Stoke City 0 – 0 Arsenal – Cazorla completes his football education
August 27, 2012
Tony Pulis sums it up for me.
Tony Pulis running down the touchline in his little baseball hat, beaming from ear to ear as the crowd sing his name. What a day! What a performance! What another victory for the minnows of Stoke City!
I know it’s been a less than impressive start to the season but at least we’re not in that position. At least we’re not so starved of success that we’ll celebrate a nil nil home draw in which we completely failed to create a meaningful attack like we just won the Champions League. I know we tend to laugh at Stoke round these parts but they’ve been in the Premier League for five years now. I genuinely think they owe it to themselves to aim a bit higher.
For our part I thought we dealt with them exceptionally well. You know, apart from the not scoring any goals thing. In seasons past we really have struggled against that lot as we know. Yesterday we controlled the game. I can honestly say it’s the calmest I’ve ever been watching us line up against Stoke City. On set pieces and defending crosses into the box we were strong and surprisingly well organised. Sticking Diaby on Peter Crouch for the endless long balls down the middle was a wise move. He didn’t win a lot of headers but he did enough to make life difficult for the moaning beanpole.
I don’t want to speak too soon because there’s obviously a lot of season to go but the early signs are that Steve Bould is having a fantastic effect on the way we defend, right through the team. The fact that we haven’t scored yet in the Premier League season is almost compensated for by the fact that we haven’t conceded anything yet either. Alarm bells were ringing with the late team news yesterday that Vito Mannone would step in for the injured Woj but the fact is it made absolutely zero difference. Credit to Don Vito who did whatever was asked of him but it says even more about the performance of the team in general that we barely even noticed he was there.
Up front of course it’s hard not to be a little bit concerned. Two games, no goals after the departure of Robin Van Persie was always going to get the media salivating but I don’t think we need to start panicking just yet. It’s hard enough when you add one new striker into an already functioning unit. He may not make the runs that the other forwards expect. He might make the exact same runs as another forward. He might expect the ball on his left foot rather than his right or prefer to delay his run until moments after a through ball is made. Well you can take all of those problems and multiply them by four to the power of four because none of Cazorla, Gervinho, Podolski or Giroud have ever played together before. So it is absolutely inevitable that they’ll take a bit of time to gel as a unit.
The good news is that individually they all show promise. Cazorla? Well frankly the more I see the more I like. First half yesterday he looked by far the best footballer on the pitch (not hard you might argue). And I was pleased with how he coped with Stoke’s ‘examination’ of his capabilities. Yeah, I’m sure he’s been kicked before but maybe not with that much frequency and ferocity and I’m sure he’s been booed before but probably not for an entire match for the oh so heinous crime of having had his ankle stamped. I imagine that was something of a culture shock. Welcome to England, Santi. You’ll find large sections of the media and public actually think this sort of ‘football’ is a GOOD thing. Because it’s a MAN’s game, right? What’s that, Santi? You can’t understand why England haven’t won a major tournament in 46 years? You’re right. It’s a mystery.
Podolski looked a bit fitter than he did last week and I was encouraged by a couple of bursts of power and pace that he showed in the first half particularly. He faded a bit second half but I’m excited to see what else he can do as his fitness continues to grow.
Giroud looked lively at times too, won a few headers in the centre and put himself about a bit. He went down a little too easily under a couple of challenges at a point at which he should have known the ref wasn’t going to give him anything. And he got a lot of stick from the pundits for opting to shoot late on when slipping the ball through to Ramsey could have helped us put all sorts of demons to rest but while disappointed I was glad to see such single minded vision and a striker who’s prepared to shoot. And he really wasn’t far off scoring one of the greatest Arsenal goals in only his first start. So I propose we go easy on him just this once.
As many will be pointing out this morning it took Thierry Henry eight games to score his first goal for Arsenal and Dennis took six. Olivier’s had one start. Let’s give the boy a chance.
Regarding the lack of cutting edge up front, after the game Arsene said:
It is an understanding because you have Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud… one month ago they didn’t know each other. So that will come. There is some work to do on the training ground but you can feel the potential. You can see as well that there is something missing – we are not spontaneous enough in some situations. I am very positive about my team. People will say ‘OK, you didn’t score for two games’ and I cannot deny that. We played against two teams who defend very well as a unit – Sunderland and Stoke. Overall I believe we can be a good surprise in this championship.
On Sky Sports after the match Jamie Redknapp dismissed Giroud and Podolski as ‘not in the same league’ as Robin Van Persie. Which apart from being literally speaking clearly an idiotic choice of phrase is also hugely dismissive of one player who scored 18 goals in 29 Bundesliga appearances last season and one who was the leading scorer in Ligue un. Le Boss said:
I do not listen too much to what people say [on TV]. I listen and I try to see if it is exaggerated or not. I have worked for 30 years on the football pitch every day, and I know what it is to improve a football player and what it is to go out morning and afternoon and try to make a player. Not everybody can say that.
Ahh, but have you been in adverts for Nintendo Wii and Thomas Cook holidays, Arsene? No. So who should we really trust?
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21 Responses to “Stoke City 0 – 0 Arsenal – Cazorla completes his football education”
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I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. This was the most comfortable I have seen Arsenal look away at Stoke since the Orcs returned to the top flight. I thought we played intelligently, were defensively sound from back to front and just lacked that mutual understanding between midfield and the forwards (and amongst the forwards themselves)to really create some clear cut chances.
Physically we look much bigger and better equipped to deal with the hurly burly of the EPL.
Our passing in the first 2/3rds of the pitch was excellent but broke down somewhat in the final 1/3rd. Compared to last year, (when we also failed to score any goals in our 1st two games) we look much more compact, confident and our squad looks bigger and stocked with better quality.
Personally, I am over the moon with our new found defensive solidarity and whilst, like yourself, I don’t want to read too much into only two games, but it was exactly in the this area that I was looking for serious improvement this year.
That we need to score goals is obvious but this will come soon enough and next week away at The Scousers is as good a time as any to find our scoring touch.
redknapp….what a mugg!
We just need to plan how to execute our set pieces well. We can’t even convert a corner kick in yesterday out of 9. Thats bad.
Superb post – completely agree, good points about England not winning anything for so long, it’s an angle I’ve pushed – we don’t value intelligence in our football for some reason and champion the hurley burley heroics of our Scott Parkers and John Terrys, which is fine on one hand but you need technique and a brain to compliment hard work and last ditch challenges and also (I said points) on Redknapp, what a dork – what league was RVP in when we bought him? It took Arsenal a long time to turn him into the world class player he now is and while he’s definitely a better striker than Giroud and Podolski they’re also very different players who do different things and as you’ve covered, have only just joined the team and league, let’s see what they’re doing next year and the year after that, shall we?
I actually think there’s far too much focus on Giroud and Podolski not scoring – fact is, they’re not the only players allowed to score, other players who have been in the league for a long time need to step up too, Walcott, Ramsey, Arteta, even Gervinho and Diaby should be looking to add goals to their game.
I watched the game with calmess that i hadnt experienced in the last few years. Steve Bould has definitely been a calming influence on the defence and the whole squad.I could see that a couple of times the strikers ran into each other and also didnt move at certain other times.As they figure out their areas on the pitch, theyll mutually understand each other’s intentions, runs and strengths.Next week to blow the kop out of anfield.
the way they defended, we must definitely score…
Great post as always. Redknapp(s) pure morons as ever.
@marblehalls
FAULTLESS post!
Sensible replies too, chaps.
My main concern was, once again, Gervinho’s decision making. The same was said so many times regarding Theo in the past. Gervinho’s no better in the final-decision department.
Read this FA – you collection of GREEDY idiots:
‘Cazorla? Well frankly the more I see the more I like. First half yesterday he looked by far the best footballer on the pitch (not hard you might argue). And I was pleased with how he coped with Stoke’s ‘examination’ of his capabilities. Yeah, I’m sure he’s been kicked before but maybe not with that much frequency and ferocity and I’m sure he’s been booed before but probably not for an entire match for the oh so heinous crime of having had his ankle stamped. I imagine that was something of a culture shock. Welcome to England, Santi. You’ll find large sections of the media and public actually think this sort of ‘football’ is a GOOD thing. Because it’s a MAN’s game, right? What’s that, Santi? You can’t understand why England haven’t won a major tournament in 46 years? You’re right. It’s a mystery.’
AND LEARN. The writer has a better understanding of the issues surrounding English football than any of you overpaid FA idiots. Your referees are corrupt just like you and the Government.
A good post – was liking Giroud & Poldi. Goals wil come – Carzola is a difft class! He nds 1 more player of his calibre maybe the likes of Honda/Affelley/Alicantra/Ganso/Kaka & Navas/Pedro on the wing wld b the icing on the cake!
COYG
Wore my retro 1970′s
ricky still frustrating, more so than theo yesterday which is great for the right wing, one of them will have to step up if they want regular games whilst looking over there shoulder at the ox grinning back at them.
initially i thought giroooo should have squared to ramsey but the replay showed the ball would of had to have been pin point as ramsey didnt have the pace to be in a good position. he made the right choice for me which as you said shows his confidence but also speed of thought as im sure he would have squared it had ramsey been 2 meters ahead of where he was.
Hard not to agree with most of what you say but as for Jenkinson he looked out of place- not blaming the lad but against a better attack his confidence on the ball will be found out- I also don’t believe Ramsey is the player everyone wants him to be nor is Arteta.With a bit of luck Walcott,Gervinho and Diaby will earn their pay and take some pressure off of the new signings.
Sorry, I meant to say before I pressed the submit button, wore my retro 1970′s arsenal shirt, kissed the badge before the second half, looking forward to seeing a goal, but alas we just fell short. I like the look of the team, solid at the back, creative in the middle and developing up front. Our strike force need a bit of time to gel, otherwise a promising start, they worked their socks off to score, it will come, I thought our long rang range effort was the right move, I remember a certain supermac doing the same thing, in those days we loved to see that action, I say admirable effort lad, keep it up..
Should Giroud have squared it for Ramsey? The sad fact is even if Olivier saw him, nothing poor Aaron has done in the last 6 months or so convinces me he would have done anything of consequence with it. So poor is Ramsey’s composure in front of goal at the moment I suggest passing to him in that circumstance would have been more of a “speculator” than Giroud’s attempted 40m chip of Bergovic.
Cazorla Giroud and Podolski are not the problem its the players we already have.Walcott and Diaby have been at the club 6 years but are still not good enough.Gervinho is a headless chicken and Ramsey sadly will never by the player he was going to be before his injury.Sell Walcott this week and loan out Ramsey
Arsenal will surely come good when they meet teams who dont deploy the 8-1-1 formation. It sad to hear people say “arsenal is finished”, they shouldnt forget that the team is more compact than they have been in the last 5yrs. RVP didnt score in d first 2 matches he played last season. Let us believe in this team…
what wud ramsey do? if diaby cud stop lingering with balls, we cud go somewhere.poldi showed that he is class 1st half,no need to mention santi, i know giroud wl satisfy u soon…where wre we last season this time?did we score many goals?
The other conveniently overlooked statistic is that in the first 2 games last year, with RVP, we did not score either.
Let’s hope that’s where the similarities between the starts of our seasons end. I can see us drawing at Liverpool too to be honest.
Moaning beanpole? huh
I still beleive in Arsene’s project. Arsenal will surely come good. A careful look at the EPL standings, shows that chelsea is d only big team doin very well at the moment propably due 2 d quality of oppositions they have faced so far. Time remains the best judge. Lets wait and see.