Big win for us today!! Very needed win as well, because now everyone can shut the fuck up about who will score goals for us and so on. The team will also be able to get ready for Southampton with less pressure on them compared to after a draw or a loss today. I thought we were the better team throughout the game. We had good possession spells and we controlled the game for big parts of it. Created some good chances and more importantly we finally took advantage of them!
Defensively the third consecutive clean sheet is great but today we had bad defensive mistakes that could have been punished. Mertesacker for one, got beat by that fucking diver Suarez as early as the 6th minute and his lack of pace was badly exposed. Thank god later in the game Vermaelen started to guard Suarez and was able to better keep up with him. We also had a bunch of bad defensive passes that all led to dangerous counters. For big parts of the game we were pressing pretty good and we kept Liverpool under control but there were spells in the second half between the 50th and 60th min and then towards the end of the game where we stopped pressing and allowed them to create chances. Sometimes the front people would press but no one else would follow and big gaps would open up in the middle of the field. To be honest, Liverpool had a tough time pressing constantly as well and that allowed us to create some chances. The reason i am bringing this up even though we didn't concede a goal is because pressing is so crucial if you want to limit the other team's chances. A great example is the Southampton vs Man U game today. I was ready to celebrate the 2nd consecutive away loss of these shitheads and then Southampton just invited them in their own half and let them pass the ball around until they lost 2-3. RVP scoring a hat trick didn't improve my mood either...
I like that Jenkinson keeps things simple but sometimes when he is under pressure and has to pass the ball, he panics a bit and that leads to mistakes. He needs to get used to passing the ball under stress without allowing it to affect him. Mannone was solid today, even though he had a tough time with some high balls during the game. He did have some good saves as well though, especially the shot from Shelvey towards the end. I thought Diaby had a great game, he was one of our best players out there, especially in the first half and the beginning of the second. He got tired towards the end but the way he played today makes me wish he can just stay healthy. He reminds me of Viera with his size and has a good touch on the ball. The other guy who was vital today was Cazorla. As i predicted in the last few posts he is becoming a key figure in our team with his vision and passes. He can also shoot the ball well and we saw a confirmation of that today. His only negative is the lack of effort sometimes. I see him giving up on pressing people when he is tired. Oxlade-Chamberlain on the other hand was disappointing. He is too individual and continually tries to out run and out smart people instead of passing to his team mates when they are in a better position than him. He has alot of energy and desire but he has to channel it the right way.
But the most disappointing guy today was hands down Olivier Giroud. Unless i am missing something, this guy couldn't do anything right today. He looked slow as fuck, had many heavy first touches and a tough time controlling the ball. And most importantly: had 3 very, very, very good chances to score a goal and couldn't even hit the target. Fuck man, it's like watching Bendtner all over again except Bendtner would score once in a blue moon and he cost us way less than this guy. Let's hope i am wrong but right now, i don't see too much to be excited about him. Not just that but Wenger didn't even sub him. I guess he was pleased with his performance...I thought towards the end of the game he should have put Wallcott on his spot, because Liverpool were starting to push forward and we could have used Theo's pace for counters. Anyway, the one person i am happy Wenger didn't use is Gervinho, i was tired of watching his clueless repetitive runs on the flanks with no end product.
And let's not forget Podolski. Great goal from him. Typical shot with his left foot, we will see a lot of these types of goals from him: on the left, good through ball, he scores diagonally on the keeper. He gave a great pass for Cazorla's goal too. So, a hint of excitement for our new signings (except Giroud ofcourse). They are finally starting to deliver and in the case of Cazorla and Podolski it was just a matter of time. Giroud will be a question mark for now, hopefully he will improve fast. Let's pray for no injures during the international break and for a decisive win at home vs Southampton, who for big parts of the game today completely outplayed Man U, so we have to be careful with them and get it done!C'mon You Gunners!
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