Written by Filip Urbancík Wednesday, 28 September 2011 22:06

GunnerTalk Blog

By Filip Urbancik

Szczesny (6,5) – At last our squad have some assurance in Wojciech. In the 1st half he proved his quality when he saved us at least twice. Quite lucky not to concede a goal from that wonderful shot. He´s Arsenal‘s 1 by far at the moment!

Sagna (7,5) – Sagna is coming to his best for and he definitely made life difficult for attacking players of Olympiakos. His understanding with The Ox was at high level and I can´t wait to see them playing together more. One of the best performances this season, well done!

Mertesacker (6) – Calm defending and good passes forward. He probably made the crucial mistake when he didn´t get the ball and let 3 players behind which led to their 1st goal.

Song (6,5) – I´ve seen Song as a CB in quite a few number of matches but I´d rather see him as a DM. It´s not his natural position. He created the chance which led to the goal for The Ox and also made very good sliding tackles. To be honest this was probably the best display from him playing as a CB.

Andre Santos (7) – Smart run into the box and pass for Chamakh, bit lucky to get that deflected ball back but he scored a wonderful goal. He´s hardworking, fast and he also brought more quality crosses into our game, exactly what we needed.  He plays quite risky sometimes but he still defends well, he is proving to be a very good signing for us. Gibbs won´t find it easy and there is going to be a good competition for the LB spot.

Frimpong (6,5) – In my opinion a very good 1st half performance from him. Smart tackles and determination to win every ball. One or two moments when I said “That wasn´t very DEEENCH“ but another Champions League match under his belt which we can be pleased with.

Arteta (7) – What a save on goal-line from him! I thought we might rest him for the derby against spurs but he would have been greatly missed in this match. He surely brought much needed calmness and clear vision, he doesn´t lose ball very often and his partnership with Rosicky has signs of quality.

Rosicky (6,5) – Quite high number of inaccurate passes in the 1st half but I like his attitude. He´s hardworking type of player and some of his runs were exceptional. I didn´t understand the reason he made that tackle which he got a yellow card but he´s fit and ready to play.

Oxlade-Chamberlain (7,5) MOTM– Amazing performance by such a young and “inexperienced“ player. He´s positioning and individual skills are already on a very high level. His performance was awarded by a great goal, 200 th goal of Arsenal in Champions League. It gave him great confidence. He unfortunately missed a golden opportunity in the beginning of the 2nd half. One of the best players on the pitch.

Arshavin (6,5) – He wasn´t very active in the 1st half which was quite surprising. When he added accurate passes and runs to his game he looked good. Unfortunately, he wasn´t able to score despite having quite a few chances.

Chamakh (6,5) – In the 1st half he showed that he isn´t a clinical striker yet as we could easily be 3:0 up if he wasn’t so wasteful in front of the goal. CF role is all about scoring goals but he does have signs of quality and he keeps working hard.

Substitutions:

Ramsey (X) – Few good passes.

van Persie (X)

Gibbs (X)