Arsenal 1 – 0 Swansea: Match Thoughts And Individual Analysis

Three points more than welcome but a great deal of work remains to be done.

Arsene picked the expected line-up, handing debuts to Mertesacker and Arteta. It was a strong looking side and almost everyone expected a win for the Gunners.

The Spaniard had an early chance to make his mark as he won a free-kick just outside the box in a central area. I read somewhere (probably on twitter via Orbinho) that Arteta hit the wall with 13 out of his 15 free-kicks last year. With that in mind it, a similar result wasn’t surprising but one would hope for better in the future.

A couple of minutes later, at the other end, a cross from a seemingly harmless position saw Danny Graham get the better of Mertesacker but Szczesny did well to keep the ball out. It would turn out to be the visitors’ best chance of the first half.

The corresponding moment for Arsenal came in the 15th minute. Frimpong passed it to Arshavin around the centre circle. The Russian beat two players with a neat turn and played it through for Walcott. Theo got in behind the defence but wasn’t able to finish with his weaker foot. First the Keeper got a touch and it slowed the ball down enough for a defender to make a goal-line clearance. Van Persie was free to Walcott’s left and on such occasions one learns to appreciate the need for an extra pass!

The rest of the first half was mostly played in the Swansea half but Arsenal weren’t able to create anything more than half-chances. Shots from outside the box either went wide or were blocked. Vorm wasn’t that busy in goal.

Out of nowhere, Arshavin scored what turned out to be the winner. Walcott’s shot was blocked and the Keeper gathered the ball to the right of his goal. Vorm then tried to roll it into the path of his central defender who wasn’t looking. The ball hit the back of his leg and fell kindly for the Russian who finished from a difficult angle with his weaker foot. I liked the way he enjoyed the goal but didn’t really celebrate it. Some might say this is the reason smaller teams punt it long from the back. It was harsh on Swansea but one got a feeling Arsenal would eventually have scored.

In a way it might have been a blessing in disguise for the visitors. They came out fired up in the second half and pushed Arsenal back. The now familiar hesitancy returned among Gunner ranks as the complexion of the game changed. The second half had more end-to-end action.

Within 10 minutes or so the woodwork on both sides had been rattled and other half-chances created and missed. Swansea were growing in confidence whereas Arsenal were looking nervous. The number of aimless hoofs from the back increased as the midfield failed to provide the options for passing the ball short under pressure. The visitors were able to force mistakes through their pressing but just didn’t have enough quality or cohesion in the final third. To their credit, Szczesny and the central defenders dealt with most of the threatening moments with assurance. As we have seen for a while, the Gunners were struggling in the wide areas and were trying to make up for it by crowding the space in front of goal. In this game it worked.

I thought Wenger made good substitutions. Bringing Benayoun on for Arshavin provided another ball-playing midfield player and Arsenal were able to control the game/ball in patches.

Chamakh for Van Persie was another good change. The Moroccan offered more energy as he replaced tired legs. He also offered an aerial presence. On a number of occasions he was able to win the long clearances that were thus far finding opponent heads. In the 83rd minute Chamakh almost broke his home scoring drought when a Gibbs cross found him around the penalty spot. His header was good but a tad closer to the Keeper than one would have liked.

But the best substitution in my opinion was the introduction of one youngster for another. In the 75th minute Arsene sent Coquelin on for Frimpong who was looking a bit ragged as the game went on. I thought the French lad showed excellent composure and got in very good positions. Some of you might find this hard to digest but I have a feeling Coquelin will outshine Frimpong this season.

Both teams had excellent chances of scoring in stoppage time but failed to convert. Szczesny flapped at a corner and the loose ball fell invitingly in front of a visiting player who could only hook it over from a few yards with the goal gaping. At the other end Arsenal had a 4-v-1 opportunity but Ramsey played a tired left-footed pass that didn’t have enough distance to beat the lone defender. Gibbs too had a good chance but hit it straight at the Keeper.

All-in-all this was a good, open game with both sided showing the right spirit. That said, neither set of supporters will be really pleased with the performance of their side and will expect to see serious improvements.

I thought Arsenal had three midfielders who are all kind of new to the team for various reasons. Frimpong is a rookie, Ramsey is still rediscovering his form after his horrific injury, and Arteta was playing his first game for the Gunners. Considering that it wasn’t hard to see the lack of understanding that slowed the play down occasionally or led to missed passing opportunities.

Individual Performances:

Szczesny: A couple of good saves, collected some aerial balls really well, could have ended with a black mark when he completely lost the flight of the corner in stoppage time. Should not be rushing into crowded areas like that.

Sagna: Had a solid first half but struggled a bit in the second. Was caught out for pace on more than one occasion on the right edge of the box, recovered well but conceded some corners. Crossing was poor barring one effort that could have led to a goal if Van Persie had gambled on it coming through.

Mertesacker: Very assured in his tackling, read the game well, good positioning. Wasn’t as much of a monster in the air as one might expect.

Koscielny: Conceded one really dangerous free-kick but apart from that there wasn’t much wrong in his performance. Was fairly comfortable in the first half and alert in the second.

Gibbs: Good energy and pace on the left. Got into useful attacking positions. Put in a couple of good crosses. Can’t recall any major errors.

I thought the back five did well enough but the quality of the opposition meant that it wasn’t that stern a test.

Frimpong: He wins hearts and plaudits with an all-action style. Looks powerful and dominating in the middle but has some technical weaknesses. His touch and passing let him down on more than one occasion and it also led  to a loss of possession in central areas. Has the energy to chase and harass the opponents which partially makes up for his weakness.

Ramsey: Wasn’t that effective in the attacking areas but helped create some half-chances. Work rate was good and dropped deep when the team lost possession.

Arteta: Looked classy and played some delightful passes. Another player who did his bit in defence. I’d like to see him take charge from deeper positions when the opponents are pressing as high up the pitch as they did in the second half. Nevertheless, it was an encouraging debut.

I thought Arsenal lacked midfield runs into the box. When the runs were made there was a lack of understanding with the man on the ball. These things will come with time. The midfield should make a conscious effort to control the tempo when the opponents are pressurising the defenders.

Walcott: Almost scored, missed some opportunities to lay it on a plate for Van Persie, was fouled a lot but didn’t get the call from the ref. His crossing was poor but I put it down to a lack of cohesion in the side. There were rarely enough bodies in the box.

RvP: Excellent movement and work rate, hit the post, got into great positions, must be annoyed with Walcott but pleased with Arteta.

Arshavin: Was looking lively in the first half and the only real source of creativity on the pitch. Took his chance well. Still doesn’t look that confident. His style demands better and faster passes from the midfield.

The attack was not as sharp as Gooners would like. Part of it was down to the fact that the midfield trio was relatively new and the rest was down to the weaknesses in the individual play of Walcott and Arshavin.

Subs: Coquelin impressed with his positioning and technique, Chamakh with the controlled headers, and Benayoun with his touch and movement although I did feel he went to sleep occasionally.

Wenger: I thought the starting line-up was as good as it could have been. There seems to have been some effort put in regaining composure when the opponents attack in numbers. It needs more work, not only in terms of sustaining possession but also in transitioning to attack. A balance between rushing the ball forward to a lone attacker and over elaborating in the middle needs to be found. Defensive organization remains a question mark and better teams will create a lot more trouble. Substitutions were useful and appropriate.