Arsenal 1 – 1 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS
30 Mar
A fair point, a good point and a potentially crucial point but a point tinged with disappointment. Chelsea’s defeat earlier in the day and City’s fluent, incisive first-half performance both contributed to a feeling of slight frustration come the final whistle. This was an opportunity to establish an advantage over our title-chasing rivals and for periods of this encounter, we looked liked driving to an assured victory, but a combination of complacency, fatigue and our opponents’ admirable resilience resulted in us settling for a share of the spoils.
It was the epitome of the game-of-two-halves cliché. Initially, there was an effervescence about City, a relentless desire to burst forward and deliver another message in this most enticing of seasons, but some poor decision-making in the final third released the pressure and Arsenal’s resurgence after the break was worthy of acclaim. They harried, they pressed and they showed a steely character that hasn’t always been manifest over recent years. Undoubtedly, a hard-fought point was the fair result and although the notion of relative despondency stems from the knowledge of an opening missed, this point may well be viewed as key in due course.
Clearly seeking to take advantage of the momentum gleaned from the effortless brushing aside of Manchester United during the week, Manuel Pellegrini named an unchanged side for the first time this season but, whilst that consistency is praise-worthy, there was a noticeable tiredness that engulfed the side in the second half. That the manager replaced Jesus Navas, one of our brightest sparks and someone who offered a pacey threat on the counter-attack as we dropped deeper after the break, so early was surprising, as was his decision to delay the other two substitutes until very late.
He may not have predicted Arsenal’s intense and committed second-half showing, but as we wilted and struggled to gain a foothold of proceedings, there were the options on the bench to make a difference. Stevan Jovetic would have injected some impetus to our attacks, Alvaro Negredo’s bustling physicality would have occupied Arsenal’s backline far more than Edin Dzeko’s passiveness and even Aleks Kolarov could have been an option down the left to support Gael Clichy whilst providing a dangerous delivery into the box. All that might seem a touch pedantic, of course, as this was a decent point but such was our dominance in the opening half, it stings not to return with the whole set.
As is so often the case, David Silva was the star of the show. Untouchable in the first half, he glided everywhere, dissecting the home side’s rearguard, finding space, popping up between the lines and delivering a masterclass of controlled attacking. His first touch is a weapon of aesthetic beauty, killing the ball, teasing defenders and giving him the time to orchestrate his brilliance. Before the interval, his performance was as magical as anything he has produced in a City shirt. He faded to an extent as the match wore on and he couldn’t quite dictate the tempo throughout but we should never overlook just how privileged we are to watch him at his peak on a weekly basis.
Apart from the genius of Silva, there were other notable displays from the likes of Martin Demichelis and Jesus Navas. The former was once again commanding, his aerial prowess and anticipation of danger repeatedly thwarting the home side’s endeavours. There was still a slight mistake in his game as he momentarily allowed Mathieu Flamini to escape his clutches to guide home the equaliser, and whilst it’s hardly the most comforting trait to be at partial fault for a goal, his recent showings have been solidly improving. As someone who has experienced success with a former club, his nous and composure will prove vital in the dressing room in what remains of the season.
Navas, as he has done for much of the campaign, provides a contrasting threat to our other creative stars, and his variety posed numerous problems down the right. It’s nothing new to suggest his electric pace is an outlet out wide, but he combines his explosive bursts with intelligent drifts infield and a natural relationship with the overlapping Pablo Zabaleta. At times, nevertheless, Navas could be even more direct. He often receives the ball, starts to attack the fullback but then stutters, grinds to a halt and moves the ball backwards, ignoring the vast swathes of space ahead. His most potent weapon is his speed, enabling him to get to the byline and entice our strikers, and there are occasions when he could be more selfish in utilising that strength.
All that said, this was, it has to be stressed, a battling draw. From a week which included challenging trips to face our local rivals and then Arsenal, we’ve secured four points from a possible six and remain in a powerful position to reclaim the title. Tough tasks lie ahead, starting with the visit of Southampton next weekend, but we have seen enough over the season so far, and reinforced over the past week, that this is a squad with not just the ability, but the mentality and hunger to be champions. Now, it’s about holding our nerve.
As a gooner, I must admit I had some trepidation about this game, and 15 minutes in I didn’t feel much better. A superb first half by City, Silva was absolutely majestic. After the break we gave a much better response and I totally agree with you that the shared point was probably a fair result. I’ve really enjoyed watching City this season, at times you’ve been unplayable.
I like City, and I like Liverpool, but I absolutely abhor Mourinho and his ridiculously condescending attitude, so do us all a favour and please don’t let them win the title, I would be much happier seeing either Liverpool or your good selves lift the trophy
….and I think you have done a great job of sorting out the Gooners defence Baldy
Enjoy Wembley – twice
Alph
Thanks Alph
A draw was a very fair result. Credit to your lads, as they played quite well in the second half.
Although I loathe your club, I’d take a Liverpool OR Arsenal league title before one for Chelski, anyday.
Jose Moronho is a nasty little guttersnipe and Arsenal and
Pool play much better football than Chelski anyway…
No ramsey no wallcot no ozil no wilshre the storey of arsenal. Id like to face city without silva yaya aguero and fernandinio
I wish they’d played! Last time it was 6-3,
“We’re going to win the league” sung already by the maudlin lot. Normally fellow fans would hush that chant out.
Would be so, so good to stuff them at Anfield (not confident mind – a draw would be good!).
We’ll see at the end of the season weather its a good point or not, we didn’t deserve to win & arsenal came back well in fairness to them, frustrated that we couldn’t build on the early goal, we can’t afford to have three of our midfield four off the pace’ nasri was very poor & yaya was yaya- hopeing he’d ” do something “, the force is definitely with the pool, we need a tip top fit Sergio NOW. we need to break the Mersey spell that’s hanging over us for the past few years.
If Sergio isn’t fully fit very soon, he won’t play too much of a role for us down the stretch. Even so, we can win the title with Dzeko and Negredo as our primary strikers.