The Scousers are Silenced and the Toffees are Next

MOTM Fabianski



Good morning boys and girls.  My week is starting off very well.  I have the day off of work (President's Day), and The Arsenal beat the Scousers on their way to the FA Cup quarterfinals.  It was an intense match with loads of free kicks in dangerous areas, corners, and attacking play.  The most notable aspect from a Gunners' perspective, is that our defensive held those attacks, allowing only one goal which was earned on penalty.  Much different result than the one experienced the previous weekend.

 

The starting lineup was a shock for many, myself included.  Arsene made seven changes from the squad who played against Manure on Wednesday, opting for mass rotation rather than the safety of his usual starting XI.  I'll admit, I called this one wrong, and was nervous when I saw Yaya Sanogo's name on the sheet ahead of Bendtner, but Wenger's gamble paid off.  One could read either faith in his substitutes or the placing of importance of CL over FA Cup in his selection.  Maybe it was both, which would lessen my concern about our manager's ability to man-manage.

 

I have to say that all who started played well.  There were not many performances for one to nit-pick apart.  I do think that Fabianski's shot stopping extravaganza, much like the No. 1 keeper in front of him, kept us in the game.  Liverpool had seven shots on goal, and the only one Lukasz allowed in was Gerrard's penalty.  I think this was his best match in an Arsenal shirt.  It's a shame he's leaving in the summer as he's a terrific backup, but at least we are getting cream of the crop performances from him before he departs.  Starting Podolski and Ox on the wings was the ticket to provide more of the outlets that Ozil needs to bring out his creative qualities.  Not only did he look happier and play with more verve, but he got in a couple of nice tackles as well.  Perhaps his dip in form is done.

 

Watching Yaya was a glimpse into the Arsenal's attacking future.  He is, of course,  an ametastable allotrope of carbon in the rough, and it is only one match, but oh...one can see from this performance why Arsene rated him so highly this last summer:

 

"He's a young striker who is promising. He has some talent. BIG talent."

 

Okay - I confess.  I added the all-caps there at the end.  Still, this could be fun if his injury rate subsides.  We have to have patience as with any young player and keep appropriate expectations, and then he may end up in the LANS category.

 

More thoughts on The Ox.  When Theo went down, we were wondering who could replace him on the right.  Although the wing is not Alex's favorite position, and he is not as fast as Theo, he has made the most of that position since coming back from injury.  I think he times his burst well instead of relying on an all out sprint to beat the opposition.  And, when called upon for playing in the middle against Crystal Palace, he scored twice.  Wenger rested Rosicky yesterday probably in anticipation of the upcoming Bayern match.  Ox is making a case for ousting Tommy from either position (I would still pick TR7 at least for the home match because of his defensive prowess). But, more on that in my CL match preview tomorrow). 

 

It's funny to hear Liverpool complain about the refereeing.  Yes, Suarez was fouled in the box both times and was granted only one penalty.  But he is his own worst enemy, and created a reputation for himself as a diver, so I feel no sympathy for him.  Perhaps if he didn't flop around like a guppy just taken out of it's fishbowl, he would have gotten the call.  But he did this instead.  Plus, we did not get a penalty call on the other end, so fair's fair in my book.  If you read any of my blogs on a regular basis, you'll know I write more about playing above the refereeing rather than bemoaning it.  Really I have no pity for Liverpool - especially with the amount of chances they had.

 

All in all, it was a very satisfactory, if not somewhat bite- my- nails, performance.  We now advance into the Sweet Sixteen of the FA Cup, having drawn Everton for the weekend of March8/9th.  And we are at home once more.  Between then, though, we have the German juggernaut visiting on Wednesday as well as a couple of league matches.  And thanks to Wenger's rotation, we'll have some rested legs on which to challenge.  More on that tomorrow.

 

Have a good one Gooners.