That was somewhat of an anti-climax. Arsenal drew a blank against a determined and stubborn Sunderland side. The weather conditions of 35 degrees undoubtedly played a part though it was no excuse for the result. The starting line up was as expected besides for the Diaby inclusion. We lined up with Szczesny in goal; Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelan, Gibbs along the back; Diaby, Arteta and Cazorla in midfield; Walcott and Gervinho on the wings and Podolski up front. The game was frustrating from start to end and after the first 20 minutes the tempo dropped considerably. However, I can only remember Szczesny having to make one save from McClean. Our defense was superb whenever they were tested. Vermaelan and particularly Gibbs made an impression. Arteta was his usual reliable self and Diaby played well too. Cazorla was man of the match. He was the creator of the side, and whenever he got the ball you thought something would happen. Podolski had a few half chances, most of which were blocked. He was frustrated for the most part. When Giroud came on nothing really changed. I thought that we didn't get enough crosses in the box for him to run on to. He missed a relatively simple chance. I think he and Podolski will need time to get into form.
Overall it was an acceptable performance though we all expected better. That is the third time in a row that we have started the season with a draw. Players weren't always on the same wavelength, particularly Podolski and Gervinho. Only time will fix that problem. Jenkinson was okay at right back. He didn't have much defending to do but did what he had to. Going forward he was extremely disappointing. His crossing was dismal and you need them coming in when a player like Giroud is on the field. I am seeing too many Arsenal fans making conclusions at the moment. You cannot conclude anything from that performance besides the fact that the players lack physical sharpness. I expect the performances to get better and better. We play Stoke away next week. Always a tough game but I expect a win as always.
The Alex Song deal has been announced as I said a few days ago. We won't miss him. He's one of the players in our team that we can improve from. We need a proper holding midfielder who plays it simple and who's priority is to break up play. Let Cazorla and the rest create, its not the holding midfielders job. Yann M'Vila is still being linked but I don't think we will replace one bad attitude player with another. Capoue would be a better option in my opinion. Sahin is rumoured to be next in the pipeline. I like him a lot. I was informed that Wenger isn't actually looking to play with a designated holding mid. Apparently he wants 3 midfielders that can rotate with each other providing some unpredictability and a better side technically. If that's going to solve our defensive problems I'm all for it.
That's it for today.
'Till Tomorrow
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