City-Arsenal

A few thoughts on the Man City-Arsenal match:

• Man City weren't particularly good. Here's a remarkable statistic that basically sums up how they played. Their most creative player, Ireland, hit 12 -- 12[!] -- passes today, 9 of which were complete, and only 1 of which was inside the Arsenal half. Giving credit to this City performance is like giving credit to person who earns money by sitting in an airport and stealing any bags that get left unattended. Such a person might have the odd lucrative day, but it's a parasitic lifestyle and worthy of little genuine praise. City did what they did very well. Their counter-attacks were quick and direct. But for me, something about the win felt so dirty. It was similar to Man Utd's win over Arsenal two weeks ago, with the only major difference being that City scored those chances you get when the other team is chasing the game, thus making the scoreline extremely flattering. Next week they play their city rivals. Next week they will surely be brought back down to earth.
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• Shay Given once again came to the rescue. It is hardly an overraction to say that if the two goalkeepers swapped sides before the game, Arsenal would have run out comfortable winners.
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• Don't believe those who blast Arsenal's "tippy-tappy" approach to football. I don't hear anybody complain when Barcelona or Spain do it, and rightly so, since they are the best club side and international side respectively. Keeping the ball in football is never a bad thing to do. The object of football is to work the ball into a scoring position, and then score. The Bolton way of doing this is a hoof up the pitch; the Arsenal way is to pass it until a scoring opportunity presents itself. Arsenal's problem today wasn't "tippy-tappy" football. Their problem wasn't pulling the trigger when opportunities came their way, for they had over 20 shots on goal, many of which were decent efforts. Their problem was actually that they weren't tippy-tappy enough. They lacked the control and discipline of a Barcelona or a Spain. When they equalised they became careless, turning the game into a playground match. The adrenaline of youth kicked in, and the shape of the team was lost. More control and a less gung-ho approach would most likely have resulted in an Arsenal victory.
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• Apart from one insane dribble, Adebayor posed little threat to the Arsenal rearguard. He was still the same half-hearted creature that stumbled around the Emirates, and even though he has scored in all of City's games thus far, he is not missed in North London. As for his celebration, it's probably vindication for Mr Wenger, who now knows beyond doubt that he made the right decision to sell such a character-less mercenary.
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• If Rosicky can stay fit, Arsenal will be all the better for it. His goal today was a smart finish, and some of his link-up play first rate. It should not go unnoted that Arsenal's collapse in 2007 began in January of that year, which is (I think) when Rosicky was ruled out for what turned out to be 18 months. Hardly a coincidence.
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• Arsenal have issues, but not ones that are easily definable. For example, they shipped four goals today, but one can hardly say that the back four were dodgey. Central defense looks better than it has done in a few years, and it is a rare day when Sagna and/or Clichy are given the run-around. I can't help but feel that the issues reside with the midfield trio of Song, Denilson and Fabregas, yet these players have been largely applauded in the opening weeks of the season. For me, in the murky world of tippy-tappy football, it all rests on the midfield. Something is not right with that trio in my opinion. What I think needs to happen is that Denilson needs to get dropped, Fabregas needs to drop deeper, and Rosicky needs to come in and assume Fabregas's current role as midfield floater. This isn't to pin all of Arsenal's woes on Denilson, as if he is everything that is wrong with the Gunners. He isn't. But a trio of Song, Fabregas and Rosicky is better than a trio of Song, Denilson and Fabregas. Not only because Rosicky is better than Denilson, but because Fabregas is better utilised further back the pitch.
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• That's two losses back to back for Arsenal. Not the end of the world, but the pressure is on for the next game against Wigan. A poor result in that fixture could see all of that early season optimism flow out of the squad, and things could begin to get ugly as they did 12 months ago.
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• Wayne Bridge is really, really fast. Especially for a white guy. i wonder how high he can jump...
  
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• Man City are not title contenders. But they are a genuine threat to the Big 4. This alone makes the season of 09/10 worth following.