Written by The Arsenal Kid.
We got what we wanted, which was to break the two game losing streak and bounce back immediately after the home defeat to Newcastle. Yes, it was important that we got all three points but the victory was anything but convincing. It was like the previous victories over Bolton, Blackburn, Birmingham and West Ham where we created chances but failed to convert them, thus giving the opposition every opportunity to get back into the game. And Wolves nearly did bar for the superb last minute save by Fabianski. I am not a big fan of the Polish keeper but he is starting to grow on me. He made several brilliant saves in the game and quite literally saved us from another drawn game.
The malaise upfront continues with Andrey Arshavin the main culprit. His finishing doesn’t seem a crisp as when he first arrived. Whereas previously he would put his two opportunities away, this season he lacks the composure in front of goal. Much like Fernando Torres earlier in the season, the Russian can’t seem to buy a goal and even when the shots beat the goalkeeper, the post is in the way. He definitely needs a goal badly.
Elsewhere, Cesc is still a concern for me. Although he played well in patches, his passing game is still way off. His partnership with Wilshere and Song which was so fluent and dominant earlier seems to have deserted them. No doubt, Wolves gave it all and closed down the channels aggressively but the lads were just brushed off and giving away the ball with misplaced passes.
Defence was a usual concern with Djourou failing to win headers on many occasions. I have my doubt with him but he is the only available partner for Squillaci at the moment so we have no choice other than playing him. Luckily we have Sagna who is really the standout defender this campaign. He is able to read the game well and helps out when both centrebacks are out of position. His intervention in the second half saved a sure Wolves equalizer.
All in all, we got the three points that is what matters. There are times when we need to be grinding out victories such as this but the frequency of this happening is a concern for me.
