This game more than any other illustrated the magic of the FA cup and the old football cliché that it’s a game of two halves. More importantly it perfectly illustrated everything that Arsenal have represented, good and bad, this season, in one 90 minute match.
We are the most Jekyll & Hyde team in the Premier League, seemingly winning when no one gives us a shout (see Exhibit A v Chelsea in the League, Exhibit B v Villa in the FA Cup, Exhibit C v Udinese in the Champions League) but we also lose unexpectedly bringing a whole heap of misery and shame upon ourselves (too many Exhibits to mention!). This team can be brilliant for spells but also lacks the ability to control a match and gain results week in week out.
First half – Villa played ok. We played ok. Difference was they took advantage of two chances and scored while we were pedestrian and wasteful. The first goal a classic example of Arsenal players switching off at a corner leaving a two on one. The problem for many of us watching is that this was probably the millionth time this season that Arsenal players have been caught napping during a short corner. It appears that the players never learn and that lack of intelligence is quite frankly, unforgiveable. After goal number one had arrived against the run of play (seems to happen a lot to us), goal number two really was a sucker punch, arriving on the stroke of half time. I can appreciate that it was a very good finish from Bent from a tight angle. But it’s typical of the type of goal we concede – Bent v four defenders, Fabianski parries well to the side of the box away from goal but straight into Bent’s continuing stride and he is able to slot it home inches away from a sliding Alex Song. There was effort in trying to stop the goal but in vain.
Second half – talk about a blitz! That was not the best 20 minutes of football we have played this season, but it was definitely the most exciting, atmospheric and destructive 20 minutes we have played this season. The crowd were pumped up and maybe the atmosphere inside the stadium contributed to a referee finally giving us a penalty...no make that two! A driving run from Ramsey and another from Koscielny gave Robin two chances to send the keeper the wrong way. Sandwiched in-between was Theo’s lucky goal. We’re due a lot of fortune having been consistently denied penalties and on the end of ridiculous goals this season (see Liverpool at the beginning of the season). The final 25 minutes were pretty uneventful save for a double substitution that made everyone smile –on came Thierry and Bacary!
A word on Theo though about his goal – try to be cute with a near post finish from such a tight angle like that again and it won’t result in a goal – next time he needs to look up and spot the two/three players free in the box with their arms up waiting for a pass!
All in all, the team have to be applauded for digging themselves out of what was a really big black hole at half-time. Arsene also deserves some credit because that second half fight back shows that while he may have lost support from a growing section of the fan base, the players themselves fought for him and showed that they still want to play for him and our club. It’s important that we’re still in the FA Cup – not only does it represent a genuine chance of winning something as we keep on hearing that we haven’t done so for seven years but more importantly, winning football matches, in any competition, helps breed confidence which in turn makes winning more probable. We have no form and we are low on confidence right now but hopefully this result will help the players realise what they are capable of when they put their minds to it because the fight for fourth place is going to be the toughest challenge of their careers...Arsene included.
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