Written by Alistair Bayliss
It is often said that fortune favours the brave, but last night’s game turned out to be an exception to this ruling.
Manchester City somehow managed to keep a clean sheet despite all the efforts of one of the most potent attacking forces in the league. For them, a scoreless draw can be looked upon as somewhat of a triumph in the circumstances, but the reality is that the result was a poor one for both sides.
As far as Arsenal are concerned, in spite of not managing to put away any of the numerous chances they created, there are many positives to be taken out of the game. Some of the build-up play on display last night was absolutely sublime.
The return of Robin Van Persie to the starting line-up has proven to be clearly beneficial towards Arsenal’s attacking play. When the Dutchman is not in the side, there does appear (at times) to be a lack of cohesion among the forward line, but as soon as he reappears, he provides the link that seems to bind them all together. In addition to that, he also causes danger from his consistently high standard of set-piece taking, something which cannot be replicated from any other player in the current squad.
Other positives of the game, from an Arsenal perspective, definitely stemmed from the back, and just as against Birmingham City, the performances of Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny were first class. The two centre-backs nullified any City attack with the minimum of fuss. Much maligned Lukasz Fabianksi once again had an evening with a considerable lack of incident, which is never a bad thing for a goalkeeper.
Once again, it is very difficult to pinpoint an Arsenal player who had a poor game – some stood out more than others, but the combination of effort and technical quality was never in short supply.
However, wherever there is a positive there is also a negative. Whilst it is possible to bemoan the dismissal of Bacary Sagna, the incident happened so late on in the game that it was really of little consequence. The real disappointment of the evening was the fact that Manchester United can take a seven point lead over Arsenal should they win their game in hand. Manchester City did play extremely defensive, and Arsenal were deeply unlucky, but the side really would have fancied their chances of scoring at least once at home, especially with all the possession they enjoyed.
So whilst Arsenal can be happy (to a certain extent) with the performance they put in last night, they will surely rue the fact that Manchester United can push even further ahead. Not all is lost though – Arsenal’s fixture list becomes easier from here on in. The first team shall have a small break with the arrival of the domestic cup competitions on the horizon, which will have the added benefit of eating up two of the inevitable three games in which Bacary Sagna will be banned for.
It is a long road back, but if Arsenal keep up the good displays, both at the Emirates and away from home, the distance between them and the current leaders will lessen.
This article was first published on Gunnersphere.com – you can follow Alistair Bayliss on Twitter HERE
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Yes, lots more could (& should) have been done, both the initial selection & substitutions were flawed.
Man C were always going to defend deep, which demands an aerial option (plan B) and renders Walcott practically redundant. He is no winger and although his finishing has improved he fluffed his one chance.
Play RVP by all means but not as main striker. He is hopeless in the air and without Chamakh or Bendtner crossing the ball is pointless. So why, when Bendtner came on to do his occasional late rescue, did he pretend to be a left winger??…
…unlucky perhaps, but also pedantic & naive…