Arsenal Report Card

Well, if one hadn't watched the game today, they might say this was a positive result. We got a point against the champions of the German Bundesliga last year in their house. Van Persie scored yet again and one could argue the team continues to move in the right direction, particularly as they were still missing several of their best players including Wilshire, Vermaelen and Djourou (just kidding on that last one). But there also continue to be points of concern:

- After finishing the half brightly, the second half saw the squad unable to maintain possession for more than a pass or two at a time. They looked rather disheveled throughout and often cleared when a good pass might have led to a nice counterattack. 
- I think it has become even clearer with time that we need a better holding midfielder than Song. While he was strong on defense, he often makes terrible decisions going forward and makes poor choices.
- Something has to be done to improve Walcott's decision making -- while he had a great assist in the first half, he is just not a great winger, too often giving the ball away, taking ill-advised shots or failing to finish when the opportunity emerges. Don't get me wrong, there are moments of brilliance, but they are sometimes overshadowed by poor play on a relatively regular basis.
- I like Gervinho and think he will grow into an integral role with the team, but he dribbled into players throughout the game. He needs to pass the ball more often. This is a problem with too many players on Arsenal at present. The beautiful one touch passing that I once loved to watch is largely gone. This was particularly true of Benayoun, who I remember from his impressive days with Liverpool, but seems to have lost it completely -- looking terrible throughout.
- The defense has certainly improved, and but for a great shot would have kept the home team scoreless, but needs to improve on their clearance and distribution out -- so they are not left defending against a relentless attack. It is also clear that Vermaelen is sorely missed in the middle. 
- Van Persie has shown over the past year plus that he is one of the best finishers around. We need better distribution to him with opportunities to score. Watching Goetze today reaffirmed my belief (along with the rest of the world) that we need a creative midfielder like him to replace Fabergas/Nasri. I think we should go full-throttle for someone to fill that role in the Winter transfer window. On a related note, Arteta looked very good in the first half but much less so in the second. It's his first Champions League appearance, so I'll make allowances, but I hope he can improve his quality in the next outing. 
- To stay positive, I do believe this was a good result, and maybe the first step toward qualifying for the elimination stage.

A final note -- what an incredible result for AC Milan! I have been a Barca fan since I lived in Barcelona in 1999, but they have become so good that I like to see quality matches against them and Milan has to be delighted with the two goals that parenthesized an important draw in Camp Nou. Good for them, even as I'm sure Barca will qualify; and probably win the group. But two disappointing results in less than a week might be a sign that the weakness in defense could cost them a repeat of the success of last year.