Rebirth

First league win of the season. I wouldn’t have imagined I would be saying that almost a month into the campaign. For Arsenal, however, it hasn’t been a month. For Arsenal, this was a new beginning, a fresh start, another chapter, a rebirth - have your pick! It was a new look team that took the field at the Emirates – a team few would have guessed at a month back, let alone last season. This game was about how we took the loss at Old Trafford. This game was about the new signings and how they fit in. This game was the perfect opener.

The last two weeks have brought an amazing change in the squad, and, I would like to imagine, in the dressing room too. The international games did not, for once, bring in the countless injuries they always seem to do. In fact, most of our players had great games – the captain scored four in a game (against San Marino, but still), Chu Young Park scored four in two games for South Korea, the Ox put in two brilliant performances for the under-21’s, Szczesny, in the words of the great Oliver Kahn, was the only “world class” player in the Germany-Poland game, and Ramsay put in a great shift for Wales against England. The best news for me, however, was that Arshavin apparently was fantastic for Russia. That showed today. He was lively throughout and very dynamic on and off the ball. His defensive skills remain questionable, but it was good to see him play his heart out.

Even when you remove the importance of the game psychologically, this one was very interesting tactically. Swansea is an attacking team, much like Blackpool – they love to play some real football and are often adventurous going forward. Traditionally, we love playing against such teams. However, there was little doubt about how Swansea were going to tackle this one – put 10 men behind the ball. That’s a fair tactic and I have nothing against it. When you come to a stadium like the Emirates, that’s probably the best way to go about the game. To their credit, they maintained a 4-5-1 throughout and were not afraid to attack when they did get a chance.

Arshavin, as I mentioned earlier, looked very lively on the left side, and the excellent Keiran Gibbs did well too I thought. For Swansea, there were times when Nathan Dyer looked very dangerous, and they attacked well through the wings, although they lacked a final product and our defense held on well. The focus in defense was obviously on Per Mertesacker. He is a very intelligent player, as the boss himself put it. His positioning was spot on, but he was slow to turn and did not look very mobile. It must be remembered though that there is a big difference between the German and English leagues. The very nature of the game changes. Obviously, a center half will take time to get used to it. A great example is Koscielny, who I think is very underrated considering his abilities. He is very mobile and brilliant at reading the game, can also jump and has adjusted well to the rigors of the Premier League. He has a high jump too. Above all, he is a hard worker, willing to give everything for the team.

This pairing will work until the Verminator returns, I feel. The games we have in the next four weeks are not the toughest, except maybe the one at Shite Hart Lane. But considering our opponents, we don’t really expect a challenge do we? We are, and will be the only team in North London.
It was heartening to see Pat Rice animated on the touchline like we saw so often last season. The new man in midfield looked pretty assured too. Mikel Arteta had a fantastic first half. He fit right into that midfield, and often made penetrating passes. He may not be Cesc, but he does offer a technical quality that we have been missing. Also, we were able to attack through the center – something that we had almost forgotten how to do! Ramsay was lively throughout. I do wonder how much his performance against England motivated this change in form. We looked dangerous a lot of times in the first half. The second half was a different story.

But going back to form, one player that was completely out of it was Theo Walcott. They say form is temporary, but class is permanent. Well, so is mediocrity. Walcott makes some great runs and I love his movement off the ball. But when he does have the ball, he looks completely lost. He doesn’t know whether to cut in or hug the sidelines, nor does he know how to beat players. He wonders whether to beat them with sheer pace or go for some trickery (which he is not very good at). His finishing and crossing is very questionable, and based on this performance, I would say “non-existent” would be a flattering description. He put in some terrible crosses, and his shots inevitably made it to the stands. My friend watching it with me suggested he should try his hand at American football with all the “punting” clearly involved in his play. If his run continues, I wonder how long he has at the club. We have the Ox, who put in some wonderful performances for the U-21’s, and Miyaichi, who is rated very highly at the club. There were suggestions he should be sold in January itself. That's a little harsh, I feel. Wait a little before judging!

Back to the game. The only goal came five minutes before half time as a result of a horror mistake from Vorm, the Swansea keeper, who absent-mindedly tried to roll the ball to his captain. Arshavin was there to capitalize, and swept the ball in with a very cute finish from an acute angle. Still, a goal is a goal, and it was the least we deserved. We were dominating possession, and a Walcott shot had deflected off the keeper and cleared off the line by some brilliant defending. We finished the half on something of a high.

The second half was all down to nerves. The players, it seemed, had a DVD of the 8-2 loss constantly playing in their heads. Arteta faded a little bit, and we struggled to create chances. Van Persie did, however, curve a shot that hit the outside of the post. Swansea, meanwhile, were taking the game to us. Dyer and Sinclair were proving very difficult to deal with, and if I remember correctly, Per Mertesacker of all people lost an aerial battle. That is fine, but considering he is six and a half feet, is something he needs to work on. His pass completion rate was the highest in the game though at 94%, and frankly, I don’t know what to make of that. Interesting random statistic, is how I plan on classifying it.

We managed to hang on, though, and Szczesny had a near perfect game in goal, again. It seems unbelievable now that only last season we were begging for a keeper we didn’t end up buying. All’s well that ends well, I guess!

Benayoun came on for Arshavin, and he looked pretty solid. He did nothing sensational, but is a good squad player to have, no doubt. Obviously, he contributed more defensively than Arshavin. Chamakh (yes he is indeed alive) came on and looked very lively. He was glorious with his finishing and everything he touched seemed bound for the net and…ok I can’t go on with this. He put in an indifferent performance, really, and had a good chance to get a goal but the keeper saved his header. The cross from Gibbs leading to that was great, by the way. That header is also significant in that it is Chamakh’s first shot on target in seven months. Yep, that’ll silence the critics!

Our defense was solid enough not to allow any real chances, although Danny Graham missed what looked like a sitter in injury time. To be fair it wasn’t such an easy finish, but something you’ve got to put away at this level. Swansea have now played four games and scored exactly zero goals. I do feel for them, especially seeing their style of play. They deserve more.

There was little I could do at the final whistle but heave a massive sigh of relief. A win is a win is a win, and as long as we got those three points, we have made progress. The new signings will take a little time to settle in, but they are looking pretty sharp. Wenger has had a lot of criticism from a lot of sources, but we finally have a big enough squad at least to compete through the season.

On a more philosophical note, we didn’t seem to enjoy our play today. Gone were the sweeping attacks we have gotten used to. The spark in the players’ eyes was missing. I guess we must bid adieu, at least temporarily, to the slick passing and the beautiful, beautiful goals that we so often score

I guess some of that is down to the fact that a lot of the players seem to have forgotten what it is to play for a club like Arsenal. They have forgotten how special the club is, and how lucky they are to be wearing the red and white. It will take some time to realize that once more and play with a renewed spirit. It is hard for a club that has undergone so much change in terms of the squad to immediately respond to a defeat like against United. This season will be a frustrating one, and isn’t one for the non-seasoned gooner.

The next couple of weeks will be about rediscovering the spirit of Arsenal. The magic of the club will work its charms, I’m sure, and we will be back to normal very soon. A win against Dortmund on Tuesday will, of course, go a massive way towards doing that.

All that being said, we have our first win in the league under our belts. The season has begun, and now there will be no second chances. There can be no looking back. There is only one way to go – Forward!