So, after a turbulent couple of months, things are beginning to look up again! How quickly expectations have risen as we demonstrate the discipline required to fell one of the giants.
Arsenal line-up against Man City: Ospina; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Cazorla, Alexis; Giroud
Some observations and thoughts on the game:
Alexis worked hard, but the best thing about his performance was that he made himself subordinate to the team. Recently, he has been positioned wide left where, at the start of the season, he found it difficult to influence the game. This led to Wenger playing him through the middle and he quickly became our main man, inviting suggestions that his performances were carrying the team. He now seems able to be effective from out wide, still able to close down the opposition, put crosses in and cut inside and play more directly when appropriate. This more disciplined approach is allowing Cazorla to flourish centrally, and could potentially allow Özil to play in his favoured central position on his return to the team.
Alexis' work ethic and determination is beginning to rub off on the rest of the players, with Giroud, Cazorla, Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain all pressing, chasing back and putting the Man City players under pressure. This defending from the front allowed Coquelin and the defence the protection needed to shine. Bellerin also benefitted from this, as he was never left exposed. Another aspect to our game was that we were prepared to let Man City have the ball, and didn't feel the need to push forward and over-stretch ourselves. It's been widely reported that our possession in this game was the lowest in any game since Opta Stats began, and yet it was undoubtedly one of our strongest performances. It has also been reported that it was the players who were key to deciding these tactics, which demonstrates great togetherness and reflectiveness.
I think it's worth noting that, while this performance was great, we didn't actually create many clear-cut chances, with our goals coming from a penalty and Giroud's header from a free-kick. Only Giroud's headed chance early in the first half springs to mind. We were slightly fortunate to win the penalty for the vital first goal and, had we not scored first, Man City could have grown into the game and put us under real pressure. Giroud is a good player to have on the pitch in games like this as he provides a physical presence and is such a threat in the air.
Coquelin has been putting in quietly decent performances for a few games now. What impresses me most is his alertness, combined with his awareness of where the opposition players are. These qualities are allowing him to position himself such that he reduces the options for the opponent on the ball. He is a more robust tackler than Arteta, and more astute than Flamini in deciding when to make a tackle and when to close down angles. Also impressive is his ability to play the role differently at different parts in the game; in the first half he was mainly sitting back and taking up positions to close down angles, whereas in the second half he was pressing further up the pitch, trying to win the ball and start counter attacks.
While I'm reluctant to get too carried away with his potential to be our first choice defensive midfielder just yet, it is really encouraging to see such a mature performance against a team such as Man City, away from home. The support and protection from the attacking players ahead of him was vital in this, and makes you wonder whether the likes of Alex Song could have looked a whole lot less clumsy with the protection that comes from our attacking players closing down the opposition. I suspect, however, that Coquelin's alertness, awareness and positioning are separating him from previous pretenders to the defensive midfield crown. Where he needs to improve is with his distribution; he needs to learn when to play the simple pass and when to go for something more ambitious. He does have the vision to spot runners further forward but, as yet, hasn't quite managed to execute the pass. There also remain question marks about his discipline, and I'm unsure of how quick he is - while it's great to be in the right position to defend effectively, it would be reassuring to know that he also had great recovery pace to call upon when necessary.
On the subject of recovery pace, Bellerin is slowly establishing himself as a competent right-back. However well protected he's been recently, it's reassuring to know that he has the pace to get back and put in a tackle if left exposed. There have also been a few moments when he's looked a real threat going forward as he's prepared to take defenders on when he sees the opportunity.
Ospina is quietly taking his chance as our first choice goalkeeper. He is a good shot-stopper and looks assured with balls into the box, making it hard to see Szczesny making it back into the first team any time soon. In a similar vein, the performances of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Cazorla make it difficult to see how they can be dropped to accommodate Walcott and Özil. Oxlade-Chamberlain is becoming very effective in the wide-right position as he is able to track back and defend but also willing to beat his man going forward and put a decent cross in.
Cazorla's performance was fabulous, showing real tenacity to chase the Man City players, win the ball back and then drive forward, much like Wilshere at his best. Bizarrely, this game made me see the potential in the Ramsey-Wilshere axis that Wenger tried to establish in this 4-1-4-1 formation earlier in the season. While Cazorla was undoubtedly outstanding against Man City, I'm still excited by the prospect of having Alexis, Özil, Ramsey and Walcott all in the same starting line-up. I can't help but feel that getting Özil back and at his best is the key to improving this team further and would allow us to capitalise on the pace of Walcott and Alexis, as well as the runs made by Ramsey, with devastating effect.
On to today's game against Brighton, and it is vital that we capitalise on the results of the other big teams over the weekend. With Man City, Chelsea and Southampton already out of the cup, we have a great chance to retain this trophy.
My predicted line-up is as follows:
Szczesny; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Coquelin; Walcott, Ramsey, Cazorla, Özil; Giroud
I think that Wenger will take this opportunity to re-introduce Walcott and Özil to the team and give Alexis a well-deserved rest. While it may make sense to rest Koscielny too, I think that Wenger will want to take this opportunity for him and Mertesacker to regain the understanding they developed last season.
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