbelievable speed allowed him to catch up with the ball. He had time and space down the right, with Monreal still upfield from our attack and he used it well, picking the perfect moment to slide the ball across goal. Aguero made a darting run, and simply poked the ball over Szczesny’s dive and into the net. You can argue that Monreal got caught badly out of position and I certainly was wondering where on earth he was as Navas broke away, but I think Flamini was the most culpable. He assumed the ball was just going to run out of play and when it didn’t happen, he then let Aguero run off him far too easily and score. It was enormously frustrating as it was against the run of play and we’d looked assured and comfortable up until then. It could have been worse as well, with Szczesny forced into a close range save from Silva.
Despite starting the second half a goal down, there had been plenty of positives up to that point. We started the half well, but the game started to meander a bit after fifteen minutes or so. Just as it looked like we were going to struggle to find an equaliser, a moment of magic from Jack Wilshere sparked the game back to life.
It started with Koscielny bullying Aguero off the ball. City wanted a free kick, but quite honestly, it was a pathetic appeal and we took full advantage of it. Wilshere knocked the ball to Alexis, who played it to Ramsey. Kompany was inexplicably a mile out of position leaving Ramsey able to occupy Clichy while Jack overlapped. The Welshman slipped the ball to Wilshere, who proceeded to absolutely ruin Clichy with a drop of the shoulder and a little drag past the former Arsenal man. Clichy watched on in dopey horror as his former team mate finished magnificently with a gorgeous dink over a floundering Joe Hart. Things just clicked in that move, everything came together deliciously and it was no less than we deserved. The goal really put the wind in our sails, the crowd got up and we looked fired up. It gave us belief and rattled City, who had just been starting to look comfortable. It rattled them enough to let us in again, as we completed a rousing comeback in sensational style.
A ball into the City box was headed away by Kompany, but Wilshere fought his way in front of Silva to head the ball towards Alexis. The City defence tried to push out to play offside, but got it wrong and Alexis had time and space to compose himself and send a stunning volley into the top far corner. The Emirates erupted, Alexis sprinted away in celebration and City players flapped their arms and looked around in shock. With seventeen minutes left, it looked like Arsenal were on the verge of a really big win.
However, there was an unfortunate sting in the tail. First, we lost Debuchy, who rolled his ankle and needed oxygen before being stretchered off, indicating that we will not see him back for a long while. It leaves us with only four fully fit defenders and with Gibbs still looking very injury prone, it could be a huge downfall for us this season. Any more injuries in the defensive area will leave us with a big problem and will really disrupt the team. Already, it seems we’re being bitten having failed to secure defensive cover in the transfer window.
