Hanging my head on RVP: Arsenal 2 Dortmund 1 report

ARSENAL 2 BORRUSIA DORTMUND 1

FROM GOODPLAYA AT THE EMIRATES

WE witnessed tonight the kind of professionalism that was so lacking at this stage last season when we blew a similarly promising position and ended up coming second.

When Dortmund began brightly, we were tight, composed, well organised and risk adverse. Yes, they enjoyed a couple of openings, particularly at the start of the second half. But when our chance came, we took it in fine style. And we tied it up when Dortmund’s tired defenders switched off at a corner.

The thing about the current Arsenal side is that while individual genius may not be as abundant as it once was, we are at least balanced. And I suppose what I really mean by that is that the midfield is balanced, with Song, Arteta and Ramsey all contributing significantly to our defensive work. Whether you consider Ramsey or Arteta the most advanced of the trio, both are less attacking than their counterparts of recent years.

Song, it must be said, was excellent. He was already having a very good game when he made the opener quite brilliantly down in front of us. I think he actually only set off on the run in the first place because Santos was out of position and running the ball down the wing was the safest option.

Of course, what followed was balletic, even if my enjoyment of it was sullied somewhat by the knowledge that with every shuffle of Song’s shoes, the hysterical gasps from my brother next to me (he was the original Songunist) would only increase. But it was great and RVP notched yet another goal.

Those people who a few weeks ago dismissed his scoring record as little more than the inevitable product of playing on your own up front for Arsenal have been made to look pretty foolish of late I think for his scoring record has gone well beyond that. And I am most certainly one of those people.

Gervinho missed a sitter. He arguably shone least bright of everyone. And we overpassed another opportunity before the second arrived courtesy of marking that was nothing of the sort.

Player wise I thought Mertersacker a little too slow on the odd occasion, Koscielny is unspectacular but most definitely solid at right-back, while Santos has a hell of a footballing brain, which is handy, because I’m not sure he’s got much of a footballing body.

Ramsey was quieter than of late but equally didn’t lose the ball much and nor, less surprisingly, did Arteta, who might not be doing what people thought he would be doing but arguably by being more restrained is improving us no end.

And so we march on as group winners, which is more than can be said at the moment for United. Or City. Or Chelsea. Or even Spurs for that matter.

Before I finish, the economists among you will perhaps be interested to know that a few thousand of the usually hard to shift upper tier tickets above the away fans were tonight occupied BY the away fans.

What does it tell us that something like 8,000 Germans had the money to come over for the match while on the flip side the English club were only too happy to shift a load of tickets that (I don’t believe) they had any obligation to offer to the away fans.

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