Giving up drinking on a Friday night so I can wake up at 7.45 to watch Arsenal play, I must say that I wasn’t disappointed.
The title hunt may be over, but there was plenty in the match, with special mention to a banner hanging near the sidelines, that coerced me into writing this article immediately afterwards.
There is still much to look forward to at Arsenal. With not much hanging on the line, Wenger decided to start Walcott on right midfield. I guess his chats with the manager finally paid off.
He got his full 90 minutes on the pitch, and he should have no more reason to complain. He was involved in almost all of Arsenal’s attacks, his searing pace obviously causing Reading’s defense all kinds of problems.
He will probably start the rest of our games, because there is absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t. Eboue is mediocre at best, and Walcott could really use the experience.
He is not a finished product, so one can only imagine how good he will be if he realizes his full potential. One thing he can definitely work on is his left foot. While marauding down the right side of the pitch, he is “money.”
However, as the commentator aptly mentioned, while caught on the left flank he becomes too predictable.
The defenders know he is going to have to switch over to his right foot and will be ready for it. And although he has great balance to cut in on the right, working on his left foot will open up so many more options for him, and more importantly, for his teammates.
He should also have finished the lay off from Fabregas, but the shot which came off his left foot, managed to only just bounce off and over the crossbar.
Another Gunner to strike the crossbar was RVP. He showed what he is capable of, when his free kick from the corner of the box hit the crossbar, and then the upright and then the ground (but the ball did not cross the line), before it was cleared away.
Hahnemann, in spite of being on the same side of the goal as the ball was eventually struck, did not stand a chance, and his best hope was a prayer, which unfortunately was answered.
Robin van Persie finally seems to have shaken off his rustiness, and he was all over the pitch, holding the ball, laying it off, linking up well with the midfield and attack alike.
Again, one can only imagine what could have been, had he been fit the entire season, or even returned to full match fitness earlier.
Bendtner, after he came on for Hleb, was quite a disappointment. He has really failed to make any sort of impact for the Gunners. I wonder whether he is a part of Wenger’s grand scheme.
It would probably be in the best interest of the club and the player if he went on loan at a club like West Ham or Blackburn. They could use a striker of his quality, he would certainly get more playing time, and the experience would do him much good.
1 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete