A good showing by Arsenal against Wolves

Down one goes and out the other goes

Wolves were a side low on confidence and the slightest change completely offset them. The red card awarded to Sebastian Bassong ended the game as a contest and Arsenal strolled to a five point lead over the 4th place team.

This match was a banana skin waiting to be stepped on for Arsenal, given their propensity to completely collapse against opposition fighting for survival. Wolves are mired in the relegation battle and teams like that also put on a extra fight and somehow we always seemed to suffer in those games. But, that didn’t happen yesterday. The sending off probably went a long way to make the match a little more easier for us.

A quick touch and go between Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott saw the latter burst in behind Wolves’ defence. Bassong was the closest but Walcott managed to get ahead of the defender. Contact was made and the Englishman went down. A penalty was given and the already brittle and fragile confidence of Wolves went down the drain.

RvP stepped up and converted the penalty with aplomb. For someone who has failed to find the back of the net in the last four games, the way he took the penalty speaks volume of the confidence that he possess. A little dink down the centre of the goal with Wayne Hennessey already diving to the right. That goal puts RvP at exactly 100 goals behind Thierry Henry.

Arsenal increased the lead within two minutes of the opening salvo. Again, it was the quick touch and go between the same two players. Walcott’s first touch to bring the ball under control and away from the covering defender in one move was brilliant. The finish was even better. Side-foot finish with pace and precision to the near post when Hennessey again dived to the wrong side.

58 minutes passed in between before Arsenal hit the final nail in the coffin for Wolves, if not the season then the game itself. Yossi Benayoun’s was the one who came up with the goods in his successive start in two games for Arsenal. Receiving a cutback from Alex Song, he steadied himself and opened his body for a curler to the far top corner. Instead, Benayoun went for a low drive to the near post. Again, Hennessey was wrong footed and didn’t budge at all. It was yet another good showing for the experienced Israeli.

Yet, those 58 minutes will not be played again in any video highlights in the annals of Arsenal history. This was a home side bereft of confidence, ideas and fight being drained out of them with the sending off. It was an opportunity to put some mileage on the goals scored versus goals conceded columns. It was not meant to be and had it not been for one man, the gap might even be reduced.

For a goalkeeper, it is always easy to stay alert and be on your best when the shots are peppered towards goal. The hardest part is to have nothing to do the entire game and then being summoned to make that one or two wonderful stops. That is what Wojciech Szczesny achieved, a hallmark of any great keepers. He denied Kevin Doyle’s diving header and then later on, he punched away a near post shot from another Wolves player. This, from a night where even the goal kicks that he had to take was at a premium. Incredible concentration.

The fact that Arsenal were cut open late in the game when they were supposed to be stronger after having had an extra man for over 80 odd minutes is a little disappointing. Carl Jenkinson who came on for Bacary Sagna for the last six minutes, quite rightly berated his team mates who were ambling back to cover at a remarkably slow pace. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who came on as a substitute, was probably the only player nearby to help out the defence. None of the other midfielders were nowhere near the goal.

In a game where Arsenal had so much control, Song does venture forward too much for my liking. I’m not sure if it’s tactical or not. Perhaps the Cameroonian wanted to get on the end of the attacking side of things. I have no problem with that at all, but not at the expense of what his greater qualities brings to the team.

Aaron Ramsey was given a start in this game and Tomas Rosicky was rested. With the duo of Mikel Arteta and Song acting as the backbone, the change did not disrupt Arsenal’s game. I don’t think it’s fair to compare Ramsey directly with Rosicky. Both are different types of players. I honestly thought Ramsey did reasonably well yesterday. Yes, he hesitated with that shot and missed the moment but he kept the ball well and used it well. You just feel that at the moment, he’s taking less risk with his passing than usual, perhaps mindful of the criticism that has been thrust his way recently.

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https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/04/12/yossi-benayoun-the-panic-buy-shines-in-the-red-and-white/

https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/04/12/in-praise-of-arsenal/