Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland: Second would have been progress. Third is not.

Match Report | Match highlights | Wenger's thoughts

I do not understand why people do not understand the difference between second and third.

"Footballistically", as Arsene Wenger would put it, there isn't any. Neither Manchester City nor us would have to go through the sadomasochism of the Champions League qualifiers that Manchester United will experience. I imagine the gulf in monetary rewards by Barclays will not be mammoth. And, considering the difference in points between us and the Citizens, anyone could argue that it could have been us at second.

And that is what does not rub with me. The fact that we could not usurp second whilst Manchester were dealing with their baggage under little pressure is worrying. It won't be nearly as easy next season. City will look to bounce back with a new manager and a new goal. United have already started on their summer business, nabbing Gundogan and Depay. Chelsea will strengthen to push on for Champions League glory.

I have accepted that Wenger will stay at Arsenal until 2017, but I hoped (perhaps foolishly) that we would at least compete for something worthwhile under him. That, other teams' incompetence and our general impressive individual qualities would overshadow Arsene's tactical limitations and his man-management flaws. I was wrong - to overtake a Jose Mourinho team or the Bayerns and Barcas of the Champions League, you need a modern, competent manager who can cover that percentile difference.

Second would have been huge for Arsenal. It's been, what, nine years since we finished runners-up? As mentioned above, it would not have made much difference on paper, but the psychological implications would have been huge. The media would have portrayed us as Chelsea's biggest foe. Potentially great players in the team would have been more recognized. We would have had the edge on most games simply because of the fear factor associated to being a title contender.

More than that, the players would have belief. Confidence in an Arsene Wenger side is key. It's what makes them play zippy football and score slinky goals. I'm not saying it would guarantee us Premier League 2015/16, but at least it would have provided the "big club" illusion which would keep world class like Ozil and Sanchez at Arsenal until Wenger leaves for a better manager.

But, no. Third and FA Cup is hardly huge progress from fourth and FA Cup (one could argue that Liverpool's decline is what pushed us up to third, too). Baby steps such as these aren't going to convince the quality players we do have that this is the place to be. I'd imagine that if Arsenal don't compete in the Premier League or the Champions League next season, Mesut Ozil would well call it a day.

And you wouldn't blame him. Say what you will about Sterling's agents having a greedy hand for wrecking his PR Image, but I'll be damned if Raheem's actions are 100% dictated by his advisers. All top players are winners. Sterling's willingness to leave Liverpool is as much propelled by the lucre of major honours as it is of making big bucks.

Arsenal can buy top players because we have the money, but we sure as hell won't keep them if we keep stalling as we are. It's been pretty clear that Arsene Wenger cannot and will not get us past the 3rd-4th threshold into elitism. If Ivan Gazidis and the board do not take action on the managerial situation soon, Wenger's last memories of managing Arsenal would be overseeing a mass exodus of players who were meant to be the bedrock of our future. It's up to the board to ensure that they do their job.

Or three years from now, we'll be looking back at this time and thinking "Why didn't we nab Jurgen Klopp when we had the chance?"

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal: Misfiring cannons bailed out by magnificent Catalan

Match Report | Match highlights | Wenger's thoughts

Make no mistake, this could have gone either way...
I don't think anyone hides from the fact that we were rudderless. And for good reason - we created very little against a side who shipped in eight against a Southampton side without Lallana, Lambert and Jay Rodriguez. Very few of Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Welbeck and Sanchez lived up to their stardom. It can't be long before the fans realize that the manager is responsible for bringing the worst of these players.

True, we were able to keep Sunderland at bay with relative ease, but that didn't stop us being equally bereft of ideas at the other end of the pitch. The number of chances we created could be counted on a hand, much like the number of convincing performances this season. We got away with it in Belgium, and we got away with it yesterday. Inevitably, however, we can only be so lucky.

Are we a one-man team?
The last time we were touted a one-man side was in 2011/12, when Robin van Persie's incredulous form carried us to third. Looking back at the season and its statistics, one feels this claim could be justified. But could we apply the same logic to Alexis?

I believe the reason people are refraining from such a statement yet is because of the quality available at our disposal. Despite them underwhelming, it's difficult to call a team "one-man" when they have Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla and Welbeck in their ranks. But such is the fact of the matter that none of them are close to playing at the level they can, at least consistently. A compilation of pressure of expectation, being positionally misplaced and confidence crises are affecting most of the players.

There's no denying that Sanchez is carrying the team at the moment. His winning mentality and desire to press the ball is what's turning one point into three. People may say that both the goals he scored were a bit of a fluke, but the undeniable fact remains that without him harrying the opposition, those mistakes would not have happened.

My worry remains with what happens further down the line. Players like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez were bought to push the club to the next level. However, instead of the team stepping it up a notch to augment these players, it's them having to carry the team. Ozil sunk into the mediocre vibe around the dressing room, and it's not beyond the realms of possibility to suggest that Sanchez might follow.

The way Alexis is playing it's apparent he wants more from his teammates. And he's right, too. The manager is getting too diminished an output from a talented crop of players. If this continues, Sanchez could either injure himself by pushing himself to the limit, or he could sink into the dreaded 4th-place mentality infesting the club.

Per Mertesacker must be beyond bemused...
He's barely holding the fort together. Well, not much of a fort as a creaky old cottage filled with piranha-sized termites who are going to be blown to smithereens soon because the U.S. Government are aiming drone missiles at it because they believe this is where Osama bin Laden used to take a piss and they want to destroy all the evidence.

One substitution and the left back, centre back and right back changed personnel. Imagine Mertesacker's plight - he has to make-do with a conglomeration every week. He's left open by inept defensive midfielders and left exposed whenever that dastardly 4-1-4-1 is adopted. To top it all, he knows he can't afford to be injured and is trying to balance form with fitness. If anyone needs a break, it's him. Lay off him, for Santi's sake.

Theo Walcott is being overrated...
Yes, he's our fastest player. Yes, he amounts a decent statistical return. Yes, his pace was missed last season. But the overblown reaction to his return is worrying. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand sentiment. But calling him the saviour of the season or the best winger in the league is completely uncalled for.

People have completely eroded his negative qualities and overestimated his value to the team. They've conveniently strained out his numerous flaws and painted a picture of him to suit their liking. Yes, Walcott has noticeably improved over his last 18 months of regular first-team action, but that doesn't make him Thierry Henry. And knowing Wenger, he'd probably hurry him to the pitch and injure him again, like with Jack Wilshere.

I welcome his return and I hope he comes flying out of the blocks, but I'm not going to get my hopes high for him this season, for good reason. Neither should you.

--

Thankfully, there's a week of rest for the Mertesackers, Monreals and Sanchez's to rest their tired legs, and an easy Burnley tie awaits at the end of it. Till then.

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

Sunderland vs Arsenal: Match Preview

"Seriously boss, I don't look like Lewis Hamilton, do I?"

Preview | Pre-match conference | Team news

The last time we visited the Stadium of Light, a side largely buoyed by Ozil's purchase and Ramsey's form comfortably beat them 1-3. However, despite Sunderland coming into this match with shattered mindsets in the wake of an 8-0 Southampton hammering, I still expect this game to be close.

Sunderland - before a Tadic and Pelle inspired Saints side breezed them off the park - had one of the meanest defences in the league. Even though I tipped them for relegation at the start of the season, Gus Poyet had managed to tighten things up at the back, with ex-Gunner Vito Mannone and new boy Vergini standing out.

Our forward approach play this season has been dysfunctional, to say the least (Ironically enough, I've said this the most!). Despite having an array of attacking talent, as a unit we've simply failed to click and have had to be bailed out by Sanchez on a number of occasions. If the Black Cats stay compact and maintain their shape in their own den, there is every reason for us to create minimal chances today. Again.

Gus Poyet is a smart man. He must be wise of Arsenal's mishmash defence and one-dimensional attack. If he plays his tactics right and hits them on the break, he could cause a huge upset on Saturday.

In contrast, Wenger needs to inject some diversity into Arsenal's attack. The current system just isn't working. Perhaps he could revert to 4-2-3-1 instead of 4-1-4-1, and shift Santi Cazorla in the middle. He could throw Joel Campbell, Lukas Podolski or Tomas Rosicky into the mix. Heck, he could also hurry Theo Walcott from injury (it seems like that's what he's doing, since Theo has been included in the Matchday squad). Options is something the Frenchman does not lack. It's all about using the right one.

Even though we're looking lackluster in attack and Poyet's side could very well hold us at bay for large periods, I suspect (or rather, I hope) our sheer majority of big names will prove decisive in the end. In addition, I hope that doesn't contribute in more papering over the cracks.


Shit, is Koscielny knackered till the international break?

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

Post-Sunderland and Dennis Bergkamp thoughts

Back on track with a mesmerizing 4-1 victory today against an appalling Sunderland, where the only regret would be conceding a Premier League goal at home since Deufoleu's. Nevertheless, an impressive Giroud return and an astounding Rosicky goal sealed three points for us, but I don't think that there was much to read from this match.

Resting/dropping Mesut Ozil was absolutely the right call from Arsene Wenger. It was apparent for a long, long time that fatigue and disinterest was creeping into him, and the fact that he thought his place in the starting XI was guaranteed didn't help either. Frankly, there were better players on the bench who weren't getting to play because of Ozil's monopoly of the central attacking midfield role, so it's good to see that they are getting chances now.

Wenger put his resting down to injury concerns, saying:

"Yes [Ozil was injured], a thigh problem but it was a kick. He should be available next week. He was in the dressing room [during the match]." 

According to me, the only sign of progress we made in this match was that we finally won a game nice and early. As early in the 5th minute, some neat Arsenal play and a wonderful Wilshere pass gave Giroud freedom of space in the box. He finished a promising move by slotting the ball in the corner, sending ex-Gunner Vito Mannone the wrong way.

I'm not a fan of Giroud's shooting technique. Sure, it pulled off then, but I don't think that a physically bulging player like Giroud should try to curl the ball in like he always does. This is one of the reasons why Giroud misses easy chances in front of goal, even though he didn't miss then.

Still, if anyone deserved a goal it was him. Ever since he played for Arsenal there have been doubts on his quality, and his recent dry patch seemed to prove the 'haters' right. I for one was never one of them; I think that Giroud is being made a scapegoat for our attacking woes and is constantly being asked to do what isn't in his DNA. Let's not forget that Olivier Giroud is a player who has carried the striker burden for 1 and a half seasons now, it's about time we cut him some slack.

What I like about Giroud is that he's committed and hardworking. Even though he has been grossly overplayed since coming to Arsenal, he is ever ready to run across the pitch and hold the ball up, or show fantastic determination even at the 89th minute to win a half-ball. I understand that his constant back-to-goal play and a reluctance to take a shot frustrates a few Arsenal supporters, but that's the kind of player Giroud is. Isn't it unjustified to expect Flamini to provide 10 assists for Arsenal?

I wanted Giroud to score because he's Arsenal's only main striker. If you want Arsenal to win something this season, you get behind your players, simple as that. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but naive ranting never is. While Giroud's second was much, much simpler (even though he made it look really easy), I'm happy that two goals will help increase the confidence of one of Arsenal's most industrious players.

The third goal was sensational, possibly better than Wilshere's. I'd agree to people who suggest that Sunderland had made it too easy for us at that point, but that didn't stop me from marveling at one of the greatest goals of this campaign. Rosicky started the move by passing it to Cazorla and ended it by coolly chipping it over Mannone after some fantastic one-touch passing by Arsenal. That was a goal which seemed like a testament to Bergkamp's passing ability. Simply electrifying.

By that time 3 points were in the bag, something incredibly rare from this season's Arsenal. Seldom have we tied up a game this early in the match, and it is something that should be continued in this season. The benefits of wrapping up a game before half time are profound - the confidence of the players are high, the manager can start his preparations for the next, key players can be rested and whatnot.

After a brief Sunderland rally in the second half Arsenal struck again to make the game as dead as possible. After Vergini almost scored one of the funniest own goals, Santi Cazorla flung in the resulting corner into the box. Sunderland's man marking was dire; Laurent Koscielny was given the space to open a tea stall there. He headed in the ball easily, and Arsenal were 4-0 up within 60 minutes.

I was disappointed that we conceded, though. I agree that it was a superb goal from Giacheerini, but I really wanted another clean sheet from us. True, a makeshift back four of Jenkinson, Sagna, Mertesacker and Flamini did have their reasons, but I was particularly looking forward to extending the record of no Premier League home goals conceded since DECEMBER.

Still, 4-1 is good enough right?

Wenger spoke of the win:

"We have shown today we are capable of responding and that is the most important thing. You see City had a difficult game, Chelsea had a difficult game so you see it is difficult for all the teams at the top, but we did the job well."

Although I still feel that winning the Premier League is out of the question, it's much more fun to be competing with Manchester City and Chelsea than with Tottenham or Everton. I've always felt that setting a target of winning the league and failing is better than setting a target of fourth place and achieving it. Plus, the ability of Chelsea and City to consistently defeat average teams isn't that great. The league is unpredictable, so who knows?

--

Amazingly, it wasn't Tomas Rosicky's goal that was the highlight of the day. Bergkamp's statue was finally unveiled earlier in the day at the Emirates Stadium, in the aftermath of which one of Arsenal's greatest forwards said:

“Everyone knows I love Arsenal and I had such a great time at the Club. The fans, the staff and my team-mates were fantastic. The team was also amazing and we had a lot of success over the years. For me and my family it was such an important and enjoyable period in our lives."

I love Dennis Bergkamp. He's my all-time favourite Arsenal footballer, ahead of Thierry Henry. Unlike Thierry, Bergkamp never left the club and retired where he belonged. His signing back in 1996 marked the beginning of a new era for Arsenal, much like Ozil's has this season. To cap it all, he clearly wants to achieve more with the club even after so much.

It's been obvious that for a long time, Bergkamp has wanted to be a coach for Arsenal. Even if not on the training staff, his love for Arsenal has been so much that he wants some connection to it. Any way in which he could possibly help Arsenal would be something of a dream for him. So why won't Wenger include him in the club?

Wenger says:

"I am not against it. He has the qualities, but you need to have the need as well because we have a big staff already. He is now at two clubs that made Dennis Bergkamp. The first, and certainly the most important one, is Ajax. He is at Ajax now and a coach there. The second club that is important in his life is Arsenal. Maybe that will be the next step!"

I'm sorry, but this is a load of bollocks by the manager. Bergkamp would kill to be a part of this club, and could have a few years ago. Arsene Wenger denied him, and he will keep denying Bergkamp in the future as well.

Why? Because Wenger is an egoist. It's clear that he wants all the limelight, and that he wants to be the single most popular figure at the club. Remember that he gave away Martin Keown and restricted Steve Bould's influence to impose his superiority and power at the club. Why should he give Dennis Bergkamp an input in the club?

I might be wrong about this, but for me it fits into the character sketch that I have of Arsene Wenger. I apologize for ending an eventful Arsenal day on such a sad note, but I don't think that Wenger will ever give Bergkamp a role into the backroom staff. And the reason won't be because Bergkamp's not "good enough" - he was one of the Premier League's best players, for crying out loud!

--

Anyway, today's not the day to have this argument. The fact remains that we're only one point off the pace of the title, and that strong starts to the match like today's are the key to success. On we go to the next game.

Let's hope for business as usual then as well.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )