Walcott fanboys would have had reservations over whether he would be able to perform in this unfamiliar role. Lacking both the physical presence and the hold up play that a lone striker would ordinarily require, one would be forgiven for expressing some concern that we might struggle in attack. Walcott would also be up against Vlad Chiriches who was coming off the back of a man of the match dfensive performance at Old Trafford which is still no mean feat for any defender. Thankfully, that accolade for the Sp*rs man proved something to be a one off and any fears Arsenal fans had were quelled as Walcott

Spur of the Moment

After what was, on paper, a tough draw, Arsenal have eased into round 4 of the FA Cup for the umpteenth time in a row under Arsene Wenger. Arguably more enjoyable however, was the fact this was achieved having beaten yet another new Sp*rs manager. Tim ‘Gooner’ Sherwood sauntered into the Emirates with big talk about the importance of winning the North London derby but in the end, he just went the way of his many predecessors as Arsenal triumphed with a rather comprehensive 2-0 victory.

I’ll admit, before the match, I was a little apprehensive and expected a little more of a fight. They were on a decent run, looked to be playing better football and even won at Old Trafford just a couple of days earlier. In the end, it was all rather comfortable. New year, new manager, same old Tottenham.

Santi Gold

Arsenal opened the scoring through Santi Cazorla’s brilliant, arrowed left-footed pile-driver that whistled past Hugo Lloris in the Spurs goal. So often, he attempts the spectacular, high, top corner efforts than unfortunately don’t quite find the target so it was refreshing to see him go for a lower drilled effort that reaped a great reward.

If there was any small and admittedly pedantic criticism to be aimed at the Spaniard, it would be that his shooting accuracy isn’t always on point. With just one goal from 36 shots previously this season, it’s safe to say they he could be a little bit more prolific. The opener in this game was a strike of high quality and great technique. Hopefully, as the time goes on, we get to see him hitting the back of the net more frequently.

Theo-ry of Reletivity

Thanks to some highly unfortunate timing, Arsenal were forced to start this match without a recognised centre forward. Illness and injury meant that Olivier Giroud and Niklas Bendtner would not be available for selection and the manager fielded Theo Walcott as the main man up top – a decision rather forced upon him rather than one made out of choice.

Even the most staunch Walcott fanboys would have had reservations over whether he would be able to perform in this unfamiliar role. Lacking both the physical presence and the hold up play that a lone striker would ordinarily require, one would be forgiven for expressing some concern that we might struggle in attack. Walcott would also be up against Vlad Chiriches who was coming off the back of a man of the match defensive performance at Old Trafford which is still no mean feat for any defender.

Thankfully, that accolade for the Sp*rs man proved something to be a one off and any fears Arsenal fans had were quelled as Walcott gives the Romanian centre half and the rest of the Tottenham backline something of a runaround. Playing off the shoulder of the last man, Walcott was able to use his electric pace on numerous occasions to stretch our rivals’ back four and get in behind them more than once.

Far from a traditional ‘back to goal’ centre forward tasked with bringing teammates into play, Walcott showed that being direct can be just as effective in a performance where he seemed to do everything right apart from score. Against better teams (snigger), this approach may not always work but his continued development over the last year and half suggest that this might actually be a viable option for Wenger to deploy in certain circumstances.

Despite going off with 10 minutes to go (more on this later), he was easily one of the team’s best players on the day. In fact he was only outshone by a certain Czech midfielder…

Ros Royce

Rumours are that Tomas Rosicky is currently playing his last few months as a Gooner. With his contract up in the summer and no real sign of a new deal, we good be seeing the end of what has been a curious relationship with the former Dortmand man.

Having arrived with a certain level of fanfare in 2006, injuries of varying description had a major impact on his time at the club and naturally, he was unable to truly establish himself in the team as many, himself included, would have liked. That said, when did played, he very often displayed the undeniable talent that has seen the manager keep faith with him for so long. Against Tottenham he was almost faultless as he dominated the midfield in both an attacking and defensive role, breaking up play, winning key tackles and making an number of killer passes.

In big games such as this, teams need both commitment and experience. ‘Heart and soul’ if you will. Rosicky single-handedly was a combination of the two. Tottenham’s decision to go with just two central midfielders probably had Rosicky licking his lips as the teams walked out together before kick off. The extra man truly allowed him to flourish and he was duly rewarded with a goal that summed up everything about his performance.

Few will remember that Arsenal killer second goal actually came from a Tottenham corner – an overhit effort that failed to trouble the Arsenal defence. As they attempted to keep possession by playing it to their furthest man back in Danny Rose, Rosicky pounced like ninja out of the darkness to close him down so quickly I’m sure he still doesn’t know what happened. Rosicky nicked the ball from the bumbling feet of the left back and gave himself a free run to the Tottenham goal. The delightful little chip over the on-rushing Lloris just punctuated what was a fantastic bit of individual play.

Gnabbing Your Opportunity

Aside from Walcott, one or two eyebrows might have been raised when Serge Gnabry was named in the starting XI having not featured properly for the club for months.

Since a brilliant display at Swansea, the talented youngster has only made fleeting appearances as a sub so it was a surprise to see him start a game of such enormity.

Undaunted, the German midfielder settled straight back into first team action and performed as though he was already a permanent fixture in the side. From the very start, Gnabry showed he wasn’t afraid to get stuck in, proactively closing down spaces to win the ball, taking players on when he had it and playing some crucial passes – not least the through ball to set up Cazorla having showed the ambition to carry the ball infield and drive into the open space notably unoccupied by a Tottenham defensive midfielder.

The assist aside, it was hard not to be impressed with Gnabry’s overall play. Equally, it’s hard not to see him becoming a real asset to the team long term. Young players are generally hit and miss (with certainly far more misses than hits) which means that when a rare gem seems to shine, fans understandably get excited.

The Boss quickly moved to try and temper some of the excitement and expectation post match by warning us not to ‘make superstars out of one game’. He did also add that he thought Gnabry had the ‘ingredients’ to turn in these kind of games more consistently, leading one to believe that it is very likely he will be given more opportunities to justify the hype in the first team between now and the season’s end.

Wolf of Wal Street

What seems to be the only talking point from the game as far as ever
yone outside Arsenal is concerned was a moment late on when Theo Walcott seemed to seriously injure his knee as he chaseed back to clear the ball away for a Tottenham corner. As if it wasn’t bad enough to go down with an injury, Theo happened fall in the area of the pitch right in front of the away fans who I very much doubt were too concerned with his well-being at the time.

As Walcott was stretchered off, he responded to the obvious jibes from Tottenham fans by reminding them of the scoreline. Needless to say, they weren’t pleased. Coins were then thrown but as yet, it hasn’t been made clear as to whether they came before the gesture or after. While it has prompted the Arsenal faithful to go Meme-crazy online, certain people have lambasted Walcott for ‘acting irresponsibly’.

As far as I’m concerned, as a fan, it is a bit precious to be offended by a footballer giving back what was ultimately harmless stick after most likely having to suffer all kinds of abuse and having sh*t thrown at him. If Spurs fans have their sensitivities affected easily, they probably shouldn’t even be going to football matches. On TV, Roy Keane called them ‘idiots’ and that’s about the kindest thing I think can be said about them.

Ok, it might not have been the cleverest thing for Walcott to do but it was fair game in the circumstances. Talk of it being ‘incitement’ is ridiculous.

They might have a point about his behaviour ‘lacking class’ but they might want to look at themselves in the mirror before levelling that accusation. As an aside, I’ll never understand why football fans are so obsessed with ‘class’ and how they can dare talk about it without any sense of irony or self-awareness.

Cup Runneth Over

Arsenal are in round four of the FA Cup. The draw has presented another home tie, this time against League One side Coventry. A game Arsenal should win but after Bradford and Blackburn last season, it’s one you’d be a fool to take for granted.

On paper, any team the manager puts out ought to be strong enough to progress. Then, all of a sudden, it becomes a cup ‘run’. You can virtually smell Wembley once you’re in round 5! As always, the FA Cup winnable competition but hopefully not a distraction from league-related endeavours. After many successes during his early years, Arsene Wenger has chosen to prioritise other competitions over this one.

However, it is a mistake to treat them as mutually exclusive. This season, presently at least, Arsenal look capable of challenging on more than one front and that’s hopefully what we go on to do. Saturday’s win should provide no greater motivation to actually (finally) achieve something tangible this year.

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