Gunnerrific

Robin Van Persie put on a finishing clinic at the Emirates yesterday. Fortunately, Wigan obliged. Although Wigan goalkeeper Al-Habsi was putting on a clinic of his own in reactionary saves. Arsenal’s play was just too good and one goalkeeper alone was never going to save the day.

I can’t tell you how happy I was with yesterday’s match. We were playing so good that a win was never in doubt. The only unfortunate incident was Robin van Persie’s shanked penalty. And holy hell was that a shank.

That missed penalty is one of van Persie’s 99 problems. But there’s good news.

If that image doesn’t make any sense to you, then see this video (NSFW language). I’m not the biggest of rap fans, but you’ve got to know this.

Alex Song was the secondary hero of the Wigan match. He was crucial in the midfield and basically disassembled Wigan’s offensive attempts like they were made out of so much lego bricks. This made the game extremely one-sided. Wigan didn’t even have a shot on goal in the first half for heaven’s sake. Would I be wrong to pick him over Fabregas or Nasri’s performances? They were great and provided all the angles of attack that we needed, but Song really stood out. And of course Walcott was jetting all over the place like a speed freak.

Another problem then, speaking of Walcott. He wasn’t in the game with the right mental perspective. His passing and shooting were mixed up entirely. And when Arshavin came on, he looked like he wanted to play so badly but just couldn’t make anything happen. It was as if he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, as though he was 2 seconds behind the play at all times.

So if we’re being overly critical of the match there are 3 things: VP’s missed penalty, Walcott’s decision making, and Arshavin’s play as a whole. But really, let’s not be assholes. That game was spectacular and we need more performances like it.

I feel the need to bring out an image of van Persie that I made the other day. It was particularly poignant given yesterday’s performance. I’ll leave you with this.

I don’t really know where to start. Everything seemed to be going so well for our makeshift squad as we were 2-0 up against a woeful Wigan in the 80th minute. That should really be the end of the story. Unfortunately, the B team we had on the pitch forgot to finish the game and allowed Wigan to score 3 goals in 11 minutes. Our title hopes were ruined yet again.

The first half was frustrating and full of the typical ‘Arsenal problem’ in which we pass the ball around a lot without taking a shot. At one point one of Walcott’s crosses was handled and it was an obvious penalty. This was missed, but it was clear at this point that we had an advantage. Later, while running down the right side, Walcott then chose to cross a ball that he obviously should’ve taken the shot on. He still seems gun shy at times.

Fortunately Walcott’s goal in the 41st relieved all the tension. A perfectly placed shot buried in the back of net and we were on top. This is the type of goal we need Walcott to score. He was on the run, receiving a well placed pass from Bendtner, and confronted with defenders all around. He still managed to pull his way through and muscle a shot off.

There was a brief moment of tension when Watson went down in the box. Anyone that is claiming that Nasri’s pull on Watson was a penalty is an idiot. Nasri barely tugged on him and he fell down like a huge sack of pitiful potatoes. It was embarrassing, and I’m glad the ref made the right call.

In the second half, Silvestre managed to find himself completely unmarked to receive a corner perfectly on the head. 2-0 and Arsenal was just having a walk in the park.

At the 80th minute everything fell apart.

The first Wigan goal was a fluke. We had men all over the box and the pull back from Moses seemed completely accidentally placed. Watson happened to be in the right place at the right time and drilled it into the back of the net. You could say that our defenders were misplaced, but in looking at the replay it seems like we were just unlucky. We had every passing lane covered except for the unlikely pull back, which wasn’t even intended. If anything, it was the play leading up to this goal in which we allowed far too much space for Wigan to move up the pitch.

The second Wigan goal was a fluke. Fabianksi was a nightmare. There’s no way around it. Despite it being his birthday he was completely unsure of himself. Throughout the whole match he appeared to be questioning himself and lacking confidence. When the mistake came, it was a bad one. He had both hands on the ball but just didn’t hold onto it. Of course Bramble was right there to nod it into the back of the net.

The third Wigan goal was a fluke. N’Zogbia manhandled his way across the outside of the box while Clichy, Silvestre, and Campbell all tried to prevent any sort of shot on target. The strike was perfect, curling inward and off the post.

Fluke fluke fluke. We are very susceptible them.

Here’s the deal.

We are missing Fabregas, Arshavin, Gallas, Vermaelen, and Song, and Van Persie is still not fit for a full 90 minutes. That is 6 players out of our starting 11! At the end of the day, with those sorts of injuries, we are just not going to win as much. Someone really needs to do some investigating to find out why we are susceptible to so many injuries that last for so long. I’m less worried about Wenger’s choice of Eastmond over Eboue or Traore than I am over the fact that we keep getting destroyed by these injuries.

Given the number of injuries we’ve had to deal with as of late, it could be worse. Given how long Van Persie has been out, it could be worse. As of this point, it seems as though our 3rd place spot is guaranteed, and it could be worse.

In other news, Torres is out for 6 weeks, making Liverpool’s attempt to take the 4th spot all the more difficult. It appears as though for the first time, in a long time, the traditional top 4′s reign will be over. Fortunately Arsenal isn’t the odd team out.