Southampton 1- 1 Arsenal: Walcott still in bubble-wrap, same old Arsenal
After 4 consecutive wins, the latest of which being a 10 goal bonanza, Arsenal fans crashed back to reality as Wenger’s team displayed their true colours. On any other day, a point away at St. Mary’s would have sounded good, but after all the hype created around Walcott as the lone striker and also with the league leaders being 19 points ahead of the Gunners before the game; the result is disappointing to the core.
Arsenal just played a high profile match against Newcastle on Saturday but Wenger named the same squad for this game within 3 days. Walcott started upfront with Chamberlain on the wings, and both of these ex-Southampton players were the source of all the pre-match hype.
Theo Walcott had expressed his desire to excel in this game and said that he would sit ‘bubble-wrapped’ after Saturday’s game to avoid any injury setbacks. And now after the draw, it is safe to say that the English international continued his bubble-wrapped state through the game.
Nigel Atkins, on the other hand, made quite a few tweaks to his squad from the Fulham game, some due to injuries and other for tiredness. Gaston Ramirez got a start in the No. 10 role behind Ricky Lambert. Guly De Prada and Puncheon start on either side of the Uruguayan, while Shaun Davies came in at the centre along with Schneiderlin. Luke Shaw, reported to be an Arsenal target, started at left-back.
Teenage sensation Luke Shaw, Chamberlain outplayed at his own game
For all the criticism that seems to be going Arsenal’s way now, the Gunners actually started the game very brightly. Again it was the combination of Cazorla and Chamberlain down the right that caused problems. Bacary Sagna was able to advance down the flank due to De Prada high positioning and seemingly defensive frailties.
18 year old Luke Shaw was very instrumental for the Saints here, as the teenager got the better of Chamberlain throughout the game. Shaw was very sturdy in defence and read the Ox’s style very easily. He rarely jumped into tackles and stood his ground until the moment Chamberlain chose to cross.
The other quality that would have impressed his suitors would have been his excellent technical prowess as well as reading of the game. Quite similar to Chamberlain in this aspect, Shaw managed to attack with a similar menace and he, along with De Prada, often made a 2V1 situation against Sagna.
Tiring Lukas and misfiring Theo
With Shaw winning the battles down the right, Podolski would have been expected to get the better of make shift fullback Cork. Podolski has been shining in his new found central–drifting role, but again his energy levels were much lower than the Newcastle game and he was able to rarely test Cork.
With Walcott upfront, Podolski became the route for Szczesny’s long balls, and the German often tried to play-in Theo with his flick ons. But Walcott was completely subdued today and was restricted easily by the likes of Yoshida and Fonte. The only encouragement that Arsenal were getting was from the Saints’ keeper Boruc, who started the game very tentatively and error strewn.
Spirited Saints, Lambert on Arteta and Ramirez on Vermaelen
While I can pile misery on Wenger’s men throughout this piece, credit needs to be given to Southampton’s performance. Prior to this game the Saints were in the relegation zone, but after this point and more so after this performance, they will climb out of the drop zone.
Nigel Atkins used a tactic taken up earlier by Norwich against Arsenal. He played Ricky Lambert and Ramirez upfront, in a role very similar to that played by Holt and Hoolahan; but the quality of the players here was much better. Lambert has as much as a physical presence as Holt, and was thus intelligently placed on Arteta.
Arteta has often struggled to deal with such a physical presence, and failed miserably again. If Holt was able to flick-on to Hoolahan who then ran at the defense, here there were 3 players ready to latch on to Lambert’s flick-ons.
Lambert’s positioning on Arteta
Source: www.squawka.com
Gaston Ramirez has been excellent throughout this season, but the role assigned to him has always been tentative. But his positioning just in front of Vermaelen was spot on today. Lambert won everything in the air against Arteta and was able to play in Ramirez now. The Uruguayan then was able to promptly pull out Vermaelen from the defence and then easily spin past the Belgian. This exposed Koscienly and Szczesny many a time, and Arsenal were lucky not to have conceded more.
Southampton’s pressing and impressive wing play
Southampton’s goal came from some impressive pressing by the entire unit. The 2 wide men, Puncheon and De Prado, were playing contrasting styles. Puncheon, who cuts-in from the right on to his left foot, ran riot against Gibbs. The Arsenal left back is much more comfortable in covering down the flank and as Puncheon came inside here, Gibbs was left terribly short.
De Prado, on the other flank, had started quite high but Atkins shifted him much deeper to track Sagna. De Prado not only tracked the Frenchman, but with Luke Shaw being in his element, he was able to counter-attack with pace. Though his own goal was mightily unfortunate, he had an impressive outing after a poor start.
It was De Prado’s pressing and Puncheon’s presence in the box that led to mistakes from Sagna and Gibbs. Ramirez bagged the goal with a smooth finish, and the Uruguayan netted another one which was ruled out for a slight push on Koscienly.
Schneiderlin against Cazorla, 2nd half changes
Arsenal turned out in similar shape in the 2nd half and the entire midfield and front line tired quickly. Santi Cazorla, who is quickly becoming a much feared player, is getting used to be marked out of the game, but was allowed all the space today. Schneiderlin let the Spaniard to operate in a pocket in front of him, and the Southampton centre-half was ready to fall deep to cover that zone. Often Schneiderlin was seen between the 2 centre backs with Cazorla and Walcott in the zone in front of the 3.
Cazorla, unmarked yet ineffective
Source: www.squawka.com
This marking led to nullifying any through balls that Cazorla is used to playing to Walcott and Podolski, as Fonte and Yoshida along with Schneiderlin almost formed a 3- man defense. This not only reduced Arsenal’s threat but also allowed Shaw and Davies to attack much more.
Wenger introduced Giroud much earlier than usual, and this move showed signs of encouragement for Arsenal. Giroud was able to win headers against Schneiderlin but now there were no runners in front of the Frenchman, as Podolski was substituted and Chamberlain and Cazorla were completely out of breath. Again Theo’s role on the right will be questioned as he was not able to affect the game from this position too.
Wenger’s final 2 moves were those that might have cost him the match. Gervinho and Ramsey came on for Chamberlain and Cazorla, and the drop in quality was visible from the start. Its high time Wenger stops trusting in Yao Gervinho, who seems to have lost all his confidence. When the likes of Arshavin and Gnabry are waiting in the wings, playing the Ivorian was a major flaw.
Ramsey on the other hand was played in the No.10 role in which he was not able to settle. The Welshman needs to be given more starts in deeper roles where he thrives. When a game changer like Rosicky is there on the bench and is perfect for that role, Wenger’s move to bring Ramsey on is again logic defying.
Conclusion
Overall, Arsenal did not deserve a point from this game. The only chance that they created was late in stoppage time when Gibbs got into the box. Walcott’s performance against Newcastle and now this one clearly shows that he is still the same non-dependable brainless footballer. Though brilliant on his day, Theo will not be a shoulder to depend upon in the long run.
Wenger has been known to stick with a winning combination week-in and week out. But when there is a bunch of fixtures so congested together, squad rotation is a must. It is often done by Ferguson and Benitez, and Wenger needs to learn soon.
The Saints deserve every penny of that point and perhaps much more. They have brilliant players in Puncheon, Lambert and Ramirez and their captain Lallana is yet to come back. If they are able to keep the likes of Luke Shaw at the club, then the Saints have nothing to worry in their struggle to survive.
Top of the match: Jason Puncheon
Flop of the match: Bacary Sagna (the Frenchman is making a habit of grabbing this spot)