Arsenal went to Reading in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup Last night. As usual in this competition Arsene Wenger made 11 changes from the team which beat QPR 1-0 last Saturday. It meant the team had a mixture of youth and experience and it certainly showed at times.
The team was exactly as I had predicted and the only surprise for me was seeing Olivier Giroud on the bench. I didn't think any of Saturday's starting 11 would play any part in the game, but Giroud certainly had a role to play before the end.
The goals came early and quickly from Reading and Arsenal found themselves 4-0 down after 37 minutes. It was tough to take for the Arsenal fans and some of those in the ground could be seen leaving. Those that remained were a credit to Arsenal fans everywhere as they sang their hearts out from start to finish.
There was so much wrong with almost everything Arsenal did in the first half. Reading were quicker to react to every loose ball and they put the Arsenal defence under pressure they just could not cope with. They had the beating of Arsenal in aerial duels and took every opportunity to put the ball into the Arsenal box.
I could spend a long time talking about which Arsenal players did what wrong during that first half. There was so much wrong with the performance that I would much prefer to talk about what happened from the 45th minute onwards.
The comeback started in the second minute of added time of the first half. Andrey Arshavin played Theo Walcott in and he finished past the advancing Reading goalkeeper. The goal added a little bit of respectability to the scoreline, but surely there was no way back for them.
The boss must have had a few words to say to the players at half time because Arsenal were a different team after the break. They assumed control of the game, but they just couldn't get the next goal they needed to open things up. Wenger decided to change things just after the hour mark with the introduction of Giroud and Thomas Eisfeld for Emmanuel Frimpong and Serge Gnarbry.
Arsenal switched to a more traditional 4-4-2 formation and got their dividends almost immediately. Walcott swung in a corner and Giroud was on hand to head it home at the near post. There were still 25 minutes left and Arsenal weren't going to give up.
Giroud and Walcott were playing very well and seemed like only a matter of time before the next goal came. Chances came and went and none of them were taken as the clock ticked towards the last minute. Laurent Koscielny got his head to another corner with a minute left to make it 4-3 and set up an incredible finale.
Arsenal tried to throw everything forward but Reading did all they could to run the clock down. There were four added minutes to be played and Arsenal just wanted one more good chance. In the sixth added minute that chance came their way and it finished up in the net one way or another.
Walcott got on the end of a ball into the box and his shot looked to have crossed the line before a defender cleared it. Carl Jenkinson was on hand to put the rebound into the net and I still don't know for sure who the goal has been credited to. The Arsenal players and fans were delerious as they had managed to take the game into extra time.
Some of the Arsenal players clearly didn't realise there would be extra time as they threw their shirts to the fans. When they realised there were another 30 minutes to play they had to get their shirts back very quickly.
When extra time started it was Arsenal who were on the front foot yet again. They kept going forward in search of what they hoped would be a winning goal for them. With the first period of extra time almost over the lead goal they craved came their way.
A good move by Arsenal ended with Arshavin laying the ball off for Marouane Chamakh. He let fly from outside the box and his shot avoided the keeper after going through the legs of a defender. Arsenal seemed to have completed a remarkable turnaround as they led 5-4 with just over 15 minutes left.
The intensity from Arsenal dropped off just a little in the second period of extra time. Walcott had a good effort well saved, but Reading kept trying to get the ball into the Arsenal box in the hope of equalising. With only four added minutes left Reading got the lifeline they were looking for.
A ball over the Arsenal defence was volleyed back towards the Arsenal goal and Pavel Progrebnyak was on hand to head in the equaliser. It was anybody's game yet again, but penalties looked the most likely scenario with only a few minutes left.
With only a matter of seconds left Arsenal charged forward yet again and an excellent effort by Arshavin was blocked on the goal line. Walcott was on hand to slam the ball into the net and put Arsenal 6-5 up with the game practically over. Surely there was no more time left for another goal.
Reading pushed forward in the hope of bringing the game to penalties and Arsenal caught them out in the dying seconds. A mix up by a Reading defender left Chamakh with only the keeper to beat and he lobbed him superbly from over 30 yards out. A quite remarkable turnaround had been completed with Arsenal coming from 4-0 down to win 7-5.
It put the ghost of Newcastle to rest as Arsenal outdid the feat of Newcastle a couple of seasons ago. Arsenal blew a 4-0 lead in that game to draw 4-4, but they were down to 10 men. Last night they outdid that feat against Reading with a team full of fringe players.
The mental strength which appeared to be non-existant in the first half was there for all to see in abundance after the break. The defensive display may have been far from ideal, but the manner of the comeback was the real story of the game. Arsenal have now scored 13 goals in two Capital One Cup games this season.
I thought both Walcott and Giroud did more than enough to show they have to be included from the start against United on Saturday. Walcott collected the match ball after the game so I can only assume the fourth goal was credited to him. He is now Arsenal's top scorer so far this season with six goals in all competitions despite only starting three games.
Even Chamakh can't have done his chances any harm with his two goals. In the first half he was awful but his two goals must surely have been a confidence boost for him. He took them both very well and maybe he will get a chance or two to play again with Gervinho out.
Arsenal will have to defend an awful lot better against United on Saturday or they will be in a whole heap of trouble. A little bit of the attacking flair from last night would be very welcome though. I'll look more closely at that game as it gets a little closer.
Arsenal will know their quarter final opponents after tonight's other quarter finals when the draw is made. With the team in the last eight the boss might just decide to treat the competition a little bit more seriously. It's something he will have time to contemplate when he sees who the opponents are in the last eight.
Last night's game was one if the most remarkable games I have ever seen and it will be a long time before I see anything like it again I'm sure. Luckily for me I was unable to watch the first half and the torture it must have been. I did manage to catch all seven of Arsenal's though.
If being an Arsenal supporter can be described as a roller coaster ride at times then last night was the ride of a lifetime. The highs and lows of the game were quite incredible and they will be talked about for a long time to come. It was only the Capital One Cup though and the really important football returns at the weekend.
That's it for today.
See you tomorrow.
Showing posts with label Marouane Chamakh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marouane Chamakh. Show all posts
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Monday, 29 October 2012
Arsenal's Capital One Cup Game Against Reading Previewed
Arsenal got back to winning ways on Saturday by just about managing to beat QPR 1-0 at home. It was hardly a vintage performance but the result was the most important statistic of the day for the team. Arsenal dominated the game in every single other statistic too, but were more than a little nervous as they tried to see the game out.
Their next Premier League outing is a trip to Manchester United next Sunday, but meanwhile they play again tonight in the Capital One Cup. Reading are the visitors to the Emirates stadium and like QPR they're struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League. On the face of it Arsenal should be firm favourites to advance to the last eight of the competition.
Of course Arsenal don't exactly play their strongest team in this competition. Usually the substitutes from the previous league game are the first names on the team sheet for Capital One Cup games. The bench contained a few players who will be anxious to get the chance to show what they can do.
In goal Damian Martinez should get a rare start with Arsenal already relying on their third choice to fulfill the first team duties. Carl Jenkinson and Laurent Koscielny should both play in defence with Johan Djourou and Ignasi Miquel possibly playing there too. It's hard to know who will play at left back, but Miquel has done so before and will probably do so again.
In midfield I would imagine Francis Coquelin and Emmanuel Frimpong should get a look in, but it's hard to know who will play with them. I don't know if Serge Gnarby is suited to that role and whether he will play there at such a young age either. He has been in the first team squad a few times recently and he may well get the chance to impress tonight.
The attacking trio could well be made up of Theo Walcott, Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh unless Arsene Wenger decides he would like to save any of them for Sunday. Chamakh hasn't seen much action in a long time, but surely this is a chance for him to show what he can if he is chosen. I'm not so sure if both Walcott and Arshavin will play with Gervinho's injury ruling him out for Sunday.
Thomas Eisfeld and Nico Yennaris are other possibilities to play at some time and even Sebastien Squillaci could get a look in. The team will have a fair deal of experience in it, but the youngsters will get a chance to shine too.
I would imagine Reading will play a strong team with the opportunity of picking up a win at Arsenal an attractive one for them. They may be in the relegation zone of the Premier League, but they have enough good players to expect to have a real chance of progressing.
Arsenal will have to be at their very best with the team they have to get something from the game. They could have problems in midfield with their best players rested and players such as Abou Diaby and Tomas Rosicky still injured. I'm hoping to see good performances from Coquelin and Frimpong too as long as he is up to playing.
When Chamakh first joined Arsenal he filled in admirably for the injured Robin van Persie, but he has hardly got a look in since then. In almost two years he has seen very little action and when he has played he had been far from impressive. His future lies elsewhere I'm sure, but I would imagine he will see out his lucrative contract at Arsenal first.
Arsenal have only one player to play the central strikers role and surely Chamakh should see himself as the automatic back up for Olivier Giroud. It's hard to fathom what has gone wrong for him at the club, but maybe he was never the type of player they should have signed. A player may be a bargain if he is signed for free, but not of he then goes on to do virtually nothing at the club.
There's an awful lot of deadwood at Arsenal at the moment and the club have found it very hard to dispose of these players. Besides Chamakh both Arshavin and Squillaci could be on show tonight and the clubs desire to dispose of them has been no secret either. Whatever happened to players buckling down and doing everything to prove judgements on them to be wrong.
I always predict an Arsenal win and tonight is no different. I may not be overly confident of that win tonight, but I'm plumping for a 3-2 victory.
I would love to see Arshavin and Chamakh come out and show what they can do and maybe even make the boss think twice about their futures at the club. It's probably a forlorn wish but I do believe they have the ability and it's the conviction which is missing.
There should be another full house tonight as the club continues it's policy of offering tickets for this competition at a very good price. It's a competition which Arsenal have won a few times in the past with the victories over Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday being the ones I remember. Unfortunately I also remember defeats in the final to Luton and more recently Birmingham and they were bad days.
Whatever happens tonight it's the game on Sunday which is really important. Once any players who might play on Sunday come through in one piece I will be relatively happy, but of course a win would be great. November is going to be a tough month for Arsenal and they will need all of their best players fully fit and ready to go.
That's it for today.
See you tomorrow.
Their next Premier League outing is a trip to Manchester United next Sunday, but meanwhile they play again tonight in the Capital One Cup. Reading are the visitors to the Emirates stadium and like QPR they're struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League. On the face of it Arsenal should be firm favourites to advance to the last eight of the competition.
Of course Arsenal don't exactly play their strongest team in this competition. Usually the substitutes from the previous league game are the first names on the team sheet for Capital One Cup games. The bench contained a few players who will be anxious to get the chance to show what they can do.
In goal Damian Martinez should get a rare start with Arsenal already relying on their third choice to fulfill the first team duties. Carl Jenkinson and Laurent Koscielny should both play in defence with Johan Djourou and Ignasi Miquel possibly playing there too. It's hard to know who will play at left back, but Miquel has done so before and will probably do so again.
In midfield I would imagine Francis Coquelin and Emmanuel Frimpong should get a look in, but it's hard to know who will play with them. I don't know if Serge Gnarby is suited to that role and whether he will play there at such a young age either. He has been in the first team squad a few times recently and he may well get the chance to impress tonight.
The attacking trio could well be made up of Theo Walcott, Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh unless Arsene Wenger decides he would like to save any of them for Sunday. Chamakh hasn't seen much action in a long time, but surely this is a chance for him to show what he can if he is chosen. I'm not so sure if both Walcott and Arshavin will play with Gervinho's injury ruling him out for Sunday.
Thomas Eisfeld and Nico Yennaris are other possibilities to play at some time and even Sebastien Squillaci could get a look in. The team will have a fair deal of experience in it, but the youngsters will get a chance to shine too.
I would imagine Reading will play a strong team with the opportunity of picking up a win at Arsenal an attractive one for them. They may be in the relegation zone of the Premier League, but they have enough good players to expect to have a real chance of progressing.
Arsenal will have to be at their very best with the team they have to get something from the game. They could have problems in midfield with their best players rested and players such as Abou Diaby and Tomas Rosicky still injured. I'm hoping to see good performances from Coquelin and Frimpong too as long as he is up to playing.
When Chamakh first joined Arsenal he filled in admirably for the injured Robin van Persie, but he has hardly got a look in since then. In almost two years he has seen very little action and when he has played he had been far from impressive. His future lies elsewhere I'm sure, but I would imagine he will see out his lucrative contract at Arsenal first.
Arsenal have only one player to play the central strikers role and surely Chamakh should see himself as the automatic back up for Olivier Giroud. It's hard to fathom what has gone wrong for him at the club, but maybe he was never the type of player they should have signed. A player may be a bargain if he is signed for free, but not of he then goes on to do virtually nothing at the club.
There's an awful lot of deadwood at Arsenal at the moment and the club have found it very hard to dispose of these players. Besides Chamakh both Arshavin and Squillaci could be on show tonight and the clubs desire to dispose of them has been no secret either. Whatever happened to players buckling down and doing everything to prove judgements on them to be wrong.
I always predict an Arsenal win and tonight is no different. I may not be overly confident of that win tonight, but I'm plumping for a 3-2 victory.
I would love to see Arshavin and Chamakh come out and show what they can do and maybe even make the boss think twice about their futures at the club. It's probably a forlorn wish but I do believe they have the ability and it's the conviction which is missing.
There should be another full house tonight as the club continues it's policy of offering tickets for this competition at a very good price. It's a competition which Arsenal have won a few times in the past with the victories over Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday being the ones I remember. Unfortunately I also remember defeats in the final to Luton and more recently Birmingham and they were bad days.
Whatever happens tonight it's the game on Sunday which is really important. Once any players who might play on Sunday come through in one piece I will be relatively happy, but of course a win would be great. November is going to be a tough month for Arsenal and they will need all of their best players fully fit and ready to go.
That's it for today.
See you tomorrow.
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