Premier League Ponderings – Week 12
A Team of Gunners… But No Ammunition
I’m glad I’m not an Arsenal fan. That must’ve been brutal. Luckily I’m actually a United fan… so, yeah. Sorry.
It’s been a season full of Peak Arsenal moments. Collapsing from 3-0 up to draw with Anderlecht, conceding twice late after dominating Swansea to lose 2-1, drawing with Leicester City and Hull… all after a convincing 3-0 win over Man City in the Community Shield to start the season. There’ve been great wins and great individual performances scattered around the usual transfer market ignorance and unflinchingly one-dimensional tactics. It’s been said a million times, so here it is once more: Typical Arsenal.
It all started so good, though! Louis Van Gaal was forced to start a back three (yep, he reverted to that old playbook) of Chris Smalling, Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair. Antonio Valencia started at right back and Luke Shaw on the left. Well, Shaw only lasted 20-odd minutes before a rolled ankle forced him off and on in his place came… Ashley Young. Imagine that quintet up against prime Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp for a second! Now think happy thoughts to purge your mind of that bloodbath.
Instead you have Danny Welbeck against the team that knows his finishing limitations best. He’s a great player, Mister Welbeck, and I hated to see him go, but he’s not what you’d call clinical. His strengths are in his pace, his work rate and his deceptively long strides. But not his finishing. On a team like The Gunners, that makes him both a perfect fit and a worry.
Arsenal bossed this game. The first half an hour it was United doing their best Mufasa impersonation, clinging to that crumbling bit of cliff face as his fingers (paws) slowly peel away and only Brother Scar can keep him from falling to his demise into a rampaging stampede. “Long… Live… The King!”
United couldn’t hold the ball and Arsenal were getting it back via sloppy clearances on a regular loop. Shortening the field like that by pushing up and setting up shop is what Arsenal love. They created chances, too, they just didn’t finish. You had Jack Wilshere missing from here.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain missing from here.
And a bunch of solid (but unspectacular) saves from David De Gea who by now is undoubtedly better than any other keeper in the Premier League not named Thibault. (And I reckon he could take him too, but I’m biased)
Arsenal also conceded one of the most Arsenal goals ever. A cross dealt poorly with, two players collide (and the keeper, Wojnoj Scheznoj, is injured), then the loose ball is driven off target but deflected in by a defender sitting on his ass. Hilarious slapstick routine.
3 of Manchester United’s 4 wins this season had come by a single goal. So obviously they were gonna find a way to concede yet still hold on. Make it 4 of 5 now, though Giroud's consolation was a stunner. So much so that it took a couple replays before I was sure that it didn't hit the side-netting.
Despite the deserved focus on their defensive problems (mostly down to injuries, to be fair) United have only twice dropped points from winning positions: That shocker at Leicester and a 1-1 draw with Sunderland. They can hold a lead when they get one.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have dropped more points from winning positions than anyone other Hull.
Van Gaal’s boys pulled off the Rope-A-Dope to perfection, but it’s a risky tactic. There’s always the chance that Frazier decks Ali with a punch he can’t get up from. Arsenal blew this game by failing to take their early chances. They should have been 2-0 up after 30 minutes.
Obscene Arsene
Let’s get this one thing straight. There are absolutely zero reasons why Arsenal should ever sack Arsene Wenger. A manager reaches a point where they become immune to that state of the job and Wenger is most definitely there. He has been for a while. It’s so rare to have a boss that has achieved as much as Wenger has at Arsenal and the stability that he brings to the club in invaluable. Look what happened when Sir Alex Ferguson left Man United.
This isn’t to say that he’s doing a great job. There are obvious flaws in this team that have been there for years without attention, and although Wenger deserves plenty of credit for keeping this team relevant in the Champions League race for as long as he has, the lack of genuine title challenges is a thing. But Arsenal are better off in every situation right now with Wenger than they would be without him.
Other Arsenal vs Manchester United Thoughts
Jack Wilshere doesn’t stick to his weight class.
And Fellaini's reaction was brilliant. "Ref, are you seeing this!?"
Wayne Rooney, that lad just loves scoring against Arsenal. That was his 11th goal against the Gunners (the most by anyone against them) and in this fixture they’re all important goals. He’s riding high after a great week and a half with England and he looked razor sharp in this game, even if the ball didn’t go his way too often with Arsenal bossing things. Wayne Rooney’s energy is always a barometer for how well he’s playing. He was bouncing like Rio at the clubs.
Don’t think I’ve published this before, but that fella James Wilson that came on for United? He’s gonna be something special. I’m buying up every single stock option on this guy’s career, just you wait and see how good he’ll become. I hope he still gets that bench spot once Falcao’s back.
Chris Smalling lost a lot of good will getting sent off in the Manchester Derby. Probably all of it. In his first League game back, however, he was superb. No defender for either team was more effective. There’s hope for him yet! (Outside of for England, that is. That was never in doubt since Woy ‘Odgson would adopt Smalling as his son if he could.) Best of all, he was a leader despite the inexperience around him.
Even Antonio Valencia, he’s gotten to the point where he’s a better fullback than a winger. Fergie tended to pick him ahead of Nani on the wing when his defensive side was needed. At this point in time, he seems to have either lost or given up on his one move for beating players – the ol’ ‘kick it past them and run really fast onto it’ – and his crossing was never much (aside from his ruthless low crosses). He’s learning how to defend though, even if his positioning was not good. He drifted inwards far too often, especially given there were three centre backs anyway, giving the Gunners space down their left flank and pushing Paddy McNair out of where he should be. The dude can tackle though.
Speaking of right backs, Calum Chambers is not one. Put him in the bloody middle, Wenger! Then you can play a specialist right back and Nacho Cheese Monreal doesn’t have to play. I was a little surprised Man Utd didn’t expose Nacho more but then they didn’t have a lot of ball down that end. Van Gaal actually referred to him as “Our friend Monreal” in the post match.
Would Danny Welbeck be more effective with another forward? Maybe, maybe not. He played often in a two-man forward line with Rooney/Hernandez/RVP at United and didn’t often stand out. His best games were mostly as a wide forward but he doesn’t wanna play there so whatever. Gotta find a way to get the fabulous Olly Giroud back in there though.
And fuggedabout dropping Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Lad was the most dangerous guy on the park for stretches there, coming off a great spell for England too. Walcott’s on his way back but he’ll need to work up his fitness, Alexis Sanchez is one of the best players in all England. The only way to squeeze two strikers and two of those guys in is a 4-4-2, which is not happening. Actually, what about LVG’s midfield diamond? One in behind the strikers (probably Alexis), Ox and maybe a Ramsey in the middle with a licence to roam and a holding midfielder in behind. Oh, no scratch that. I said ‘holding midfielder’. Never mind. (Not really Ox’s best possie either)
Rooney and Di Maria had two pretty identical chances to score late, both one on ones on the counter attack. Rooney took two good touches, moved left across the keeper and chipped it across and over him and into the net. Di Maria tried to do the same thing from the middle of the goal and put it wide.
Manchester United have only lost once in their last 15 games vs Arsenal.
Oh, Wayne. No.
Rickety Rodgers
I wanted to watch the Crystal Palace vs Liverpool match. I wanted to, but I slept clean through it. So when I got up and checked the score, it should have come as a complete surprise… but it didn’t.
How bad is that? Liverpool lose to Crystal Palace and I can’t even bring myself to laugh. It’s tragic.
My next thought was a sudden realisation that Brendan Rodgers could be sacked. This was the first time that it became an actual possibility and not just a punditry hot-take. It was just too much, too obvious, that they lose this game after the collapse that helped cost them the title in this fixture last season. Fans can handle bad results if there’s hope out there. But once things get stale, once it gets to the stage where you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, that’s when jobs get lost. It’s what happened to David Moyes last season.
Liverpool sure enjoyed Rickie Lambert scoring, didn’t they? This after rumours that the players were getting fed up with Rodgers sticking with Balotelli. Poor Mario. At least it shows that Rodgers is capable of making a decision.
Sky High Southampton
The Saints were supposed to be in disarray after selling half their team between seasons, not to mention losing their manager. Yet here we are almost a third of the way through the season and Southampton are up in second place. It’s been an incredible start to the season and some people are even talking them up as Champions League contenders. I have my doubts, here’s why: The Fixture List.
As good as they’ve been, and defensively they’ve been better than anyone, the Saints have had it pretty easy so far. Of the seven teams that finished ahead of them last season, they’ve only played Liverpool and Spurs – and they lost to both (Southampton’s only two losses this season). Half of their 8 EPL wins have come by a score of 1-0. The latest game, a draw with Aston Villa away, would probably have been the same but for a rare Fraser Forster error gifting Gabby Agbonlahor an opening goal in a game they completely dominated but struggled to take advantage of (still a good point for a week night on the road).
They deserve immense credit for what they’re doing, but there’s probably a reversion to the mean on the way. As is always the case with scheduling, it evens out. Here are Southampton’s next 10 Premier League games:
Maybe they win all 10 with a flurry of Pelle goals and Forster clean sheets. Maybe they sink faster than Luis Suarez’s teeth into an Italian. Either way, we’re about to find out just how good they really are.