The only blemish on a near perfect defensive performance was the slight lapses in concentration that allowed Benteke to get free to score a consolation and almost nick an undeserved late equaliser
A thoroughly deserved win against a Villa side whose problems were evident, but still put up something of a fight in the end. From a position of relative comfort, the eventual 2-1 scoreline suggests the game was far closer than it actually was. Ultimately, it was just another trip to Villa Park and yet another game up there without defeat.
I’ve seen some reports suggest this was an ‘ugly’ win. While we’ve had a few this season, this certainly wasn’t one of them. Despite the nervy finish, overall this match was fairly comfortable fare and arguably should have been far more emphatic. Arsenal were on the offensive from the very start and found themselves ‘protecting’ rather than ‘holding on’ to their slender lead at the end.
Wil to win
One of the most enjoyable aspects of this so far impressive campaign is the fact that so many players within the squad are pulling their weight and showing their worth. It seems as though a different player is the recipient of the Man of the Match award from game to game. Against Villa, it was the turn of Jack Wilshere to receive the plaudits after his involvement in Arsenal’s quickfire first half blitz saw us go from 0-0 to 2-0 in the blink of an eye.
Once again playing in a more advanced role, Wilshere firstly found himself on the edge of the box to receive a square pass from Nacho Monreal before calmly slotting the ball past Brad Guzan. While most gooners were still celebrating, our Jack displayed the kind of quick thinking that sets better players apart from their counterparts. After charging down a shell-shocked Villa straight from kick off, he disposed a confused Fabian Delph and then fed Olivier Giroud who fired across Guzan to double the lead.
And it wasn’t just the goals. Jack put in the kind of overall performance that almost seemed to reflect and somewhat justify his comments back in autumn which clumsily outlined what he thought was required to be an ‘English’ footballer:
“We have to remember what we are. We are English. We tackle hard, are tough on the pitch and are hard to beat.” – Jack Wilshere, October 2013
Whether you agree with this rather simplified summary or not, Wilshere himself evidently does. Against Villa, he was never afraid to get stuck in, didn’t shirk a challenge and commanded the midfield in a manner well beyond his tender years. All very ‘English’. However, the obvious difference between Jack and the Scott Parkers/Lee Cattermoles of this world, is that he can combine this tenacity with technicality making him a far more well-rounded player and one that continues to provide evidence that he could go on become an all-time great.
Top Gir
After a two week absence, Olivier Giroud returned to remind of his almost unique ability to delight and frustrate in equal measure. Just five minutes in, the Frenchman missed a glaring opportunity to give Arsenal the lead with a header which, at the very least, should have worked the goalkeeper rather than flying wide.
Never one to be disheartened, Giroud went on to take down Wilshere’s pass with a delicious bit of control (I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt over the shinned second touch…) before finishing superbly.
On a purely mental/psychological level, there is so much to admire about Giroud. Call it confidence or arrogance, his head never seems to drop where many others would. While he still may be a tad inconsistent in front of goal, you never have to fear that missing chances will impact him too severely. Even the previously much publicised fact about his failure to score outside London didn’t faze him. The two goals he has in his last two games away from home are clear evidence of that.
If he can somehow become more clinical in front of goal, there’s no telling how much more important he might turn out to be for Arsenal one day.
Per of Kings
Arsenal were fairly comfortable for much of the game. The first half was one-way traffic and it was only in the second 45 when the home side finally seemed to wake up. For the most part, the defence was comfortable with everything thrown at them. Restricting Villa to crosses and speculative long rang efforts that didn’t really trouble Szczesny to any great degree.
Much has been made of the almost impenetrable partnership between Mertesacker and Koscielny this season and this match only served to emphasise how good they’ve been together this season. The affectionately nicknamed BFG successfully completed 14 out of 14 clearances along with 13/13 headed clearances. His French partner in crime also succeeded with 14/14 clearances but faired oh so slightly worse in the air, “only” successfully making 9 out of 9 with his head. That’s a 100% success rate between both centre backs! Unheard-of statistics in recent years.
The only blemish on a near perfect defensive performance was the slight lapses in concentration that allowed Benteke to get free to score a consolation and almost nick an undeserved late equaliser. Given the increased level of maturity in the backline, I very much doubt this will be allowed to happen again any time soon.
Lessons Lerner-ed at Villa
On that note, in years gone by, regardless of the performance, you sense a heart-breaking equaliser would have almost been inevitable. In fact, you might remember Arsenal travelling to Villa Park on Boxing Day 2008 and conceding a late goal to draw 2-2 having been in a similar commanding 2-0 lead. These days, the team is far more resolute and not likely to collapse so easily in similar circumstances.
Santi Fade
Given the relative straightforwardness of the win, this probably isn’t the kind match to single out ‘poor’ performances but once again Santi Carzola shown how much he is struggling for consistency. An indifferent display was punctuated by the fact it was the mercurial Spaniard who gave the ball away for the Villa move that ultimately resulted in their goal.
In the immediate aftermath of the game, I tweeted that Santi wouldn’t be in my first XI right now. Perhaps it was a bit of a hasty conclusion but with the team doing so well and entering such a crucial stage of the campaign, there is no room for passengers – especially with the abundance of midfield talent the manager has at his disposal. To maintain this run, everybody who is lucky enough to be selected needs to be at the top of his game. Carzola is talented enough to eventually hit his stride again and force his way back into the starting line-up so there’s no reason to think that leaving him out of the team – for now, at least – would cause any major problems.
Gun Mettle
Three points to put us back on top of the table. For me, it’s still far too earlier to discuss on any serious tone as to whether we’ll be there come the end of the season. There’s still a fucktonne of football to be played with some genuinely tough tests ahead. But the signs are encouraging. Not least of all the fact the team is still winning matches.
As Arsenal preserved their one g
oal lead and repelled any attempt by Villa to erode away at it, so too they must do the same in the league and make sure they keep the chasing pack at bay. Previous successful campaigns have taught us about the importance of maintaining momentum in the second half of the season. While sitting pretty at the top of the table beyond the halfway point, Arsenal only really need concentrate to on their own games. By putting together a run of what will hopefully be wins in the coming weeks, the team can build that much sought after momentum as the season wears on. Then, who knows?
EXAMPLE OF AD POSITION
