Arsenal - W.B.A. : Game One Review

Arsenal have made a successful start to this year’s campaign, beating the new participant in the Premier League West Bromich Albion 1-0. The only goal was scored by Samir Nasri.

But why did they win by only one goal? Why didn’t they concede? Why were they not able to create a lot of chances?

Maybe analysing the performances of each one of Arsenal’s players could answer some of those questions.

GK:  Manuel Almunia
He did not have a lot to do for most of the time and was stable when he had to make a intervention. He made two good saves, stopping shots from Ishmael Miller and Do-Heon Kim. The new number 1 in the Gunners team had a quite game and recorded his first clean sheet of the season.

RB:  Bakary Sagna
He did a good job on the flank and was able to play a bit more offensively then usual. He was stable throughout the match.

LB:  Gael Clichy
I was happy to see the lightning-fast left back as his usual self. He played very confidently, passed the ball very well and battled for every ball on his side of the field. His runs down the left were a big headache for W.B.A. The goal scoring attack was triggered by Clichy. He was very sharp throughout the whole match and contributed a lot to the victory.

CD:  William Gallas
The Arsenal captain played well for most of the match. He did one noticeable mistake when he could not keep up with Ishamil Miller, who he was marking. Thankfully for him the chance was neutralised first by Almunia’s save and then by his partner in defence Johan Djourou. When confronted by Almunia, Gallas reacted somehow angrily. I still think he is not the right choice for captaincy in Arsenal.

CD:  Johan Djourou
After the stable play against Twente, he earned his place alongside Gallas. Wenger left half-recovered Kolo Toure on the bench and Johan played the whole match. He was very stable, making some good-timed tackles and practically saved Arsenal from being equalised by clearing James Morrison’s shot off the goal line. Well done by the lad.

LM:  Samir Nasri
The new guy for Arsenal proved that he is the one to watch out for. In his debut game in the Premier League he was able to score and was a threat to West Brom’s  defence at all times. He made a couple of terrific runs cutting through the centre of the field. He also showed his good vision and made some great through balls and passed the ball well. Nasri was like a breath of fresh air for the Gunners. In the absence of Cesc Fabregas he stepped in his shoes as a playmaker and did a terrific job. It only sparks our imagination to think what Fabregas and Nasri could do if they play together.

CM:  Denilson
He tried a few long range shots which were unsuccessful. Denilson was probably one of the main reason why Arsenal won by only one goal. There was definitely missing some creativity in the midfield. He made the assist of the goal by cutting the ball back to Nasri.

CM:  Emmanuel Eboue
He did quite well in this untypical for him role. His technique was sufficient to play in this position but maybe pairing him with a midfielder with defensive qualities such as Denilson is not a good idea. They just could not create enough chances. The defensive aspect of their game was good enough.

RM:  Theo Walcott
He was not allowed the space by West Brom defenders and his speed was of no use to the team in this game. He had one opportunity to score with his head but the ball was held by Scott Carson. He was replaced by Kolo Toure in the 74th minute.

ST:  Emmanuel Adebayor
He had an average game. He was often forced out of the jam-packed with defenders penalty box towards the flanks and had to play as a midfielder sometimes because of the lack of a player who could create chances. He made a few misses one of which was  a 100% chance, put clear by Nasri’s through pass against West Brom keeper.

ST:  Nicklas Bendtner
His similarities in his style of play to those of Adebayor shined through. They were just too similar which did not help the team a lot in this game. He was dangerous mostly when playing with his head but did not have enough chances. He was replaced by Robin Van Persie in the 69th minute.

Subs:
ST:  Robin Van Persie
He played about 20 minutes, coming in to replace Nicklas Bendtner. Ten minutes later he received a cross from Adebayor but shot in the hands of the West Brom keeper. Just before the end of the game he received a ball from the left side, made a spectacular turn and shot the ball only to see it pass inches away from the left-hand post of Scott Carson. There is still plenty of time for him to gain form.

RM:  Kolo Toure
He was not yet fully recovered from his hip injury and was left on the bench until the 74th minute when he came on to replace Walcott. Surprisingly, he took the position of Walcott for the remaining of the match. It was awkward to see him on this new position. He did not receive the ball from his team-mates enough to assess him.

Unused Substitutes:

Carlos Vela, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Lukasz Fabianski, Mark Randall