Ten Reasons Why Arsenal Lost To Sunderland

Ok, so we lost a game after a 14-match unbeaten run...big deal, get over it.

Arsenal did not lose to a poor team, Sunderland are a match for anyone, especially at home (go ask Fergie and Rafa Benitez).

The defeat at Sunderland didn't come as surprise to me because we should've lost there last year, but saved thanks to an injury-time goal from Cesc Fabregas. And the Sunderland team the Gunners faced that day was actually worse than the current one.

Overall, although the Sunderland team hustled and bustled very well, Arsenal created the game's best opportunities, especially in the first half. The Black Cats had few half-chances and created very little themselves.

The only goal of the game was scored by the excellent Darren Bent, who worked his socks off for the team; and deserved his goal.

The goal itself was a touch fortunate as the ball came to Bent courtesy of Fraizer Campbell's shin.

To be honest, after an hour of play, i couldn't see either side scoring so i expected a stalemate. A draw would've been a fair result, but well done Sunderland, Steve Bruce has managed to attract quality players and I'm sure they will take few more big scalps this season.

I wrote an article few weeks back after the Fulham game, in which i declared that Arsenal had finally learned how to ' win ugly' away from home.

The difference that day was one Robin Van Persie and, had he been playing yesterday, I'm sure the gunners would've got something out of the game.

This brings me to the ten reasons why Arsenal lost at Sunderland:

1) No Robin Van Persie (RVP). The injury to the Dutchman was a big blow to Wenger and the team, because he had adapted to the lone-striker role magnificently.

And with the Bendtner also out, the only other option for the boss was Eduardo;

2) Eduardo is not a central striker. Eduardo found the front man role very tough yesterday. He couldn't hold the ball up, and his link-up play was poor.

Also, he doesn't have the physical attributes to fend-off big centre-backs. Thus, he should never be used as the lone striker again;

3) Lack of width. Nasri and Rosicky provided little to no width for Arsenal. Not once did either of them took on the full-back and crossed the ball. In other words, they offered no penetration on the flanks and kept coming inside all the time.

This meant that everything Arsenal played was in front of the Sunderland players, which made their job that much easier.

When Arshavin came on, things started to happen because he gave the team width and penetration;

4) Walcott not starting. Theo was finally fit and he needs games so why not play him? I really don't understand this one, especially with Eboue also on the bench;

5) Lack of pace up front. Arshavin, Walcott, Eboue and Vela were all on the bench. This meant that there was an obvious lack of pace in the team, especially in the final third.

As a result, creative players, like Ramsey and Fabregas, were unable to hit the front men quickly.

This made the Arsenal passing game slow and predictable;

6) Not enough steel in midfield. Alex Song was absolutely outstanding, yet again for the Gunners. His tackling, passing and overall contribution was top-notch.

However, he needed help alongside him, another defensive midfielder perhaps.

Denislon was fit and available; and should've played alongside Song instead of young Ramsey; 

7) Tiredness and Fatigue. It was obvious that a lot of the Arsenal players were a little tired from the recent International matches. Gallas, Sagna, Fabregas and Ramsey all looked fatigued;

8) Poor finishing. Rosicky, Eduardo and Song all had great chances to score, but failed to do so. Eduardo, especially, looks nervous in front of goal recently - he needs to get his groove back;

9) Denied penalty decision. Eduardo had a strong shout for a penalty late in the second half, but the referee thought otherwise. Replay showed that the Croatian international had his legs taken away, and therefore, was unlucky not to get the penalty;

10) Darren Bent. The former Tottenham striker has been sensational for Sunderland this season and is an early contender for the golden boot this season. He's also making Spurs boss, Harry Redknapp, look very foolish indeed. 

Harsh words by Wenger

After the game Arsene Wenger was unusually critical of his teams' showing at the Stadium of Light. He said:

“It was very harsh to lose the game because Sunderland did not create a lot. But we did not create enough chances either and there was a lack of penetration.

“They were organised and defended very well and we lacked the sharpness to make a difference. In some positions we were not strong enough.

“It is a massive setback because you need consistency to win a title. And today we were not capable of doing that and it raises question marks.”

The last sentence was clearly aimed at his top players, who had a poor game by their very high standards. He is calling for consistency in results, especially away from home.

Arsene Wenger knows what it takes to win the title as he's won the Premier League three times as coach of Arsenal. He knows that you need to get results at places like Sunderland, if you have serious ambitions for the title.

No matter what the circumstances may be (injuries, suspensions, International break..etc), the team must always find a way to win. That's what champions always do.

Now, don't get me wrong, we have an excellent shot at the title. Its a matter of sorting-out minor details and ironing out the flaws, but its important to get back to winning ways.

And this means that, to offset this result, we need to beat Chelsea next week.

Sunderland 1 Arsenal 0: Match highlights.