Arsenal Win 7-3

Arsenal surged to a 7-3 victory over Newcastle at the Emirates after ceding the lead on three separate occasions. Four goals in the final 20 minutes ensured all three points and reaffirmed the club's need to sign Walcott up for the future. It was an important victory that saw us surge to fifth place with a game in hand (though Everton play Chelsea tomorrow). Theo Walcott had a hat trick, Giroud a brace after coming on as a sub and the Ox scored his first of the year. While the frailties at the back continued, it was a confidence building end to the year and may well carry the Gunners back toward the top four.

Walcott starting the scoring in the 19th minute on a nice run and finish from a Podolski pass. He showed the potential he could have to move into the central forward role he so desires. He then blew two opportunities before the half, one in front of Krul and another on a 3 on 2 break, when he should have passed the ball right or left. We paid for that profligacy as a Sagna foul at the edge of the box led to a Demba Ba free kick, which caromed off Wilshire and behind Szczesny. Arsenal dominated most of the first half but saw themselves level at the break. As the second half commenced, Arsenal looked lively and it paid off in the 50th minute as Oxlade-Chamberlain's shot across goal beat Krul, after a nice header by Podolski and pass across the box by Cazorla. Walcott then blew another break with a bad pass and in the 58th Newcastle were level again, as Marveaux tapped in a fine cross from Oberton. Arsenal were back ahead in the 64th minute as Podolski tapped in off the bar after a surging run and cross from Wilshire. But in the 68th, Newcastle tied the game again with a nice finish from Ba. 

All three goals conceded owed something to a very poor game from Sagna, who gave up the free kick for the first, failed to block the cross for the second and allowed the cross that led to the third. He was lethargic from the start and I wonder why Wenger didn't bring Jenkinson in earlier. Gibbs also played a part in the third, by allowing Ba to get in behind him when he really should have been able to clear or at least keep the damage to a corner. But starting in the 72nd minute, those frailties didn't matter as Arsenal started scoring at will. It started with a nice turn and goal from Walcott, after a good cross inside the box from Gibbs. Giroud then came on for the Ox in the 73rd minute and had two goals in less than ten minutes. The first was a header finish of a sublime cross from Walcott (who move out to the wing). The second was a beautiful finish by Giroud after some nice footwork to get around a defender after another strong run from Wilshire. The final goal was a piece of brilliance by Walcott, who dribbled from the left around two defenders, got fouled, jumped up and chipped around Krul. It was a sparkling offensive performance and a great way to end the season.

Takeaways from the game ...

1. Walcott continues to be an enigma at times, with some poor passing and finishing surrounding his hat trick, but he has improved immeasurably this year and leads the team with 13 goals. We need to resign him and this must be clear to Wenger, as he has played him at center forward in three straight games. There is still work to do on making the right choice and finish in tight, but losing Walcott over 10 or 20k pounds a week would be ludicrous.

2. Ox is starting to come into his own. His goal was sublime, cutting across Krul from the edge of the box. He stormed down the right side on several occasions and has improved dramatically. If Walcott does start to take up more time in the middle, that means more starts for Ox. But it also means we need another winger more than ever. Wenger seems to be closing in on Nani and I would like to see him or Zaha signed early in January. We will see.

3. I think this game again showed what I have been arguing all year -- we need a defensive midfielder. It is just too easy for teams to build from the middle or wings and we need another presence in there to break up those attacks. Luckily our finishing was on today, but we really shouldn't have conceded any of the three goals. Sagna was poor and we clearly missed Mertesacker, but Wenger is crazy if he doesn't bring someone in to take up the Song role. Yes Diaby is to be back in training next week ... but how long will he last before yet another injury.

4. While this winning streak has certainly restored confidence in our young club, we still need backup to continue pushing forward. AVB has done a good job of instilling faith in Tottenham and I'm not sure they have the usual late season collapse in them this year. We will need to keep winning and without sufficient club strength, the FA Cup and Champions League put us at a distinct disadvantage. One hopes Wenger spends the money wisely to bring in more creative flair and a DM. I also think we could use one more defender who could play in the middle or as left back. Santos is clearly not the answer and may very well go in January. If rumors are to be believed, Chamakh and Arshavin may be on their way out as well, which is great in that it opens up places and salary for new signings. 

5. So what do we need? The emergence of Walcott as a potential striker makes the signings a bit more complex, but I would still like to see us sign another striker and maybe play around with a 4-4-2 on occasion. Henry is working with Walcott right now and we looked incredibly dangerous with both Walcott and Giroud on the pitch. Who should it be? I think Villa would be a great signing, but not sure he is worth the price at 15 million pounds or so. Demba Ba is a great deal and we really should consider him as a top target. We clearly also need a winger and I like Nani or Zaha. I also believe, as I said above, that we need a DM and there are a few options from Capoue and Strootman to Suzu (or maybe M'Villa, though that seems to be dead as an option). Finally, while I don't see it happening, I think we could do with another attacking mid. Ramsey is not up to it at the moment in my mind and we simply can't trust Diaby to not get injured. We are then left with the big three and Rosicky. Chamberlain could move into the  middle but it is unclear who would then play on the wing. The most promising option I see at the moment is Holtby, who looks set to leave Germany now or in the summer. He looked great against us and could certainly be a project for the future. Having watched him play a little, I am confused at why Eisfeld hasn't gotten a few more shots, but on this point I digress. 

So the year ends on a mini-winning streak, which is good news for us Gooners. Let's hope we keep it going in the new year. Lest us forget that a few slip ups last year around this time made our task that much harder. Next up is Southampton on the road, Swansea on the road in the FA Cup and then Man City at the Emirates. Those first two will be key to building momentum for the second half.