Written by Filip Urbancík Sunday, 16 January 2011 19:58

GunnerTalk Blog

By Filip Urbancik

After the Ipswich debacle Gooners everywhere were demanding a make up performance and 3 points from the team. In the corresponding fixture last year we were 2-0 up at half time and cruising, before managing to draw the match 2-2. With Man City and Chelsea winning earlier in the day the pressure was on us and the Avram Grant sitaution threw in a wild card as no one knew whether this would galvanise West Ham or ensure they inploded. (Please see George‘s blog for the full match report.)

Here are the scores on the doors.......

Wojciech Szczesny (7) With Flappy Fabby injured Chesney remained in goal for The Arsenal. He made a crucial save after we went 1-0 up. With his face!! At that point a goal to WHU would have been a real boost especially with our reputation for crumbling.  He wasted a few balls rather than distribute well in the first half.  The second saw another 3 important saves.  He appears to deal with pressure well and if he continues with this confidence and ability it won‘t take very long before he is our number 1 choice for our number 1!

Emmanuel Eboue (6) Obviously we’d rather play Sagna in the derby but this was the final match of his 3 game suspension following his red at home to Man City. Eboue is good at going forward but then he is missed in defense if our move breaks down as he doesn’t have the pace of Sagna to get back. This was clearly noted by the Hammers who tried everything down our right hand side sensing the weakness. Fortunately they didn’t have much!  Don´t take me wrong I love the cult of Eboue but we need something more in the right back position and its an area I’d like to see Wenger address this transfer window.

Johan Djourou (6,5) It would be true to say that JD looked a little fatigued today. He is only just back to playing regaular football after the horrible long term injuries and the thick and fast flow of games appeared to have taken a toll on his concentration and pace. There were instances of lack of communication between the back 4 and that nervy feeling seemed to have crept back in at times.  He imporved in the second half and calmed the defenders down. I know he plays well together with Koscielny but we need another CB and one of note please not just a stop gap.

Laurent Koscielny (7) He knows we are vunerable from high balls played behind the defense (although so does everyone else - thats hardly a revelation!) so he tries to clear sooner rather than later.  He plays higher up the pitch than I’d like as Ipswich exploited on Wednesday. His runs out of his position are sharp, accurate and useful but defence should be his bread and butter – we have others who can create.  

Gael Clichy (7)Ok so the return of the GC we all knew once continues. This match suited him very well. He was solid in defense and also supported our attacking players well. Very good clearances in the first half when WHU were on the attack. He didn´t have so much to do after Spears was subbed so he could hold the ball and play further from his goal. Overall, the whole defense worked well tonight and the clean sheet was a just reward.

Samir Nasri (7) How we missed his creativity at Ipswich. His combinations near the left flag were very dangerous and WHU looked frightened whenever he was on the ball. The understanding between him and Fabregas grows every game. He had a good chance to score a goal but he didn´t catch the ball well enough. Another strong performance from the December Player of the Month. (You can stick your Gareth Bale up your ....

Cesc Fabregas (7,5) Much much better from our Captain today. Always commited, he showed a good vision and his passing was more accurate than in last few games. He was involved almost in every goal scoring opportunity and I loved to see him combining with our strikers. Importantly at half time when we were 2 – 0 up he reminded the players of their capitulation last year and urged concentration. Exacty what a Captain should do. I gave MOTM to Robin but Cesc was the second best player on the pitch.

Theo Walcott (7,5) Here is another player who is taking his first team starts very seriously. Wenger spoke about his improvement before the match and Theo did not let him down. He had an excellent first half.  His speed and pace were the biggest problem for WHU and especially their new supposed saviour Wayne Bridge. We all know Theo is quick but his passing has been a thing of great frustration for us Gooners. Yesteday showed he has clearly worked on that aspect of his game and his pass for Robin Van Persie was accurate and intelligent. He scored a goal (his 10th of the season) and he could have had a few more. His commitment helpled us to win many corners, free kicks and a penalty. Another candidate for MOTM to be honest.

Jack Wilshere (7) Jack was not at his best in the Semi Final first leg, but today he was back to his best form in the Prem. He played something between a defensive and central midfielder. While he was doing the dirty work, Fabregas could fully concentrate on attacking. This is a great new development, Cesc clearly trusts his team mate and that can only be good for us up front. He passed the ball around nicely and had a good chance to score himself at the end of the first half.

Alex Song (7) He appears to have become more planted recently which has obviously helped with our defending. Today he was always in the position where he was needed and also added accurate passing going forward. This is the way he has to play every match. I liked the way he held up the ball infront of Green´s goal and made space for our strikers.

Robin van Persie (8) MOTM It was a banker today that Robin would be in the starting XI. We could all see how badly we missed his pace and movement on and off the ball and unfortunately NB did not give the manager any selection headaches upfront. The understanding between him and Theo was splendid and its great to see our number 10 and 14 playing together like that – brings back memories of how well DB and TH combined. He put himself in good positions and that´s exactly why he scored the first goal. It was a very calm and powerful finish after Nasri dummied a Theo cross. He was denied an even better goal ratio by Casper the Friendly Post as Paul Merson named it on Sky. You could actually see how much he was enjoying the game and that has to be a great thing for us. His penalty kick was brilliant, he struck it hard and low just how all goalkeepers hate. Made one, scored 2, dead cert for MOTM and welcome back RVP!

Substitutions:

Denilson, Gibbs and Denilson (X)They didn´t play long enough to make any statements.  

Overall 8

Both the performance and the points we politely requested and the team looked to have fun out there. We need that, a buzz and a desire. However, its only one match and the bottom of the league side at that – a long way to go.