By Walter Broeckx
A few changes compared to our last match. Gabriel comes in the team and Mertesacker drops to the bend and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain comes in the place of Danny Welbeck. Cazorla will be the captain for this match today.
So the team was : Ospina, Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Gibbs, Coquelin, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud. On the beach we had : Szczesny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Chambers, Rosicky, Walcott, Welbeck.
A rather slow start to the match from both teams. Everton had lots of the ball but didn’t really go forward but was more working on possession than threatening the Arsenal goal. Arsenal didn’t really moved the ball around very well in the opening 10 minutes. The first 15 minutes ended with a tame shot from Everton from 30 meters out that almost reach the second tier of the stands.
Gabriel then with a moment of not being sharp enough and Lukaku could go towards Ospina but the keeper kept his head and punched the ball out of the feet of Lukaku and then kicked it over the line. Great goalkeeping. Another good attempt from Ospina to launch Giroud after a quick restart but the Everton defender could stop the ball from reaching the Frenchman. Arsenal didn’t manage to keep the ball in team for longer spells.
Mirallas with a dirty kick on the achilles of Alexis was punished, he sure has a habit of these needles fouls. And finally the first real chance for Arsenal when Alexis crossed the ball to Giroud who headed wide. The foot of Jagielka close to his head might have distracted him but it was a low header. Arsenal suddenly being a lot better now in the next minutes with some better movement but not leading to big chances.
Gabriel now getting the better of Lukaku a few times in a row and Bellerin with a shooting chance but a defender gets in the way. Lukay with a dangerous run but a great sliding tackle from Gabriel denied him a shooting chance.
Arsenal getting a few corners after some pressure. Özil behind the ball and Giroud burried it in the net with his right foot. What a relieve that will have been for him. And for us. 1-0 to the Arsenal after 39 minutes.
Everton tried to reply immediately and raised the tempo but didn’t come to a shooting chance. Meanwhile Oxlade-Chamberlain was having an unlucky first half. He was clearly strugglin with the ball, the weight on the passes and misunderstanding his team mates. In short the things you see when you come back from injury.
Cazorla with a dipping shot that was pushed over by the Everton keeper and an Everton player almost headed the following corner in his own goal. At half time Arsenal was 1-0 in front after a slow start but we slowly grew in to the match.
The first action the second half was a yellow card for Giroud who stopped a promising Everton attack. The free kick resulted in a corner given away by Ospina and then some Everton pressure but the final shot went over. Everton playing for the free kicks it seemed at the start going down and getting the fouls. And a series of corners but Arsenal defended their goal and kept the ball out. Coquelin his shirt was then pulled to pieces and the ref gave a free kick to Arsenal.
A low cross then found Giroud, he turned Jagielka who threw himself in the line of the shot and blocked it with his arm. The ref didn’t put the ball on the penalty spot but gave a corner. Everton trying to pressure us high up the pitch and at times it brought us in some trouble. Ospina coming way out of his penalty area to prevent an Everton chance on the hour mark.
Cazorla then with 1-2 with Giroud but his shot went over. On the other side suddenly Lukaky with shot but Ospina managed to get his finger tips against the ball and put it over. The match then stopped for a head collision between Giroud and Coquelin. That looked bad. Lots of blood coming from the nose of Coquelin.
After the restart a chance for Lennon but his low shot was well stopped by Ospina. Coquelin clearly suffering from the blow and looking slow and sluggish. Luckily Gabriel with a good challenge to stop Barkeley and then getting the foul in his favour when he was dragged down.
Gabriel with a sloppy pass, Koscielny having to make the foul and collect a yellow card. Alexis sneaking in to a backpass and going down but the ref saw no foul. Alexis then again winning the ball, Oxlade-Chamberlain giving it to Özil but the shot was deflected over by a defender. With 9 minutes to go Rosicky came in the place of Oxlade-Chamberlain. After a difficult first half he became better in the second half.
Lukaku going in hard on Ospina and after a while the ref gave the free kick, a good punch from Ospina. Alexis went off with 4 minutes to go and Welbeck came on. Coquelin then getting a ball against his nose and again he was bleeding and then taken off. Chambers came in his place. Well he gave it all today Coquelin.
Ospina then had the ball a long kick , Giroud with the header giving it in the path of Özil who gave it immediately to Rosicky and his shot took a kind deflection and went over the Everton keeper. 2-0 in the 89th minute.
7 minutes of extra time and with the injuries on Coquelin this was understandable. Bellerin with a great run, a good cross but the header from Giroud went just wide. Arsenal trying to score a third and almost succeeding but the shot from Cazorla was blocked and then he couldn’t get passed 4 defenders. Rosicky winning the ball back but his shot was stopped by the keeper.
Arsenal kept Everton away from scoring, scored two goals themselves and won the game. A hard fought victory but against Everton it has always been that way in the last seasons in the PL.
A very good day at the office ! More of the same in midweek , please !
Solid. Nervy. Cautious.
All words that come to mind today.
Understandable and nothing wrong with that,
All that mattered today was a confidence boosting 3 points and that’s what we got.
Well done lads.
If we fly we could get 2nd. If we falter we could struggle for a 4th place finish.
The one thing I know is that our destiny is in our own hands.
What a roller coaster ride we are in for.
Think we will be ok at least for top four Jambug. Liverpool could be a threat, but we can do something about that. Same with Utd, though they look in disarray at times, and have a very difficult run in. Can see Southampton fading and spurs running out of steam so it is all in our hands, just have to make sure we do not do anything silly or confidence eroding when we play the bigger teams. Would like to see us have a real go at city though, if we can rotate sensibly, avoid too many injuries and suspensions, no reason we cannot have a good end of season.
If Everton get relegated we could do worse than make offers for some of their very good English players.
In spells that was a very good display.
How long do you think the British media can continue to highlight every Ozil mistake and talk about them continuously whilst ignoring completely everything good he does?
Who knows Jayram, they seem obsessed with ozil. You would think they would have bigger, more expensive fish to fry, starting with Di Maria……and other expensive Utd flops
According to Skys Martin Tyler Jose’s the ‘manager of mischief’.
Not the complete Arsehole I thought he was then ?
Apparently he’s just ‘taking the heat’ for his players.
Not whinging at all then ?
Would that be Tylers take on Wenger one wonders??
Arsene’s interview is on Arsenal.com. At the moment, there is also an interview from Gibbs as well.
The medja was trying to put words in Wenger’s mouth about lack of leadership.
>> on Francis Coquelin…
> Yes [he has broken his nose]. I don’t know [how long he will be out], I hope not. I don’t know whether he will need surgery or not.
I don’t remember seeing anyone mention the financial results being up on Arsenal.com, but then I missed a couple of days of reading here.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150227/arsenal-holdings-plc-results
A nice report Walter and a much more professional performance by our team. A good result and a very valuable three points. Well done the team!
Another win needed v QPR on Wednesday. Unlikely to make up any more points on City as they are at home to Leicester but we need to keep up the pressure both on them and those behind us.
COYG
Gord
Thanks for that.
I just wish that within these statements Arsenal FC would include our financial commitments to securities against long term loans, as well as financial safety nets to guard against loss of CL football income etc. just to give an overt, honest indication of ‘real’ monies available to Arsene for transfers.
Hopefully it would at least nip the ridiculous speculation as to how much we do actually have available for transfers.
A good win.
Funny thing is, why pick on Ozil? Yet they leave Alexis alone.
Are we saving Theo for something special? Or has he had a setback lately? Not that we needed him today, but just wondering.
Doing a little looking into nose injuries, it is possible (but unlikely) that Coquelin could be back for next weekend. It is probable that he would need to wear a mask for the remainder of the season, and won’t be fully healed before the end of the season.
its gone quiet at the Coop, for a Chelsea bun is better than a chicken…
A good win, an important goal for Giroud and overall the kind of results that should help build confidence.
I thought Coquelin had a good game, got stuck in and fought hard to disrupt a lot of an already combative Everton midfield. For sure they did not feel comfy with him breathing down their necks…
This match to me presents a few dillemas – Sanchez? Should he get a rest? I thought he wasn’t sparkly today and since Theo is not getting any minutes (what’s up with that anyway?) – when is he going to get the nod?
Second dillema is who is our no. 1 keeper?
Third dillema is Gabriel – had a few potentially costly mistakes but also some great moves. To me he seems a lot like Kos – an athletic, fast, jumpy defender (in contrast to the “game reader” like the BFG). Who do you think are our best CBs ?
And last but not least – Manure next matches are – Spuds, Loserpool, Aston Villa, $hitty, KGB, Everton. Hmm… looks like we have a good chance of enlarging the gap between 3rd and 4th – no?
I’m looking at second not fourth!
COYG
Congratz to the Arsenal family after the disappointing day @ the championlleague’s office in d week.
COQUELIN a young lad with the heart of lion, happy to see gunnerdom applauding him off at the Stadium Wenger.
Onward to the next victory, before the Old Trafford Battle.
Let’s relax regarding Theo’s absence, shall we? Chamberlain’s start probably had at least three factors: he was wrecking havoc in FA Cup match against Everton last term, he scored a goal against Monaco and Wenger wanted to give him a chance to improve his confidence after that Carrasco’s goal.
Oh, and I will just repeat what I wrote in the previous post: what UA plans to do with Phil-Neville-sque Menace?
Jambug
We are given the details for the debt service balances within the financial review by Stuart Wisely.
Namely £34.6 millions for the Financial Year 2013-2014.
The Half Yearly Report will be for the 6 months, £22.8 millions, scroll down to Sir Chips Keswick, Chairman, then up to – In cash terms …. read on
In the event of CL failure, we would lose at least 3 home games, CL participation etc., say £50 millions per annum!
About Ö…:
5 chances
2 assists
91% pass accuracy
5 successful crosses
But Ozil was anonymous 😉
I saw one blog site giving player scores had him down at 3.5! I have no idea what planet the contributors are on. He covers more ground than ant other Arsenal player more often than not. Two assists today what more can we reasonably expect from him. A great player but human.
Another statistic, we are now third equal in goals from corners, courtesy of the “Arseblogplay” by the numbers piece by Tim (7am kickoff)
Good result, and solid performances all round. Coq is a fighter, just the sort of player we need against these northern teams. Hopes he gets better soon.
Regarding Ozil, even my 7 yr old remarked that the commentator(it was the midget owen btw) was being unfair to Ozil by criticising him when he blazed a shot over the bar. Like Jayram said, any mistake (that shot was not a mistake by the way, just a miss) Ozil makes it’s talked about for the next five minutes when the ball is long gone. Anything good he does(which is plenty)….. is met with total silence. Hmmmm.
Sorry – damn autocorrect – Arseblog
Well done boys, been away thought I’ll drop in.
I mentioned that Coquelin is likely to play with a mask. Well, the BBC is running a story about Dortmund’s latest game (they won, up to 10th now). Two of the Dortmund players put on Batman and Robin masks.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31677982
I can’t imagine heading the ball with that Batman thing. 🙂
Walter
Those Ozil stats are simply amazing. Some players do not produce that in an entire season!
On another point, after Spurs failure to win a trophy for another season, we have proof positive of an anti Arsenal media. Absolutely nothing is being said about them going 8 years without a trophy. Same with Liverpool, 1 league cup in 9 years. Given that there were at least 25m articles a minute for 4 years solid after Arsenal had gone 5 years up to 8 years, one wonders where all the authors are now?
Great 3 points. Improved after we scored and a good performance from Gabriel. I do fear for Theos future at the club though, not playing and with his contract almost up
After reading all the plaudits about today’s performance, I feel as though I must have watched a different match.
I kept remembering the game against Spurs when, after taking an early lead, we lost possession and never really regained it.
To me, a 1-1 draw seemed inevitable and I was amazed when,at around 68 minutes, no subs came on.
Eventually Rosicky replaced the Ox and via a deflection, the win was assured.
Did I, Arsenal’s greatest optimistic supporter, actually watch a different game? 😉
Ref was definitely not even-handed; letting Everton fouls go, but penalising us for the merest touch.
The hand-ball penalty was obvious, but ignored. Jagielka was actually nursing the hand, which was hurt by the power of Giroud’s shot. I was suprised that our players never even appealed – perhaps they knew that there would be no point.
On at least one other occasion Giroud was held in a bear-hug at a corner, but nothing given. Surprise, surprise!
Nicky, guess you did. The crow at the game was very positive, no signs of anything left over from the match on Wednesday, and appreciation of taking on a fighting team after a very difficult midweek game.
We worked hard and secured the win. OK ultimately it would have been nicer to have scored seven or played brilliant sweeping forwards football throughout, but even in the unbeaten season we didn’t much of the time.
This team has the best win ratio of any club in the Premier League at least since December 1, and quite possibly since before that.
We are also the cup holders, and building a new team, and have a lot of money available for another couple of purchases in the summer if we need them. And we have seen two remarkable young players come through this year.
Yes it would be wonderful if we could overtake the oil rich teams and Man Us world wide marketing machine, and maybe we are about to do this.
That was the battling win we have been slagged off for not being able to achieve, at times, a bit ugly, but will take them all. Interesting point on spurs years without a trophy, the media narrative seems to be they are on the verge of achieving great things….maybe they are, or maybe we are but we do not get such favourable coverage. Great post above Tony, there is a lot to be positive about, especially our young players who are coming through.
Nicky spot on I was there today we were poor , worst Everton side I seen play at the Ems and I’ve seen every game , but we got the three points
which I guess is what really matters. After the horror show weds I’m sure AW must be mightily relieved .
Between you, Tony, and you, Shoot, I’m more than ever confused.
I usually tend to only see the good in Arsenal and this afternoon I saw little of that.
Anyway, enough of nitpicking, we got 3 points and we are lying 3rd.
We have our destiny in our own hands for this term.
I was a happy bunny today. I watched the victory on BT Sport whilst supervising one of the wee bairn’s who was on Mathletics.
I never nagged the wife or snapped at the wee bairns. COZ WE WON.
The Toffee’s had chances….they never took them. We broke well without really prospering. Flamini cannot even make the bench.
Lets see what Loftus Rd brings on Wednesday. 3pts?
Ok,it may not have been vintage Arsenal but I thought the team looked solid all round. There were no obvious areas where one could say Everton were causing us problems. I think this has been the Arsenal we have seen a lot of this season; score first and happy to let the opposition have possession while we venture forwards in a measured approach by maintaining a good balance between attack and defence. I think this has served us well in a few games now, with the exception being the games at pool and the spuds (but even then we were away so understandable). I’ve noticed when we fall behind it unbalances us as we try to even things up too quickly we end up being more open and susceptible to further damage. I’ve no doubt had we scored first against Monaco we’d have won comfortably. Imagine if we had had 65% possession today but lost one nil?
Regarding Walcott, now way he was going to play today. In such games you need players who are good at defending as much as attacking, thus Ox and Samchez. Even Welbeck will be ahead of him.
The question sgould be answered on Wed. When we meet QPR.
As for Ozil, he is defendiing more, getting stuck more. Yes he is not a Coquilin nor a Sanchez/Welbeck, still he is way better than before his injury. Am so happy with his play afteer the injury.
Yassin,
I have been wondering what happened to Ozil while he was recuperating from his injury too. I wasn’t part of the “Ozil can do no wrong” mob of early last season but the guy has been working his socks off since returning from injury and he deserves nothing but praise and respect.
The criticisms that Ozil has been getting recently, in my opinion, show how most people just follow the media crowd.
Bielik played for the U18’s against Norwich, losing 3-1. But, it’s a start (his first).
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/02/28/arsenals-24m-january-signing-finally-makes-debut-for-under-18s/
Tony Attwood
March 1, 2015 at 8:59 pm
Spot on Tony! We are about to win with a bit of luck & God’s grace.
Why Naysmith was not booked for the push on Coq with no intention to go for the ball is truly an indictment of the PGMO method.
Menace
Exactly. Naismith’s shove on Coquelin while he was already air borne caused the ball to hit his nose instead of him heading it. But the commentators seemed more interested in blaming Giroud instead.
During the game against Monaco I noticed the keeper dragging Walcott by his shorts, causing him to fall backwards and block a goalbound shot from Welbz. That should have been a penalty, but noone said anything again. That’s why I think watching those pitchside morons with microphones trying to do an ‘analysis’ of the match is a complete waste of time.
Al
The initial injury to Coq was accidental contact with Giroud. The secondary incident was foul by Naysmith. In fact Naysmith came on & went straight to impede Ospina. A strategy that is unsporting & a foul that does not seem to be recognised by Officials.
In Champions League, the ‘more ons’ seem to have dildos in their hands & really are the biggest waste of money in the game. They do not enhance the officiating at all. Some have called fouls but the inconsistency of their duties/actions are a joke.
Menace
Spot on regarding Naismith. We both laughed with my son when he ran onto the pitch and stood right in Ospina’s face as they were taking a corner. We agreed he’d been sent on with specific orders to commit a few fouls. Hardly surprising that he then ensured Coq couldn’t finish the game, although it appeared he’d recovered well enough from the initial accidental collision with Giroud to finish the match.
Hope two things, coq is ok for wed, and secondly, that not being complacent, but we need less emphasis on his defensive qualities at QPR should he not make it.
Still think we did well yesterday. At times they had three defensive players in MF as well as an organised defence and a potentially dangerous attacking system, that demands patience and hard work which we showed in abundance yesterday. Perhaps such qualities as patience can look like lethargy in certain contexts that the media like to apply, but that performance will be seen by the more astute and less biased for what it is. Thought on the whole, we were very professional, a result ground out rather than a a fancy flair display. And yes, ozil and the others worked their socks off.
Three more points mid week and we will be putting a lot of pressure on our rivals in the top four race, and maybe even pressure on city.
Wed might be a little too soon for Coquelin, Mandy. Maybe at the weekend with a mask? Good thing is that thug Barton is suspended 🙂
I think the broken nose is from contact with Giroud. Getting the ball in the face probably just caused more soft tissue damage. I really doubt Coquelin is fit for Wednesday, heck I think next weekend would almost be a miracle. Whether Coquelin needs surgery is probably the indicator. I doubt he slept after the game.
—-
Unless I made an error (or two), I think this is what has happened since Jan 1.
Chelsea L 3 6 7 10 13 14
ManCity W 4 4 5 6 9 12
Arsenal L 3 6 9 9 12 15
ManU T 1 4 7 8 11 11
Liverpool T 4 7 10 11 14 17
Southampton W 6 9 9 12 13 13
Tottenham W 3 6 9 12 12 13
Swansea T 2 2 5 6 6 9
WHam T 2 5 6 6 7 9
Stoke T 1 4 7 8 8 11
Newcastle T 1 1 4 5 6 6
CPalace T 4 7 7 10 11 11
WBrom T 4 5 5 6 9 10
Everton L 1 2 5 6 6 7
Hull W 3 3 3 4 7 10
Sunderland L 0 0 3 4 4 5
QPR T 1 1 1 1 4 4
Burnley T 4 4 4 5 5 6
AVilla T 1 1 1 1 1 1
Leicester T 4 4 4 4 4 4
The last column is total points out of a possible 21 (second last 18, …). Liverpool has been the most consistent, bagging 17 of 21 points. Arsenal has 15, Chelsea has 14.
The table since Gameday 24 (closed transfer window) is smaller:
Chelsea W 6 7
ManCity T 4 7
Arsenal L 3 6
ManU T 4 4
Liverpool T 4 7
Southampton W 4 4
Tottenham W 3 4
Swansea T 1 4
WHam T 2 3
Stoke T 1 4
Newcastle T 2 2
CPalace W 4 4
WBrom T 4 5
Everton T 1 2
Hull T 4 7
Sunderland T 1 2
QPR L 3 3
Burnley T 1 2
AVilla L 0 0
Leicester L 0 1
Chelsea lost a fair amount since Jan 1, ManCity more. ManU about the same as ManCity. Since the transfer window closed, Chelsea and ManCity have almost stopped losing points, ManU hasn’t been able to shut off the tap. I don’t think it is the Transfer Window, with ManCity it is losing players to CAF is a similar schedule.
But, I will let others guess as to why. Time for me to go to bed.
Got the points and that’s the main thing.
A penalty not given but I’m not sure how easy it was to see the handball and Giroud did shove Jagielka to the ground which looked like a foul to me. If that had happened to one of our players we’d all be claiming a free kick but Giroud got away with it. Anyway Robbie Savage said it wasn’t a foul by Giroud so I guess pushing people over is part of the game.
A win at QPR would be brilliant and keep Liverpool off our back.
Just saw on sky that Ozil covered almost 12km on Sunday against Everton. More than any other player on the pitch. So much for been Lazy (body language).
Al – just saw the replay of the goal line incident where Walcotts shorts were being pulled by Monacos GK. Pen & straight red card should have resulted but moron didn’t see it nor did the ref or his assistant.
@Laughing Lizard,
I believe it was a foul by Giroud, and the handball was not delibirate (Jagielka was supporting himself by his hand.
Giroud & Jagielka tusseled & Jag went down -no foul. The ball hit his hand so not handball. Lukaku used strength to do similar actions & maintain control of the ball. There were many incidents that the crow wrongly ignored.
Important thing is we are climbing the tree & the coconuts are looking sweeter.
Walter thanks for the stats on Ozil. The media and trolls need to cling to ‘tangibles’. I put more stock in influence on the game, though. As the squad improves Ozil’s influence grows. He’s a different type of player. But when a moment of brilliance is required he provides it. Not too many in the world can do that. When RM were introducing BaleOut at the Bernabeu, Cristiano Ronaldo was asked his thoughts. His reply was ‘why did they have to sell Ozil? I went from 30 goals a season to 50 with him’. Who do you think starts for the World Cup winning German nationals? But I guess if you don’t get ‘stuck in’ like a ‘proper footballer’ you can’t play the game. An absolute joke. I don’t care if Ozil laces his boots for 89 minutes because in the instant a brilliant feed is required or space created he will come good. It’s what he does.
@Yassin, that’s my take on it.
@Menace, tussled indeed but Giroud clearly pushed Jagielka over, easy to see on tv, possible the ref missed it.