Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain played within himself during the first half combining with Jenkinson on the right, holding back when Jenkinson pushed foward and always looking to find space. At one point I was watching him off the ball and was amazed at the amount of times he is looking for space, always looking at where his opponents and team mates are. It seems as if he

I do like the Carling Cup at Ashburton grove, especially the early rounds. The atmosphere feels as close to Highbury as you are likely to get at our new stadium. It feels less like a sit down and wait to be entertained which is often the case in the Premier League, but the Carling cup feels more about entertaining ourselves until something happens on the pitch. We managed to get six tickets in a row, four Gooners, one Wimbledon and one Plymouth Argyle supporter. We were sat pretty close to the Shrewsbury supporters and the banter between the two sets of supporters was amusing. Mainly because many of the Arsenal fans in close proximity were teenagers and clearly not Arsenal regulars as their choice of lyrics rarely seemed to fit.

It is quite ironic that the Carling cup is often used for the young players to gain valuable match experience and to learn what to do in match situations while the same can be said for many of the young supporters who do not always get the chance to experience games in the larger competitions.

The team was close to what many expected, a mixture of fringe and young players. I would have preferred to have seen Santos given another run out to gain some experience and fitness, I was also hoping that Ryo Miyachi would start out wide but with Chamakh, Park and Chamberlain all starting for us, it left no room for the exciting winger.

I was concerned before kick off that having Park and Chamakh in a three man forward line would not provide us with the correct balance and that looked to be the case in the first half, that may well be because Ju Young Park is currently well off where he should be but it would have been nice to have started one of Chamakh or Park with two quick, talented dribblers out wide.

Chamakh could have scored a couple goals within the first ten minutes. His header from a Gibbs cross was tipped over remarkably well by the away goalkeeper. He also had a stabbed shot from close range rebuffed.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain played within himself during the first half combining with Jenkinson on the right, holding back when Jenkinson pushed forward and always looking to find space. At one point I was watching him off the ball and was amazed at the amount of times he is looking for space, always looking at where his opponents and team mates are. It seems as if he possesses one of those recent phenomenon’s  that hasn’t existed before. A footballing brain. Of course this hadn’t exsisted before Chris Waddle opened his trap.

Our early pressure could not turn into anything tangible because not enough Arsenal players were on top of their game. Park was largely on the periphery of the match while Chamakh could not provide enough cutting edge in our front line. Chamberlain showed some early promise with a few bursts of pace and early crosses into the box.

We had started with a 4-2-3-1 shape and then changed to 4-4-2 with Yossi Benayoun moving to the left when we went behind.

Most of the Arsenal team were not very impressive early on apart from one that stood head and shoulders above the rest. Francis Coquelin.

The tenacious, aggressive and cultured midfielder was the best player on the pitch by a country mile at that stage, snapping into tackles, bouncing up and chasing once more. Spraying cross-field passes with either foot. How many youngsters making their first start of the season have you seen spraying a cross-field pass with their weaker foot? That may not be much in the bigger scheme of things but it tells me that he is a player with terrific natural ability.

In the summer that we brought him in as a 17 year old, I watched him come on late at Barnet and loved his tenacious intercepting style. He seems to come from the same school of winning the ball early as Gael Clichy and Laurent Koscielny.

Emmanuel Frimpong’s rise to the first team squad has erased the need to think much about that position but let us not forget that Coquelin was often seen as the better prospect when they played together at youth level. Coquelin also has a full year of first team experience at Lorient in France.

He made his full debut for Arsenal at Stoke as a right back and I was looking forward to watching him that day but everything went wrong for him, every pass, every tackle. He wasn’t at all ready then. He looks more than ready now.

Arguably Coquelin’s best contribution of the game came late on when he tracked a runner and made a last ditch tackle when the defence had vanished. It was the focus, determination and commitment that has been missing defensively at many times in the first team.

I hope he continues to progress because he could really be the real deeennnccchh midfield in the ranks.

Defensively we clearly did not look stable and every time Shrewsbury attacked, it looked as if they could make something happen so it was absolutely no surprise to me when they headed in the opener. I have seen the goal a few times and I still cannot quite make out what Johan Djourou was doing. I am not sure that he knows himself. He seemed to do everything but attack the cross.

I have come to the conclusion that Arsenal are actually being controlled by Johan Djourou. Our form has almost totally coincided with the form of Djourou. Last season Djourou was fighting to get fit after a whole season out, we shipped goals galore with Koscielny and Squillaci together until Djourou came in and steadied the ship. His partnership with Koscielny was first class. We went through an incredible run without defeat when Johan was in the side. Drogba was tucked away in his back pocket, Barcelona were repelled time and time again at the Emirates with Djourou and Koscielny both having stormers.

So much so that I remember many a fan saying that Vermaelen should have to play his way into the side when he returns and not just be given his place back.

Then came the Carling Cup and his injury in the FA Cup shortly after and both Djourou and Arsenal have been unrecognisable.

Kieran Gibbs had a very poor start to the game, misplacing passes and letting the ball roll under his foot for a throw on within minutes of the start but he managed to grab an equaliser at the back post winning a header and directing it past the keeper. A position that our attacking wide players should be more often when a cross comes in from the opposite side.

The second half then became the Chamberlain show. The youngster acting like a shy teenager after a couple shots of vodka in the second half. He came out of his shell and danced past his full back or dropped his shoulder and drove inside in between baffled Shrewsbury players.

I missed Chamberlain’s goal while I was in long discussion with my mate about Chamberlain’s natural crossing ability. Watching the replay on the big screen, I saw the youngster do what many Arsenal players fail to attempt, a gambling long range strike that fizzed low and partly through the goalkeeper who would have been murdered in the press if he was any Arsenal goalkeeper that does not wear no. 13.

In the first half Chamberlain was almost playing as a double up for Jenkinson, covering for his fullback but in the second half he was darting past players, shooting from range and playing 40 yard passes.

My point about our crossing went something along the lines of this. I don’t need to put other Arsenal players down to praise Chamberlain but you will know which players past and present that I refer to. Time and time again we have watched Arsenal attacks end with an Arsenal player smashing the ball over the bar, cross low into the first defender, or whack the ball the opposite side out for a throw in.

It is great to finally have a player on our books who can put the ball in where it matters. Chamberlain brought along his own personal golf caddy to produce the full repertoire of crosses. Clipped, curved from a standing start, fizzed on the run and chipped he did it all and all in between the goalkeeper and defenders. It doesn’t take an expert to know that this kid has end product, end product that many others do not have, let alone at that age.

I will not forget that Mirror headline when be bought Chamberlain, about how a majority of Arsenal fans are angry that we have purchased another kid. Chamberlain will not be just another kid, just as Jack Wilshere and Cesc Fabregas were not just another kid at 16. Emmanuel Frimpong, Francis Coquelin, Ignasi Miquel and many others are talented young players. Alex Chamberlain is a special talent. There is a difference.

While I have been guilty of hyping up kids in the past, I feel in some cases it just cannot be helped. I try to give an honest assessment of how good I think a player is or will be. Whether that be over one game or twenty games. All we have seen so far is very good technical and physical attributes, we have still to find out about his mental toughness. Certainly one to keep an eye on and I suspect the only way will be up for this kid.

Reserve captain Ignasi Miquel looked the more senior partner at the heart of the defence and his game looks to be coming on in recent years. If Miquel and Djourou continue to head in the directions that each players are going then it will be a matter of time before Miquel is promoted to fourth choice defender in the first team squad.

Ryo Miyaichi came on late as we reverted back to 4-2-3-1, Ryo had replaced Park who will have better days once he finds his feet and fitness. It is a shame that Ryo didn’t have more time to shine but his touch and skill was obvious from the get go.

Yossi Benayoun added a third with 12 minutes to go, slotting in after good work by substitute Oguzhan Ozaykup who was joined late in the game by Chucks Aneke.

Coquelin, Chamberlain and Miquel were the three players that stood out for me on the night, some were decent without being spectacular while others were pretty poor. The game was closer than it should have been given the distance in league position but let us not forget that our team was a mixed and match team thrown together with hardly any understanding of each other’s game with many youngsters. A settled and organised side is almost more important than talent alone. That isn’t to excuse many individual performances but more that the collective team did not function as we would have hoped before kick off.

We are in the draw for the next round, unlike another North London club while two if not three youngsters have shown us what they can do. Plenty of work to be done for many others.

I am looking forward to the next round for some more Carling cup fun.

Man of the match: Francis Coquelin