At the back, Per Mertesacker put in a man if the match display and somewhat reinforced the assertion by some that he is probably first choice in central defence at present. The German international manfully marshalled the backline against the Baggies’ attack, sitting deep when necessary and frequently using his height to great effect by winning a number of important defensive headers.
Thomas Vermaelen seemed to have a far more settled game along the big German. Certainly better than what we were used to seeing last season up until he was unceremoniously dropped from the team. He did at one point however, go flying in making an unnecessary challenge just outside the box and earn himself a needless booking. The kind he has almost
Squad dearth
– As always in the League Cup, the manager chose once more to rest players as he honoured his long standing commitment to giving fringe youth players an opportunity to play in the first team. But perhaps for the first time in a number of years, there was arguably more to be concerned than get excited about from our so called young guns. A disjointed, error-strewn overall performance against a fellow premier league side who themselves made a number of changes didn’t exactly provide much in the way of optimism – especially given the suggestion that some of these players are one or two injuries away from starting for the senior side.
All eyes in particular were on starters Serge Gnabry, Thomas Eisfeld, Ryo Miyachi & Issac Hayden of whom none of which were really able to impose themselves on the game. While Eisfeld did get the all-important opening goal, he was largely anonymous. Hayden was solid if unspectacular although was very fortunate to stay on the pitch after a horrendous tackle in the first half. Gnabry & Miyachi however, considering that they are arguably closest to the first team, were especially disappointing. Despite having the confidence to regularly want the ball, neither was able to do anything worthwhile with it. The former may be perhaps forgiven if you take into account his exploits just a few days earlier against Stoke but you would hope such a highly touted prospect would be able to cope better with two games in quick succession.
Better would have been expected of Miyachi. Unfortunately, his insistence on conceding possession time and time again and making some extremely poor decisions means the only impression he was able to make was a negative one.
Hector Bellerin, Kris Olsson & Chuba Akpom were introduced later on but were hardly afforded enough time to make any meaningful contributions – at least not until the penalty shootout anyway.
Of course, this match alone is no reason to sound the death knell for the lads’ careers. One would hope they and the club are savvy enough to work out where they went wrong on the night & look to improve going forward. For the sake of their futures at the club, one would hope this is just part of the learning curve and not a true reflection of their abilities.
Bendt out of shape
– Of course it would be unfair to lay the blame for the uninspired performance squarely at the door of some inexperienced youngsters. If anything, as part of their development, they might want to look at Niklas Bendtner’s career and, aside from his undeserved contract, do their damndest to make sure they do not follow in his footsteps. Looking very much like a man who hasn’t kicked a ball in anger for the club for two years, the assist for Eisfeld’s goal should not mask what was at times a horrendous individual showing.
90 minutes of misplaced passes, overambitious lay-offs and straying offside were all par for the course for the Great Dane. Then, in extra time, as if to remind us what we were missing while he was away, he spurned a great chance to settle the tie by taking too much time on the ball & allowing himself to be dispossessed.
It was exactly the sort of display that makes the fact big Nik is still an Arsenal player and taking home a reported £52,000 a week seem laughable. The kindest thing to say is that he is probably very rusty and may eventually find some form when his fitness returns. Hopefully anyway.
Art condition
– Bendtner wasn’t the only senior player that struggled. A returning Mikel Arteta looked at least a yard off the pace and limped off with cramp towards the end suggesting that he may not yet be 100%. Until he also reaches full fitness, one would be inclined to suggest that Matty Flamini continue to deputise in midfield especially given how admirably he has played since re-signing last month.
Has the Verm turned?
At the back, Per Mertesacker put in a man if the match display and somewhat reinforced the assertion by some that he is probably first choice in central defence at present. The German international manfully marshalled the backline against the Baggies’ attack, sitting deep when necessary and frequently using his height to great effect by winning a number of important defensive headers.
Thomas Vermaelen seemed to have a far more settled game along the big German. Certainly better than what we were used to seeing last season up until he was unceremoniously dropped from the team. He did at one point however, go flying in making an unnecessary challenge just outside the box and earn himself a needless booking. The kind he has almost trademarked.
Between him and Koscielny’s current penalty fetish, both players may soon need to be committed to some sort of footballing priory clinic to cure them from making brainless defensive errors. Otherwise it will be Arsenal hitting the bottle whenever one of them features alongside Mertesacker this season.
Shooting stars
– Since that great night at Sampdoria back in 1995, I’ve always been confident about an Arsenal when it comes to penalties. Yes, of course I remember Bradford last year & that freak season of 1999/2000 when we lost 3 in as many competitions but generally, I always have this innate trust that our players will always be good enough to win a shootout. As such, I didn’t share the anxiety others felt as we went in this time around. This attitude seemed to be one shared by the players as they emerged victorious scoring 4 out of the five spot kicks. Serge Gnabry was the only one to fluff his lines but thankfully his teammates came to his rescue. You cannot help but be impressed by the confidence of Olssen and Akpom, despite their blossoming years, not only to step up but also to dispatch their penalties with little worry; a testament to their character. Shout outs to Bendtner & Monreal who also tucked away their efforts to set up a fourth round clash with Chelsea.
Cup runneth over
– One of the bizarre aspects about last night was the fact the draw for the next round was made while the team were still playing extra time. So, for almost all fans, we knew before the players that a win would mean a home tie against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side. Unfortunately gone are those days of the early 00s when Arsenal would knock the Fulham chavs out of cup competitions time and time again. Modern Chelsea are an entirely different beast and given the relative strengths of the two squads, I wouldn’t be too confident of predicting that our second string would get the better of theirs.
It’s well documented where the League Cup lies on The Boss’s list of priorities. Couple his usual team selections with such a tough draw early on, you imagine there won’t be much of a run in this competition this year. However, this current side seemed to have a new found capacity for resilience and may well surprise a few people. Perhaps a cup run is on the agenda this season and what better way to get that into gear than with a win over Chelsea?
Looking ahead
– Technically speaking, this shootout victory ‘kind of’ maintains our winning run away from home. At the very least, Arsenal remain unbeaten in all competitions since the opening day of the season. Granted, this West Brom game wasn’t great but the required result was achieved and fundamentally, that’s the main thing that matters. That fabled winning mentality seems to be evident in the players and hopefully it will propel them into the next week where two tough trips to Swansea and West Brom – this time in the league – straddle that all important home match against Napoli in the Champions League. As the season goes on, their fortitude faces sterner and sterner tests. Tests they will want to pass with flying colours. COYG.
EXAMPLE OF AD POSITION
