This was what you call a tough, physical game. Everton, as expected, were very organized and at times a bit too physical, but i thought we held our own against their physicality, except at times, we were whining too much. If the referee is allowing the game to be that physical you have to adapt, you can still let him know what you think, but don't whine every time you get bumped. The result today was disappointing in the sense that we really need all the points we can get, until the end of the season, but the team's performance was pretty solid. We controlled the game for long periods and we just lacked the finishing touch. I do have to make one note right now though: Cazorla should NEVER play on the wing! Not that he can't, he is good enough to play any position, but we basically waste all of his vision and passing abilities when we stick him out there! He should be in the middle of the pitch where he is running things and controlling our attacks! Wenger, should show some sense and stop playing him there.
Everton started the game better than us. They were very organized and controlled the midfield for the first 15 minutes of the game. Pienaar missed a great chance in the 6th minute when a through ball found it's way to him with Mertesacker and Sagna too slow to keep up with his run. Luckily for us, he didn't hit the target. Slowly, we got into the game and started dictating play. We didn't create too many chances though and we almost got caught at the back again in the 39th minute. Gibbs made a great challenge and saved us from a tough situation. We finally created two very good chances just before the end of the half. First, in the 41st min Ramsey hit a great cross and found Giroud by himself, sliding for the ball, but he wasn't able to direct it into the goal. And then in the 43rd min, Wilshere gave a great ball to Cazorla but his shot got blocked.
In the second half we started well and Giroud and Cazorla had shots at goal, but then Everton took the game over for about 20 minutes. In that spell we had only one dangerous counter attack which Theo wasn't able to finish. The rest of the time, Everton were passing the ball around and we weren't pressing organized enough to take it back. Barkley went really close to scoring with a great shot. After Podolski and Oxlade came into the game, Cazorla went back to the middle of the pitch and then we pretty much dominated until the end of the game. The best chance we had was in the 77th min. Podolski started everything with a great pass, we caught Everton on the counter attack and eventually Oxlade was alone against the keeper and instead of taking a shot, tried to pass to Giroud and the Everton defenders cleared the ball. We came close again in the 89th, when Arteta made a great run and had a chance to shoot or pass to Giroud, but he took too long and the ball was stolen off his foot. At the end we didn't do enough to win the game but i felt we had a solid performance all around.
The defense today had some tense moments but those were far and between. Considering how physically strong Everton are, our defense had a very good game. We limited their chances and kept them at bay for the most part. We made some individual mistakes, but overall we were solid. Szczesny had a good game. He wasn't tested too much but he looked in control out there. Hopefully that spell on the sidelines will do him good and bring out the skills we know he has. Sagna got beat early in the game when he didn't stay with Pienaar when he had his big chance. Other than that mistake, he was solid throughout the game, he even crossed the ball pretty well for his standards. Gibbs was very active as well, he also got beat badly in the 55th minute by Mirallas, when he took a risky lunge and once Mirallas passed him, there was no one to cover for Kieran. But he also made a great sliding tackle in the first half to prevent a 1 on 1 against Szczesny. And he was a constant presence on the left wing, trying to find space for crosses and shots. Mertesacker and Koscielny were solid and won a lot of high balls. With the size of Fellaini and Anichebe you would think we would have a lot problems from set pieces, but we managed those beautifully.
The midfield was good today. At times very good. But they also had a tough time with the constant pressing of Everton. Cazorla was doing 360's just to get away from people. As i mentioned earlier, he should have been in the middle of the pitch from the start. Once he was there, he was brilliant. Even from the wing, he gave some great passes. He put a lot of effort and his crosses were a bit better today. Ramsey was outstanding. Yes, i said it! I always give credit to players when they deserve it. Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while know how frustrated i was with Ramsey in the beginning and the middle of the season. He wasn't playing well enough, making stupid mistakes and dumb decisions over and over. Well, the same way i bashed him for those, now i give him credit. He has been playing good the past few weeks, but today he was great! He was all over the pitch, chasing people down; tackling; passing the ball around and creating chances. In the 81 st minute he gave a 40 yard pass across the field to Podolski and put it right on his foot. I hope he keeps this up, because we all know that he is talented. Wilshere was better than he was on Saturday, but still not great. He had some good passes but his game wasn't flowing the way it normally is. Arteta was great today as well. Besides the defensive work he normally does, he was active going forward and made a great run towards the end of the game, too bad he couldn't finish it better.
Giroud had a good game, we needed his size up front and he won a lot of high balls. I only wish he had scored Ramsey's great ball in the 41st minute! He had a few more shots at goal and was looking for a way through the defense until the end of the game. I thought Theo was a threat, but he didn't have a great game. He made some runs on the wing but Everton were doing a great job of keeping up with him. Coleman in particular is super fast!
The changes Wenger made were very good. Both Podolski and Oxlade went straight into the flow of the game and helped us put pressure on Everton. I definetely think Podolski should be starting on the left instead of putting Cazorla there. I would have also put Rosicky into the game, he has been playing well and could have been a game changer unlike Monreal who seemed a bit lost when he came in. So, overall a good point for us. I wish they were three of them instead, but we played a solid game against a good team. Hopefully both Chelsea and Tottenham will lose some points too. C'mon You Gunners!
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