Arsenal scrapped their way to victory at the Emirates in a hard fought match against Cardiff City, edging the Bluebirds two goals to one. Although the performance wasn't easy on the eye, it was a job done in the end, and a vital three points in our top four contention. There were a number of changes from our FA Cup defeat at the hands of Manchester United. Bernd Leno was back between the sticks with a makeshift centre back pairing of Mustafi and Monreal at the heart of the defense. Lichtsteiner was recalled to right back along with Ozil spearheading the diamond midfield. Elneny was deployed at the base of the midfield three, with Torreira and Guendouzi were positioned on either side of him. The first half was one to forget other than a trio of penalty claims.
In the second half, third time proved the charm as Mike Dean awarded a penalty for a foul on Kolasinac. Aubameyang converted sending Etheridge the wrong way and we finally had the breakthrough we deserved. 17 minutes later, Alexandre Lacazette's hard work paid off as he scored the pivotal goal from nothing. Mendez-Laing made things interesting with a consolation goal in stoppage time, as our aversion to keep a clean sheet has become nothing short of worrying. The win leaves us hot on the trail of Chelsea, and also gives us a bit of breathing room as Manchester United unexpectedly dropped points in their draw at home to Burnley.
Ratings and Talking Points
Unai Emery: 6.5
The 4-3-1-2 diamond setup proved highly successful against Chelsea. However, today illustrated that it might not be the best way forward, especially against lesser sides like Cardiff City. In the first half, we severely lacked any creativity and width going forward. Besides the early cut back from Kolasinac, Cardiff's deployment of Callum Paterson on the wing nullified our attack down the left in the first half. The midfield trio of Elneny, Torreira and Guendouzi is highly conservative, and although Ozil was able to influence to a certain degree, he was forced to operate way too deep which inhibited him from applying his craft in the final third where he is most effective.
Into the second half and we've seen this story all season. A substitution and a few tactical tweaks provided the antidote which pushed us across the line as Elneny went off and Iwobi came on. Essentially, we switched to a 4-2-3-1 with Iwobi left and Aubameyang right. Addition by subtraction, as we had one less man in central midfield, but at the same time some extra width in the more advanced areas. Iwobi and Kolasinac (along with Ozil) provided the necessary overloads on the left hand side which Cardiff couldn't handle and we were eventually rewarded. Although the 4-3-1-2 diamond provides quality control of central midfield, it proves difficult in providing creativity and fluidity against compact sides as well as sufficient service to our front two. In other words, I am beginning to think it's a bit conservative to deploy, especially at home against the likes of sides like Cardiff.
Leno: 6.5
Lichtsteiner: 6.5
Mustafi: 7
Monreal: 7
Kolasinac: 7.5
Elneny: 6.5
Guendouzi: 7.5
Torreira: 7
Ozil: 7
Aubameyang: 7
Lacazette: 8
Subs
Iwobi: 7
Jenkinson: 6.5
Ramsey: 6.5
Jekyll and Hyde
I am couldn’t be alone in this, but I much
prefer starting matches off strong, on the front foot and maintaining firm
control throughout. I understand that is
all well and good in a perfect world, however I have to take into consideration
the league we compete in and the club we support, so back to reality. What bugs me about our Jekyll and Hyde
syndrome is that it’s become the common theme this season and easily the
exception rather than the rule. Part of
this comes down to the system tweaks from match to match. He got it right against Chelsea, but wrong
against Manchester United in the FA Cup and again wrong on Tuesday night
against Cardiff. Is Unai Emery a
tactical genius or is winning in this manner simply masking over his initial
tactical faults? It’s a question that
has been begging all season. I can only
expect to see this theme continue as the season rolls on. It’s a risky way to go about our business,
however if we continue to pick up full points in doing so, you won’t hear too
many complaints from me.
Gritty Lacazette the Difference
On numerous occasions this season, he’s been the victim of not going down easy enough in the penalty area when fouled. It’s an admirable trait, but at the same time not one you’re ever rewarded for. It happened on Tuesday night, and subsequently he didn’t get the benefit of the doubt when he had his achilles trodded on by Sol Bamba. However, the Frenchman worked tirelessly throughout the match and never wavered. His resilience, grit and guile was all summed up in his pivotal goal which he made from nothing. The way he got back up so quickly and continued his run to score reminded me of a few Theo Walcott goals where he quickly sprung to his feet. When you’re kicked all game as well as fall victim to harsh referee decisions, there is no better response than to put one in the back of the net to polish the match off. The look on his face said it all in his celebration.
Creative Spark Needed
There was a time not long ago when we were crying out for a proper striker. We now have two top class forwards at our disposal, however it doesn’t do us a whole lot of good in games like Tuesday when they are starved of sufficient service or creativity behind them. Even after the break when we changed the system, I still thought we were highly predictable going forward down their right-hand side. Without Hector Bellerin, we don’t exactly pose much of a threat down the opposition’s left flank, meaning we are highly reliant on Sead Kolasinac raiding the left at every opportunity. Although it did the trick Tuesday night in the second half, I think the opposition will do their homework in upcoming matches and you can expect much more resistance as well as exploitation when we are away from the Emirates. To get to my point, we need something different in this side. Not suggesting the addition of Denis Suarez (or any other possible late comers we’re linked to) is going to be the end all solution, however it could provide a much-needed injection to a side that looks to be short on ideas in the final third.
@TheTexasGooner
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