Arsenal FC: 3 Observations from the Game Against Udinese

Arsenal vs. Udinese was an exciting fixture and nerve-wracking for passionate supporters of either club.

The pre-match buildup added some spice to the fixture, as Arsenal have had a torrid run of results and transfer news, as their captain and leader, Cesc Fabregas, departed for Barcelona (as well as underperformers Manuel Almunia and Sebastien Scquillaci neither leaving the club, nor rumored to be doing so).

What followed was an appalling goal-less opening weekend against Newcastle United. Pressure on Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger, although substantial up to this point, increased to fever pitch.

Questions were asked about the club's hierarchy and the control of legendary manager Wenger, and there was increasing amounts of dissent among the Emirates faithful. Due to all these extraneous factors, a result was desperately required for Wenger and Arsenal. 

The game started brightly for the gunners, as Aaron Ramsey made a run down the left-hand side to cross for Theo Walcott to put Arsenal in the lead. That early goal was the spark that set the Arsenal attack alight.

Gervinho and Walcott drove the team forwards with Ramsey as the creative focus of the side.

Udinese, however, got back into the game late on in the first half, with the turning point being a Di Natale free kick that rattled the crossbar. Udinese then threw themselves at the Arsenal defense with the Colombian international Pablo Armero and his Chilean counterpart on the other side, Mauricio Isla, being the tormentor-in-chief.

After a great run by an Udinese player on the counterattack,  Sczesny saved a shot point-blank. The game culminated in a bit of damp squib, as a great save by Samir Handanovic denied Arsenal the chance to increase their lead. 

Udinese's Wing Play

Udiese went out with a 4-4-2 formation in the second half with Pablo Armero and Mauricio Isla on the wings.

They looked to exploit the weaknesses of the Arsenal defense, getting in between the full back (Vermaelen, Jenkinson or Sagna) and the centre back (Djourou, Koscielny or Vermaelen), where their tireless running made them invaluable to Udinese's efforts to grab an equalizer (also accounting for the waywardness of Kieran Gibbs and Thomas Vermaelen, on the left wing, where Isla was especially successful).

Montero and Isla were at the heart of nearly every Udinese move and had great passages of play with Pinsi and Di Natale, in the Arsenal third. 

Chamakh

Today, Arsenal's attack was wasteful, and did not create many opportunities.

However, what did not help Arsenal was the bad form of Marouane Chamakh. The French-Morrocan drifted to the wing lazily and was inaccurate with many of his passes. Even his shots were sloppy.

Walcott, Ramsey and Gervinho

Arsenal have just lost Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona, as well as their other star midfielder, Jack Wilshere, to injury. The playmaking responsibilities, and the fans' expectations, rested on one Aaron Ramsey.

He delivered, to some extent, creating a goal for Theo Walcott and giving him two one-on-one opportunities which he missed. His passing was also solid throughout. 

Walcott and Gervinho were the focal points of the Arsenal attack and both were wasteful, Gervinho again not getting much end product, and Walcott again being inaccurate.

If Arsenal want profligacy from these two, they will need to have another creative midfield presence to the team.