Written by Filip Urbancík Thursday, 25 August 2011 11:56

GunnerTalk Blog

By Filip Urbancik 

Hello Gunnertalkers! We are back with our Ratings, just hope I´ll be able to make them regularly throughout the season. (I just want to say I missed first 15 mins so if you think there´s something missing add your bits.)

Szczesny (7) He was lucky not to conceed a goal in first 30 mins. We were outplayed and Udinese could have scored 3 times. Top class save for the penalty which I didn´t get what it was given for. Superb goalkeeping that Arsenal have been missing for many seasons. Really hard to choose the MOTM. For many it might be Szczesny but for me it´s Gervinho. It´s up to you.

Jenkinson (5) The lack of commucition between him and Djouru led to the first goal. There were 2 players in red and only one player in black and white and they couldn´t cover him. Every player in our back four defends well when we are in the lead which I can understand but why do we pick up so many yellows?

Vermaelen (6) To be honest it took me at least 20 minutes to get where his position on the pitch was. He was playing too close to  LB position. CB is his postion and he should play there all the way. He´s such a great player and we need his leadership qualities.

Djourou (5,5) Really don´t know what he was waiting for when Udinese scored the first goal. It was crystal clear he couldn´t cover the player with ball so why he didn´t get closer to our goal and waited for a shot? Much better display in the second half!

Sagna (5,5) I expected more from him. He provided so many good crosses last season but he must find the right balance between solid defending + helping our CBs and going forward. Sagna playing on a LB, why on Earth our only proper RB has to play there?

Song (5,5) What can I say about his game? Sometimes he can learn from Frimpong. With our weak defense we need our defensive midfielders (Song alongside Frimpong) to play better. I would expect us to defend better when we have our both DMs on the pitch and sacrifice bit of creativity. In opinion he join clashes with other players too much and picks up too many unnecessary yellows, which is currently a problem for the whole squad.

Frimpong (6) Few good passes from a central role. I liked his determination but it sometimes leads him to troubles. I can´t understand why we played with two DMs when we needed at least some kind of creativity. Quite good game for Frimpong and another match under his belt before the crucial game against Manchester United.

Ramsey (6) It´s a huge responsibility for him to do well as a replacement for Cesc but it might be too much for him at the moment but of course he´s coming back from a long term injury and he will play better in upcoming matches.

Walcott (6,5) Theo kept getting into good positions but he missed a golden opportunity after Gervinho´s cross. His crosses were poor in the first half. This has been a problem for him, he must work hard on it! He changed his position with Gervinho in an early stage of the second half and it helped us. Well-timed run and magnificent shot alá Thierry Henry and this goal might be very important and start a long run of good performances.

Gervinho MOTM(7) Good first half from his him.. He´s very lively on the left side, good at going back as well as blistering pace of forward runs. He provides quite lot from his position. A brilliant final pass for Robin van Persie, great understanding between them. His movement in the box is amazing and unpredictable, defenders don´t know what to expect from him.

van Persie (6,5) Don´t take me wrong, Robin creates much for others but we need him infront of goal in the box! There are other players who have to create for the strikers. That´s one of our problem when the likes of Chamakh try to create something in the middle of the park and they go missing upfront, where the team needs them most. He scored an important goal, easy shot for him. He wasted a golden opportunity in extra time but the tie was already won.

Substitutions:

Rosický (6) He brought in experience and calmness which led to the first goal. Surely the best of very few options on the bench that Arsenal have at the moment. As soon as he appeared on the pitch the team started to hold ball longer. Crucial substitution which propably helped us to get into the Champions League. Will it be a better season for Rosický finally? Hopefully yes, we need him more than ever! 

Arshavin,Traore (X) I am sorry for quite a high number of questions in these Ratings but there are propably too many things which was surprising, such as absolutely mixed up back four, etc.

The best result of the season will hopefully bring Arsenal back to business!

(If you don´t agree with something in this article just write to discussion below, I am open to your views and thoughts.)