Arsenal vs West Ham United: Match Thread.

Thought Vermaelen did well at LB tonight. He's not looked comfortable there in the past and having only had a handful of games this season he came in a did a good job there tonight. He doesn't offer the same going forward as Gibbs or even Monreal, but a solid performance and deserves credit.

 

That's the rumour doing the rounds on Twitter

 

Given space and time he will cause havoc. West Ham were defensively poor tonight and we exploited that. Teams like Chelsea and Everton have shut down all the space so there's nothing for our forward players to operate in, meaning when we play them we have to keep passing the ball around and backwards.

 

Wenger has now said it's a possibility, so most likely will.

Having Ozil, Ramsey, and Flamini all back is huge major boost for us.

 

The best news tonight is Diaby will be back in training on Thursday

 

We have badly missed these players. It's a shame Walcott won't feature again this season, because he was on fire before he got injured. I know some people like to bang their drum when we lose and tell everybody how **** we are, but the truth is that when we have all of our players available, we are one of the best teams in the league.

 

Maybe he's been on the forum since the wigan game

 

Unfortunately missed the game today but I've just watched the highlights. What a way to add his 20th goal of the season for giroud. And some lethal finishing from the pod. Good to see Ramsey looking sharp as well.

With ozil and flamini also back in the side for the weekend I'm feeling confident we can end the season well.

 

It was a great goal from Oliver 'Dennis' Giroud, one of the best goals this season in terms of skill and execution. Having Ozil, Flamini and Ramsey back will hopefully give him some more opportunities to boost his tally in the last few games. He's on 20 now, if he can get 25 then all the evidence says that he would have had a good season.

 

I believe that Giroud is a good player.

However, when compared with the strikers of our rivals I don't believe he stands up well. He has scored twenty goals this season but he seems to need more chances to get a goal than the top tier strikers do. The fact he has hit twenty this season is largely due to the number of chances we created as a team, particularly in the first half of the season.

It is my belief that if we had a 'one chance-one goal' kind of striker up front, like the one we foolishly sold to United, then we would kick on as a team and stand a much better chance in the crucial games against our rivals. As you know, the humiliations we have received this season have convinced me that the troubles we face as a team run deeper than personnel problems, but if Wenger continues to be our manager then we need a better striker if we are to remain competitive at the top of the table.

 

RVP would never have been playing for us this season, if we hadn't have sold him he would have left on a free.

 

A few thoughts on the match:

It was roughly 36mins before Vermaelen ventured forward on the left. He is not a LB, but he grew into the game and was much more effective. He doesn't bust a gut to track back though when he does get forward. Solid performance from him overall.
Pod did not look happy when he scored - no celebration and just looked towards the bench. Worried about that.
The lack of pace on the counter is troubling.
The lack of movement and runs from the forward line - also worrying.
Fantastic finish by Giroud - one of the best goals this season from Arsenal.
Great to see Ramsey back. He looked good when he came on and could be vital in the final few games.

I'd like to see Pod cutting inside more often and taking up those positions in the box. His finishing is great, but his movement often isn't.

Overall, a pretty dire opening, once again taking their time to get into the game but eventually coming out on top thanks to some smart finishing. With players coming back, feeling more confident about top 4 now. That result was vital.

 

Podolski looked as happy as a pig in **** at the end of the game

 

Missed the match unfortunately, can anyone tell me whether we lined up 4-2-3-1 with Pod on the left, or a different formation?

 

Pod played predominantly on the left. Started with Arteta & Cazorla in the middle with Kallstrom further forward and Rosicky on the right. Rosicky & Cazorla interchanged a bit, and Kallstrom wasn't always the most advanced.

 

Agreed,

I actually think he could be a very solid left back - If he was used there regularly. Kinda similar in style to Ivanovic at Chelsea.

Vermalen is a very good player. I hope we keep him.

 

Thanks mate.

 

Probably, but RVP with Cazorla behind him, considering the season he had with United, may have brought us a trophy which may have in turn convinced Robin to stay, especially after we spent 40 million in the summer.

 

What? I thought it was Kallstrom and Arteta in the middle. Rosicky and Caz swapped between RWF/AM. But all interchangeable to one extent or the other. I think you are thinking Kallstrom was AM because he took kick offs but as you will see Rosicky and Cazorla were also on the half way line.

Who in there right mind would play Caz at CM.

 

Sadly we'll never know what may have happened but if you look at this season then Giroud has scored more than RVP.It would appear the permanently crocked RVP has returned