Sunday, August 26, 2012

Another scoreless draw

It was the second time in this season, Arsenal were held by a scoreless goal. After last week drawing against Sunderland in the Emirates Stadium, this week, they were unable to beat Stoke City in their home, Brittania Stadium.

Well, it is never easy to win here. Last season, Arsenal held 1-1, two years ago, Arsenal were beaten 3-1. Stoke were so strong in their home base, so shouldn't Arsenal be happy about this draw, for not being beaten by the Potters? Well, this time, it was Arsenal who had more possession, and all the corners in this game. Arsenal were quite dominant for creating chances, but the cutting edge was there. On the other hand, Stoke City, sporadically threatened Arsenal's goal by a direct balls and set pieces, but Vito Mannonne, who is trusted by Wenger to fill in the void left by injured Szczesny, was always able to handle the situation well.  It was the game Arsenal should have been winning, but the fact, they only got a draw.

The good thing about this game is the solid defence shown by all the backfour. Skipper Thomas Vermaelen was dominant in the air, and Per Mertesacker was able to handle Peter Crouch well. Jenkinson was quite troubled by Kightly, but generally, he fought well with Michael Kightly in the right flank. Kieran Gibbs minimized the threat from Jermaine Pennant. Gibbs even made some threatening runs down the left side. Abou Diaby used his height well to defend against high ball. The solid defence shown maybe one of the good effects from Steve Bould's appointment as a assistant coach, replacing long-serving Pat Rice. Steve Bould was one of centre back in the famous back four during 90s, alongside Tony Adams, and as a former defender, he should be able train defense well. For the first two games, the backline looks solid, but we is yet to know when the defence faces tougher team, like Chelsea, City, or United.

Beside defence, three of the new signings seem quite well linked with the team. Santi Cazorla once again became the heartbeat of Arsenal's attack, and his over-the-head passes was excellent. Lukas Podolski was a different person from last week, where he was nowhere to support the attack. This time, he was aggresive chasing down the ball, and was getting more room as a result playing on left side of the field. He made some great runs, but unfortunately, his crossings were not as good as his runs, and failed to create any clear chances from the crosses. Olivier Giroud might have not scored any goal, but he is getting the right position, and snatched some chances. He was strong enough and could flick the ball to other team mates. It was something Arsenal missed in last season, a strong target man who could hold the ball well. Actually, he came close twice to scoring. His overhead kick wasn't too accurate, and his long range shot was just slightly above the target. I'm sure once he score, his goal flows will continue, and probably, he will win his second golden shoes consecutively, in different league, who knows?

In the negative sides, Arsenal still lacking of cutting edge. Song's loss wasn't really felt by the Gooner, but yes, Arsenal still misses someone like Robin van Persie, who could score goal when anyone couldn't. Cazorla is a flair player, but his flair is much more for passes. Giroud and Podolski showed some promise in this match, but they still need time to prove themselves. Gervinho, once more, failed to create final product, and Walcott, or maybe Chamberlain, might replace him next match.

Two matches, four points dropped, not really a good start, but hopefully the Gunners will bounce back next week, against newly-revoluted Liverpool.