Rating the Arsenal Players Against Swansea

Arsenal will look back on this as a game they could have lost but ultimately should have won.  After falling behind to a goal from Michu, they clawed their way back in to the lead, only to concede a late equaliser to a thumping Danny Graham shot.

The Gunners' busy January will now get even busier with a replay against Swansea sandwiched into their already packed schedule.  The winner has the prize of a fourth-round tie against Brighton to look forward to, but there is much work to be done for Arsenal before they can start planning for their day out on the south coast.

Over the next few slides we take a look at how the Arsenal players rated in this cup tie.

Defence

GK Wojciech Szczesny (7/10)

Wojciech Szczesny could do little about either of Swansea's two goals and made a couple of decent stops to keep their tally down.

At a time when Arsenal's defence seems to be increasingly porous, the Pole's consistency between the sticks is a source of some comfort to Gunners fans.

DR Bacary Sagna (6/10)

Bacary Sagna had another difficult game against Swansea, although unlike in the match at Southampton, it was not entirely his own fault.

Theo Walcott was ostensibly playing in front of him as a right winger, but his constant movement inside meant that Sagna was often isolated, lacking an outlet in front of him when in possession as well as support when defending.

CB Laurent Koscielny (6/10)

Picked ahead of the rested Thomas Vermaelen, Koscielny was the more impressive of Arsenal's centre-back pairing.

That said, his most crucial contribution came at the other end of the field, hooking a corner back in to supply Lukas Podolski with the ammunition to thump home Arsenal's equaliser.

CB Per Mertesacker (4/10)

Per Mertesacker has been one of Arsenal's most reliable performers this season, but this was not one of his most assured displays.  Both Danny Graham and later Michu gave him problems, and he won't be pleased with the ease with which the Spaniard skipped past him for Swansea's opener.

Mertesacker had missed a couple of Arsenal games with a stomach bug.  After this performance, he'll be feeling a little sick for entirely different reasons.

DL Kieran Gibbs (9/10) 

Kieran Gibbs attacked with real gusto throughout the ninety minutes.  With Aaron Ramsey stationed in front of him, the onus was on Gibbs to provide width, and he did that throughout the match, showcasing his impressive pace and stamina.

His goal was just reward for such a gutsy display, volleying home with tremendous power in identical fashion to Lukas Podolski's wonder-strike against Montpellier.  He will do well to score a better goal in his Arsenal career.

Midfield

CM Mikel Arteta (5/10)

It looks to me as if Mikel Arteta is finally starting to suffer from the sheer amount of football he has been asked to play since joining Arsenal.

In this game in particular, he struggled to cope with Swansea's runners from deep.  Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla often pushed up to close down the Welsh team's defence, meaning that in the event of Swansea managing to play out from the back, Arteta was usually isolated.

He also ought to have done a better job of closing down Danny Graham for Swansea's late equaliser.  Instead, he stood rooted to the spot and even turned his back.  It was not Arteta's finest hour.

CM Jack Wilshere (8/10)

Even when Wilshere's technical ability fails to come to the fore, his fighting spirit remains invaluable to Arsenal.  When Arsenal were struggling to get a foothold in the game, he was willing to put his foot in and try to get the Gunners' game going.

One area he could improve is his set piece delivery.  If he wants to take corners and free-kicks, he needs to find dangerous areas more regularly.

AM Santi Cazorla (6/10)

In a game in which Arsenal struggled for fluency, Cazorla was unable to exert his usual influence on the midfield and even missed a very presentable first-half opportunity.

Attack

RW Theo Walcott (7/10)

Although ostensibly playing from the right wing, Walcott essentially played as a second striker, using every opportunity to come inside and collect the ball in a central position.

In the first half, he was a rare bright spark for Arsenal.  In the second half, he faded and was guilty of a glaring miss when presented with the ball inside the Swansea penalty area.

CF Olivier Giroud (710)

Giroud gives the side structure and a focal point, but this was not his most convincing display.  He missed with a free header from about six yards out, and in another instance, a poor first touch put an end to a promising counterattack.

However, he did provide the assist for Gibbs' goal with a beautifully lofted pass, recreating his assist for Lukas Podolski's strike against Montpellier.

LW Aaron Ramsey (7/10)

It's hard to explain why Arsene Wenger persists with Ramsey in the wide areas.  The Welshman has spent his career playing in the middle and is clearly more suited to that role than any kind of wing position.

That said, this was one of his better displays, and he even provided one beautiful left-footed cross from which Olivier Giroud should have scored.

Subs

LW Lukas Podolski (8/10) 

Podolski is the most clinical finisher in the squad, and he showed that with a smart shot on the turn to take his goals tally in to double figures for the season.

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