Before the game, a large section of Arsenal fans thought that this would be a fairly routine victory - somewhat understandably because a) you had lost Mane, Wanyama, Pelle and Koeman - four important figures at the club, and b) there was a new manager who was trying to figure out his best team and formation to play. Some of us, however, were a little more apprehensive and this isn't just because of the Saints' recent successes against us; but because of the manner in how you attained these points. The way Southampton set-up have caused us problems in all parts of the pitch and yesterday, it appeared to be no different. In the first half, Southampton were clearly the better side in the first 20 minutes. We were given numerous warning signs when Tadic was given the freedom to work his magic and make space for himself without being picked up or marked early on. Arsenal couldn't get their free-flowing, fluent passing game going and it ended up being recycled between midfield and out wide, without actually looking to make any forays forward. Part of this was due to Southampton's defensive organisation being very good, with pretty much the entire team helping out defensively. Chamberlain and Walcott were being doubled-up on which forced them back, whilst Romeu and Clasie were making vital interceptions and shutting down the space anytime we looked to get into your penalty box through the middle. But I also think this was partly because we had a few new additions who hadn't played in the team and there was a breakdown in communication as some players were obviously not on the same wavelength as others. Southampton always looked dangerous going forward and it was no surprise when their doggedness led to one of our players losing possession in our half and when Redmond looked like he was shaping to shoot, he was brought down by Monreal. Tadic's expertly taken free-kick was unlucky to hit the bar, but the ricochet from Cech led to the ball bouncing bizarrely into the net. It was no more than Southampton deserved. We then huffed and puffed, and eventually looked slightly more threatening going forward when making use of our width. It was due to our wider players pushing high up the pitch that this led to the goal. An acrobatic over-head kick from our best centre-half, on his 31st birthday, brought us level - jubilation and relief filled the air because the entire stadium knew we were fortunate to be level. In typical Arsenal fashion, the second half started as you'd expect - Arsenal trying to dominate the ball, push higher up the pitch and gain the lead. The Saints were looking quite shaky, as we looked to up the intensity and were pressing more from the front this time. They managed to withhold it quite well, though, especially as Ozil was not at the races. He kept miscontrolling the ball, having loose touches and his usual eye-of-a-needle pass that normally comes off was being easily read. When Sanchez, Giroud and Iwobi came on, there was more directness to our play, but we didn't really muster up any massive opportunities that genuinely troubled Forster. If anything, Southampton looked more likely to regain the lead when they hit us on the counter, with Shane Long, a habitual thorn in our side, missing some guilt-edged chances. The game was petering out and we were all resigned to yet another frustrating afternoon against Southampton who seem to have our number whenever we play - then two major incidents occur. 1) Monreal trods on Long's heel right in front of the linesman. Foul should have been given. How he didn't see this is beyond me, but we played on and we got a corner. 2) From the resulting corner being cleared, Cazorla got the ball, ran into the box and fizzed it across goal. Not sure what happened to Koscielny, but he was holding his head and Madley allowed play to go again when, by the letter of the law, should have stopped play. Some people were suggesting that he didn't see Koscielny holding his head/face, but other fans at the game were saying that he looked directly at it and allowed us to carry on. Either way, it doesn't reflect well on him because he didn't do the basics. A tangle between Fonte and Giroud ensued, where both seemed to be grabbing each other, and Madley pointed to the spot. Southampton players were protesting furiously, but it didn't matter. The decision had been given and Cazorla scored the resulting spot-kick. Arsenal fans went into delirium; Southampton fans disgusted with the incompetence on display. Southampton definitely didn't deserve to lose that and we definitely got out of jail. All I can say is that with the way Southampton played yesterday, they will be fine this season if they continue in similar fashion. You more than matched us and were on the end of some bad decisions in the end. I hope this was an honest enough assessment of the game.
Thank you, that's almost spot on, except you missed one critical thing... We also lost Mane over the summer!
Can I ask how majorly pissed you would of been had we broken away and scored with him still laid on his back holding his face? Wenger would still be moaning about it Christmas i expect.
Most likely he would've been, yes. But football managers, and fans, do have a tendency to be hypocritical - it's part and parcel of the game. The situation worked in our advantage, so of course he was going to overlook it.
All true and if you get luck like that you gladly take it of course. We will move on but it was shocking 2 minutes of refereeing, pure incompetence.
It's horrible. Playing against the best teams in the league is hard enough, without the officials gifting them the points. Oh well.
Given that what I written on the match thread came from, quite obviously, a Saints perspective, to make some comments about Arsenal: - Cazorla's quick feet really are quite something to behold - I didn't understand why Chambo was hooked before Theo. Chambo was a much greater threat, in my view (albeit maybe because Cedric is weaker than Bertrand) - Arsenal looked pretty vulnerable on the counter (but sadly we weren't able to take full advantage of that, particularly without Mane), but actually when we tried to create something off our own backs as it were, Arsenal were pretty darn solid (albeit maybe because of our significant lack of creativity)
Thanks for the kind words. Didn't see the match so can't comment. We will be ok but will be a harder season than the last 2.
Appreciate the post, certainly a lot nicer to talk about the game to a rational and real fan of the game rather than someone from some far corner of the world on Twitter who decides to rub it in just because they've never heard of Southampton.
It is nice to see a fan from another club come on here and not be condescending and wind fans up. A very accurate summery of the game perhaps along with a fair judgement of decisions made or not made along with a true fans sentiment. Makes a welcome change...........
That seems to be a fair enough view of the game - although it is easier to be generous to your oppo's in football when you've just beaten them, as Saints fans we're used to that over the last 30 years or so. It'd be nice to have a few fans come on here spitting feathers because they just can't beat Saints. Last season was a blip with Saints and I think that has coloured a the few of Arsenal fans who were apprehensive. the majority would seem to have history on their side. Since both club's were formed Saints have managed only three wins away at Arsenal, THREE, [including the League Cup win last season which the media seemingly think doesn't count as a real football result]. Knowing this record if I was an Arsenal fan I'd be fairly confident going into a home game against Saints expecting maximum points. Saints record against the Gunners is by and far the worst record away from home against any Premier League club.
A few points to make here. Firstly, I very rarely, if ever, 'spit feathers' about the opposition if they win or draw unexpectedly against us. If anything, I end up losing the plot when criticising my own team for not being able to break a team down or get a win that is required. The only time I would get annoyed with the opposition is if they con the referee or cheat to win a game. So if you had drawn or beaten us yesterday, rest assured that the tone of this article would be no different. I was happy that we won, but thoroughly underwhelmed with the manner of how we got the points and our general play in the final third. Second, although you say last season was 'a blip', there is no denying that we have struggled against you in the more recent games. When we beat you 2-0 three seasons back, it was due to two errors by Boruc that made the difference in a game that had relatively few chances. When we beat you 1-0 in the dying moments of the game two seasons ago, you were playing with 10 men because your centre-half was injured and you'd made all your subs. Whether it's home or away, we have struggled to get the better of you and when we have, fine margins have been the difference. To be honest, it's all irrelevant anyway. As you say - your record away to us isn't great, but ultimately, the past has no bearing on how you will do in the future. Circumstances change an awful lot from season to season. And generally speaking, your squad has got stronger since your first season back in the Premier League. So it's not unreasonable to think that we would struggle against you (which we did).
Cheers, BG. You sound as if you see things very much like the majority of us here on the forum. It's SO frustrating when the officials ruin it (ask Mark Hughes) and we definitely deserved a point. But it's done and dusted and we have to move on - we need a win to get some optimism into those plastic fans who are already calling for the manager's head and we need to start hitting the back of the net. Hopefully, we can do something on Thursday and then again on Sunday. Thanks for your objective and fair summary - appreciated!
We couldn't even cheat properly, VVD complaining that your Penalty Spot was too well made, so that he couldn't rough it up to make it difficult for the spot kick taker! Never thought we would stoop to dirty tricks like that!
We certainly didn't resort to gamesmanship against Watford. I mentioned it after the game, and having watched the highlights yesterday, there was the perfect opportunity, in added time, for Long to run into an outstretched leg, after a defender had dived in, but he elected to step over it and put in a poor cross. Could easily have "earned" a penalty, we would be two points better off, and a lot of fans would be less stressed.
