Arsenal (almost) Miracle ...

Well I needed a day to digest the almost miracle comeback yesterday before I could write about it. For 45 minutes we looked like one of the best teams in the world, pushing forward, defending strongly on the counter, controlling the middle and putting in three goals. Yes we almost gave one back on the stroke of halftime, but it was otherwise probably our finest performances of the season. Rosicky continued his almost inexplicable renaissance, scoring the second goal from a tight angle, after Koscielny had opened up the scoring early with a wonderfully placed free header. Then Oxlade-Chamberlian, who has quickly become one of the most exciting players on the pitch (before the second half injury that may very well have contributed to us falling short), drew the penalty and Van Persie scored. Unfortunately, we might have expelled too much energy in the first half and the second went without the one additional score we needed to go to penalties. At one point, it stood on Van Persie's feet, but he tried to chip over rather than around the 40-year old goalie and a second fine save on the day sent AC Milan through 4-3 on aggregate.

I think we can take a lot of positives out of this game, though I know the players will again recognize that a good opportunity went wanting by a single goal (as it did last year against Barcelona). I also believe that the refereeing was horrible, though I don't think it had a huge impact on the game. He gave away yellow cards for nothing, stopped the action with free kicks for AC Milan that they clearly didn't deserve and almost didn't give one of the most obvious penalties in recent memory. Why the European referees seem so intent on screwing Arsenal is beyond me, but I guess it is just something we have to overcome (like we did in England when the refs didn't like the "foreign" Arsenal squads of Wenger's early years). I also think the game showed us how important Chamberlain has already become to the squad, as his premature departure after sustaining what looked like a hamstring injury seemed to send the momentum back AC Milan's way. I also think the game again showed why our transfer/wage policies don't work, as we had no impact players to come off the bench. It sounds like we are finally going to take care of it this summer, but it is disappointing to still have Chamakh as the backup after the exciting loan of Henry and no one else as a real goal threat coming off the bench. 

Looking at the squad it is clear to me that we need at least one centre-half (preferably Vertonghen from Ajax), a creative midfielder (hopefully Goetze or someone else of similar talent), a central striker, who hopefully can also play on the wing (aka Podoloski), and a winger (of course Eden Hazard is at the top of that list). I have been saying it for a long time, but I wouldn't mind the club selling Walcott this summer and using the money for further reinforcements. He is just too consistent and rarely scores goals when we need them. He was a danger yesterday, but blew some clear opportunities and sometimes fumbled about when he had a shot or good pass. Chamberlain can take that spot next year with Hazard or someone else on the other side and Miyachi and maybe Campbell as backups (among other choices like Rosicky). I also have to again note that the team has played better the past several games without Ramsey on the pitch and it begs the question of whether he is really the solution for the team. At first he looked lively and had one great pass after another, including scoring a key goal in the UCL group stage. But he has been off for a long time and seems to slow down the attack too often or try errant passes, while often losing the ball in dangerous  positions. 

Anyway, I have to admit that Wenger is again showing his genius and that if he is finally willing to change his transfer and wage policies and can keep Van Persie, he deserves at least another year. I don't understand why we had the drop in form at the turn of the year, why we had the two game drop off against AC Milan in the first leg and Sunderland in the FA Cup and why we didn't spend any money in January, but he clearly has this club on the ascendancy again. One hopes they show a little more consistency in the run in now and secure fourth (or even third) place. And the new formation (though fomented by injuries) might be something to experiment with a little more if the attack goes stale or we are having trouble scoring goals. It was certainly exciting to watch! Not to end on a negative note, but I have to admit that I would have never taken a "moral victory" from falling short in the round of 16 in the UCL even five years ago. Alas, that is the reality of being a Gunners fan these days ...