Standard Liege 2-3 Arsenal: Positives and Negatives

With Arsenal two goals down after four minutes I don’t mind admitting that I feared it was all over last night in Belgium. Quite how we managed to win this game is a bit of a mystery to me.

The first goal came after just two minutes when Eduardo tried to backheel the ball to Cesc on the edge of the Arsenal box with Arsenal defending a corner, which was picked up and smashed home as Mangala brushed off Cesc’s attempted challenge. Mannone didn’t really have a chance.

Three minutes later Eboue, for some reason starting ahead of Sagna (“rested” according to Arsenal.com), gave the ball away on the half way line, Liege went on the attack and Gallas clipped the forward’s foot, who probably made the most of it as all forwards do, and a penalty was given. Jovanovic put it away. Again Mannone had no chance. Poor lad had conceded two in five minutes without really doing anything wrong.

What followed in the first half was among the worst Arsenal performances I have ever witnessed under Wenger. Every pass seemed to be too long or short or high. I don’t really remember them having any more chances to score but neither do I remember us having any.

Then Diaby, having one of his “quiet” games shall we call it, on the stroke of half time picked the ball up on the half way line turned his marker and sprinted away from him before feeding Bendtner a lovely pass which he put through the keeper’s legs to pull one back for Arsenal. Worst possible time for them to concede, and best possible time for us.

Surely Arsenal would come out all guns blazing to find an equaliser? Wrong. Song gave the ball away straight from the kick off and they almost scored in the first minute of the second half. After that we played reasonably well, with Tomas Rosicky especially looking good, but it wasn’t until the 77th minute that we managed to draw level. Fabregas swung in a free-kick, one of few decent set pieces we managed last night, which was curling towards the back post. I’m still not sure if Eduardo got a touch but if he did you can add offside to the handball that Song then committed before Vermaelen put it away to level things up. There was definitely a huge slice of luck with this goal but I think we have been due a bit.

Despite Arsenal still not really having played that well, Liege looked there for the taking and Eduardo could have scored after a neat move and in the 81st minute Eduardo (who else after all the diving fuss?) got our third. He turned a Cesc corner in with his knee and while it’s not the greatest goal he will ever score he showed his goalscoring instinct to just get anything on the ball and turn it goalwards. Having started the week banned for this game he ends it having scored the winner. Football has a way of throwing up funny situations like this.

While it is nice to win having not played well, the start to this game shocked me. Too many players are playing poorly at the moment. The only bright spots were Rosicky, a surprise starter, who passed it neatly until he was taken off and Bendtner who worked hard and took his goal well. While injuries are a factor with six probable first team players missing through injury, the players who took their place aren’t exactly new to the first team. Also, established first team players are playing well below their best. Things will have to improve as others teams will not be so generous if we let them take a two goal lead.

What worried me most of all was the lack of leadership once again. We know Wenger trusts his players and treats them like adults and that was fine when the team was made up of Adams and Vieira and experienced top-class internationals. Now we have a young, and more importantly very casual, cavalier team and they need to be told not to try backheels on the edge of your own box when defending a corner. They need to be told not to lose the ball when you have just one man behind you, as Eboue did. Are mistakes learnt from? Are questions asked in the changing room after the game and at training the next day?

This is what I will talk about tomorrow, leadership at Arsenal.