Arsenal vs. Partizan: 10 Things We Learned from the Gunners' Display at Emirates
Arsenal qualified to the knockout phase of the Champions League in nervous fashion as they triumphed over Partizan Belgrade by three goals to nil. Arsene Wenger had said that they could not bank on the Shakhtar game and have to win this to ensure progress. He selected a strong team featuring the likes of Andrei Arshavin and Samir Nasri, and also gave Robin van Persie his first start of his Champions League campaign.
Patizan had a game plan which allowed the Gunners to pass freely in their own half but when they entered the opposition half they were intent on closing them down and breaking in numbers. They did not provide any great threat on the counter but the Gunners lacked the imagination and creativity to break them down in the first half hour, with only Samir Nasri looking likely to create anything.
Robin van Persie won a foul in the penalty area and was awarded the chance to put the Gunners ahead in the 30th minute. He struck it sweetly into the back of the net to open his account for the campaign. The goal was expected to settle their jangling nerves but Arsenal still lacked fluency. However the score looked favourable at halftime.
The Gunners came out much more energised in the second half and a couple of half chances were created within the opening five minutes of the half. But Arsenal's "soft centre" was exposed once again as Cleo equalised for the visitors. It was poor defending from start to end and Lukasz Fabianski can be absolved of any blame. Denilson and Song, both supposedly strong defensively, failed to cut out a ball to Cleo and Squillaci backed off the striker to give him the space to shoot. He tried to block the shot and the deflection left Fabianski with no chance and tension was palpable at the Emirates.
Arsene Wenger then substituted Andrei Arshavin, who had been very ineffective, and brought on English youngster Theo Walcott. Arsenal looked threatening after his introduction and cranked up the pressure, which finally paid dividends when Theo Walcott scored a superb goal from a volley. It brought relief to the Emirates and the goal from Shakhtar shortly afterwards ensured progress for the Gunners.
Samir Nasri continued his fine form with a well-taken goal, created by a driving run by Alex Song. It was his 12th goal of the season. However, it was not the last meaningful event of the match as Bacary Sagna was red-carded for committing a professional foul and the referee adjudged him to be denying a clear goalscoring opportunity being the last man.
Sagna will miss the next encounter, which could be an extremely tough one considering that the Gunners can meet any one of Schalke, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Barcelona. Arsenal were far from their best but achieving qualification is the most important thing and they will be pleased to have done that albeit in unconvincing fashion. The month of December will be extremely important and could have a big impact in how the season goes.
There were some observations we could make from the last game and here are 10 things which could be inferred from the game against Partizan Belgrade.
The Midfield Must Have Tomas Rosicky or Jack Wilshere or Both
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Robin van Persie is a superb player, who can produce goals out of nothing and has brilliant technique but when he is deployed behind Marouane Chamakh, he does not dictate the tempo of the game in general. Cesc Fabregas is the one who dictates the tempo of the game and he is very good at it. He may not be the best dribbler but he can certainly drive his way into the penalty area and create opportunities.
Denilson plays at a rather slow pace and more often than not, plays short passes while Song is Arsenal's best defensive midfielder and should be good with his duties. Both these players do not change the tempo of the game in general and this aspect of their game does not matter when they play with Fabregas. However, when they both are playing and van Persie is playing in the hole behind Marouane Chamakh, Arsenal play at a lesser tempo and do not crank up the pressure as they should.
Tomas Rosicky may not be at his best but he certainly has a huge influence on the pace of the game. He can dribble well and possesses the speed and ability to drive his way into the box. He showed that he is an able replacement for Fabregas and Wenger should place his trust on the Czech International. If Wenger still decides that van Persie should play behind Chamakh, then Jack Wilshere should start in place of Denilson. Wilshere has shown the determination to create opportunities from deep midfield and his intricate exchanges will cause trouble for the opponents. Wilshere and Rosicky formed a decent partnership in some games and it would not be a bad idea to start both Rosicky and Wilshere in the absence of the injured Spaniard.
Robin van Persie and Marouane Chamakh Have Yet To Form a Good Understanding
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Arsene Wenger refuted any suggestions that he would have to drop one of Robin van Persie or Marouane Chamakh when both of them were fit by saying that he could accommodate both of them. He has played van Persie behind the target man ( Chamakh/Bendtner ) and though he has shown glimpses of his brilliance, he is yet to make a great impact.
Chamakh and van Persie both started the game for the first time in the season and though van Persie did score his first goal, their chemistry was found wanting at times. Chamakh did not seem to be on the same wavelength as van Persie, which is to be expected considering it is their first start together. Though they can form a good partnership in the future, they should not play together in the game against Manchester United in my opinion. Both have recently played as the lone striker and they could continue in their roles for some more time.
The Theo Walcott Debate: Is He Best Utilized as Starter or Super Substitute?
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Theo Walcott splits opinion amongst most supporters on whether or not he is consistent enough to start on a regular basis. Walcott started his season in blistering fashion scoring four goals in three matches before he picked up an injury on International duty. He has since not replicated that form but has shown on more than one occasions that he is fully capable of holding down a starting berth.
Walcott had scored a total of four goals in the last season but with not even half of this season over, he has already scored double the number of goals. He has developed composure in front of goal and is capable of scoring a lot more goals. However, his decision-making is still questionable and his crossing has got to improve for him to be a good winger.
There are two debates as far as Walcott is concerned:
The first one is whether or not he should play as a centre forward. It is clear that he is not a naturally good crosser of the ball but his ability to get behind defences is a real asset and with his pace, if he plays in a central role, he will score a lot more goals. Also, his anticipation in making forward runs will prove to be a real threat. In my opinion, Theo Walcott benefits when Robin van Persie is in the side, because the Dutchman's vision and creativity provide the ideal foil to Walcott's more direct approach.
The second one is whether he is best utilised as an impact substitute where he made an impression after coming on in the game against Partizan. When the players are physically and mentally tired, Walcott's pace and his runs present a number of problems and the very knowledge that he can get behind the defence can unnerve them. However, he is too talented to be benched regularly and also, at the young age of 21, he has a lot of potential to be a superb player in the future.
Alex Song Has To Stay Deep in Midfield To Provide Cover for the Shaky Defence
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I am not going to concentrate too much on the Arsenal defence in this article because in my opinion, it will not acquire stability in the absence of the impressive Thomas Vermaelen. Laurent Koscielny is relatively quite inexperienced and he has good understanding of the game and makes good interceptions. However, he is not very quick and his lack of good physical strength has been exploited at times. Koscielny has been thrown into the thick of the things and has had to cope with a lot of criticism and pressure.
Squillaci is a defender on the wrong side of 30 and as expected, he does not have a lot of pace. He does have experience but the problem is that he does not command the defence and has been largely unimpressive, this season. He could make a good partner for Vermaelen but does not have the quality to be a top-notch defender.
The shaky defence as stated above makes the role of Alex Song even more important. Song has ventured forward on many occasions and at times that has left the defence exposed. The Cameroon International has developed good attacking instincts as can be seen from his powerful driving run, which created the opening for Nasri's goal. However, Song is most important to the team when it comes to breaking up play. Denilson makes decent interceptions but is not a good tackler like Song. Song should concentrate on his defensive duties and should provide adequate cover to the shaky defence especially in the absence of Vermaelen.
Lukasz Fabianski Can Be the No. 1 Goalkeeper but Needs Time and a Strong Defence
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Lukasz Fabianski had an absolutely disastrous last season, which had numerous supporters, including me, calling for his head. However, I have to admit that I have been impressed by his resilience and the young goalkeeper has shown that he does possess the talent to be a top-class goalkeeper in the future. He is obviously not a finished product and does make the odd error but so have most good goalkeepers when they are not so experienced.
Fabianski made a crucial error against Newcastle which drew a lot of criticism but critics have overlooked that he has been the main reason for Arsenal's important wins against Fulham, Partizan Belgrade, Wolverhampton, Everton and Manchester City. He does not command the penalty area like a world-class goalkeeper but with experience, his confidence should rise and he has a lot of scope to improve. He has not been helped by his shaky defence, which has left him exposed on far too many occasions.
Almunia has made several blunders and being on the wrong side of 30, he has little scope to improve and Wenger should stick with Fabianski. The much-maligned Pole has produced some assured displays and has recovered extremely well from his poor last season.
Samir Nasri's Passion and Consistency Are Key for Arsenal This Season
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Samir Nasri was shown praying to the Gods to help them qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. It was his passion on the pitch, which was very admirable and drew a lot of cheer from the supporters. Arsenal looked rather uninspiring in the opening stages of the match and Nasri with his excellent dribbling looked the most likely Arsenal player to break the deadlock.
Though he could not replicate the magical performance he produced at the Emirates against Fulham, he showed his superb form with a well-taken goal to show for his performance. It looked like he was going to return the ball to Song but he surprised everyone including the goalkeeper with a vicious shot with his left foot, which was well placed.
It was his 12th goal in this season and it is rather amazing considering that he scored a total of 12 goals in the last two seasons he has been at Arsenal. He has developed as Arsenal's most potent attacking threat and his consistency will be the key for the Gunners to achieve success.
Andrei Arshavin Can Be Awful but He Does Need the Home Support Cheering Him
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Andrei Arshavin is a player who can wreak havoc if he is in form and when he does not have a good day, it does look like he is having an exceptionally poor game. When he is having an off day, he misplaces passes and his fancy tricks and flicks do not work out well; he looks like a player lacking the desire to do well for the Gunners.
However, it is time that supporters understand his style of play and, having admired his unbelievable performances in the past, they must be behind him when he is not doing well. He is not in the best form and yet, he produced one of the finest performances by an Arsenal player in recent matches when he was highly influential in demolishing Aston Villa. In my opinion, he should have been rested for this encounter as his rest for the Braga game showed what he can do when he is fresh.
Besides, Arsenal supporters who are there at the Emirates should be behind every single player, whether or not they are having a good game. When things are not going well, it makes sense to support your players instead of jeering them every time they misplace a pass. Arshavin is a player of immense quality and can make a great impact when he looks good.
In my opinion, Tomas Rosicky playing as a central midfielder benefits the Russian in a huge way. The Czech International is quite comfortable on the wings and swaps roles with Arshavin at times in order to create the space for the Russian to create opportunities. Also, Rosicky tracks back to help out Gael Clichy and it reduces the workload of Arshavin. It is not a coincidence that the Russian's best games this season have been when Rosicky has occupied a central role.
The Debate for the Penalty-Taker Is Settled with the Return of Robin van Persie
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Robin van Persie was fouled in the penalty area and the captain dusted himself off and placed the ball on the spot. There was absolutely no need for a decision to be made as the captain shouldered the responsibility to take the penalty. It was a powerful shot and though the keeper went the right way, the shot had too much power and height for it to be saved.
Arsenal have missed a number of penalties in this season but with the return of van Persie, there is no debate on who is the first-choice penalty taker. In my opinion, Samir Nasri has made a good case for being the second-choice penalty taker ahead of Cesc Fabregas and Andrei Arshavin. Nasri has made the keeper go the wrong way and has good power and placement on his shot.
Emmanuel Eboue Remains an Important Squad Player for the Gunners
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It is incredibly hard to remain confident and win back the support of the fans after you are booed off the pitch due to a disappointing performance. This is exactly what happened to Emmanuel Eboue after he was booed off at the Emirates because of a poor performance at Wigan. But that did not deter the Ivorian from proving that he was still a quality player and drew loud applause after his performances in the last season.
He remains as a second-choice right back behind Bacary Sagna but remains as one of the most important players in the squad. Gael Clichy did not make the squad and Gibbs' injury left Arsene Wenger with no proper left back. Emmanuel Eboue produced one of the strangest warmups ever but when he was called upon, he was up to the task and produced a very decent performance at left back.
Eboue is one of Arsenal's most versatile players and can produce decent performances in any position. He has been linked with a number of clubs but Wenger and Arsenal would be happy if he stays with them because he has been committed to the team and is an excellent player to have in the squad.
Bacary Sagna Is Almost Back to His Best Form and Is a Key Player for the Gunners
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Bacary Sagna committed a professional foul, which was quite unnecessary in the situation, and was sent off by the referee. He will miss the first leg of the round of 16 encounter and it will be of big importance considering his importance to the team. Sagna was very impressive in his first season with the club as he was excellent in attack and defence but failed to reproduce that sort of consistency in the seasons that followed.
However, he has shown that he is close to his best this season with a number of superb performances. He has always been sound defensively but his runs down the right flank have provided a good outlet for the Gunners and his crosses to Chamakh has been decent. His chemistry with Samir Nasri has been excellent in this season and is one of the main reasons why both of them are having a good season.
Sagna is often quite underrated but in my opinion, he has been one of the more solid players in this season. His commitment and performances for the club have been excellent and what's more, he has even scored a goal against Everton! Sagna's consistent performance is important for the Gunners in their title challenge and he should get the deserved applause for his superb work.
