Well, that was the definition of a 0-0. Marseille gave Arsenal a fright in the opening 20 minutes, splitting the new partnership of Mertesacker and Vermaelen apart numerous times, but Arsenal settled into their rhythm quite efficiently. A lack of sharpness in the final third was our downfall, perhaps brought on from fatigue after the heroics at Stamford Bridge, and the game fizzled out rather quickly in the second half.
Return of the Verminator
In what was certainly a tale of two defences playing well, it was pleasant to see the return of our vice-captain. He looked his usual assured and competitive self, making some great tackles on the edge of the box and bombing forward on a few occasions. Wenger decided to rest Koscielny despite his excellent season thus far, partnering Vermaelen with our tall German. His knack for intercepting was put to good use a few times and it’s clear he’s a good reader of the game. I just wish he would be more aggressive in the air, a 6 foot 6 centre back should be expected to attack most aerial balls. Van Persie whipped in an excellent cross in the dying minutes of the game and he looked like he didn’t want to get to it. Hopefully this is something he will develop playing more in the Premiership.
Andre Santos was his usual terrifying self, electric going forward but I don’t think he even considers defending as his duty. As Lee Dixon pointed out he needs to learn when to get forward and when to not leave himself exposed to a counter attack. On that note, Song had an excellent game, breaking up counter attacks and bossing the midfield. It was encouraging to see him tell Arteta and Ramsey who to go to and hopefully he can keep this form going. On the other flank, Jenkinson really impressed me. He seems to have gotten over the nightmare at Old Trafford and is growing with each game, his crossing ability is nothing short of fantastic at times. I do have to take the time to applaud Szcezsny for his Cruyff turns in the box as a Marseille player beared down upon him, I hope he doesn’t desire to give Arsenal fans a heart attack again very soon though.
Welsh Maestro
Aaron Ramsey carried on from his fantastic display against Chelsea with another fine performance, pulling the strings from midfield again. Despite dallying over a shot midway through the first half and obviously exhausted from the weekend, the Welshman’s passing was, again, top notch. He’s really finding form again after a lacklustre start to the season and it’s encouraging to see. Gervinho’s runs are the perfect foil for Ramsey’s through balls, and only for the Ivorian and his erratic control he could have been through on goal a couple of times. Arteta was his usual solid self, battling when required and keeping attacks flowing. Down the right wing, Walcott drove forward on a number of occasions but again, lack of sharpness in the final third let him down, although he did have Arsenal’s best chance, a low shot well saved by Mandanda.
Striker Dilemma
Wenger opted to rest Van Persie, who inconceivably missed out on the Ballon D’Or shortlist this week, and opted to give Park his Champions League debut. After an encouraging match last week against Bolton, the little Korean was unable to have much of an effect on the game. He was unable to link up with Gervinho and Walcott for the majority of the game and on the one occasion he did, his control let him down. Though he can’t be faulted for effort, a pass completion rate of 67% doesn’t reflect too well on his performance. Captain Vantastic came on to applause from around the stadium with fans hoping for a bit of magic to brighten the quite boring affair but even he was unable to break the deadlock. His only noteworthy attempt was an audacious chip which was comfortably saved by Mandanda and it is worrying the players will develop the same attitude they had with Cesc; waiting for our star player to come on and save the day. The other substitutes were Rosicky and Arshavin who, expectedly, did little to change much in the game, although Rosicky seems a good sub to have this season with his dogged attitude and the fast tempo he brings to a game.
Closer to Qualification
Taking four points from Marseille is a decent return in my opinion. We’re a step closer to qualification although Dortmund are a tricky side and Olympiacos are an entirely different kettle of fish at home as I’m sure we’ll find out. A home victory against Dortmund in the next round of fixtures will ensure qualification to the knockout stages so we’ll just have to take the final two one game at a time. The team turns its attention to West Brom at the weekend and let’s hope we’ve learnt from last season to treat the smaller games with the same intensity and desire as we do the big ones.
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