Well what a real SCRAP THAT WAS! Any seasoned EPL watcher will tell you that in a typical season you must expect to encounter games like this..Games where you will find yourselves not firing at full hilt and up against an inspired team playing out of their skin. On the basis of this performance displayed by West Brom, its a lot clearer how they managed to pull off that upset at Old Trafford. Something tells me we may have slightly underrated them and almost paid for it too. They were organised, disciplined and hardworking without necessarily pressing us too intensely. It became clear to me from the 8th minute that a lot about how we were set up was largely experimental by the manager. Wilshere on the left, Arteta and Flamini mostly parallel to each other as opposed to the latter slightly in front of the former as they were against Napoli. The balance didn't just seem to click but the lads had to get on with it. West Brom are blessed with some really direct attackers who would trouble any one in the division. Sessesgnon, Berahino and Amalfitano swapped position across the midfield and final third and where giving our defensive screen of Arteta and Flamini lots to think about. Anelka the old war horse, i have to say was totally off form and thankfully so as his lack of awareness and way-ward finishing saved our blushes at crucial times in the game. The prognosis of being fatigued after our midweek exertions is not untrue but i feel we need to be careful. Its starting to look like there may be selections and tactical adoptions we use that will combine to short circuit the natural style we want to play.
The line up was the same against Napoli, save for Sagna who was ruled out after a hamstring problem. We weren't able to fly out the blocks like we did in that game on Tuesday, and it set the tone for the home team to articulate their plans to stifle us. Two banks of four suddenly confronted us whenever they lost the ball and had to be on the defensive. Mulumbu and Yacob superbly broke our play and irritated us early doors and we were lucky not to go behind when Szecesny pulled off a stunner by saving a Berahino goal bound shot that had wrong footed him after deflecting off Flamini. He's slowly becoming an expert at pulling those kind of difficult saves. I recall he's done it three times already this season. Once at Fulham, once each against Stoke and Tottenham at the Emirates. Keepers are meant to react lightening fast to situations,and once they throw their body in one direction according to the movement of a shot, if anything disrupts the trajectory of that ball its nigh on impossible for them to counteract. That is why when watchers say that kid has potential to be a great goalie provided he keeps his head low and works hard they know what they are saying. Their goal was a throwback to the dark days of Arsenal defending from set pieces. A corner from our right side was only half cleared in the 42nd minute, the ball was whipped back in and Yacob was left with a free header at the near post to head past Szecesny. It was a great header and one that many others will fall victim to in the course of the season but you get the feeling a Sagna in the team would've been marking Yacob. His experience was missed at crucial times during the game especially early in the second half but not to take anything away from Jenkinson who did okay. Wilshere at a point appeared to be having a terrible game. After all that rubbish about his smoking pix, he seemed his head was not right for this game. His tackling at times was horrendous and as the Manager said maybe it was reaction for suffering a lot of pushing in the game from West Brom players. But like all Top players, in the 2nd half he showed his influence and grabbed the equalizer out of nothing. Collecting a pass from Ozil in the 64th minute he let fly from 25 yards and found the bottom corner. Goals are all Wilshere needs to add to his game to become truly World class and as one of his biggest fans i hope the spirit that possessed Ramsey finds him soon.
The latter stages of the game was end to end stuff, both teams going for it with Genuine penalty calls at both ends (hands in mouth stuff for the Koscielny one). Quick word on the Referee Lee Mason, He sucked! big time. No need to elaborate on him. one of the worst performances iv seen at this level. Painfully naive and ''Bottley'' if you catch my drift. So we had to settle for a point that just ensures we remain Top on goals scored. I'd take that. The international break in October arrives with the Top 4 looking like this Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Southampton. Make of that what you will, but as for me i feel we are in for one of the most open title races in EPL history... talk to y'all again soon
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