Arsenal were made to wait last night but their patience and persistence finally paid off and they got the breakthrough they deserved to claim their second victory in the Champions League group stage this season.
There are two ways to look at last night's game. You could say we played very well, created loads of chances and were unlucky to not score earlier. Or you could say we were wasteful against a dreadful, negative Olympiacos who came with pretty much no intention of attacking. I am leaning towards the first option even though the second point must not be totally dismissed.
Arsene again surprised with the team selection. Rosicky started his second game of the season ahead of Eduardo but more surprising Eboue started at right back in place of Sagna. I don't know if Sagna is carrying an injury or if there is another reason why Eboue has started both Champions League group games but it's a strange one.
Anyway, Arsenal started the first half brightly and it looked like a matter of time before the goal came. Fabregas rocked the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the box, Rosicky forced a save with the rebound, Arshavin showed quick feet and nearly fooled the goalkeeper at the near post but Olympiacos made it to half time with the score at 0-0.
In the second half, as is often the case in games as one way as this, the team under pressure nearly scored. Olympiacos swung a corner in from the left, Mellberg (remember him) got on the end of it and Mannone carried on where he left off on Saturday with a fantastic save. The ball seemed to be past him but he clawed it back. It would have been a massive injustice.
Eduardo came on for the bright Rosicky, Vela replaced the disappointing Diaby and finally the goal came. Fabregas slipped in Eduardo who cut it back for RvP to notch his second goal in two games. Ramsey came on for RvP to try and tighten things up and a minute later he fed the ball wide to Fabregas who slid it across to the clearly offside Arshavin who produced a lovely back heel to make it 2-0. It was obvious it was offside even for those inside the stadium. The stadium TV failed to show the replay from a side view as that would clearly show he was offside, to avoid upsetting the Greek players and fans. But that is the luck you need sometimes and no less than Arsenal deserved after dominating all night.
It's strange, we used to face teams playing in this way every week when we were at the top of our game a few years ago but it has been a while since i've seen such a negative performance. At one stage they had all 11 men in our half and were pretty much just returning the ball to us whenever they got it. Still, you can only beat what is in front of you and that is what Arsenal did. The (fans and players) remained patient, the team kept playing their game, didn't panic or get frustrated and got their reward in the end. It was satisfying in the end but would have been a very frustrating night had it stayed 0-0.
Fabregas looked bright, Rosicky was full of nice touches and RvP will be pleased to score again. Let's hope he can keep the goals coming. Song was excellent in getting the ball and moving it quickly which is what you want most from a player in that position in a game like this. Get it to the attacking players quickly.
Arshavin seemed to grow as the game went on but I can't shake the feeling that he isn't comfortable in his position. Perhaps he just needs a run of games. Mannone produced a very good save as mentioned above, but he and the rest of the defence had one of the easiest games they are likely to have this season.
Diaby was a little disappointing again. He would follow up one nice piece of skill with a misplaced pass, a nice run followed by a slip. He gives you the impression that he has the potential to be a good player but just never delivers. The expression flatters to deceive comes to mind.
Still the important thing is we won, we are three points clear in our group and one step closer to qualifying. And that is all that is important at this stage.
Tomorrow I will go through Arsenal's financial results that were announced earlier this week.
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