There was little joy for Arsenal today as they hosted Aston Villa, a late equalizer to stay top, notwithstanding.
Gallas - He played fairly well, and had some strong tackles, but Agbonlahor got in positions to cause Arsenal trouble over and over again. It was an Agbonlahor cross that got by Gallas that Senderos slotted in at the near post. Gallas came forward a few times, but the organization of the team going forward mostly looked like a mess (7).
Senderos - Even before scoring his own goal, he lost out terribly making a hopeless attempt to mark a player, and tripping himself as the player broke free to play a ball across the face of goal. His own goal was a real howler: under very little pressure and in a great position, he dealt with a fairly tame cross by beating Almunia at the near post. Clumsy. After that, he played fairly well, and was surprisingly good on the ball pushing forward. But the defensive organization was a bit of a mess, and Aston Villa had several chances to score. When Harewood came on, he looked like he relished the chance to play against Big Phil, and looked like he might get a goal. Senderos was replaced by Gilberto in the 78th minute (5).
Almunia - Had no chance on the Senderos goal. But made several saves to keep Arsenal in it (7).
Clichy - It was hard to tell on television, but Clichy might have been the weak link in the Arsenal offside trap. He didn't have one of his best games, but as the game wore down, he was finally able to put in a couple good crosses, including the one to Adebayor to set up the equalizer (7).
Adebayor - Couldn't get anything to come off, losing out on several chances to make a useful header, until the 93rd minute when he set up Bendtner (6).
Walcott - Played well in patches. He creates chances with his pace. It would be great to see him have a run of games to work on his end product. For periods of the game, he was the only bright spot (7).
Hleb - Along with Walcott, he looked like Arsenal's best hopes to create a goal. He set up Flamini, who blasted over. Hleb looked better after Bendtner replaced Diaby, and he started playing wide left (7).
Cesc - Had a great chance to score near the end of the first half and blasted horribly over. He doesn't look sharp going forward; never looked like finding the key pass to unlock the defense (6).
Flamini - Mostly played his normal game, but Arsenal were second best at home, and central midfield is the perfect position to make sure that doesn't happen. Never offered much going forward, and blasted over when he was ummarked at the edge of the box. Arsene Wenger replaced him with Denilson in the 78th minute (6).
Sagna - Steady performance. In some games this season, he's been able to push forward and get behind the opposition defense, but he didn't get forward a lot today (7).
Diaby - Didn't look up for it (5).
Bendtner - Did well to slot in the equalizer, but that was just about the only contribution he was able to make after replacing Diaby at the hour-mark (7).
It was nice to see Denilson play, but he and Gilberto weren't able to make a big impression in the short time they were on.
Arsenal looked jaded, and after taking 2 points from 2 games, their lead in the league has gone from 5 points to 1 point. Aston Villa gave Arsenal so much trouble at home, it's surprising to see Arsenal still top of the table. With more performances like that, their shrinking lead will disappear completely.
2 days ago
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That was a tense match to watch. Arsenal put a lot of pressure on Villa but couldn't create the final product. A lot of pretty passing but they couldn't find the solution to the resolute defense of Aston Villa. The opposition's midfield worked extremely hard and controlled it quite effectively. Arsenal's players looked out of sort between the midfield and the final third.
Theo Walcott was a bright spot but Adebayor couldn't take advantage of his runs. I think Arsenal needs Rvp and Rosicky back because some of the current players are fatigued. They need an injection of fresh legs and different styles to regain momentum.
I think there is a glaring missing piece in the Arenal team; that is a mid-distance shooter. We need someone who is willing to take shots that are available from 20-25 yards out. For days like yesterday when our center forward could not rise up high enough to head the ball home, the middle distance shooter can relieve the pressure on the forward and open up the defense. What do you think?
I completely agree that Arsenal are missing something. Cesc looks like he's at about 70% of his level from earlier this season, when he was scoring a lot of goals. Van Persie made the difference in some early-season games, and it would be great if he could come back in good form.
Even if Cesc carries on as a mere mortal and Van Persie isn't ready to come back, the side should still be able to pull itself together. If Hleb, Walcott, and Adebayor could all play well at the same time, this season could be put back on track.
Rosicky and Van Persie are the two players most likely to score long-range goals.
If there's not an impressive return to form on the trip to Milan, then some luck would be a welcomed alternative.
In general, Arsenal have very smooth passing and fluid movements and those create space for players to take shots. I dislike it when people accuse Arsenal of trying to passing into the net but sometimes it does seem that way. Hleb has a pretty fierce shot but he doesn't take it often. Van Persie is the only one who carries a credible threat outside the box. Flamini scored a couple with 20-yarders this season but we need more. We have plenty of dynamism in the midfield but not enough power.
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