A Seinfeld episode several
years ago called The Opposite featured
George deciding that he should do the exact opposite of what he normally would,
leading to a number of successes that really changed his character from that
point on. And today the Gunners turned the table on Stoke, winning 3-1 at the
Emirates by playing a very Stoke-like game. They scored all three goals on set
pieces, with two coming from headers, while Stoke scored its only goal on a
rebound shot from outside the box. It was a reversal of expectations but
continued Arsenal’s recent run of form, culminating in a third successive win. After
scoring again through the man of the moment, Aaron Ramsey, early in the game (5’),
Arsenal again gave back the lead (which they have done against Aston Villa,
Sunderland and Fulham) in the 26th minute from American Geoff
Cameron’s strong finish of a shot off the post.
But as has become their
tendency of late, Arsenal fought back with Per Mertesacker scoring a header in
the 36th minute. As the second half started, one assumed Arsenal
would dominate but it was Stoke that seemed to have the momentum, controlling
the ball for long spells and demanding some strong defensive work and a couple
of key saves from Szczesny. In the 72nd minute, Ozil garnered his
third assist of the game, sending in a perfectly placed cross that Bacary Sagna
looped over Stoke goalkeeper Begovic to put the game away. It wasn’t always
pretty, but it was yet another win and showed the mettle that this team has
seemed to embody ever since the 2-0 win at Bayern last season. Some thoughts on
the game and the weekend in the EPL:
1.
Ramsey/Wilshere/Arteta/Flamini:
Ramsey continued his performance as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in
Europe with a lovely finish off an Ozil free kick rebound. As the game went on,
he did miss more passes than usual, but this could certainly be the result of
being tired (though Yaya Toure looked the best in the world later Sunday). Wilshere
continues to fail to impress at the moment and really could use a rest,
particularly given the form of those around him. Arteta will probably take his
place in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday, but one must wonder if Flamini
should be replaced at the moment, so good is his play. Not only has he become
the rock in defense we have lacked since Alex Song left, but his passing was
exemplary throughout the game. When Cazorla returns, it really is hard to see
Wilshere being more than a rotational player at the moment, though one wonders
what Wenger will do. He has shown a more ruthless approach to squad spots since
the turn of the year, sitting both Vermaelen and Wilshere late last year to
snag fourth place. It might be that Wilshere/Arteta become an alternative to
Flamini/Ramsey in some games, but it is hard to see Ramsey left out often this
term, pushing Wilshere to the periphery once everyone is healthy again.
2.
Without Walcott
out wide, our counter seems far less troubling. Walcott was scratched with some
sort of stomach ailment (muscle strain or something) and, while Gnarby was
clearly superior on the defensive end of the pitch, he lacks the pace and touch
of Walcott. Once Ox is back, he can certainly provide similar flair on the
right but we might have more luck pushing left with Gibbs rushing in until that
happens. Both Cazorla and Podolski should be back in the coming month or so,
though, and that might help the counter as well.
3.
Needs in Winter
Window: Flamini has shown himself to be a very astute signing by Wenger, even
if it was serendipitous, and probably ends the need for a DM. What we do
clearly need is another striker, maybe someone with speed that can play
alongside or instead of Giroud in some games. The Frenchman had a very average
game, failing to impress with the two opportunities he was given. He has
clearly improved and will not score every week, but the need for another option
is clear. When Ramsey stops scoring every game, and that obviously has to
happen at some point, we will need the striker to score with consistency – even
against physical teams that play in two flanks of four. The other real need, in
my opinion, is another strong centre back that can slot in at times. While our
defense has only given up more than a goal once this term, we have only 3 clean
sheets in 7 games, and two were against a very average Fenerbahce. Watching
Vincent Kompany dominate Man U today made me think we could still improve in
this area. And Tottenham has only ceded a single goal, against us, all season
and stand level on points after five games.
4.
Szczesny is back:
while Sz might have gotten across to stop Cameron’s equalizer today, he has
been relatively impressive this term, stronger in the air and on
crosses/corners, more assured in his distribution and has already tallied a
number of impressive saves. His form has been an important part of this run,
after being benched late last season, and continuing in that vein imperative if
we are truly to mount a serious title charge.
5.
Media Bias:
Arsenal has long suffered with a media that seems to place them in perpetual
crisis – sometimes fairly, more often just as a result of its sensationalist
tendencies. But few could argue when they saw a team that seemed too thin to
really challenge for the league this season. Yet now, Wenger has a new “problem”
– a few selection headaches that many in the league would beg for. We have two
able bodies on both wings, competition for every spot in midfield (and in some
cases are three deep, once players return from injury), should be fine on the
wings and have options at every position except a fourth viable centre half
(though Sagna seems like he can cover, with Jenkinson starting on the right).
The only position where we are light, though it is an important one, seems to
be striker. Giroud has been playing well until today, but we still don’t know
how he’ll perform in the big games, where he often goes missing (except against
Tottenham this term). But if we stay near the top and spend the money we have
to bring in another top-quality striker in the Winter Window, this could be a
team that could go all the way!
6.
Title Contenders:
Arsenal has to avoid the downturn in form that seems to plague us at some point
every season since our last title, but must feel like this is the best chance
to reclaim that coveted prize in some time. Man United would be in crisis mode
if Moyes wasn’t being given an early pass by the media (one point in three
games against the major rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and City should be garnering
more press). A loss Wednesday to Liverpool in the Capital One would certainly get
people talking, but the beating they took today at City must open some eyes to
a decline in quality in the back and midfield this term. Liverpool has started
brightly, but no one, including Rodgers, thinks they are real challengers for
the title yet – and the tame 1-0 loss to Southampton seems to confirm the
distance they still have to go to get back to the top. Man City did look
impressive, but have already blown four points against Cardiff and Stoke,
though they appear to be the in form team after the display today, when the new
pieces seemed to finally fit together with the old (though oddly without David
Villa on the pitch). And finally is Chelsea, a team that does seem in crisis
mode, without the striker they need to mount a serious challenge at the top.
Sure they won Saturday, but it was again less than exemplary and Mourinho’s
tendency to ostracize a team’s most popular players (in this case Mata and Luiz)
in his last two stops seems to be costing him points and silverware. Right now
he doesn’t seem to know who to play in what position and that is not allowing
the team to build up the understanding and confidence necessary to beat teams
like Basil (couldn’t help myself there). It is too early to say anything
definitive, but Arsenal certainly have a team that can compete with the best.
Moving to the American
version of the sport for a paragraph, some thoughts on the weekend action.
Pittsburgh appear to be a team on the decline and the new system not really complementary
to Roethisberger’s strengths. The Niners have certainly come back down to earth
as well, as has their young quarterback who had a truly awful day. The Jets
improved to 2-1 with a nail-biter than should have been comfortable – but for
several missed turnovers and 20, yes that’s right, 20 penalties. This is
clearly one of the worst coached teams in the league and it might be time to
start lining up replacements for the likable but increasingly clueless Rex
Ryan. The Cowboys also improved to 2-1 while the Chargers blew yet another game
to fall to 1-2, continuing a trend that saw them blow 7 leads last year and
already 2 this term. A new coach but the same old lack of backbone. Green Bay and
Atlanta also lost while the Saints won, already messing with early predictions
(including the rather pathetic performance of the NFC East sans the Boys). On
that note, we might be reaching the end of an era with the Giants, as they fall
to 0-3 in a truly paltry performance, though I suppose you should never count
them out. Andrew Luck appears to be the only sophomore living up to last year’s
hype so far, though third year man Cam Newton had an impressive performance in
the win (though his completion percentage was still low).
Anyway, that’s all for now.
COYG!
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