Manchester United Preview

Manchester United pitch up at The Emirates since that fateful April evening, no doubted bouyed by the confidence that the victory brought them, irrespective of the ultimate futility of their efforts. If Arsenal need any motivation, the 1 – 3 reverse provides it, particularly the manner of defeat, an abject opening quarter of an hour destroying any plans that may have been laid for the night in question.

Things have changed since. The expected departure of Cristiano Ronaldo unfolded over the summer, to the chagrin of their manager no doubt and Arsenal has improved since then. Does it have any bearing on this afternoon? Motivationally, for Arsenal, absolutely. For events on the pitch? Only so far as the mental attitude of the players is concerned; neither side has learnt anything new about each other since. Both will have spotted weaknesses and strengths which require equal attention.

Injuries are the focal point once more. Nothing new since Wednesday night, which might be something of a record given recent weeks, and everyone expects Sol Campbell to replace Thomas Vermaelen. The Belgian’s injury means he will be fit to face Chelsea but it would be no surprise if he lined-up this afternoon alongside William Gallas.

The only injury news of note other than that is the observation by ‘doctors connected with the Dutch FA‘ that suggest Robin van Persie will be fit for the international friendlies in March. Even if van Persie is vaguely fit, he should not be allowed to play for his country ahead of his club with the flagrant disregard for any injuries shown at international level. There is no benefit for Arsenal in van Persie playing, even 30 minutes so why should they help the Dutch.

Back to the match. Much is being made this season of the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the United side and taking out a world-class player – which no matter how much you may despise the player, is exactly what he is – will affect any side. That he has not been replaced is indicative of the financial situation at United.

That United are second shows the mediocrity which pervades the Premier League from 4th place downwards, strengthening the argument that the Premier League, whilst not in decline, is not the all powerful force it claims to be. That is backed up to a certain extent by the fact that a direly average Liverpool team has genuine Champions League pretensions for next season.

The key area this afternoon is going to be midfield. United will look to stifle the quick passing game of Arsenal but the clash at Old Trafford earlier this season, whilst ending in defeat, allowed Arsenal to pass their way through United at times, more frequently than in the past. Where Arsenal must be careful is not allowing the gap between midfield to become unmanned. Alex Song’s return from the ACN, earlier than expected, is a massive boost. His fitness will be the deciding factor as to whether or not Denilson starts.

The Brazilian is this season’s lucky recipient of brickbats, irrespective of the level of his performances. Coming back from a serious back injury was never going to be easy, his collapse against Everton bizarre but he is capable of chipping in with goals from range, contributing more to the side than is generally recognised or credited.

Up front, Nicklas Bendtner is being touted for his first start since last summer. The Dane will be in for a reasonably tough afternoon but his presence will allow Arshavin to drop off United and float along the front line, a role in which he is at his most dangerous even if he is carrying an injury.

I would expect Arsene to go with:

Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Campbell, Clichy; Fabregas, Song, Nasri; Rosicky, Bendtner, Arshavin

Three points from this and the Liverpool home games will generate a lot of momentum in this tricky spell of fixtures. Chelsea’s win yesterday may make United more cautious, careful not to lose for defeat for either side puts them under pressure. Arsenal has already proven this season that retrieving a points deficit is not hard such is the inconsistency affecting all of the top sides. One of them is going to put a long unbeaten run together, a win today will cement the recent League form of Arsenal into a strong foundation of such a run, ready for the final push.

Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it. ’til Tomorrow.

Ducking And Diving Ahead Of Manchester United

When my children were younger, they loved the television programme ‘Engi Benji‘ I think it was called. Whenever disaster struck, as it invariably did with an alarming regularity, the phrase, “What are we gonna do?” chimed out. Those words probably struck a chord in the minds of the multitude who want fresh blood into the squad when Arsene noted in his press conference that new arrivals were unlikely in this transfer window. Not even renewed attempts by the media to say Loic Remy of Nice or Gai Assulin from Barcelona are going to change that.

History is the only judge of whether Wenger is going to be right or wrong and even then, judgements will be subjective, the outcomes of games can be changed retrospectively in our minds. No certainty can be applied to the new results and the arguments continue to rage, winning such debates is impossible since they are entirely hypothetical.

Focus is now on tomorrow’s clash with Manchester United. Ferguson has pleaded with the neanderthals to stop their vile chants against Wenger, rather like King Canute trying to hold back the waves, I suspect. As well as fending off the media regurgitating Wenger’s accusations about Darren Fletcher being football’s anti-christ. Wenger has a bigger target – quite literally – in mind, praising Wayne Rooney on the one hand whilst chopping him off at the knees on the other.

The dive at Old Trafford which ended the Invincibles run still clearly rankles. For some, the penalty he won in the away fixture this season is of equal stature but I would agree with Wenger that it was a foul by Almunia because the Laws of the Game state that the position of the ball is not a primary factor, so long as it is in play. What is galling is the inconsistency in applying those rules, Cesc being fouled in similar circumstances against Bolton yet receiving no reward.

All that Wenger has done is state much of what was written about Rooney earlier this season when for once the media railed against an England player diving, rather than holding Wenger to blame for these ‘Johnny Foreigners‘ who do it all of the time. He stoped short of calling Rooney a cheat but leaving tomorrow’s officials in no doubt that their eyes may deceive them in the circumstances when the United player bounces off the surface.

Meanwhile, under the guise of an appreciation, Kevin McCarra in this morning’s Guardian believes that Project Youth is in decline, citing examples of the Da Silva twins and Kakuta going to rivals as evidence that Wenger is not the world’s leading authority on talented youngsters and losing out to domestic foes means that he will struggle to produce the flow of talent through the Academy.

Except both of those transfers happened a while back and since then Arsenal has signed more youth players. Additionally, all the while the media looked to the bank balances, Wenger was fighting Spanish clubs for the best in the world as well as being bulwarked by British bureaucracy for work permits. In short, nothing has changed other than media awareness of the issue being raised through the shortage of ready cash at clubs to attract star players to these shores and the repeated public pronouncements of those at the top of Fifa and Uefa.

Another piece that was not really worth the effort came in this morning’s Daily Telegraph where an invitation was garnered into the inner sanctum of Stan Kroenke’s sporting empire. Great for the journalist in question, watching various sporting events, a rip-off for his employers as the piece could have been written by any of Stan’s people and so unenlightening for you, as an Arsenal supporter, that it is pointless reading it.

There is no snippet of information there that has not been well-documented in the press already. Any hint of his plans for his investment in Arsenal, is saint or sinner, blocking Usmanov or waiting for the Uzbek to offer a ridiculous price for the shareholding sitting next to the bacon and ribs in Wal-mart?

’til Tomorrow.

Stone Cold Friday: Why Arsenal Can Do Without Another Striker

He’s defeated Daleks, jousted with Jokers but I won’t tell you what happened when he met Wonder Woman. It’s the stuff of legend…Here’s Darius…

January has to be the most depressing month for football journalists. The pressure to concoct player transfer rumours is so relentless it easily qualifies as working under duress. The suits upstairs are squeezing their Editors chuffers to ensure that they fill news columns and air waves. There’s a very fine line between exclusive breaking news and faecal matter you can only read whilst pinching your nose to avoid the stench.

In Arsenal’s case, journalists truly come unstuck hence the crap-o-meter is employed overtime. Hacks and pundits would like to think and make us believe that they are on the inside. The truth is no one really has any damn clue as to Arsenal’s real intent in the transfer market. Wenger doesn’t play his cards close to his chest, he pretty much plays them from inside.

From the beginning of the season, the establishment in particular have clamoured for Arsenal to replace Adebayor. Perhaps it’s because of their assumption that without a huge tall striker of the Adebayor mould, Arsenal would fall off the cliff and disappear into the wilderness of mid-table mediocrity. In defiance, Wenger employed Van Persie in a very creative ’false No. 9’ role. It was a job that even the Dutch ace admitted was hard to grasp at first, but the faith the manager had in him helped him settle into this talismanic role.

There’s a lethargic template peddled by the establishment as to what a team’s striking department should be composed of. It’s that little and large’ comical model where a tall lanky fella is paired with a more mobile pygmy.

You see it all the time – Crouch and Defoe, Heskey and Rooney, Carew and Agbonlahor, et al. Pick any quintessential Premier league team, and the little and large effect up front is as conspicuous as the dodgy 45 year old fella hanging out in the corner of every nightclub nursing a beer, while ogling the skimpily dressed 19 year old girls on the dance floor shaking what their mamas gave them.

The establishment’s narrative suggests that to be successful, a team must have a 7 ft tall striker, built like a brick shithouse. Their duties would include holding the ball up, winning route one balls, backing into central defenders to win freekicks, essentially plucking any ball out of the air and heading it towards the enemy’s goal.

Arsenal’s problem seems to be the arrogance of defying the establishment’s narrative. It may be the fact that Wenger chooses not to look at a player’s passport as a first consideration of their quality to play for Arsenal, or whether it’s the club’s unwavering determination to insist that it is possible to win while playing the beautiful game.

The Gunners tend to baffle simpletons who seem incapable of appreciating the method to our madness. Naturally, the falsehood is that the team doesn’t score enough goals. To do this, Wenger must buy the typical tall, strong loafer of a target man who will do the job that the team is incapable of doing.

The narrative has been peddled to the point that a section of Arsenal fans actually think that if we indeed buy a regulation lanky loafer as a target man, we will certainly succeed. It’s one of them things that if you’re told often enough, you start believing it. It’s like the brainwashing from radio stations who misguidedly promote themselves as the No. 1 radio station of the year. Some people actually believe such a fallacy as if it was a quantifiable notion.

When Van Persie played the talisman, there were still doubters who suggested that he didn’t have the physique or skill to weave the magic up front. Very few of these doubters took the time to observe his overall contribution to the team in that role. In particular, it was Van Persie’s assists, and his ability to link play that were mesmerizing. The Dutchman isn’t just a goal scoring typical striker, or the one man target machine.

He is an exquisite play maker who’s technical ability and confidence provides the most scintillating link play you’ll ever see anywhere in the world. The importance and effectiveness of Van Persie was only being lauded after his injury, particularly by those who doubted him at the beginning of the season.

There is universal consensus that Van Persie is a monumental loss to Arsenal’s attacking options. However, it’s fairly naive to think that such quality can be replaced by going into the transfer market and buying who the establishment insists is a big name player and a solution for Arsenal. Wenger is crystal clear on the type of player he wants to buy; an intelligent footballer with the technical capability to play Wengerball, a player who is committed to the cause.

Unfortunately, players of this calibre who are value for money and can add options to the team, don’t grow on trees, particularly in the January of a World Cup year. If such a player was available, then the Arsenal scouting system would have plucked them out. I’m sure Wenger would not hesitate to sign a player who would add value to this squad and was affordable. For now, it’s more important to be pragmatic and consider the options that the team currently have.

The question is simple. Does Wenger buy a new player because popular belief suggests that we don’t have an out and out typical striker, and school this new signing on the virtues of Wengerball, however long it takes? Or does Wenger stick to in-house solutions that provide pragmatic options and keep the team harmony and fluency. There’s absolutely no guarantee that buying a striker will actually increase Arsenal’s goal tally. Furthermore, buying this so called goal scorer that Arsenal allegedly needs simply to hit the onion bag and not contribute to the link play or overall game is a self defeating exercise.

The Gunners don’t need a one dimensional player who does only what it says on the tin. Arsenal will do much better by working with and supporting Eduardo and Nicklas Bendtner. They are as good as or better than any strikers out there being touted as a solution for the perceived goal drought.

It’s ironic that the very qualities that Eduardo and Bendtner have are the ones that people are shouting for Arsenal to get. I guess for some, having a newer shinier model to come in with a hefty price tag looks better than the stuff you already have. Both are totally schooled on Wengerball. Their link play is excellent. In recent games, most of our goals have been routed through Eduardo’s precision link play. Just like with RVP at the beginning of the season, Eduardo’s goals will come with time. For now, the quality of his link play makes him a very effective traffic cop routing and directing Arsenal’s sublime forward play.

Last season, Bendtner scored 18 goals for club and country, and in case anyone didn’t notice, he did a pretty good impression of the huge, tall archetypal Premier league striker. He played some pretty good football too.

The solutions are there staring people in the face; some belief in their abilities would go a long way to stopping the trash talk on the airwaves. The trash talk that feeds the frenzy of negativity. The trash talk that creates misery around a season that has the chance to produce the biggest pots of all.

’til Tomorrow.

Villa Park Point IS A Good Result

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Arsenal

A hard fought draw last night has come at some cost. The point itself allowed Chelsea to leapfrog into top spot with a two point safety zone, a gap which could be five by the time Arsenal kick-off against Manchester United on Sunday. In itself, that is not the cost. The real problems for Wenger came in the first hour of last night’s match. Thomas Vermaelen has scans today to ascertain the full extent of his injury whilst Eduardo has another hamstring strain to contend with, previous history suggesting his absence may be up to three weeks.

The former meant Sol Campbell came into the fray, Wenger unsure of whether the former England international will replace Vermaelen at the weekend or if someone else will, presumably Mikael Silvestre. The Belgian international left Villa Park on crutches according to his manager but whether his fibula is broken or not will become known today; an anxious wait for Wenger no doubt. The injury to Eduardo is of more immediate concern in that Arsene will have to decide pretty quickly whether or not it is serious enough to warrant a quick dip into the transfer market, perhaps a loan deal rather than permanent signing, with Nicklas Bendtner barely back to match fitness.

As for the match itself, Arsenal will be more disappointed of the two teams to have not won the game. Both would have felt equally aggrieved had they lost. Villa had woeful finishing to thank for ending the 90 minutes goalless – and the hand of Almunia – whilst the visitors were left cursing the woodwork. Stewart Downing had two glorious opportunities to make the evening worse but failed to force Almunia into even making a save. The first a tame effort over the bar came immediately before Campbell entered the fray whilst the second, perhaps the most criminal miss, saw him head wide weakly as Young’s cross evaded all to reach Downing at the far post.

It was a match that neither side dominated entirely; it ebbed and flowed with Arsenal coming closest to breaking the deadlock. That could have been different as early as the fourth minute, Agbonlahor shooting across Almunia, forcing the Spaniard to turn the ball aside. A frequent criticism of the Arsenal goalkeeper is that he cannot win matches with his performances. Last night, he may not have done that but he earned a point with the only save of note he had to make. Will it stop the critics? Doubtful but rather forlornly, there is the hope that it will make them think twice about condemning him so quickly.

Equally, Brad Friedel will be thanking the footballing gods for the intervention of the woodwork. Fabregas waltzed through the Villa penalty area as the interval approached, beating the Villa custodian with his shot only to see it rebound to safety from the base of the post. Rosicky in the second half was equally unlucky. Arshavin broke away from the Villa defence, his shot parried by Friedel, the rebound landing to Fabregas. The Spaniard set Rosicky who thundered his drive against the underside of the crossbar and before he could finish off the job, he and Ramsey got confused, the Czech eventually putting the ball into crowd.

It was a match high on effort but crucially for Arsenal, I think they missed Diaby more than any other player. The midfielder seems to excel in these matches, his workrate disguised by a languid style. He and Song are believed by Wenger to be doubtful for the weekend’s clash with United, Song apparently has a knock (and according to Wenger) looked knackered in Cameroon’s exit from the African Cup of Nations.

The injury to Vermaelen is worrying but until the full extent is known, there is little to be gained in panicking, running around shouting, “We’re all doomed“. The Frasers will have their day next week in any case if Wenger does not sign anyone, irrespective of the squads needs, wants or, if he so believes, the do-not needs or do-not wants.

The point gained is not two lost. Personally, I thought 8 out of 12 points from this run of four games would be enough to keep Arsenal in touch, ready to pounce. Two wins in the home games and a draw at Stamford Bridge will see that come true. It is interesting that Arsenal are being written off in that fixture, rather similar to last season. Let’s hope that the same result ensues.

’til Tomorrow

Arsenal Looking For Heroes Not Villains

Arsenal travel to Villa Park for a fixture that starts a run of matches which are being described as if they will make or break the season. Whilst the encounters with FC Porto will be decisive as far as the Champions League is concerned – we either progress or we don’t – the matches against Villa, United, Chelsea and Liverpool will not decide whether or not Arsenal will be champions.

Nor for that matter will they make the final destination any clearer. Once this run is over, there will still be three months of the season to go; Chelsea will still have to play United where one or both will drop points and they have other matches which may cause a stumble, likewise United.

The best example of that is the night we entertain Liverpool. United visit Villa Park whilst Chelsea go to Goodison. There is still a long way to go in this season. Arsenal has to be ready to capitalise whatever the situation, not become despondent if results do not go our way over the next fortnight or so.

The win against Villa at The Emirates just before Christmas was emphatic and much needed at the time. It sent a strong signal to the rest of the Premier League that Arsenal were not going to be there to make up the numbers and that a genuine challenge was emerging this season. A win this evening does the same but rather than defining a challenge as ‘emerging’, victory will confirm it, sending Arsenal back to the top of the table albeit until Saturday, at least.

A flurry of activity seems to be building with less than a week left of the transfer window. Huntelaar is being touted as this window’s big signing which may have some truth but, I suspect, has more to do with the resurrection of stories from last summer as the player looks to leave Milan, seeking new, high profile employers that will allow him to bolster his attempt to ensure he is aboard the plane with the Dutch squad as an active player rather than cheerleader-in-chief.

Jack wilshere will meanwhile leave the club on loan by Thursday to gain some experience. The story has been around for a while but I wonder if he would have gone had the FA Cup not be exited last weekend? One player who will not be joining is Chris Smalling from Fulham who has apparently signed for Manchester United.

That is according to their website, the same website that trumpeted the signing of Aaron Ramsey and recently had a profile of Sergio Aguero on it so perhaps nothing can be read into that little snippet other than the United PR staff wanting to distract attention from their huge debts by playing Championship Manager with a transfer budget smaller than that available to Danny Wilson at Swindon.

Either way, there are other centre backs out there, some better than Smalling, some not. When Wenger desires to sign one, they will enhance the squad, hopefully, rather than being the latest Stepanovs.

Back to Arsenal. The squad itself is slowly beginning to return to full strength. Samir Nasri and Nicklas Bendtner have returned to full training, both being on the bench tonight. Having been out for around 3 months, Bendtner will be eager to come back to action and tonight seems a good opportunity for him to gain some time from the bench. It gives Wenger another option up front if he needs it. There are around 16 games left this season and Bendtner could provide 5 or 6 goals in that time, perhaps even crucial ones.

Wenger has been forced to plead for patience as far as Theo Walcott is concerned. Barely into his third decade on this earth , he is being written off as if he is a centre forward with a poorer scoring record than Booby Zamora. Such condemnation provides more evidence of the impatience which still holds sway within a section of the support, the same people who no doubt desire Wenger to hand the club unsustainable debt.

I would expect Wenger to field a starting line-up similar to:

Almunia; Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy; Denilson, Fabregas, Ramsey; Arshavin, Eduardo, Rosicky

A performance akin to that of that at The Reebok would do very nicely, tight defensively and taking chances when they arise at the other end. Three points though, is all that matters, and if the winner comes from a deflection off the referee’s arsenal, who cares? A goal is a goal.

Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it. ’til Tomorrow.

Song And Eboue To Return, Gallas To Stay Fit

The sniping about the African Cup of Nations will be ending with the delightful turn of events over the past 48 hours, Cameroon and Ivory Coast succumbing to Egypt and Algeria respectively. When Song and Eboue return is another matter but presumably this weekend’s encounter with Manchester United is a reasonable target.

It makes a pleasant change since previous competitions has seen players missing until the middle of next month. With the run of fixtures which Arsenal are about to engage in, the return of Song in particular is most welcome, especially with Diaby rated as doubtful for Sunday, let alone tomorrow night’s visit to Villa Park.

Injuries are a concern for Wenger. The midfield is stretched although the return of Aaron Ramsey eases the load somewhat and hopefully, indicates that Samir Nasri is well on the road to recovery, both estimated at three weeks out when they strained themselves prior to the FA Cup tie at Upton Park.

It is the time of the season when strains and niggles seem to be more prevalent with heavier pitches taking their toll. A number of side are walking wounded, playing with injuries, most notably Bacary Sagna and William Gallas.

The central defender is the biggest concern. According to Wenger,

You cannot always play with the same 11 until the end of the season. That doesn’t work. Gallas has played all the Premier League games and once you are in a routine, winning keeps the confidence high.

Touch wood, until now he has been clear of injuries. But we have played him on the limit a few times where we didn’t know before the game how long he would last. He always manages to get through the 90 minutes

Whilst it is to Gallas’ credit that his desire to play overrides the pain, long-term it is not beneficial. However, as players get older, they generally take longer to recover from injury and the time may be approaching where Gallas has to be rested for ‘routine’ Premier League matches, Campbell coming into the side to partner Vermaelen or even Alex Song dropping back to fill the gap.

That is not likely to happen in the next month with key domestic and european fixtures to be fulfilled. The partnership has been crucial to the team’s performance this season, even though the number of goals conceded is generous compared to that of United and Chelsea, that is not down to any individual or pairing entirely, the team is responsible for defending as a unit, the same as it is attacking-wise.

Gallas deserves a huge amount of credit this season. The mental strain he would have been under from the issues of his captaincy and the apparent breakdown in his relationship with Kolo Toure have been overcome, solved in part by summer sales but mainly through his own determination. Having criticised him for his outburst prior to the visit to Maine Road, I have no issue with him proving me wrong (and I’m not the only one in that boat).

His performances this season are no doubt partly as a result of having a settled defensive partner, one whose enthusiasm for getting forward to score mirrors that of Gallas and the change in tactics. It is inconceivable to think that the stepover seen at Parkhead in the summer would have happened twelve months previously.

No doubt others will win Player of the Season at the club and in the English game in general but Gallas could quite conceivably win any vote on most improved player of the year, when form over the last two seasons is used as the benchmark. That he is getting back to the level of performance that we expect from a world class defender should not diminish that improvement.

’til Tomorrow.

Stoke Deliver KO Blow

FA Cup 4th Round
Stoke City 3 – 1 Arsenal

1 – 0 Fuller (2)
1 – 1 Denilson (42)
2 – 1 Fuller (77)
3 – 1 Whitehead (85)

The opportunity to win one of the three trophies in which Arsenal had an interest disappeared yesterday at The Britannia Stadium as Stoke City ended their FA Cup hoodoo, not undeservedly nor as emphatically as the scoreline suggested. Arsene prioritised the upcoming Premier League fixtures, the expected wholesale changes to the side a clear indication of his intent to go to Villa Park in midweek with as strong a line-up as he can possibly field.

Arsene said afterwards:

I do not regret the side I put out, I did not have much choice. We had 10 injuries and a very difficult programme coming up. Our selection was simple, take a look at our schedule and you must see we cannot play the same 11 every time. That is for sure. But, if you do not win in such situations, it is my fault. I can only stand by the team I selected in the circumstances. We lost but there was not much room for manoeuvre in terms of players available.

When you are the away side in a cup-tie, the key thing is to contain the home side for the opening quarter of the match, trying to frustrate their players and quieten the crowd whilst you gradually assert your own gameplan. Arsenal singularly failed in that objective, barely making it into the second minute before Ricardo Fuller got the first of his brace.

A Delap long throw speared into the box, Fabianski hesitated, waiting for the ball to arrive instead of meeting its trajectory, allowed Fuller to connect first with a header into the net. To concede that early was a blow which took its toll. Stoke pressed, had half chances but never capitalised.

Whilst Arsenal recovered, their passing game never materialised, in part due to the pitch but mainly because Stoke did not allow them to settle. Even so, a large portion of the first half was dictated by Arsenal. Fabregas started, surprising on the one hand given he is one of the valuable players to the team but you cannot wrap him in cotton wool.

With the injuries and the Spaniard’s form, playing him was a calculated risk; one that did not work but had appeared to when he slid a freekick to Denilson, the Brazilian getting luck with deflections as the ball arrowed into the bottom corner.

Half-time approached and Arsenal’s ascendency was reflected in a succession of corners. Like the rest of the match, little materialised in the danger area to threaten the parity which had been restored. The second half reflected the first. Stoke hassled and harried, Arsenal passed into every furrow that churned the turf. Wenger wanted to win the tie and introduced Eduardo, Arshavin and the returning Ramsey.

Little changed until the match entered the final quarter of an hour. Sidibe is a deceptively slow man and to outpace the left side of the Arsenal defence was of concern, his cross met by Fuller. 2 – 1. Arsenal sought to fight back but with five minutes to go, Whitehead found himself free on the edge of the six yard area for the simplest of tap-ins. The inevitable exit confirmed when the home team ran out of aspirin for the ball, the referee took pity on its predicament and called proceedings to a halt.

Will Wenger have learned anything from yesterday? Other than you cannot put out a team with ten changes and win, I am not sure. Emmanuel-Thomas did well up front, dropping deep to link attack and midfield but starved of good possession, it was hard for him to make headway.

Eastmond and Coquellin were a mixed bag. It was a tough match for them to come into and nerves impacted on the young Frenchman with his passing. Defensively, he performed decently once he had settled. His passing though was off-key, wayward and too forceful at times. Eastmond meanwhile struggled like the rest of the midfield, to impose the usual passing game on the hosts.

Crucially, none of the trio of JET, Eastmond and Coquellin did anything to suggest that they do not possess the talent to make the grade at Arsenal although they did not make sufficient impression to indicate that their breakthrough would be imminent. It is tough to come into a much-changed side and dominate their opponents; the true measure of the youngsters comes in the Premier League when the fill in for injured or rested players, settling in alongside a strong first XI. To write them off now, on the basis of one cup tie, is premature and short-sighted.

The return of Aaron Ramsey was a boost, as was Theo Walcott’s presence in the starting line-up. The lack of match sharpness in both was evident but expectations that Walcott, in particular, would suddenly turn around and perform at his best with so few matches this season were unrealistic. That was a contributing factor to the flatness of his performance but more telling was the lack of decent service.

Exiting the FA Cup at this early stage is always disappointing. Wenger’s team selection focussed on the next four matches rather than yesterday. Was he right to do so? The end of the season will tell.

’til tomorrow.