Arsenal 1 Fulham 1: It is the response that matters
ARSENAL 1 FULHAM 1
From Goodplaya at the Emirates
GRANTED, seeing our winning run end at home against a side near the foot of the table is hardly ideal.
But these things do happen: Fulham were excellent and we could justifiably point to tiredness kicking in after a tough game in midweek. Equally, we gave it a good go and really by and large got most of the basics right in terms of working hard, closing them down, putting the tackles in and really wanting it.
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again because it really worth noting: this Arsenal side carries a hell of a lot less baggage than those of recent years. The lightening conductors (Bendtner, Almunia, Denilson and Eboue) who could turn a supportive crowd into an irate one are gone and the Emirates is a more pleasant place for it.
We might have won the game – Ramsey spurned a glorious first half chance and with another seven or eight minutes a goal could well have come at the end – but overall this was a fair result.
It was interesting early on watching the positioning of our midfielders. Any idea that Arteta is being deployed in some kind of attacking role should be swiftly dispelled. He spent all his time a good seven or eight yards behind Ramsey, right in the middle of the pitch and put in a lot of tackles.
The second half became pretty stretched at 0-0 and while Fulham were giving it a decent go you sensed that an open game would benefit us more than them. But credit to them, they got their goal.
Responding was always going to be tricky. It made sense to make subs and bring on fresh legs but equally when you’re not playing that badly there is always a danger that subs can cause a loss of momentum. It was weird seeing the number 4 held up when Mertersacker was withdrawn. For a brief second I thought Cesc had been out for a few months and was making his return.
The loss of momentum did happen but we kept going. It was Theo’s new found ability to cross a football (he demonstrated this consistently yesterday), paid dividends. It was classic Vermaelen and as well as his defensive abilities we really missed his occasional dashes forward last season.
If I have a criticism of our late efforts it was our propensity to go through the middle rather than out wide. It was what Fulham wanted because they were tired and going through the middle compressed the game.
Performance wise, Djourou did well at right-back, Ramsey looked understandably tired and Arshavin failed to grasp his chance.
The question now is how we respond. And with us that is a very big question because we tend to respond badly to set-backs. Wigan away is an important game.
Good shout playa. Not too much to complain about. In the run-in last season this match would have been so much different. It was a gritty performance, if not stellar. I fear Arshavin may become one of those lightning rods you describe, but overall the team put in a good shift, and the little things that used to go so wrong for us on the regular are starting to disappear.
It was a shame about TV’s own goal. Riise looked to be going nowhere but rather than look like a comedy cock-up that was just dead unlucky. No head dropping though, instead he just dusted himself down and got it back. Smells like team spirit to me.
Am sure it’s a minor setback, only Barcelona win every game. Wigan is important, but my impression is we’ve only flaked out in recent years when things have really been on the line, say from march onwards. I like this new team: less style, but more substance.
11 canons, you are right about Arshavin. The result was frustrating but given that Fulham where well organised and decent it was not unfair. What is even more frustrating is that Arshavin is just not doing the business. Gervinho did way mor ein 15 minutes than Andrei did in the whole game. Even in the games where he has provided a goal or an assist he has been peripheral at best for the remainder of the game. In the past 12 months I can;t think of one performace that would rate 8 our 10? This is simply not good enough. His time has come and I think Arsene sees it that way too. Sell him for 7 or 8 mil and try and spend 20 or 25 on somebody with real quality. There is much to like about Andrei, he is funny, he is unconventional, he is immensly talented, he has half a brain but a team that wants to compete for the top prizes cannot afforsd to carry a player in the way that we have in the past 12-19 months.
And also, I cant remember seeing a player as unfit as him in an Arsneal shirt since… since. I don’t know when. There must have been players in the team in the 80′s who were less fit. Merson at the end perhaps? About half an hour into the game he had made a run into the box and then he just stood there puffing with his hands on his knees? What is all that about? What medical condition means that he has zero stamina. Is he ashmatic or something?
Arshavin needs to go. i would really love to see what Rhyo can offer us in that position. Unfortunately he is injured but i think, when fit, he should be the one playing. I wonder if its Arsene’s pride that makes him want to see him succeed when it is clear that he has flopped. Having spent so much money on him might be a touch painful for Monsier Wenger to see him fail.