Talking Points: Arsenal 1 – 0 Tottenham

Unimaginative AVB

Andre Villas-Boas

It finished 1-0 to the home side, and AVB will need to go back to the drawing board to play around with the false 9. Even with Lamela, Sandro and the mercurial Defoe were introduced by AVB to push the tempo a notch higher, but nothing could slow down the Arsenal onslaught. Spurs do not have a back-up for Soldado, except for the diminutive Defoe. The English striker came on at the 70 minute mark, and never looked like the type of player who could feed off a false 9. He has always been a target man, and AVB cannot suddenly change that overnight. Defoe’s shot which deflected off Koscielny was probably the best shot on goal, and Szczesny ensured it didn’t do any damage. Andros Townsend seemed like the only other player except Defoe, to have successfully challenged the Arsenal keeper, with a cracker right at the start.

Both Chadli and Capoue looked like they meant business, but were never able to effectuate a happy ending. Soldado was another player who never found his feet, and couldn’t replicate his form from the last two outings. The Gunners were never in too much possession, and Tottenham saw over 55% of the ball possession but didn’t seem to doing much with it. In the dying minutes they piled on at the Arsenal end, as was expected of a losing side, but the Arsenal defense looked quite sure as they kept clearing the ball away from danger.

Walcott’s Supremacy

At 24, maturity seems to have set in to Walcott’s game. Always quick, Walcott has now added a solid temperament to his arsenal, pun intended. Walcott is no longer simply an agile winger who occasionally tip toes across defenses. He has improved immensely in his prowess and now looks to pull players away from the center, before skipping past them. He ransacked the Tottenham flank, making them scurry for cover every time he pushed forward. Walcott even juggled past a desperate Rose on one occasion, reinforcing the idea of a clear-headed star for the Gunners. His move which produced the goal was excellently orchestrated, as he pulled two defenders away from the center, and calmly crossed the ball to witness a smashing finish by Giroud.

The Return of the Arsenal Midfield

Only ‘Orchestrating’ will do justice to the way the Arsenal midfield pulled the strings throughout the match. Rosicky, Cazorla, Ramsey, Wilshere and then Flamini, were all at home with sweet touches and crisp passing. Walcott fed off the energy and pushed the bar higher. Greenhorn Carl Jenkinson and Gibbs were also a part of the rampaging forays, leaving Spurs to hunt for cover. Ramsey played out of his skin, pushing for the ball and actively looking for a chance to cut through.

Rosicky, in particular, is dropping to the center, and ensuring that we do not miss the injured Arteta for a moment. He did pick up a card though, but that was for a professional foul that stopped the opposition to hit them on the counter, after Lloris had just pulled off a spectacular sliding tackle on Walcott. He was everywhere, killing loose balls and creating movement. Wilshere came off just before the half, but reports say that’s due to an illness and not an injury. Flamini hit the ground running, and looked only short of game time when it came to creativity. Cazorla was a pleasure to watch, and almost pulled off a smart, low free kick right at the start. Overall, the Arsenal midfield showed where their Tottenham counterparts were lacking, and it was a happy day as Wenger decided to flash a smile.