Arsenal 4 Bolton 1…….ratings

After this game on Saturday, Arsene Wenger gloatingly declared that beating first Blackburn and next Bolton would have been beyond his side in the past. Considering the physicality of both opponents, he deemed his side to have matured this season with the way they dispatched the two teams near-effortlessly.

It is early days yet, but Wenger might have a point there.
Blackburn and Bolton belong to the same school of hard knock-playing sides like the Stoke Citys and Wolverhampton Wanderers of this world. They all might be unfashionable but they have in common, hard-grafting, English managers who put their trust in players of average skills but tutored to intimidate opponents. And in Arsenal, they all share the collective, flawed wisdom that the Gunners are a soft touch.
Such thinking has helped them try to knock us off our stride in the past and all have succeeded to a certain degree in this abominable task.
Last Saturday was one of those days as Bolton turned up at the Emirates.
Ten minutes into the game, they left their calling card when the belligerent Kevin Davies launched two-footed into Jack Wilshire. He got a talking-to as well as a yellow card for his troubles but being Bolton, the tone of the game was set.
We went ahead in the 28th minute as new-kid-on-the-block and birthday boy, Laurent Koscielny bundled home a Wilshire cross after Fabregas helped the ball along its way. It was to be the first of four assists by Fabregas on the afternoon.
By and by, an eventful game unfolded that saw a red card to new England debutant, Gary Cahill; swinging the match decisively the Gunners’ way as we ran out 4-1 winners.
After Manchester United’s injury-time capitulation to Everton at Goodison Park in the earlier kick-off, this was a golden chance to put daylight between us and them; and how gratefully we took it.

I can fly..Notice the similar pair of boots worn by Koscielny and mate, Squillaci (behind)

Below are the ratings for the game:
• Almunia (6/10) – Solid and professional throughout all the 90 minutes. Organised all before him well and dealt with everything that came his way. Not at fault for the Bolton goal as he was left exposed by Koscielny’s mistake. Largely untroubled in the second half as Bolton failed to come forward, preferring instead to concentrate on damage-limitation.
• Koscielny (7/10) – He really looks like he has adjusted to the pace of the premiership. Covers the ground very well and struck a good understanding at the back with new partner Squillaci. The way he strode forward to score the opener would have made the absent Thomas Vermaelen very proud. Muddied things a bit by his tame back header that opened the door for Bolton’s equaliser . All in all, he is looking every inch an impressive presence at the back.
• Squillaci (7/10) – He deserves high praise for the calm, composure and experience he brought to the back line. His debut passed almost effortlessly because he hardly put a foot wrong and dealt with all the high balls and intimidation manufactured by the likes of Davies and Elmander. Slotted in well for TV and looks like another shrewd piece of business by Wenger.
• Gibbs (6/10) – Deputised admirably for Clichy. It was his debut game of the season and kudos to Wenger for giving the young Englishman a taste of action. Kieran looks to have come a long way with his sense of positional play, tackling, awareness and distribution. Picked up a caution but had a very comfortable outing as he kept the Bolton wingers quiet and subdued.
• Eboue (6/10) – Started brightly with overlapping runs and good interchanges with the forward men. Lost his way sort of in the second half after some rough treatment from the Bolton defence. Substituted later in the second half. The Ivorien still looks a handy squad player though.
• Song (8/10) – Fabregas aside, I will tick him off as my MVP. Did all that was asked of him in the DM position and snuffed out all signs of danger with increasing authority and confidence. Looking at him now, I still shake my head how far he has come. Got the crucial third goal that settled the tie and triggered the oles from the home crowd as the result was put beyond doubt. He is gradually becoming a legend for us. Going a bit further, he is becoming the best thing since Patrick Vieira. Some accolade, ay?
• Wilshire (5/10) – Started the game and ignited the first goal with a very incisive lob over the Bolton defence. He looked fired up as if to show Bolton what they missed by handing him back to Arsenal after last season’s loan move there. Looked jaded and faded from the game in the second period before being substituted.
• Fabregas (8/10) – His best game so far this season. He laid on all the assists for all our four goals and was his mercurial old self (if you could call a 22 year-old that!). After all the unnecessary distraction created by the Barcelona attempts to sign him, he looks to have put all that behind him and gotten on with the business. My pick of his balls was the beauty he lifted into the path of Vela for the fourth goal. Sheer class!
• Rosicky (7/10) – Another one who had a good afternoon. Seems to have found his lost mojo from somewhere. His vision was apparent as he dissected Bolton’s defence thrice in the first half with incisive balls to Arshavin and Chamakh. Tired though as the game wore on.
• Arshavin (6/10) – Should have opened the scoring as early as the 5th minute when Rosicky’s through ball put him one-on-one with the Bolton goalie, Adam Bogdan. He was to get two more bites at the cherry in the same half all of which he failed to bury. Looks a bit isolated on the left where he often opts to take on defenders with little success.
• Chamakh (7/10) – The big Moroccan held the line well and never stops trying. Got his reward early in the second period with a fine headed goal off a Fabregas ball from the corner flag. He is quite capable in the air and even when things aren’t going his way, he always persists. Good work on the afternoon.


Subs
• Diaby (4/10) – Came in for Wilshire but almost immediately got himself kicked on the shin by Bolton’s Robinson. Never recovered from the knock as he hobbled around and eventually was forced off after only 12minutes.
• Denilson (5/10) – Another one making his debut this season. Came on for the injured Diaby and slotted in beside Song. Apart from an attempted shot on goal that was blocked, nothing spectacular from the little Brazilian who looked bulkier than before.
• Vela (6/10) – The Mexican came on to replace Chamakh and opened his account for the season with a sublime goal after being fed by Fabregas. Great things are expected of him this season and with the absence of regulars Van Persie and Bendtner, he has started on a very positive note indeed.
Next up is Braga from Portugal as we launch our latest foray into the Champions League, Wednesday night.

He Asked For It

On from last Saturday’s Blackburn game, some interesting things emerged that pricked my senses about our team.

Firstly, was that a potentially-workable partnership is developing between TV and the new boy, Koscielny. Left-footed and assured, TV would naturally love a right-footer beside him to balance the equation and swap responsibilities. Koscielny has done that very well so far and yes, it’s just August where the season is still in sleep mode. But you can assess a good player in 15minutes through little things like trapping the ball, ball control, distribution, use of body, use of space, positional play, etc.
In all those, he ticks the right boxes and will succeed at the Emirates. I can say that right now.
Last season, TV excelled and made the Premier League Bext XI (a phenomenal thing to do in your first season in England) due to his (1) his obvious talent, and (2) his understanding with another right-footed warrior, the departed William Gallas.
This season so far, he will make the Premiership Best XI again because at 24, he is approaching the peak of his powers and he’s got another good buddy beside him for understanding.
Like they both did against Liverpool on the opening day, TV and Koscielny eased away attackers from the goalie and dealt with everything in the air comfortably against Blackburn. The fact that Blackburn scored was simply due to the mistake of Sagna leaving his flank exposed. Diouf utilized that space by outrunning Koscielny who was covering for Sagna, thus being forced out of his own position. It was the space left behind by Koscielny that Diouf passed into, allowing his namesake and compatriot to drift in and score the equalizer with all the ease in the world.
Such slips happen in every team. The ability of a team to keep them to the minimum and prevent stupid goals, is what remains the difference between winning and losing. TV and Koscielny, along with the rest of the back four would have learnt from that slip.

Familiar sight? Not again Robin, even though you aksed for it

Secondly from the Blackburn game, emerged the realization that Robin Van Persie needs to learn how to protect himself. The ankle injury he picked up after just 30 minutes, was needless, reckless and irresponsible for a player of his age and experience.
You don’t go flying into tackles or leaving yourself exposed to dangerous kicks, especially for a striker whose major duty isn’t to make tackles. By throwing himself around last Saturday and jumping into needless kicking-contests in even more needless situations, he was simply asking to be injured.
For someone with his injury history, which have cost us months and months of inactivity from him, he ought to err on the side of caution.
He was at the club for three seasons with Thierry Henry who was a master of self-preservation. For all his talent, speed and breath-taking ability on the pitch, Henry never got involved in silly kicking-contests. Myles Palmer labelled him a prima-donna, but the lesson therein remains that the first law of nature is self-preservation. Henry chose his moments to do anything. He chose the moment to run; to nick the ball off opponents; to beat defenders; to pass; to receive passes; and of course to score.
Over the course of a game, he was very economical with his movements which was why he lasted so long and so successfully at the top. For him, there was no point flinging oneself around vast areas of the pitch, when a few minutes of explosive burst of speed and direct application could achieve much more.
Another player in the Henry mould is the man we all love to hate – Didier Drogba. Wenger famously described him as “doing very little” last season when he scored twice against us at the Emirates. But it is the mark of a great player to actually do very little and still poach two goals away, to one of your biggest rivals.
Drogba could be unsighted for huge swathes of a game, only to spring to life in a flash like a bushcat and do collateral damage almost before you realise he is there. He has played this way for years and even at 31, he doesn’t look like slowing down. You wonder why he has consistently remained prolific for Chelsea season after season?
Van Persie would do well to learn from these two predators. Strikers are peculiar players who maximize their abilities over a very short space and time frame. They often do not see the ball as much as their other teammates. Unlike midfielders for instance, who receive and release passes probably a couple of hundred times in the course of a game, strikers do not enjoy that luxury.
Wenger would do even better to sit him down and point out these vital facts to him. For the sake of the team and his teammates, it is essential both men have this discussion now. It is a new season. A new beginning and one that holds so much significance for all concerned with the team. After five years of trophy-drought, no more excuses will suffice if we end up empty-handed again.
Every season in the past four years, Van Persie has disappeared into the injury-room for lengthy periods, while the team suffered in his absence. His injuries are often season-defining for us especially as they ultimately deny us of the hugely-important threat he carries in front of goal.
In his absence last season, Nicklas Bendtner carried us through four months of huffing and puffing before we ran into the blitzkrieg that was Barcelona in the Champions League. Imagine how different the story would have been if there was Van Persie (or even forgotten man Eduardo) around to help the young Dane. The fact that it was a midfielder in the person of Fabregas that emerged our highest score last season, underlines how much we suffered for lack of a consistent frontman.
Four weeks we are told is how long he will be out this time. Thankfully. Enough time to assess things for him and allow Wenger show him the merits of emulating Henry and Drogba.