With 20 minutes gone, the possession statistics were Arsenal 75-25 West Brom. That this had hardly changed on the hour mark pretty much sums up the game. It was a stroll against a side that were actually far worse than I expected. Roy Hodgson is a decent manager, and West Brom have not looked as poor as they did today for most of the season. Perhaps, then, Arsenal should be commended for keeping them so quiet, and making the whole thing so routine?
Defensively, it can’t be a coincidence that the arrival of Vermaelen has coincided with two consecutive clean sheets for only the second time this season- the last time it happened was just before his injury in August. We looked totally solid today; Szczesny controlled his area when he needed to and Koscielny had another fine game. Jenkinson looks better going forward with every game. Would it be too much of a stretch to say he is the best crosser of the ball in our starting eleven? Certainly, very few balls that he puts in end up at the first man, which is more than can be said for various other players.
It would be remiss to dwell too long on the defensive performance today, though, because West Brom really were that poor, particularly in the first half. You certainly wouldn’t recognise them as the team that came to the Emirates last year and taught us a footballing lesson (the lesson: don’t play Manuel Almunia).
Moving forward to where we really shone, then, which was in the links between midfield and attack. The ball from Ramsey to Walcott for the opening goal, for example, was Xavi-esque. Just another hint at the player Ramsey is hopefully becoming. After a fairly poor start to the season, I am now delighted when I see his name on the teamsheet. Van Persie had another of those games where he racks up his ever-impressive statistics. Another goal, two more assists for the Dutchman. He’s making it look easy, and is rightly being hailed as the best player in the Premier League at the moment.
Overall, this is exactly what we wanted from the day. 3 points, 3 goals, 3 goal-scorers, a clean sheet, and no injuries. Simple. We don’t want to over-celebrate winning the supposedly simple games at home, but considering where we were 6 weeks ago I think it’s quite right that we should feel very pleased today. That was our 4th win in the league in a row- I think it’s been two years since we’ve managed that. Pats on the back all round.
I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at the results of those around us in the league, and how they might affect us.
Oh, and if you like the blog, please follow me on twitter using that little link below, @joeblogsarsenal. I'm trying and failing to work out how to get the little twitter button thing that allows you to follow me with one click. If anyone knows how, leave a comment.
Until next time,
Joe
yet another fine article. My dad is a welshman and has been a massive fan of ramsey since his days a cardiff. from watching him, he still does miss opportunities and often fails to delive the right pass (obviously today his pass was the definition of perfection). I my self am a massive theo fan and i think we should look at the time it took for walcott to get to where he is today. it took some time for him to combine his natural ability of sheer pace with technical footwork and delivering the final ball but he got there in the end. I put forward that Ramsey is maturing as a player at a faster rate and by the end of this season (providing no injuries occur) he will be one of the best british talents the premier league has to offer.
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