Game in a sentence
Your older brother’s Arsenal is dead, as Spurs increase their lead to seven points in a game that was defined by two minutes of atrocious defending late in the first half.
Observations
- 25 minutes of dominance on the ball went for naught when Arsenal’s frail back line was exposed for the umpteenth time this season. Employing a high defensive line relies on two things. Attacking players cannot be given eons of time on the ball and your center halves must be quick and play with cohesion. Arsenal failed on both fronts, several times.
- Gareth Bale, who had a Banana thrown at him because some people are a complete waste of oxygen, scored again, adding to a price tag that is now valued at infinity. Gylfi Sigurdsson strolled into Arsenal’s midfield with far too much time and space as Thomas Vermaelen and Per Mertesacker got their signals crossed, allowing Bale to streak in behind and collect an excellent Sigurdsson pass. Wojciech Szczesny has to read that play better.
- Great passes, plays and the like can expose even the most formidable defenses. Aaron Lennon’s goal two minutes after Bale’s confirmed what we all know. Defensively, Arsenal is exceptionally poor. This time it was Scott Parker who was given acres of space. Credit to Lennon for making a fantastic run, but once again confusion and poor positioning on Arsenal’s part won the day. The difference in this game was the final ball. Arsenal began the game with purpose, controlling possession and dictating play. The quality in the final third wasn’t there.
- Mertesacker drew one back for the visitors in the 51st minute, losing Emmanuel Adebayor and connecting on a Theo Walcott free kick. The Big Friendly German’s header glanced of Bale’s head before beating Hugo Lloris. The guy cannot stop scoring.
- From then on it seemed as though an equalizer was coming, but much like in the first half, the Gunners couldn’t find that extra gear when they got in tight. Jack Wilshere did not have his best game, displaying a clumsy first touch all over the field. Conversely, Santi Cazorla was Arsenal’s best player. After starting out left, the Spaniard moved to a more central role and created the vast majority of Arsenal’s attacks.
- Jan Vertonghen is proving to be one of the best buys from the summer. The Belgian defender, paired with Michael Dawson, was fantastic. His tackle on Walcott from a losing position was outstanding, even more so considering the wave of momentum Arsenal was riding. The partnership of Kompany and Vertonghen is going to be a force in Brazil.
- Sticking with Belgian defenders, Vermaelen is a shadow of his former self. What a precipitous fall.
- The news wasn’t all good for Spurs. Mousa Dembélé, suffered an injury late and limped off. With a daunting slate of upcoming fixtures, including games versus Inter, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, his absence could be a killer.
- Wonder what Roman Abramovich is thinking as he watches André Villas-Boas assert himself as one of the best in the business.
- Simply put, Arsene Wenger has made some awful personnel decisions in recent years, including Per Mertesacker, Park Chu-Young, Andre Santos, Johan Djourou and Sébastien Squillaci. Couple those plugs with players who are good but not great (your Arteta’s, Podolski’s and Giroud’s) and here we are.
- Seven points with 10 games left. It’s not insurmountable, especially considering Spurs’ upcoming schedule. But while Tottenham might dip, the chances Arsenal drop points are just as likely.
Three stars
1. Jan Vertonghen
2. Gareth Bale
3. Santi Cazorla
Fook yeah! Awesome game.
I wouldn’t entirely agree that an equalizer seemed to be coming after Per’s goal. Bale missed a side footer into an empty net, Siggi chose not to shoot when in alone, and Defoe wasted an excellent shooting chance. It could have easily been 3 or 4 to 1 at one point if Spurs were a bit more clinical in the second half.
I have no idea if we will be able to keep 4th. 7 pts is a great lead, but we have some tough games ahead. There is no way we won’t drop a few points during the run in, and unfortunately both Chelsea and the Arse have a much easier sprint to the finish. Still lots of intrigue in the Premier League.
COYS!
Fair points. Congrats on the win, DN.
Anyone else watch the game on fox? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to watch another Arsenal game without some half time hilarity from Piers Morgan as long as Wenger is still in charge. Absolutely great stuff. I vote Piers for man of the match.
I wish Aaron Ramsey could learn from the legend Steven Gerrard. Steve never dribbles, he picks the ball and either passes or shoots. Simple. Effective.
Aaron tries to emulate Jack Wilshire. The difference is Jack has the technical skills to hold the ball and dribble which he unfortunately lacks.
If he could just keep it as simple as how Steve Gerrard does then his game will improve by at least 30% as he has a phenominal work rate.
Thats my 2 cents!
gareth bale has a price tag valued at infinity?
Honestly, the guy is good, but he’s like every other player in the EPL, and that is massively overrated.
“Good” – sorry, he’s better than good.
When Ronaldo played in the EPL, was he overrated?
Surely something positive has to happen this offseason. We need to do…something.
Great article as always Devang. Only thing I disagree with is that a high line requires quick footed defensemen. This is not necessarily true as shown by Spurs CB’s, Dawson and Vertonghen. JV may not be slow but Dawson certainly is, things is he is smart and makes the right decisions. He doesn’t commit early or make bad decisions. Aresnals pairing of TV and PM are neither, both slow and horrible at thinking on the go. Constantly making poor decisions and playing timidly. These four players decided this game for me. Neither team offered tons going forward, especially Arsenal which I found shocking. Also I think Demebele’s importance to Spurs squad is understated, the man does not give the ball away and that was huge for a Spurs squad that often misses that bit of quality in the middle of the field. Great game for a non-supporter, Gunners might be in trouble this year as Spurs seem to be a very cohesive group with a great manager at the helm. Eat it Blues fans haha.
Gareth Bale has to be the story of the season. He has consolidated his place as one of the world’s best midfielders on a tottenham team which has depended on his late game heroics. Him and Suarez are my players of the year. Sorry rvp maybe next time.
my Arsenal makes me fail to eat pumpkins