Arsenal have largely continued
where they left off last season, minus the blip loss to Aston Villa that the
referee heavily contributed to. Whenever we talk about Tottenham and Arsenal,
we hear that the power is moving from the Emirates to White Hart Lane. But is
that the case? This game offered little to prove that argument. Yes, Tottenham
have closed the gap. But from the front line to the back, Arsenal looked
stronger at almost every position, save goalkeeper – where Lloris kept it
respectable with a number of top shelf saves. Olivier Giroud started things
relatively early for the Gunners, with a lovely run across Tottenham defender
Michael Dawson followed by a tidy finish on the near post from a Walcott cross.
Ramsey then had a chance to double the lead, but squandered it high and wide.
Arsenal continued to largely dominate the rest of the first half and might have
felt a little disappointed not to take more into halftime.
The second half saw more of the
same, with Tottenham dominating possession but doing little with it and Arsenal
constantly challenging the Totttenham back four on the counter. But for a
number of great saves and come outs by Lloris, the Gunners could easily have
won the game four or even five nil, and should have had a second as the clock
ticked toward 15 minutes when Nacho Monreal scuffed a rebound with the goal
gapping. But it was the resiliency of the midfield and back that made the
difference throughout and but for an impressive reaction save from Szczesny and
a relentless scramble around the Gunners box at the end, the Gunners deserved
the three points. What did we learn from the game …
1.
Wilshere vs. Cazorla and Ramsey: for all the hype around the young
Englishman, he is generally third best in our midfield, and maybe even behind
Rosicky at times. Cazorla was again impressive at times, though a bit more
errant with his passes today than usual. Ramsey started the final push for the
goal, sending the ball to a charging Rosicky, who found Walcott wide open on
the right. Wilshere has the tools to be great, but I think he is overrated at
the moment. He dribbles into two or more defenders too often and is careless
with the ball at times; in addition to being a little reckless with his
tackles. Ramsey has been excellent this season, continuing his great work at
the back of the last, and really looks to be the best Gunner on the pitch most
of the time. He did blow a good chance in the first half to score, but
otherwise was impressive across the pitch, with a number of key interceptions.
2.
Grit/Determination: for several years now, really since Patrick
Viera and Silva left, there have been real questions about the backbone of the
team. But from the run-in last season through the first five games this year,
Arsenal have a new look team that challenges up the pitch, keeps its shape and
even outplays their opponents physically. There was interception after
interception today belying the final possession numbers. The two players that
really stood out in that respect today were Ramsey and Kos, who is quietly
becoming among the elite defenders in the world. But everyone put in a gritty
performance today and we held Tottenham scoreless in the most high-scoring
rivalry in English football history.
3.
Quality and Money Are Not the Same Thing: I am one of the many Gunner
fans who has grown weary of Wenger’s troubling transfer policy over the past
few seasons, but he has again built a team with real cohesion and, one senses,
a chemistry that rivals any in the league. The Gunners, in fact, have accrued
more points this calendar year than anyone else in the EPL and could surprise a
lot of people by outperforming expectations once again. Looking at the
starters, Arsenal could have a diamond in the rough in Giroud this term, who
seems ready to catapult toward elite status, Walcott as arguably the best right
winger and a midfield to rival anyone. After much maligning, Koscielny and
Mertesacker have now developed a quality central defense and Gibbs/Monreal and
Sagna/Jenkinson complete a defense that is now among the best in the EPL. That
said, we have an extremely light squad at the moment, and clearly need
reinforcements, arguably most prominently in attack now that Pod and Ox are
out. But Tottenham’s much heralded spending spree does not a winner make.
Villas-Boas is a good coach, but Tottenham have had trouble scoring in many
games since his arrival and given up far too many late goals (though scoring
quite a few as well). It will take time for this bunch to gel, but how many of
these players would start for Arsenal? After watching Capoeu today, I think he’s
impressive but not necessarily an improvement on our midfielders, Paulinho
looked good without being great, and Soldado was firmly shut down by our
defense.
4.
Anti-Arsenal Bias: signs of doom were ringing after an opening
loss that was largely facilitated by terrible refereeing. And Arsenal, as is
always the case with the British and European press, were again on the verge of
crisis. Since then they have won four straight and have a number of winnable
matches after the break leading up to the Liverpool match. Wenger does need to
spend money, as I argued above, but it is tiresome to hear the press constantly
attack the most consistent manager in the EPL (though we want a trophy …
really, really badly). Our midfield is among the best around, our defense is
increasingly resilient and Giroud is coming into form. The key issue appears to
be the lack of a real game changing attacking player – and maybe (I hope) one
will arrive tomorrow. This anti-Arsenal bias, of course, also extends to the
referees, who have cost the Gunners countless points ever since Wenger arrived
and started buying Europeans before everyone else. Last season was an anomaly,
as I thought we were on the receiving end of a number of questionable decisions,
but this season has started with a number of terrible calls including the
second penalty and second yellow against Kos in the opening game. Even today, I
thought there were three or four bizarre calls that went against Arsenal, but
they were able to overcome them all and win.
5.
Giroud on the Rise: Giroud did not have a bad season last term,
after starting slowly and missing real opportunities in the first two games and
a few other important ones throughout the campaign. He ended with 11 goals in
the EPL and 17 overall. But one has seen a more confident and composed Giroud
2.0 from the preseason onward, and three goals in three starts is an impressive
tally for any player not named Messi or Ronaldo. His holdup play is improving, though
I still wish he would sometimes just take the ball down and then distribute it
rather than his tendency for one touch passes and headers that too often go
awry. His finishing is improving. His link-up play is continuing along the
lines of the end of last year and he had a lovely dribble from the edge that
almost handed Walcott a goal. Giroud should surpass 20 goals this term and
maybe quiet the critics for good.
So, as I said at the start, Arsenal have again challenged those
who believe Tottenham have finally forged ahead in this great rivalry. It is
still early days and the Gunners will have to keep their focus, discipline and
composure as the schedule gets busier and the stakes higher. But this is a team
that I really do believe might surprise some people this term.
General EPL Notes: It is also worth noting the way the Gunners
have played so far this season versus the style of Chelsea against Man United
(yuck!) and Man City in most of their games. Tottenham v. Arsenal is always a
great game and, while this one may have lacked the normal tally of goals, it was
probably the best played game this season so far. The battle at the top looks
interesting with Man United arguably suffering through the post-Fergie period
so far, Chelsea lacking a proven striker and Man City looking shaky at the back
– while Liverpool have now emerged as the only unbeaten team in the league
after a mere three games. Should be a fascinating season!
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