I wondered also if the lack of movement was down to a slightly less adventurous approach from the team, instead performing to keep the shape to prevent any possible counter attacks

Match Review – Liverpool 1 Arsenal 1 – Premier League

A draw at Anfield on the first game of the new season is not a result to be sniffed at. Especially when the first team squad preparation was less than ideal. Injuries have missed us so much during the summer that they couldn’t wait a little while to come and say hi, instead injuries have been sprinkled around the squad even before a ball had been kicked in anger.

Arsene’s patched up team included shock inclusion Jack Wilshere. The 18 year old made his first Premier league start for the Gunners and what a place to do it. Arsene Wenger is clearly showing faith in the youngster as an experienced player like Tomas Rosicky sat on the bench.

It was Arsenal who took the game to the visitors, we imposed our game early and kept the ball away from the home side. Our passing was slick and fluid as it often is but we lacked the cutting edge around the Liverpool penalty area. It is hardly surprising when you are missing two of the players who contributed most to the goals for column last season.

This wasn’t to say that we couldn’t have done more to prize open the stubborn Liverpool back four. I felt the movement around Chamakh or Nasri when in possession was very static. Balls were played into the area in front of the Liverpool defence, usually into the feet of an Arsenal player who occupied the space but when they lifted up their heads, players were not running in behind to receive an attempted through pass.

Theo Walcott and Robin Van Persie were two players who would have thrived on the first half possession and the areas of the pitch that the likes of Arshavin and Nasri had the ball.

I wondered also if the lack of movement was down to a slightly less adventurous approach from the team, instead performing to keep the shape to prevent any possible counter attacks. Our team defending was very good, we pressed the Liverpool players when they had the ball and didn’t give them time to pick out a pass. A far cry from last seasons stand off and admire display in the first half against Barcelona at the Emirates.

Jack Wilshere picked up a yellow card for yet another overzealous lunge on an opposition player. Jack’s hunger to win the ball back is admirable, but his tackling technique needs to be improved upon, he will pick up more than the occasional yellow card if he continues to fly in with studs up challenges. Whilst Paul Scholes gets the commentators chuckles and sympathy for ‘not knowing how to tackle’ Wilshere will find out that even a British passport will not protect him from referee’s whilst wearing the red and white of Arsenal.

Wilshere was obviously told to keep his game simple and not to lose the ball. I don’t think he tried a single dribble in the game which is very unlike Wilshere. He kept it simple and contributed well to our ball possession. Nothing spectacular but important. Denilson has that role when fit and in the side, yet is often criticised for it. Keeping the ball moving and not gifting away possesion is a very important requirement for the three Arsenal central midfielders.

Nasri had a few first half free kicks but he couldn’t find his range. Thomas Vermaelen hit a belter straight down the throat of Pepe Reina early on in the game, apart from that we couldn’t create any clear cut chances before the break, Liverpool gave the ball away under the pressure of Arsenal’s hassling players, so they couldn’t fashion many clear cut chances either.

At the end of the first half, the first major talking point happened. Laurent Koscielny who was having a fantastic league debut went to clear the ball in the right back position, Joe Cole who was having a frustrating time of things came flying in, both feet off the ground and scythed down the defender. Cole had wrapped his legs around Koscielny’s standing foot and with the added weight of Cole, he could have quite easily snapped the ankle.

Cole received a straight red while Koscielny tapped the ground in obvious discomfort. The sirens alarmed in my head. Three fit center halves looked like turning into one. Koscielny disappeared down the tunnel on a stretcher while the half time whistle rang around the stadium.

Out came the ‘same old Arsenal always cheating’ from the Liverpool fans. It is hilarious, player gets hacked down by over enthusiastic player then gets called a cheat. If that type of thing was restricted to the stands at football grounds then it wouldn’t bother me. Instead without a hint of irony the usual ‘he is not that kind of player’ crap was fed to us once again by the imaginative Sky punditry team. It just shows how limited these people are who get paid so much money, that they cannot think for themselves, it has now become the only thing that they can say. A little bit like Arsenal do not like a cold night up north, discounting the fact that we actually win more than we lose up north.

Luckily for Arsene and Arsenal the half time whistle came at the right time so our player could receive the adequate attention from the club doctors. Koscielny was patched up, probably given some good old magic spray and was ready for second half action.

The second half had hardly got going before the first goal was scored. Unfortunately for young Wilshere it was his misplaced pass that helped Liverpool along the way. Arshavin had played a reverse pass to Wilshere who was just outside of his penalty area, his attempted first time side foot pass to Diaby was missed the ball was recovered by Mascherano and it was his pass that found David N’Gog to smash past Almunia high into his near post.

Wilshere wouldn’t miss that Arshavin pass 99 times out of 100 but that is top level football. You make a mistake and you can get punished. Especially just outside your own penalty area.

Plenty of the blame is lying on Almunia’s doorstep but I am not sure I tend to agree. N’Gog’s strike was extremely powerful and taken early. Would Petr Cech or Edwin Van der Sar get the same blame had they conceded the same goal? I am not so sure.

Don’t get me wrong on this, I think a new goalkeeper would do the squad the world of good, some of Almunia’s handling during the game wasn’t the best but I would not attach any blame on him for the goal scored.

The home side gained confidence from the lead and started to get into the game and cause us a few problems, especially from set pieces but we changed a few of the personnel and that made a difference. Wilshere was replaced for Rosicky and Walcott came on for Eboue.

Even though we wrestled back the possession, the chances were not forthcoming.

It was interesting to see Walcott take a direct free kick from Samir Nasri. We first witnessed Walcott hit a free kick in the pre season so obviously some have been flying in the net during training. Walcott standing to the left of the ball with his number 14 shirt brought back memories. His kick was well placed but it was too close to Reina. I would have liked to have seen Walcott flick it over the wall away from Reina in the opposite corner, perhaps we shall see more of those during the season. If he can wrestle the ball away from Robin Van Persie that is.

Van Persie did enter the fray a minute later, he replaced Abou Diaby who didn’t have his most productive game. I expected Diaby not to be at his best. I mentioned this in a recent article, Diaby is the type of player who needs games to get his engine running smoothly. He doesn’t often start well from cold, he needs warming up and hasn’t played since he was playing for France at the world cup. He came back with a knock and hasn’t taken part in any pre season warm up games so you would expect Diaby to be rusty.

Van Persie also looked rusty and not yet match sharp, it is no surprise that Van Persie’s post world cup has pretty much mirrored Diaby’s minus the slight injury.

Van Persie was involved in the best move of the game. Clichy and Arshavin worked the ball to Rosicky who fed the ball into Van Persie’s feet and continued his run into the penalty area, Van Persie played a deft return to Rosicky who side stepped Skrtel in the box and curled towards goal, Reina managed to get a palm to the ball and tip it over. Rosicky had injected a bit of guile and quality to our football. A player who I do not believe is finished by any stretch of the immagination.

Liverpool and Reina started to look a little shaky at the back. Arshavin sent in a long deep cross to the back post with only minutes remaining, Van Persie headed it back into the danger area but Walcott could not quite get any contact on the ball before it was cleared.

It looked like it was going to be one of those days until super Tom picked up the ball on the left, cut inside and curled a ball in between Chamakh and Reina. Reina should have come and claimed, like the *ahem* £25 million goalkeeper he is, instead Chamakh jumped in front of him and the ball bounced onto the post, Reina dived onto the ball and forced it into his own net. Quality.

1-1 and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer bloke. That Barcelona shirt incident is an image that will probably stick in my mind for sometime so to see Reina on the floor with his hands on his head is great, and can be an image that I mentally turn to when reminded of the time that the Liverpool goalkeeper stuck his nose in our business.

I sat watching the screen without celebrating for a good 10 seconds as I was sure that the referee would blow for a foul, offside or something to prevent the equaliser. To my delight, the whistle didn’t come and the goal stood. Cue the usual punching of the air and the repeated testosterone fuelled chants of ‘get in!’

This is something I wrote after our last pre season game against Standard Liege.

8th August 2010

It might not have been his goal directly but without Chamakh in the side, Arsenal would have lost that game 1-0. His bravery will be important this season. We got a glimpse of Van Persie and Chamakh together for the first time but couldn’t really witness any combinations as yet.

This game is like a last friendly in pre season before the real season kicks off. Players returning from the world cup, players who haven’t played a minute of pre season as yet. A full week training for hopefully most of the squad should see the team in better shape at least offensively against Blackpool. That game will have to be without Laurent Koscielny who was sent off for his second bookable offense. A ridiculous handball which looked much more like ball to hand. If we can get Djourou back for next week then it shouldn’t be a problem. It was an unfortunate end to a rather impressive debut from the former Lorient player. He looks a natural defender, a player who enjoys winning the ball, a defender who will win plenty of one on one duels, both on the floor and in the air. Wenger has been criticised for not being able to buy defenders. He hasn’t done bad with Vermaelen and I am guessing that Koscielny will also prove to be a hit both in the short and long term

We can judge this seasons Arsenal when Cesc and Van Persie start games and Arsene has finished his work in the transfer market. Until then a point at Anfield will do nicely thank you very much.

Almunia (6)
Sagna (7)
Koscielny (7.5)
Vermaelen (7)
Clichy (7)
Diaby (6)
Wilshere (6.5)
Nasri (7.5)
Eboue (6.5)
Chamakh (7)
Arshavin (6.5)

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