By Walter Broeckx
Where are the days that Arsenal won the world cup. At least that was the title in one paper when France beat Brazil in the final of the world cup and they used a few Arsenal players to achieve that. But times have changed since then and now more and more we are seeing that Arsenal is getting under some German influence. German efficiency… fine for me. German-Polish efficiency I could add.
If we look at the starting line up we had Fabianksi – Jenkinson – Mertesacker – Koscielny – Gibbs. In midfield we had Wilshere and Oxlade-Chambarlain for his first start since the opening day of the season and Özil. Up front we saw Gnabry keeping his place in the team and his partners today were Bendtner and Podolski.
Now if you can count with me that is Per, Özil, Gnabry and Podolski as 4 German players and the Polish influence is visible with Podolski and you could add Fabianski and Koscielny also to that. I will come back to the German players later on.
On to the match now. Arsenal were all over Coventry in the first half. We took a few minutes to warm up the engine but once it was in full flow it was nothing but attacking waves going in the direction of the Coventry goal. It was just waiting for that first goal to come and hoping that it wouldn’t take too long as that would make the task more difficult.
We had to wait 15 minutes. Özil with the ball running towards goal in a central position, Podolski on the left hand side screaming for the ball and of course Özil with exactly the right weight on the pass, a nice dummy from Podolski and he could round the keeper and fire in to the empty net.
Arsenal showed no mercy at that point and kept on pressing and making life difficult for Coventry. But suddenly Baker ran half way the field and produced a fine shot that Fabianski had to tip over. The first and only time the visitors came close to the Arsenal goal in the first half.
On the other side of the field the pressure was building up and when Arsenal had a corner we created ‘das perfecte Bundesliga Tor. Translated: the perfect Bundesliga goal. Gnabry took the corner, Mertesacker with a header to the second post and Podolski just had to nod his head to put it in the Coventry goal. 2-0 after 27 minutes and the match was well won at that point.
The Emirates applauded the Coventry fans when they asked ‘Why’ (see our earlier article for that) and Arsenal just tried to make that 3rd goal and Podolski came close, Jenkinson came close, but you could see the first signs of a team relaxing a bit.
In the second half we saw the team coming out of the dressing room but their heads had already turned to the next match. In a way that Coventry suddenly looked dangerous. We needed a strong Fabianski to stop Clarke who had escaped on the right flank and threatened to go one on one with the keeper. A bit later the same player with another shooting chance but it went wide. And a bit later even a shot that hit the outside of the post.
The only thing worth mentioning for Arsenal was a foul on Gnabry (push in the back in the penalty area) that the ref ignored. But gradually Arsenal turned up again after taking a break of half an hour instead of the usual 15 minutes.
Bendtner and Oxlade-Chamberlain were taken off after 70 minutes and on came Santi Cazorla and Gedion Zelalem. Zelalem who came on the field for the first time in a competitive match for Arsenal. An historic moment one could say for various reasons.
Zelalem is the first player to play for Arsenal who wasn’t even born when Wenger became the Arsenal manager. He is still 16 years young as he only turns 17 next Sunday. And as he is German Arsenal had a team with 5 German outfield players on the field. That is half of the team. Historic I said.
After a bad start to the second half Arsenal had gotten back in to 2nd gear. Credit to Coventry as the 2-0 didn’t feel as comfortable as the 2-0 against Tottenham a few weeks ago. The game was stopped for a moment when I think someone entered the field who shouldn’t be there. But the TV not showing what happening so those inside the stadium can inform us about it maybe.
A bit later even Wenger wanted to reduce the level of Germans on the field and Giroud came on for Podolski who with his brace showed once again what an excellent finisher he is. And how much we missed him in the first half of the season. Or did we miss him? Looking at the league table not that much in fact. But glad he is back.
Jenkinson was immense in his attacking job on the right flank and whenever he could he was joining the attack. Think the young right back had a very decent game. Several dangerous crosses but the attackers never being able to put it in the goal. Maybe it inspired left back Gibbs to also show something and when he was put through on the left flank he looked up and saw Giroud unmarked and he simply put the ball in the goal to make it 3-0 with 6 minutes to go. Nice way to enter the field.
Coventry kept looking for a consolation goal that they maybe deserved for their effort in the second half but it wasn’t to be. Arsenal back in full flow in the final 10 minutes and when it seemed that Jenkinson would get a reward for his attacking play he was denied by a good save from the keeper. The ball came in front of the right foot of Cazorla who simply put it in the net. 4-0 in the last minute of normal time.
Özil hit the post in the extra time and would have made it five for Arsenal but it was enough and we didn’t need to add more misery to the Coventry City supporters who had the chance to show their discontent with the way their club is organised for the moment.
The title now. This is the way that Germans talk about Arsenal. They always add the London to Arsenal. There is another club with Arsenal in their name in Argentina I think and maybe that is the reason they add the name of the city to Arsenal. Vier is just four in English and Null is nil, zero, nothing.
A simple win, with Arsenal mostly firm in control but credit to Coventry the moment we showed signs of switching off, they tried to punish us.
Bring on the draw next Sunday.
Didn’t see the game…how did Zelalem do?
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jan/24/gedion-zelalem-arsenal-next-fabregas
Well done Arsenal. And nice to see the German combination in our first two goals.
Feel a little sad for Coventry, not for tonight’s result but for the situation they find themselves in. They are my local team, and they don’t deserve it.
He played a few tidy passes, didn’t give the ball away, wasn’t bullied and looked right at home. Not on long enough to really tell but a good cameo. Showed enough for me to confirm him as an Arsenal player.
Arsenal won the match with the added bonus of doing the bare minimum.
Bigger tasks lay ahead.
Shame about the Coventry supporters plight and all the shenanigans at their football club but I guess that just makes Me feel proud about the way our club has been run.
he showed great potential. Very natural like Jarzinio or Pele
The BBC commentary suggested Wilshere might be a little sore from one tackle. I hope nothing more than that.
From Arsenal.com coverage of the post game interview
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-on-podolski-zelalem-and-the-ox
> on Gedion being the first Arsenal player born after Wenger became manager…
>> That is more damaging for me than for him!
Coventry Telegraph has a nice writeup on the game.
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/football/match-reports/fa-cup-arsenal-4-coventry-6590169
The Arsenal disambiguation page lists 15 Arsenal football clubs (with our Arsenal being two of them, Men’s and Ladies). But I suspect there is an Arsenal in Africa and one in the Far East.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenal_%28disambiguation%29
Thanks for the links Gordon and as Germans like to be efficient that might be the reason they always add London to the name Arsenal. To make sure that all realise about who they are talking
Good write up Walter and an enjoyable match, even if we did take the foot off the gas for part of the second half. Four goals, a safe win and through to the next round.
Gord,
The most frequent confusion Eurosport makes is with Arsenal de Sarandi from Argentina.
OFF TOPIC but funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytYBCOTUluo
Chelsea fans talking about non existing players transfer targets as if they really exist… LOL
Nice win and best of luck to cov against the parasites who run their club. A real shame the FA allow this sort of thing but the suspicion is that anything goes especially outside the EPL and sometimes within it. Even in the relatively dark days I have never resorted to spend some feckin money but I have to admit there were times when I wanted to sign some feckin Germans and I am glad we signed the ones we have.
Brilliant link Walter!
Seeing those Chelsea fans on utube just hope draxler is not a made up player!
Great recap of the game and funny link Walter about the Chelsea fans! Also, got to love Wenger teaching Mourinho about class today. When asked post-match about Mourinho saying Wenger always complains, Wenger’s response:
“What I said was not a complaint, nothing to do with Chelsea. It was just a suggestion. I can accept that we have different opinions. It was just an opinion, not a complaint. People can think that’s wrong and I accept it. I speak about facts and ideas, never about people.”
I loved the part, “I speak about facts and ideas, never about people.”
For a while I thought the team would have more Spanish players as you highlight earlier that their teams are in poor financial state. Apparently there aren’t many good Spanish targets. Wenger did get the big prize in Ozil though. If not for financial reason, I do not think they would let Ozil go. Even Madrid need to balance their books somewhat. Their government do not have oil wells. 🙂
The German squad keeps getting bigger and the France squad is getting smaller and smaller.
But most importantly, British core is also there for many years to come.
It was a bit nervous trough the second half, not that I doubted, just didn’t want some silly goal, and I am afraid Jack and Ox were a bit “offline” in second half, what is not a big deal taking in account result already and their age.
Listening commentator on TV was annoying as he stopped talking about Coventry equalizing and make our schedule even worse only after 4th goal.
And about foreigners in squad, well I think it is due shift of power in European football. Germans invested a lot in last 5-6 years in youth project, and I believe we are about to see fruits from it if not in Brazil this year then on Euro 2016 for sure. Arsene is man with vision, so he can recognize someone else visions as well. He sow whats going on in Germany and just switched there.
Mourinho is a proper lowlife, he seeks every opportunity to have a go at Wenger as he knows that’s what the English press love to hear. This man will do anything for publicity. At the moment there are two people that I can’t stand in football; and they both happen to be Portuguese (just coincidence I guess), can’t really wait to see the day they leave football.
I wonder if the TV picked up a couple of facts.
The lights went down dramatically at one point. The ref called the captains together and asked if they wanted to play on, they said yes.
Then vast numbers of people put their phone torches on – it was an extraordinary sight viewing from the North Bank upper looking at this vast array of lights on the Clock End. We sang “Arsenal, Arsenal, play the bill”.
As for the Coventry supporter on the pitch, he was, what shall we say, on the larger side of wobble, and seemed to have difficulty climbing the barrier.
The stewards did the right thing – no chasing him, pulling him over, just waiting. One Coventry player went up to him, seemed to be sympathetic, maybe even shook hands, and led him off.
Thanks for the report Walter; what a cracker the first Poldi goal was, that was a difficult angle when you see it from his position. COYG!
Aha and Amen.
thanks Walter, the game was fairly straightforward and comfortable – more comfortbale than those in the lower tiers who were getting wet! The invader was a rotund Coventry fan who was making his own protest. He got cheered by the away fans but treated to a chant of “You Fat B*stard” by the North Bank. Other than that the support for Coventry’s plight was solid and quite moving. The other incident was a failure of some of floodlights near the end of the 1st half. The ref asked the captains if they wanted to continue, they did. Then all around the stadium people held up their phones to illuminate the game – we sang ‘Arsenal – pay the bills!’ and ‘Spend some f***ing money!’ Brilliant atmosphere
Thanks Tony. The commentators brought us up to speed on the partial lights out and even panned the dead bulbs for a brief moment. The phone lights showed good humor as did the sympathy Coventry fans received from the Arsenal fans.
We played the game without Arteta and/Flamini. The Ox/Wilshere combination in front of the back 4 was good but both of them, including Gibbs and Jenkinson were very inclined to drive forward. This must have explained why it was relatively easy for Coventry to be threatening once they were chasing the game early in the 2nd half, when we were 2-0 up. Credit to the coaches: they didn’t panic; in the end, the boys coped well.
Gedion actually played like Ozil to me. He was calm with the ball and, like Ozil, he seemed to have all the time to choose his passes and in the game, he must have scored 100% in pass accuracy. I credit him with the most crucial pass, in the middle of the field, that eventually led to our third goal. He seemed to be taller than Wilsher/Gnarby/Ox/Walcott gang but not as fast and may need more physical strength to cope with muscular one-on-one duels. I ser great potential in the boy; he may become a regular sub in the team from next season.
Walter.
I am never asked ‘Where do Arsenal play?’ because Arsenal is London, everybody knows that about the club.
However I am often asked ‘Where do neverton, or laston villa play?’ As they are not so well known and there isn’t a town in England with these names. I have also been asked about ‘well below average’ WBA.
Who cars where Arsenal play, they just play the greatest football ever seen, thanks to Arsene.
Everyone I knows dreams of going to the EMs to see them play for real.
Rantetta 11:36pm
Thanks for The Guardian link on Gedion. It was a good read and it shows how hard Wenger and his team work to get each talent plying his skills in Arsenal’s colours. What many who criticize the man don’t realise is how immense and how finely tuned the machine he has set up is. It goes beyond being good for the trophy for one or two seasons and then fading out. It seeks to have a club that is relevant and challenging for 10, 20 and more years…this is why, to my mind, unlike ManU, we may not recruit Wenger’s replacement, when the time comes, from outside the corp of coaches and trainers already in the club and working with Wenger.
Walter , thanks for the link to those know(fuck)all Chelski fans who were ‘seriously ‘ discussing the merits of those non-existent players ! Reminds me of many who come on here and give us the benefit their ‘expert’ views !
Back in the early ’70s ,we used to trip up our friends with the mention of a non- existent player called Ron Miller who allegedly played for Fulham and England .The name does sound familiar though !