Arsenal fail to convince for bigger tests ahead

James Olley
25 Nov 2009

Arsenal 2-0 Standard Liege

Arsenal's current crop may have proved worthy of sustaining the club's proud Champions League record but doubts today remain as to whether they can remain on the trophy trail without Robin van Persie.

Victory over Standard Liege secured the Gunners' 10th successive qualification from the group stage of Europe's premier club competition, but although this was comfortable it was never resounding and adds further weight to concerns that emerged after Saturday's reverse at Sunderland. 

Perhaps fans have been spoilt by the manner in which Arsenal have swept virtually all before them in previous games, but the Gunners reverted to type with worrying frequency against palpably inferior opposition last night.

Twenty four shots yielded only two goals and the visitors contributed to their own downfall on each occasion.

Arsenal had undeniably dominated proceedings by the time Thomas Vermaelen struck a hopeful 35th-minute through ball but it required Landry Mulemo to lose his footing and completely miss the ball before Samir Nasri was presented with a simple finish.

Similarly, Denilson's speculative effort was a superb strike but the audible cackling around Emirates Stadium that met the replay suggested goalkeeper Sinan Bolat was hardly enjoying his finest hour.

For all their superiority in possession, Arsenal needed two mistakes to break through and it is difficult to imagine Chelsea making similar errors when the Premier League leaders visit north London on Sunday. Chances are likely be at a premium, as matches between the 'Big Four' have so far proved, meaning much will be expected of the rested Eduardo as the Gunners look to replace the accurate finishing Van Persie displayed at will before suffering an ankle injury.

Of course, Wenger chose instead to focus on the positives and the notable achievement that is a decade's participation in the Champions League's latter stages.

"I am pleased because it is not easy to be that consistent," said the Frenchman. "I must say in this group we were favourites, that was quite normal, and we just did the job. If you put the 10 years together you can say we have been consistent.

"I believe we can go further than last year's semi-finals but there are two competitions in the Champions League - one is the championship and one is a cup.

"We move now from the championship to the cup competition and that means it is different psychologically and we go now into a period when every minute is important. We want to adapt to that.

"We normally have the advantage to play the second leg at home so let's get our injured players back and get in a strong position in the League - that is important as well for the confidence of the team."

Sunday's clash against Chelsea is pivotal in those terms given the eightpoint gap that presently exists, albeit with a game in hand, and Van Persie's absence was the cue for some comical finishing that at times defied belief.

With 15 minutes played, an astonishing sequence saw Andrey Arshavin, Carlos Vela and William Gallas twice have shots denied in the space of a few seconds before Thomas Vermaelen smashed a goal-bound effort that smacked into Arshavin and somehow deflected wide.

The pick of the second-half mishaps saw Vela manage to slice a shot for a throw-in with the goal gaping.

Arsenal's other affliction - a propensity to sustain injuries - then reared itself as Arshavin and Gallas clattered each other while challenging for the same ball, fortunately with no long term consequences.

But as Gallas lost his bearings, his team-mates collectively followed suit in alarming fashion, losing shape at the back. The Frenchman was fortunate not to concede a penalty when fouling Dieudonne Mbokani with the score at 1-0.

Mbokani had earlier hit the angle of post and bar, while Axel Witsel missed a golden chance after appalling Arsenal marking from a free-kick and substitute Gohi Bi Cyriac struck a post late on.

It was quite a catalogue of chances for a team who showed little attacking intent and Wenger will be praying Gallas is fully fit, especially with Kieran Gibbs's latest setback weakening the left-back position still further.

"The first half was good but in the second half we eased off," he said. "You could see we lacked a bit of urgency in the final third because we just eased a little bit off in the second half. But it was important to win to prepare well for the Chelsea game on Sunday."

Despite the inevitability of the result, the game had a steady undercurrent of ill-feeling which culminated in Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez's late red card for pushing his head into Cesc Fabregas's face.

But Arsenal handled the physical challenge well and that was chiefly due to the encouraging return of Denilson, playing his 100th match for the club following a 10-week absence with a back injury, and the excellent Alex Song.

The Cameroonian has been rewarded for his increasingly influential performances with a new contract that keeps him at the club until 2014 and he is growing into the midfield enforcer Arsenal crave.

His job is now to prove himself as dominant against the best sides - a challenge Arsenal's strike-force must also now face without their main man.