This is what we missed at Stamford Bridge
Contrary to cliché-prone pundits, Arsenal did not lose Sunday’s game because Chelsea are supposedly ‘powerful’, or because Drogba is inhuman against Arsenal, or that the home side owned an invisible wall at the back.
Our defensive indiscipline meant we would surely concede, but then on, our relentless dominance in attack meant we could have outscored Ancelotti’s side.
Converting chances without second thought is what we missed and why we lost. Simple.
Yes, Squillaci, Clichy and Song could have shown more backbone, but Nasri could have also chosen to shoot more and pass less while Chamakh, despite all his hard-work, was no deadly frame to the Chelsea back-line because the only time he goes for goals is when the ball is in the air.
Indeed, when the ball is at his feet, the Moroccan is more keen in drawing a penalty-kick (which he won’t even step up to take himself) or make an assist instead. I am sorry Marouane, but more often than not, a striker has to be goal hungry.
And by ‘goal hungry’, I mean satisfying your hunger for goals with a bit more selfishness. Chamakh has said before that he is a frontman who is not obsessed about goals. The way he invites others into attack is truly beneficial, but in truth, we needed a target man when we acquired him and definitely not another ‘set up’ master.
Drogba’s one-touch goal was testament of what Arsenal lacked. But for those of you who still don’t know what exactly I mean by the dead-eye finishing Arsenal lacked today, here you go…
Coincidentally, it was in this same fixture and Sunday’s same scenario not too long ago, that Van Persie displayed how to take full responsibility as a striker.
When he found space, he could have taken an extra touch to use his favourite foot or pass to Adebayor, but he didn’t because he acknowledged the fact that his team was 1-0 down and unlikely to recover with chances at a premium.
To further highlight Van Persie’s ruthlessness, listen to Andy Gray say (at 0:29): “That’s what you do when you’re unsure. You don’t mess about. You just smash the back of the ball”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMo6ks5djX8&feature=player_embedded]That said, when will injuries stop depriving us of being full-strength
and when will we address our profligacy in attack?
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I think we played fairly well in the match. We most certainly did outplay Chelsea but they really can be solid unit. It would have taken something special or lucky to score against them and on the day Arsenal were neither.
Chamack definitely needs to shoot. Can he shoot? Hopefully time will tell.
I think the ref has to get a mention. His performance was dismal. He sees nothing. That man needs to hang up his whistle and get back to running the power plant.
We will see Chelsea again at the Grove.
i for one am happy with our showing considering how many outs we have.
1st goal was just lucky. also we missed a couple in the opening minutes that could have made it a different game.
obviously people will come out and bag the coach and the players but that is to be expected by the no brainers that know absolutely nothing about football and believe we should win everything everyyear no matter what. they are known as muppets. they will be on as soon as they get out of school.
Tosser. So we should all love Arséhole and his bunch of losers because you say so should we? No opinion of our own allowed, no? People like you are the problem with this Club; happy to be losers and to watch that impotent team waste away the best years of their career’s. Anyway, better get back to Geography.
Any medical reason you need to be loutish and rude
The point of play a championship is to win it
Fair play from the gunners,no body expected chelsea 2 win by 2goal margin bt humiliation.so whom shud we blame(wenger or the players who failed 2 convert their chances?)
Hey no common guys….. we didn’t outplay Chelsea, they just let us play the ball around knowing the usual would happen….i.e. they would more than likely hold use out, and that we would leak goals either from set pieces or counter attacks. Lets not be naive about this…. sure we “could” have scored a couple…. but don’t forget the number of 1v1 ‘s that Chelsea missed which on another day they might well have scored and we “could” have lost but 5!!!
Until everyone involved with Arsenal look and realise that this side is no better or different than last year or the year before, and we are already seeing the same end result However, there is a difference this season in that there are more teams capable of getting better results than us, and unless Wenger and the Board wake up from their (we are always in the top 4 and in the Champions League) stupor, we and they will find us out of the reaconing and fighting for a Europa League place at best! Then we shall see the exodus of the likes of Fabregas and Van Persie who will want to play for someone who will be competing in the CL and for top honours. All we shall be left with will be the likes of the lumbering Song, Diaby, Eboue, Denilson, Almunia, Fabianski etc., Please lets see the rot stopped here before it is too late either with Arsene or without him (and a manager is not irreplacible…. how long do you give him before his past becomes his Eulogy!!!
I am afraid though the gunners play the better football,chelsea got the points.Its the same old Arsenal/story squandering chances. I believe even with a full strength team the gunners will lose.
The reason is simple.They overpass and commit too many players to attack.That’s why Chelsea found it easy to score.Wenger doesn’t believe in winning ugly.
Until the gunners can beat teams like Chelsea/MU/MC/Spurs/AV they will be at best scrapping for a cl and worst for a europa place.Then what?
Wenger may then decide to splash 50 to 100 million gpb when for a third of that he could have the gunners firing. Then it would be back to financial doping.
Jeremy
Can you please remind how easy it was for Chavs to score yesterday?
Drogba’s goal was very lucky indeed and was helped by the post too so shut your gob mate!
Second was a thunder bolt that went through the wall (Arshavin to be exact), so tell again please how were those easy scoring goals?
Thanks for expressing yourself but you talk utter shit!
There is no point saying that “If only we had RvP.. ”
The fact is:
RvP has been seriously injured in 3 in the last 4 seasons.
Each time that he was seriously injured, he has missed at least 2 months.
Everytime he comes back from injury, he gets this small, niggling injuries which would put him out for “2-3 weeks”.
Then, he’s out for the season, plays for Netherlands, gets injured, again.
That has been the reoccuring theme for RvP and it will continue to do so. So please, don’t expect miracles and be realistic about our expectations of RvP. He’s a sicknote.
I agree. We were not clinical at all, thats the problem with us allways against chelsea particularly. We had our chances, but we wasted them. They had their chances, they took advantage of them. Thats the difference between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Now I stll have faith in us and i truly still believe that we are capable of winnin the EPL or CL. But we really need to improve at scoring goals and been clinical. Not to forget about our defence, there are always some minor problems at the defence also.
I would so hate to say to myself at the end of the season “same old story”.
Please arsenal improve your game, because it’s about god damn time.
And watching this video of van persie just makes me wanna cry of happines, remenissing about the day when we beat chelsea 1-2 at Stambford Bridge.
Ahh van.persie we love you.