The Soccer Blog: Arsenal 3 - Wigan 0: van Persie Master Class Sinks Sorry Latics (UPDATED with Player Ratings)

Saturday, 22 January 2011

Arsenal 3 - Wigan 0: van Persie Master Class Sinks Sorry Latics (UPDATED with Player Ratings)

Arsenal 3 – Wigan 0: van Persie Master Class Sinks Sorry Latics (UPDATED with Player Ratings) - The Offside - Arsenal blog

« Arsenal – Wigan Match Thread | Home | Arsenal 3 – Wigan 0: van Persie Master Class Sinks Sorry Latics (UPDATED with Player Ratings)By: Martin | January 22nd, 2011
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Three points, clean sheet, hat-trick, comfortable wins. As Maria von Trapp would say, “these are a few of my favorite things.”

That was as dominant a performance as I can remember from Arsenal this season (I know we didn’t hit the margin of victory we did against Shakhtar, Braga, or Blackpool) — we were just completely in control and comfortable from the 1st minute to the 90th, and never looked like we were taking anything less than 3 points. And although Wigan were really dreadful today, this is a team that had lost only 1 of its last 5 and which has taken points off us this season and last.

And once again, we got a very good, cohesive performance from the Theo van Nasregas four-headed monster. van Persie, in particular, is rounding into his best form, and reminded us all of what a spectacular player he is — his touch and movement off the ball are just so, so good and add so much danger to the attack. Wigan had no answer for him today.

The first half was all Arsenal, and it looked for a bit like Sairax’s . . . erm . . . bold projection of an 11-0 win might actually not be too far off.

I normally go through all the key events and chances. But honestly, if I did that for the first-half for us, it would take up 2000 words. We were good. Really good. And Wigan were poor. Really poor. We could have very easily been up 3 or 4 going into the break.

van Persie had a shot unmarked from the edge of the six-yard box, but his hard shot was right at the keeper and Al Habsi managed to get an arm to it and save. Cesc had a shot from a similar place that was blocked by a defender. Nasri was put through but his shot was tame and right at the keeper. There were several others that I’m forgetting as well. Al Habsi was nothing short of spectacular, making 7 saves, at least 3 or 4 of them pretty difficult. We also had a couple of guys basically put through on goal who were erroneously flagged for offside.

In terms of chances conceded, there really weren’t any. Wigan didn’t get a single shot on goal. As Sairax funnily and accurately pointed out on Twitter, we saw more of David Beckham (who was sitting in the crowd with his son, wearing a red-and-white scarf, and the cameraman (Sven?) kept showing for no apparent reason) than we did of Szczesny, who could have sat down and read for 45 minutes for all he was called upon to do.

Oh, and the goal. We did eventually break through, and it was really a superb team goal. If you asked how Arsenal play when everything is clicking, the answer would be “watch this goal.” The team maintained possession very deep in opposition territory, calmly passing and probing in and around Wigan’s goal. Eventually, the ball came to Alex Song, who you know we’ve been calling Songinho this season for his constant forays deep into opposition territory. Songiesta might have been more accurate, because it was a perceptive and incisive through ball, who timed his run to perfection to defeat Wigan’s offside trap (which was pretty shambolic — they really seemed to struggle with the concept of “a straight line”) and then unleashed a superb shot from a tight angle. 1-0 Arsenal, and it was the least we deserved. That’s how we would go into half-time.

First-Half Stats

Possession: Arsenal 61% – Wigan 39%
Shots (on Target): Arsenal 13(8) – Wigan 0(0)
Corner Kicks: Arsenal 6 – Wigan 1

Second half pretty much picked up where it left off, with Arsenal on the front foot again. We were pressing and pressing, but still not getting that all-important 2nd goal.

We did get in the 58th minute, and it was an amazing goal combining the best talents of two world-class players. Cesc had a pass from deep that was inch-perfect for an onrunning Robin van Persie, who got to it just outside the six-yard box. He was well-marked so we couldn’t take a touch, but fortunately for us, he didn’t need one, striking it hard and true the first time past Al Habsi, who had no shot. It was 2-0 Arsenal.

And we just could not find the 3rd goal for what seemed like a long time. Cesc won a stonewall penalty (and a clear scoring opportunity red-card for Gary Caldwell) when he was tripped in the box, and Robin van Persie stepped up to put away his hat trick. The only problem was that he skied it way over the bar and into orbit, where it will take evidence of our football-based civilization to far-off planets in distant galaxies.

He’s normally an excellent penalty-taker, and one of the reasons why is he generally doesn’t try to get too clever — he knows he can kick the ball at an ungodly velocity with his left foot, and he can put those shots very accurately just inside either post. If you kick the ball really hard within the 2 yards or so inside either post, you’re going to score on 95% of your penalties. But for whatever reason, this time he decided . . . well, it was so bad it wasn’t clear what he was trying to do. But he shouldn’t have. Hopefully that will teach him in a lesson in a situation which didn’t really prove costly, he’s still first-choice penalty-taker for me. And he almost got another one after that, after his superb shot glanced off the outside of the post. Song also went close.

And then, in the 85th minute, van Persie finally got the hat-trick he so richly deserved on his last touch of the ball. Chamakh was already waiting on the touchline to come on for him, when Fabregas picked out Walcott’s forward run and put a very nice ball into the box. And Theo did something pretty great — he was very tightly marked and didn’t really have a great chance to score. But noticing Robin running in behind him, Theo simply used his body to shield his man off the ball so Robin could run onto it. He did so, and unleashed a shot so hard that it didn’t really matter that it was right at Al Habsi, and it caromed off the keeper into the net. A hat trick, and it was very much deserved. 3-0, Arsenal.

And that’s how it would stay. We kept a stranglehold on the match through to the finish, and Wigan never really threatened. 3-0 Arsenal, and you would have to say that if anything, the scoreline flattered Wigan quite a bit. It was as one-sided a match as you will ever see at this level, and we rightly came away with 3 points.

Full-Time Stats

Possession: Arsenal 63% – Wigan 37%
Shots (on Target): Arsenal 24(10) – Wigan 3(0)
Corner Kicks: Arsenal 8 – Wigan 1

We also kept a clean sheet, which was great news. Although to be fair, we would have kept a clean sheet with Sairax & I playing center back, with any one of you commenters in goal. Wigan just looked so sad and punchless they could have played all week and never put the ball into the net. Watching that game, I couldn’t help but wander, “how the frak did we draw with this team less than a month ago?”

But the important thing today was getting the win. We kept pace with Manchester United, who also issued a statement of intent by taking Birmingham City behind the woodshed to the tune of 5-0. We are now tied with them for the best-scoring team in the Premiership with 48 apiece (although they have a match in hand). This takes us ahead of Manchester City, who play in the late match today. In another bit of good news, Spurs dropped 2 points with a draw against Newcastle at St. James Park, and we’re now 8 points clear of them.

Wenger’s subs were once again peculiar. Arshavin came on for Nasri in the 75th minute. Chamakh came on for van Persie, and Denilson came on for Cesc in the 86th minute. Reading the tea leaves ahead of Tuesday, I think this tips Wenger’s hand that Cesc & van Persie will not start against Ipswich, which is disappointing for me because it’s a chance to get to a cup final at Wembley, and if you ask me, we need to keep our strong lineup out there — if we get that game under control and get up a couple of goals, then we can sub those guys off early, but I am worried that we’re not taking the Ipswich match seriously enough. We shall see. But based on this, I suspect he’ll trot out largely the same lineup as against Leeds mid-week, which, in fairness, worked out pretty well. And that was against Leeds, who are a better side than Ipswich, and it was away from home.

But that’s the next match on the calendar. We’ll be back with a full preview for that one on Monday. Until then, have great weekends.

On to the player ratings:

Wojo Ummm . . . . 6.5? He didn’t do anything wrong, but that’s because he wasn’t asked to do ANYTHING. Didn’t have to make a single save. Your guess is as good as mine.

Sagna 7 Completely untested by the Wigan “attack,” which left him free to concentrate on supporting the attack, which he did well.

Clichy 7 Same as Sagna. Had a couple of nice interceptions in midfield which stifled Wigan’s attempted counterattacks.

Koscielny 6.5 Usually, it’s something to brag about if you have “midfield” seats to a match. Bigwigs like to talk about it, and the like. What it means is that you’ve got seats in the stands perpendicular to midfield. But Koscielny actually had a seat IN MIDFIELD to watch Arsenal play today. And got paid more than most of us make in a year, to boot. Not a bad gig if you can get it.

Djourou 7 Didn’t have much to do, either, but dealt with a few aerial balls well and got forward when it was prudent to do so. Did pick up a slight knock, late, which could be a big worry for Arsenal, as an injury to him would leave us with only Koscielny fit among our first-team center halves ahead of a crucial run of matches. Let’s hope he’s okay.

Song 8.5 Not a guy who’s getting a lot of credit today, but I thought he was absolutely masterful. One of the reasons Wigan’s attack was so punchless and our backline and keeper had so little to do was that Wigan just couldn’t find a way through our midfield, and Song was a big reason why, as he was excellent at winning the ball back whenever Wigan got it. But he also showed off his attacking chops, as well — it was his perfectly weighted through ball that assisted on van Persie’s first goal, and another perfect through ball for Cesc’s penalty. For all the bitching Sairax and I did earlier in the season about how Song should stay back, he seems to be getting better and better at his new role with every game, and recently seems to have figured out how to pick the right spots to get forward without leaving us exposed at the back. World-class.

Wilshere 7 Very comfortable — broke up Wigan’s counterattacks and provided an outlet outside the box when the attack stalled deep in Wigan territory. When he plays like that, it really provides a solid platform for the rest of the team to attack.

Cesc 8.5 Another fantastic display from the rudder of the Arsenal. El Capitan assisted on van Persie’s second and third goals, and drew the penalty which should have led with one more. Both assists came on fantastic long balls over the top. There may not be a better player in the world at the moment at picking guys out with those passes.

Theo 8 Thought he was excellent. He got behind the Wigan defense seemingly at will, and played in fantastic crosses that both van Persie and Cesc could/should have capitalized on early. Their left-back kept screwing up their offside trap time and again, due in no small part I think to his realization that he needed every inch he could get if Theo tried to run past him. And showed some really fantastic football IQ on the final goal, when he held his man off the ball so van Persie could run onto it. Top-class performance.

Nasri 7 If he wasn’t up to his best today, he was hardly terrible, either, being involved in the build-up to several goals and goal attempts. Should have done better with his tame shot when put through on the goalkeeper. But after doing so much to carry the rest of the team so many times this season, it was nice to see the rest of the team return the favor today.

van Persie 9 Man of the Match, on the day when he got his first hat trick. Reminded us of why many of us thought he was the best player in the Premiership up until he got injured last season. His movement is so good, as he just seems to have this supernatural ability to find just enough space to get the ball in a dangerous position. And while he’ll never be confused with a big, bruising, physical target man, his strength is very underrated — he understands how to use his body and leverage so well to hold other players off the ball, and his ability to turn quickly with the ball in either direction forces defenders to be careful about getting too close to him when he has the ball with his back to the goal. Terrible penalty miss, though.

Arshavin 6.5 Didn’t really lead to anything, but he continues to work hard to get himself out of his slump. I’ve been impressed by how he’s responded to his bad run and response from the crowd — he’s doing exactly what he needs to do, which is to keep working hard and play himself back into form. He may be due for a big performance against Ipswich on Tuesday.

The Cameraman 3 We fucking get it, okay? David Beckham came to the match. With his son. But you know, most of us tuned in to actually watch the football match, not longing, extended crowd shots of David Beckham sitting in a chair. While the match is actually being played. And we certainly did not need to see shots of David Beckham’s chair after he left. All I could do was pine for the world’s greatest announcer, Ray Hudson, who understands how to handle crowd shots and mentions of irrelevant celebrities in a football broadcast:

We should clone Ray Hudson and have him announce every match, I hate that he doesn’t do Premiership games.

Foxsoccer.tv 0 To quickly explain the Premiership broadcast situation in the USA to my non-American readers, there is usually 1 game per week broadcast by ESPN, and the rest are generally broadcast by Fox Soccer Channel. However, when there is more than one game being played a time, usually in the main Saturday afternoon (UK time) time slot, they can only broadcast one match. The other matches generally showed on “Fox Soccer Plus” channels that are not available on most cable broadcasting systems. They are also, however, available as official, sanctioned streams on foxsoccer.tv, a website where you can, for a hefty fee, subscribe, and have access to all the other matches, plus all Fox Soccer (and some rugyby) matches stored as replays. I figured that instead of doing the whole illegal stream thing, which I had done for a while but which was kind of a pain in the ass, I would get something easier to use and give some support to the network trying to increase the football television media presence here in the USA, plus not be worried about any legal issues (since I am, after all, an attorney, etc.). And while it’s generally been a convenient service in a lot of ways to watch Arsenal matches (especially domestic cup matches and midweek champions league matches, which are often not televised here), the picture quality really isn’t noticeably better than a decent stream. And today, foxsoccer.tv just wasn’t working at all, so I had to watch the game on an atdhe stream. Not that that’s such a terrible stream, but when you’ve paid well over $150 per year solely so that you wouldn’t have to do that, it can be pretty frustrating. I do generally like Fox Soccer — for a channel with next to no budget, I think their programming and on-air people are very good. But foxsoccer.tv is still pretty rough right now, so if you’re an American thinking about subscribing, I have to say I would advise against it until they get their stuff figured out. End rant.

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Category: Arsenal News, Fixtures, Match Review, Premiership, Wigan

Tags: Arsenal News, Fixtures, Match Review, Premiership, Wigan
Tweet « Arsenal – Wigan Match Thread | Home | Homey_MillsSo, uh, you like Ray Hudson? Wow, just trying to get through 2 minutes of that was torture. And I dunno why he'd go out of his way to rip on tennis players either. So that's a double strike against him in my book.
But I'm with you regarding the rant on the cameraman.SairaxBtw, you're setting the standards way too high on this blog, Martin. Don't worry everyone, I'll be back to drag it down on Tuesday.SairaxYou said world class. *sigh* Great. He was doing so well. Let the jinx commence!Homey_MillsVilla 1, Man City 0. Nice.Homey_MillsDid anyone else think it was odd to see Beckham applauding the Arsenal goals? I can't really see Bergkamp going to a game at Man Utd and applauding their goals.JGThat's because Bergkamp has, you know, this thing called "loyalty" on him.SKRVP outplayed wigan. great game. if we keep winnig, the we can jump above manu soon. berba even had a hatrick :(SujenrRVP's return is the best thing that happened this season.

When TV5 returns... its complete..SairaxMaybe he'll play Cesc against Ipswich and rest him for Huddersfield. For some reason I feel like he might do that, but who the hell knows.

So happy for the clean sheet. This particular lineup is on fire right now.SairaxMy 11-0 was a bit off I admit. See, this is why I don't do predictions!

(It was fuchsiab who made the Beckham observation ;) I just replied to her that I bet Spuds were pissed he came to watch us :P)

Martin & Sairax CB pairing might happen if we have any more injuries. 'Twould be epic.dreamfight3rI'll pay to see you and Martin as our CB

I doubt Chesney even break a sweat in this match. I think he might as well have a good read with some snack and it won't change anything (haha)SairaxMaybe he was texting his girlfriend during the quiet timesdreamfight3rChesney should match-tweeting. Now that will be awesome!
(if only they don't ban cellphone on ground, meh)JGThat was RVP'S first ever hat-trick!SairaxApparently, he's got 49 goals in 99 Premier League games for us. Great ratio, but of course only 99 appearances is the worrying bit. Let's hope he keeps putting them in the back of the net this season!err vee peeits 99 STARTS. but yeah, it is worrying!Sairax99 starts? My bad. Do you know how many appearances?JGArsenal.com says that today RVP the first hat-trick of his career. Good job Robin, may you score several more this season.blog comments powered by Disqus