The calendar has turned from 2014 to 2015 and Arsenal's hopes for the new year to be a symbol for a fresh beginning face a serious test as we prepare to head to Manchester City on Sunday. So, we may not have exactly gotten off to the greatest start to the new calendar year, losing 2-0 at Southampton on New Year's Day in an overall listless performance. But since then, the Gunners have rebounded fairly well, with wins over Hull in the F.A. Cup and Stoke in the league.
Our biggest challenge this year (well, other than injuries) has been getting a run of positive results going. That will be extremely difficult to establish again with this weekend's trip to the reigning champions but after last year's blowout loss at their place, a good performance will be seen as progress. For me, it's too late for moral victories for us. Sure, there will be something to be said if we play well and only lose by a goal or something, rather than looking like deer in headlights again as we concede goal after goal. At this point in the league campaign, though, we have to get results.
I believe that if we play well enough, we can beat any team in the league and that includes the defending champions. While I don't expect it in the slightest, our chances of pulling off the upset at the Etihad start with defense. We should have our top choice central defensive pairing of Mertesacker and Koscielny, who both give us so much solidity at the back that we look shambolic without them playing together. With Kieran Gibbs a doubt, Nacho Monreal should keep his place at left back as he has played very well in recent weeks. Arsene Wenger has an interesting choice to make at right back now that Mathieu Debuchy is expected to be out for three months with a dislocated shoulder. Either Calum Chambers or Hector Bellerin will be drafted in and while I expect Arsene to go with Chambers, who has played more games so far, I'd be inclined to start Bellerin. To me, Chambers has thrived more in the center of defense than as a right back and Bellerin's pace and ability going forward are better. Bellerin's defending skills might be below Chambers, but he has acquitted himself well when he has played and I'm just worried about the slower Chambers going against the quickness of David Silva and Sergio Aguero. I also think Chambers should be preserved as a backup to Per and Koscielny while we wait for the club to sign defensive reinforcements.
In the midfield, Francis Coquelin has been a revelation and should retain his place along with Tomas Rosicky and hopefully Aaron Ramsey will come back in, if he's fit enough to start. Mesut Özil is also back in contention after returning to action last week against Stoke, but I'd opt for the in-form Santi Cazorla to keep his place at central attacking mid and keep Özil as an option off the bench. Up front, there's no way Olivier Giroud doesn't start with the magical Alexis alongside him. The Chilean has been even better than advertised for us this season, coming off a two-goal performance last week and accounting for the most goals + assists of any player in the Premier League.
On paper, we should have more than enough firepower to match Man City, who will be without Edin Dzeko and $amir Na$ri, which is a shame only because the latter can't be kicked up into the air by Coquelin or Flamini. In our first meeting with City at the Emirates, Arsenal went charging into the lead from exquisite goals from Alexis and Jack Wilshere, only to see us hold on for dear life for a 2-2 draw that we honestly could have (should have) lost. The keys will be whether we can match their intensity and play within an organized shape. If we lose our confidence and defensive shape, we will be battered again.
As for transfer news, we still somehow haven't signed a defender yet with the exact midpoint of January upon us. It will seriously be criminal if we don't sign a defender this window, as short as we've been all season, with Debuchy essentially lost for the rest of season now and with Per having played almost every minute of every match thus far. The good news is that Wenger has been uncharacteristically forthright about our attempts to bring in at least one defender. With Arsenal, though, you never know for sure. We have completed the signing of 17 year old midfielder Krystian Bielik from Legia Warsaw, but he is definitely one for the future. There have been crazy, outlandish transfer rumors, as there are with any transfer window. The bottom line is that we knew since before the season started that we were short on defenders, it ended up biting us in the ass (just as anyone with half a brain could have forseen) and it would require us to act in the January window to rectify. Until we do, this season will be seen as one in which we willfully chose to damage our own title challenge by not addressing a very unbalanced squad, simple and plain. For the sake of the club and its fans, the clock is ticking to change that or otherwise face more outcry and anger than ever seen before.
Showing posts with label Hector Bellerin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hector Bellerin. Show all posts
September 18, 2014
Gunned Down in Dortmund
Arsenal's Champions League group stage couldn't have gotten off to a crappier start as we lost 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund in a game in which the scoreline didn't reflect how thoroughly dominated we were. Dortmund was the superior team from start to finish, while on the other hand Arsenal was sloppy and lethargic. It was an extremely worrying performance on a big stage, but all we can do now is regroup and focus on beating Aston Villa this weekend.
The only two bright spots in defeat were Wojciech Szczesny's play in goal and the full debut of Hector Bellerin. If it weren't for some outstanding saves from Szczesny (as well as some pretty bad misses by Dortmund) we would have been subjected to another five or six-nil loss reminiscent of last season, which is the last thing we need. Szczesny did come way out of goal and get easily rounded by Aubameyang on their second goal, but the defending leading up to that was so bad that it may not have mattered.
Bellerin also stepped in and performed well at right back, considering he's only 19 and it was in a very intimidating European venue. I love everything about the Dortmund fans and the atmosphere they provide is the envy of any club, I just wish we didn't have to keep facing them. It would be great if Bellerin is ready to contribute at right back for us this year, all of the buzz around him has been how good of a prospect he could be. However, between him and fellow teenager Calum Chambers, it's a lot to expect them to consistently produce, especially as defenders. If Bellerin has a season as close to the one that Serge Gnabry had last season, that would be incredible. But with Debuchy out for so long, we may not have to luxury to manage his minutes the same way and it could negatively impact his development, as well as Arsenal's results.
One more silver lining, though, is that Galatasaray and Anderlecht played to a 1-1 draw, so the fact that they both dropped points helps us early on in our group's standing. Still, when a team like Arsenal can't string passes together or simply retain the ball, it's always going to be a struggle for us. It was another lackluster performance by Özil, which gets more worrying with each game that has to be said. But for that matter, the same could be said for Wilshere, Ramsey, and Arteta, among others, and I feel that they'll be able to turn it around. Welbeck's misses in front of goal didn't help matters, either. We knew what his goalscoring record was before we signed him and now he'll have to come into his own, which again I believe he will do. Whenever a striker is new, there is extra pressure on him to score that first goal so once that happens, I think he'll have one less thing to worry about.
Our performance last Saturday against Man City was much better, so hopefully we can get back to playing like we did that day. It's also worth mentioning that this was our first official loss of 2014-15, it was just the way we lost which was inexcusable. Arsene may have to consider whether this formation can work with our players or not. Whatever the case, we have to put this game behind us and make up some ground in the Premier League with a win in our next game.
The only two bright spots in defeat were Wojciech Szczesny's play in goal and the full debut of Hector Bellerin. If it weren't for some outstanding saves from Szczesny (as well as some pretty bad misses by Dortmund) we would have been subjected to another five or six-nil loss reminiscent of last season, which is the last thing we need. Szczesny did come way out of goal and get easily rounded by Aubameyang on their second goal, but the defending leading up to that was so bad that it may not have mattered.
Bellerin also stepped in and performed well at right back, considering he's only 19 and it was in a very intimidating European venue. I love everything about the Dortmund fans and the atmosphere they provide is the envy of any club, I just wish we didn't have to keep facing them. It would be great if Bellerin is ready to contribute at right back for us this year, all of the buzz around him has been how good of a prospect he could be. However, between him and fellow teenager Calum Chambers, it's a lot to expect them to consistently produce, especially as defenders. If Bellerin has a season as close to the one that Serge Gnabry had last season, that would be incredible. But with Debuchy out for so long, we may not have to luxury to manage his minutes the same way and it could negatively impact his development, as well as Arsenal's results.
One more silver lining, though, is that Galatasaray and Anderlecht played to a 1-1 draw, so the fact that they both dropped points helps us early on in our group's standing. Still, when a team like Arsenal can't string passes together or simply retain the ball, it's always going to be a struggle for us. It was another lackluster performance by Özil, which gets more worrying with each game that has to be said. But for that matter, the same could be said for Wilshere, Ramsey, and Arteta, among others, and I feel that they'll be able to turn it around. Welbeck's misses in front of goal didn't help matters, either. We knew what his goalscoring record was before we signed him and now he'll have to come into his own, which again I believe he will do. Whenever a striker is new, there is extra pressure on him to score that first goal so once that happens, I think he'll have one less thing to worry about.
Our performance last Saturday against Man City was much better, so hopefully we can get back to playing like we did that day. It's also worth mentioning that this was our first official loss of 2014-15, it was just the way we lost which was inexcusable. Arsene may have to consider whether this formation can work with our players or not. Whatever the case, we have to put this game behind us and make up some ground in the Premier League with a win in our next game.
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