Arsenal vs. Sunderland - The silver lining (Part 1)
Saturday’s clash between Arsenal and Sunderland at the Stadium of Lights proved more of a contest than anticipated earlier. The game ended at a 1-1 draw and a plus one in the points table for both sides.
Statistics revealed that there was a strange trend in the game. While it is more of a given that featuring in a midweek European tie leads to team fatigue and an obvious dip in performance, Arsenal are one of the few clubs that does not follow that rule.
Quantitative evidence via a pre-match feature revealed that the Gunners actually performed better after an outing in Europe as compared to having a free schedule for the weekend - unsurprisingly, Arsene Wenger picked the same starting eleven and the same substitutes
who lined up against Braga on Wednesday. Having said that, there was something for the Sunderland home fans to look forward to as the Black Caps had a lower lose-rate whenever English striker Darren Bent was able to find the net. The striker’s sole goal to
ensure a 1-0 win against Liverpool last year that featured the infamous beach ball is worth the reminder!
The game started off with an unorthodox start for Arsenal - a ‘freakish goal’ for an away team that takes pride in scoring intricately crafted goals - Carlos Vela’s crisp finish after at least 30 odd passes against Bolton anyone?
In the 12th minute of the game, Fabregas charged a rather nervy Anton Ferdinand who hastily attempted to clear the ball towards the Arsenal half. The Arsenal captain stuck his boot out and was ‘pleasantly shocked’ when the block deflected back
towards the Sunderland goal. The resulting contact from around 40 yards out ballooned straight over the keeper, apparently caught off guard, and landed gracefully into the net. While the fashion of the strike does leave even the most accomplished football
pundits at a loss for words, there were however, still a few positives that could be drawn from the comical incident.
For starters, seeing a midfield player charge the deepest defender gives evidence of Arsenal’s flexibility. Players have interchangeable roles and from the front line till centre half, every player is comfortable with the ball and would be quick to take
the initiative. How many away teams actually do that? It appeared that despite playing at home, Sunderland were more or less tactically dictated by the brand of football that Arsenal plays. The movement is also proof of the new system that Arsenal employs
- the 4-3-3 formation. The setup enabled the team not only to keep the ball rolling at a high tempo but also to press whenever caught out of possession. The overall energy levels of the young squad are also commendable as often players look to be a little
conservative that early in the game, knowing that they need time to settle in and last the extent of 90 minutes minus the stoppages.
Secondly, Arsenal is statistically noted for scoring deep in the second half. This further puts the team under pressure as despite the high level of possession, there is still no end product. Moreover, with respect to playing a weaker opponent, it enables
the opposition to stay on the defensive, pack up the centre of midfield with 5 players and look to be as difficult as possible to penetrate. Scoring early basically took all that pressure away from the title contenders. Sunderland on the other hand received
an unexpected predicament that early and was forced to change their game plan - they had ground to make.
The block from close range resulted in an injury for the Arsenal captain who had to be substituted prematurely in the 29th minute – a huge blow without any doubt. On the flip side, it was a display of the organization of the young team without
their midfield talisman as the away side looked to make amends. The Arsenal team was subjected to a lot of pressure, especially from the flanks. Defending from dead ball situations in the form of indirect free kicks and corners, however, Arsene Wenger’s men
were able to soak in all the pressure and ended the half with a hard fought 0-1 lead.
To be continued...
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