Disappointing But Deserved

After the elation felt in our F.A. Cup clash with Leeds, yesterday's loss to Swansea was utterly disappointing. It was a game which Swansea very much deserved to win because we were dismally poor, and it still stings the morning after.

Before the game I had been worried that it was going to be a tight, tense affair, and one which we might not win. But when the game began I thought I could modify my expectations. We started well and within five minutes were ahead through an excellent Robin Van Persie strike.

The finish was quality and we looked very solid and comfortable. Until the penalty decision.

At first I had a feeling it wasn't the best of decisions, but when I saw the replays it was clear we'd been hard done. That was a dive worthy of the Serie A, and the fact that it was gotten away with is a tad infuriating.
But in the end it didn't seriously affect the outcome of the match. After the goal Swansea started dominating possession and really running us off the park. That we only had 38.5% ball possession at halftime really tells it all.

The second half started decently and it looked as though Arsene's halftime talk had perhaps worked. But then we conceded again. The defending was poor and overall the team performance wasn't good at all.

Henry and Rosicky soon came on, a really positive move that helped our passing game a bit, and soon we were level through Theo Walcott. It was a good through ball from Djourou and an excellent finish from Theo, who really hadn't been having the best of games up to that point.

But in typical Arsenal defensive fashion Swansea immediately re-took the lead after another defensive error and if we're honest some not-exactly world class goalkeeping.

After that we tried to press for the equaliser, but it wasn't to be. The team performance was just poor. The passing wasn't good, the defenders looked scared whenever Swansea went forward, the the decision-making in the final third was not up to par. I felt Van Persie had a decent game, but he was isolated and couldn't really do much.

In the end we deserved to lose, but it was utterly disappointing. Something will need to change if we're to have a chance at the top 4, and indeed if we're to have a chance this weekend when Manchester Utd come to town.

It doesn't really feel as though the problem lies with the players that we have, but rather getting the most out of those players. Of course, having all these defensive injuries hasn't helped at all, but we could still compete and put in a lot more goals than we're doing now, and it's just not happening. We finally have more experience in the squad, so it needs to start showing.

You can tell from Arsene Wenger's post-match comments and his interview at the dot com that he's frustrated with the team, and I for one am hoping that this leads to some changes and a little kick in the rear that the team needs to pick up their game. Arsene knows what he's doing, and it seems that whenever we're in crisis he finds a way to pull us back out of it again. Here's hoping he'll do the same right now, because we sure need it. Till  next time,

Fab 4

Is Henry Here Yet?

The news on Thierry Henry's loan deal at the moment is that it's been delayed again, this time due both insurance paperwork and also the date of his return to New York. The Red Bulls want him back in time for their pre-season training camp in Arizona on the 20th of February, but Arsenal are hoping to keep our old captain until at least the 26th so that he could play in the North London derby.

I hope this gets sorted out soon, because it sure would be nice to have Thierry available to play against Leeds on Monday in our F.A. Cup fixture. One can only imagine how amazing it'll be to see Henry walking out at the Emirates again, and if those behind the scenes would just hurry up and sort out the loan details then it could be a reality this Monday. I expect he'll slot in on the left of attack, where Gervinho is playing for the first team now. The match would be a good chance for him to regain some match fitness and hopefully it all works out.

Of course, anything to lift the spirits a bit is appreciated after our painful 2-1 loss to Fulham Monday. I wanted to wait a day or two to fully get over the loss before I posted lest I get on here and bash the team, because in reality there are a lot of factors that went into the loss.

One was of course the terrible, frankly biased refereeing. Full details are found in this excellent post on Untold Arsenal, and it confirms my feelings at the time that absolutely nothing was really being called correctly, and certainly nothing was called in our favour. To win a match with that sort of handicap is difficult.

It is possible however, and that's where the red card comes in. Up until then it looked like we might just be able to hang onto 1-0, but when we were reduced to ten men we were just spread too thin. Fulham were the hungrier side and certainly deserved to level matters, but I felt the second goal in stoppage time was harsh, especially considering how well we had played in the first half.

But that's just it isn't it? We played well for 45 minutes and then dropped off. It can certainly be attributed to fatigue, but as well it seems like perhaps that motivation was lost a bit, and we felt like we could once again just hang on for a victory. Well, we seem to be able to defend a 1-0 lead for 30 minutes or so, but certainly not for 60, and it showed. We really needed a second goal to put the game to bed, and when we didn't get it, you felt the equaliser was always likely, especially when we dropped our attacking and pressing tempo.

It's a lesson learned yet again for the lads, and not a lesson we're going to want to see repeated. It seems to me that we really need to start scoring more goals. The only time in the last 6 weeks that we've scored more than 1 in a game was when we grabbed the narrow 2-1 at Villa Park, and that certainly wasn't Arsenal at their most fluent. That seems to indicate a problem, and one that hopefully a two-week break for the first team will solve.

Well anyway, enough about Fulham. Other than the Henry news and reflections on the defeat, not too much is going on Arsenal-wise at the moment. Vito Mannone has joined Hull City on loan again till the end of the season. I'm not convinced by the Italian and hopefully he'll get some games and improve a bit, because after his performance in Greece in the Champions League, it's clear that improvement is needed. Aren't you so glad we now have Szczesny in goal? I sure am.

Till next time then, don't forget to check out our Twitter and Facebook pages. The former is updated more regularly and at the moment includes a link to an apparently leaked publicity photo of Thierry Henry in this season's kit. Check it out if you're interested! Here's hoping that loan deal finally goes through,

Fab 4

A New Year's Treat

What better way could you think of to finish off 2011 than by seeing the old Arsenal grab 3 points at home, move into the top four of the league, and for Robin Van Persie break the club record for goals scored in a single calendar year, coming only one short of tying the all-time record (though to be fair he's already broken it on a goals-to-game ratio)?

It was a good 1-0 win against QPR yesterday at home. Not as comfortable as we'd like to be sure, but a win is a win. Van Persie grabbed the goal after an inch-perfect pass from Arshavin who had been gifted the ball by QPR. The Russian actually had a really good game, which makes two good ones in a row for him. Perhaps he's not a worthless as so many of my fellow gooners claim he is, though if we're honest there's certainly much room for improvement.

One of the only bad bits from yesterday's win was the fact that this is four home games in a row now where we've scored only one goal. 1-1 to Fulham, 1-0 over Everton, 1-1 with Wolves, and 1-0 yesterday hosting QPR. Perhaps it's just coincidence. If so, let's hope it ends with the turn of the new year, as it'd be great to watch us dominate games at the Emirates again, and not just in chances created, but also chances clinically finished.

Either way with Chelsea, Manchester City, and Man Utd all somewhat comically losing, and Spurs only getting a draw, we gained ground on every team ahead of us yesterday. We're now only 9 points off Man City. Now say what you will but that's no unassailable margin, and one that perhaps keeps faint hopes alive at a title push. Realistically such a thing won't happen, but stranger things have transpired when it comes to the title race. One just never knows.

Well the big news then from the aftermath of the game is that our defensive rock Thomas Vermaelen has been injured, and that he'll likely be out of action for about three weeks. Of all the people to get injured I can think of no one, save RVP, who I wanted to stay fit more. Ever since he's returned our defence has looked far more solid and assured, and his loss to injury could do a bit of damage to our defensive solidity. Sure, Coquelin did a good job when he came on and slotted in there, but he's not naturally a fullback and it's clear perhaps a temporary loan signing is in order.

So tomorrow we take the short trip down to Fulham to hopefully exact a bit of revenge if you like for our mere draw with them at home a few short weeks ago. The game could certainly be another draw or even a Fulham win, so it'll take a solid performance from the lads tomorrow to pull off a result. Van Persie will likely be rested, as will, I expect, one or two others who put in a taxing effort yesterday. But hopefully those who replace them will show the quality and class necessary to pull off victory. We'll find out soon enough.

Till then, I'll be busy dreaming of the Thierry Henry deal being finalised and preparing the subsequent celebrations which are very likely to happen round my place when it is. It'll be good to see the legend back in red and white once again. Welcome to 2012.

Fab 4