Relief in Belgrade

Arsenal produced a steady performance in Belgrade last night to gain an important win that keeps us top of our Champions League group…

It wasn’t a surprise to see the gaffer ring the changes for this one and he clearly had one eye on the game at Chelsea on the weekend. I was a little disappointed that Nasri started on the bench as he’s been in fine form recently, but it was the right decision. I didn’t think much of the home team and after the first goal we always looked like running out eventual winners. It was interesting to see Wishere in a more advanced role, when he’s been playing with Fabregas he’s been slightly more withdrawn to allow the Spaniard to get forward. I prefer to see Jack playing a more holding role as it gives him a chance to get on the ball and dictate play which he wasn’t able to do playing behind the front man. That being said, he still had a very good game and his contribution to the first goal was sensational – he is clearly a natural talent, you just can’t coach that sort of awareness.

Arshavin put in a good stint last night but will be disappointed with the penalty especially as he’s taken a few for us in the past few years and not missed any. I was also glad to see Gibbs get the nod over Clichy, I think the Frenchman needs a stint out of the team as he’s clearly been underperforming for a couple of seasons. A sign of my increasing nervousness is that I was actually worried when he came on against Tottenham and again last night, the guy is somewhat of a disaster waiting to happen and much like Cole with Sylvinho it’s time to allow Gibbs to cement his place as our regular left back. The penalty aside, I thought Gibbs looked solid and offered more of a threat going forward and what’s more he is clearly hungry to do well for the team. Djourou also came into the side last night and performed okay but I still have serious concerns about him, he was caught out very easily in the first half and still looks a yard off the pace but in all fairness he has missed a year through injury so it’s a case of let’s wait and see before making a final judgement. Once again Chamakh was superb and ran his socks off – he’s fast becoming one of my favourite players. What does frustrate me is people like Paul Merson saying that Arsenal wouldn’t have scored Chamakh’s goal last season which is utter rubbish. This is doing a disservice to the big Dane, as for all his flaws, one thing he is good at is scoring with his head and he scored some vital goals such as a superb header away at Stoke. Chamakh though gives so much more to the team in and outside the penalty area; his work rate is fantastic and fits into our style of play seamlessly.

My major concern from observing Arsenal in the past few weeks is the form of Alex Song, who once again put in a poor performance last night. It seems to me that he’s playing without any discipline whatsoever and his passing has been absolutely woeful. As one of his biggest fans, I am hoping that this is just a temporary blip but I do feel (I can’t believe I’m saying this) that Denilson should start in his place at the Bridge.

And onto the goalkeeper… like most gooners I don’t rate Fabianski and I almost thought it inevitable that he would make a major mistake last night but it’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised! I was genuinely chuffed for him when he saved that penalty and you could see the relief flowing out during his post penalty celebration. Another good save towards the end and hopefully this could be a turning point in his Arsenal career even though I personally think it’s unlikely. If he does have to play at Chelsea then its better that he should go into the game feeling confident and that can only be a good thing for him and the team.

Looking ahead to the weekend and the boss confirmed that Vermaelen will miss the game and that Cesc has a small chance of playing. I have a sneaky suspicion that Fabregas will play, hopefully I’m right!

Tenz

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