Back To The Top Arsenal 3- 1 West Ham

Big Sam will have to get his holiday treat somewhere other than Arsenal



Playing against Big Sam's clubs has been never something I look forward to.  Back when he coached Bolton and Blackburn, those games usually were nasty, physical encounters.  Long balls, elbows, and high tackles were the norm.  The league has changed of late, and encouraging your team to get "stuck in" or sweep a leg are frowned upon.  Allardyce had told the press he saw the way Chelsea had shackled Arsenal and was looking to employ the same.  This statement scared me as West Ham do not have the talent to employ that strategy without causing injury with a late tackle.  Luckily, pressing wasn't exactly what West Ham did.  What they did well was getting behind the ball, especially when we were breaking on the counter.  They were difficult to break down.  Luckily, we had 66% possession, and it took all of our 29 shots to beat them.  However, they scored first.

Carlton Cole scored in the 46th minute after a Nolan strike popped out of Szczesny's hands right into Cole's path.  We laboured in the first half, missing opportunities and allowing the opposition to beat us back during a counter.  I hoped this goal would light a fire under us and our concentration in front of goal.  Instead, West Ham got their tails up and challenged us for the next 10 minutes.  We ran like chickens with our heads cut off.

And then, Aaron Ramsey signaled to the bench that he had an injury and was substituted by Lukas Podolski.  Things changed immediately.  Fresher legs and enthusiasm could not have been higher.  And it was contagious.  Santi converted to the Creative Midfielder role and pulled the strings wonderfully the rest of the match.  Theo, who had missed a sitter in the first half, cut inside after receiving a pass from Santi in the 67th minute and slotted it past the frozen West Ham goalie. It was his best goal by a long shot, but it was just what the doctor ordered.  And three minutes later, Theo struck again, getting his head on the end of an excellent Podolski cross.  And that was one of his finer goals. West Ham looked tired and discouraged.  They put on fresh legs themselves but were unable to stop the cannon that is Lukas Podolski's left leg.  Giroud received a cross from Theo in the box with his back against goal.  He held off defenders long enough to lay the ball off into the path of an incoming Lukas who fired it home. 

Football.  Going from angst to triumph in 30 minutes time is what makes this game addictive to me.

So we are once again top of the league.  Liverpool just lost 2-1 to City.  The top four are only one point behind one another.  City are nipping at our heels while carrying a 32 goal differential.  32.  All we have to do is keep winning.  And at the risk of repeating myself, rotation is key.  Which brings me to Aaron's injury.  Was his thigh strain a result of being overplayed?  His passing has been off, he was looking strained before Christmas, and we played him against West Ham.  If there were a team to rest he and Olivier during the holiday schedule, why wouldn't it be against a team who was one spot away from the basement floor?  Now he'll probably be out for the standard Arsenal three weeks. 

My only rotation prediction that I got right was Santi was back in the lineup looking brighter than he has in a month.  I hope we play him centrally again when we play Newcastle and allow Ozil (who made 8 out of 8 key passes today) a rest on the bench.  European imports tire easily as they struggle without a break during the holidays.  Santi looks the part in that role, and would combine well with Podolski if given a start.

Anyway, that's it for now.  Winning is so much more fun than drawing, isn't it?  Enjoy your British Boxing Day.  And for the rest of us non-Brits, well just enjoy the day!  Arsenal are top of the league!  Top. Of. The. League.

Have a good one Gooners.