While this post may seem a little untimely following the much needed victory at the Emirates - nonetheless there were many things to be said about the self destruction that occurred last week at Ewood park. Fortunately, a week has given me enough time to really deliberate what needed - and what didn't need to be said. . As a whole, I don't think the 4 - 3 loss meant that huge a deal - because let's face it, Arsenal were bound to give up some easy games due to defensive frailties, and while I'm not saying that this is not something that requires dire attention, I'm just saying that any supporters who think that the Gunners will go the whole season without dropping points to some rather mid/low tier teams are delirious. Though having said this, this was really a game that ought to have been won.
The look on Koscielny's face following that own goal speaks volumes about the performance of our squad today. And while he was one of the main contributing factors that led to our demise, let's not be too quick to dismiss our best center back last season. Given the circumstances, I still think Kozzer made the wrong decision out of two horrific options. He could have tried to intercept the shot, which he did, resulting in Blackburn's crucial lead, or he could have dodged the pull back from Yakubu, which would have effectively left another Blackburn striker with a shot at an empty net from about 3 yards out. Performance wise, however, there is a general consensus with a lot of the Arsenal journalists that Koscielny will fluorish well next to Per Mertesacker - two defenders whose different defending styles complement each other. Koscielny with respect to his more "reactive" and "instinctual" approach, as opposed to Per, who is more organized with greater awareness.
Andre Santos looked secure at the left back position, and had some nice link up play with Arshavin, whose performance thus far this season has, arguably, been one of the best in the squad. It would be nice if Wenger were to allow that partnership to flourish into something more dangerous, not dissimilar to the revered and feared Malouda/Cole combination that demolished every backline in the 09/10 season for Chelsea - though perhaps to a less lethal extent. Of course the only obvious problem with this idea is the fact that Arshavin is already slack defensively, and it was a little unsettling to witness A. Santos so close to their six yard box frequently - exposing the entire left flank. Across the other side of the pitch, Sagna appeared to play as solid as he normally does, but was subbed off following a knock for the declining Djourou, whose chances for a first team place seem to almost rival that of Squillaci - and that's saying something.
Fortunately, our midfield shows signs of promise, with new signing Mikel Arteta demonstrating how well he suits the red and white jersey, in a display of style and accuracy - passing like any Gunner should. Song, apart from that poorly dealt with corner, still appears to be a strong first line of defence for our backline, and even with the return of Wilshere, it would be hard to imagine Wenger sporting a midfield of Ramsey, Arteta, and Wilshere - disregarding Arsenal's need for a holding midfielder. I can only imagine that following the return of Wilshere, who underwent surgery yesterday, during the next transfer window will mean that Ramsey gets the bench.
My biggest concern coming out of the game with Blackburn was the performance of our Ivorian Gervinho. While he was supposed to be the answer to the departure of $amir, I feel as if his passing game isn't up to snuff, and that was something we will pay for in coming games. Yes, we did buy him because we wanted a player who held the ball rather than pass it off when the opportunity arose, but Gervinho's selfish play was rather cringeworthy. He could have passed it to Arshavin to set up a goal, he could have set up Van Persie who had an empty net to shoot at - he rather chose to take on two - three defenders, and didn't even force a save from the keeper. Perhaps he needs a few more games to settle (but given his performances earlier in the season and against Udinese this seems highly unlikely), or perhaps the chemistry isn't there yet, but Gervinho's individual skill at this stage seems to be hampered by his ineffectual passing game and a rather sizable ego - let's not forget the man came from a Ligue 1 winning side to a team which, before yesterday, faced the prospects of the relegation zone. I could be less critical of Gervinho, but yesterday's performance proved to be a testament to this legitimate concern. Only time will tell.
Fielding a similar side to the one that seemed to shatter like glass under a small amount of pressure, it was encouraging to see some strong performances from the likes of Kieren Gibbs, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Song, and Theo Walcott.
Special mention however goes to Van Persie who netted his 99th and 100th premier league goal for Arsenal, photo courtesy of Gunnerblog.com
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