Arsenal hosted Swansea City this past Saturday at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners were without a win in their last two games, and needed one badly to close the gap up top.
The hosts were second best on the night as Swansea managed a victory through two late goals by Michu. The visitors had 10 shots on goal, which is an impressive stat for any team visiting the Emirates.
Arsenal failed in the final third and were unable to create chances as often as they would’ve liked. Manager Arsene Wenger had started Gervinho instead of Frenchman Olivier Giroud, and this move did not work out well.
The Ivorian was wasteful, and was unable to provide Arsenal with the cutting edge they needed. Swansea deserved the win as they played their attacking brand of football. The defeat leaves http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 at 10th place in what has been their worst start
to a Premier League campaign.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wojciech-Szczesny-c36998 – 8
The Polish keeper was perhaps the best player for Arsenal as he ensured the visitors were held at bay. He made a double save in the first half to deny Angel Rangel and also made a number of important saves to prevent Michu and Tiendalli in the second half.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Per-Mertesacker-c29680 – 7
The German was impressive in the air, but sometimes struggled against Michu. He otherwise defended well and had a good game. His centre-half pairing with Vermaelen continues to improve with every passing game.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Thomas-Vermaelen-c35002 – 7
The Belgian has significantly improved his performances ever since the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford. He struggled with Dyer’s pace, but made a terrific goal-saving challenge in the first half to deny the player from giving his side the lead. He ventured forward
well, and had a very solid game.
Carl Jenkinson – 5
The right-back was Arsenal’s best attacking outlet in the first half and had put in a number of decent deliveries in the box. He was badly at fault for losing possession to Dyer in the final minutes of the game which led to Swansea’s second goal.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Kieran-Gibbs-c20945 – 5
The left-back had an uncharacteristic performance, and was largely non-existent throughout the 90 minutes.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mikel-Arteta-c25715 – 5
The Spaniard was not at his best, and looked very tired. The player has not been rested for a single league game, and could do with a game off. He worked hard and tried to rally his team together, but his efforts were in vain as Arsenal failed to find their
rhythm.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jack-Wilshere-c17463 – 5
Wilshere also had a poor game, and failed to make his mark in midfield. He was unusually quiet in the first half, but came to life in the second for a brief moment.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Santi-Cazorla-c32505 – 6
The Spaniard had another quiet game, and perhaps struggled with fatigue and burn out. He improved significantly in the second half as he was at the heart of Arsenal’s major attacks. He was however never able to make his mark, and can use a week’s rest as
he also looked really tired.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lukas-Podolski-c22896 – 6
The German looked uninterested, and could’ve been better used in the centre with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gervinho-c14755 on the left wing. He was bright at the start of the game, but faded as the game wore on.
Gervinho – 5
The Ivorian is not proving to be a good central forward, and his decision making leaves a lot to be desired. He wasted two glorious opportunities where he could have scored from his head, but fluffed his attempts wide. He improved in the second half, but
never made a mark on the game.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Theo-Walcott-c34873 – 4
The winger had his worst game of the season, and was very ineffective and quiet throughout the game. It was truly a game to forget for Theo Walcott.
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