1-3, Champions League, Emirates Stadium, 2013-02-19
Podolski 55
Well... The scoreline pretty much says it all. Obviously Bayern Munich is one of the best teams in Europe and there is certainly no shame in a defeat against such an opponent, but that does not mean that it is any less disappointing. What makes the defeat worse is the fact that we were so close to making it 2-2, which would have been meant that we were truly back in the tie, but instead we conceded another goal that more or less killed the game.
We had a positive start to the first half, with Cazorla released down the right-hand side. Unfortunately his cross did not find Walcott in the box and then Walcott failed to find Podolski with a cross of his own. After those initial five minutes the game slipped from our hands and Bayern Munich had a two-goal lead within the first twenty minutes. Our defence was not at its best, we missed a clearance for the first goal and then we failed at getting the ball clear from the box after a corner for the second goal. Before the end of half we did have some chances, but they were all blocked by defenders. Mertesacker had a shot blocked when he found a pocket of space following a free-kick and then Walcott had another shot, also blocked.
In the second half we looked like a team changed (sounds familiar?) and within ten minutes we pulled a goal back! A severe mistake was made in the German defence as neither defender nor keeper went for the ball as we had a corner, and Lukas Podolski (former Bayern Munich player) could head the ball into the back of the net! As mentioned above, we got really close to finding the equaliser. With twenty minutes left Podolski had a shot cleared right in front of the goal, but the best chance we had came when Walcott's brilliant cross found Giroud in the box, but the Frenchman's powerful shot was saved by Neuer. Eventually we conceded yet another goal which killed the game, and (yet again) it came through a failure at getting the ball away from the goal. The last chance we created was a shot that Wilshere had on target, but it was saved by Neuer.
Clearly we have our work cut out for us for the return leg in Munich. It seems unlikely that we will qualify now, however, but hopefully we'll put up a good fight at least! For now, though, we need to focus on getting back on track in the league, which we hopefully will against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Injury Update:
- Gibbs still injured, and with Santos out on loan and Monreal ineligible to play for us in the Champions League, Vermaelen was moved out to the left in the defence.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Arsenal vs. Blackburn
0-1, The FA Cup, Emirates Stadium, 2013-02-16
Go figures that when Swedish television finally sorts out the FA Cup situation and can broadcast it live, we are defeated, at home, by Blackburn Rovers... Absolutely dreadful.
We dominated this game from start to finish, but our shots went either wide or straight into the arms of the 'keeper. After fifteen minutes Koscielny headed the ball wide and Monreal provided a great cross from a tight angle, but no player was there to meet it. The next cross came from Oxlade-Chamberlain, but this one was a bit too high for Giroud to be able to reach it. We had plenty of corners, within the first twenty minutes we had had 6 of them, as a result of all of our corners. At the half-hour mark Vermaelen had a header on target, but it was saved by the 'keeper and Monreal had a shot deflected wide. Gervinho was the next one to fire the ball wide, he managed two within two minutes, one after a brilliant pass by Rosicky. The last chance of the half belonged to Arteta who fired a free-kick straight at the 'keeper.
The second half started rather slow, when suddenly Rosicky hit the bar! That brilliant chance was followed by a Diaby shot straight at the 'keeper. With twenty minutes to go Wilshere, Walcott and Cazorla, right after that Blackburn scored. After that we built up some pressure, far from enough though! Monreal fired wide as Walcott's cross was almost met by Giroud, who, two minutes later, headed the ball straight at the 'keeper. In the final minutes Diaby and Walcott had two powerful shots saved by the 'keeper, Giroud had a shot blocked and Arteta fired wide.
So obviously immensely disappointing to be knocked out of the FA Cup at the Emirates by Blackburn Rovers. I mean, that sentence pretty much says it all...
Injury Update:
- Not injury news exactly, but Gervinho started this game (having returned from the Africa Cup of Nations).
- Rosicky and Diaby were back from injury.
Go figures that when Swedish television finally sorts out the FA Cup situation and can broadcast it live, we are defeated, at home, by Blackburn Rovers... Absolutely dreadful.
We dominated this game from start to finish, but our shots went either wide or straight into the arms of the 'keeper. After fifteen minutes Koscielny headed the ball wide and Monreal provided a great cross from a tight angle, but no player was there to meet it. The next cross came from Oxlade-Chamberlain, but this one was a bit too high for Giroud to be able to reach it. We had plenty of corners, within the first twenty minutes we had had 6 of them, as a result of all of our corners. At the half-hour mark Vermaelen had a header on target, but it was saved by the 'keeper and Monreal had a shot deflected wide. Gervinho was the next one to fire the ball wide, he managed two within two minutes, one after a brilliant pass by Rosicky. The last chance of the half belonged to Arteta who fired a free-kick straight at the 'keeper.
The second half started rather slow, when suddenly Rosicky hit the bar! That brilliant chance was followed by a Diaby shot straight at the 'keeper. With twenty minutes to go Wilshere, Walcott and Cazorla, right after that Blackburn scored. After that we built up some pressure, far from enough though! Monreal fired wide as Walcott's cross was almost met by Giroud, who, two minutes later, headed the ball straight at the 'keeper. In the final minutes Diaby and Walcott had two powerful shots saved by the 'keeper, Giroud had a shot blocked and Arteta fired wide.
So obviously immensely disappointing to be knocked out of the FA Cup at the Emirates by Blackburn Rovers. I mean, that sentence pretty much says it all...
Injury Update:
- Not injury news exactly, but Gervinho started this game (having returned from the Africa Cup of Nations).
- Rosicky and Diaby were back from injury.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Sunderland vs. Arsenal
1-0, Premier League, Stadium of Light, 2013-02-09
Cazorla 36
This turned out to be a fight to the very end, we managed to get the lead in the first half and as we were down to ten men for the latter part of the second half we had to withstand quite some pressure from Sunderland. Huge credit goes to Szczesny, who showcased some brilliant goalkeeping in this game.
In the first half we had tons of shot that went just wide of the goal or was saved by the goalkeeper, with Walcott having a shot saved by the keeper in the second minute, Ramsey's brilliant shot at the half-hour mark was also saved by the keeper and Giroud fired just wide after approximately fifteen minutes. Fortunately, we had one shot finding the back of the net as well. Wilshere started the attack with a great run, he then played the ball to Walcott, whose pass reached Santi Cazorla, and the Spaniard fired a low shot beneath the keeper into the back of the net. Just before half-time Walcott had a shot that went just wide and Ramsey almost made it 2-0, but the keeper made yet another save.
At the beginning of the second half Wilshere picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Diaby. Both Giroud and Cazorla fired their respective shots just wide of the goal (feels like I've written "just wide" a bit too many times in this post...) before we were reduced down to ten men as Jenkinson received his second yellow of the game and was sent off. After this Sunderland built up some immense pressure, luckily we had our Polish keeper who produced brilliant save upon amazing save upon great save! He made several vital saves in this game and truly reminded us why he is our no. 1. With fifteen minutes to go Walcott put the ball past the keeper but hit the post! That could have proven to be a costly mistake had it not been for our desperate defending and brilliant goalkeeper.
So in the end we managed to hold onto our lead, largely due to some brilliant goal-keeping by Szczesny! Obviously vital for us to get the three points before heading into our FA Cup clash against Blackburn next weekend.
Injury Update:
- Vermaelen is still out due to an injury.
- Koscielny picked up a calf injury in the warm-up to this game, meaning that Sagna played as centre-half.
Cazorla 36
This turned out to be a fight to the very end, we managed to get the lead in the first half and as we were down to ten men for the latter part of the second half we had to withstand quite some pressure from Sunderland. Huge credit goes to Szczesny, who showcased some brilliant goalkeeping in this game.
In the first half we had tons of shot that went just wide of the goal or was saved by the goalkeeper, with Walcott having a shot saved by the keeper in the second minute, Ramsey's brilliant shot at the half-hour mark was also saved by the keeper and Giroud fired just wide after approximately fifteen minutes. Fortunately, we had one shot finding the back of the net as well. Wilshere started the attack with a great run, he then played the ball to Walcott, whose pass reached Santi Cazorla, and the Spaniard fired a low shot beneath the keeper into the back of the net. Just before half-time Walcott had a shot that went just wide and Ramsey almost made it 2-0, but the keeper made yet another save.
At the beginning of the second half Wilshere picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Diaby. Both Giroud and Cazorla fired their respective shots just wide of the goal (feels like I've written "just wide" a bit too many times in this post...) before we were reduced down to ten men as Jenkinson received his second yellow of the game and was sent off. After this Sunderland built up some immense pressure, luckily we had our Polish keeper who produced brilliant save upon amazing save upon great save! He made several vital saves in this game and truly reminded us why he is our no. 1. With fifteen minutes to go Walcott put the ball past the keeper but hit the post! That could have proven to be a costly mistake had it not been for our desperate defending and brilliant goalkeeper.
So in the end we managed to hold onto our lead, largely due to some brilliant goal-keeping by Szczesny! Obviously vital for us to get the three points before heading into our FA Cup clash against Blackburn next weekend.
Injury Update:
- Vermaelen is still out due to an injury.
- Koscielny picked up a calf injury in the warm-up to this game, meaning that Sagna played as centre-half.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Arsenal vs. Stoke
1-0, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 2013-02-02
Podolski 78
An absolutely vital win! These are the games that we quite simply have to win, which only makes the relief of actually winning these games greater. Our new signing Nacho Monreal started this game and he looked a decent player. He might not have had an outstanding performance, but he did not make any significant mistakes and provided some good-looking crosses, as well as getting a shot away towards the end!
Five minutes into the game Walcott made a brilliant run and the following cross looked dangerous, unfortunately it was not met by anyone. After that initial chance the game stood still for a while, until the half hour mark when a great corner, taken by Wilshere, found its way to Oxlade-Chamberlain who fired the ball straight at the keeper. A few minutes later we had another corner, this time Walcott provided the cross, that was met by Giroud who headed it in towards the goal. It was cleared by a defender, but the clearance got no further than back to Walcott, whose second attempt was almost turned into the back of the net by Koscielny, but the keeper made another save. Then Oxlade-Chamberlain had another chance to score, Wilshere passed it to the English winger, but the keeper made another amazing save. The last chance we had in the first half came as Walcott's shot was blocked by Giroud, the Frenchman then made an attempt of his own, only for it to be blocked by a defender.
It cannot have escaped anyone's attention that we have had a trend of playing far better in the second half compared to the first half in recent games. So it was not particularly surprising to find that it happened in this game as well. We began somewhat slowly, Monreal had a cross almost met by Giroud, which was followed by a series of passes between Wilshere and Giroud that ended with a shot well over the bar. The game slowed down a bit after that until approximately fifteen minutes were left. That was when the only goal of the game took place: Walcott was awarded with a free-kick just outside of the box, that free-kick was taken by Lukas Podolski with a low and powerful shot that took a deflection off a defender into the back of the net. After the goal we built up more and more pressure, and Cazorla should have scored as he made a brilliant solo run past the defence and into the box, but his shot went over the bar. Before the game was over our new full-back to the left, Monreal, had a shot blocked.
Three vital points earned, meaning that we are slowly advancing as both Chelsea and Everton dropped points today. Another positive is this new defender, who appears to know what he is doing!
Injury Update:
- Arteta returned from injury to start this game as captain in Vermaelen's abscence.
- Gibbs will be out for approximately another month.
Podolski 78
An absolutely vital win! These are the games that we quite simply have to win, which only makes the relief of actually winning these games greater. Our new signing Nacho Monreal started this game and he looked a decent player. He might not have had an outstanding performance, but he did not make any significant mistakes and provided some good-looking crosses, as well as getting a shot away towards the end!
Five minutes into the game Walcott made a brilliant run and the following cross looked dangerous, unfortunately it was not met by anyone. After that initial chance the game stood still for a while, until the half hour mark when a great corner, taken by Wilshere, found its way to Oxlade-Chamberlain who fired the ball straight at the keeper. A few minutes later we had another corner, this time Walcott provided the cross, that was met by Giroud who headed it in towards the goal. It was cleared by a defender, but the clearance got no further than back to Walcott, whose second attempt was almost turned into the back of the net by Koscielny, but the keeper made another save. Then Oxlade-Chamberlain had another chance to score, Wilshere passed it to the English winger, but the keeper made another amazing save. The last chance we had in the first half came as Walcott's shot was blocked by Giroud, the Frenchman then made an attempt of his own, only for it to be blocked by a defender.
It cannot have escaped anyone's attention that we have had a trend of playing far better in the second half compared to the first half in recent games. So it was not particularly surprising to find that it happened in this game as well. We began somewhat slowly, Monreal had a cross almost met by Giroud, which was followed by a series of passes between Wilshere and Giroud that ended with a shot well over the bar. The game slowed down a bit after that until approximately fifteen minutes were left. That was when the only goal of the game took place: Walcott was awarded with a free-kick just outside of the box, that free-kick was taken by Lukas Podolski with a low and powerful shot that took a deflection off a defender into the back of the net. After the goal we built up more and more pressure, and Cazorla should have scored as he made a brilliant solo run past the defence and into the box, but his shot went over the bar. Before the game was over our new full-back to the left, Monreal, had a shot blocked.
Three vital points earned, meaning that we are slowly advancing as both Chelsea and Everton dropped points today. Another positive is this new defender, who appears to know what he is doing!
Injury Update:
- Arteta returned from injury to start this game as captain in Vermaelen's abscence.
- Gibbs will be out for approximately another month.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Signing: Nacho Monreal
In this transfer window we have managed to secure a long-term contract with the Spanish defender Nacho Monreal. He is 26 years old and joins us from La Liga side Malaga. Monreal is primarily a left full-back, and since Gibbs has been ruled out for more than a month it is likely that the Spaniard will mainly appear on the left side of the defence. However, since he has played in Malaga he will not be eligible for us in the Champions League, which most likely means that Santos will be the left full-back for the Bayern Munich game or possibly games. Either way, Monreal appears to be an exciting signing, having made nine appearances in the Spanish international team. He was described by Wenger as a "techincally gifted player, a good crosser in the final third and strong in the air", which sounds like exactly what we need!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Arsenal vs. Liverpool
2-2, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 2013-01-30
Giroud 65,
Walcott 67
Yet again we turn a poor first half performance into a brilliant second half performance... What is going on?! It appears as though we get an excess of confidence in the second half to turn games around with...
After no more than five minutes Liverpool scored through Suarez, whose shot took a deflection off Sagna. The following minute Walcott forced a great save out of Reina with a low and powerful shot. Giroud had two shots going wide in the first half while, after a corner, Vermaelen's shot was blocked and the ball made its way to Walcott, whose shot was saved by Reina. Liverpool ended the half better as they had a header saved on the goal line by Podolski and Szczesny made a bad call in venturing way too far from the goal, fortunately Henderson's effort went over the bar.
But then came the second half and with it, as usual these days, a different-looking Arsenal team. A great interchange of passes between Podolski and Wilshere led to a great opportunity for the German, unfortunately his shot was blocked and Walcott's follow-up went over the goal. Then Liverpool scored again through Henderson, our defending was worse than terrible as we constantly failed to get a tackle in to prevent the goal. Podolski had a thundering shot wide right before we finally got back in the game twenty minutes into the half. Olivier Giroud, who is on quite a roll, headed the ball into the back of the net! Walcott won a free kick, Wilshere took it and the Frenchman met it with a resolute header! Two minutes later we found the equaliser, through the another man who is on quite a roll, namely Theo Walcott! It was a stunning shot from a somewhat tight angle, the Englishman somehow found the far corner. What is worth mentioning is that it was a brilliant assist from Giroud who quickly tapped it forward for Theo.
Three minutes later Walcott came close to a reprise of his goal, but this time the shot went just wide. Mertesacker had a powerful header from a Cazorla free kick that went just over the top corner of the goal and Cazorla himself had a shot/cross almost met by Giroud, but instead it went wide. The Frenchman followed this up with a double-chance, first a shot from a counter attack saved by Reina and the following corner was headed over the bar. Giroud then had our final chance but as the goal stood wide open before him he missed the ball, obviously immensely disappointing. The very last chance, however, was Liverpool's as Santos missed a pass, leading to Liverpool almost scoring in the last minute. Fortunately they did not.
Considering the performance of the first half, this was obviously a good point gained. But at the same time we really need to start winning these bigger games, and we had some really good chances to do that this evening. Yet we did not and now we will just have to ensure a victory against Stoke on Saturday.
Injury Update:
- Gibbs received a thigh strain in the first half and will be out for three weeks.
Giroud 65,
Walcott 67
Yet again we turn a poor first half performance into a brilliant second half performance... What is going on?! It appears as though we get an excess of confidence in the second half to turn games around with...
After no more than five minutes Liverpool scored through Suarez, whose shot took a deflection off Sagna. The following minute Walcott forced a great save out of Reina with a low and powerful shot. Giroud had two shots going wide in the first half while, after a corner, Vermaelen's shot was blocked and the ball made its way to Walcott, whose shot was saved by Reina. Liverpool ended the half better as they had a header saved on the goal line by Podolski and Szczesny made a bad call in venturing way too far from the goal, fortunately Henderson's effort went over the bar.
But then came the second half and with it, as usual these days, a different-looking Arsenal team. A great interchange of passes between Podolski and Wilshere led to a great opportunity for the German, unfortunately his shot was blocked and Walcott's follow-up went over the goal. Then Liverpool scored again through Henderson, our defending was worse than terrible as we constantly failed to get a tackle in to prevent the goal. Podolski had a thundering shot wide right before we finally got back in the game twenty minutes into the half. Olivier Giroud, who is on quite a roll, headed the ball into the back of the net! Walcott won a free kick, Wilshere took it and the Frenchman met it with a resolute header! Two minutes later we found the equaliser, through the another man who is on quite a roll, namely Theo Walcott! It was a stunning shot from a somewhat tight angle, the Englishman somehow found the far corner. What is worth mentioning is that it was a brilliant assist from Giroud who quickly tapped it forward for Theo.
Three minutes later Walcott came close to a reprise of his goal, but this time the shot went just wide. Mertesacker had a powerful header from a Cazorla free kick that went just over the top corner of the goal and Cazorla himself had a shot/cross almost met by Giroud, but instead it went wide. The Frenchman followed this up with a double-chance, first a shot from a counter attack saved by Reina and the following corner was headed over the bar. Giroud then had our final chance but as the goal stood wide open before him he missed the ball, obviously immensely disappointing. The very last chance, however, was Liverpool's as Santos missed a pass, leading to Liverpool almost scoring in the last minute. Fortunately they did not.
Considering the performance of the first half, this was obviously a good point gained. But at the same time we really need to start winning these bigger games, and we had some really good chances to do that this evening. Yet we did not and now we will just have to ensure a victory against Stoke on Saturday.
Injury Update:
- Gibbs received a thigh strain in the first half and will be out for three weeks.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Brighton vs. Arsenal + 5th Round Draw
3-2, The FA Cup, Arnex Stadium, 2013-01-26
Giroud 16, 56,
Walcott 85
This turned out to be quite the intense cup game! Fortunately we managed to grab the late winner, but Brighton proved to be a rather tough obstacle to cross.
We took the lead after about fifteen minutes, through a brilliant shot by Olivier Giroud! He found the top corner of the goal with a powerful strike! Unfortunately the joy proved to be short-lived as Reading equalized from a corner approximately thirty minutes into the game.
At the start of the second half we recovered our lead, once again it was Olivier Giroud who scored for us! This time the Frenchman's shot was from a closer range, due to an amazing assist from Diaby, but it was quite an achievement to get a shot away as the keeper closed him down. Yet this lead proved to be even more short-lived than the first one as it took five minutes until Brighton found their second equalizer. However, we had one player on the bench who would come on to make the difference. Theo Walcott continued his good form with yet another goal, and it was quite an important one too! As we took a corner, the ball eventually found its way to Walcott, whose shot was deflected off a defender to find the back of the net!
Needless to say it is great to have qualified for the 5th round, where we will face Blackburn Rovers at the Emirates! It is always a relief to get drawn at home for these games. Next game will be against Liverpool on Wednesday in the Premier League.
Giroud 16, 56,
Walcott 85
This turned out to be quite the intense cup game! Fortunately we managed to grab the late winner, but Brighton proved to be a rather tough obstacle to cross.
We took the lead after about fifteen minutes, through a brilliant shot by Olivier Giroud! He found the top corner of the goal with a powerful strike! Unfortunately the joy proved to be short-lived as Reading equalized from a corner approximately thirty minutes into the game.
At the start of the second half we recovered our lead, once again it was Olivier Giroud who scored for us! This time the Frenchman's shot was from a closer range, due to an amazing assist from Diaby, but it was quite an achievement to get a shot away as the keeper closed him down. Yet this lead proved to be even more short-lived than the first one as it took five minutes until Brighton found their second equalizer. However, we had one player on the bench who would come on to make the difference. Theo Walcott continued his good form with yet another goal, and it was quite an important one too! As we took a corner, the ball eventually found its way to Walcott, whose shot was deflected off a defender to find the back of the net!
Needless to say it is great to have qualified for the 5th round, where we will face Blackburn Rovers at the Emirates! It is always a relief to get drawn at home for these games. Next game will be against Liverpool on Wednesday in the Premier League.
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