Perhaps the young Catalan has been taking strides forward in front of Arsene Wenger during training sessions. He looks very assured on the ball and he gave the defence a nice balance due to his preference to use his left foot. It was very hard to gauge his defensive attributes as he just wasn’t tested until the 88th minute but he looks very calm and is certainly an Arsenal defender in the making

We really like doing things the hard way don’t we?

We already had a fixture list busting out of the page, now those fixtures will be made to breathe in just that bit more to include a replay on March 2nd. Arsene rang in the mass changes as expected only Alex Song who came off 25 minutes before the end of the Barcelona game started the match from midweek. One unexpected change was the inclusion of reserve captain Ignasi Miquel. I didn’t expect to see him in the first team this season as Wenger has had chances to play him in previous rounds of the Carling cup yet chose to continue with the players he had even if they had played one game too many.

Perhaps the young Catalan has been taking strides forward in front of Arsene Wenger during training sessions. He looks very assured on the ball and he gave the defence a nice balance due to his preference to use his left foot. It was very hard to gauge his defensive attributes as he just wasn’t tested until the 88th minute but he looks very calm and is certainly an Arsenal defender in the making.

I was worried about the condition of the team, with 8 out of 11 players having played so little football in recent weeks. Only Sagna, Song and Arshavin could claim to be anywhere near peak form and fitness. Against Leeds United, Huddersfield and Ipswich we looked disjointed and lacking the needed fluidity but that wasn’t the case at Brisbane Road.

We were in total control of the game from the very first whistle. Song and Denilson controlled the midfield while our defence had the Orient attackers running the other way instead of causing problems for Manuel Almunia in the Arsenal goal.

We moved the ball around very well and let the ball do most of the work for us, the Orient players were chasing the Gunners around the pitch without really getting close enough to win the ball back. The problem we had was the same problem as we have had in previous rounds. The absence of Theo Van Nasregas. We lacked that extra bit of quality in the final third of the pitch.

I didn’t think anyone of the front players had a particularly bad game, although it is difficult to see where Chamakh is going to get his next goal. He was my pre match one to watch but unfortunately was the least effective front player on the day.

I thought Nicklas Bendtner actually looked like the most likely Arsenal player to make something happen for Arsenal. He looked more mobile and sharper in possession yesterday than he has in previous rounds, no doubt that the minutes on the pitch in recent weeks has helped.

He dragged a few shots wide of goal and should have done better, clearly he left his shooting boots at home but had a good first half.

At present the combination between Nicklas Bendtner and Marouane Chamakh does not work in this system. They do not provide enough movement for each other and neither have the creativity to carve out opportunities for other players.

When Arsene had both Kanu and Bergkamp, he never started the two together. He tried them a few times but it was clear that they played in the same spaces and did not compliment each other, whilst the system was different then, the problem still remains today when Chamakh and Bendtner play.

Chamakh is an unrecognisable figure to the player that hit the ground running back in August, September and October. He needs a goal to give him a lift but the trouble is that he doesn’t get into enough goal scoring positions and when he does he lacks conviction. He had one side footed effort that rolled tamely into the keepers grasp and on the 35th minute Gibbs crossed low for Chamakh his effort flew wide from close range.

In the second half it was more of the same, Arsenal passing it around the Orient players in midfield and when the home team did get the ball they ended up giving it straight back to Arsenal.

Seven minutes into the second half Arsenal finally got the goal our dominance deserved. Nicklas Bendtner crossed from the right and Tomas Rosicky glanced a header past the keeper. His first goal since he scored at home to Bolton last season. An awful long time for an attacking player. Rosicky was tidy yesterday, kept the ball well and always found a team mate, the problem was he was not probing enough, didn’t make anything happen for the front players. At times it was like having a third defensive midfielder.

I was hoping that Arsene would switch Rosicky and Arshavin around. The latter was looking dangerous and could have been more influential from a central position. Without the creative link up of Cesc and Van Persie, Arshavin was wasted, especially when Chamakh was void of dynamism and penetration on the day.

Without wanting to state the obvious, I thought the turning point was the introduction of Jonathan Tehoue. He gave us more problems on his own than the rest of his colleagues in the short time he was on the pitch. I have never seen him play before but it surprised me that he did not start the game against us.

The warning signs were there when Squillaci received a goal bound shot from close range straight in his face.

The game could have been wrapped up when Arshavin sped through on the right and his low drive hit the base of the post and away for Orient safety. It would have guaranteed Arsenal passage through to meet Manchester United in the next round but as we know games are often decided by small margins.

Two minutes from time the substitute, Tehoue dribbled between youngsters Gibbs and Miquel, both players could have done more to stop the striker but he wriggled through and fired underneath Almunia. Almunia could have done better and could have blocked the shot with his body but credit must go to the forward who was direct and purposeful.

A great draw for Leyton Orient who also get their big pay day, for Arsenal it is another fixture to think about.

Conclusion

Overall I thought the team did ok, we passed the ball very well on a bobbly surface. I was impressed with the defending off the ball, something we haven’t always seen from our second string players. The problem is that this team does not create enough goal scoring chances and results so far have proven that. Without the cutting edge of our first team attackers we look blunt in the final third. Our front three are not balanced and Rosicky isn’t doing enough in the final third right now. Rosicky was fantastic in August, he changed the game at Anfield and was the best player on the pitch against Blackpool. In February we are not seeing the same player.

As frustrating as it was to be pegged back, it is far from the end of the world.

I do not expect any of our first team players to be involved in the return game and we have home advantage on our side. These players need games, they are not sharp because they need games. We have some very important games coming up and I do not expect many of these players to be involved. Without this fixture they would be sitting on the bench, instead they get the chance to sharpen up a little more, add a couple of percent on their pass completion, improve their fitness and hopefully gain some confidence for when they are called upon when it really matters.

We are going to need many of these players either from the bench to change a game or when the inevitable injury strikes so would you rather have a rusty Chamakh coming on to change a game or a Chamakh who scored an important goal in the replay at home?

The likes of Ignasi Miquel would love a chance to play in front of his home fans and hopefully we will have a young Welshman back available if Cardiff are refused the chance to keep him until the end of the season. Abou Diaby is also another player who needs minutes to find his best form.

When we drew to Leeds and lost to Ipswich it seemed like the worst thing possible at the time, I doubt it gets a seconds thought now amongst the Gooner faithful.

Much can happen from now until then but at this stage I would love to see this as a possible line up.

Even players like Chamakh hasn’t managed to get into the side which tells you that we have a big squad of players who all need to play games so as long as we do not pick up any serious injuries in that game then the replay can only be seen as a good thing for the squad unless of course Leyton Orient cause a massive upset and knock us out at the Emirates.

Onwards and upwards, lets look forward to unleashing Theo Van Nasrgas on Stoke City on Wednesday.

Almunia (5)
Sagna (7)
Miquel (7)
Squillaci (7)
Gibbs (7.5)
Denilson (7)
Song (7)
Rosicky (6.5)
Bendtner (7)
Chamakh (5.5)
Arshavin (6.5)

Please note that ratings are only my interpretations of the game and that others will have differing opinions

Check out Wenger Boy’s views on the game here: Foolish Fans, Praise-able Players and Sexy Snoods