Spurs blown away by Arsenal’s faultless comeback – report and player ratings
Arsenal 5 Spurs 2
From Goodplaya at the Emirates
SO how does someone who last week called for the manager to go now reconcile those views with this?
The short answer is that it is not easy.
The slightly longer answer is that one game does neither a season nor seven years make and that more often than not we are on the other end of these kind of results.
But I have no intention of deliberately interpreting events so that they fit a narrative and so for me the truth is this game was unadulterated good news, a wonderful, dare I say it fautless, comeback. One simply can’t contest that, just as I and (the I suspect many thousands of other people) who looked to the heavens when they saw Rosicky and Benayoun starting can do nothing other than admit we were wrong and the manager was right.
We looked lively enough early on but frankly that counts for very little when the opposition are picking holes in you at will. Three times Spurs got really right in behind us, twice we were punished. Yes, the opener was unfortunate but the point is that they were in such a position after only five minutes. Deflections such as that can only happen from already fairly advanced positions.
Their penalty was bizarre frankly because once Mike Dean had made his initial snap judgement without consulting his linesman on what we can all agree on was a very, very tight call, it didn’t appear that either he or the linesman were particularly convinced it was one. Looking at the replays, I don’t think it was one, though I can see why it got given. But surely if they actually believed it was one, then there has to be a red card. To those who say that he had gone wide and that there was a defender covering, I’d say he has only gone wide because of Szczesny’s supposedly illegal contribution and I don’t quite see how a one-on-one with an outfield player doesn’t constitute a goalscoring chance.
Performance wise, I think the feeling at this stage was that Rosicky and Benayoun were actually doing surprisingly well and that Theo Walcott was having a disaster, which was true. Theo wasn’t helping himself – the way he was ambling around you’d have thought he was Bobby Pires soaking up the love in the second after lobbing Schmiechal rather than an out of form winger who desperately needed to make a bit of his own luck. We were creating things, but when on the one hand you had Spurs getting behind us at will and on the other you had what frankly you suspected would be a Rosicky led charge lacking any great end product, it was hard to see the scoreline getting any better.
Theo’s one good touch of the half was an excellent flick for RVP, who hit the post. But seconds later we’d scored: the excellent Arteta floated the ball beautifully in the air, prompting one of those very rare “that’s in” moments for those of us in my particular seats. By this I mean that while we frankly have a pretty poor view of events up the other end of the pitch, once or twice a year there will be a shot (or in this case a header) where from our particular angle one can say before almost anyone else in the stadium with a great deal of certainty “that’s in”. Aaron Lennon in the 4-4 with Spurs and Rafael in a 2-1 victory over United a few years back are other such examples.
So as soon as Sagna went to head it, we knew we were back in the game. Terrific header.
And then seconds later, another “that’s in” moment. RVP scoring a sublime goal to make it 2-2.
I wasn’t actually too sad to see half-time. We’d done brilliantly to get back into the game but I felt that we really needed to sort out our defensive line sooner rather than later.
I think Harry went a bit box office with his substitutions at the break. By this I mean that I think he saw “Harry the magician” headlines if they came off and forgot the fact that it was only 2-2 at the time. I’m not sure I can remember many other managers making a double sub at half-time while drawing. To me it just said Spurs were panicking.
Though maybe for him the alarm bells were ringing and 2-0 did seem kind: Spurs were poor at Stevenage last week, the marking for Rosicky’s early header was frankly terrible and their midfield was unbelievably attacking (Parker and Modric in the middle) for an away North London derby.
You sensed it might be our day when Tomas Rosicky picked the ball up, drove forward, spread it out wide, got into the box and then didn’t just get on the end of the cross but actually scored. What can one say about Rosicky’s performance today? I’d say he rolled back the years except that one needs to be able to finish that statement by referring back to a previous point and frankly I can’t ever remember him playing that well.
By now Theo had his tail up. He, like the whole team, was chasing everything and when he was played in and drove a shot inches wide of the far post, nobody was complaining because it was the right choice. Then he was in again, RVP the supplier after 57,000 people had implored him to turn and pass. The kindest thing one can about the first touch was that it gave Theo the chance to dink a beautiful finish!
It was five a few minutes later. Song the supplier, Theo with his trademark off the ankle shunted control and a finish borne of confidence. Great to see and credit to Walcott for turning what was (a self inflicted) nightmare into a well deserved standing ovation when he was eventually subbed.
28 minutes after their team had been enjoying a 2-0 lead, there were now Spurs fans going home after 68 minutes. Astonishing. And I have to say that there are few more wonderful sights in football than a Tottenham end emptying, even if those heading back up the Seven Sisters Road were apparently unaware of our ability to lose the most unlosable of leads.
But in truth there was never any prospect of that. I’m renowned as a pessimist by those I sit with but at no point did I voice a single pessimistic thought because right until the 90th minute we were excellent. We were like Sunderland last week. We fought for absolutely everything and thoroughly merited it.
I’ve seen this victory referred to in the same breath as the one at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season. I find that comparison absurd. That was a day of chaotic defending where we just about merited it but on another day Chelsea would have won. What we saw at the Emirates yesterday was a stunning demolition job of a side absolutely flying at the moment. We absolutely took them apart in a way they never once managed to do to us during our glory years.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say this was the biggest North London derby victory by either side in a very long time (and no, the Carling Cup against our reserves does not count).
Making a welcome return, player ratings wise, Szczesny (7) was blameless for the goals and had little else to do, Gibbs (7) is still feeling his way back into the team, Sagna (8.5) really got stuck in and showed balls with his header, as well as setting up Rosicky well. Vermaelen (6.5) seemed very, very deep for their opening goal but along with Koscielny (7) largely kept Adebayor quiet.
Song (8) fought for everything and got an assist, Benayoun (8) buzzed effectively going forward and back and Arteta (9) was both inventive and biting in midfield, not letting an early booking deter him from closing down Spurs all the time. Rosicky (9.5) was remarkable frankly – direct, incisive, everywhere.
Theo (8) got there in the end and gets credit for making the game safe with two chances that were missable. RVP (8.5) scored an absolute corker and was just generally RVP and substitute Carl Jenkinson (7.5), born into a family of Gooners, was the perfect player to call on to shore up our lead. Oxlade and Gervinho had only a few minutes to make an impact.
Was great to hear the old Lasagne and “We won the league” (to the tune of the Spurs song) get an outing. “Adebayor, what’s the score? Adebayor, what’s the score?” and “Harry for England” were so simple and effective that one wondered why anyone actually needs to sing about Adebayor and coaches. Fortunately, the vast majority of fans don’t.
So credit to the team for showing character and credit to the manager too for the side he picked and the character they showed. Wonderful day.
I normally knock Wenger for his tactics but credit goes to him for trying something different like he promised. I liked that he had the balls to try a 3-5-2 tactic in the second half. Felt like he smelt blood and went for the kill.
Perhaps Walcott is a striker after all and I was wrong about him not having composure in front of goal or the touch to be one.
I’m still worried about us at the back but I’m sure TV will get better every game and maybe Wenger has found a solution with 3 CB’s.
I would say dont get carried away. Spurs were simply awful!!! Tactically Harry got it all wrong, his constant playing to the media about the England Job has left the players in limbo, his half hearted tactics gave Spurs a half hearted effort, if anyone thinks that was the Spurs team of prior to a month ago then you are just as deluded as the manager who thinks everything is ok. You will lose the next game at anfield and be back to square one. Your only saving grace is that Spurs will fall by the wayside as well due to Harry’s love for the England Job. Other then Parker getting sent off, Spurs didnt make one tackle in an hour. Which is quite possiably the worse defence of a 2-0 lead in the history of the game. arsenal Deserved it, but the problems are still there
Find it a bit unfair towards Gibbs (the ratings). He ran home thrice to salvage something from poor play up the field, and saved our asses in two of those home runs (actually all three, but the ref had other plans).
Yes, Arsenal were very good. Spurs were pretty poor but, as the cliche goes, you can only beat what’s in front of you.
Set in the context of seven barren years it is, like the 2-1 against Barcelona, a pleasurable highlight but the fundamental problem is still there. Arsenal do not have a team who can go anywhere and win the game through sheer tenacity, power and class.
Yes, we can excel on good pitches like our own but teams who win trophies know how to turn up at Sunderland, Blackburn, Bolton and Wigan on heavy pitches in February, adapt our game accordingly, fight for three points, get them, and get back on the coach. We don’t.
That’s what needs to change and yesterday’s ’9.5 out of 10′ performance should not delude us that our problems are all behind us.
I’d say there is a similarity with the Chelsea game in that it can be enjoyed as a one off amazing match. That didn’t herald a new dawn and neither does this. The fragility which mitigates against any consistency is still there, nothing has been done about that or ever will.
Strange to think that in our two best results of the season we’ve actually conceded 5 goals! Only at Wenger’s Arsenal.
well …we (fans) were due a ”performance”..this is a club with not only BRITISH followership but one with a truly GLOBAL fanbase, asia, africa, europe etc..arsenal is truly loved ..sometimes i wonder if the players know this..they need to recognise that performances like this is what they need to churn out consistently..i know football is a funny game and you can play well and still lose…but we are a proud club and embarrasing nights like such as that in milan are never to be associated with a club of our standing again…as for proud spurs..well we’ve owed them this pasting bigtime…starting to get too big for their shoes they were..
i know i speak foe all fans when i say more of the same against milan please…lets if we get knocked out go out in a blaze of glory..and drive the message to the italians that they got us on a very off night 2weeks ago…i’d like to see this same line up ruffle AC MILAN with some early goals..with the same sort of quick pacy attackIng like sunday that will see them blown away .(we will concede yes) but lets give them a right scare…
good playa..havent seen you right this long in a while…:) good job and thanks for bringing playa ratings back…..#COYG!!
Excellent post.
Agree with the thrust of the comments here; a really enjoyable game, performance and result. Can we learn from this and dog out a string of results over the rest of the season? I doubt it, but I hope Wenger and the players prove me wrong.
we did go on a run after the win at Chelsea. hopefully we can do that again. fuckin’ international break…but what to make of Theo? the blazing pace to create the chances, two excellent finishes, but the control in between….him in a nutshell. does tend to produce in the big games though…
Well said as always Goodplaya.
Nothing more to add other than say the ratings were a bit unfair to Gibbs.
He attempted more dribbles and forward run than Theo.
~Nuffsaid
I think I finally felt somewhat comfortable at 5-2, despite our dominance. After all, we totally dominated the 4-4 game 3 years ago as well. Fair play to the lads for a great performance. The back 4 still has issues to work out. While great one-on-one defenders, Kosielny/Vermaelen haven’t played together enough and need to improve their collective positioning. Where Per is probably not as good in a one-on-one situation, he did have a decent partnership going with Kos. I thought Gibbs was more aggressive than in his comeback, good to see. Song’s best game in a while, contender for MoM. Rosicky was outstanding, RVP pure class, and Theo was everything we come to expect from Theo. Very frustrating at times, but his pace causes so many problems. And the finishing, the 1st in particular, was excellent. I think yesterday’s game suited him to an extent because we were playing a team that does not park the bus allowing more room to run in behind. Hopefully, a springboard for a good run. Next game will be tough.
Interesting to see profits announced today. Read on one site that we had 64m in sales, but had invested 74m in new players and contract extensions. The profits are high because we amortize the investments over the life of a contract. So, although the profits are high, I thought they should have been more – suggesting we paid more than what I would have thought for some players and maybe sold players for less than expected. Either way, there is money available, so hopefully it’s spent wisely. Players that make 50K a week and don’t play, or when they do play are liabilities, should be let go.
Wonderful stuff. Simply cannot stop smiling today. Do I think we’re capable of carrying it on to the end of the season ? Probably not, but for today I don’t care.
Come on u Reds !!
Just what the doctor ordered, when your back is to the wall and everyone including your dog is calling for your bullocks on a sliver platter, kick the yid’s in the head not once but five times.
Thank you Bacary Sagna, when you picked the ball out of the back of the net after what was a damn fine goal, you knew something that the rest of the North Bank had forgotten.
IN ARSENE WE TRUST!
PD
Nothing like a great big smile on a monday morning,
[...] written about the match, almost all of them more eloquent than anything I could write. As always, Goodplaya and wearethenorthbank have done opinion pieces worth reading or, if you’re of the tactically [...]