For those of us (Well pretty much all of us) who demanded a response from the lads after our last outing, we got exactly that..A brilliant performance from Arsenal against a very dangerous looking Southampton side that gave as good as they got for very large portions of the game. At some point watching the game i said to my self that even neutrals would've been engaged by it. Such was the action packed nature of it.. Crucially for me, we showed no International break hangovers as we looked reasonably fresh and up for it, credit to the team handlers for this. So we bagged 3 delicious points and go 4 points clear at the top as Liverpool dropped points in their Mersyside affair..Below are a player by player rating as i saw it..feel free to concur or dispute accordingly.
Szcesney:------------------------8
Woj was brilliant again today for us and continues what seems to be a rich vein of spectacular form. He made 3 absolutely top drawer stops in the 1st half to deny Southampton from grabbing potentially damaging goals. The finger tipped one round the post to deny Llalana was quite impressive in the sense that he couldn't have seen it early. Plus he seems to have finally worked on being able to kick a ball further than the halfway line!! Long may this continue, greater battles lie in wait.
Sagna:----------------------------7.5
A follower of mine on Twitter wrote that neither Sagna nor Mertasacker should be allowed to leave the ground until both had signed contracts to stay at Arsenal for the forseeable future. I couldn't agree more. Sagna for one was immense. His knack for winning Ariel balls against bigger opponents amazes me to no end. His leap gets him ahead of his co-jumper time after time and this enables us to control the situation and douse pressure. His crossing was equally good today, not excellent but good and his experience ensures he stays calm no matter what the situation is. Contract please!!
Gibbs-----------------------------7.5
Keirian had one of his better days at the office today. On his day you can expect solid defending, intelligent overlapping runs, disciplined tracking of runners and timely positioning. All that were on show in the game and even though he caused a scare late-on by bringing down a Southampton player in our box, it didn't come any where close to dampening a great day for him.
Koscielny:-------------------------8
It was back to the usual Koscielny again, as he was reunited with his reliable defensive partner unlike 2 weeks ago where he looked rather uncomfortable. I enjoyed a sliding tackle he performed early in the 2nd half when Rodriguez sauntered into the box rather dangerously. Kos simply tracked him, timed his tackle and executed it to perfection to snuff out the danger. Quality stuff. In addition he kept Lambert quiet, to the frustration of the England striker.
Mertasacker------------------------8
BFG is fast becoming a fan favorite in the ground and off it as well, and his BFG T-shirt picture that circulated on the net this week only served to increase that. He had a great international break and promptly brought that form back to the team today..barely put a foot wrong and if you keep your eye on him next time you just might see how vocal he is in games. organizing and pointing out things.
Arteta-------------------------------6
From the get go he struggled to get to grips with the pace of the game. His touches and passing were somewhat off today. Strange because if you look at the stats, those are the strongest areas of his game. He suffered a reported ankle knock that ended his involvement ultimately but it probably may have been an issue he was struggling with before the game, as he never really got going in this one.
Wilshere-----------------------------7
Jack looked lively, and after rumours that he was injured during his time with the Three lions surfaced it was great to see him close to his best in midfield today. He suffered under the brute strength of Wanyama at times but his technique and skill were still useful in driving us forward from deep and dictating the play for others to follow.Was unlucky not to score in the 1st half but can be happy with his shift today.
Ramsey------------------------------7.5
Rambo was largely quiet today and didn't really create many moments of interest. His first-half back flick that grazed the bar off an Ozil cross was perhaps his highlight of the day. But he was also crucially tracking runners when we were under attack as well as tackling Southampton players to breakup play consistently. And when Arteta made way following his injury, Ramsey was the man that had to take up the defensive duties of the captain. His versatility is an asset and highlights why he is probably the first name on the starting list.
Ozil------------------------------------7
Much better from Mesut today. He was always involved and even though fast-paced games of this nature are still a bit of the English style he needs to acclimatize to, he played his part by spreading dangerous balls across the final third of the opponents and looked to link up with Wilshere to great effect. He pops-up a lot on the wings and it makes me wonder if he'd have preferred the middle. Some say he's been given a kind of free role. But i think for now the flanks suit him..He isn't the quickest of players i agree, but his game reading and range of passing are better suited for him to cut in and look to shoot or pass..
Carzola----------------------------------7
Santi was livlier than last time round in Old Trafford..He was back to his old self running rings around Southampton fullbacks and kept our passing moving even in the midst of the strong pressing game of our opponents.Has the tendency to overdo it sometimes with the dribbling but overall the joy of watching him wriggle out of the tightest of corners with the ball seemingly tied to his boots is sheer bliss.
Giroud----------------------------------9
Giroud left Boruc with egg on his face for the second time in 2weeks after Bergovic lobbed him against Stoke at the Brittania. Giroud was fantastic with his all round game, Holding up play, leading the line and generally putting his body, sheer size and commitment on the line for the team. Defensively, i can recall one really good header he won in the first half when we were really under the cosh from the visitors. I cannot recall any striker we have had in recent years that works as hard as Giroud. I was a staunch critic of his last season, but iv been won over by his passion and application. He may miss the odd sitter here and there but i'll pardon him. The dude is a prized asset. And his two goals today, underlined that.
SUBS
Walcott-------------------6
Rusty rusty theo!...great to have him back regardless of his physical condition though. His snap shot from a Wilshere pass in the 2nd half just demonstrates the kind of attacking spontaneity the man brings to us. Instictive runs and shots are what Theo is all about and i can't wait to see him back fully in the next couple of weeks.
Rosicky------------------6
Came in for Arteta and brought his experience to the table in closing out the win.
Monreal-------------------6
1/3 of Arsene's tactic of ''throw in all the fullbacks'' when we want to close out a game. I like Monreal, he's such a business minded Left-back that comes in and discharges his affairs responsibly without fuss.
So it took a better individual outing from all concerned to get this win, focus, discipline and character were the keys to success, as the boss describes post game last night. It'll demand more of the same from the team in subsequent games for us to pull out from the chasing pack and go clear by more points..but that's not a matter for today..Today is about commending the response from the lads.
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