Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
+16
Twoism
InvalidComment
Iceman
the xcx
Abramovich
6unner
urbaNRoots
Jamin
SamuelJayC
julias
aleumdance
Eman
MJ
REWB
RealGunner
Jay29
20 posters
Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
The FA Cup may not mean much to us nowadays but with the two Manchester clubs both out and a fair number of non-Premier League opposition, our chances of actually winning something had gone up quite a lot. Having lost our last three games, this game against Aston Villa had a lot riding on it.
We fielded a strong team - injuries and players being away on international duty ensured that - and we started the game well enough. We had a good amount of the ball and looked dangerous in patches, but there were not many moments where you could say we really tested Villa's defence. Rosicky and Ramsey tried to play penetrating passes but didn't have many options in front of them, Walcott got in behind once or twice but couldn't produce and Chamberlain floated in the odd cross that was easily dealt with by Villa's backline.
Not surprisingly, Villa made what limited attacks they had on our goal count. Arsenal made the mistake of only sending one player to press Villa's two when the short corner was played and it made it all too easy for them to work some space and measure a good cross. Keane provided it and Richard Dunne powered in a header having got the run on his markers.
Arsenal responded by moving the ball around quicker and working that little bit harder, but left themselves open on the counter. Villa exploited that and Darren Bent put them 2-0 ahead on the cusp of half-time.
What exapserated the disappointment at half-time was that our level of performance had not been good enough against a Villa side who were there for the taking. The team needed a bollocking at half-time.
Evidently, it seemed they got one since we came out all guns blazing in the second half, managing 8 shots, 89% possession and 3 goals in just 16 minutes. Shockingly enough, we were awarded two penalties at home after two rash challenges from Villa players and got a bit luck with our equaliser, but hey, we deserved that after improving our play and really forcing the issue.
The difference was clearly that our movement and passing were much faster and much more slick than it has been. There was some excellent link-up play between Ramsey, who had been pushed higher up the pitch, Walcott and van Persie and it was the improvement of Ramsey and Walcott in particular that made us a real threat down that side.
There were a couple of nervy moments afterwards but I think we held on pretty comfortably. Villa lost a large part of their attacking menace when Agbonlahor had to go off. Other than a couple of semi-dangerous set plays, Villa didn't pose much danger to us.
So 3-2 the final score.
Compare and contrast: first half and second half attacking unit
Our problem tonight in the first half was the attack. Although Villa had managed to capitalise on two lapses at the back, as a whole we were okay at the back and had the attack been better we could have easily lead by two or three goals at half-time. Fine margains, eh?
It's been a problem in the last month or so. Our offence has often looked slow with and without the ball. It wouldn't matter how much level of talent you have in your attack; if you're too slow with your movement and passing, you're not going to create openings and you're not going to score goals.
Keeping the ball outside the penalty area and in the opposition half doesn't seem to much of an issue. Penetrating the oppositon defence does. It's doesn't have much to do with the quality of the players there - individually, they're all good players - but rather a lack of confidence and a lack of understanding between them.
The second half, we played with pace and purpose and got our rewards. Ramsey made a confident and purposeful run forward for the first goal. Walcott attacked Villa's defence with purpose for the second and Koscielny made a run of actual purpose to get the third. A good attack is one that does things with the belief that they're going to beat their man, that their going to score and every good team has this.
Sometimes you just need that bit of luck
We can't forget about luck, of course. In bad spells, you sometimes just need something to go your way to help get things back on track and that's what happened for the second goal. Walcott almost ruined his good play by trying to be too cute with his finish, but the ball managed to ricochet off his head and into the goal. Though I do suppose fortune favours the brave. As I touched on in the above section, we got our rewards by being brave in attack and none of these goals would've happened if we wasn't trying to make our own luck.
We can't forget that we were actually awarded a penalty at home. Blatant penalties they were, but still something of a rare sight this season.
The fans got behind the team
A note on the fans: they could have easily turned against the team and sulked throughout the second half but they actually got behind their team. Maybe our improvement and the lack of a certain Russian helped, but still, it's nice to hear and it's something that absolutely must happen more often.
Time for some consistency
It was a very good win and it will surely raise morale. Now it's time to put together a run of results, starting with Bolton in mid-week. If we perform more like we did in the second half then we'll get the results required. Of that I have no doubt.
Player Ratings
L. Fabiasnki - 6. It's been so long that I've forgotten how to spell his first name... He didn't have much to do and wasn't at fault for anything.
Per Mertesacker - 7. I thought he played really well. He made some good tackles and interceptions and was unlucky not to have scored.
Laurent Koscielny - 6. Defenisvely I didn't think he was too solid tonight, but made up for it by winning a penalty.
Francis Coquelin - 6. Did okay against Agbonlahor.
Thomas Vermaelen - 6. Was not tested much defenisvely and was useful going forward.
Alex Song - 6. A better performance, though not one of particular note.
Tomas Rosicky - 7. A busy performance. He worked hard trying to make things happen and putting in good challenges.
Aaron Ramsey - 7. Second half he was excellent, being the real driving force in midfield.
Theo Walcott - 7. Like Ramsey, much improved in the second half.
Alex Chamberlain - 6. Had a quiet game.
Robin van Persie - 7. Scored both penalties with ease but didn't do much beyond that.
--------------------------
Bacary Sagna - n/a. Welcome back, Bac.
Mikel Arteta - n/a.
Thierry Henry - n/a.
We fielded a strong team - injuries and players being away on international duty ensured that - and we started the game well enough. We had a good amount of the ball and looked dangerous in patches, but there were not many moments where you could say we really tested Villa's defence. Rosicky and Ramsey tried to play penetrating passes but didn't have many options in front of them, Walcott got in behind once or twice but couldn't produce and Chamberlain floated in the odd cross that was easily dealt with by Villa's backline.
Not surprisingly, Villa made what limited attacks they had on our goal count. Arsenal made the mistake of only sending one player to press Villa's two when the short corner was played and it made it all too easy for them to work some space and measure a good cross. Keane provided it and Richard Dunne powered in a header having got the run on his markers.
Arsenal responded by moving the ball around quicker and working that little bit harder, but left themselves open on the counter. Villa exploited that and Darren Bent put them 2-0 ahead on the cusp of half-time.
What exapserated the disappointment at half-time was that our level of performance had not been good enough against a Villa side who were there for the taking. The team needed a bollocking at half-time.
Evidently, it seemed they got one since we came out all guns blazing in the second half, managing 8 shots, 89% possession and 3 goals in just 16 minutes. Shockingly enough, we were awarded two penalties at home after two rash challenges from Villa players and got a bit luck with our equaliser, but hey, we deserved that after improving our play and really forcing the issue.
The difference was clearly that our movement and passing were much faster and much more slick than it has been. There was some excellent link-up play between Ramsey, who had been pushed higher up the pitch, Walcott and van Persie and it was the improvement of Ramsey and Walcott in particular that made us a real threat down that side.
There were a couple of nervy moments afterwards but I think we held on pretty comfortably. Villa lost a large part of their attacking menace when Agbonlahor had to go off. Other than a couple of semi-dangerous set plays, Villa didn't pose much danger to us.
So 3-2 the final score.
Compare and contrast: first half and second half attacking unit
Our problem tonight in the first half was the attack. Although Villa had managed to capitalise on two lapses at the back, as a whole we were okay at the back and had the attack been better we could have easily lead by two or three goals at half-time. Fine margains, eh?
It's been a problem in the last month or so. Our offence has often looked slow with and without the ball. It wouldn't matter how much level of talent you have in your attack; if you're too slow with your movement and passing, you're not going to create openings and you're not going to score goals.
Keeping the ball outside the penalty area and in the opposition half doesn't seem to much of an issue. Penetrating the oppositon defence does. It's doesn't have much to do with the quality of the players there - individually, they're all good players - but rather a lack of confidence and a lack of understanding between them.
The second half, we played with pace and purpose and got our rewards. Ramsey made a confident and purposeful run forward for the first goal. Walcott attacked Villa's defence with purpose for the second and Koscielny made a run of actual purpose to get the third. A good attack is one that does things with the belief that they're going to beat their man, that their going to score and every good team has this.
Sometimes you just need that bit of luck
We can't forget about luck, of course. In bad spells, you sometimes just need something to go your way to help get things back on track and that's what happened for the second goal. Walcott almost ruined his good play by trying to be too cute with his finish, but the ball managed to ricochet off his head and into the goal. Though I do suppose fortune favours the brave. As I touched on in the above section, we got our rewards by being brave in attack and none of these goals would've happened if we wasn't trying to make our own luck.
We can't forget that we were actually awarded a penalty at home. Blatant penalties they were, but still something of a rare sight this season.
The fans got behind the team
A note on the fans: they could have easily turned against the team and sulked throughout the second half but they actually got behind their team. Maybe our improvement and the lack of a certain Russian helped, but still, it's nice to hear and it's something that absolutely must happen more often.
Time for some consistency
It was a very good win and it will surely raise morale. Now it's time to put together a run of results, starting with Bolton in mid-week. If we perform more like we did in the second half then we'll get the results required. Of that I have no doubt.
Player Ratings
L. Fabiasnki - 6. It's been so long that I've forgotten how to spell his first name... He didn't have much to do and wasn't at fault for anything.
Per Mertesacker - 7. I thought he played really well. He made some good tackles and interceptions and was unlucky not to have scored.
Laurent Koscielny - 6. Defenisvely I didn't think he was too solid tonight, but made up for it by winning a penalty.
Francis Coquelin - 6. Did okay against Agbonlahor.
Thomas Vermaelen - 6. Was not tested much defenisvely and was useful going forward.
Alex Song - 6. A better performance, though not one of particular note.
Tomas Rosicky - 7. A busy performance. He worked hard trying to make things happen and putting in good challenges.
Aaron Ramsey - 7. Second half he was excellent, being the real driving force in midfield.
Theo Walcott - 7. Like Ramsey, much improved in the second half.
Alex Chamberlain - 6. Had a quiet game.
Robin van Persie - 7. Scored both penalties with ease but didn't do much beyond that.
--------------------------
Bacary Sagna - n/a. Welcome back, Bac.
Mikel Arteta - n/a.
Thierry Henry - n/a.
Last edited by GoonerJay29 on Sun Jan 29, 2012 7:08 pm; edited 2 times in total
Jay29- World Class Contributor
- Club Supported :
Posts : 19996
Join date : 2011-06-05
Age : 31
RealGunner- Admin
- Club Supported :
Posts : 89517
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
fans were great in the second half, cheering the team on, thank god arshavin wasnt there to give the ball away and play like shit, everyone was brilliant. and passed the ball fantastically, thats what i like.
REWB- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 5436
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
I dare one of you to deny that miracles happen.
MJ- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 8188
Join date : 2011-06-06
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
MJGunner wrote:I dare one of you to deny that miracles happen.
that wasnt a miracle dude, comebacks happen a lot in football, but we were way better than villa today. we should have been 3-0 up. no miracle we were unlucky to be 2-0 down.
REWB- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 5436
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
lmao. You make me laugh rewb
MJ- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 8188
Join date : 2011-06-06
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
MJGunner wrote:lmao. You make me laugh rewb
you watch the game?
REWB- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 5436
Join date : 2011-06-05
Eman- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 3029
Join date : 2011-06-05
Age : 32
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
when RVP's goal entered i screamed like a bitch
aleumdance- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 2943
Join date : 2011-12-11
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
GREAT COMEBACK by the Gooooners
julias- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 1121
Join date : 2011-06-12
Age : 36
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
Finished updating the first post.
Jay29- World Class Contributor
- Club Supported :
Posts : 19996
Join date : 2011-06-05
Age : 31
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
@rewb
Yes, we kept possession tidy, but couldn't finish our chances for shit. Our defense was too far forward and they had 5 good chances in the 1st half. we were lucky to kick it up the way we did
Yes, we kept possession tidy, but couldn't finish our chances for shit. Our defense was too far forward and they had 5 good chances in the 1st half. we were lucky to kick it up the way we did
MJ- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 8188
Join date : 2011-06-06
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
MJGunner wrote:@rewb
Yes, we kept possession tidy, but couldn't finish our chances for shit. Our defense was too far forward and they had 5 good chances in the 1st half. we were lucky to kick it up the way we did
we couldnt finishes our chances, but they were not 2-0 better than us, they were not that good at all but were doing us well on the counter. credit to them for that but overall we were MUCH better than them today. even the villa fans are saying it on their forums.
REWB- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 5436
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
Good performance 2nd half. But we couldn't be any worse. Saying that, not sure we deserved to be 2-0 at ht. Great finish from Bent though.
RVP 25 goals this season now, excellent. Great turn-around from us, Wenger did well at HT, evidently.
Decent ratings, think AOC should get 6.5.
Now we must focus on Bolton on Wednesday night.
RVP 25 goals this season now, excellent. Great turn-around from us, Wenger did well at HT, evidently.
Decent ratings, think AOC should get 6.5.
Now we must focus on Bolton on Wednesday night.
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
Wonder who will start on wednesday
Arshavin.... might come in ?
Sagna will defo start, Maybe Coquelin at left back with Verm n Kos in the middle
Arteta back in, but Rosicky is playing so good atm. Will be a shame but he is crap on the wings
Arshavin.... might come in ?
Sagna will defo start, Maybe Coquelin at left back with Verm n Kos in the middle
Arteta back in, but Rosicky is playing so good atm. Will be a shame but he is crap on the wings
RealGunner- Admin
- Club Supported :
Posts : 89517
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
Samuelj29060 wrote:Good performance 2nd half. But we couldn't be any worse. Saying that, not sure we deserved to be 2-0 at ht. Great finish from Bent though.
RVP 25 goals this season now, excellent. Great turn-around from us, Wenger did well at HT, evidently.
Decent ratings, think AOC should get 6.5.
Now we must focus on Bolton on Wednesday night.
wow i was just thinking this in my head, OX was great for me today. fantastic little passes and kept the ball flowing with his great technique, such an improvement to arshavin
REWB- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 5436
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
RealGunner wrote:Wonder who will start on wednesday
Arshavin.... might come in ?
Sagna will defo start, Maybe Coquelin at left back with Verm n Kos in the middle
Arteta back in, but Rosicky is playing so good atm. Will be a shame but he is crap on the wings
play park or henry instead of arshavin, he will simply bring the mood down around the team if he plays.
REWB- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 5436
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
after today, oxlade should never start from bench again
aleumdance- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 2943
Join date : 2011-12-11
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
aleumdance wrote:after today, oxlade should never start from bench again
agreed, official starter imo. but we shouldn't start him all the time. dont want to burn him out like wilshere.
REWB- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 5436
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
Chamberlain wasn't great this match he was above average plus we still need creativity. Van Persie is so isolated upfront.
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
aston villa reminded me of arsenal man, i knew they couldnt keep that lead i just knew it. lool
REWB- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 5436
Join date : 2011-06-05
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
Do you really wanna drop Walcott after this performance? How did Chamberlain become a starter when he didn't even have a great performance at all. He was just good enough, nothing special.
Walcott was great in second half, Ramsey too.
I hope they continue this second half form in the next games.
Walcott was great in second half, Ramsey too.
I hope they continue this second half form in the next games.
urbaNRoots- First of his name
- Club Supported :
Posts : 17224
Join date : 2011-08-11
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
Opinions always vary somewhat. I actually thought that walcott was lucky the ball was kicked at him bouncing off his shoulder into the goal or we would all be saying he did not do much. Ramsey seemed to run around the entire game chasing the ball and providing very little of anything.
6unner- First Team
- Club Supported :
Posts : 1428
Join date : 2011-06-06
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
My ratings:
Fabianski 6
Coquelin 5.5
Mertesacker 6
Koscielny 6.5
Vermaelen 6.5
Song 6.5
Ramsey 7
Rosicky 7.5
Walcott 7
Van Persie 7
Chamberlain 7
Fabianski 6
Coquelin 5.5
Mertesacker 6
Koscielny 6.5
Vermaelen 6.5
Song 6.5
Ramsey 7
Rosicky 7.5
Walcott 7
Van Persie 7
Chamberlain 7
Re: Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa: Second half comeback sees Arsenal through
Ohh RVP was a naughty boy with that elbow.
Abramovich- Fan Favorite
- Club Supported :
Posts : 6544
Join date : 2011-06-06
Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
Similar topics
» Arsenal vs Aston Villa [ FA Cup]
» Arsenal vs Aston Villa
» Arsenal Vs Aston Villa
» Aston Villa vs Arsenal PL 15/16
» Arsenal vs Aston Villa
» Arsenal vs Aston Villa
» Arsenal Vs Aston Villa
» Aston Villa vs Arsenal PL 15/16
» Arsenal vs Aston Villa
Page 1 of 2
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Today at 4:47 am by BarcaLearning
» The Official Real Madrid Matchday Thread 24 - 25
Yesterday at 10:44 pm by halamadrid2
» The Racism Thread
Yesterday at 10:41 pm by Arquitecto
» Serie A 2024/2025
Yesterday at 10:11 pm by Arquitecto
» Premier League 2024/25
Yesterday at 9:58 pm by The Madrid One
» Syria
Yesterday at 3:16 pm by Blue
» General Games Discussion
Mon Dec 09, 2024 10:32 pm by Lord Spencer
» The US Politics Thread
Mon Dec 09, 2024 6:26 pm by Myesyats
» The Official PlayStation 1 Gaming Threads
Mon Dec 09, 2024 4:01 pm by Lord Spencer
» Ruben Amorim Sack Watch
Mon Dec 09, 2024 10:27 am by Glory
» GL NBA fantasy 24-25
Mon Dec 09, 2024 9:58 am by Art Morte
» Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Sun Dec 08, 2024 10:04 pm by Arquitecto
» La Liga 2024/25
Sun Dec 08, 2024 6:52 pm by halamadrid2