ARSENAL 3 STOKE CITY 1
by Ricky Butler at the Emirates Stadium
CRISIS-club Arsenal went back to the top of the Barclays Premier League with a comfortable victory over Mark Hughes' new-look Stoke side at the Emirates on Sunday.
And it was deadline day record signing - pass-master Mesut Ozil - who was the architect with another three assists as Arsene Wenger's side continue to confound the critics.
After a tough summer when many were questioning his future, Wenger has quietly assembled a very good group of players who finally look ready to end the much talked about trophy drought. The addition of Ozil could prove to be the final piece of the jigsaw.
The little German has played just two Premier League matches for the club but the king of the assist is top of the assist table with four to his credit already.
The squad is still a little short on numbers perhaps, although when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski, Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla all return from injury, Arsenal will have an abundance of riches in attacking areas.
There was some good news for Wenger on the injury front however, with Mikel Arteta coming on for the final 12 minutes following a thigh injury that has kept him out since pre-season.
"He is a technical leader on the pitch so it is great to have him available again," said the Arsenal boss.
While the £42.5m signing of Ozil has captured the imagination, it may well be a returning Frenchman on a free who could prove to be Wenger's best piece of summer business.
Mathieu Flamini has slipped effortlessly back into the Gunners midfield, offering a solid base for the likes of Ozil, Jack Wilshere and in-form Aaron Ramsey to pull the strings further forward.
In fact it was Ramsey who profited from a 4th minute Ozil set piece to fire Arsenal ahead - his 7th goal of an incredible season.
Wilshere was fouled 25 yards from goal by Charlie Adam and when Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic could only push out the German's free kick, Ramsey arrived to fire home from six yards.
All credit to Hughes' side who are clearly trying to change their style this season. While still being combative in midfield, they are now playing a more measured, passing game and this was emphasised by their equaliser midway through the first half.
Steven Nzonzi exposed the apparent weakness at the heart of the Arsenal defence with a neat ball over the top which Marko Arnautovic turned onto the post. But full back Geoff Cameron, who had started the move by winning the ball on halfway and charging forward, finished it with a first time effort from 16 yards.
Wenger's side, looking leggy after their midweek Champions League exploits, could have buckled but they managed to rouse themselves again to regain the lead 10 minutes later. This time it was a corner delivery from Ozil that created the opportunity for compatriot Per Mertersacker to glance home a backwards header from 10 yards.
And it was that man Ozil again who made it a hat-trick of assists 20 minutes from time. Wilshere bought a foul from Jon Walters on the left side of the penalty area and Ozil's floated free kick was headed home by Bacary Sagna at the far post - his first goal in over 18 months. Three Arsenal goals from set-pieces against Stoke. Who would have thought it?
Wenger said: "It is unusual for us to score from set pieces, especially against a team like Stoke. But the delivery was the most important part of that.
"We have established a good run (since Aston Villa) and after a Champions League game it is very important to win, and we did it today.
"I think we had two halves; the first was fluent and the second half we looked jaded physically. In the end we lost our technical quality.
"But we have shown another aspect as well; that we can dig in and fight when we were under pressure.
"It's been a good week for us. We won in Marseille, we won in Sunderland and we won today so it has been a very positive week."
Stoke boss Hughes was not happy about the goals his side conceded. He said: "We are disappointed with the manner of the goals, we lost three goals to set
plays and that's not something we usually do.
"And I don't think there are many
occasions where Arsenal score from free-kicks or from balls into the box.
"We showed good courage to get on level terms, but their second goal was
disappointing. In the second half we looked like we were the more likely to
score but when they got a third it took the wind out of our sails."
Arsenal was thrown a last-minute curve ball with the withdrawal of abdominal-injury victim Theo Walcott just before kick off, giving 18-year old Serge Gnabry, the least known of Arsenal's four Germans, a first Premier League start.
Although the teenager looks another exciting prospect and showed some nice touches, he lacked the attacking thrust of the Englishman and as a result the Gunners attacking play often appeared pedestrian.
But thanks to the prompting of Ozil, they still had more than enough to seal a seventh win on the spin. Not bad for a club in crisis.
ARSENAL - Szczesny 6, Sagna 7, Mertersacker 7, Koscielny 7, Gibbs 7, Wilshere 6 (Monreal 6, 72), Flamini 7, RAMSEY 8, Gnabry 6( Miyachi 6, 72), Giroud 6, Ozil 7(Atreta 7, 79).
STOKE CITY - Begovic 7, Pieters 6 (Palacios 5, 66), Huth 6, Shawcross 6, Cameron 7, Arnautovic, 7 Wilson 7, Adam 5 (Ireland 5, 58), Nzonzi 7, Jones 5 (Pennant 5, 75), Walters 6.
REFEREE - M. Dean 7 - The sign of a good referee is that you rarely notice him and Dean went about his work with the minimum of fuss.
Sunday, 22 September 2013
Friday, 20 September 2013
Opening home defeat not usually a bad thing for Arsenal
ARSENAL'S great form since the opening day home defeat by Aston Villa should not really have come as any great surprise. History shows that defeat in their opening home match of the season is usually the sign of a trophy-winning campaign for the Gunners.
Lets look at the facts. Since losing 2-1 at home to Liverpool on the opening day of the 1987-88 season, Arsenal have lost their first home match on four occasions and each time the club has gone on to lift a trophy.
In 1988-89, it was again Aston Villa who left Highbury with all three points in the first home match with a 3-2 success. But the season would see Arsenal crowned champions after the now infamous 2-0 last day win at Anfield.
The next time Arsenal would lose their opening home match was on the day first day of the Premier League in August 1992. Despite leading 2-0 at half time against Norwich City, Arsenal was on the wrong end of a 4-2 defeat in front of the mural, but the season ended with George Graham's side lifting both the League Cup and FA Cup - the first club ever to win that particular double.
The following 1993-94 season again began with a home defeat as a Mickey Quinn hat-trick gave Coventry a 3-0 success on the day the new North Bank stand opened. But the campaign ended in glory as Arsenal won the European Cup Winners Cup with victory over Parma in Copenhagen.
It would be another eight years before Arsenal would lose their opening home match again - Leeds United winning 2-1 at Highbury in August 2001. However, the season would end with the Gunners winning their third double after victories over Manchester United and Chelsea in the space of four days.
Since then, Arsenal have only once lost their opening home league match - Liverpool leaving the Emirates with a 2-0 victory in 2011. However, that was not the opening home match that season as Arsenal had beaten Udinese 1-0 in a Champions League qualifier four days earlier.
So if history is to repeat itself, Arsenal will be celebrating a long-awaited trophy success next May.
Lets look at the facts. Since losing 2-1 at home to Liverpool on the opening day of the 1987-88 season, Arsenal have lost their first home match on four occasions and each time the club has gone on to lift a trophy.
In 1988-89, it was again Aston Villa who left Highbury with all three points in the first home match with a 3-2 success. But the season would see Arsenal crowned champions after the now infamous 2-0 last day win at Anfield.
The next time Arsenal would lose their opening home match was on the day first day of the Premier League in August 1992. Despite leading 2-0 at half time against Norwich City, Arsenal was on the wrong end of a 4-2 defeat in front of the mural, but the season ended with George Graham's side lifting both the League Cup and FA Cup - the first club ever to win that particular double.
The following 1993-94 season again began with a home defeat as a Mickey Quinn hat-trick gave Coventry a 3-0 success on the day the new North Bank stand opened. But the campaign ended in glory as Arsenal won the European Cup Winners Cup with victory over Parma in Copenhagen.
It would be another eight years before Arsenal would lose their opening home match again - Leeds United winning 2-1 at Highbury in August 2001. However, the season would end with the Gunners winning their third double after victories over Manchester United and Chelsea in the space of four days.
Since then, Arsenal have only once lost their opening home league match - Liverpool leaving the Emirates with a 2-0 victory in 2011. However, that was not the opening home match that season as Arsenal had beaten Udinese 1-0 in a Champions League qualifier four days earlier.
So if history is to repeat itself, Arsenal will be celebrating a long-awaited trophy success next May.
Can Giroud emulate Smith and fire Arsenal to title glory?
OLIVIER GIROUD'S fine start to the season has brought comparisons to former Arsenal great Alan Smith. Apart from sharing a similar playing style - tall, good in the air, great with their back to goal - both also had very similar starts to their Arsenal careers.
Despite scoring a hat-trick against Portsmouth early in 1987-88, Smith failed to convince for much of his first season at Highbury. He could look cumbersome and awkward at times and many fans were left wondering if he really was much better than the much-maligned Niall Quinn, the striker he had been bought to replace.
In fact by Christmas 1987, Smith had been dropped to the bench in favour of the hapless Quinn. Yes, that was how badly he had been playing. However, a goal from bench at Portsmouth on New Year's Day 1988 signalled a change in fortune for Smith and by the end of the season, the former Leicester man had began to show exactly what he could do.
In the end, Smith finished his first campaign at Arsenal with 16 goals in all competitions, including one at Wembley in the Littlewoods Cup final defeat to Luton Town. But as the club chased a big-name striker throughout the summer of 1988, it appeared Smith's days could be numbered.
Giroud's first season at Arsenal proved to be very similar. He also took a while to settle and many fans were wondering if he was good enough. He could look cumbersome and awkward and found himself in and out of the side. But like Smith, it was an appearance from the bench around Christmas time that proved to be the turning point.
Giroud's two goals in the 7-3 win over Newcastle last December began a great run of form for the Frenchman and he ended his first season at the club with 17 goals in all competitions. Like Smith before him, however, many fans were left wondering if he really was the man to lead Arsenal to glory.
Arsenal spent the summer of 1988 chasing a striker and were close to splashing out a club record fee on West Ham's Tony Cottee. However, when the deal fell through and Cottee moved to Everton instead, Smith was thrown into the side for the league opener at Wimbledon.
Arsenal won 5-1 that day and Smith claimed a hat-trick. He would never look back. In fact he would score in each of the opening eight league matches as Arsenal went to the top of the table. Suddenly he had become the fulcrum of the attack and he would finish the season as the Golden Boot winner as Arsenal won their first league title in 18 years.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2013. Arsenal was again chasing a big name striker. Names like Higuain, Rooney and Suarez were all linked to the club but when they fell through, it was Giroud who began the season as Arsenal's centre forward.
And here we are four games into the campaign with the Frenchman having scored in each. He has become the fulcrum of the attack and it is now hard to imagine an Arsenal side without him in it. Of course it is still early days but I certainly would not bet against Giroud scoring the goals that lead to Arsenal ending another long title drought.
It has been said that a team are only good as its centre forward and back in 1988-89 that was certainly true for George Graham's Arsenal side - Smith scoring 23 times as they lifted the title. This season, will it be the goals of Giroud that will fire the Gunners to similar glory?
Despite scoring a hat-trick against Portsmouth early in 1987-88, Smith failed to convince for much of his first season at Highbury. He could look cumbersome and awkward at times and many fans were left wondering if he really was much better than the much-maligned Niall Quinn, the striker he had been bought to replace.
In fact by Christmas 1987, Smith had been dropped to the bench in favour of the hapless Quinn. Yes, that was how badly he had been playing. However, a goal from bench at Portsmouth on New Year's Day 1988 signalled a change in fortune for Smith and by the end of the season, the former Leicester man had began to show exactly what he could do.
In the end, Smith finished his first campaign at Arsenal with 16 goals in all competitions, including one at Wembley in the Littlewoods Cup final defeat to Luton Town. But as the club chased a big-name striker throughout the summer of 1988, it appeared Smith's days could be numbered.
Giroud's first season at Arsenal proved to be very similar. He also took a while to settle and many fans were wondering if he was good enough. He could look cumbersome and awkward and found himself in and out of the side. But like Smith, it was an appearance from the bench around Christmas time that proved to be the turning point.
Giroud's two goals in the 7-3 win over Newcastle last December began a great run of form for the Frenchman and he ended his first season at the club with 17 goals in all competitions. Like Smith before him, however, many fans were left wondering if he really was the man to lead Arsenal to glory.
Arsenal spent the summer of 1988 chasing a striker and were close to splashing out a club record fee on West Ham's Tony Cottee. However, when the deal fell through and Cottee moved to Everton instead, Smith was thrown into the side for the league opener at Wimbledon.
Arsenal won 5-1 that day and Smith claimed a hat-trick. He would never look back. In fact he would score in each of the opening eight league matches as Arsenal went to the top of the table. Suddenly he had become the fulcrum of the attack and he would finish the season as the Golden Boot winner as Arsenal won their first league title in 18 years.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2013. Arsenal was again chasing a big name striker. Names like Higuain, Rooney and Suarez were all linked to the club but when they fell through, it was Giroud who began the season as Arsenal's centre forward.
And here we are four games into the campaign with the Frenchman having scored in each. He has become the fulcrum of the attack and it is now hard to imagine an Arsenal side without him in it. Of course it is still early days but I certainly would not bet against Giroud scoring the goals that lead to Arsenal ending another long title drought.
It has been said that a team are only good as its centre forward and back in 1988-89 that was certainly true for George Graham's Arsenal side - Smith scoring 23 times as they lifted the title. This season, will it be the goals of Giroud that will fire the Gunners to similar glory?
Monday, 2 September 2013
Giroud goal sees off big-spending Spurs
ARSENAL 1 SPURS 0
By Ricky Butler at the Emirates Stadium
A FIRST half goal of real quality from Olivier Giroud settled a tense North London derby at the Emirates on Sunday as Arsenal's miserly defence showed it is not necessarily about how much you spend.
Spurs, who have splashed out nearly £107m this summer, arrived on the back of four wins from four matches in all competitions this season, while Arsene Wenger's side, with only two free transfers brought in so far, had apparently been going through something of a crisis.
Not that you would have known it here as they produced a display of real grit and determination to show that money cannot buy this kind of team spirit. In fact it was the sort of performance that used to be synonymous with the club - 1-0 to the Arsenal.
Of course this result will not have changed Wenger's need to bring in new recruitments ahead of today's transfer deadline, but perhaps things are not quite as bad in this part of North London as many would have you believe.
This crucial and hard fought victory was achieved with a threadbare squad too. Already depleted by injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski and Thomas Vermaelen, Wenger's plans were further disrupted by illness to Bacary Sagna and Jack Wilshere.
While the England midfield man was considered fit enough to start, he did not make it to half time before being replaced by Wenger's most recent signing, the returning Mathieu Flamini - on a free transfer of course.
But despite conceding far more possession at the Emirates than they usually do, make no mistake about it, Arsenal fully deserved this victory.
After a bright start in which Santi Cazorla had twice threatened with free kicks, the Gunners were forced back by a Spurs side who looked determined not to suffer a third successive 5-2 defeat on the ground of their bitter rivals.
It was therefore no real surprise that when the goal arrived - midway through the first half - it was scored on the counter attack. Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey combined with Tomas Rosicky, who fed Theo Walcott down the right.
With Michael Dawson playing him onside, the England winger advanced towards the bye-line before drilling a low cross into the six yard box for the late-arriving Giroud to stab home with the outside of his left foot.
With talk of a big-money striker arriving, the Frenchman has now scored four goals in five matches this season and is really starting to look the part.
Arsenal could now relax and Walcott was denied by Hugo Lloris as Wenger's side looked for some breathing space before the break.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with the visitors dominating possession but playing mainly in front of an Arsenal defence that looked strong and organised, and the visitors rarely threatened Wojciech Szczesny's goal.
In fact it was the Gunners who came closest to a second when only a fine save from Lloris denied his compatriot Giroud after another rapid counter-attack.
Arsenal came under an inevitable Spurs onslaught in the final 10 minutes and Szczesny had to be at his best to keep out a deflected effort from substitute Jermain Defoe.
But that was as close as Andre Villas-Boas' side came to preserving their unbeaten start and it was the much-maligned Wenger who was celebrating at the final whistle.
The Arsenal boss said: "In the end we had to hang on because we could not score the second goal. It was a very intense game but overall I feel we deserved it as their goalkeeper was their best player.
"We have had some very intense games in the last two weeks and we had to dig deep to win in the end."
When asked about the form of Giroud, Wenger said: "Last year, he came to a new league which is a level up and he had to adapt. Now in his second season he is more comfortable and you can see from his movement and technique how much he has improved."
"He is a fantastic guy with a great charisma and he was a real leader on the pitch today."
Villas Boas, meanwhile, felt his side were a little unfortunate to come away from the Emirates empty-handed again. He said: "It was very tight in the first half and they had one or two opportunities but I thought the second half was very, very strong from us.
"I thought we deserved something in the end. Arsenal was more clinical in front of goal but I thought a draw would have been a fair result."
There was more bad news for the Spurs boss last night when it was revealed that Real Madrid had finally completed the signing of Gareth Bale for a world record fee of 100m Euros.
ARSENAL - Szczesny 7, Jenkinson 6, Mertesacker 8, Koscielny 8, Gibbs 7, Ramsey 8, Wilshere 5 (Flamini 43, 7), Rosicky 7 (Monreal 78, 6) Cazorla 8, Walcott 7 (Sagna 90), GIROUD 9.
SPURS - Lloris 8, Walker 6, Dawson 5, Vertonghen 6, Rose 7, Dembele 6 (Defoe 67, 6), Paulinho 6, Capoue 6 (Sandro 73, 6), Chadli 7, Townsend 7 (Lamela 73, 6), Soldado 5.
REFEREE - M Oliver 7
ATTENDANCE: 60.071
By Ricky Butler at the Emirates Stadium
A FIRST half goal of real quality from Olivier Giroud settled a tense North London derby at the Emirates on Sunday as Arsenal's miserly defence showed it is not necessarily about how much you spend.
Spurs, who have splashed out nearly £107m this summer, arrived on the back of four wins from four matches in all competitions this season, while Arsene Wenger's side, with only two free transfers brought in so far, had apparently been going through something of a crisis.
Not that you would have known it here as they produced a display of real grit and determination to show that money cannot buy this kind of team spirit. In fact it was the sort of performance that used to be synonymous with the club - 1-0 to the Arsenal.
Of course this result will not have changed Wenger's need to bring in new recruitments ahead of today's transfer deadline, but perhaps things are not quite as bad in this part of North London as many would have you believe.
This crucial and hard fought victory was achieved with a threadbare squad too. Already depleted by injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski and Thomas Vermaelen, Wenger's plans were further disrupted by illness to Bacary Sagna and Jack Wilshere.
While the England midfield man was considered fit enough to start, he did not make it to half time before being replaced by Wenger's most recent signing, the returning Mathieu Flamini - on a free transfer of course.
But despite conceding far more possession at the Emirates than they usually do, make no mistake about it, Arsenal fully deserved this victory.
After a bright start in which Santi Cazorla had twice threatened with free kicks, the Gunners were forced back by a Spurs side who looked determined not to suffer a third successive 5-2 defeat on the ground of their bitter rivals.
It was therefore no real surprise that when the goal arrived - midway through the first half - it was scored on the counter attack. Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey combined with Tomas Rosicky, who fed Theo Walcott down the right.
With Michael Dawson playing him onside, the England winger advanced towards the bye-line before drilling a low cross into the six yard box for the late-arriving Giroud to stab home with the outside of his left foot.
With talk of a big-money striker arriving, the Frenchman has now scored four goals in five matches this season and is really starting to look the part.
Arsenal could now relax and Walcott was denied by Hugo Lloris as Wenger's side looked for some breathing space before the break.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with the visitors dominating possession but playing mainly in front of an Arsenal defence that looked strong and organised, and the visitors rarely threatened Wojciech Szczesny's goal.
In fact it was the Gunners who came closest to a second when only a fine save from Lloris denied his compatriot Giroud after another rapid counter-attack.
Arsenal came under an inevitable Spurs onslaught in the final 10 minutes and Szczesny had to be at his best to keep out a deflected effort from substitute Jermain Defoe.
But that was as close as Andre Villas-Boas' side came to preserving their unbeaten start and it was the much-maligned Wenger who was celebrating at the final whistle.
The Arsenal boss said: "In the end we had to hang on because we could not score the second goal. It was a very intense game but overall I feel we deserved it as their goalkeeper was their best player.
"We have had some very intense games in the last two weeks and we had to dig deep to win in the end."
When asked about the form of Giroud, Wenger said: "Last year, he came to a new league which is a level up and he had to adapt. Now in his second season he is more comfortable and you can see from his movement and technique how much he has improved."
"He is a fantastic guy with a great charisma and he was a real leader on the pitch today."
Villas Boas, meanwhile, felt his side were a little unfortunate to come away from the Emirates empty-handed again. He said: "It was very tight in the first half and they had one or two opportunities but I thought the second half was very, very strong from us.
"I thought we deserved something in the end. Arsenal was more clinical in front of goal but I thought a draw would have been a fair result."
There was more bad news for the Spurs boss last night when it was revealed that Real Madrid had finally completed the signing of Gareth Bale for a world record fee of 100m Euros.
ARSENAL - Szczesny 7, Jenkinson 6, Mertesacker 8, Koscielny 8, Gibbs 7, Ramsey 8, Wilshere 5 (Flamini 43, 7), Rosicky 7 (Monreal 78, 6) Cazorla 8, Walcott 7 (Sagna 90), GIROUD 9.
SPURS - Lloris 8, Walker 6, Dawson 5, Vertonghen 6, Rose 7, Dembele 6 (Defoe 67, 6), Paulinho 6, Capoue 6 (Sandro 73, 6), Chadli 7, Townsend 7 (Lamela 73, 6), Soldado 5.
REFEREE - M Oliver 7
ATTENDANCE: 60.071
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