A Draw At The Liberty But It Should Have Been More – Player Ratings

Arsenal conceded a late equaliser to draw 2-2 with Swansea City in the 3rd round of the FA Cup on Sunday, here are player ratings from ‘Lloyd the Gooner’.

A nervous first half from the team was followed by a decent second half showing. We should have scored more but at least we created the chances. Swansea caused the defence a problem every time they came forward and that is a worry. Am I the only one who is just waiting for a an M’Vila or some such to be signed before the window closes?

Here are my ratings from the Swansea game:

Szczesny 7. Little to do which says it all. One early save was good one you would expect him to make.

Sagna 6. Better than of late. He looked as if he was bothered. Marked any opponents that came his way very well too.

Mertesacker 4. Useless. So slow that it was a liability. The only reason to play him would be if he was dominant in the air which he isn’t, so what does he offer? Even in possession he was poor.

Koscielny 6. Compared to his partner he was ok. You can build something for the future around his pace and ability to play our game.

Gibbs 9. Outstanding with or without the goal. His best performance for the club. Not troubled much defensively but going forward he showed we have a class player here. The goal was technically top drawer. The run of games since his return has helped him and now a key player.

Arteta 8. Very good. Imagine trying to play that role in front of Per Mertesacker. I couldn’t sleep at night! A real base from which we could build. Not his best position but this man is one of those saving us from disaster all the time.

Wilshere 7. Top attitude. Tried his very best throughout and a lot happened when he was on the ball. The cobwebs are falling off nicely Jack, now for a goal.

Cazorla 7. Kept going well because he has looked tired recently.

Ramsey7. I refuse to give a bad mark to player so obviously unsuited to the position his manager picked him in. His attitude was to make the best of it. The only excuse for Arsene Wenger is that he clearly feels he has been let down by the defensive efforts of Podolski and Oxlade-Chamberlain in that position.

Walcott 6. He was a threat but not a consistent one. But there are signs of his being able to play wide and come in off the wing and add to the central threat.

Giroud 6. He does provide the physical presence we need. I think he needs to play to get his touch up to speed. In the second half when we were more threatening you could see goals in him.

Subs

Podolski. Good attitude from the bench. Really tried to make a difference and worked hard too. His goal scoring ability is obvious and if we can find a team structure to support him then we will see the best of him.

What were your ratings for the game? Get involved in the comments section below.