Overall, Tuesday night was a pretty strange game.
This young Standard Liege side are only fourth in the Belgian league and have drawn seven games and lost two.
Arsenal were the better side and won 2-0 but it was all a bit unconvincing and fragile-looking. They were lucky when Liege hit the post twice. Even luckier in 39 when Gallas felled Goreux with a risky challenge in the box and no penalty was given.
Having now watched the whole 90 minutes, which took well over two hours with many pauses and replays, that was a weird, weird game. A raw, aggressive side, Liege gave Arsenal far too many uncomfortable moments. I’d have to agree with the frustrated Paul Merson, who said Arsenal could have lost.
Matchday 5 can be a bit odd, since teams have different agendas near the end of the Group Stage.
Yes, Arsenal’s slick passing dominated from the kick-off but nothing much happened for 15 minutes until Fabregas took a corner on the right. Arshavin’s header hit the keeper and rebounded to Vela, who hit the post, Gallas had a shot saved, and when that rebound went to Vermaelen, he smashed in a shot that was deflected wide of the goal by the head of Arshavin. The Austrian referee, Konrad Plautz, who had a poor game, gave a corner when he should have given a goal kick.
A clash of heads injured Gallas and Arshavin, who went off. Then Gallas came back on, and a 45-yard diagonal ball by Vermaelen was miskicked by left back Mulemo, who slipped, and the ball broke for Nasri to produce a very classy finish for 1-0 in 36. Nasri hit the ball as it bounced for the second time.
Route 1 often works when 16 passes don’t, so Gallas and Vermaelen should look for that long ball. Not too often, so it becomes predictable.
Immediately, a tight game opened up and we saw some exciting moves and near-misses.
Before that, Arsenal had penned Liege inside their 40-yard line so much that the Arsenal players who had the ball most often were Eboue and Song in attacking roles. Those two don’t create chances. When Nasri found Arshavin’s diagonal run, the Russian’s shot fizzed just wide. Then Arshavin played in Fabregas but his low shot beat the post.
Then Denilson made it 2-0 with a 35-yard shot which the Turkish Under 21 keeper Bolat should have saved. He panicked and dived past the ball.
In 92 minutes, with a hard-fought 2-0 win in the bag, Kieran Gibbs had a shot and his follow-through took him painfully into a wild challenge by Mangala, who had already been booked. Gibbs’s left foot kicked Mangala’s studs and he broke his big toe. Gibbs is expected to be out for three months and that is a huge blow.
As I hoped, Wenger picked Carlos Vela, not Eduardo. Who will get the nod against Chelsea?
Could it be Vela? Did he do enough here? Which players will Vela link well with? Who can he get the ball from? Where will he get the ball? How many shots can he have? When are we going to find out if he is good enough?
Carlos Vela has been waiting for a chance all year and now opportunity knocks. RVP is injured and this is his chance.Vela should start against Chelsea. He might score a cheeky goal. If that happened, it might make his Arsenal career. It’s about time his Arsenal career took off.
Seriously, how long can anybody be a promising young striker? If Vela was any good, shouldn’t he be in the team by now? He might score or make a goal and blossom. If he makes it, fine. He might link with Fabregas, with Arshavin. He might build on what he did on Tuesday night. He needs a run of games to show what he can do – or not do. He might be able to combine cleverly with Arshavin or he might get on the end of a 50-yard pass and do something.
Van Persie’s injury now highlights a problem that’s hardly ever discussed. Wenger is supposed to be a developmental manager but how can Carlos Vela develop if he only gets one start every 12 games? Either he’s good enough or he isn’t. If Vela’s not good enough, what the hell is he doing at Arsenal?
The Mexican may be sold to a Spanish club in the summer. But how does that help a team that desperately wants to compete for trophies now?