Sibbo? Gagna? Oh FFS: The Sagna Gibbs Effect

On paper this match should have been less of a grind than it turned out to be, but  Palace desperate to impress and make amends in the wake of Holloway’s withdrawal looked up for it. 

On the back of our midweek loss we had something to prove and our dominance in the opening ten minutes was to the merit of this Arsenal side, who look embedded, resilient and more bounce-back-able. The loss against Dortmund could have knocked Arsenal’s confidence, but it seems as though we are able to separate ourselves mentally from our various challenges and normal service resumed in the league. I see myself trying to complain about this 2-0 win as though it should have been five or six but had MOTM Sir Chez not been outstanding, it may have been a different story. 

Serge Guh-Nabry was influential in our victory and shows the merits of playing a natural winger, someone who knows how to make effective runs in behind the opposition’s defense. Serging forwards (pun intended), penetrating runs, competent team play. A free kick on the edge of the box, one penalty, almost a deflected goal (which somehow spun wide in a kind of stephen hawking inspired universal warp hole) Gnabry adds some much needed width to our Brazilian setup and is a well-rounded player at the age of eighteen. 

Okay, with my öbsessiön ticked off, back to the others (although, göing to be interesting to see what happens when Theo and Ox return). We were perhaps unlucky to not see a few more in the back of the net, but we were also very fortunate that Chamakh had an extremely poor game. I like to think that he felt he owes us something and politely forgot how to jump. A bit flippant, but I do think the fine detail of the match was somewhat eclipsed by a few events:

Arteta's dismissal, which was more a foul on the spaniard if you ask me, Szczesny's saves and the Ramsey-Giroud combination. I might refine my view of the game, the mush of playground football we saw that sat atop the solid consistency of our back three in an otherwise sloppy, immature matching of top and bottom in the Premier League, but until then suffice to say that we never really found the ferocity we usually have.

A special mention has to go out to our beautiful, wonderful full backs who have been quietly making the difference for us this season. Sagna looks impregnable on that right side whilst Gibbs is motoring up and down in support of Ozil and Cazorla whilst also finding the time to be in the right place at the right time...Clichy at home quietly sobbing into a suspiciously sticky pile of tissues remembering how a left back is supposed to play.

Anyway its another 3 points, CMON YOU LOVELY REDS! Liverpool next *gulp* only joking its liverpool, liverpool, theyll find a way to mess it up right?

Halftime at the Emirates

Halftime at the Emirates....

Enter Jose Mourinho: useless bile spills out of his sneering mouth cascading down his pretentious cashmere cardigan. John Terry, naked, rolls around in this excrement of speech rubbing those poisonous words over his nipples moaning conveying his obvious arousal. All the while Frank Lampard is in the bathroom applying various cosmetics to his face pulling back his cheeks and eyes, bemoaning the ravages of age, a half eaten pork pie lies discarded on the table. David Luiz is head-butting the locker, nobody in the Chelsea locker room thinks this is strange.

Jose, the mastermind, the engineer, the architect such is the greatness of the man he set up in the perfect formation, the optimum combination of players to make Jenkinson have a mental blackout and forget how to defend. Ah Jose you truly are the master tactician.

Forget football, forget breaking down the opposition due to superior attacking play, or heaven forbid actually engaging the opposition in an honest display of wits. No no no Chelsea cant, wont do that, it might actually involve some independent thought, some magic, some class. Instead, think the Chelsea management and players, lets just sit back soak up pressure by fouling, time-wasting (how ironic after Mourinho's tirade at Hull) and then celebrate a poor, one-off defensive error like it was a flying over-head kick into the top corner scored in a cup final. The zombie hoards of Chelsea Fc are massing, I'll get the spade.....

Arsenal were poor yesterday but they still played far better football than Chelsea. How, how can Chelsea fans enjoy the tedious drudgery Arsenal fans were exposed to last night, hours of sideways passing and feigning injury with five, ten minutes of exciting football just as we were about to pull the collective trigger and blow our brains out.

Mark my words, readers of the Lovely Reds, Mourinho will leave Chelsea in a far worse position than when he joined, he has systematically gone about ostracising their creative talent and placing shackles around the dancing feet of Oscar and Hazard, gradually reducing them to crippled bearded nut jobs the likes of which you'd find in a dungeon in a three musketeers film. When he leaves, probably once he's ravaged the league like the personification of a hoard of locusts, as he always does in his wake will be nothing but shattered dreams and a bunch of comatose Chelsea fans.

Last night was a valuable lesson in how to play Chelsea, play solidly at the back and they will not break you down in open play, there is just not enough intricacy or ingenuity. Mata's goal was a peach (why does he not start for them, oh thats right because he actually enjoys playing football and giving the fans something to emulate) one that note who I ask you who is going to buy an Eto'o, Willian, De Bruyne or Schurle shirt who?!

When your sunday league team scores a great goal, or when you were a youth frollicking about the football fields of your memory do you ever recall turning to your friends with a look of sheer ecstasy on your face and agreeing in a moment of shared recognition 'that was just like....chelsea' no. because they hardly ever proffer the fans those moments, moments which for the arsenal hard drive we are running out of gigabytes.

Good luck to Chelsea in the next round of the competetion, actaully f*** that good luck to the poor s.o.b's who have to fork out £20 to watch their team be suffocated by an obese python as it languidly slithers around the pitch, fat on the profits of its deranged handler.

Why Now?

Arsenal's transformation from top four side to serious title contenders can be compared to the rise of Aaron Ramsey. I've watched my beloved team limp through the last few years and with great resolve we've somehow managed to finish in a European spot, but now we're healed, patched up and ready to fire on all cylinders. For most of last season I struggled to watch us find our rhythm, now I'm screaming and shouting at Ramsey and co. to take another shot from range, another master class run because they've found a whole new gear. Not just Ramsey, all of the boys. But why now? 

Our performance last Saturday was a joy, the culmination of several months of steady improvement and here are some stats to compare our start with that of our last truly great side.

A comparison to the Invincibles seems appropriate even if a little early, but hey we've put up with enough in recent seasons to merit a bit of optimism now. After 8 games in 2003 Arsenal had claimed 20 points, the Wunderbars (my name för the current squad based mainly ön my öbsessiön för Serge Gnabry) have claimed 19. The 'vincibles had put away 16 goals and conceded 6 beating Liverpool away and Chelsea at home (actually their 9th fixture) and draw at Old Trafford. The 'bars have netted 18 and conceded 9 but have only faced a tough test in the form of our North London rivals. Where does that leave us in the shadow of the best Arsenal side I have known? 

Personally I think detailed analysis from the outside-in is futile and as Ramsey said yesterday speaking on winning the season, let's just take every game as it comes. This time in 2003 Henry had scored 6 followed by Pires, Gilberto and Wiltord on 2 a piece. From our current squad Ramsey has netted 5, Giroud 4 with Wilshere, Özil and Podolski also on 2 a piece. What we can see is a greater depth in our attacking options; whereas in the past we would have relied on the form of an individual say Van Persie or Fabregas we can now look across the midfield for inspiration.

Re-watching the Invincibles' run, a big difference is that a lot of our goals back then were scored from following up parried shots and of course nowadays the average defensive quality of the league has gone up. We have to work a good deal harder to break down teams that come to the Emirates with the specific tactic of sititing deep and frustrating us. In the past we have lacked the skill and confidence to find a way through, but now we appear to offer a threat with Giroud's strength and deftness of touch creating space for players to run into, and the vision of players like our mesmerizing German to make those inch perfect passes in behind. Similarly the outstanding individual quality of Henry, Pires, Ljungberg, Viera… and so on is being echoed in Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Özil. The intuitive harmony and understanding of our midfielders and forward players is the product of growing a squad organically, particularly our spine of young players who are now reaching maturity. Wenger has not disturbed his squad with loads of signings and has now strengthened with our marquee signing which seems to be tipping the balance. Maybe Özil has inspired the rest, maybe Aaron Ramsey took up meditation and followed it through like the engine he is, found his inner peace and now schools heads who left puberty long after he did. Maybe, maybe, maybe. 

All I know is we're top the league, we've demonstrated our world class ability versus top sides like Napoli and against teams that set out to be disruptive and defend. Let's hope that despite yesterday's hiccup against Dortmund we can surge on in the league, and take some points back off ze Germans.

It's about time

It’s not often that I watch an Arsenal loss and feel ok about it, but thats exactly my sentiment after yesterday’s defeat. Our unbeaten streak has come to an end after a very fine away performance by Dortmund, a team of real European quality and last year’s finalists. This wasn’t a poor performance by Arsenal, nor a match in which we were roundly  and deservedly beaten like against Aston Villa. We played extremely well at times, could have scored more goals on another day and were unlucky to concede the first. With regard to their first goal I’m glad this setback has occurred for Ramsey who otherwise had a decent game. He needs to learn that despite his obvious talent at taking players on, or three plus the goalie against Norwich, there is a time and a place for trickery and on the edge of your penalty area surrounded by opposition shirts is not it. The post match commentary showed that Ramsey had three obvious passes on and decided to try and run the ball out without having the awareness to see an onrushing Reus. I thought we responded well to this early setback and dominated the rest of the half and most of the second. Had it not been for the experience and grizzly nouce of the excellent Hummels Dortmund could have been 2-1 down after the defender made a necessary foul on Giroud just outside the penalty area and cleared a Rosicky volley off the line after it had already beaten Weidenfeller. We got a deserved equaliser after Sagna whipped in a dangerous dipping ball that landed on the edge of the six yard box, the sheer pace and uncertainty of the bounce causing Subotic and Weidenfeller to both leave it for the other allowing Giroud to nip in and smash home an emphatic volley. The goal was the least our handsome fop deserved for his outstanding performance, bullying the Dortmund defense, and using his newfound physicality to brutal effect. 

The trouble with Arsenal teams and I hope this makes sense is that we only know how to win. We are a team that is catastrophically bad at playing for a tactical result. The pragmatists amongst us should have looked at the group at 1-1 and thought if this stays as it does Arsenal will top the group by a point, leaving Dortmund four points adrift in third place. Another draw in Germany would have all but secured our qualification out of the group in at least second place and judging by our first two performances against Napoli and Marseille first place would have been more than achievable. Instead whilst chasing that Arsenal win we have left ourselves in a precarious and unnecessarily stressful position of needing to win two of our last three games. 

It is my belief that this loss will further strengthen this team’s resolve and unify their spirit further. The loss has not come to the detriment of our chances in either the premier league nor champions league. Im hoping that players responsible for the Dortmund goals, Ramsey for the first and Rosicky and Sagna (neither of whom spotted or tracked the run of Lewandowski) will respond by showing greater common sense and organisation when we face similarly tough opposition in the form of Liverpool and Manchester United in the coming weeks. 

Highburates?!?!

There has been the feeling amongst the Arsenal faithful that this season promises to deliver the standard and flair of an Arsene Wenger team in full flow and Saturday’s match certainly leant further evidence to this burgeoning excitement around the club. 

What was most striking to me sitting in block H was the feeling amongst the fans that reminded me so much of the final few years at Highbury when Thiery Henry and co. lit up the premier league. Something as simple as the resurgent chants of ‘We’re the North Stand Highbury’  which in years gone by would have echoed around the cavernous Emirates stadium only to die in a matter of moments were this time met with a fierce response from the East stand and so on. 

Another poignant moment was the home debut of the new Mesut Ozil song. Set to the melody of ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’ Ozil has been granted the honour of tearing up the opposition to the sound of Dennis Bergkamp’s old tune, another attacking midfield maestro to add to Wenger’s illustrious list of players he has gifted us. If you closed your eyes you could forget where you were and be transported back to those stuffy yet glorious stands of the old stomping ground, whilst the football too is beginning to reflect these better times.

It just shows how crucial a big money signing can be to the atmosphere of a club, especially one whose fans have to shell out the highest season ticket fees in the premier league, and what a fine run of form can mean to those fans.

Come on you Laaaverly Reds

Welcome to the lovely reds. The first review to feature on this site is that of Arsenal vs Norwich and what a fantastic way to start. 

Arsenal started with great intensity from the whistle, controlling the opening quarter of the match with fluid passing between a midfield that welcomes back the irrepressible Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard looked back to his old self having had a poor cameo in his first match of the season against Aston Villa, giving the ball away for their second goal. This time however, Cazorla, Wilshere and Ozil looked as if they had been playing together for years, complemented by the golden bonce himself, the handsome gentleman Olivier Giroud. What happened in the eightenth minute will surely go down in Arsenal history as one of the greatest goals this team has ever produced, and should be a contender for goal of the season. I counted 6 one touch passes in the Norwich penalty area in a move started and finished by Jack Wilshere and involving Cazorla and Giroud, who showed particular nuance in the direction and weight of his touches. 

In the minutes that followed this goal however Arsenal appeared to lose their stranglehold on midfield, opting to sit deeper and invite pressure when they had previously looked to apply an intensive squeeze on the Canaries back four. This, coupled with the substitution of Mathieu Flamini after his suicidal attempt at a header resulted in some sustained pressure from Hughton's side which we soaked up well. Between the sheer impassability of the big f’ing German, the wiley cayote devilishness of the increasingly psychotic looking koscielny and the young gooner in goal we never really looked like conceding in the first half. 

The second half started with similar pressure and a more equal share of possession, something which we are not used to seeing when playing at home. However we managed to counter attack with typical speed to score a second goal, somewhat against the run of play when Giroud yet again turned provider for Ozil’s first ever headed goal in any league...anywhere. That just about sums up this superlative German, who since arriving has shown his willingness to work tirelessly in the pursuit of goals, running almost the full length of the pitch and still showing the composure and intelligence to guide the curling cross into the only space that would’ve beaten an otherwise well positioned Ruddy.

Norwich managed to pull one back when Mertesacker's poorish clearance found an onrushing Howson who took the chance well with a finely placed volley that beat Sir chez in the bottom corner. Arsenal teams of late would have shown weakness at this point and possibly even crumbled to concede a second, however our newfound attacking verve proved too great for an ever tiring Norwich who ultimately could not sustain their high pressure defense. Ramsey was soon peppering the Norwich goal with long range efforts, forcing good saves from Ruddy before unlocking the defense with a sublime piece of individual skill. To see the devastating effect of his incisive run take a look at the picture doing the rounds online showing a confounded Norwich defense yet to pick themselves off the floor whilst Ramsey and co. are celebrating. The performance was capped by yet another assist from Ramsey and a second goal for Ozil. Rosicky whipped in a clever ball to the back post and Ramsey had the awareness and clarity of mind to cut the ball back with his first touch, for ozil to slot in on the half volley. The sheer pace of the play caught Ruddy out of position leaving it impossible for him to scramble back across and make a block. Like the Wilshere goal, and as Wenger said in his post match interview,  when you play one touch in the box it is nearly impossible to defend.

In the end we showed that we could play with intensity for 90 minutes simply tiring Norwich into submission. We showed a solidity and a desire that we have seemed to lack in seasons past, when the Norwich goal would have been enough for us to crumble and concede a late second to drop those vital points. Now with the depth in our midfield, affording us the luxury to leave quality players like Ramsey and Rosicky on the bench we are able to renue our dominance on the pitch. Let’s hope Arsenal can find another gear in time for the matches that will surely define our season during what will be a tough November.