Arsenal vs Bolton: 5 Things We Learned from Bolton's Win
The season of hopes and expectations has finally fizzled out, and now Arsenal are only left to play for their pride. A season that initially harbored hopes of a quadruple is now left in tatters as Arsenal shot themselves in the foot with a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.
With a mere four games remaining and the difference between Arsenal and United now nine points, Arsenal will in all possibilities finish third or fourth. A season that promised so much is fading into oblivion, and despite Wenger praising the fantastic attitude shown by his side, Arsenal continue to falter when they need to step up their game.
Arsenal fans have waited patiently for a trophy all this while, but they will have to wait for another year at least before that elusive trophy finally enters Arsenal’s trophy cabinet.
With Manchester United and Chelsea winning on Saturday, Arsenal went into this match knowing well that nothing short of a win was required to keep their title hopes alive. The game started at a frantic pace, and it was Bolton who deservedly took the lead thanks to a goal from Daniel Sturridge.
In the second half, Sturridge earned a controversial penalty after Johan Djourou was adjudged to have fouled the on-loan Chelsea player. Kevin Davies’ weak effort was saved by Wojciech Szczesny, and Arsenal immediately restored parity with a great finish from Robin van Persie after a great one-two with Cesc Fabregas.
Arsenal pressed and pressed but to no avail. Bolton’s back four was solid at the back, and thanks to Arsenal’s customary profligacy in front of goal, the score remained 1-1. But a goal always looked on the cards, and a goal did come except it was scored by of Bolton as substitute Tamir Cohen clinched all three points for Bolton.
This was a match that Arsenal just had to win, but this effectively ends their season. In Arsenal’s last three games, they had plenty of chances and opportunities to pick up all three points on each occasion. Instead they walked out with a mere two that leaves Arsene Wenger and the supporters of Arsenal dejected and bruised.
Here is a look at the five things we learned from this disastrous away loss that ends their 16-game unbeaten run.
Arsenal Lack the Concentration of Champions
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As the game drew to a close, Arsenal kept on pressing and had close to 75 percent of the possession as the game reached its close. They barely gave Bolton the ball, and it was Bolton’s defense that was doing all the hard work.
Yet it was Bolton that nearly took the lead and then finally they did take the lead. Arsenal’s defense was once again caught out the first time they came under a little pressure and that resulted in Cohen scoring the winner.
You just need to look at Manchester United to realize that it should be Arsenal scoring the late winners and not their opponents. This is not the first time that Arsenal have been caught out by a late goal. It has happened so many times this season.
During the post-match press conference Wenger stated that Arsenal lacked concentration in the end, and they also lacked stability. He could not have been more correct. Both Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou are good defenders but Arsenal need someone like Vermaelen in their defense, someone who can act like a calming influence, a leader.
Arsenal have a habit of switching off when they are dominating that leaves them vulnerable on set pieces and on the counter. We saw it against Sunderland, when they allowed Darren Bent to sneak in a goal. Then we saw it against Tottenham and Liverpool as the Gunners’ back four simply let their opponents score when it should have been the other way around.
Arsenal need to keep their concentration at all times even when their team is all out attacking. All it requires is one move that allows the opposition to score and Arsenal more often than not give them that opportunity to score, something which champions don’t do.
It is rarely that we see teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona concede late goals, but usually it is them that scores the late goals.
Arsenal’s defense should keep their concentration and not slack throughout the course of the 90 minutes even if it happens to be the last minute.
Arsenal's Attack Is Equally to Blame for Their String of Poor Results
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In recent times, Arsene Wenger has been blamed for not playing the likes of Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner. Wenger has stuck to the 4-2-3-1 formation with van Persie spear heading the lineup. Wenger has come under heavy fire for his tactical rigidity that cost his side points against Blackburn, West Brom and Sunderland.
After Sunday’s loss some people have started to blame Wenger’s strategy once again. It’s true that Wenger has made some mistakes this season some which have cost the side, but it’s wrong to blame him each time the side puts in a poor performance. The side has shown several lapses in concentration this season, and we should blame the side as well as Wenger for their recent string of poor results.
Wenger has often been accused of not motivating his side enough, but as soon as the second half restarted, Arsenal came out fired up and immediately equalized through van Persie. Arsenal attacked and attacked, and despite carving the Bolton defense open on several occasions, they were unable to finish it off. Had they shown some more ruthlessness in front of goal they would have been 3-1 up.
But instead the likes of Nasri, Fabregas and Chamakh threw away great chances to leave the game all square at 1-1, and in the end, it ended up costing Arsenal three precious points.
Wenger is undoubtedly to blame for Arsenal’s recent run of poor results but this time the attack to has to take blame for their poor showing. Wenger is usually criticized for his tactics because it fails to break down opposition defenses and since it has apparently become predictable.
This is true to only a certain extent. Against Bolton the team created chances and plenty of opportunities to put goals past the Bolton keeper but poor finishing with Chamakh and Nasri the main culprits.
Arsenal’s attack is usually praised for its fluid style and patient building but now they are unable to add the final touch, which in all honesty is the only thing that matters.
Gary Cahill Should Be a Transfer Target for Arsenal
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While Arsenal’s defense let Tamir Cohen score in the dying minutes to win the game for Bolton, the Bolton defense put in a sturdy performance with the highly sought after Gary Cahill at the heart of it all.
The Englishman has been the centre of intense media speculation with his move away from Bolton looking all but guaranteed. Two teams reportedly vying for his signature are Liverpool and Arsenal. Arsenal should be able to edge out Liverpool with the lure of European football.
But Gary Cahill’s fairly big transfer fee is reportedly a stumbling block which has prevented his move to Arsenal from going through. His transfer fee isn’t too huge, but in context to Wenger’s frugal ways, it seems fairly huge.
This is where we require Wenger to change. If Arsenal are to win trophies right now, they require their manager to sign top class players who can make an immediate impact.
On the basis of Sunday’s showing it is clear that Gary Cahill should be a target for Arsenal. Cahill is fairly experienced for Bolton but more importantly he is a proven Premiership player, something that few of Arsenal’s transfers are.
Generally when Arsene Wenger signs a player from another league, they take some time to adjust to the pace and rigors of the Premier League which has proven to be the case with Laurent Koscielny. With Cahill, that problem won’t exist as he has already established himself as a top class player in the Premier League.
Performances like the one he put against Arsenal will only increase his stock and rightfully so. He was everywhere against Arsenal, making crucial interceptions, putting in great tackles, and he never stopped trying. He showed his commitment and was instrumental in keeping Arsenal out for the entire second half.
Wenger should abandon his policy if it means signing this gem before some other team signs him.
Fabregas Needs to Be Kept at Arsenal
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This is one which may generate a good amount of heat and some may believe that Cesc Fabregas’ passion and desire may be waning and his performances too have been poor this season.
I don’t really question his passion and have always believed that he isn’t a vocal leader. He is fairly subdued on the pitch, and so for some, it gives a feeling that he is no longer interested in playing for Arsenal.
For one I believe that he never stops trying, and while his teammates have struggled to finish off some of the chances he has created, he has been playing fairly well in recent times.
It is true that he has been unable to replicate his great form from last year but this is due to a variety of reasons. For one he has been in and out of the team with injury and often Wenger has used him far too quickly which has resulted in him picking up an injury before he has fully recovered from the previous one.
Another reason why some people believe that he has been below par is because of the fact that he has struggled to score goals like he did last season. This season he has scored just nine goals which pales in comparison to the 19 he scored last season. But when it comes to assists the numbers are fairly the same with him having 17 this season, just two less than the number he had last season.
Fabregas has been in imperious form over the last few games and I do believe that he is nearing his best. Fabregas’ influence on the team is often lost when we watch the match. For a normal viewer, the influence is decided with what a player does with the ball in his feet but it is the movement of Fabregas that is so crucial to his team.
Also in recent weeks, most of the goals scored by Arsenal are as a result of Fabregas. The goals scored by van Persie and Diaby were created by Fabregas. Then by Walcott against Tottenham and the one scored by van Persie was set up by the Spaniard.
Fabregas still remains the heartbeat of this Arsenal side and he is the orchestrator, the man who sets everything in motion for the Gunners. The team is currently built around his uncanny ability to carve out defense splitting passes, and he should not be sold this season.
Theo Walcott Is Essential to Arsenal
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After being left out of Fabio Capello’s 23-man squad for the World Cup, many predicted speedster Theo Walcott to crash and burn this season. But he has done neither of that, but instead has established himself as an integral part of the squad and is now one of Arsenal’s best performers this season.
This season he has scored 11 goals and has already got 12 assists including a goal against Chelsea. For some time it has been a well documented fact that the Englishman possess frightening pace but lacks the judgment or final ball to go along with his electric pace. This season he has proved most of his doubters wrong with some scintillating performances.
While there is still plenty of room for improvement in regards to his decision making, there is no doubt that he has made plenty of progress in this regard.
Sunday’s game against Bolton only further cemented my opinion that Walcott is essential for this Arsenal side to succeed.
Walcott gives Arsenal something that no player in the team can offer at present; searing pace and acceleration. He is widely regarded as one of the world’s fastest players and that plays a huge factor in his continuing influence.
Against Bolton in the first 20 minutes, he tormented Robinson and the Bolton left back was all over the place. He put in several good balls into the box and he could have earned a penalty for his side.
There are several reasons why he remains so integral to this Arsenal side and it all revolves around his speed. In the first half he was Arsenal’s best player as Bolton looked to play with a high line and thanks to Walcott’s pace he was able to exploit gaps and holes in the Bolton defense and made several in roads. He constantly got into good spaces that put the Bolton defenders in a sticky situation.
In the first half Bolton looked to play with a high line in order to restrict the creativity and influence of Arsenal’s two attacking players, Fabregas and van Persie.
But as the game progressed Bolton started dropping deeper and deeper and as a result the impact of Fabregas and van Persie increased as they had plenty of time on the ball and the entire Arsenal attack had plenty of time on the ball.
This again is thanks to Walcott’s pace. They dropped deep to restrict the influence of Walcott, and that indirectly benefited Fabregas who grew in influence as the game wore on.
Also Walcott’s movement and tendency to go across to the centre tends to cause havoc in opposition defense as it pulls all the defenders out of position like demonstrated against Tottenham.
Walcott’s movement, pace and ability to create space for others makes him invaluable to the Gunners.
