No Hangover in Sight as Arsenal Cruise Past Wolves 2-0




The Captain and Vice-Captain celebrate a great goal made possible by a great assist.

 
Normally a 2-0 scoreline wouldn't evoke a feeling of cruising past anyone.  But cruising, sailing, coasting, motoring, gliding (insert favorite synonym here) was the name of the game today as a confident, energetic performance kept Arsenal in sight of the title and showed everyone that last week did not leave a scar.

Arsenal started with the same XI it did against Newcastle with the exception of the injured and suspended Diaby.  Song took back his spot as  holding midfielder.  And the best moment for me was seeing Johann back where he belongs playing next to Koz.  What a relief that his knee turned out only to be bruised and his cartilage NOT damaged as were the early rumors on Twitter and from the Swiss "press".

So we started off brightly with everyone working hard, making runs, pressing defensively.  It has to be said that Arshavin is returning to form.  He didn't score, but he was involved in a lot of the action including closing down Wolves defensively...that's right.  He worked his little bubble-butt off on both ends of the pitch.  He even headed a corner clear.  With Nasri a "maybe-maybe not" for Wednesday's match against Barcelona, Arshavin re-establishing himself is timely.

Here are a few other gems I noticed.

1.  Wolves came to play and not to kick.  Albeit they didn't really play all that well.  Cesc had loads of space to make his spectacular assit to Robin, and they gave away pass after pass.  But they did not resort to thuggery which we know from past experience is possible from them.  Karl had one bad moment fouling Jack from behind purposefully but that really was it. 

2.  Jack Wilshere was the engine today for us.  Feeling ever more confident perhaps because of his start for England on Wednesday, he worked seamlessly in tandem with Song to pick off passes and was especially strong passing and going forward.  Our only complaint?  He passed when he should have shot which is no surprise for a 19 year old.  Wenger mused about Cesc having the same characteristic early on.  Who can complain about that comparison?  I just love the kid.

3.  Van Persie's temper and petulance he showed at 20 years of age has matured into a controlled aggression and confidence.  He's not afraid to go into a tackle or invite a challenge.  And he always wants the ball.  What a difference his athleticism and clinical finsihing has been for us since his return.  His first goal today taken without allowing the ball to hit the ground, was exquisite.  He's perfect for Arsenal and the English League.

4.  On the other end, our 19 year old keeper has again showed calmness.  He really did not have that much to do as Wolves threatened for a bit at the end of the match.  He collided with Djourou going for a ball when it looked to me as if he had clearly called Johann off.  That didn't seem to faze him or DJ.  He also punched clear -I believe- two corners and lifted a possible goal over the net in the 82nd minute as he was being bullied into it.  I think his height was essential on that move.  Officially, however, he has been credited with zero saves for the match.

5.  Wolves keeper Hennessey, however, was credited with five saves.  Is there a keeper who doesn't have a standout game at the Emirates?  Well done to him.  As long as we won, I can say that sincerely.

6.  The beginning of the match I was bewildered as the boys seemed to not want to pass down the right, releasing Theo.  Once they started passing to him, his pace outshone anyone's on the pitch.  His finishing still needs work, but he had a great assist to Robin which I think gives him five for the season.  Speaking of assists, Arshavin now has 12 EPL assists and Cesc has 10.
 
7.  Our fullbacks, who played with great pace and  commitment today, both put up some bizarre crosses.  Clichy and Sagna (especially) have worked hard to improve their crosses this season.  Let's hope today's match was just a blip in that area.

8.  Mick McCarthy was all class after the match - unusual for an English manager:

 "There was a murder going on there and we could do nothing about it," he said. "They've murdered us. All over the park from one to 11 they were better than us, stronger than us, quicker than us, passed it better than us.



"I don't want to get beaten but I have to admire the way they play and the class they have. We have been done today but I admire the way they play and aspire to that level of performance."
 
How refreshing.
 
9.  Wolves subs brought energy and almost shifted the momentum back for them with keeping possession and winning corner kicks.  By comparison, our subs seemed to suck the life force out of our side until we once again took control of possession the last 10 minutes of the match.  To be fair, Chamakh had a nice one-two with Theo whose shot was smothered by Hennessey.
 
I could go on and on about great movement, awesome passes and a TON of missed chances, but why?  My team looks ready to face Barcelona on Wednesday, the match was fun to watch, and we came away with three points and a goal closer to Manure in the GD column.
 
Plus, my weekend is made.  Isn't that the important thing?
 
I guess that's it for now.  I'll be back to talk about the upcoming and aforementioned Champions League match.  Click here for match highlights.  Enjoy the win, Gooners...and the weekend.  Take care.