As Wednesday's match against Manchester United approached, the underlying emphasis identified by fans and squad alike was the importance of putting the Liverpool debacle to rest and moving on. Much like our 6-3 loss to Manchester City, rebounding from the loss held value in that a win would put us once against atop the League and feed our confidence in the face of upcoming difficult matches. Plus, it would have been just plain fun to stick one to the traitor. What Arsenal produced was a cagey and somewhat boring display that risked very little, produced no goals, but served up a clean sheet and a tight defense.
The lineup was difficult to argue with. Gibbs returned to left back ousting Monreal from his starting position. The remaining three defenders were regulars also with Arteta sitting in the front of them. They all produced an excellent defensive display, making one error in the 40th minute when Arteta was dispossessed by RVP ('course he blew the shot...HA!). All in all, RVP and Rooney were kept quiet by Per and Laurent who ended up with extra change in their back pockets. Well, Robin had one other shot at goal, which produced a terrific save by our goalie. Szcz is definitely making it a point this season to keep us in games.
Wilshere played in the middle of the park between Mikel and Ozil and mainly got battered from pillar to post without making too much of an impact in linking play between the two. TR7, the perfect blend of offensive urgency and defensive nous, started on the right and Mr, Magic Feet on the left. Ozil's play was improved, looking to play the ball forward. Unfortunately, there were very few Arsenal players making the runs that Ozil needs to cut open defenses. Instead, there were short passes at small angles which made it harder also for Giroud to make an impact.
Ollie's finishing was abdominal, to be sure, but he also feeds on runs made by midfield players. There was very little action for him to hold up play. There was a lot of static movement with no one running onto his flicks, back heels, and chest downs. Theo's absence is felt not only on the counter attack, but his running behind defenses made him a target for both Giroud and Ozil alike.
Arsenal also miss Ramsey's directness and engine. Rambo is not as fast as Theo, but he reads the game well and has developed into a player who knows how to get to the spaces where a pass from Ozil, Santi , or Giroud will land. Missing him and Theo at the same time is dulling our offensive bite. Arsenal need to learn to score with out them. Much of what we did was played through the middle - in the midst of Manure congestion. It seems that now is the time for wide play. Stretch the defense and create more channels for players to make a run and get in on the end a Gibbs or Sagna cross.
What can we take from this result? Well, we are consistent. After big losses, we seem to bounce back not in grand fashion, but in defensive repairing. After losing that game at the Ethiad, we rebounded by drawing with Chelsea zip/zip and went on to win seven in a row in all matches. I don't see why that can't happen now. Playing Liverpool after keeping a clean sheet against the attacking force of the Dutch Skunk and Rooney has to make our defense feel once again capable against any offense. I don't know if Rodgers will start his best striking duo in the FA Cup or not. Vermaelan may be back but I don't know if he'll be ready to start. In which case, Mertie and Koz will face the team that rent them apart a week ago. Standing tall against them could do them a world of good - and earn them a rest against Sunderland.
That's all for now. I'll be back for a pre-match report on Saturday. Have a good one Gooners.
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