First Half Wrap-Up

Welcome back everyone. I took a long hiatus during the holidays, not so much because I was too lazy to write but because I simply did not have a chance to watch any of the Arsenal matches, either due to a lack of television coverage or because of travel. As it turns out, however, the matches were the kind that deserve a miss. The Gunners couldn't manage better than a 1-1 draw at home against 10-man Wolverhampton, played a tight 1-0 match home to Queens Park Rangers, and then lost to 2011-2012 arch rivals Fulham in heart-breaking fashion as the "other" London side put in two goals in the last 10 minutes when Arsenal was reduced to 10 men themselves. Though only 4 of 9 points were taken from those very winnable matches, let us wash our hands of that and turn our attention to the new year, with Arsenal only one point out of the final Champions League spot. But before we get to immensely important matches (hosting Manchester United on January 22nd!), me actually being able to watch the upcoming games (hopefully), and the second half of this exciting Premier League season, let's look back on the first half of the season and assign some halftime awards. In each category, I will be making a decision both for Arsenal and for the Premier League as a whole, in an attempt both to cater to the purpose of this blog and engage in a larger conversation about the league in which the Gunners play. Let us begin!

Best Player

Arsenal: Robin Van Persie

I use "best player" here rather than "most valuable player" due to continued debate over what the MVP award is actually supposed to represent (don't make me rehash "Tiki Barber over Sean Alexander" arguments from 2005 - I swear to God I'll do it), although in this case the distinction is irrelevant. Robin Van Persie has been as dynamic as anyone in the Premier League, leading the league in goals with 17, picking up 5 assists along the way, and being about as important to his team as anyone could possibly be. What do I mean? Van Persie has just shy of half his team's goals, with Gervinho comes in second tallying four. Van Persie has eight game winners so far this year. And all of these numbers are in the Premier League alone, not Champions League where he adds another four scores including a game winner. I am aware that the italics got a little out of control there, but they seem to be necessary to showcase the man's accomplishments. Arsenal would not be in contention without the Dutch international and I find it quite likely that they wouldn't have scored at all yet this season. Robin Van Persie is the obvious choice for Arsenal's best player so far this year. Honorable Mentions: Wojciech Szczesny, Alex Song

Premier League: Robin Van Persie

Cry homer pick all you want, but I see no way in which Van Persie wouldn't be the odds on choice for any non-Arsenal fans as well (even you, Spurs supporters). The key is that it's not that the Gunners captain is running up his stats with garbage time goals; his team has needed him and he rose to the occasion when they were at their most desperate. As I said above, just shy of half of his goals are game winners, and not just against new additions Queens Park Rangers and Norwich City, but Premier League giants like Chelsea and perennial top half teams Everton and Stoke City. I do not discount impressive campaigns from other players, but this has been Van Persie's season thus far. Honorable Mentions: David Silva, Demba Ba


Most Disappointing Player

Arsenal: Andrei Arshavin

I chose this category rather than a simple "worst player" because I think we'd rather talk about potential contributors instead of whoever is in the 18th spot on the bench. With that said, Andrei Arshavin wins a tight race because of how much Arsenal needs him to fulfill the role of the steady veteran off the bench or to spell starters, and he has been utterly miserable when called upon. When playing their full squad, Arsenal has a very competitive lineup that should be good enough to get them to that final Champions League spot, or at least remain in contention all season. But a team can't spend an entire year as a contender if they cannot afford to rest their starters. The season is too long and there are too many different titles to chase for the same eleven players to run around on the field each day for ninety minutes. Arshavin needs to provide that rest, but also that spark off the bench to add instant offense when Arsenal needs a goal from an important match. Instead, he comes onto the field and promptly disappears. It's not just his solitary goal and single assist on the year either; it's the fact that he detracts from the Gunners flow rather than add to it, often putting in poor crosses, losing control of passes, or skying ill-advised shots from distance. Arshavin is notoriously streaky in his play, but at 30 years old, this may be more than a bad run. This may be who he is now, and Arsene Wenger would do well to realize this and give other more mentally sound players a chance. Honorable Mentions: Marouane Chamakh, Tomas Rosicky

Premier League: Andy Carroll

It's become en vogue to mock Andy Carroll (especially if you are a Men in Blazers listener), but it's hard to say that it's not deserved. Carroll was one of the big signings last year for Liverpool, as he and Luis Suarez were brought in to revamp the attack in the wake of Fernando Torres' huge move to Chelsea. But while Suarez has been in exceptional form (racist verbal sparring with Patrice Evra notwithstanding) Carroll has done fuck all in his first full season in Merseyside. The £35 million signing has a total of two goals and worse, there is no sign of a turnaround. Early in the season, there was plenty of talk about "this is just a slow start, he just needs to get his feet." Now the discussion has turned to a debate about whether he should ever start again for Liverpool. While the latter talk is perhaps a bit dramatic, there is nothing to suggest that this is just a rough patch for Carroll with his "true" form just around the corner. Things could click for him. After all, he is only 23 and perhaps some confidence is all that is needed. But if that doesn't come, what are Liverpool to do? Would a club pay even £10 million for him at this point? The second half of the season will not only be about Carroll's ability to keep Liverpool in the hunt for a Champions League spot, but also his ability to preserve his image as an in-demand talent. Honorable Mentions: Charles N'Zogbia, Samir Nasri (I swear that's objective)


Most Interesting Storyline

Arsenal: The Fall, The Rise

It's a common sports cliche to describe a team's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde performance as "a tale of two seasons," but that isn't quite right for this Arsenal squad. Though they were as equally good and bad as that description might suggest, it was more about surviving the first month of the season and then the dramatic recovery that had people saying "wait, maybe Arsenal aren't dead in the water."

Let's be honest: the beginning of the season was awful. Not so much in terms of the quality of play, but in the multiple converging storms that turned into a full on Shakespearean tempest. First was the dual transfer sagas of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, clouds hanging over the head of Arsenal that not only kept quality players off the field, but also kept Arsenal from moving forward with the business of replacing them and having a full squad. Then it was the injuries, starting the season without Thomas Vermaelen and Jack Wilshere, an issue that was compounded by the suspensions to Alex Song, Gervinho, and Emmanuel Frimpong during the early games. With all of the players missing for various reasons, the first few weekends of the season were a disaster, only mitigated by the playoff win over Udinese to make it into the Champions League group stage.

But then, miraculously, the team began to rise, and for as many reasons as there were problems at the beginning of August. For one, the team actually became whole. Song and Gervinho came back after serving their three game suspensions, but the most important factor was when Arsene Wenger finally completed his transfer acquisitions, signing Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker, and Andre Santos. There were other signings like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yossi Benayoun, but the aforementioned trio were the most important in the early stages because they solidified the starting eleven that Wenger would roll out every game. Mertesacker gave a Laurent Koscielny a legitimate defensive partner, Santos provided the attacking threat down the left flank, and Arteta supplied the creativity in midfield needed to possess the ball and direct the game. Slowly, Arsenal started winning, mostly on the foot of Robin Van Persie, and now find themselves one point out of fourth place when many pundits wrote them off at the beginning of September.

Arsenal still has their issues. They are absolutely decimated in the back, with injuries to no less than six fullbacks, but for now the line is holding. The transfer window gives them a chance to shore up that area, but they also are in desperate need of a back-up or strike partner for Robin Van Persie. The arrival of Thierry Henry has been a fairy tale thus far, but he was playing in MLS for a reason. He's not a cure-all, though he may be an acceptable placeholder, but the real issue is getting someone in for the future as well as the band aid for the present. If such a player is not available during the transfer window, then that's understandable. But if Wenger doesn't push hard to make an impact signing, it will be a failure on his part.

Will Arsenal feel the effect of dropping so many points in the early season? Most definitely. Conservatively speaking, the Gunners would be four points up on Chelsea and within striking distance of Tottenham if they had just played ok rather than miserable in August. But even with the slow start, Arsenal is in the position to make a run at the Champions League. If they can't seriously pressure the subjects of our Premier League storyline, a spot in Europe in 2012 would still be a fantastic result considering how the season started. Honorable Mentions: Van Persie's Brilliance, The Rise of Wojciech Szczesny

Premier League: Battle For Manchester

Early in the year, all anyone could talk about was how excellent Manchester United was and how the title was theirs to lose this year. There were rumblings about how Manchester City were looking good and starting to come together, but the focus was assuredly on United. That is until the massacre at Old Trafford, when City dismantled the champions-elect 6-1 and sent everyone into a tizzy about how the little brother of the city might have the talent to finish the season unbeaten. Now that the dust has settled, the pundits have taken their Xanax, and the hyperbole levels have fallen, it is generally assumed that the race for the Premier League title is a race for supremacy in Manchester itself (unless you enjoy being avant-garde and throw Tottenham in as a dark horse candidate).

The success of United shouldn't surprise anyone since they are a constant force at the top of the table and last year's champions. However, City's rise to dominance took more than a few by surprise. Most experts pegged them as too talented to not make the top four, but there was far from a consensus regarding their title hopes. This was a team that received the gift of Arsenal's collapse and snuck into third place while playing a particularly dour brand of soccer. "Boring boring City" is a popular chant for a reason. But this year the creative floodgates have opened and not only are City winning now, but they are doing it impressively and with flair. They are solid in the back and Roberto Mancini can still put Nigel de Jong in midfield for some steel, but they are best when incessantly attacking the net. David Silva has been a revelation this season and if it wasn't for the form of Robin Van Persie, he would be the odds-on favorite for player of the year (and some people still believe that he is despite Van Persie's season thus far). Though Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri haven't quite worked out as expected, City has found transfer success with Sergio Aguero, who is currently third in the league with 14 goals. With their wealth of options up front and the many different ways they can format their midfield, City look poised to be a contender to the end.

As it stands now, City has a three point lead on United, with Tottenham six points back of City but with a sneaky game in hand, making them perhaps more than just the sexy choice of the more hisptery of pundits. City has the money to make a splash in the transfer market so despite being a little thin now with injuries, they should be your favorites to stand on top in the end. However, they are not that experienced with "squeaky bum time" (thank you Sir Alex Ferguson for that one) and if they slip up on some of the easier fixtures or don't get up for the big matches, it could leave the door open for United and Spurs as well. My pick would be City, but not much would surprise me at this point. Honorable Mentions: Tottenham's Beautiful Football, Norwich City's Newcomer Success


Best Coach

Arsenal: Arsene Wenger (WHAT?!?)

These last two are categories where there are no choices for the Arsenal awards, but I'd like to use the Arsenal sections to discuss issues close to Gunners fans' hearts and then move on to the broader picture. In the case of Arsene Wenger, I find it hard to fault his coaching this year. I have my more minor complaints (don't play Andrei Arshavin or Kieran Gibbs in an important game ever again, at least have Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the bench for Christ's sake, see how Theo Walcott would do if partnered with Robin Van Persie up top, etc.), but in general Wenger's method this year has been flawless. He never panicked when the team was at their worst and he got the most of his previously uninspiring captain to pick them out of it. Then once his team was set, he did the only thing he could: field essentially the same team game after game knowing that it was the only way for them to get used to playing with each other and to make up the points that he needed to. We might be seeing the effects of that a little now with the injuries and dropped points over the holidays, but look where things stand. At the beginning of the season, people were calling for his head. Now Arsenal is into the fourth round of the FA Cup, sitting a point out of fourth place in the Premier League, and already locked up first place in their Champions League group with one game to spare. It's very hard to argue with that.

What is much easier to argue with is Wenger's spending strategy during the transfer window. I respect that Arsenal doesn't have oil money and they balance their books better than any other top tier team, I really do. But there comes a time when you simply need talent above bargains and youth. Arsenal was linked to so many quality players during the summer transfer window, from Juan Mata, to Keisuke Honda, to Chris Samba, and locked down exactly zero of those big names. Don't get me wrong, Andre Santos was a nice pick-up until he went down injured and Mikel Arteta has done a good job controlling the game from his deep position in the midfield. But I would take Samba in a second over Per Mertesacker and I salivate at the thought of Mata in the Gunners' midfield, even at the expense of Arteta. Wenger has built his team well and relatively inexpensively compared to the deep pockets of Manchester City among others, but sometimes you need to make the big move. If Arsenal can knock off AC Milan to get to the quarterfinals of Champions League and qualify for European play next year as well, critics will have to keep their mouths shut regarding Wenger. But if Arsenal falls off the pace and misses out on that Champions League glory and money, expect a lot of people to point at his inability to pull the trigger to get the players he truly wanted. Honorable Mention: Arsene Wenger, Arsene Wenger

Premier League: Harry Redknapp

I know, I know, I didn't want to give credit to anyone from Spurs, let alone the orchestrator of the whole circus. But dammit, Harry Redknapp has his team playing the most attractive brand of soccer in England and they really are a delight to watch. Moreover, he's done it without the financial resources of the super rich clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea, or the sheer drawing power of an also-rich club like Manchester United. The signing of Scott Parker has proven to be absolute genius, as is the acquisition of Emmanuel Adebayor on loan. Between the brilliant personnel moves and the tactic-less tactics (to hear Redknapp talk about it at least), this has been the Spurs' manager's year thus far, even in the face of Roberto Mancini's handling of Mario Balotelli and the style of football he has his team playing at the moment. Harry, I will always root against you, but at least in this you have my respect. Honorable Mention: Roberto Mancini, Alan Pardew


Best Team

Arsenal: Arsenal

Well, it's been a pretty crazy year so far. I hope anyone reading at the beginning of the season took my advice about making it through the bad start because it's been a good ride since then. I've gone over the ebbs and flows of the season and a lot of the main issues, but here are a couple of quick hitters to send you off on.

-Aaron Ramsey needs to play better. He didn't make my "most disappointing" nominees, but he came very close. I think it's because I have high expectations for him, but I still think they are reasonable. Consider this: when this season have you thought to yourself "Aaron Ramsey was Arsenal's best player today" after a match? Save the Marseille goal, when has he truly stepped up to the plate? Now think about how many good chances he's missed wide, or how many shots from distance have curved far away from the goal, or how many times he's dribbled all the way back to midfield rather than pass around pressure. Get what I'm saying? I feel like he should be a staple of the side by now, but in reality he's on the chopping block for when Jack Wilshere comes back. The Gunners need a better second half from him.

-The return of the injured. Last I saw, Andre Santos won't be back until March, but Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sanga could be back by early February. As these important players come back, as the depth returns a little bit (especially at fullback), we might start to see Arsenal make more of a push as they will have a chance to rest starters more and more, while still putting forward quality players. Plus the chance to see Wilshere back is worth the wait by itself, so here's hoping everyone progresses as expected.

-Gervinho for Chamberlain? Of course as players come back from injury, other players are leaving, with Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh playing for their countries in the African Cup of Nations. Now, I couldn't care less about Chamakh leaving. One of those inflatable arm flailing tube men would have more scoring instinct than the Moroccan. But losing Gervinho hurts as he brings so much speed and menace to the left side of the field. Fortunately, this will give Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain the chance to get some real big boy minutes for the Gunners and I couldn't be happier about that. Chamberlain is a real talent and he seems ready to burst onto the scene, so I only hope that this period of increased play follows the script. I mentioned earlier that Arteta, Song, and Mertesacker were the essential transfer signings in the short term because they helped to stabilize the team, but Chamberlain may be the real success story long term if he can continue his trajectory.

-The Henry Experiment. I don't know if the loan of Thierry Henry is going to be the move that gets Arsenal over the hump and into the Champions League places for next year, but it's a great story regardless. It already started in dramatic fashion when he came on as a substitute in the FA Cup match against Leeds United and scored the game-winning goal ten minutes later, so who knows how far it can go? I have my doubts about the 34 year-old's quality considering he was on his retirement tour in MLS previously, but if he can contribute, then he can contribute. Either way, it should be fun to watch.

Premier League: Manchester City

This one wasn't hard to see coming, but it doesn't make it any less true. I already broke down what I feel are the key components to Manchester City's rise back in the storylines section, but there is always more to talk about. Let me just say this: Samir Nasri. Edin Dzeko. Adam Johnson. James Milner. Nigel De Jong. These are players that have routinely come off of City's bench this year, switching out starts or just acting as tactical substitutes. This is the depth of talent that Roberto Mancini has at his disposal and that is frightening to consider, especially for all of the critics who say that City will inevitably burn out. Now, they do have injury problems right now which is why Mancini has been not so subtly discussing his squad's depth while the transfer window is open. But between the money City can raise by sending unused players out on loan and the money that seems to pour out of their pockets whenever a talented player is mentioned to be looking for a new team, they should be able to pull in some important players before the end of January. We will have to reassess things after February begins because the landscape could be quite different once all the players have landed in their new locations, but I stand by my earlier pick of City to stay in control of the league. I would rather it be Arsenal, but if I'm choosing between City, Manchester United, and Tottenham, I guess I'll have to root for powder blue.

This season has been crazy so far and is liable to get even more ridiculous going forward. As long as the television scheduling is merciful, you will see a lot more posts from me over the course of the rest of the campaign. Thank you for reading and As Always, Go Gunners.

Does This Make Arsenal "Good?"

It is a sage piece of wisdom in nearly every sport, but it bears repeating here as well: good teams win ugly games. Not that their main method of winning is to win ugly, of course, but good teams are able to come up with that extra bit of quality that propels them to victory. That game winning basket, that one last drive, that smart base-running play; successful teams find some way, any way, to will themselves to take a win even when things have not been going as they should. The match versus Aston Villa on Wednesday was a prime example of what happens when a favored side doesn't fully commit to a game and they run into a tough underdog. There are plenty of explanations for why Arsenal didn't come to play in their trip to Villa Park. There was a letdown after the close loss to Manchester City; this match was too quick of a turnaround from Sunday's encounter; the Gunners didn't take Aston Villa seriously. All of these could have been reasons for the Gunners' slowness physically as well as psychologically, but with no way of knowing what exactly kept the team down, let us just say that they did not have their best of matches. However, on their fourteenth corner kick of the match, Yossi Benayoun somehow found a way to get free and give Arsenal three points regardless of what had happened for the last 86 minutes.

That previous time in the match was an oddly lackluster near hour and a half for the Gunners. It wasn't a bad performance exactly and to characterize it as such wouldn't be fair as there were moments of quality to be seen. However it was decidedly not good either as there seemed to be no organization to the Arsenal attack and the midfield passing was rather sloppy, a rarity from the London club. The best word I can think of to describe what happened yesterday is "disjointed." Arsenal was there and was competing, but everything seemed to be just a bit off. It's difficult to describe as the numbers don't quite bear out the difference. In shots (on goal), Arsenal led Villa 11(5) to 9(3), while also dominating in possession 62% to 38%. In perhaps an even more telling stat, Arsenal won 15 corner kicks to 7 for Villa, high numbers on both sides but especially high for Arsenal. But while everything points to a dominating performance that was born out in the end by a late goal, that just wasn't the case.

It is at this point I realize that I could be accused of having perhaps a poetic, subjective view of how "my" team was playing in a match that all statistics point to a different story. It is possible that I'm assigning this performance an unnecessary star-crossed feel by saying how it all wasn't fitting together properly when in fact it was a strong performance by Arsenal, though perhaps not up to their normal standards, which resulted in beating an inferior team. But even though this notion is running through my head, I don't believe that I am changing the feeling of the game by finding this storyline where Arsenal weren't mentally there. For stretches of the game, Aston Villa were legitimately the better team. Before Robin Van Persie's converted penalty kick in the 17th minute, Arsenal looked uncomfortable in possession and had already relied on the heroics of Wojciech Szczesny once to keep the game level. After the PK, Arsenal exhibited more control, but it was in the manner of a team that was finding its feet and working its way back into the game rather than "ok boys, we've got the lead let's bury this thing now." It wasn't until early in the second half when I felt that Arsenal were finally getting control of the match, but then of course Thomas Vermaelen made one of the few bad passes you'll see him make in the year and gifted Marc Albrighton with the equalizer. After that, the build of control completely ceased and Aston Villa were dominating the match. Arsenal looked not defeated, but instead as if they were debating whether or not they wanted to continue, to struggle to regain control. It wasn't until the double-switch in the 81st with Andrei Arshavin and Yossi Benayoun coming on for Gervinho and Aaron Ramsey that Arsenal finally realized that they needed to step it up and win this game or they would be dropping points to an Aston Villa team that has looked anything but convincing this year, yet was giving Arsenal all kinds of trouble in this match. The goal from Benayoun was an escape, but it did the job of securing the full three points and getting an important road win.

Escape or not, however, it was the right result for a team that has proven they are capable of this kind of play this year. Arsenal should never have left it so late. They should not have let the tying goal affect them so negatively and they most definitely should not have waited a full half of the match to begin playing to their ability. Still, they got the result. It is a rare team, or perhaps an impossible dream, that brings the full 100% every single game. More likely, a team will have these types of games over a long season where something just isn't going right. We don't know for sure whether Arsenal is a good team to the extent that they will qualify for Champions League or maybe even challenge for the domestic title. But wins like this certainly give us hope.


Game Notes

-For Arsenal to reach their highest levels, they will need to improve upon their ability to convert corner kicks into goals. Since their loss earlier in the year to Tottenham (a time period that is generally connected with Arsenal's turnaround), Arsenal has only given up more corner kicks than taken once (3-2 vs Chelsea) and only three times on the year in sum. Four times they have earned 10 corner kicks or more with a whopping 129 in total in the Premiere League thus far. With all of these dominating stats, Yossi Benayoun's match winner on Wednesday was only the second goal off of a corner kick all season. Something tells me that that sub 2% conversion rate just isn't going to do it. For starters, every single ball into the box is an in-swinger. If the kick is to the left of goal (when facing it), Mikel Arteta hits it in with his right. If it's to the right, Robin Van Persie hits it in with his left. I understand that Van Persie has a wicked left foot but something has to change when faced with these results. Van Persie is a natural goal scorer who simply has to be in the box for a corner. He's good in the air and he has a knack for doing whatever it takes to put the ball in the net, so he will most likely pick up some garbage goals as well. If this is too drastic of a change, at least switch from in-swingers to out-swingers every now and then as the delivery is entirely too predictable at the moment. Changes must be made.

-I'm unsure whether to applaud or shake my head at Francis Coquelin for his performance in this match. On the positive side, he played the full 90 minutes for his team out of position, which can account for some of his mistakes. Save an obvious gaffe or two in the first half, he did look competent on defense and he has respectable speed. On the negative side though, one of his gaffes was getting badly beaten by Charles N'Zogbia and the other was a poor yellow card for tackling N'Zogbia out of frustration. He began to get forward more towards the end of the match, but that was due to the final push to get the go-ahead goal and he showed almost no threat before that. I like Coquelin. I've said before that I would like to see him get more time and if one way of doing that is to play him out of position while Arsenal is thin due to injury, I can understand that. But he would need to show improvement the next couple of times out or giving Ignasi Miquel the start at left back while moving Lauren Koscielny to the right seems preferable.

- I mentioned in my last post that I would prefer to see Yossi Benayoun coming off the bench than Andrei Arshavin, and this match has pretty much sealed it. It was not just the goal though; Benayoun played with pace and the desire to win the ball, which is exactly what is needed from him when you're trying to get a crucial goal. Granted Arshavin saw the field too due to the double switch and granted he did play slightly better than his past performances, but he still is not a game-changer. I would still much rather see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain than either of the veterans, but if you're going to play one then Benayoun is the one to pick. As Always, Go Gunners.

Bench Full of Nothing

If you missed the Manchester City vs Arsenal match on Sunday then I feel nothing but pity for you as it was one of the most entertaining matches I've watched all year. The soccer haters will scoff at calling a 1-0 match entertaining, but this was a game with chance after chance where the score could just as easily have ended 5-4 (and perhaps should have, depending on your opinion on the finishing versus the defense). Arsenal fans should take heart as this is a match that the Gunners could easily have won if certain plays had luck change just a bit in Arsenal's direction. Having said that, Manchester City was the better team yesterday and if luck had gone just a bit more in their direction, we could be talking about a 4-0 walkover instead. Arsenal did look a bit scattered at times on defense, but that is unfortunately to be expected with four fullbacks hurt and therefore Johan Djourou and Thomas Vermaelen playing out of position on the flanks. The offense created chances but could not finish, except for the one beautiful chip by Robin Van Persie that was correctly called back for offsides. All of these things happened and plenty more, but rather than giving a blow by blow report of what transpired or breaking down specific aspects of the game, I'd like to harp on the reason I believe Arsenal lost this match: depth.

To regular readers of this blog, I'm sure I sound like a broken record. I've mentioned time and time again how Arsenal is incredibly thin in the back, how they don't have a suitable back-up for Van Persie, how they need to make moves in the January transfer window, and so on and so on. But in this case, I'd like to point to the Gunners' lack of depth with a much more concrete example from Sunday's match. In the 65th minute or so, Arsenal was down one to City and of course there was no reason to assume that Arsene Wenger wouldn't go full out for the draw, or even win, playing away against the league leaders. The question then became, who would he send into the game to try to get the equalizer? As I asked myself this question, my heart sank. I could not think of a single player who was the go-to instant offense for a situation like this. Then I sat upright in excitement because I realized that this was the perfect environment to send Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in: low pressure (can't really fault a team for losing by a goal away to the best team in the league), high impact (tons of pace down the wing in a game where one goal changes everything), and absolutely up in the air. Imagine my dismay when I checked the roster for the match and saw that he wasn't even available as a substitute. As you know, I am generally a defender of Arsene Wenger and his style of managing. This, however, is the main area in which he and I disagree this year. I cannot understand for the life of me why Oxlade-Chamberlain doesn't get more run with the side, or at least why he's not even available in most games. He has shown great talent and poise thus far in his young career and he is the perfect player for these types of games, where the Gunners need some spark and a goal. But he wasn't even available. Arsene, I don't understand it.

Instead, our glorious leader went with Andrei Arshavin and things just went downhill from there. I understand the introduction of Arshavin. When at his best, he provides speed and quickness, can create offense out of nothing, and will run hard at a tired defense. But let's be frank: Arshavin has not been at his best for the better part of the last two seasons. I don't know if this is who he actually is now that teams are used to playing against him or if he just has an atrocious case of the yips, but the Russian is simply no longer a viable option. His play in Manchester was abominable and Wenger should think long and hard about how much time Arshavin actually should see. Perhaps it's time to put some feelers out to Anzhi Makhachkala...?

Marouane Chamakh was the other substitute used (aside from Ignasi Miquel, but that was a forced substitution when Djourou went down with an injury) and though he doesn't deserve his own section, I'm going to give him one anyway. The problem with using Chamakh as a substitute in this kind of game is that he's a poor man's Robin Van Persie. Actually, that's not entirely accurate. He is a single-mother-working-three-jobs-to-keep-food-on-the-table-for-her-four-children-while-trying-to-fend-off-the-advances-of-her-over-aggressive-boss-but-keeping-from-losing-her-job's Robin Van Persie. While that might be fine for Carling Cup matches or meaningless Champions League games where the group is already wrapped up (or just resting Van Persie in general), Chamakh simply doesn't fit into a match where Arsenal is behind and Van Persie is still playing. Aside from his poor form for the last year, he doesn't bring anything to the table and doesn't mesh right with the rest of the tactics. So when you see him warming up on the sidelines, it doesn't exactly make an Arsenal fan think "ok, we still have a shot at this thing."

The rest of the bench yesterday varies from "he doesn't do what we need right now" to "dear god no, not him!!" For the record, I view Emmanuel Frimpong as the former and Tomas Rosicky as the latter. The aforementioned Miquel is an interesting player who I think might have a future with the Gunners, but he isn't an attacking option that you bring into a match like this. I still haven't given up on Yossi Benayoun and if in the future Arsenal needs to bring on an experienced winger, I do hope Benayoun gets the call over Arshavin, but he isn't exactly a spark of energy at a desperate time. He's more the type of player who will see duty when Gervinho departs for national team duty. So who does that leave? Aside from Oxlade-Chamberlain, no one. There are some younger players that might grow into the role, and when Jack Wilshere comes back that will help since most likely there will be a rotation between him, Aaron Ramsey, and Mikel Arteta, but as of now Arsenal doesn't have the players for every situation.

With the loss at Manchester City, the depth issue has gone beyond the realm of "just in case someone gets hurt" or "when we need to rest a player." Arsenal's lack of an offensive substitute may have cost them three points on Sunday as the game was still there for the taking up to the very last second. I know that Arsene Wenger believes in his squad and I fully agree if he's limiting that belief to his starting squad. But the bench is not good enough and the Gunners can't afford to drop anymore points going forward. Here's hoping he has the good sense to find some upgrades during January.


Game Notes

-Aside from his nice effort on goal in the 56th minute or so, Theo Walcott was invisible during the big clash with Man City. It should be noted that he has been a big factor in many of Arsenal's games this year, most notably the win over Chelsea, so it is not my intention to bring up tired old stereotypes of Walcott's ability. But his absence was notable in a game where most people expected Arsenal to exploit City on the wings using the pace of Walcott and Gervinho. The Ivorian did his job but Walcott seemed lost during the game, never calling for the ball or making himself a part of the play. One game is excusable, even if it's a big one, but please don't make this a habit, Theo.

-I never thought I would lament an injury to Johan Djourou but I must admit to being quite worried when I saw him leaving the field on Sunday. With now five(!) fullbacks hurt, it looks like Arsenal will be forced to start Thomas Vermaelen and Per Mertesacker in the middle, with Ignasi Miquel on the left and Laurent Koscielny on the right. Things will get "better" when Kieran Gibbs comes back in a week and this starting four is not the worst that Arsenal could put forward, but the overlapping runs and marauding attitude of Bacary Sagna and Andre Santos were definitely missed in the match versus City. The ability of Arsenal's first-choice fullbacks to get forward puts teams further back on their heels, especially combined with the work and speed of Walcott and Gervinho. Miquel showed signs of getting forward on Sunday and Koscielny made a run or two, but with nowhere near the consistency of Sagna and Santos. Aside from the injury concern over Robin Van Persie, I think this lack of flank play will be the main worry for the Gunners going forward.

-I haven't mentioned him in the while, mostly because it seems that good matches from him are automatic, but Wojciech Szczesny is having a monster of a season. He made several crucial saves on City attackers and gave Arsenal a chance for the entirety of the match. I heard some rumblings about how he could have done more to punch Mario Balotelli's attempt away since it eventually became David Silva's tap-in goal, but that is nit-picking a man who has been sensational all year. The young Polish international has proven himself to be one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League this season and I for one am so happy to have ended the Manuel Almunia era. Kudos to you Wojciech. As Always, Go Gunners.

Fitting the Games to the Narratives

Several times this year I have mentioned different narratives that Arsenal fans have gotten used to, and deservedly so, over the years. Playing fancy rather than to score, trying to pass the ball into the net, not having a killer instinct, not being tough enough to hold on against top competition, and so on. Though these themes are simple constructions and constructions of this nature do not have a direct bearing on new matches, they are useful for various reasons. For starters, they are grounded in the facts of the past. Arsenal has, over the past couple of years, not seemed to have the steel and fortitude necessary when it was required. When the players got knocked around and roughed up, they seemed to fall to the ground and raise their hands, bewildered as to what the opposing team could possibly be doing. The desired response of course is that the Gunners would realize what was happening, adjust accordingly, and at the very least not let such tactics disrupt their game. Though these instances have occurred in the past, it is important to consider the narrative for the future because many of the current Arsenal players are veterans from those teams with all the troubles. There has been turnover of course and it would be easy to say that Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri were "those" kind of players and now things are completely different, but that would be a bit disingenuous and quite removed from reality. The fact is that this Arsenal squad will be rightly judged by the performances of the recent Arsenal squads until they prove that they are different. With this entire season taking a different tone than any past season (awful start, Arsene Wenger's job on the line, brilliant comeback, so on), why then is the team still being not just judged by past narratives but crammed into them?

If you watch this fantastic interview, you (hopefully) will come across thinking two things: 1. Russell Brand is much more intelligent than you had originally thought and; 2. His point about narratives is very well stated. For those who don't want to bother with the video, he argues that narratives are used in politics so often nowadays because it's a way to express an idea without actually having to argue for that idea. It's much easier to portray George W. Bush as a Washington outsider and a cowboy from Texas than it is to make that same argument when the evidence shows that he grew up in Connecticut, went to Yale, and has a man who was Vice-President and President for his father. We use these narratives to express things because it is an easy way to typecast and label someone or something with very little effort. It's a straw man argument, but one that is difficult to disprove because the story itself is built into the heads of the people who are already familiar with the subject matter. It would be very easy to use the "action hero" label on Colin Farrell due to his performances in movies like S.W.A.T. and Miami Vice and therefore assign a whole other set of characteristics, both positive and negative, without even having to enumerate or defend them. So now it would fall on a defender of Farrell to point out that he was brilliant in the dark comedy In Bruges, or that he played a very understated role in Crazy Heart, or that he was hilariously over the top in Horrible Bosses. It's an uphill battle to fight these narratives because they already exist in people's minds and merely need to be appealed to.

The Russell Brand interview was repeating in my mind as I watched the Arsenal vs Everton match today because I couldn't believe how hard the announcers were trying to make the match fit their prefabricated notion of what an Arsenal match really was. We've seen this plenty of times already this year, from pundits calling the early season the "downfall of Arsenal" despite the fact that at one point they had three starters suspended and another four injured, to a draw to Marseille at home being proof of the Gunners' lack of character. I've heard these comments before and they've annoyed me, but I acknowledge that I watch the team week in and week out and, as a fan, there is the possibility that I'm biased. However, today's commentary sent me over the edge. I have never heard a match be so obviously shoe-horned into a particular set of contrived ideas than the one today.

To me, it started with the chance that Theo Walcott had in the 15th minute. He received a beautiful through ball and broke into the box on the right side. Rather than take an open shot though, he tried to play across to Gervinho but an Everton defender slid in to break it up. Gervinho still got the ball back and put a shot in on the open net but another Everton defender slid in front of it to deflect the ball over the endline. In my notes on the match I had ripped Theo for not taking the shot initially, but then I saw that Howard had done well to come out and limit the angles and that there were two Arsenal players open to Walcott's left. I still would like to see him shoot it as maybe Howard would give up an easy rebound, but I understand that he saw a potentially better option with the pass to set up the tap-in goal. What came from this was the beginning of a game-long "Arsenal is trying to pass the ball into the net" narrative that never let up. It's one thing if you want to say "Theo should shoot there and if he doesn't then it has to be a better pass." It's a completely different story to say that this is a fundamental problem with Arsenal as a team. If that pass is properly spaced then the ball is in the back of the net and those same announcers would be praising Walcott's decision-making ability. And that's my problem. It's not that someone may disagree with me regarding an assessment of what happened, it's how disingenuous the whole build-up of this narrative is.

This went on throughout the match and the commentary got worse and worse. Despite Aaron Ramsey turning beautifully in the box and floating a shot just barely over the post, despite Walcott having a near post blast stopped by an outstretched Tim Howard, despite having Howard stop a low Gervinho when the Ivorian was in alone, despite all of these chances and just slightly missed balls, Arsenal's play had been "disappointing" at the half. I thought to myself "they have to be joking. This has been one of the most entertaining matches I've watched all year! Arsenal has had a lot of opportunities, true, but many of them were shut down by fabulous Everton defending or barely mistimed runs or passes. How could this be 'disappointing?'" The worst, in my mind, came in the 55th minute when Walcott thundered a low volley into the box that was just slightly behind Robin Van Persie, which caused the ball to deflect away. This was simply a well-struck ball that was inches away from being a goal, but was instead pinballed out in a reasonable fashion. Instead, the announcers called it "a wasted chance." I was stunned. "Unfortunate timing" I could see. "A bit unlucky" I would understand. "A wasted chance" because a ball that was well struck but never quite on target didn't go in the back of the net? You can call every play in the box that doesn't result in a goal a "wasted chance" then. Again, it's how people are disingenuous about these critiques. If the announcers weren't already working with the "disappointing match for Arsenal where they can't score a goal" narrative then the commentary would have been a little more balanced and a little more rational.

Luckily Van Persie put that narrative out of reach with his brilliant strike to put the Gunners ahead for good in the 7oth minute and in the end, a 1-0 Arsenal win was a very likely outcome. They had been the better team all game, had the most dangerous chances, and deserved to have one of them put in. Then again, Everton defended brilliantly all day and played very well for ninety minutes. They were unlucky not to get a point out of the match, and would have even been justified with the full three points if a bounce had gone their way. Ultimately, this was a hard fought game in which Arsenal attacked very well, Everton defended very well, and the game could have gone in either direction. And, but for a moment of brilliance, it may well have. Is it so wrong to say that? Is it so wrong to respond to a game as it's being played rather than shove whatever happens into the box of what you already want to say? I think that it might be best for all involved if we started looking at the games as they happen on the field rather than come in with your direction already prepared. But what do I know, I'm not a commentator.


Game Notes

-Briefly keeping with the theme of the narratives, did the announcers really need to reach so hard as to call Theo Walcott's performance "disappointing" and say that he needs to "develop consistency" despite the fact that he very nearly set up two goals, almost scored one himself were it not for a world class save by Tim Howard, and was an absolute menace on the wings whenever he touched the ball? He did miss a couple of crosses badly, which he knows is not his strong suit, but he still had a largely productive game. Michael Cox wrote an excellent article recently where he asked "Why so hesitant and forced?" when people praised Walcott, and he's right. Walcott has played exceptionally this year, posing a constant threat on the wings while adding two goals and four assists during Premier League play. What does he need to do for people to start giving him at least some credit?

-Speaking of credit, here's some for Alex Song, my man of the match. All game long Song was instrumental in playing the strong holding midfielder role in front of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker (due to Thomas Vermaelen being forced to play out of position at left full), but he did much more than that. He passed well out from the back and he also made several brilliant passes up to the front, including the perfectly weighted chip that found Van Persie for the game winner. His outside of the foot curling through balls almost led to several other goals as he had one of his best games of the year. Brilliant stuff from Alex Song.

-Once again though, the ominous specter of Depth looms over Arsenal, waiting to derail its title hopes. When the match was still 0-0 in the 65th minute or so, I was looking over the bench list to see who they could bring on to liven up the game. I then became extremely worried. Arshavin, Benayoun, Rosicky, Chamakh? Good God. When Walcott pulled up lame, I first looked for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as a replacement only to see that he wasn't even on the bench. I understand that Arsene Wenger wants to rely on his veterans as a stabilizing presence, but they are not game changers. He either needs to let some kids like Oxlade-Chamberlain have some run, or make smart moves during the transfer window. If he doesn't, Arsenal just won't have the firepower to outrun Depth. As Always, Go Gunners.

Losing Steam?

Momentum is a funny thing in sports. It is incredibly important but is created through all kinds of events, from hustle plays to unbelievable outcomes. It can drive good players to do great things and great players to become historic, yet sometimes it seems to have no affect on players at all. Some players soldier on regardless of the tide crashing into them (e.g. Aaron Rodgers) while others couldn't be carried to shore at Manhattan Beach (e.g. AJ Burnett). But it really does seem that anything can start or change it. There are certain instances where it is fairly obvious: a walk-off home run changes the momentum of a series, or a huge interception gets a team into that "we can win this thing" mode. But other times it's something less noticeable: a scrappy shift by a fourth line in a playoff game or a sweetly struck winner up the line by a player who was starting to lose faith in himself. When anything can change momentum, fans begin to worry at the smallest signs of a team faltering if that team has done it in the past. No Minnesota Vikings or Cleveland Browns fan doesn't get that lump in their throat when things start to fall apart. No Washington Capitals or San Jose Sharks fan doesn't throw up their hands and yell "Again?!" when their team gives up a big goal in a playoff game. Even when fans try to be supportive, you can still sense that nervous energy that buzzes around the stadium and the worry is always that the players feel it too. Given that Arsenal has had plenty of those moments over the last couple of years, what are we to make of the sloppy loss at Olympiakos?

Arsenal went into this match with all the momentum in the world. Arsenal was undefeated in their last 11 Champions League and Premier League matches coming into this game and people were starting to believe in them. That streak had allowed them to win their Champions League group prior to the last group stage match as well as rise to fifth on the English table, only a win/loss weekend away from climbing above Chelsea into the coveted fourth spot. Moreover, the team was playing as a real team, with Robin Van Persie leading the way looking like an absolute world beater. The hardships the Gunners had undergone seemed to bring them together and they looked tight knit, be it on celebrations after goals or the way they looked to pick out each other rather than running into multiple defenders and giving up the ball as well as their hopes. It would be quite reasonable to think that this new and improved Arsenal squad was on its way to better times. But then came the stumbling block.

Let's say first off that this match had everything going against Arsenal and every fan knew it. Arsenal had already advanced so were playing for nothing; Olympiakos needed a win to advance so were playing for everything; the match was in Greece; Arsenal was going to rest their most important starters; for the Gunners, the game didn't matter. And so it would be perfectly reasonable if Arsenal went out, knocked the ball around, scored maybe once, and got beat by a more enthusiastic, more desperate Olympiakos side. But what happened was far less routine than all of that. It wasn't that Arsenal lost 3-1, a reasonable score for this type of match. It was the way that they lost. The defense looked horrendous, partly due to a disinterested effort from Thomas Vermaelen, the first time I've really seen him play that way. Olympiakos pressed high and rather than string two or three passes to beat the first man and break into space, Arsenal's youngsters constantly gave the ball away. There were rarely connections between the ball coming out of the back to the attackers up front, especially once the perennial Greek contenders began to dominate possession. Once again, this can be excused by the inexperience of the up-and-comers that received the starts, but it doesn't explain the lackluster performance from Andrei Arshavin or why Yossi Benayoun was borderline non-existent. The iconic moment of the match was of course when third string keeper Vito Mannone botched a second save by foolishly trying to scissor kick a shot away when he had already retreated into the box and could have caught it instead. While this could all be expected from a game where Arsenal had nothing to win, in some people's minds it will be seen that they still had something to lose.

In my mind, however, this Arsenal team is different. I have written about it all year long and I believe that the pressure these players have been under all year has molded rather than broken them. The loss at Tottenham could have destroyed them. Instead the Gunners rattled off five straight wins in the Premier League. Their inability to clinch the Champions League group at home against Marseille could have set nerves on edge. Instead they went out and clinched the very next match against Borussia Dortmund. The home draw to Fulham could have brought the team back down to earth and made them doubt their goal scoring abilities. Instead Arsenal came back and blasted four tallies in at Wigan. This team has been playing from behind for so long that they no longer have excuses. They wouldn't have made it back to this point if they didn't believe they could win and a game like this is not going to stop that momentum. For Everton on Saturday, the full squad will be back out again and we'll see what the response will be. My money is on another Premier League win.


Game Notes

-With all that went wrong for Arsenal on Tuesday, the biggest was obviously the loss of Andre Santos for "a while" according to Arsene Wenger. Santos is still a fairly weak on-the-ball defender, but his runs down the left side and the combination play with Gervinho has been electrifying all season long. Even if you're the type of viewer who doesn't believe in the play of Santos, it's hard to argue that he wasn't the best option. Aside from being terrible, Kieran Gibbs, and Carl Jenkinson are both injured, so the role of left back could go to anyone from Laurent Koscielny to Ignasi Miquel to Thomas Vermaelen, though I dismiss the latter as a garbage idea due to how important Vermaelen is to the organization of the defense. Personally, I would keep Koscielny on the right hand side until Bacary Sagna is back and try out Ignasi Miquel on the left because in my mind, the only other option is Johan Djourou and we've already seen that he's only the answer when other players need a rest.

-One thing Arsenal must prepare for each match is their opponent pressing high as it continues to work against the Gunners. To be fair, this week it worked against young players and under-performing veterans and Arsenal was able to effectively counter when Fulham tried to get too close, using quick passing to break through the first line. But until they prove that they can counter it routinely and with devastating results, the high pressure will always been in the back pocket of opposing managers.

-Thomas Vermaelen, I expect games like that from Andrei Arshavin but not you. You're the heart and soul of this defense, perhaps of this team, and you can't have performances like that when your team needs you. Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone are by no means fine goalkeepers, but you did them no favors with your soft back passes and inconsistent marking. I know you were working with Sebastien Squillaci (perish the thought) but you have to make him better rather than sink to his level. I know you're a gamer and I know you're a leader, so I have faith in you. Prove me right. As Always, Go Gunners.

A Game Like This Was Coming

Starting out the season struggling is not normal for Arsenal. Failing to control possession during matches is not normal for Arsenal. Hell, standing up to physical play is not normal for Arsenal. However, a sense of normality returned to this Arsenal season as the Gunners finally had one of those matches where everything seems to be going right... but then it doesn't. Hosting Fulham on Saturday, Arsenal had the majority of chances (9 to 2 shots on goal), the majority of possession (56% to 44%), and the majority of corner kicks (a staggering 13 to 4), but could do no better than to salvage a draw. This was just "one of those games" for Arsenal fans, a game that you knew was coming because things had just been going a bit too well lately. A win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge? Uh-oh. Five straight Premier League wins? Getting nervous. Locking up first place in their Champions League group with a match still to play? Yup, things are about to go bad. It's the soccer version of the characters deciding to split up during a horror movie, except you don't want to yell at the screen because things have been going so well. But the honeymoon can't last forever and eventually the rising Gunners had to fall back to earth a bit. Too many games, too little margin for error. It was in the cards. The question is, was it a bump in the road or was it a sign of things to come?

Arsenal had won 8 of their last 9, with the only oddity being a 0-0 draw to Marseille in a classic "this doesn't mean everything, let's rest some people" game. Keep in mind, this was a run that they needed due to their past problems. The Gunners started the year taking only 1 out of 9 possible points, dumped what should have been an easy win to Blackburn, and lost matches to Liverpool and Tottenham, two teams that will most likely be competing for a Champions League spot until the end of the season. Arsenal also were forced to beat Udinese in a home and away playoff to make it into this year's Champions League, all while trying to find a viable lineup with all of the injuries and suspensions they were facing. The hole had been dug deep and to Arsenal's credit, they managed to climb their way out. More than just the wins, the attacking flair and possession game had returned as well. They weren't just winning games, but adapting to situations and doing what they needed to do to achieve results. I have been bullish on the Gunners play in the last few weeks and don't regret any of what I said, though I do note that I have said that the reborn squad needs to face sterner tests before we can hand them a 2012-2013 Champions League spot. This stumble at home to Fulham has given fans cause for pause and reevaluation, but there are reasons to think it was a momentary hiccup.

1. Arsene Wenger seems to have found his lineup. As players became used to the system and used to playing with each other, a pattern emerged and now we generally know what to expect from night to night, save the player at right back due to the injury to Bacary Sanga. With that consistency has come comfort and you can see it on the field. Gervinho is combining well with Robin Van Persie. Aaron Ramsey is finding the quick pass rather than turning all the way back to midfield himself. Mikel Arteta is beginning to become more of an influence rather than simply the person who receives the ball from the back. In short, a team that was in flux early in the season is now one unit and that lends itself to better teamwork. That's not going to go away just because of one draw at home.

2. Fulham played very well defensively. So far I have just discussed the way Arsenal has behaved (surprise surprise, it's an Arsenal blog), but Fulham deserves credit for their organization and response. This was a "park the bus" type of gameplan and for the most part it worked. Arsenal had chances in the first half, but not so many quality chances that they were incredibly unlucky to remain goalless. In the second half, Fulham got the break they needed on Thomas Vermaelen's own goal and then soaked up most of the Arsenal pressure, though they did concede to Vermaelen on their own end as well. Credit to goaltender Mark Schwarzer for a phenomenal game as well. It was not an absolutely masterful job all around, but the visitors did a good job of keeping Arsenal at arm's length for most of the game. Still...

3. The bad luck. It comes in all forms really. Ramsey skying a tap-in somehow. Per Mertesacker's header glancing just wide. Vermaelen's own goal. And then the bad luck that isn't quite luck, but still creates that "nothing's going right" feeling. Schwarzer stoning Johan Djourou's header on the goalline. Van Persie shooting at an open net, but the Fulham defender covering the angle perfectly to clear off the line. Andrei Arshavin scoring a goal, but from the offside position. So many things had to happen for this scoreline to be what it is. If Arsenal scored first, Fulham has to come out of their shell and expose themselves to counterattacks. If Arsenal kept attacking at 0-0 and Fulham didn't put eleven men behind the ball, that goal was going to come. If Vermaelen doesn't put one in his own net, Fulham likely doesn't score because they were putting almost no pressure on Arsenal. If Arsenal doesn't blah blah blah. The point here is that so much went wrong it's hard to look at this match and start to worry because it would be incredibly difficult to replicate the issues.

However, there is one key issue in the minds of all Arsenal players, coaches, and fans that has them looking over their shoulder at the Arsenal collapse of this past spring: depth. I mentioned before that Wenger has found his optimal lineup, and this is undoubtedly a good thing. The only downside is that this lineup is the optimal one because there aren't very many other variations that could even be considered. Save Laurent Koscielny, I wouldn't feel comfortable with any other defenders seeing considerable playing time in either the Champions League or Premier League. Save Emmanuel Frimpong or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, there are no midfielders I would want to see in a starting lineup for multiple games. And worst of all, there is no one on this club that can fill even one of Van Persie's boots. Eventually, Sagna and Jack Wilshere will come back and there'll be more depth in each line. But that is a long way down the road. Until then, Arsenal is forced to play the same players week in and week out due to chasing teams in the Premier League and entering the knockout stage of Champions League. There are no games off. That will absolutely take its toll over time, and it should be Wenger's prime concern during the January transfer window. When their best lineup is in, Arsenal look like they can contend in every league they play in. But sooner or later, they will be unable to play their best lineup, and that's when we'll wonder just how far they can go.


Game Notes

-I was skeptical at the beginning of the season, but I do see the value in Andre Santos now. He is not the best at on-the-ball defending, this much is true. And he hasn't been put in a head-to-head match-up that has tested his ability to remain a force going forward while still playing defense (to steal a phrase from Men in Blazers, he hasn't proved that he can "Cherundolo"). But my god, he gets forward so well that I'm starting not to care. I should care, I know. He's too unproven to get fully behind and if Arsenal were truly putting a stellar team forward, he would be the backup to a more well-rounded back. But for the money spent in this summer's transfer market, Arsene Wenger has done quite well.

-After praising Wenger, I feel like I should question him. When are some of the younger players for Arsenal going to get the chance to step up and play? Oxlade-Chamberlain has proven that he can play on a big stage, so why not give him a home start and spell Gervinho or Walcott? Emmanuel Frimpong can be somewhat impetuous, but he's played well this year. Why not let him spell Alex Song? Francis Coquelin is already making noise about leaving Arsenal for more playing time and he's a quality player. Why not throw him out there and see if he can make an impression? Players will need to rest and while I see the benefit of being able to bring in Arshavin or Yossi Benayoun with their experience, these young players need to get run as well, and not just in Carling Cup matches. Arsenal can't roll out the same starting eleven game after game so why not give a shot to these players with upside rather than the veterans who have already maxed theirs out?

-Every now and then it seems that we get a glimpse of everything Theo Walcott could be and this match against Fulham was one of those times. Walcott was the main outlet for Arsenal on Saturday and he made the most of it. He played well down the wing and even whipped in a well struck cross or two, but he was most dangerous when cutting inside with the ball and threatening goal. He now seems to have developed that shooter's instinct that is so necessary and I continue to wonder why, with all of the experimenting Wenger has done this year, Walcott hasn't been paired with Van Persie up top for the classic "target man, speed man" striker duo? I'm not claiming that it will work for sure, but it's something that is worth trying out. Hopefully Arsene begins to see things my way. As Always, Go Gunners.

The Evolution of Arsenal

All Arsenal fans want this year's team (and every year's team) to be a dominant and dynamic passing team, one who keeps possession of the ball but also gets forward strongly and cuts apart the opposing defense with clever one-twos and incisive through balls. A team that is simply better than their opponents and forces their foes to adapt to the Arsenal style of play rather than the other way around. A team who imposes their will and beats you how they want to beat you. That is the gold standard and will always be the ideal for every iteration of the Gunners. It is that kind of team that Arsene Wenger tries to build, those types of players he recruits, and to get to that point is the ultimate goal of the assembled squad. All of this being said, that of course can't happen every year. You can't spend every single season as the best team in the world and the most dominant team in the world. Still, the best team doesn't win every year, so other teams have a shot. The trick is for teams to figure out how to play their very best. Arsenal may not be an absolute force of will this year and they are most definitely not one of the favorites to win Champions League and be crowned the best team in the world. But with their win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, they have clinched first place in their group and seem to have figured how to adapt when they can't impose.

In my last blog post, I made a big deal about how the old Arsenal style of possession passing was back and it was a great thing. I should have been more careful to point out the difference between that style being back and that style imposing its will. This Arsenal team has gotten to the point where they can retain their passing style against teams that range from bad to somewhat above average (I only don't include "good" or "great" teams because we haven't seen the improved Arsenal team play any of those teams yet), which is no mean feat considering where they were two months ago. But just because they are able to play that way does not mean that they control the game that way. It is simply the style that gives them the best chance to win. Against teams like West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City, the passing game does dominate. Arsenal moves the ball around quickly, they're always on the attack, and the goals seem to come as if they were preordained, an obvious eventuality. However, when playing against a talented and spirited Borussia Dortmund squad, the passing game seemed more a tactic than destiny, and more plan than force of will. But, and this is the important fact to note, that tactic, that strategy, that choice gave the Gunners the tools to win the match.

Early in the match. Dortmund was absolutely flying around the field winning every ball, starting quick on the counter, and pressuring Arsenal high up the field. The German side was simply better for the first half an hour or so as they created more chances (including a vicious strike that went just wide left of the goal), showed more energy, and forced more turnovers in the middle of the field. But Arsenal didn't concede. Nor did they look panicked. Nor did they allow Dortmund to completely overwhelm them. What Arsenal did was slowly pull themselves back into the match and this is why I'm more convinced than ever that this Arsenal team knows how to win now. They knew that Dortmund needed a breakthrough early for several reasons:

1. Dortmund was playing away and feeding off the "us vs them" mentality, not to mention the support of their outstanding traveling fans.
2. Dortmund could not keep this pace up forever. No team can fly around the field that much for a full ninety minutes, not even if they have Bob Bradley drilling the mantra "conditioning over creativity" into their heads at every practice.
3. Dortmund had to use two substitutes in the first half hour due to injury, including their most talented playmaker Mario Gotze.

So Arsenal did what a smart team would do. They defended well and looked for attacks on the counter. Thomas Vermaelen did an excellent job organizing the defense and Alex Song had one of his better games as a solid defensive midfielder. For a while, the counters weren't working. They were losing the ball too easily or Dortmund was defending too well. But as the match went on, an Arsenal player would turn and actually have space. The string of passes to work out from the back would connect instead of being poked away by a lunging Dortmund player. The Gunners fought their way back into control of the game rather than just counter vs counter. If soccer was scored like boxing where you decided who won each three minute round, Arsenal might have been down as many as twelve rounds to three at halftime. But the score was still 0-0 and Arsenal was in control. There hadn't been a knockdown and definitely no knockouts, despite all the punches that Dortmund threw. Instead, it was Arsenal that landed the first haymaker when Song put in one of the best individual moments of creativity I've seen this year (I know, it sounds weird when I read that too). Dribbling down the left wing for what seemed like an eternity, he made a beautiful move to split two defenders and then picked his head up to put in a well-measured cross that Robin Van Persie nodded into the back of the net. From there on out, Arsenal had the lead and control of the match, and they did it by playing how they wanted to play, even if they couldn't dominate the entire game that way. It would seem that this team has learned how to win, and if that's true, they've done it at just the right time, sitting three points out of fourth place in the Premier League and into the knockout stages of the Champions League as the group winner.


Game Notes

-I guess this is why you play Alex Song. As I said to another Arsenal fan in the bar, "he's good for moments of stupidity twice every game, but has one of those once every five games." I don't think that's far off from the truth, but you have to hand it to him. When he has one of his good games, they're really superb. Against Dortmund, he defended very well, stopped counters, and brought the ball up from the back. Plus, he did that thing where he impossibly got between two defenders, cut inside, and put a perfect cross in for the go ahead goal. I know that Song isn't an elite defensive midfielder and it's a spot they should upgrade at some point. But I have that kind of love/hate relationship with him that every fan has with a member of their team.

-Another very encouraging sign from Arsenal is the way they're responding to physical play. In past years, commentators have said that they don't have the steel to beat teams like Chelsea or Manchester United because as soon as they get knocked off the ball and "can't play all fancy," they take themselves out of the game to a degree. I don't see that so far this year. The game against Dortmund was very physical and there was little to no dropping to the ground and looking plaintively at the officials. Instead, there was a lot of good, strong shielding of the ball and working in space, even from players I wouldn't have expected to do that like Mikel Arteta. Considering how physical and demanding the Premier League can be for a full season, this is a great attitude to see from the Gunners.

-OH MY FUCKING GOD ROBIN VAN PERSIE IS SO FUCKING GOOD LOOK HE'S SCORED 33 GOALS IN 2011 AND IS THE GREATEST PERSON TO EVER PLAY ANY SPORT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE.

No seriously, he's amazing right now. As Always, Go Gunners.