Leyton Orient Vs. Arsenal FC: Gunners Squad Players Fail Test Again in 1-1 Tie

In Sunday's FA Cup clash between League One Leyton Orient and Premiership powerhouse Arsenal, Arsene Wenger sent in his squad players to try and send off the spirited underdogs.  As has happened many times this season, they turned in an underwhelming performance and failed to take their chances to move through.

This was by no means their weakest performance of the year.  They possessed the ball well and were able to have success passing the ball in the middle third of the pitch.  When they surrendered the ball, there was some sense of urgency to win it back.  This is why they maintained a healthy 60 percent of possession.

However, their attack often broke down when they neared the box of the home side.  They lacked the creativity and confidence needed to break down the bus parked in front of the Orient goal.  Specifically, there were not enough penetrating runs from the likes of a timid Marouane Chamakh, as well as Denilson and Bendtner.  Their lone goal came in the 53rd minute through Tomas Rosicky.

After having his shot blocked from just inside the area, Bendtner controlled his own rebound to the outside and floated in a nice cross.  Rosicky's header was perfectly placed such that it took one bounce and landed in the side netting past a diving Jamie Jones. 

While Orient battled to stay in the game after conceding, they were unable to muster a prolonged attack and it looked as if the Gunners were content on closing out the game 1-0 on the strength of their possession.  Alex Song, the lone first-team regular in the lineup, was instrumental in controlling the game for large periods of time. 

After a nice build-up, Andrei Arshavin cut the ball back into the box for Rosicky, who had a chance to put the game away from close range.  However, his shot was straight at Jones, who made a nice block and then stopped the rebound attempt as well, preserving the home side's hope.

Just when the match appeared beyond Orient, a dazzling move from substitute Jonathan Tehoue ensured a replay at the Emirates would be forthcoming.  He waltzed between Kieran Gibbs and debutant Iganasi Miguel to get into the box, and then fired home through the legs of Manuel Almunia. 

The tackles from Gibbs and Miguel lacked any degree of authority, and Almunia surely blundered to let the shot go between his legs right into the center of the net.  One has to wonder if his season and possibly career as a Gunner are effectively over, as he looked shaky in his limited involvement in the game even before dummying the ball into his own net.

While another game on the schedule is not at all welcomed by Arsene Wenger, it may not matter much in the end if a similar team of reserves can get the job done at home in what will be a hugely profitable encounter for Leyton Orient.  If, however, the talents of Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie have to be deployed to send the Gunners through, than this trip-up could prove a costly waste of energy in the greater scheme of things.

Looking ahead to a possible quarterfinal showdown with Manchester United at Old Trafford, it's hard to say if Wenger will send out the struggling second team or the starting XI, but my guess would be some sort of hybrid between the two.  And if I had to bet on one player being in the lineup, it would be Wojciech Szczesny.

I see Arsenal easily outmatching Leyton Orient in the replay at the Emirates, but as today goes to show, you never know what can happen in the FA Cup.