Dire performance, bizarre substitutions: match report and player ratings
ARSENAL 0 NEWCASTLE UNITED 1
FROM GOODPLAYA AT THE EMIRATES
ONE DODGY PENALTY…
To show for our last four first halves at the Emirates tells you everything you need to know. We are simply too casual from the off – it is as simple as that. Not only has there only been that one Nasri (itself an equaliser) penalty but we have rarely even come close to scoring. Our efforts in the first half today were a not particularly brilliant Cesc free-kick that took a deflection and hit the bar and a Nasri shot that was brilliantly saved by Krul. We really thought that was going in. But that really was it.
AND IT MATTERS…
When you are always liable to let a very simple goal in. Clearly, Fabianski didn’t cover himself in glory for it. But you really do have to ask why nobody was tracking Carroll and making his life as difficult as possible. And you also have to ask why there was nobody on the line to clear a ball that bounced before it crossed the line.
TO BE FAIR…
I thought we started the second half reasonably well. Theo hit the bar, there was a bit more excitement and I was just wondering why we had waited so long to turn up.
AND THEN…
Arsene made some of the most baffling substitutions I can ever remember him making. They were particularly surprising given our improvement. I’m pretty good at calling his subs but these I never saw. Firstly, the timing was bizarre: two subs before the hour mark. Nasri may have had a tight calf, but he certainly looked surprised enough when his number came up. I couldn’t understand why Arsene had withdrawn one of our better players – particularly when Nasri is usually the last man he subs.
THEN…
We had RVP introduced about a minute later. The first bizarre thing about it was that it was literally a minute later. Arsene never makes two subs in two minutes. And no, it didn’t appear as if RVP was simply not ready when Arshavin came on. It suggested hesitation and indecision. The second bizarre thing was frankly that it was RVP rather than Bendtner who came on. RVP, to my mind, has never been a player to hit the ground running; his lack of early season goals says as much. So for me if we saw him at all it was only ever going to be for ten minutes at the end: not as part of a big reorganisation.
Note: In the comments, James quite rightly points out that RVP came on to good effect at White Hart Lane last April when returning after a very lengthy spell out. It is a very good point, though I would say that he was a card we simply had to play on that occasion. We were 2-0 down with 22 minutes to go, whereas against Newcastle we were 1-0 down, at home, with over half an hour left.
AND SO FOR ME…
The upshot was that we lost all our momentum. I’m not pinning all the blame on the manager by any means: the players themselves were utterly dreadful. But we did lack tactical coherence: there were times when we had Arshavin and Walcott up front and Bendtner and RVP on the wings. That can’t be right. We can protest that Newcastle barely had a chance but the reality is we can have few complaints.
PERSONALLY…
I would have taken Cesc off. He was clearly struggling throughout the game and at times was more of a hindrance than a help.
THE SENDING OFF…
Seemed very harsh to me. Firstly, the guy was miles from goal, secondly he was very wide and thirdly Squillaci was coming across. The interpretation of the rule is frankly utterly warped: how can today’s incident be a red card and neither of the penalties we won at Spurs be worthy of a red when our man was six yards out and in front of goal with no other defender covering? The astonishing thing is that nobody found it particularly odd that those Spurs ones were not worthy of reds. Utterly odd.
YOU WILL NO DOUBT…
Hear some frankly simple people note over the next few days how Arsene Wenger is some kind of hypocrite over his campaign to outlaw bad tackling given our four red cards this season. It goes without saying that the comparison is absurd: just one has been due to dangerous play. The others are utterly unrelated to his protestations.
PLAYA RATINGS…
Fabianski (5) had nothing to do other than stop the goal and he really did time his run pretty badly. Not his worst mistake by any means but a mistake nonetheless. Sagna (6) was OK and offered a bit going forward. Gael Clichy (6) was just about the only player who got stuck in before the break but he struggled to get forward after it.
It is hard to know what to say about defenders who on the one hand have barely been troubled over 90 minutes and on the other have lost at home to a promoted team. I suppose Squillaci gets a 6.5. And Koscielny? Well I saw a couple of the newspaper hacks on Twitter saying he is not good enough. I don’t think you can really say that on the basis of a ridiculous red card at Anfield (where someone kicked the ball at his hand for a second yellow) and today’s one which came when we were stretched, chasing the game in the final minute of injury time and which was not that bad anyway. You can argue there has been the odd other error too, but really much of his work has been very good. I’ll give him a 5.5.
Cesc (5) was frankly woeful. Forget body language: he just didn’t look fit. Wilshere (6.5) was one of our better players, so obviously he got subbed too. Song (6.5) was useful going forward but frankly our formation just doesn’t work at the moment: seeing Wilshere and Cesc deep and Song ahead of them just makes no sense. Nasri (6.5) was one of our better players in the first half and Theo (6.5) struggled but takes credit for hitting the bar.
Chamakh (6) struggled. Excellent for much fo the season, what he perhaps doesn’t have is the ability to dig you out of a hole with a piece of Van Persie like brilliance or Bendtner like good timing.
RVP (6) was predictably rusty. Andrei Arshavin (7) actually did fairly well and had a far better attitude of late. Bendtner (6) spent too long on the wing.
A NOTE ON NEWCASTLE…
For all our wretchedness, they were a far cry from the Geordies of recent years and played very well. After 70 minutes I knew we were getting nothing from the game.
A PENULTIME THOUGHT…
We are missing Vermaelen badly. An organiser at the back, his forward forrays also offer an extra threat that we don’t have at the moment.
A FINAL THOUGHT…
This was so bad that we didn’t even manage our usual late flurry. In fact, Newcastle were in control of the ball for much of injury time. A worrying afternoon.
Catch the star that holds your destiny, the one that forever twinkles within your heart. Take advantage of precious opportunities while they still sparkle before you. Always believe that your ultimate goal is attainable as long as you commit yourself to it.
Take pride in your accomplishments, as they are stepping stones to your dreams. Understand that you may make mistakes, but don’t let them discourage you. Value your capabilities and talents for they are what make you truly unique.