I was about as happy as he was. (sportinglife.com)
Last week, Blackpool beat Wigan 4-0 to win their first top-flight league game since 1971. They were a Cinderella story all week leading up to their first ever voyage into the Emirates Stadium. A candidate for relegation from second-level football last year, they won their league to gain promotion, and shocked everyone with their grand first performance.
And today, they found out just how tough Premier League football really is. Wigan was a team in disarray, but even with a summer of transfer rumor -- Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona, new keepers and defenders, just to name a few -- Arsenal weren't comparable, and defeated Blackpool fairly easily by a final score of 6-0.
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First off, all the credit in the world to Blackpool's players and manager. They were put to the sword and unlike many teams in the Premiership, they played class football and didn't resort to chippy tackling and time-wasting. They continued to play their game, knowing full well that it probably wasn't going to get them any points. They didn't go for injuries, in short. Ian Holloway, Blackpool's manager, said after the game that "Arsenal are class, their manager is class, the way they play is class, and they gave us masterclass." Thanks, and the same to you.
Last week against Liverpool, Arsenal looked pretty lame, to be perfectly honest. Though possession was rampant, they had no finishing skill, and the defense (while better than expected) wasn't particularly strong. Today was quite the opposite. Goals were available almost at will, and Blackpool had only two real chances at goal with the backline nearly omnipresent.
Speaking of omnipresent, Theo Walcott was amazing. He was able to match his England international performance against Croatia a couple of years ago with a hat-trick, his first for Arsenal. He also earned the distinction of being the first Gunner to score this season, so good for him. His speed carved up the Tangerine defenses, and for once he had the passing ability and the finishing touch to match that. If he can consistently manage that combination, he can be deadly.
Andrey Arshavin came off with about half an hour left in the game for Robin van Persie, but he more than made up for the poor effort he put forth at Anfield last week. He had a goal on a penalty, as well as at least one assist. He also had a few near misses, including one stinging finish in the box that was saved spectacularly. There were rumors last week that Arshavin was hurt or tired from the preseason; if that was the case, it looks to have been mostly cleared up.
The defense has been the source of a lot of talk (including some new rumors from L'Equipe today), and with Laurent Koscielny out this week due to his (absurd) red card against Liverpool, I was even more worried than usual. However, the back line was quite good. Blackpool chances were limited, and the gang did a good job in the attacking half as well -- the 4th Gunner goal was a Diaby finish from a Sagna cross, after he'd run the length of the pitch with the ball. Especially good was Alex Song, who usually is a midfielder but filled in for Koscielny today. I still think we need at least one center-half signing for depth, but the personnel we have are good enough to move forward, I think.
I'll wrap up with this: I'm almost always impressed by the players Arsene Wenger manages to bring in for this club. Last week I was thrilled with Koscielny's play. This week, I was thoroughly impressed by Marouane Chamakh. He had a ton of chances in front of goal and was unable to convert most of them (including one late heartbreaker in front of a mostly open net). However, he was perpetually in the right places to make things happen, and though the finishing was lacking, that can be improved, hopefully. Two plays stuck out. First, obviously, was the goal that he did score. van Persie looped a corner kick into the box and Chamakh put his head on it forcefully for a score. This is the kind of play I hope to see often from him, especially as it's something that's been lacking from Arsenal strikers since I've been watching them. Secondly was the breakaway where Ian Evatt was forced to brink Chamakh down from behind, drawing a red card and the penalty shot that Arshavin buried to make it a 2-0 Arsenal lead. Placement and presence are crucial in football, and Chamakh had both down pat today.
The game at Anfield was worrying; today's washed most of those worries away. The common Gooner refrain from this summer will make a return: if we can get another center-half and a new goalkeeper, Arsenal can definitely challenge for the title.
Man of the match: Theo Walcott
Second star: Alex Song
Third star: Marouane Chamakh
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