Arsenal Finally Win!

After a terrible two weeks in which Arsenal drew twice and then lost twice, they finally won a game, 2-0 against West Brom. It wasn't the prettiest victory of a season with too few victories to celebrate, but it was an imperative one and showed signs of improvement that could help the team as they have a winnable run of fixtures heading into the new year. But it also showed the weaknesses that continue to plague the club and hopefully only further solidified the need to strengthen in January. The game was won on two questionable penalties, both taken successfully by Arteta -- but could have been a whole lot easier if the Gunners could find their finishing touch. The wasteful Gervinho missed three makeable goals, fluffling each of them, Cazorla missed another two, Wilshire had a decent opportunity and a few others went wanting. So let's take a look at the positives first:

1. After a series of games in which very few crosses were put in the box, there was plenty of service there in this game. Cazorla, Chamberlain and even Gervinho put in a number of crosses, though few actually met Giroud or anyone else in a red shirt. Gibbs got in a couple himself, but has to work on getting around defenders better as his crosses are too often blocked by the defender in front of him. They do often lead to corners, but we have been anemic in scoring of them for years (with a few exceptions this term).

2.  Our defense put in another strong effort. Mertesacker was a liability last year, making a mistake in almost every game he played in. This year he is our most steady player and, as usual, he only had one errant pass the entire game. Vermaelen seems to be improving week by week after a really shaky start as well, and just needs to work a little on his long balls, which seem to be too long most of the time. Sagna was solid on the right and Gibbs was decent on the left (though I would like to see a better backup, or someone to challenge him for first team). In fact, this was our sixth clean sheet this season and we stand third in the league in defense at the moment -- a major improvement over the past several seasons when it was our biggest liability. Just imagine where we might be this year if we kept RVP?

3.  When Arsenal presses opponents when they have the ball, it really helps us control the game. It is clear West Brom were off their game in the match, but our constant pressure on the ball played a big role in that. This is a tactic Barcelona uses very effectively whenever they lose the ball and one that we should be executing in every game. Of course, for that to happen, we need to have a deeper squad.

4. The attacking play in general was much better today. I believe this was due not only to a good game from Cazorla, but a resurgent Wilshire who seemed to regain his confidence after a couple of average performances, driving forward with purpose over and over again, showing a deft touch and getting the ball into dangerous lanes. If you count the scoring opportunities (I didn't take notes during this game), I would say we could have easily had six if we converted them.  Pressing played a big role in this as we got forward quickly after getting the ball back. I also think that Chamberlain had his best game this season and that could be good news, particularly if reports are to be believed and Walcott is heading out the door. One does wonder if the 4-4-2 we played for parts of the game didn't contribute to this better offensive performance, as I argued for in a previous post.

One game does not a rebound make though, so let's look at continued areas of concern ...

1.  Besides Walcott, who looks destined to leave, the finishing has been less than adequate in too many games this season. If we had scored just one more goal in several games, we would be up near the top of the league (yes, this makes me Mr. Obvious, but it is worth saying). Giroud is still not getting the service he needs, but I am not convinced that he has enough quality and understanding to be the main answer this year. Gervinho is downright inept too often and that was glaringly clear today. Cazorla can obviously score, but he is wasteful. Beyond that, Podolski is good for the occasional goal but very few others are. Chamberlain could certainly score a few and Rosicky as well, but we are clearly short on finishers at the moment. If Walcott leaves, we could be in real trouble unless we bring in reinforcements.

2.  While we controlled the game, West Brom was not pressuring the ball. This has been our major problem over the past two months and I assume many of the teams we will face know this and will push us in the middle of the pitch. The ball was certainly moving forward more rapidly today but we are going to need to play better on the wings and continue that forward thrust when pressure is exerted in the middle. It is worth noting, along this line, that the absence of Ramsey seemed to improve positive momentum today. He is just not a reliable presence at the moment and I really do believe we should send him on loan to regain his confidence. His performances of late, as I have previously mentioned, have hurt the team immeasurably and the relative flow today just further amplified the point. 

3.  We did create more opportunities today, but we still need to improve our creative play and get Giroud better positioned to receive the crosses. I also think Gervinho was often clueless in not getting into the box when we were attacking down the right-hand side. If we are going to cross more, then we need to get bodies in the box to receive those crosses and trouble the defenders more. The quality of those crosses also needs to improve, but I am happy that they were getting in at all.  

4.  I don't believe the win today really weakens the case to maybe let Wenger go at the end of the season (with dignity, as a resignation). Watching him on the sideline today, I had the odd feeling that he has been reading the papers and following some of the armchair advice -- including sitting Ramsey and playing the 4-4-2. I could be dreaming, but he certainly didn't look happy, even after the second goal or at the end of the game. Rumors that he recently met with PSG only further strengthen the notion that he has had enough. I love Wenger, but do wonder if the only way forward is to get some new blood in that can build and motivate a team to actually win (RVP on Fergie Speeches). 
 
Looking at the transfer window that is quickly approaching, I really do believe we need to strengthen in several areas. For one, a defensive-minded midfielder could do wonders for the team, and I think Wenger finally sees this (I hope). Among the names being floated around are Strootman (sp?) at PSV and Capoeu, but I haven't seen either play. We also need a quality striker to backup Giroud, and maybe challenge him for first team action. It seems to me the most promising name at present is Huntelaar, though a move for Dzeko, Lewandowski, Llorente or Jovetic would be great (I just don't see us spending the money and it is unclear that any of them are leaving their current squads in the winter). While I think we will miss Walcott, I just don't think he can be our central striker unless we play a 4-4-2, a formation that Wenger has largely abandoned (until today). I also think we either need a winger or another creative midfielder, in which case we could play Cazorla on the right. With Rosicky back in the fold, this might happen sometimes anyway, but I am becoming less and less convinced that Gervinho is the long term answer either on the wing or in the middle. He just misses too many opportunities and too often gives up the ball after decent runs. Chamberlain can obviously play on the wing as well, but I don't think we should use him every week, as he is still quite young (Michael Owens comments this week about playing too much young should give us pause). The most promising name is Zaha at Crystal Palace but rumors today claim Man U will sign him and let him finish the season with Crystal, to help them get back to the Premiership. There are others out there though like Lopez, Navas or maybe Ben Arfa. If Diaby finally gets back in, it could solve some of our problems, but can we really count on that? That would be three players and I can't imagine us doing more than that (I find it hard to believe we will even buy three, but one can dream). A fourth need is clearly left back, but maybe that can wait until the summer. If we get a striker, an attacking player and a defensive mid though, I think we could be solid in our struggle to grab that fourth spot.

We have seven winnable matches in a row before we host Man City and taking maximum points in most of them could really build some momentum early into the second half of the season. Let's hope we build on this win and keep pushing toward the top. 

P.S. Could it be that Abramovitz's strategy to use Benitez to get Torres firing again is working? He has four in his last two games and seems much more confident on the pitch. Two games do not a revival make, but he is certainly showing signs of improvement. With the creative players around him, Chelsea could very well start challenging at the top again, particularly if City win tomorrow and either of the two Manchester clubs falter over the busy holiday season. That would mean Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton and maybe West Brom (looking less likely) challenging for that all important fourth spot. Given the inconsistent form of everyone but Tottenham in recent weeks, a space might be opening for the Gunners to once again win our "unofficial silverware."