Match Review: Arsenal 0 vs Chelsea 0 (Points are shared as both London teams fire blanks)

In the pouring London rain, we saw our chances to return to the summit of the EPL washed away last night no thanks to a combination of some timidity , poor playing conditions and impotent marksmanship. Yet gain we have allowed another chance to prove our mettle against a tittle rival slip. I watched the first half of the game last night, and it left  me frustrated because very early, it was clear to me that psychologically, we were not in a good place. We were struggling to find any kind of  rhythm against a Chelsea team that looked happy to camp in their half and wait for us to hit them with our best shot. Arsenal looked jittery and short of ideas under the weight of the high stakes surrounding the game and the fear of committing any mistakes. Yes, the conditions were far from ideal as the slippery pitch was always going to be a debilitating factor, but it was clear from our misplaced passes,the wayward runs and disjointed play that confidence was not copious in us. They on the other hand looked well organised and assured in their game-plan and its little wonder that they provided the first and by far the best chance of the half when senior citizen Lampard rattled the cross bar in the 32nd minute after a great clipped pass from Willian tore us open on the right. It was a moment of immense good fortune for us, because to go behind at such a wretched moment in our play would have been disastrous. The boss confirmed my position by accepting the team was playing with fear by saying the ''Edgy''-ness of our play stifled us.  He attributed it to the disappointing results recorded in Manchester last week but also went on to express surprise why after 9 days gone we still harbored such fears.

 There was a genuine claim for a penalty for us in the same first-half as Walcott was definitely upended in the box by Willian. The referee who i believe had a less than stellar performance, waved our appeals away. He was wrong to. It wasn't as though the ball had drifted off away from Walcotts's control, it was still very much within his reach and the tackle was misplaced as a result of the striker's quick feet & movement. A terrible call it was. 

The 2nd half was marginally better as we emerged from the tunnel a lot more relaxed and better organised to cope with the tactics of Mourinho which was evidently set out to get a draw at worst. What we were able to do better in this half was create clearer cut chances, Rosicky who had been lively the whole game was seeing the ball in better positions and threading the passes toWalcott and Giroud in hope of creating something. Credit to the Chelsea backline of Terry and Cahill they resisted and snuffed literally everything out. But in the 78th minute we had a breakthrough, a sweeping move orchestrated by Arteta from the middle saw Ramsey lay off a lovely through ball to Giroud on his favorite left foot. The outcome was disappointing but not surprising. Olivier slammed the ball wide off target. Shortly after he'd find himself first to a Gibbs cross in the box after the full-back had made a great overlapping run. This time he made a good contact but a combination of Cech and the ageless Terry denied him by bravely throwing their bodies on the line and deflecting the ball over the bar. Those were our two best moments of the entire game, but we unfortunately couldn't capitalize. Mourinho's tactical nous and organization won him  a point and kept him in 4th position, while we move joint top with Liverpool on 36 points but with an inferior GD. Not the worst of results you would agree, but any Arsenal fan who saw this game has to be worried at the seemingly apparent inferiority complex we bring into these big games. Rain and bad conditions aside, a braver, more confident Arsenal ought to possess enough to have won this game. 

Player Ratings:

Szczesny-----------------7      Had a good game and controlled his area well. Had some saves to make from Willian in the first half and Lampard in the second and made both of them well enough. Also very pleased to see his kicking has improved this season.

Sagna-------------------7      Battled valiantly in defense and delivered good enough crosses on the overlap. Experienced heads like his are so crucial in these big games, as he was instrumental in keeping Hazard quiet.

Gibbs-------------------7.5  Gibbs was great today and his outlet on the left was always a veritable source of incursions to the Chelsea danger area. He needed to show intelligence and timing in such a game of high stakes and zero tolerance for error  against a quality team like Chelsea and he did just that.

Vermaelen--------------7.5    Thomas knew all eyes would be on him today as he deputized for 1st choice Central defender Koscielny. One crazy back pass aside in the first half, i didn't see any thing wrong with his performance. He marshalled our back-line well with Mertasacker and never looked in any way overwhelmed.

Mertasacker------------7     Big Per as always was a towering presence at the back and the clean sheet today even without his regular partner is proof he compliments both Kos and Vermaelen well. both  men look better around him. Organized the defense well and made a great  tackle to deny Torres in the 2nd half.

Arteta-------------------7.5   Not the quickest in the team,but Mikel ran his legs off for the team. Breaking up play and even almost copping a horror injury in the process after Mikel almost sliced his shin open in the first half. Commitment to formation/shape and tactical discipline was perhaps the reason for Wenger playing him instead of Flamini, and you know what? i think the Boss was right.

Ramsey------------------7   Quiet for the most part as Chelsea's set up was really  good. He really didn't get the chance to run at the defense as he'd probably like or get the opportunity to let fly his trademark shots but he never stopped running. Some say he needs to be rested, as his form has cooled lately. A lot of truth in that,  perhaps on FA cup weekends he can then be allowed some rest while someone else stands in.

Rosicky------------------8   Ran, tackled, yelled instructions and dictated the pace in the middle. Arsenal's senior citizen was literally everywhere. Taking one for the team in some instances to prevent dangerous Chelsea breaks. I had him or Arteta down as my ''Man of the match'' his mobility and application are a joy to watch.

Ozil-----------------------6  Anonymous largely and didn't influence the game in the Chelsea danger area much to my disappointment. Match Conditions again i know were dreadful, still for the talent he possesses, you can't tell me its out of place to demand more.

Walcott-------------------6  Drifted in and out of the game. Its not part of his playing style to press and tackle to wrestle back possession but this is one game he probably should have done so as the opposition was such that demanded it. Chelsea were uncompromising in defense and allowed him no chance to run at them, but he didn't help matters just staying upfront waiting for the hollywood pass.

Giroud---------------------5  He put himself about as always but in all honesty Terry and Cahill dealt with him comfortably well. He never really troubled them. A renowned hardworker he may be, evident in his defensive headers from corners and chasing of every ball no matter how ''lost cause'' they are. But an astute finisher he sadly is not. Two decent chances in the 2nd half in quick succession both wasted, kinda had me reminiscing of a certain traitorous Dutch striker we once had. Giroud needs to be more clinical in such situations, we desperately need him to be... just as much as his reactions after the misses indicate that he also wishes he could be.

The lack of subs in the game was also a rather confusing episode for me, but the boss explained after  the game that he didn't need to make any. I find that decision most Odd. Podolski and Santi could have added a different dimension to things but maybe the fear of losing the game tie his hands. However on the flip-side, i suppose you could say that with lots of games coming in this festive period, why rush & introduce those guys in this very dicey game when you could leave them to be even more fresher in the less difficult approaching fixtures. So roll on boxing day, and  a trip to West ham in the east of London as we put this somewhat underwhelming result against Chelsea behind us...Many of us were hoping for a reaction to the Manchester City result and a possible Christmas gift wrapped 3 points to send us back to the top..but i guess in this scenario, what you have you must hold.

So on a closing note, may i seize this chance to say Merry Christmas to all my readers, i truly appreciate everyone of you wherever you may be reading from, here's to you and yours having a fabulous holiday season..Cheers