Kieran Gibbs pulled a hamstring whilst winning a header. Gibbs was superb until that point. Seven minutes later Philipp Lahm lofted a perfect pass over our defence to Robben who got there before Szczesny, our keeper went into Robben and it almost didn't matter that Alaba
Ok, I didn't see that one coming that's for sure. Whether it is down to Giroud's off pitch issues or Sanogo's bright start against Liverpool, it still remains a controversial decision. One thing is for sure, the Bayern Munich players will not be expecting this one. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain keeps his place on the right after his super showing against Liverpool.
On a final note, I do wonder why Sanogo was picked over Bendtner yesterday, I’ve heard reports that Sanogo has been very impressive in training but the same goes for Bendtner, who Wenger has said is sharp and fit. It’s possible that Sanogo has overtaken Bendtner in terms of backup to Giroud and that may partially explain why Wenger didn’t dip into the transfer market. It’s possible that Wenger genuinely believes, on the basis of his performances in training, that he is capable of stepping in until the end of the season. I won’t dwell on the January transfer business but it strikes me that Wenger very rarely plumps for a make-shift target if he has someone in mind – which I’m sure he does. It’s also evident that strikers are in high demand at the moment and with the
Chamberlain passed to Özil and then set off on his bike down the right, he knew full well that the man on the ball was capable of finding the right pass to find him and Mesut Özil produced it. Inside the Liverpool player and into the stride of the Ox who exploded past Agger but had the presence of mind to look up and see Podolski making a burst into some space in the box. Chambo didn't just hit the ball into the danger area which I see as code for hitting and hoping, instead he opted for a perfect cut back into the stride of Podolski to slot in under the keeper for 2-0. After that we relied on our defensive strength, newly found after Anfield
I really thought the pre-match negativity was totally unfair on the team that played today, we all knew Arsene would keep some players fresh for the Bayern game & this result shows he got the balance just right, the uproar if we had lost this game with a full strength side & the mid week game would've been insane! The team he chose today were a fine mix of experience & reserve, I for one am delighted with how we played.
So Yaya Sanogo gets a chance to lead the line in place of Oliver Giroud. I mentioned in the preview about his alleged good form in training. Let us hope he can produce it on match day. Arsene has gone for more protection in front of his back four by partnering Flamini alongside Arteta rather than replacing him. The Ox will continue on the right, I thought we might see Serge Gnbary get a chance but it isn't to be
The manager has some difficult decisions to make today. It is hard to disagree with the notion that the FA Cup proves on paper at least the easiest route to silverware this season but higher priorities are on the horizon. With key personnel out injured for the season or a large chunk of it, the manager will be desperate not to pick up anymore major injuries but more than that I think it is simply down to the fact that at the start of the season the FA Cup sits third on the list of priorities, well fourth if you include a Champions League spot. With a congested fixture list coming up he will not be able to play the same 11 across all the remaining competitions, it would be a sure fire way of exiting all of them.