They have lost 5 of their last 6 games, the only point they managed was a 1-1 draw to bottom of the table Aston Villa during that sequence. They were thumped 6-1 at St Mary's on December 2nd by Liverpool and they have not recovered. So I am very much in two minds here. Part of me says we should batter them after our confidence boosting 2-1 win against Manchester City and the Saints woeful form but the worried part of my brain says that teams love to bounce back against Arsenal.
Walcott's goal moments later was a thing of absolute beauty. It's not the first time that he has taken a pass intended for someone else and then gone on to score. He did the same in our home victory last season to Aston Villa. Last weekend against Aston Villa his whipped finish into the far corner was wrongly disallowed, on Monday night he did it again so I wonder if he has been working on it behind the scenes at London Colny. At the start of the season when he was given his chance as a central striker many of his shots were very tame often quite powder-puff. I remember screaming out for a whipped effort rather than a soft curling shot that was easy to save.
I am hopeful that we can do the same to City tonight. They have a wealth of attacking quality going forward and have been suspect defensively. Perhaps the best way of stopping their offensive players will be to win the ball back before it gets to the likes of Silva, De Bruyne, et al. If we are to play that way it would be kinda helpful to have Alexis Sanchez fit and starting on the flank, Arsène has understandably kept his decision tucked away under his hat. Arsène said that Alexis was running but hadn't started ball work, but you cannot take much of what he says about the team pre match at face value.
Very happy for Oliver Giroud to continue his scoring record, this time from the spot. Although can I be a little churlish about the kick not quite finding the corner. Had Brad Guzan guessed the right way then the outcome may have been different. Unnecessary moaning? Yeah probably, apologies. So 50 Premier league goals for Giroud then? Not to be sniffed at, his scoring record has been top bracket this season
But if forced I must give it to Aaron Ramsey mostly because of his energy and effectiveness in carrying out the game plan. His tackling was spot on and always a threat to score on the counter.This was best exemplified by second goal, starting the move by dispossessing a Villa player and sprinting into the the Villa box to convert the cutback by Ozil. I would like to give a big shout-out to the ever improving Joel Campbell. He gave almost everything especially in the first half by pressing the Villa attackers on their left side and dropping back to help Bellerin. It made a hell of a difference in making Villa look toothless.
In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) and Elliot (@YankeeGunner) discuss the excellent and professional 3-0 away victory against Greek Champions Olympiacos. Paul talks about hot hands while Elliot asks whether or not Joel Campbell is the new Francis Coquelin. All that and much more in this weeks Arsenal Vision Podcast
Ramsey's running gave him the opportunity to get a goal and an assist to his name but in other matches the dice may fall on the wrong side, especially if Flamini continues to abandon his station. There was talk of Calum Chambers being brought into the side in between Flamini and Ramsey but I just don't see that happening, especially as he has not started in that position since our defeat at Southampton roughly 11 months ago. I think Arsène would rather go with the players he has put his faith in so far, players who have had at least a bit of a feel for the team
In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) and Elliot (@YankeeGunner) discuss our 1-1 draw against Norwich City at Carrow Road. Injuries, squad depth and much more in this weeks Arsenal Vision Podcast
Alexis along with Özil have been our best attacking players over the last few matches and he hasn't looked tired one bit, in fact he looked like he was returning to his best after a wobble. So I don't blame the manager for not taking him out of the team. If the player gets the go ahead from the medical staff, the player says he feels fit and of course his recent performances show that he is winning games for you then what do you do? When players get injured for the most part, I think we can manage until they return as long as it is not all of your players in the same position or if that player is Alexis Sanchez because he is different to everyone else. I guess it depends on the duration of the injury. Luckily we have Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey back along with Joel Campbell who looks better than the bit part version we witnessed until now.
Tough call for the boss to make today given that Joel Campbell put in his best performance in an Arsenal shirt so far against Zargreb in midweek but as I explained in my preview, Aaron Ramsey is the type of player you want to have away from home, games in which you need to wrestle the control in our favour and have another passing option in the middle of the pitch. We have missed his impact on the side so I am very pleased to have him back once more. It means that Joel Campbell drops down to the bench and that gives us some options from the bench should the need arise.