Besiktas 0-0 Arsenal: Another unconvincing performance raises doubts

Match Report | Match highlights | Wenger's thoughts

Well that was dreadful. And disturbing. And, from my side, unexpected.

Let's start with the performance. I thought it was sluggish and questionable right from the start. Link-ups always seemed to break down, and when they did make the striker, Olivier made sure he put most of them to waste. He's gaining an unwanted reputation of unreliability. It came to such that our only attacking outlet was Alexis Sanchez, a man who was one of the only silver linings in a day full of black clouds.

Against Palace, Rambo's late tap-in ensured that we got away with question marks on our showing. But yesterday, when Besiktas managed to hold us at arms-length to a draw, our attacking woes were more vividly exposed. Some might argue that factors like the pitch and the country may have resulted in a poor display, and they may have a point. But hey, for a club like Arsenal that plays in the rough weathers of England and travels to the Britannia and St. James' Park twice a year, we ought to be used to it.

If Wenger's passing philosophy only works on a sunny day with perfect grass then I suggest he'd drop the whole philosophy, because the climate won't contrive to his wishes every time.

It's difficult to single out the main cause of our attacking shortcomings. Plenty have passed the buck to Olivier Giroud, and while he most definitely had one of his worst games in an Arsenal shirt, only holding him guilty is narrow and naive thinking. Look at the quality we had out there. Wilshere, Cazorla, Sanchez and Ramsey. That's flair, vision, pace and goals right there. How is the manager NOT getting the best out of these players?

Almost all of them performed badly, with Giroud the one taking the cake. And there can surely be little defence to that. Giroud was one of the worst performers on the pitch. Even his usually adept lay-offs were missing, and he always took the ball in the most unconventional of positions, and vainly tried to dribble it past (read: through) defenders.

Meanwhile, Demba Ba was delivering a much more accomplished performance at the other end, what with half-line strikes and volleys. Wenger once said that he passed up on Ba because him and Giroud were pretty much the same animal. Well, I'd rather two animals than one, then.

Also, this.

That shouldn't mean others must slip under the radar. Now, I rate Cazorla highly, but I've always said that his powers are curtailed on the left flank. He's time and time again proven to be inconsistent (if not average) when shunted out wide, and yesterday was another example of that. He had his usual accurate passing, but he was mostly anonymous, well off the pace and not providing the width that we needed.

I'm increasingly getting of the opinion that we should make Chamberlain a regular on the left, relegate Santi to Ozil's deputy and make Rosicky Walcott's alternative option.

Left flank: Chamberlain, Podolski
Right flank: Walcott, Rosicky
Attacking midfielders: Ozil, Cazorla
Strikers: Alexis, Giroud, Campbell, Sanogo

Not too shabby, eh? Just a thought.

Anyway, Ramsey. He too had a forgettable game, being rather ordinary except for providing a delicious pass to Giroud towards the end of the first half. What I found striking, though, was the general defence of the ones backing Giroud (I'm one of them, remember) being "Well, Ramsey was equally shit too, why aren't we slating him?"

Lest we forget (or choose to forget), Ramsey has been playing out of his skin for around a year. He's almost earned his one-off. Giroud, however much I may rate him, has been inconsistent and unreliable since March. This wasn't a knee-jerk reaction towards him. This was simmering for a good few months.

Towards the end of the game Arteta limped out injured. For a 32 year old footballer playing regularly in such a stamina-consuming job that he does, the repercussions could be severe. I haven't got any news of his injury status as I type this, but it goes without saying that it makes our need for a proper, reliable defensive midfielder even more. And no, not a Kim Kallstrom-esque body.

Wenger wasn't encouraging.

"Honestly, we are not close to signing anybody."

However, based on the clear evidence of yesterday, buying a defensive midfielder will not solve our problems. For all our defensive personnel crisis and cries for a DM, it is our star-studded attack that's faltering. The reasons for it could be as simple as fitness problems or as complex as fundamental flaws tactically; I won't pretend to be in the know.

However, all I know is that we need to sort out our attacking problems quickly. We have the players to do it, and based on Arsene Wenger's previous Arsenal teams, we have the manager to do it. But for some reason - reasons I haven't worked out yet - our attacking dimension of the team seems completely dysfunctional. Giroud was a part of that yesterday, but by no means was he the sole reason.

A trip to Everton beckons in the weekend. If we're not careful, the expectations surrounding the Gooner community may well take a major hit by then.

Right, that's it from me. Here's to hoping that Sanchez takes over Giroud's starting berth soon...

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

A case to defend Olivier Giroud

For a long time, almost ever since he came to Arsenal, Olivier Giroud has never really convinced all Arsenal supporters. While no one can possibly deny that we are witnessing a much better Giroud this season than the last, hordes would point out that he is still nowhere near the class of the Ian Wrights or the Thierry Henrys, and probably never will be. For a team challenging for the Barclays Premier League title, Giroud as a tailsman seems to be not good enough.

The fall from van Persie to Giroud was almost insulting to a few Gooners. His initial misses against Sunderland and Liverpool, not to mention the tongue-wagging and the looking-up-at-the-sky-and-clutching-his-dyed-hair-like-a-French-model after missing those chances were harshly greeted upon. Amazingly he was touted as a flop after only two months at his new club.

Agreed, Giroud has made up for those misses now and vastly improved in his hold up play, workrate and even finishing. However, I don't think that even Arsene Wenger believes Giroud can score 25+ goals per season.

So why do I still want Giroud at the club?

Because I understand that carrying the striker burden for two seasons straight is no mean feat, especially at a club in the EPL. Giroud's been thrown into the starting lineup by Wenger ever since he joined the club, without any proper adaptation period or striking partner. He's been forced to juggle factors like fan pressure, fatigue, fitness and form in almost every Arsenal match since the beginning of last season. Yet he has performed moderately well this season, bagging 16 goals and 8 assists.

What Giroud needs is motivation and rest. He has shown us from time to time again that he will perform when rested or faced with the threat of losing his starting berth. Not to mention that he still works really hard even after being completely jaded due to gross overplaying by Wenger. With a proper balance between fitness and form, I'm sure Giroud can perform much better than he currently does.

Against Sunderland, for example: Prior to that match, Yaya Sanogo had put in a good showing against Bayern and there was talk that this unpredictable talent could bring more to Arsenal's play than Giroud does. Giroud had been rested for a week, and was faced with the task of winning his starting position back. How did he respond to that? 2 goals, 1 assist, and a Man of the Match award.

However, for a team challenging for the title, rotating Giroud with Yaya Sanogo or Nicklas Bendtner is too much of a gamble. Yes, Sanogo has been performing well recently, but are we sure that we can trust an injury prone, Ligue 2 striker to partner Olivier Giroud? If Sanogo somehow manages to stay fit until the end of the season and keeps playing like he did against Liverpool and Bayern then I'm all for it, but isn't that too much to hope for?

This is exactly why I wanted Wenger to buy a striker in January. And not just any striker - we needed a striker that had the traits Giroud didn't. However good Giroud plays, I think that it's unfair to compel him to be what he's not.

Giroud is a striker who will always play with his back to goal. He will always lack pace, he will always struggle in one-on-one situations and will always struggle in executing volleys or free kicks. Forcing him to grow a quicker pair of feet or develop an artistic finesse in front of goal is not possible, simply because it's not in his DNA. And never will be.

Whatever he says, Giroud needs a striking partner. He needs a player who can complement him; a striker who is pacy and an expert in dribbling and finishing. The only player who can come close to replicating that is Lukas Podolski, a man who we all know is best suited to the wings and not that quick anyway. Sanogo and Bendtner are too similar to Giroud, which is why we need to get someone from outside.

Joel Campbell? I don't know. I've never seen him play football at all; I even missed the Champions League match yesterday (although I wish I hadn't now). His goal was a cracker, no doubt, but I really don't know if he is capable of producing such moments from time to time. He ticks the boxes - he's fast, he's versatile and that finish shows that he's certainly not afraid of having a crack. He's 21 years old (the same as Alvaro Morata) and clearly wants to do well at Arsenal, judging from what he said:

“As soon as Arsenal came, I wanted to join them and I believe I am ready to play for Arsenal next season. I know I have the capacity to play there; I am only waiting for the opportunity. With hard work I know I can get there."

Don't want to get to carried away, don't want to hype the youngster's potential, but if given the chance, I think Campbell could turn out to be the ying to Giroud's yang. Wenger certainly can spot a talent, but there are also fears that he may be one of those duds who Wenger got carried away with. I guess time will tell with this player.

However, I think that this is an unnecessary risk. We don't need to depend on Joel's form for a solution to Giroud's woes, really. We have £120m in the bank and more competent, proven strikers in the world not beyond our reach to purchase. It's almost like the manager has to take his pick in the summer. Speaking of which...

Morata has agreed to join Arsenal IF, I repeat IF, I insist IF, clubs agree fee. He will push for Madrid to accept Arsenal's offer
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) February 25, 2014

According to Guillem Balague (a Sky Sports Spanish football expert), Alvaro Morata wants to join Arsenal but a fee hasn't been agreed yet. I have a lot of reservations on the source, but I felt it was my duty to pass on the news. Make what you want of it.

In the end, the fact of the matter is that a striker is a must in the summer window. Morata would be a good signing in that direction, but I'm still not sure that this deal would happen. Anyway, that's something to worry about in 6 months. Till then, let's have faith in Yaya Sanogo.

Jesus, where has this club gone to?

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )