Complacent Arsenal Deserve Defeat.

It was Arsene Wenger’s twelfth anniversary in charge of the club, Hull City were the opponents. The fans were expectant of a cricket score. Yet as we’ve seen in a number of games in the past four years, the players have believed in their own hype and become complacent. They did not respect Hull City in this game. They played at a snail’s pace in terms of tempo, didn’t fight for any ball, and were beaten by the better team. The second half, bar our goal, was shambolic.

Arsenal created many openings, squandered by wayward finishing and an obsession to score a ‘perfect passing goal’. Theo Walcott showed the flaws in his game when given time and space in front of goal. The young winger had three great chances but his indecision in each situation cost the Gunners. When only given one option, he has shown the direct attitude, which has suddenly made him a worldwide star. The assisting dribble and pass for our scrappy goal was one of the few instances in which our most dangerous player was able to exert his influence. On a number of other occasions, he flashed in decent crosses, which our non-existent strike-force didn’t bother to attack. Unfortunately for Walcott, who was our most threatening attacker, he was sacrificed for Vela instead of Adebayor or van Persie, both of whom had forgotten their already fragile ability to score. This is another example of the influence of seniority which affects Wenger’s substitutions.

The decision for Wenger was to keep the young, in-form strike partnership of Bendtner and Vela or to reinstate the senior members of the squad. The boss opted for the latter, who despite being on form in their past few games, hadn’t played for a week. Our Danish striker was the in-form man, while his link-up play with Vela is far more effective than that between our first choice strikers, who seem to play as lone forwards together (if that makes sense...). Adebayor took 34 minutes to bag his first offside, but had little effective play in the box or any decent shots. Playing in Eboue with a fine pass, who unsurprisingly elected to pass to Van Persie, despite having a great opportunity to open the scoring, was his one moment of the game. Yes, he pulled out wide, and collected the ball, but it was predominantly to pass back to Clichy. When did he take on his defender and win? Michael Turner, possibly the defensive find of the season, had him covered for the whole game with the aid of a little luck.

As for the defensive play, this was the third time this season where Gallas’ terrible marking has cost us a set-piece goal (the other occasions being Bolton and Fulham). It seems he has regressed in his defensive capabilities and is infatuated at playing a Beckenbauer role, in setting up attacks from deep, and often finishing. Yes, he has scored three goals, which have led to some key results in the Champions League, but his main occupation is to defend. And it seems that he is slow to pick up his marker, complacent on the ball and poor when attacking an aerial ball. While he may not be one of the most vocal leaders, he has to lead by example in his play. There is no doubt that some smug pundit will mention the incidents at St. Andrews last season, but it isn’t a matter of his speech-making capabilities this time, but simple defending. And it appears he can’t do that either.

Unfortunately, much of our attacking thrust was blocked with both Clichy and Sagna unable to bombard their respective flanks with menacing, direct runs. What was noticeable was how both checked their stride when passed the ball, breaking up any momentum. Toure was possibly the only defender who came out with any credit. The passes they were fed, mainly by Denilson, were imprecise and unclean, losing vital seconds for any attack against a very well-drilled Hull side. Denilson had the largest amount of possession for an Arsenal player, at least according to the eye, and retained the ball well, but lacked any cutting edge or drive. He works very well as a midfield runner in a 4-5-1, supporting the attack, as shown at Bolton, but lacks the physical strength to impose his defensive abilities. In terms of statistics, he seems most efficient of our midfielders but considering each pass, very few were attack-minded.

I still feel Alexandre Song is the best partner for Fabregas, with the Cameroonian having tactical, physical and technical abilities to prove a successful foil for our Spaniard. Denilson restricts Fabregas’ game, forcing him to play as the defensive player on many occasions. This tactical inexperience and lack of decent positioning is affecting our attacking game. On some occasions, when the whole team presses together, Denilson looks very effective, winning the first ball, with another red shirt sweeping up. In a performance, where most of his team-mates looked disinterested, his game was weakened. Song is much better against counter-attacking players (Hull did this several times in the second half), and uses his body better to shield and tackle. It is only a matter of time before Song will slot into the starting eleven.

Hull were brilliant, with the hold up play of Marlon King key to their attacking play. Their organisation was far from normal of a promoted side, with Phil Brown instilling a mentality that will see them stay up with ease. They were set up well to counter-attack with the pace of Daniel Cousin, the battling qualities of Ashbee and Boateng had commitment which our players couldn’t match, and having targeted our set-piece weakness, it was a masterclass in how to take a result at the Emirates by actually playing football. The crowning moment was Geovanni’s rocket from outside the box. It’s a shame that no-one could pick him up from midfield, and how we stopped playing having got the breakthrough. Real Madrid just showed how to win these kinds of games, with second round of Champions League games coming through. They won 1-2 away against a dangerous Betis, with each player showing a fine work ethic, something we lacked and has to be highlighted.

What was ominous about this game was how Fabregas spoke of the Champions League in the build up to the Hull game, a telling sign that the players were saving themselves for the supposedly bigger game. After a week, where the club was in the headlines consistently, with first the side taking the three points for the third game running at the Reebok, and then the youngest ever side thrashing Championship side Sheffield United, the players bought into their own hype, as has happened many times over the past few years. Would the youth players, who are fighting for a career at the club, have made a better impact?

We are best when there is no media attention or on the end of a defeat and heavy criticism. There will be a reaction on Tuesday and Porto will prove a huge test. Fabregas talked of its importance, now they have to deliver.

(Image courtesy of BBC Sport)