Samir Nasri has always been technically brilliant but he was a blunt 21 year old. He could turn his man inside and out and then play a square pass to a team mate. He used to trick his way past the right back cut back inside and lay it back to Clichy. We are now watching the direct 23 year old version. That was his tenth of the season, already better than his Arsenal best so far and that is with missing a

Match Review – Arsenal 2 Fulham 1 – Premier League

Say what?

Say we are toppa the league that’s what.

We are not quite at the half way stage with 16 games being played but we certainly have put ourselves in a good position to date. I was saying in my pre match thoughts that  we needed to get rid of the home problems but even though we have taken the three points, you still feel that the uncertainty still remains.

We had started on the front foot and our passing was quick and penetrative, we looked like a side that have won their last two games.

It only took six minutes for the Gunners to be presented with a great chance to score, Arshavin volleyed straight at former Arsenal target Mark Schwarzer from close range after a knock down by Squillaci. Samir Nasri had poked wide after a great diagonal run followed by a through pass from Arshavin. It was interesting to hear Wenger speak about his off the ball improvement from when he first joined the club.

A minute later, Samir Nasri added his first stamp of quality to the game with a wonderful goal. It was the same combination again. Arshavin picked up the ball following a mistake from a Fulham defender and his prodded pass found a lurking Nasri on the right, he jinked inside one, dummied a shot past another and then fired high past Schwarzer on his left foot. A magic goal from a very talented individual.

Samir Nasri has always been technically brilliant but he was a blunt 21 year old. He could turn his man inside and out and then play a square pass to a team mate. He used to trick his way past the right back cut back inside and lay it back to Clichy. We are now watching the direct 23 year old version. That was his tenth of the season, already better than his Arsenal best so far and that is with missing a chunk at the start with a knee injury.

At that position we needed to go and win the game. Fulham were all over the place, we had total domination but as always with us, we make things far more difficult than they should be by not killing off the game.

Arshavin had a low drive saved, moments later Nasri cut the ball back to Arshavin who had his attempt smothered on the line by the opposition stopper. Song unmarked in the middle failed to score from a superb Rosicky cross from the right. He really should have scored but he miscued his effort wide.

Two observations, Rosicky’s crossing from the right has got to be the best in the squad but he had a below par performance. Another observation was that our three midfield players were not at their best. Alex Song had a 45 minutes to forget about. He misplaced many simple passes. Rosicky could not influence the game as he did at Villa Park. Wilshere struggled after playing in midweek.

It is unusual for Arsenal to struggle in central midfield, given the fact that it is probably our strongest area on the pitch. Usually one of the three at least raises their game but it was not to be.

Once we over elaborate or miss chances, then you have a good chance to know what’s coming.

Koscielny and Squillaci clashed heads, Koscielny was all over the place from the impact but credit to him for trying to play on for the cause. Not many people have mentioned this but Clint Dempsey’s subtle pass through to Kamara was wonderful and the finish was simple from close range.

Johan Djourou had to replace the dazed Koscielny in defence.

All of a sudden, Fulham gained confidence and we lost our fluency. Fulham were sliding balls through our defence who were very square and very high up the pitch and we almost got caught on a number of occasions. One time Kamara evaded the offside flag but Lukasz Fabianski made yet another crucial game saving stop. At 2-1 down we would have found it difficult to get to a winning position.

Although we were living life dangerously at the back we were still creating chances but not taking them. Rosicky dragged a snap shot wide, Chamakh had a point blank header saved, and Arshavin twisted and turned in the box and fired in a left foot shot that was pushed away by Schwarzer.

Once again we should be out of sight, instead the game is in the balance and dropping points is most certainly a possibility.

Arsene brought on Van Persie for Rosicky with 25 minutes remaining, to field the side that I predicted that he would start the game with.

Van Persie’s first contribution of the game was not what we would have expected, he cleared off the line after Fabianski misjudged a punch and the ball was diverted towards our goal.

As a lover of good football, I find myself watching many Barcelona games as much as I despise their arrogance but with Messi in their line up they have a player who can pull out something special when the team are failing to pass through the opposition. He takes charge and skips through the opposition to either score himself or open up new spaces for others. I have felt that we have lacked that in recent seasons. Until now.

Samir Nasri is now taking charge in games and is now a match winner. With 15 minutes to go Arshavin fed a ball into Van Persie on his left foot, with Robin desperate to make an impact on the game, I expected our number 10 to pull the trigger and have a go, instead he slipped the ball into Nasri who was making his way into the penalty area, he skipped past a couple challenges then rounded Schwarzer taking him wide on his left foot. He has ended up in that position for the third consecutive game, he has missed his last two left foot shots so instead he spun around on his more trusted right foot and lifted the ball into the net from a difficult angle whilst falling to the ground.

A superb piece of individual brilliance from probably the only player in our squad who could have scored that goal. A player who is standing out from his team mates this season.

Johan Djourou who replaced Koscielny in the first half was fantastic in the final stages of the game, powering away headers from crosses and long balls into the box. Both teams had chances at the end and Fabianski made another great low save from a Gera drive but the points ended in Arsenal’s hands.

Conclusion

This was very much a game that followed the Arsenal template. Dominate, score, miss chances then concede. Luckily we did not concede anymore goals and Nasri’s brilliance saved the day. With Chelsea struggling to find their mojo and drawing against an Everton side that we beat at Goodison recently we leap to the top of the table as Manchester United trade snow for a game in hand.

Our midfield were below par, if it wasn’t for that then I think Fulham would not have had a look in. Johan Djourou and Lukasz Fabianski continue to grow and show their worth to the side, Van Persie is coming back with some more minutes under his belt, I wonder if he will start the game in midweek against Partizan Belgrade.

Defensively we still need to tighten up and not look vulnerable but we have still conceded only two more goals than Manchester United. The pundit on my stream seemed to think that we had conceded more than Chelsea and Manchester United combined, that would be only if Chelsea had only let in two goals all season and I am sure Sunderland hit three past them recently so that cannot be the case.

Whilst we have to be stronger in that area, it would be easy to think that we are way behind our rivals when in fact we are closer than we think.

Our full backs were fantastic on the day, Sagna powered down the right and sent over a few top quality crosses as well as the customary excellent defending. Gael Clichy still remains one of my favourite players regardless of his past mistakes. You had better make sure your pass is 100% if it is anywhere near our turbo charged left back because his ability to pounce and whip the ball away from the opposition toe is the best that I have seen in the red and white of Arsenal.

Reports suggest that Thomas Vermaelen could be back in the squad in the next few weeks and that will be a massive boost to the squad if true.

Three more points, top of the league and let us forget the bits and pieces during the 90 minutes. Let us stop and say a big thank you to Raymond Domenech.

Fabianski (7.5)
Sagna (7.5)
Squillaci (6.5)
Koscielny (6.5)
Clichy (7.5)
Song (6)
Wilshere (6.5)
Rosicky (6.5)
Nasri (9)
Chamakh (7)
Arshavin (7)