Warning Shots

A visibly pumped up Jack Wilshere celebrates his stylish equaliser against City

The tables were turned on Arsenal this weekend as the Gunners conceded a late goal to deny them victory against Manchester City in a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Emirates

A second win for the Gunners was snatched away in the 83rd minute of a highly entertaining encounter when City defender Demichelis found himself unmarked at a corner, powering a late header into the net.

Arsenal showed fantastic resolve to battle back from 1-0 down in what will surely be one of the most high-paced, all-action matches of the season.

Arsenal lined up as follows: Szczesny, Mertesacker, Debuchy, Monreal, Koscielny, Flamini, Sánchez, Özil, Ramsey, Wilshere, Welbeck 

A debut for new boy Danny Welbeck (or 'Dat guy Welbz' as the players and social media has taken to calling the striker) and an impressive one at that. Welbeck played the no.9 position beautifully winning headers when required and making incisive runs in behind.

Welbz hit the post in an early effort after some superb pressure from the midfield forced an error. A poor back pass played the striker clean through where he showed composure to deftly flick a lob over an onrushing shampoo model turned goalkeeper Joe Hart, but had to watch as the ball turned off the inside of the post and back into the arms of the England No.1

Welbeck and 60,000 Arsenal fans share a moment of disbelief as the Arsenal striker's chipped effort hits the post

The Gunners were made to a pay for a host of missed chances when in the 28th minute City launched a blistering counter-attack, neatly finished by their talismanic striker Sergio Aguero, who looks to be over the injury problems that plagued his world cup and early season form

The sides went into halftime with the score still at 0-1 to last season's champions, however Arsenal looked the more likely to score throughout the half, the City goal coming against the run of play.

Not to be disheartened by the blow, Arsenal pressed on in the second half picking up where they left off, pressuring the City defense with plenty of neat one-touch possession in the final third.

Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez both had their best games in an Arsenal shirt doing everything right. They chased back possession, broke through tackles and looked hungry for a victory. The physicality they brought to the match is something we haven't seen for a long time; check out this from Wilshere on Samir Nasri.

The equaliser eventually came in the 63rd minute when Wilshere was released on the edge of the box, beating a defender with a feigned shot and drag on his left foot leaving him face-to-face with Hart on the near post. Cue one of the finishes of the season so far in a chip that left the City keeper bamboozled, flapping his arms like a toddler trying to catch a ball.

After that the pendulum had definitely swung in the reds favour and Arsenal had attack after attack, whilst defending well. Nasri replaced Lampard at halftime who looked for all the world like a spent force, his major contribution in his 45 minutes on the pitch was receiving a yellow card for a tactical foul on Ramsey.

Lampard struggled to match the pace of the game in his debut for City

Sanchez got the goal to take Arsenal into the lead on 74 minutes, Arsenal's second of the afternoon and the Chilean's third in as many games for his new club. Wilshere got the assist with a speculative header back into the box which looped over the City defense finding Alexis unmarked at the back post. His first time side-footed volley was a thing of beauty, powering past Hart and into the roof of the net.

For all their effort to get back into the match, Arsenal's intensity dropped off after taking the lead. As is so often the case with Arsenal sides there is a resolve to fight back but worryingly the same defensive frailties which have cost us league titles in the past are creeping back in.

City fought to get back into the game. After winning a corner with 10 minutes to go, a good cross found Demichelis completely unmarked on the penalty spot, the Argentine taking the chance well, guiding the ball into the top right corner. It looked as though Szczesny and Flamini got in each other's way a bit and perhaps the Frenchman may have been able to head the ball off the line had the keeper not got a hand to it.

I thought Arsenal had shaken the tag of poor defensive side after last years dominant display by Koscielny, Mertesacker and Szczesny where the Gunners kept the most clean sheets in the league. Four matches played and Arsenal have already conceded 6 goals, scoring 7.

Chambers came on as a late substitution after Debuchy had to be stretchered off. The Frenchman appeared to over stretch himself chasing a ball and landed awkwardly, rolling his ankle. Debuchy injury reports vary between 2 to 3 months out, but knowing our luck don't hold out for a speedy recovery. This means that Chambers will start right-back with Bellerin promoted to the bench, leaving us with no outright cover at centre back.

Arsenal's injury misfortune has followed them into the 2014/15 campaign despite appointment of new fitness coach Shad Forsythe

There were moments in Saturday's premier league clash with City where I thought this side could be the best Wenger has put together in over half a decade.

The team had pace, power and skill throughout and although a relatively small signing, Danny Welbeck already looks like the missing piece in a handsome jigsaw puzzle of awesomeness.

There were, however, also moments where I thought this team is still missing something to make us true championship contenders, particularly in defense.

A very interesting and worrying statistic is that Arsenal have conceded a headed goal in all four of their matches so far this season. I think this is because of the changes to our fullbacks, compared to last year.

In my opinion Debuchy offers so much more going forward than Bacary Sagna. We saw on the weekend how the Frenchman drew a foul after he skipped past Milner with a clever dummy. That is something Sagna would never do, always looking to cut back inside, slowing the attack down.

However on the flip side Sagna is a better backs-to-the-wall defender than Debuchy, with a greater aerial athleticism that meant he was more adept at dealing with high balls late in the game, even scoring a couple of headed chances last season.

On the other flank Monreal is by no means the quality of Kieran Gibbs, who really has followed in a proud tradition of Arsenal left-backs, a position Wenger unquestionably knows how to scout for.

Although Monreal is of a high pedigree, having been plucked during the mass clearance sale at Malaga along with Cazorla, he always looks a little out of sorts and frantic and was definitely targeted by City.

Combine this with a license for the full backs to get forward and Arsenal have been left exposed countless times already this season. A moment's carelessness in possession, a misplaced pass when we are committed to attacking and the opposing team only have to beat three players en route to the Arsenal goal.

To leave you on a positive note, Arsenal have now scored 5 goals in two matches against City (3 in the Community Shield) suggesting that as an attacking force we are right up there capable of dissecting one of the best defences in the league.

Let's hope we can balance the side a little more and rack up those clean sheets, starting with Dortmund tonight and Villa on the weekend.

Thanks for reading!

Leicester v Arsenal Preview

Alexis Sanchez celebrates his first Arsenal goal in a 1- 0 victory against Besiktas

Sanchez will lead the line for Arsenal against Leicester City in the last round of premier league fixtures before the international break.

Arsenal currently sit in 5th place after an opening day victory to Crystal Palace and a hard-fought draw against Everton.

The Gunners are expected to line up as follows: Szczesny, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Debuchy, Flamini, Wilshere, Ozil, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanchez

Oxlade-Chamberlain should see another start after his impressive performance against Besiktas in the Champions League Qualifiers. Alex offers more natural width and a desire to look for the long ball down the line.

Debuchy and the Ox showed a strong understanding midweek and this is something I believe Wenger will look to develop.

I expect Wenger to stick with a similar formation and approach as we saw against Besiktas, where had it not been for some wasted chances we would've won the game far more comfortably.

Expect a high pressing game without the ball and plenty of width with it, with the focus of our attacks coming down the right flank, where the Ox and Sanchez like to position themselves before cutting in.

Looking at the side however what immediately springs to mind is lack of height. Set pieces and defending crosses in open play has been our weakness so far this season (think Hangelaand v Palace and Coleman v Everton).

Leicester aren't the biggest side themselves and under manager Nigel Pearson like to play the ball on the ground, which should suit Arsenal, however it is hugely important that our wide players track back to prevent the opposition from overloading our flanks.

For many Arsenal fans, thinking about Leicester evokes memories of the final match of the Invincibles '04 campaign where the Gunners came back from a goal down to seal their unbeaten season.

Leicester have won just one of 16 Premier League games against Arsenal (W1, D5, L10). Their sole victory was 2-1 at Filbert Street on 23 November 1994.

However the Foxes have begun the season well, earning a 2-2 draw against Everton on the opening day, before losing 2-0 against Chelsea, a respectable scoreline nonetheless against Mourinho's machine.

A bit of excitement on the transfer front for both sides as Leicester have signed former Inter midfielder Esteban Cambiasso on a one year deal. The 34 year old has joined the Foxes after being released by Inter over the summer,  but may be ineligible for today's match due to international clearance proceedings.

There has been a huge amount of twitter activity linking Arsenal with QPR's Loic Remy and Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho: I would love both to sign.

We need a striker who has proven experience in the premier league. Welbeck would've been a stronger signing as indeed would Edison Cavani but it would seem as though both strikers are destined elsewhere. 

As for Carvalho although he failed to impress in Rio, there is enough potential there for him to become a very useful player. He could be eased into the ranks this season and given full license next year having learnt under two of the best in Arteta and Flamini.

The Fixer

"I chose a half measure, when I should have gone all the way... I'll never make that mistake again. No more half measures, Walter."

―Mike Ehrmantraut

Jaded, emotionally volatile, not someone you'd want to cross in a bad mood and yet someone who sometimes displays an unexpectedly caring and nurturing side. It's as if Flamini and Breaking Bad's Mike Ehrmantraut are one and the same.

This can only be explained by Breaking Bad's creator Vince Gilligan being a self-confessed fan of the fiery Frenchman, citing the Arsenal CDM as inspiration for a number of different characters*

This season our side has benefitted enormously from having a seasoned professional marshalling the ranks at the heart of midfield. Flamini has been indespendable not only because he offers astute positional understanding, but also because he rallies those around him and also scores a decent number of goals, including a superb equaliser against City.

I don't think its too great a leap to compare Mike's tactical masterclass when taking out a building full of guards single-handed, armed with nothing more than a silenced pistol to Flamini's defence of the midfeld when it threatens to buckle under pressure.

He is unshakeably loyal, a consigliere to those he serves under. He also never forgets, a man to hold a grudge against a player who has wronged him and against a team who represented the enemy in the past. Who can forget his frankly diabolical challenge on Tottenham's Corluka in the Champion's League, followed by his sanctimonous rousing of the Milan masses, gladitorial, ruthless. THAT tackle

Like Mike his one weakness has been money, and although we'll never know the reason for Flamini's transfer to AC Milan we like to assume it's because he had a number of 'legacy' payments to make.** As we all know the wages at Arsenal are notoriously thin for those trying to build a private army of assassins and mercenaries.

The ultimate mercenary himself, Mike works for a number of the show's key characters, a right-hand man to Gus Fring, occasional fixer for Saul and consultant to Walter's Vamanos Pest / meth enterprise. Flamini also excels in any role he is afforded, transfering the same hard graft, intimidating physical presence and reading of the game from midfield to right-back. His efforts in our run to the 2006 Champions League final were second to none, particularly considering he was playing out of position for most of the campaign.

Flamini began his Arsenal career as part of the golden era in Arsenal's history, a time when the likes of Bergkamp, Viera and Henry were running riot. Just as Mike returns to the meth game in the turbulent and uncertain times following the collapse of Fring's drug ring, Flamini is recruited to bring stability and insider knowledge to help the new crop of talent get up to speed. a younger, less murderous Flamini

In this way Flamini's relationship with youngsters like Wilshere and Ramsey has been like that of Mike and Jesse. There was a notable difference in their defensive profficiency having spent some time with Matthieu. In typical Wenger fashion, bringing back an old face was done with a view to helping add the finishing touches to a talented bunch, except in this case the veteran is holding down a place in the starting line-up. Leave the youngsters to it by all means but if shit appears to be heading towards the proverbial fan send in the fixer to batton down the hatches.

So long as Flamini proves himself to be useful he can escape the grizzly fate bestowed upon Mike. The only piece left in this self-fulfilling prohpecy would be for Wenger to ruthlessly betray his old associate. Let's hope that the meth business Arsenal brand juggernaut has a strong end to the season...or it could end badly for the flame.


*probably
** Milan offered him a contract worth around £3m a year

For more Arsenal and football content follow @thelovelyreds on twitter and tune into the blog everyday for original content. Thanks for reading