A necessary but somewhat insipid win, as Arsenal pushed Sunderland away with some difficulty and won 3-1. No one would disagree that the performance wasn’t particularly up to scratch, but after what happened with Manchesters City and United, the three points were all that mattered, and thankfully that’s how it panned out.
Arsene Wenger chose to start Laurent Koscielny after just about recovering from a hip injury (sigh), and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey got starts more out of force than preference, for injuries to Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla forced his hand. Despite all the injuries we have in the world, the XI we had on display was rather good on paper, with only Mathieu Flamini and Joel Campbell looking like significant weak links.
As it turned out, it was the latter who made a huge contribution to the game. After Mesut Ozil cleverly put him through, the Costa Rican matched the quality of the pass with a sly finish, nutmegging Costel Pantilimon and putting us in the lead. I’m not entirely sure Campbell has done enough to displace players like Alexis and even Ramsey on the wings, but it’s nice to see him try. Who knows, he may usurp Danny Welbeck in the hierarchy if he continues in this vein.
Taking the lead had put a gloss on what was a nervy performance until then. Sure, we were bossing the ball, but Sam Allardyce’s men were carving the better chances. Koscielny made two uncharacteristic errors (the firsts of his season, probably) to let Fabio Borini through on goal, but Petr Cech stopped both of them.
Amidst players like Ozil, Bellerin and even Koscielny putting in assured shifts, it’s understandable that Cech’s form has gone under the radar. But on closer inspection, it’s looking like him and Mesut are carrying the team. Cech really deserves more credit for bailing out a ropey defence time and time again. We could have lost today if not for him.
Olivier Giroud headed our second after a terrific fizzer of a pass by Ramsey. Come to think of it, I cannot think of two players than Ramsey and Giroud who needed to be involved in that goal. Giroud’s form was falling stale after being forced to carry the striker burden, and I’m sure the own goal hadn’t helped. Ramsey missed a couple of great chances, and was spraying his passes all over the pitch before the goal. That goal gave both of them welcome confidence, which more often than not proves to be the edge in competitive football.
Aaron tapped-in the third after Pantilimon parried a shot, and Wenger’s relief on the touchline mirrored my own. Despite our possession, there’s no doubt we were up against it yesterday, and to exit from a situation like that with maximum points always brings with it a tranquilizing feeling everyone enjoys.
The victory means that we’re second in the league behind a Leicester City who look like the Real Madrid of the Premier League. Before Rafa Benitez. With Jamie Vardy. And the fact that a decent, yet wishy-washy team like Leicester are on top of the pile goes to show how uncomplicated winning this season’s league could be.
Our competition isn’t nearly as strong as it used to be in previous seasons. Since Sir Alex called time on football, the quality of competitiveness in England has been poverty. No one has looked like raising the bar or upping the scales. Indeed, it looks like they’ve lowered it.
It’s amazing that we’ve taken only 5 points from a possible 12, and still find ourselves firmly planted in second. 5-6 years ago, losing games against West Bromwich Albion were met with apocalyptic reactions, because the fans knew it would come back to bite them in May. Now, however, the paucity of other top clubs means that they can easily be shrugged off as occupational hazards.
Every title contender this season have major baggage to deal with. Manchester City look utterly bereft of ideas without David Silva and Sergio Aguero. Try as he might, Louis van Gaal cannot buy a goal. Chelsea have slipped off the face of the top ten entirely. Our baggage seems to be stemming the flow of countless injuries and entering games with the right mindset, both factors that link to Arsene Wenger. If we can overcome that, winning the league should be straightforward.
It’s hard to remember a league season where winning it could be so effortless. So much so, that it would hardly feel as deserved as winning it eleven years ago felt. It’s not rocket science anymore. That, by no stretch of the imagination, means that winning the league is pointless, but it certainly means that with our resources and competition, it would be criminal if we fail to.
Come on Arsenal. Make it happen.
-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]
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