Resident Blogger : ChidiAndy
The scoreline doesn’t do justice to the actual events on the pitch. It could have been five, or six…maybe even seven goals for us. Ruddy made some decent saves in the second half and even Norwich had a decent spell that earned them their only goal but credit has to go to the team for producing a great performance when it mattered.
Wenger started with the same back four from our last game. Szczesny was in goal, Gibbs, KosTheBoss, BFG and Sagna completed the backline. Flamini and Arteta formed the next barrier in front of our goal while Santi Cazorla, Ozil and Wilshere formed the attacking part of the midfield. Giroud was the spear head of the attack. The first 10 mins was a replica of the Napoli game. Full of drive, grit and speed from the lads. Wilshere got the first goal from a very beautiful team play hyper-passing activity which he started and ended with style. The game calmed down a little but that didn’t stop Ozil from getting the 2nd goal after the break. A well placed header that beat the keeper.
Suddenly, it looked as if we just put on the handbrake. We seemed sluggish to clear our lines and Norwich took this as a sign. They were rewarded with a goal and for the faint hearted; it seemed as if the collapse would start….
But no…Talent has a way of showing itself. Wenger had taken off Cazorla and Flamini prior to their goal and replaced them with Rambo and Rosicky. We have come to the point in our Arsenal supporting career when we silently pray, “Please Lord, protect thy hamstrings, ankles and knees of our dearly beloved Rambo”. What a season he is having!
The 3rd goal was the very definition of composure. Rambo beating 3 defenders before slotting the ball past the keeper. TGSTEL came on for Giroud and then, the 4th goal came from a Rosicky cross which Rambo got on but he unselfishly placed it back for Ozil to get his 2nd of the afternoon.
3 points in the bag. Next up is Dortmond at the Emirates. Jurgen Klopp’s side beat Hannover 1-0 from an early Reus penalty and they are currently 2nd on the Bundesliga table only a point behind Bayern Munich. Mkhitaryan was their main threat and he was behind most of their creative play in the middle of the pitch. Dortmond will obviously want to play us on the counter-attack and he is the key to that. Of course Reus, Lewandowski, Sahin and Grosskreutz and obvious threats but they can be contained if we keep our composure and take our chances when they come.
We still have some minor cracks in the team. Flamini’s departure after his collision showed just how important he has become and we just lost our composure for a while. Cazorla picked the right time for his return. Dortmond will be another deep test but from what we have seen, I feel the lads have what it takes to get the maximum points from the Germans.
Men of the Match : Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey
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