[Player Ratings] Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea: Below Par Gunners Fail To Break Down Blue Wall

Arsenal drew 0-0 with Chelsea in a very disappointing game at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon. Chelsea adopted similar tactics to when they played Barcelona on Wednesday; defend, defend, defend, and it made for a poor spectacle.

Roberto Di Matteo elected to make eight changes with the Champions League second leg in mind, but a jaded and lacklustre Arsenal side couldn’t take advantage of the weakened opposition. Take nothing away from the Blues, they defended very well and stuck to their game plan, but lets be honest, they were there for the taking and we failed to capitalise.

It’s never easy to break down a 10-man wall of players, but the most worrying thing was that Arsenal just didn’t look like they had enough in the tank to make things happen. Everything was being played in second gear and the lack of back up for van Persie was once again glaringly obvious, as we introduced Diaby and Santos as our ‘game-changers’.

But we’re still in third and have a decent cushion over the chasing pack. We’re six points clear of Spurs, who can pull level IF they win their two games in hand, but that’s a big ‘if’ as they have been in poor form recently and are losing 1-0 at QPR (at the time of writing). Newcastle are looking dangerous but have a difficult run-in, and travel to Stamford Bridge next week. I still don’t expect them to finish above 5th, so we’re still in pole position for automatic Champions League qualification.

Here are my player ratings from the game:

Arsenal Ratings

Szczesny – 6.5 – Made a couple of routine saves and distribution was decent.

Sagna – 6.5 – Won the majority of his headers, but was given a difficult time by Kalou in the first half as the Ivorian got in behind a couple of times.

Vermaelen – 8 – Very good display from TV5. He was a rock alongside Kos and handled the threat of Torres and Sturridge well when called upon.

Koscileny – 8.5 – Unlucky not to score in the first half when he hit the bar, but made several excellent interceptions and blocks in the second half. Superb display.

Gibbs – 7 – We looked more solid with Gibbs at left back as opposed to Santos. He got forward when he could and was positionally sound at the back.

Song – 6.5 – Steady from Song but still looked a little tired. Lovely ball found RVP who forced a save from Cech, but other than that he struggled to make things happen.

Ramsey – 5 – Disappointing from Rambo. Caught in possession on several occasions, and he just seems to want too much time on the ball. It looked like he wasn’t 100% sure what his role was and didn’t combine well alongside Song.

Rosicky – 7 – Rosicky was bright in the first half but had to come off early in the second as he was starting to feel the effects of the sickness he suffered during the week.

Walcott – 5.5 – Nice free kick found RVP who hit the post but Theo struggled to get in the game or make things happen. Marked well by Bertrand, before being forced off with a hamstring injury which could end his season.

Chamberlain – 5.5 – Drifted inside far too often leaving his left wing position. Oxe tried to make things happen but made a few wayward passes and like Walcott, struggled to make a real impression on the game. Was eventually subbed but he’ll have better days ahead.

van Persie – 6 – His drought goes on. Hit the post from close range and missed at least 3 half chances. Just needs to find that little bit of composure again, but he does look a little jaded. Shame we don’t have a decent back up striker who can ease the burden.

SUBS:

Gervinho – 5.5 – Looked scatty in possession and failed to make a real impact.

Diaby – 6 – Nice to see him back but it was clear he lacked match sharpness. Saw a late shot blocked but wasn’t the match-winner the game was screaming out for.

Santos – 6 – Looked pretty lively on the left of midfield and was tidy on the ball.

Chelsea Ratings: Cech 7, Bosingwa 6, Cahill 8, Terry 7.5, Bertrand 8 (Cole 5), Romeu 6 (Mikel 6), Essien 6, Malouda 6, Sturridge 5, Kalou 6 (Mata 5), Torres 5.

Those are my ratings, what where yours? Get involved in the comments section.