While I don’t want to take anything away from what was a very good team performance yesterday, there can be no getting away from the fact that one man made a real difference to the result.
Cesc Fabregas was introduced in the 56th minute, scored two goals, practically dismantled what had previously been a very well organised Villa side, then went off in the 84th minute with what looks like a recurrence of his hamstring injury.
The first goal was a peach of a free kick, curled over the Villa wall and into the back of the net with Friedel nowhere near it. Cesc was the player fouled for the free kick too as he drove towards the Villa area. It’s easy to say goals change games but this did. Villa were so aware of the damage he could do to them that they lost their positional discipline. It was funny to see him get the ball in the centre circle at one stage and three Villa players hurtle towards him. Of course this leaves other players open and available and it allowed us control the game more.
The second goal came when Milner gave the ball away carelessly. From inside our half it was played to Theo Walcott who took it on, played the perfect pass into Cesc’s path and he finished brilliantly at the near post. It was an eye-catching goal. Cesc’s pace was surprising as he stayed ahead of the Villa player but it was all about his desire and sheer will to score the goal. To make that run from deep and get on the end of the pass was inspirational. That is how he leads as captain and I’ve said before that if other players in the side had the same kind of determination at times we’d be a better team for it.
Sadly that was when he picked up his hamstring injury and was replaced by Aaron Ramsey. Obviously we’ve got to keep fingers crossed it’s not too bad but his work was done. One of the most effective cameos you will ever see in a game of football and the work of a man who is now a match winner. A player who scares the opposition just by being on the pitch and who is capable of creating or scoring goals that really count.
Villa have been excellent recently, they’ve scored in every single game this season bar the opening day of the season, they defend well and work very hard, and Cesc came on and tore them a new one. We knew it was a risk to involve him and it’s certainly possible we’d have won the game without him, but his introduction made sure. And it was the kind of game where three points was worth a bit of a gamble. It gets us closer to the leaders and adds a bit of a cushion from those following us. The upcoming fixtures aren’t the most pressing we’ll ever have so fingers crossed he can get back before things start to heat up again.
There’s no question though that the captain really is the heartbeat of the team. We’ve got plenty of effective pacemakers but he is the most important player at the club. Twelve goals this season is a great return from midfield too and adding that weapon to his creative arsenal, if you will, is what will make him a truly great player. I’ve said it time and time again on this blog, we’ve got a once in a lifetime talent in Cesc Fabregas, and we need to ensure he’s got the right players around him so he can fulfill his potential and spend a lot of time with his arms in the air holding trophies over his head.
The third goal came from the impressive Abou Diaby who followed up his Hull performance with another excellent display. High energy is not a phrase you’d usually use to describe him but it fits for yesterday. He worked hard defensively, tried his best to move us forward and he deserved the goal which was excellently taken.
The result was made more impressive by the fact Arshavin had one of those games where he barely had a kick and Eduardo still looks very short of confidence. He should have opened the scoring in the 1st minute when Diaby’s good work saw him one on one with the keeper. His shot was hurried and tame, a far cry from the clinical Eduardo who would surely have slid that home without even thinking about it. He got 60 minutes under his belt again though so we’ll just have to hope he can pick himself up and get scoring again. I’d certainly start him against Portsmouth.
Alex Song is worth a mention as well. It’s amazing the difference 12 months can make in a footballer’s career and I’m sincerely hoping that Cameroon get knocked out of the ACN as soon as possible. We don’t have anyone at the club who can play that role, particularly as Denilson looks to have done his back in again. He was very impressive yesterday and provides the strength in midfield which allows Cesc to flourish.
Overall though a very welcome result, not one many of us had envisaged perhaps, but one which will certainly instill a belief in the team. On Sky afterwards that hairy handed buffoon Richard Keys talked about the result as being crucial for our fight for fourth place, ignoring the fact that if we win our game in hand we’re just a point behind Chelsea. Make no mistake, we’re right in this title race. There’s still a long way to go and a lot of football to be played but after being so completely written off just a few weeks ago you have to give huge credit to the lads for hauling themselves back into it. We’ve got a couple of days rest now before we travel to the south coast for a game against a team who are fighting for their lives. From a top of the table battle to bottom of the table scrapping there’s always a challenge in this league. More on that in the days ahead.
You can read Arsene’s reaction here as well as Thomas Vermaelen’s here. What is interesting is the manager talking about the transfer window. He’s obviously worried about Denilson’s back, Song is off to the ACN and Cesc has his hamstring trouble, so the possibility of signing a midfielder as well as a striker has emerged. Arsene says:
We will keep our eyes open and if a good opportunity turns up [striker] we will do it. I will have to look maybe as well at midfielders.
If we lose Denilson and Fabregas we will be short there.
So, we might have an interesting January on our hands. And without wanting to sound alarmist I think we’d probably be wise to look at a centre-half in January. Gallas and Vermaelen have played every game in the Premier League this season. It’s a lot to expect, and a lot to ask, that they both stay fit for the whole campaign. At the moment our only back up is Sylvester and we saw a disconsolate Senderos sitting behind the bench yesterday. The manager clearly doesn’t want to play him and it is an area I think we need to strengthen.
Anyway, that’s a discussion for another day. For now we can just enjoy the fact we’ve beaten a very good side in a very important game and leave it at that.
Some days football is just the best thing ever.
