And as all hope faded, their frustrations got the better of them. Rather than trying to play football, Fener players, led by Raul Meireles, seemed hell bent on trying to see who could score the most points by hitting the apparent bullseyes Jack Wilshere had on him. Thankfully, he doesn’t appear to have suffered any lasting effects but for someone who we were still led to believe is fighting his way back to full fitness, the slightest touch is enough to cause the rest of us
Winning as a habit
This match was all about having the right attitude. It was far from a perfect performance but a 2-0 win is not to be sniffed at. With the win and qualification all but secured with last week’s 3-0 win over there, the players would have of course been aware that a draw (or even a narrow defeat) would not have mattered. However, despite what essentially turned out to be a glorified friendly (more on this later), that all important winning momentum continues. No bad thing considering our next match this Sunday and everything that goes with it. The cliché is that the form book goes out the window in derby games but as a fan, and I’m sure it will be the case with the players, I’m certainly more confident going into the game on a seemingly positive run of form since the Villa debacle.
Ramped Up Ramsey developing an eye for goal
Victory and qualification was sealed thanks to two goals from the rejuvenated Aaron Ramsey. I wasn’t as vociferous as some with criticisms when he was struggling last season – and he was struggling. Suggesting otherwise is nonsense – but i’ll admit I didn’t believe he was likely to recover quite like he has. As always, my opinion means less than the success of the club so I’m happy to be proved wrong.
What has really impressed me over the last couple of games is not just his industriousness and graft in the middle but also his confidence to take responsibility by driving forward looking towards the end goal. His first strike to open the scoring came from a bold run into the box from midfield and ultimately forcing in the kind of loose chance you would normally associate with a goal-poaching striker. Obviously not comparing the two players, but that was the exact sort of goal Freddie Ljungberg made his speciality. The kind where your first thought is “where the hell did he come from?” – Similarly, Ramsey’s second came from another purposeful run from midfield. The audacity take Gibbs’ cross first time on the run and cushion the ball perfectly into the bottom corner is again a sign of that much talked about confidence.
Cazorla the catalyst on course for a big year
Of course, who wouldn’t be confident playing alongside Santi Cazorla? The Spaniard was once again in scintillating form, dictating the pace of the game and using the those magic feet to mesmerise the Fenerbache opposition from first minute to last. Apparently, he still isn’t even fully fit tanks to his confederations cup excursions. If and when he hits top form this season, we’re going to be in for something of a treat.
A more thoughtful Theo could be a sign of maturity
One other point to make about the first goal was the contribution of Theo Walcott. Much like his assist for the opener in Turkey, Theo checked his run off the last man to just about beat the offside trap – something he has often failed to do in years gone by and been the source of much frustration when constantly being denied by the flag (26 offsides last season, 23 the season before – and that’s just in the league!). Better timing by Walcott is likely to lead to greater goal-scoring opportunities. Maybe he has finally found that much discussed footballing brain.
Wandering Nacho could leave us cheesed off
Conversely, the main cause for concern last night was the worrying positional awareness of Nacho Monreal. There were quite a few occasions, during the first half particularly, when he left his side of the pitch exposed. Either by drifting too far forward or infield. It became quite obvious that Fenerbache were targeting this area of the pitch whenever they got forward Admittedly, he is working his way back to fitness but looking back the goals conceded at Tottenham last season, one is less inclined to look at this as a one off. Something he has to change in his game I feel.
Jesus saves… as does Szczesny
Lining up with a different back four for the fourth time in four games is always likely to lead to defensive problems, simply due to lack of consistency. The clean sheet last night was less to with a sturdy back line but rather the inspired form of our goalkeeper who seems to have read my review of the Villa game and is determined to strap my into a dentist chair and ram my words right back down my throat. Ultimately, the goalkeeper is the last line of defence, if those in front of fail to do their jobs adequately, it’s up to him to come to the rescue. Something Szczesny did with distinction as Fenerbache started the game very much on the front foot.
The importance of the saves he pulled off in that first half cannot be underestimated as an early goal may well have galvanised the Turkish side and made us all slightly nervous. Szczesny keeping them at bay meant that any faint hope they had was quickly extinguished.
Jack attack
And as all hope faded, their frustrations got the better of them. Rather than trying to play football, Fener players, led by Raul Meireles, seemed hell bent on trying to see who could score the most points by hitting the apparent bullseyes Jack Wilshere had on him. Thankfully, he doesn’t appear to have suffered any lasting effects but for someone who we were still led to believe is fighting his way back to full fitness, the slightest touch is enough to cause the rest of us heart palpitations. The boss spoke just a day earlier about how Roy Hodgson needs to be ‘careful’ with Jack in upcoming England matches but would do well to heed his own advice by not giving him so much game time in matches of lesser importance. After a while, it became clear this match was a dead rubber so it might have been wise to take him out of the firing line when the opposition decided they would try and make shish kebabs out of his ankles.
UEFAarcical
While Jack was ok, there were the more worrying sights of Lukas Podolski and Aaron Ramsey leaving the field with injuries. The former has been ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring problem while we still await news of our match winning Welshman. Either way, bed space at the Arsenal Royal Infirmary remains at a premium. The most frustrating thing about these particular injuries comes after the news today that Fenerbache were going to be thrown out of the competition for match-fixing regardless of the outcome of the tie, essentially making both matches a complete waste of time. Injuries are bad enough, but ones that occur in matches that probably shouldn’t have even taken place are all the more grating. I’ve heard no legitimate reason as to why this decision by the CAS couldn’t have been reached before the tie took place. Nor can I see any reason other than money as to why UEFA allowed it to even go ahead. Now, we as a club are paying for it with the health and wellbeing of our players. The incompetency of the governing bodies is astonishing.
While I’m bored stiff of talking transfers, these further injury setbacks should again reiterate our need to strengthen the squad. With the Tottenham game and the window shutting, this, without exaggeration, might be a defining week in our campaign. Let’s hope for the better. UTA.
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