Arsenal, Interrupted ...

A rather flat performance today, but I suppose it could have been worse. We maintained our overall lead in the group, secured our head-to-head advantage over Marseille and actually got another clean sheet (which is a rarity for us these days). The back looked much firmer after some early scares and we had plenty of chances in the first half, but sort of looked like the old new Arsenal today, unable to capitalize on those opportunities and playing substantially worse in the second half. What I think is clear from this game is that we really need to get another goal scorer in the squad; I suppose ideally a winger or someone that can play either in a central or winger role. The rumors of advances made on German Lukas Podolski are promising, as are the whispers of taking a shot at out of favor City winger Adam Johnson. The dream player would be Eden Hazard, but it doesn't appear that will happen until next summer, if at all. A partial report card on the game:

Park: after a nice goal in the Carling Cup, there was hope that his first "real" start for the side would be a strong one. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. A good opportunity went nowhere as his first touch was too heavy, he was rarely active in the game and didn't do much when given the ball in dangerous positions. Along with a lot of other Gooners, I have been asking why he hasn't been playing and now see why. Was this a signing simply to shut people up? And, if so, why did we have to do it at the expense of Lille, who may now shun us in the Hazard race. I would certainly take Goetze though and be just as happy. An extraordinary talent himself.

Walcott: a performance that was neither terrible nor terribly impressive. After the promising showing against Chelsea, I was hoping he would show up again and he did have some decent crosses and a near goal, but some of his bad habits reared their ugly head again -- including giving the ball away in the final third, making the wrong pass and weak shots when a pass might have been better. 

Van Persie: not brought on until the 60th minute, but was a rather average performance for him. Wasn't given the service for a clear opportunity except once, and probably should have scored there.

Ramsey: came back to earth after his Chelsea performance. Really should have scored on a nice cross in the first half and had some other half chances. Is clever with the ball, but played too much in the middle moving forward (as Arsenal sometimes tends to do). 

Gervinho: a decent performance from him, but certainly not as good as his last two. Arshavin came in for the final 13 minutes of regular time and looked terrible again. I think it's time to cut our losses and say pah-kah to him. He just can't seem to find his old form with any consistency and I would rather see Ryo and Chamberlain get some playing time than watch him fumble around the ball like a midget half-wit. 

Rosicky: it's nice to have his experience in the middle in games like this, but just doesn't really impress me any longer. I can't wait for Wilshire to get back and see how our best midfielders play together. 
 
Arteta: a decent performance, but certainly nothing to write home about. The same can be said of Song who is always strong on defense, but as I often say could have been better with his passes in the final third. He tries to slot in too often when it just isn't there. That was particularly true today, as Marseille packed it in in the back

Defense: a good performance overall. Much better from Mertesacker (though I saw him laze coming back once in a position that could have led to a goal). It was great to see Vermaelen back and healthy and Jenkinson was fine on the right side. I am really worried watching Santos play though. He overcommits on tackles in dangerous positions, is often out of position, sometimes comes forward leaving the back exposed and needs to learn to stay in front of the wingers, who got past him on several occasions (just as Chelsea's did in the first half Saturday). 

Overall, the team looked tired in the second half and that could have been the hangover effect of a great but tough win at Chelsea just four days ago. It might have made more sense to give Chamberlain, Arshavin (ugh) or maybe even Ryo a shot to start, but past is past. It really would have been nice to qualify today, but now we have to take our next home match seriously and ensure that we win the group. The reality is nothing is ever easy with this team in recent years. The really important thing is to post a victory on Saturday against West Brom and keep the pressure on Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea, as we try to push toward the top four with a pretty manageable schedule until Christmas. Bad news on the Man City draw for the Carling Cup, but what can you do? Go Gunners!