Can The Gunners Raise Their Game Again? - Report

Match Review: Arsenal 2 Leicester 1 - Premier League - 10.02.15

Leicester at home was supposed to be a nice easy game for us to shake off the disappointment of the defeat to Sp*rs and get our season back on track. But in a very Arsenal way, we made life difficult for ourselves and only just scraped through with the points. In the grand scheme of things, all that matters is that we got the three points, but the performance was a concern. Perhaps the derby defeat has sapped some confidence out of a side that had previously been looking very solid. The next six games are very important for our season, with ties across three different competitions and whilst we did enough against Leicester, we will definitely need to raise our game for the challenges ahead.

Wenger made a few changes having had only two days rest since the Sp*rs game. Alexis started through the middle, which was odd considering that he’d not be deemed fit for the bench two days previously. Walcott and Rosicky also came into the team, replacing Welbeck and Ramsey, while the back five remained the same.

Leicester, surprisingly, had the best of the opening exchanges and arguably should have taken the lead. The most worrying moment was when Mahrez beat the offside trap, sprinted towards goal and put the ball through Ospina’s legs, but the angle was too tight for it to hit the back of the net. In attack we weren’t having much of an impact, with our best chance coming through a beautiful through ball from Özil to Walcott, who couldn’t find a way past Schwarzer.

When we took the lead, it was almost a little surprising, given that we were struggling to create meaningful chances. It was an atypical goal for us too, with Özil’s corner being swept home by Koscielny. It was a great finish from the centre back and he made a lovely fake move to get himself free in the first place. Quite amazingly, we’ve now scored the most goals from set pieces in the entire Premier League, especially seeing as we barely ever clear the first defender with corners! Now if we could only learn to defend them…

Leicester’s 5-4-1 formation made things very difficult for us. They set themselves deep and looked to get the ball to their quicker players when they gained possession, which made them a threat on the break all night. However, one of these counter attacks lead to a second breakthrough. It was Bellerin’s excellent tackle on Schlupp, which won the ball back in their half and Coquelin and Cazorla spread the ball over to Özil. With time and space, Özil decided to shoot - another rare event for an Arsenal game. His effort wasn’t great, but had enough power to make Schwarzer parry instead of catching and Walcott reacted quickest to volley expertly into the corner.

Despite the two goal lead, we didn’t look confident in the second half. Alexis struggled to have any impact and looked like he was carrying a knock too, while the back five looked unsure and shaky. There were a number of Leicester chances before they finally made one count and it came from us failing to clear properly, although Cambiasso should have been penalised for a handball in the buildup. Eventually a cross rebounded to Kramaric, who fired through a crowd and into the bottom corner and you couldn’t say it was undeserved.

Things didn’t get any better after their goal. Alexis was substituted and looked worryingly as though he was suffering with an injury, while Ramsey was brought on only to be subbed ten minutes later. The midfielder limped off and is set for at least a month out with a muscles problem, a problem given that Wilshere is also a week or two away from fitness. We also had to contend with the referee completely forgetting how to be a referee, with Mesut Özil suffering three or four bad fouls that didn’t even draw free kicks. Mike Jones’ pièce de résistance came when he booked Giroud for having the ball kicked into his head by Schwarzer whilst the referee was looking in the complete opposite direction. Page 25 of FIFAs document on Law 12 (Fouls and Misconduct) states that a player may not prevent the goalkeeper for releasing the ball from his hands. However, not only was Schwarzer able to release the ball and kick it unimpeded, but Giroud was also outside the area and facing away from the ball.

In the midst of all that, our defence went AWOL and allowed Leicester a few clear cut chances to equalise, but their attackers lacked the composure to finish. Had it been a better team, I have a feeling we’d have dropped points. We were alarmingly poor in the final period of the game and the final whistle was a real relief. Not encouraging considering we were playing the bottom team at home.

Over the next six games, we’ve got four winnable games in the league, plus an FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough and the first leg of our Champions League tie with Monaco. Despite the set back against Tottenham, a run of good form now would set us up for an excellent finish to the season. We should finish in the top four, with both Southampton and Tottenham having dropped points and United looking consistently dodgy at the back. Winning against Middlesbrough would leave us just a win away from a return to Wembley, while our tie against Monaco gives us the chance to progress to the Champions League last 8 for the first time in a long time. Hopefully the squad can show their mettle and grasp this opportunity with both hands.

Teams

Arsenal (4-3-3)
Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Rosicky (Y), Cazorla, Walcott (Ramsey 73’)(Flamini 82’), Özil, Alexis (Giroud 68’ (Y))
Subs
Szczesny, Gibbs, Gabriel, Flamini, Ramsey, Giroud, Welbeck

Leicester (5-4-1)
Schwarzer, Simpson (Y), Morgan (Ulloa 81’), Upson (Wasilewski 59’ (Y)), Huth, Konchesky, Mahrez, James, Cambiasso, Schlupp (Nugent 86’), Kramaric
Subs
Hamer, Drinkwater, Wasilewski, Ulloa, Nugent, Albrighton, King

Player Ratings

Ospina - 6/10 - Had a nervy game, not helped by the mess in front of him
Bellerin - 6/10 - A second game in which he’s struggled a bit, but helped with our second
Mertesacker - 6/10 - Not his usually solid self again, looked out of sorts
Koscielny - 7/10 - Covered well defensively and grabbed a really good goal
Monreal - 7/10 - A fairly solid display, but with a few slip ups too
Coquelin - 7/10 - Started well, but struggled a bit once the defence lost their heads
Rosicky - 6/10 - Didn’t really get into the game and didn’t run at the defence much
Cazorla - 6/10 - Perhaps being affected by Özil’s return, but less effective than normal
Walcott - 6/10 - Did nothing apart from knock in his goal, anonymous otherwise
Özil - 8/10 - Our best player, had a hand in both goal and created more chances that were spurned
Alexis - 6/10 - Didn’t get going and though he tried hard, he looked unfit
Subs
Giroud - 7/10 - Held the ball up well and put himself about
Ramsey - N/A - Got injured too quickly
Flamini - N/A - Not on long enough

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