SC Braga 2 – 0 Arsenal: Match Thoughts And Individual Analysis

Firstly, let me just say congratulations to Braga for believing in themselves, playing with a plan, and taking their chances. It was an excellent display of disciplined defending and counter-attacking football by the home side that fully deserves the three points.

Secondly, I’m a bit concerned that refereeing in Europe is slowly going the English way in terms of tolerating dangerous physical play. The ref in this game was astonishingly pathetic and his assistants, especially those behind the goal-line were either blind or really stupid. I don’t say this to take anything away from Braga or to defend the Arsenal performance but just as a fact worth noting.

With that out of the way I can concentrate on Arsenal for the rest of this post.

I was very surprised and concerned when the starting line-up was announced. There were far too many changes for my liking and the starting eleven lacked balance.

With Walcott on the right and Bendtner up front we were always going to have a problem with our pass and move game because neither of them was going to contribute much to that. Theo is good at running with or without the ball but not at the tippy-tappy game. Bendtner’s touch and work rate means he cannot contribute as much as Chamakh does.

In order for us to creatively dominant we needed a strong midfield. By playing Wilshere and Denilson behind a struggling Cesc Arsene made sure we had a very weak midfield. It was compounded by having two full backs who have not played often enough and don’t have the same level of understanding with their teammates as Sagna and Clichy do. Song and Sagna should have started this game.

The result was that Braga were able to press Arsenal high up the pitch and the Gunners couldn’t bring the ball out of their defence in a meaningful way. Wilshere and Denilson struggled under pressure and Cesc did not have the work rate that we’ve come to expect. It could be the effect of his hamstring or a mental issue, I don’t know. The simple fact was that Fabregas rarely dropped deep and that meant most of our passing was square and backwards in the middle third or defensive areas.

The only person who showed any kind of urgency or desire in the first hour of play was Rosicky and it was a shame that he was stuck out on the wing for large parts. Every time Little Mozart came in the middle Arsenal looked more threatening as he was able to hold off the pressure and turn his man.

Walcott’s pace or Bendtner’s height were never really used as the midfield couldn’t create any space.

The first half had some interesting moments but either side failed to create any chances. Braga never really threw too many men forward and one could see they were happy to wait for their chance with the priority being a clean sheet. I don’t blame them; in fact I’d say it was a good tactical decision because if they’d conceded early and had been forced into going forward, Arsenal might have opened them up a lot more often.

Even in the second half I barely recall Arsenal creating anything in the first twenty minutes or so. In contrast, the hosts were gaining in confidence and were looking a lot more threatening on the break as the Arsenal players showed signs of desperation and lack of concentration.

The first horror moment for the Gunners came around the seventy minute mark when Cesc stretched for a ball over the top and immediately signalled for a substitution. I don’t know how long he will be out but I’ve a sneaky feeling this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Wilshere took on more responsibility after Cesc went off and Arsenal looked a lot more threatening. Walcott put Rosicky in behind on the right but his cross was weak and was cleared before it reached an unmarked Bendtner in the six yard box.

A few minutes later Vela was booked for what the ref deemed was a dive. Everyone else watching the game could see it was a clear penalty. That proved to be the turning point as a goal at that time would have put Arsenal in a comfortable position.

Nonetheless, there is very little justification for what followed.

Eboue was injured by a clumsy foul and had to go off. That left Arsenal with 10 men on the pitch. Not surprising giving the referees impotent attitude towards the physical game.

The free kick was in a decent position just inside the Braga half and it was launched towards Chamakh at the back post. The Moroccan wasn’t able to direct is across goal and the ball went behind him towards the touchline. There was no Arsenal player there and the defender was able to find his teammate half way inside their own half. From there, a long ball over the top saw Matheus clean through and he finished with aplomb.

Once again it showed how dumb Arsenal are with their set-pieces. When the ball was going to the back post how can we not have someone on the edge of the box who can attack the clearance or at the very least close the pass down? What’s the point of having Denilson in the middle of defence when he just doesn’t have the pace to chase the runner? Why wasn’t the quickest player, Gibbs, in the defensive line? To me the problems stem from a criminal negligence towards set-pieces, the result of which was there to see all game long.

The ten men had a mountain to climb after the goal with very little time remaining. Most of it was spent hoofing the ball forward without a real plan and Braga were never under pressure.

The game was settled in the final minute of injury time when Matheus was able to break once again. The challenge from Denilson in the centre was really weak. Even then, Gibbs had enough pace to cover and it seemed that even Squillaci got back in time. Unfortunately, the three Arsenal players who got back never really tried to win the ball and Matheus had the talent to place it in the corner to complete a solid win.

Arsenal had 71% possession but it was all “Denilson quality” possession meaning the ball went sideways or backwards with very little genuine threat or penetration.

With two pathetic performances Arsenal have put qualification for the second round in jeopardy and there is a good chance we will finish second in this group even if we win the next game. On the basis of the last two outings I can’t say we deserve any better.

Individual Performances:

Fabianski: Once again didn’t have much to do and couldn’t do much for the goals.

Eboue: not very good. Was embarrassingly nutmegged on a couple of occasions. No real contribution in attack. Sagna would have helped us move the ball better and faster.

Squillaci: Looked solid for an hour but the pressure started to tell after that as the midfield went further forward and left the defence isolated. Almost gifted the opposition a goal with a daft header. Not sure if he played Matheus onside for the first goal. If he did it would be a massive mistake.

Djourou: Superb. Can’t really blame him for this performance. Looked very calm and composed, tackled well, won headers, good distribution.

Gibbs: had a couple of exciting moments in the final third but the final ball was lacking. Did a good job of defending the left wing with a safety first approach. Should have done better for the second goal but I can’t say that affected the result.

On the whole, I can’t really blame the back five except a bit for the second goal, which was academic given its timing. The midfield couldn’t carry the ball forward but the defenders did a decent job except one or two mistakes that happen to every team.

Denilson: Was good at defending and intercepting in the first hour when he was playing close to the defence. Was woeful in bringing the ball out of defence and failed to deal with the pressing. Was clueless when Matheus made the run behind him and didn’t have the pace or willingness to chase. If he’d been sprinting back it might at least have put the striker under pressure to rush his shot.

Wilshere: struggled under pressure initially. Misplaced a number of passes. Did well in the final 15-20 mins.

Cesc: lacklustre and uncharacteristic. Doesn’t matter whether he has a physical or mental issue, he should not be playing if he is struggling so much.

The midfield was easily the biggest problem area. We could rarely bring the ball forward with purpose and incisiveness. A substitution should have been made at half-time or early in the second half. Of course one can argue that if the penalty decision had been correct the same team and tactics would have succeeded. My point is that this game should have been a lot more comfortable and should not have come down to one penalty decision so late in the game.

Walcott: was boxed in a corner for most of the game, his runs were rarely picked. Can’t blame him much.

Bendtner: had to drop deep far too often but his positioning in the box and desire to attack the ball can be questioned. Still he didn’t do too bad given the appalling lack of service.

Rosicky: My man of the match if one can be given in such a game. Looked confident, always positive on the ball, decent defensive shift.

I don’t blame the attackers for this result. They rarely got any service and only reason Rosicky looked lively was down to the fact that he dropped deep and came into midfield. Can’t really expect that from Walcott and there wasn’t much Bendtner could have done.

Subs: Chamakh won some balls in the air, Vela looked lively, Nasri didn’t get into the game that much.