Nine Jimmy Rimmers – Arsenal and Football

What can you say about that?   A big slice of luck at the beginning.  Horrendous confusion at the end.  In between we played some good stuff on patches but failed to take a real grip on the game.

We hit cross-bar, City hit the post.  Much more end to end than I expected.  Song and Wilshere worked hard in the midfield but we rarely got into a good rhythm.  City worked really hard to close us down.

Szcesny was lucky to stay on the pitch from just a few minutes in when Bowyer went down in the penalty area.  I’m not sure whether he actually made contact with Bowyer but I’m pretty certain it would have been given if the Assistant hadn’t wrongly stuck his flag up for offside.  Clichy was playing Bowyer onside by a couple of yards.

The two City goals were exactly the sort of situations that gave been caused us problems.  In both cases we failed to win the first ball.  In the first case Djourou drifted off Zigic.  In the second, Koscielny, well I’m not sure whether he just doesn’t connect with the ball or whether he changes his mind and leaves it.  Whatever.  Two players who have looked assured in recent games have had a nightmare.

The equaliser was a classic Arsenal strike. A determined skillful run from Arshavin and a terrific finish from Van Persie. It came during a phase when you thought Arsenal were going to win it.  Nasri did really well, but Foster kept City in it.

The finish was gutting, but we didn’t impose our class well before that and paid the price.  A big nine days now.  C’mon Arsenal.

***** Man of the Match poll running here. *****

Top Team
Wenger sent out what I think is our strongest side.

Walcott gives a sense of adventure that complements Nasri and Fabregas’s vision and footwork.  Playing Walcott allows the option if playing Nasri on the left.  Probably not the best place for him, but such is his ability that he is very effective there and it should give Arshavin pause for thought.

Chamakh has made a great start at Arsenal, but Van Persie (fit) is a class above. He doesn’t look completely on the money yet, he missed chances against Birmingham, but his vision, positioning and desire is there.

Djourou is a class act. Only his fragility stops him from playing more games. I hope that he can be paired with Vermaelen before too long.

First Half – Lucky Arsenal!
We were pacey and slick from the start, but we got a big slice of luck as well. The ESPN commentators claim that Van Persie dived for free-kick that yielded the first goal. They said there was no contact but you couldn’t tell that for sure in all the replays. Whatever contact there was though wasn’t major.

Birmingham didn’t defend the free-kick well. They let Fabregas into the wall without a fight and when he rolled behind it, all Bowyer could do was deflect RVP’s kick rather than close the gap. One-Nil.

Soon after, Van Persie made a complete mess of a defensive header. No contact with the head, definite contact with the arm. Did the referee see it? If he didn’t he was just about the only one.

City felt aggrieved and applied some pressure for a while, but Djourou and Koscielny coped with Jerome and Fabianski pulled off a couple of excellent saves.

Second Half – Class and Control
In the second half it was nearly all Arsenal. We dominated the midfield, particularly Nasri and Fabregas. It was complete control. They moved the ball quickly and players moved well to provide passing opportunities.

The second and third goals were both created by fast interchanges between Nasri and Fabregas. Nasri finished the second one with calm and skill. The third was slightly comical in that it hit three City players before going in, but that just shows how much pressure they were under.

All in all a good professional performance against a team that usually sees home games out. We’re still in the hunt, though Man Utd are still grinding out results without playing that well.

Lee Bowyer
Lee Bowyer is a nasty little thug. He stamped on Bacary Sagna’s thigh and the referee missed it. Hopefully the FA will review it and give him the punishment he deserves.

PLAYER RATINGS

Fabianski – 8
Two top-class saves and excellent distribution. Beginning to look like he’s in charge as well.
Sagna – 7
Another consistent and competent performance. Didn’t let Bowyer bully him.
Clichy – 7
One of his good games. Beginning to find some form?
Djourou – 8
I think he’s a star. Wish he was more sturdy, but when he plays he’s classy and strong.
Koscielny – 7
Competent, played a good calm percentage game.
Song – 8
Disciplined and industrious.
Wilshere – 7
Worked hard but missed a sitter.
Fabregas – 9
Bossed the game with Nasri. It’s taken a while. Has it been fear for his hamstring or getting his head around not being at Barcelona? Whatever. He looks the business now.
Nasri – 9
My player of the season so far. Great vision and quick feet.
Walcott – 6
Couldn’t really get in to this one as well as he did against Chelsea, but his presence keeps up forward momentum.
Van Persie – 6
I want to rate him higher for the reasons above, but he isn’t quite there yet and missed two or three chances. More to come I hope.

What did you think?

Manchester City
We beat them at home – let’s do the double on Wednesday. C’mon Arsenal!

Man of the Match Poll still running here.