Arsenal-Sunderland: 5 Things We Learned from the Disappointing Draw
With Manchester United only playing on Sunday, Arsenal had a great chance to pile on the pressure on the Red Devils with a win against struggling Sunderland and go one point behind United.
But some inspired goalkeeping from Simon Mignolet, wayward finishing and horrific refereeing led to Arsenal being held to a goalless draw.
Arsenal were missing four first-team starters in Alex Song, Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie. In their places came in Denilson, Bendtner, Arshavin and Diaby.
The match got off to a slow start with both teams struggling to express themselves, but Sunderland got off to the better start.
Arsenal picked up as the game wore on and despite a full-intensity finish, they were unable to pry open the Sunderland defense that held on resolutely.
The draw sees Arsene Wenger’s men go three points behind Manchester United, who play Liverpool on Sunday.
Here is a look at the five things we learned from the entertaining draw at the Emirates.
Poor Refereeing Continues to Affect Arsenal's Title Bid
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Had the referee been watching the match everyone else had been watching at the Emirates, Arsenal would have most probably scored two goals.
But the referee had other plans as he made two truly poor calls and pulled up Arsenal several times for the smallest reasons.
Make no mistake about it: Arsenal deserved to win and they would have had it not been for the poor refereeing decisions.
First, it was the penalty that was not given. Bramble, who actually had a great game on the day, initially tugged the arm of Arshavin and shoved the Russian just as he was about to shoot.
The second pathetic decision was when the linesman ruled Arshavin offside when he was very much onside.
This is not the first time Arsenal have been the victims of poor refereeing. It happened against Newcastle, Wigan and Everton, and it will continue to happen until FIFA open up their eyes and realize the importance of video technology.
In the matches against Wigan and Newcastle, too, Arsenal were held to a draw after poor refereeing.
Also, it’s not just Arsenal who are suffering from pathetic refereeing.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and almost every other team has suffered, and it will not stop.
In a time when several other sports are willing to embrace video technology, it’s a real shame that the world’s most popular sport is willing to remain backward.
We have to realize that referees are human and are bound to make errors.
Until video technology comes into use, poor decisions will continue to affect the game.
Bacary Sagna's Crossing Has Got to Improve
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Against Sunderland on Saturday, Bacary Sagna had a good game as he attacked and defended well.
He made several supporting runs down the right and linked up well with Nasri. At the back he dealt with all the problems well and was hardly troubled.
But the area of disappointment was his crossing. Despite all his marauding runs down the flank, it was sad to notice that the final ball was lacking on several occasions.
His crossing has always been inconsistent and at times too wayward.
He has shown that he can deliver good balls into the box, but he does tend to struggle when delivering balls that can be headed home.
He has always supplied solid grounded crosses but does struggle to deliver aerial balls into targets like Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner.
These two players pose a very challenging aerial threat and can trouble defenses, especially when Arsenal’s approach was drawing blanks on Saturday.
Even early on he got into several good positions, but his cross often failed to cross the first defender and was headed home to safety too easily.
Sagna is a great attacking full back and helps in complementing the attackers brilliantly, but he will have to improve his crossing.
Gael Clichy Is Good Going Forward but Is Suspect at the Back
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Like mentioned in the previous slide Bacary Sagna ventured forward with some success. But despite Sagna’s bright performance, Gael Clichy looked much better down the left.
He was a force down the left and used his pace to great effect. He linked up extremely well with most attacking players, but with Arshavin especially.
Despite his attacking exploits on the day, Clichy did look suspect at the back. Stephane Sessegnon especially caused him a lot of problems and at times got past him with relative ease.
It was Clichy who was beaten when Sunderland created their two best chances. In the first half, Sessegnon skipped past Clichy with ease and shot at Szczesny, who saved.
The second was late on when, once again, Sessegnon beat Clichy on the byline and put in a cross for Welback, whose shot was brilliantly saved by Szczesny.
Clichy was beaten only; twice both times it could have proved to be fatal.
Despite his attacking ventures, Clichy is primarily a defender and at times he gets caught out of position and is beaten.
But he was saved a couple of times by his pace and overall it was a decent performance.
A couple of years back, Clichy was one of the best left backs in the league. But his growth and development have stopped all of a sudden, and nowadays he is making mistakes that are costing his team dearly.
With Gibbs impressing when given an opportunity, Clichy will have to step up his defending if he wants to retain a place in the starting lineup.
The Match Against Birmingham Was a Mere Blip for Szczesny and Koscielny
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Last Sunday Arsenal’s quest for a first title in six years was put on hold when Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny gifted the match to Birmingham City with a real shocker.
The two players had a moment of miscommunication, which resulted in Szczesny fumbling the ball to Martins, who gratefully slotted into the empty net.
Wenger had said that both the players had been affected by that disastrous mistake and Koscielny more so. On Saturday, the two of them put in solid performance that will go some way in restoring belief in their game.
Koscielny’s’ communication was still suspect at times, as his back passes put Szczesny under pressure and it was evident that there was still a lingering lack of communication between the two.
But otherwise, he put in a great performance and was an absolute beast at the back. He got his head onto several dangerous balls and headed it into safety.
He marshaled the defense well and even ventured out forward on few occasions. He made strong tackles and he will be altogether pleased with his performance.
Szczesny did make some really good saves, mostly against Welback and Henderson.
The save against Welback was a great stop and managed to push it around the post. He made a good stop against Sessegnon.
Before the Birmingham match, both the players had been on fire. This performance showed that they have the quality to bounce back from that major disappointment.
Overall, they put in solid and commanding performances that will help to bring back the lost confidence and belief ahead of the match against Barcelona.
It's Time to Sell Diaby and Denilson
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Due to the injuries to Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song, Arsene Wenger brought in Denilson and Abou Diaby in their place.
Both the players ended up having disappointing games, with Diaby in particular looking truly poor.
Diaby’s season so far has been hit by a spate of injuries and he hasn’t really impressed when given the chance.
Fans will remember him for his outburst against Barton that cost Arsenal the match against Newcastle.
On Saturday, he overplayed when he had the option of laying simple passes to Sagna or Nasri. He was shockingly sloppy in passing and often gave away the ball in midfield. He tried to get past defenders and all in vain.
He does have potential, but frequent injuries have affected his potential and the “next Vieira” doesn’t look like he has much to offer the Gunners.
The same applies to Denilson. When he has been given an opportunity, he has looked below par. His biggest asset was the fact that he was one of the best passers of the ball in the Arsenal team.
This season, he has looked shoddy and at times has failed to complete the simplest of passes. He has given up possession in crucial areas, and his tacking, too, is not up to the mark for a defensive midfielder.
With the emergence of Jack Wilshere, he has found games hard to come by and has not grabbed any of the opportunities presented to him.
Right now it would be best to sell these two players. Even if they are sold, Arsenal need not buy replacements.
With Aaron Ramsey back to full fitness and with Emmanuel Frimpong set to return from injury next season, Arsenal have enough depth in squad to manage their losses.
