Arsenal 2-0 Cardiff: Bendtner's heroics mask the need for a support striker

A huge sigh of relief echoed around the Emirates Stadium as incredibly late goals from Bendtner and Walcott sealed a really important 2-0 win for us. While at the beginning I thought that this match would be nothing more than a walkover for us, in the end I was just more than happy with the three points. However, I'm not sure that I'd head into the upcoming North London Derby with as much confidence now, because I witnessed some glaring flaws in the striker position which really need to be addressed in January.

From this game, it was evident that the days have vanished where we played through a mobile, clinical finisher as a lone striker. As Gunnerblog pointed out, it's almost as if we've forgotten the fluid link up play we executed with van Persie, Eduardo or even Thierry Henry at the helm. Yes, Podolski had a poor game, but it's not entirely his fault. We've gotten so used to having Giroud at the other end of the pitch that we lobbed balls at Lukas, expecting him to hold it nicely and lay it off to the likes of Wilshere, something the German is unable to do. It comes as no surprise that Bendtner had a much better game than Podolski, because he is the only other person who can match Giroud's traits.

I am of the opinion that if we can adapt to our previous style of play - benefiting from a Podolski-esque striker - then we shall have lesser trouble scoring goals. However, adaptation takes time, and that is not on our side, even though we're merely midway through the season. Hence, I feel that the signing of Alvaro Morata will not benefit us, and that we could profit more from a player like Christian Benteke or Demba Ba.

Even so I must say, Bendtner is doing a very good job of filling in at the moment. If it wasn't for his instinct, we wouldn't be on top of the league at he moment, that's a fact. While I still think that he isn't Arsenal quality and has to go, I can't help but feel that he's found the perfect way to say goodbye to us, if he is to leave this month.

Arsene said of him:

"I told him already today that he is back to the level I want him to be at, and if he continues to develop like that he will come back into the team. Unfortunately he got injured today and it looks like it is not a question of days, but weeks, with a sprained ankle. I am very sad for us, but for him as well. It is January 1 so we cannot stop him [talking to clubs abroad] but he says he wants to stay here. If he is focused on staying with us and his job, he is a great striker."

Apparently he does want to stay, but I suspect if the manager gets an offer he'll let him go. While his recent attitude and performances have taken a surprising turn for the better, I think we all know that his time is already up at the club. He never managed to break into break into the starting XI - during his huge 9 year stay - and probably never will, looking at Giroud's current form.

While I'm not ashamed, I'm certainly surprised to admit that Bendtner's departure would be a bitter moment for me. Earlier, I merely classified him in the category of deadwoods that refused to leave, a mammoth list of Almunia, Eboue, Denilson, Diaby, Park, Arshavin, Squillaci, Chamakh and many more. Moreover, his infuriating ego and delusional mind left me a bit angrier with him in particular than with the other worthless players.

However, after witnessing his newfound determination and workrate, I don't know. I mean, I know that in the long run, a player like Bendtner has to be replaced with a more reliable one, but that's not to say that I won't miss his personality, which seems more likeable than irritating now. Even though I do want him to leave, I shall never forget THAT winner against Spurs, the header against Wolves to maintain our title bid, the curling strike against Ipswich to propel us into the Carling Cup Final and now, the volley at the Emirates to keep us on top of the pile.

However, we need to live in a realistic world, and Bendtner cannot provide good backup for Giroud in that world. News that Bendtner suffered a sprained ankle and is set to be out for weeks can actually be good news in disguise. With Giroud injured, Bendtner injured, Sanogo always injured and Podolski not working out up front, we only have 3 choices to proceed with:


1. Give Podolski another chance as the tailsman until Giroud and Bendtner return.

2. Field Park Chu Young and continue playing Podolski on the wings.

3. Buy a decent backup striker and look to offload Nicklas.


I'm confident that Wenger will stick with the first option, fielding a makeshift forward until Giroud and Bendtner recover. Do not be fooled with Arsenal's link to Berbatov - while he would be a very good signing and on the cheap for £2m, I'm dubious whether Wenger's interest in him is genuine.

UPDATE: Arsene has rebuffed talks that they ever contacted Berbatov. While this could just be him pulling off a Santi Cazorla again, more worryingly, he said that he isn't active on the transfer market till now. I know that it's early days, but it isn't exactly joyous days thus far, am I right?

You know what they say - believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. It would be wise to adopt this motto in the face of this month, where I'm sure we will be falsely linked to many more attractive propositions. However, based on the performance against Cardiff (showing a clear lack of cutting edge), I'm sure that we need a striker this month. Bendtner may have vastly improved, but I think we all know that he would struggle to maintain that form over the course of the season, and that his purple patch is too little too late.

Many people would say that Theo Walcott's sealer in stoppage time was icing on the cake. I disagree, especially keeping in tone with this season's league table. While the league table was expected to clear out at least a month ago, it still remains fiercely competitive as ever. With the possibility of slipping from 1st to 3rd in one gameweek and from 3rd to 6th in two more gameweeks, it has to be said that every goal, rather than every 3 points matter as well.

We have an inferior goal difference to Manchester City and Liverpool, and are merely 2 points above Chelsea in the same. One cannot rule out the chance of the title been won on goal difference, as demonstrated 2 seasons ago. An extra goal to seal a victory isn't a bonus at all - it's a valuable point in the goal difference category. Who knows, that just might make the difference for us.

Tomorrow we face Tottenham, a team who have the potential of knocking us out off the FA Cup. If indeed that happens, then the Premier League will resemble our ONLY hope of a trophy, which would pile enormous pressure on the players. Regardless of the scumbag excuses of our opponents that we're dealing with tomorrow, a win is a must.

Be back later with a preview. Have a good one until then.

P.S. From an Arsenal supporter, it WASN'T a penalty. Even if it was, Wilshere's reputation meant that he wasn't going to get it anyway. Not taking anything away from Jack's performance though, he was the man of the match for me.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

January's here - Don't expect any arrivals + Cardiff Preview

At long last the winter transfer window has opened, and many Arsenal supporters will surely be hoping that Wenger will loosen the purse strings once more to get in a striker we all know is needed to sustain our title bid.

Well, keep hoping. While any striker - whether a marquee or a decent one - would be fine with me, I am quietly confident that we aren't going to see any additions to the squad, apart from a promising midfielder, of course. I absolutely have no faith in a manager who has failed to get a striker when it was necessary in January 2013 and August 2013 to use his money wisely now.

While it would be too over-confident and maybe even foolish to categorically rule out the possibility of Wenger signing a decent striker, I have absolutely no doubt that Arsene will NOT get a marquee signing at all. That scenario is almost out of the window, as far as I am concerned.

Look, we need to get one thing out of the way that signing Ozil was under very special circumstances. The frustration of not spending a single penny when Wenger had £80m in his pocket, the anger of buying free agents in Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini and the pain of experiencing a home thumping at Aston Villa would mean that Wenger's job would be in jeopardy had he failed to get in someone marquee. The signing of Ozil in the last half hour of the transfer window was one that saved Wenger's neck. I'd even argue that that was the sole reason why Wenger purchased him in the first place.

If Bendtner leaves the club early in the transfer window, then I think that there is a small chance of Wenger getting in a striker to provide Giroud with good backup. However, knowing him, he'll probably replace Bendtner's gap with Lukas Podolski and promote Serge Gnabry to Podolski's vacant winger hole. Or he might just promote Park Chu Young to being second fiddle to Giroud. There's no telling with this guy.

You can say one thing for sure, though. Arsene will always look at the cheapest option first.

I'm actually hoping that Giroud's knee cut magically turns into something serious that would rule him out for a month or two, AND that Bendtner leaves in that same space of time, because that just might compel Wenger to spend. There are only two ways that Wenger will get a striker, according to me:


1. Bendtner leaves the club, Giroud gets injured for long term and Podolski performs badly in the striker position, leaving Wenger no choice but to loosen the purse strings.

2. Gazidis builds on his wish to purchase a striker and piles pressure on Wenger through the media, like he so cleverly did in the summer. Giroud misses great goalscoring chances in January, leading to an abysmal run of form over the month. Supporters begin to question Wenger's priorities, chanting the need to buy a striker in the Emirates Stadium to resurrect our diminishing title bid.


Are any of these hypothetical situations likely to occur? No chance, I'd say. My prediction is that Giroud would be back for the Tottenham game, and his return would paper over wide cracks in the forward line. Bendtner won't be sold until late into the transfer window, leaving Wenger to say that he had no time to get in reinforcements as an excuse. And the season would end with Bayern Munich eliminating us with our title bid gradually turning into a fight for second. All too predictable.

We might have a good run in the FA Cup - I'm positive we'll get past the Spuds, for starters. However, it's winning the league, not winning any other trophy, that is the main priority this season. Anyone who thinks that we can finish first with Giroud having Bendtner, Park Chu Young and Yaya Sanogo as backup are totally bonkers, to be absolutely frank. While we being in control of the title race is by no means a fluke, it was the result of decent players overperforming due to confidence gained from nabbing Ozil from Real Madrid. I highly doubt that they would be able to continue that level of form in the second half of the season, especially Olivier Giroud, who's already feeling the fatigue of the season.

I have nothing against Giroud, honestly. It is my firm belief that he has the potential to be a massive player for Arsenal FC and I trust him completely, and apparently so does Wenger. However, do I trust him enough to sell all other strikers and heap pressure on him to perform in every single game? That isn't trust, that's foolishness. And that is exactly what Wenger did with Giroud for the entire last season, and is currently doing with him in this season. 

I'm tired of saying that Giroud is fit enough only to be a backup striker at Arsenal, and that we need a player like Karim Benzema or Diego Costa to seal us the title, as well as give us a fair chance in the Champions League. However, I'm certain that Wenger will NOT get anybody in January, unless inconvenient circumstances force his hand. And I'm still not sure that he will get a capable striker to be a good backup for Giroud, if he's forced to buy.

For a realistic (or maybe a pessimistic) Arsenal supporter like me, it's frustrating to know what's coming up and know that you cannot do anything about it. We're one signing away from the title, yet we have a stubborn, blind manager who refuses to do that, even though he has at least £35m in the bank left to spend. Even a Demba Ba for £10m or a Christian Benteke for £15m would get us far in the title race, yet Wenger will refuse to buy, leading to yet another possible trophyless season.

The jury's out on Wenger. The club needs two signings, a center back and a striker. While a center back isn't the most desperate necessity in Jan (we have Sagna and Flamini to cover), there is no denying that a striker is a must to fire us to the Premier League crown. My judgement on Wenger is simple: if he wants the title, he'll get a decent or a world-class striker. If he's content with top four, we won't see any movement in January. Period.

Ball's in your court, Arsene.

--

Elsewhere, we kick off the new year against lowly Cardiff, struggling after Vincent Tan's stupid decision to sack Malky Mackay. They won't be half as threatening as they were the last time we faced them, and I feel that they are a team doomed to relegation after sacking Mackay. While we're suffering from a bit of an injury crisis that should clear up by the time we face Aston Villa on the 13th, we should have enough in our locker to convincingly beat the Bluebirds.

Vermaelen, Nacho Monreal, Wilshere, Rosicky and Walcott are all doubts for this match, while Gibbs, Ramsey, Ozil and Giroud are definitely not participating, not to mention Yaya Sanogo, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Abou Diaby, who were already injured for months together. I really feel that we shouldn't include any of the aforementioned players in the starting XI, even though news suggest that Jack is set to start on his birthday. We would doubtless need these players against Spurs 3 days later, which is why they should be given their rest.

It's really difficult to predict the lineup because there is an uncertainty on which players are fit, but if all of the above mentioned players are injured for this game, the manager would be forced to field a lineup of Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Jenkinson, Flamini, Arteta, Cazorla, Gnabry, Podolski and Bendtner. While it is a severely weakened one, it is still capable of three points at the Emirates Stadium, which is our main priority anyway.

I think that half of the players who are doubts to start against Cardiff will start today, resulting in a comfortable victory for us. However, it would be their fitness levels that would worry me a lot more than their performances, keeping in mind that there is a huge North London Derby coming up.

Come on Arsenal. And come on Arsene: SPEND.



P.S. Wrote another piece for Arsenal India Supporters, describing my top 3 moments of 2013. A Happy 2014 to all, and also a happy birthday to England's biggest hope, Jack Wilshere.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

Cardiff 0-3 Arsenal: Positives all around

A seemingly comfortable victory for us as Arsenal won 3-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium, where United only managed a point and City lost. It's a brilliant result all around, and one that we can take a lot of encouragement from.

Firstly, let's address the elephant in the room, Aaron Ramsey. I was simply dazzled by his display yesterday, and not just because of the two goals. He was absolutely outstanding all around on a day where we needed three points to consolidate our lead. His defensive workrate, his passing precision and especially his positioning was truly top class.

The first goal that he scored was pure class, a really difficult header pulled off with such apparent ease. That's a kind of header that Olivier Giroud would struggle to head in, and yet Ramsey, 14 cms shorter than him, fired it in promptly, yet had the respect to not celebrate a fine goal in front of his former fans.

His second was in much different circumstances, kind of a way to kick Cardiff when they were down. Theo Walcott, deadly pace brought on in the dying minutes, was fed wide by Aaron himself to start the move. Theo had a simple return pass to provide, which he comfortably executed, leaving Ramsey to smash home after a really good first touch, I might add.

It capped another eye-catching display from the Welshman, who is rapidly becoming one of my many favourite players at the club. He is currently comfortably Arsenal's top goalscorer this season, which is simply magnificent considering his assigned deep midfield role. He has a lot of qualities - his stamina, his finishing, his vision, his defensive abilities, you name it. He's constantly reminding me of Frank Lampard this year, and resembling THE complete midfielder.

Arsene said of him:

"He has developed and matured, not only as a player but as a person as well. A few years ago we came here in a cup game and he had a very, very difficult game. And now it shows you how much he has developed as a person as well."

What's even more exciting is the fact that he is still 23 years of age, with at least 10 years of football still in him. To me, he is the best in the Premier League at the moment, and I'm running out of ways to describe him. In fact, I think that I'm running out of ways to say that I'm running out of ways to describe him!

Since suffering that horrific leg break back in February 2010, he's come a long, LONG, way to impose his importance on the club. And it wasn't a sweet ride either. Almost immediately after returning from injury, he was forced to fill the Cesc Fabregas void, and yet managed it for some time. Around January, the death of his mentor and Wales manager Gary Speed meant a dip in form, for which he was unfairly criticized. Last season, Wenger ludicrously decided to play him on the right flank ahead of Lukas Podolski, which still seems a baffling decision to me, in a world where we signed Park Chu Young.

Poor performances were imminent, with which criticism was sure to follow. People failed to notice that a central midfielder doesn't exactly thrive as a right winger, and used him as a scapegoat for everything that was wrong with the club at the time. Still, Aaron kept his head down and gave his all in every match, after which he was given a long-term contract.

People were raging at this decision by the manager, but have been since eating their words, because he has been vastly improving post-January. After keeping it simple, yet effective in the second half of last season, he has progressed leaps and bounds, amassing 13 goals and 5 assists in the process. Cesc, in his best season for Arsenal, got 19 goals and 19 assists, and Ramsey has managed to near those amount of goals already. We haven't even gone through halfway through the season yet.

His story to glory itself is hugely dramatic, to the point of being inspirational. Ramsey's form, symbolic of Arsenal's form, has been surreal this season, which was shown yesterday at Cardiff. Even though I supported Ramsey throughout his bleak days, I never, ever, expected him to produce such top drawer displays at such a consistent level, and at this rate, I have no idea when he will stop. It's telling that even a Mesut Ozil back in form failed to wrest the MOTM award from Ramsey. We've got a real gem on our hands, I must say.

Talking about Mesut Ozil, I finally saw glimpses that made Arsene shell out £42m for him, since the Napoli game. While I had suggested that he needed to be dropped to make way for more hardworking players like Rosicky, it seems that missing a penalty against Marseille marked a turning point for him. He was fantastic yesterday, his two assists were no fluke - especially the one to feed Flamini - and if Ramsey hadn't been, well, Ramsey, then he surely would've taken the match ball home.

While I am still cautious to concede that a scintillating game against an average side is proof that Ozil is back to his Real Madrid form, I am happy that he is getting the assists to justify his selection. The best part is that even if he does under perform, we still have midfielders capable and willing to take the creativity burden upon them. It's hugely encouraging that we have gone from having Cesc and Nasri to Ozil, Cazorla, Jack and Rosicky.

Positives aren't just oozing from the Arsenal, though. Spurs and United slipping up, coupled with Liverpool crashing 3-1 and Chelsea currently losing to Southampton means that our 7 point lead may just hold true by the end of the weekend. [UPDATE: Oh well, 4 points isn't half bad either] A Sunday just couldn't get any better now, could it?

Mind The Gap? More like mind the Grand Canyon.        

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

Cardiff vs Arsenal: Match Preview

We're back to focusing on consolidating our lead at the top of the table at the Cardiff City Stadium (innovative name, right?) where we face Cardiff, a side slowly getting known for causing upsets. They famously beat Manchester City 3-2 and drew with United just last week, so they might be entering this match with a bit of confidence.

However, it's safe to say that we are carrying two truckloads of confidence coming into this game, what with being on top and knackering Marseille and being on top and getting Ozil and being on top and having the best midfield in the league. Oh, and being on top. 

I'll find it really surprising if we do manage to slip up here, even though Cardiff are a side that might just do that. I don't think that we are going to take this fixture lightly - certainly this Arsenal side won't - but I do think that we might have to go a little out of our way to secure three points today.

I feel that if we are due to losing points in the Cardiff City Stadium, it will be down to a lack of creating chances and/or being wasteful in front of goal. Even though this team is on a high after beating Marseille and Southampton, I couldn't really help thinking that those matches could've gone either way. We didn't really create much against Southampton, and practically snatched the victory. And while we peppered the goal with shots against Marseille, it really felt more like we were facing a side that was ragged in Europe and deflated after the 30 second goal, rather than a side that were considered a competitive one and one that were set to give us a real run for our money.

I feel that people are ignoring the games in which we've failed to create an adequate amount of chances, such as against Spurs, Chelsea, West Brom, Manchester United, Dortmund, Crystal Palace, etc, simply because the final result drove the final performance out of their minds. However, at this rate, we are bound to slip up and regret not taking the chances that we created, or regret that we didn't create any chance at all.

It's pretty amazing that I'm emphasizing that a team with Cazorla, Ozil, Giroud, Wilshere and Rosicky isn't creating enough chances, but ultimately it is a fact of the matter. Granted, at the Marseille game we saw a mix of the old Arsenal which created a catalog of chances and the new Arsenal that had a mean defence, but I don't think that we are seeing enough of that this season, which needs to change. Starting today, hopefully.

In team news, we are likely to see a full strength squad, owing to the fact that the manager will look to play a lighter one against Hull in midweek. Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny and Gibbs are set to form the backline, a backline that really should keep a clean sheet today.

Midfield would be a problem, but a problem that Arsene would love to have. Flamini seems the only one set to keep his place, with Wenger possibly partnering him with Ramsey, giving him a reunion at Cardiff. I have said before that Ozil needs a kick in the backside, and even though he had an improved second half on Tuesday, I really don't want him to start, simply so that he gets the idea that even a player of his stature is not guaranteed a spot in the first XI.

However, Arsene Wenger seems certain to start him, which would be a mistake for me. Wilshere and Santi Cazorla would fill the wings, with Theo Walcott providing a powerful bench option. Ollie would lead the line, no question, unless he's diagnosed with Malaria in the next two hours. Or something like that.

It goes without saying that three points is not too much to ask of this side, which would pile pressure on the other England heavyweights tomorrow. And I am sure that they will deliver and produce a comfortable away victory. Even if they don't, what's the four point insurance for?

Come on Arsenal. Here's to another comfortable win, maybe?

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )