Match report – By the numbers – Player ratings – Video
It’s difficult to analyse a game as crazy as that in any coherent way so I’m going to go at it goal by goal. This could take a while!
1-0 (Walcott): The only player on our team who could have scored that goal. His run was fantastic, the pass from Podolski was perfect (unlike others which were more like cruise missiles), and the finish was pure Thierry. It was very much a showcase of the best of Theo’s qualities.
And without wishing to be churlish in any way, we saw the other side of him when he fluffed a good chance when clean through and after a brilliant break from a corner (best) his pass to play in Cazorla when we had an overlap was awful (worst). That Newcastle scored almost immediately made it quite frustrating, we could have been out of sight.
1-1 (Demba Ba): No arguing with the award of the free kick, you can definitely argue with Wilshere’s attempt to get out of the way of it. I love Jack but he’s no Olivier Giroud, a smack in the face won’t make that much difference to him. I think he’ll be braver next time.
2-1 (Oxlade-Chamberlain): Podolski won a good header from a Newcastle throw, Cazorla played it across the edge of the box for Oxlade-Chamberlain and his low shot fizzed into the bottom corner. He’s been threatening to do that for a couple of games now and his shooting from distance is going to be a real asset for us.
At this point we got another glimpse of bad Theo, with Podolski free on the left and Cazorla just inside him he went it alone and the attempt on goal was always going wide. Made more frustrating by the fact Newcastle scored almost straight away.
2-2 (Marveaux): Kieran Gibbs is getting some of the flack for this as the ball was tapped in at the back post from a position you’d expect the left back to cover. However, he was dragged into the centre, covering a free man, and Jack Wilshere really should have tried to get back to get in front of Marveaux, especially as he saw Gibbs go with the other man. Avoidable.
3-2 (Podolski): Jack then made up for it with a driving run into the box and a clipped cross which Coloccini could only head back across goal and Podolski was there to nut it home from close range.
3-3 (Demba Ba): This time there’s no defending Gibbs. He was aware that Ba was behind him, switched off for a second and the Newcastle man showed exactly why we should looking at triggering his release clause. Poor defending, great forward play and props to Marveaux for the pass with the outside of his foot which was sublime.
4-3 (Walcott): Like Wilshere before him, Gibbs made up for his error by creating the fourth. I thought he was very good going forward yesterday, Newcastle’s right back got a roasting all game long, and when Podolski missed the ball good Theo was there to take it, swivel and smash it into the top corner.
5-3 (Giroud): The Frenchman came on for Oxlade-Chamberlain and his cameo was superb. Walcott’s cross was brilliant – from the right, bent in perfectly for a centre-forward! eh? eh?! – and his diving header went between Krul’s legs.
6-3 (Giroud): His second came after good Theo ran with the ball, bad Theo lost it off his shins after a stumble, Giroud picked it up and spanked it home with his right foot. A quality finish with his wrong foot.
7-3 (Walcott): All good Theo this one. After a short free kick with Wilshere he took on two Newcastle players, breezed past them into the box, got fouled, should have been awarded a penalty, got up, and then dinked a quite beautiful finish past Krul for his hat-trick. Lovely.
And there was even time for us to score the long yearned for eighth goal but Giroud’s left footed effort came back off the bar from close range. It was a topsy-turvy, crazy game, the kind which we seem to be more and more involved in these days. Some of the scorelines from the last few seasons have been weird, this one was right up there, but it was enjoyable. How can scoring seven goals not be?
I think there are worries defensively, the ease with which we conceded the goals and the fact they seemed to always respond to us going ahead was a bit alarming. I also wonder how the game would have ended up if Newcastle hadn’t tired in the last 15-20 minutes. We certainly had fresher legs having not played in midweek and I think that made a difference, but that we were able to be so ruthless and take advantage of that is most definitely a positive.
It’s impossible to argue with most of what we did as an attacking force but better play in certain situations would have meant this was a game on which we took a stronger hold. That’s something we shouldn’t ignore, but seven goals are seven goals and when they go in against a team managed by The Creepy Uncle then it’s very enjoyable indeed. I thought Giroud’s goals were great and what can I say about Theo Walcott?
Before I start, I’ll just season these delicious words from yesterday. Om nom nom. Tasty. He scored a very good hat-trick, provided a fabulous assist for Giroud and credit to him for that. I’m a bit like Gunnerblog though, the performance is tempered by everything else that’s going on with him. Afterwards Arsene said that his desire to keep Walcott at the club is the same as it ever was. If he’d scored a hat-trick, or had one of ‘those’ games, he wants him to stay.
And I don’t doubt that. It’s all well and good singing ‘Sign him up’, but the club have been trying to do that for well over 18 months now. That he hasn’t signed is entirely down to Theo and more specifically his agent. What Arsenal offer is good enough for Jack Wilshere, it’s good enough for Lukas Podolski, good enough for Santi Cazorla, but it’s not good enough for Theo Walcott and I think it’s a real shame. I strongly believe he’s being badly advised, that the issue is money, and nothing more than that, and decisions are being made with pound signs in mind rather than his football career.
And unless there’s a change in the outlook from that side of things I think the outcome is inevitable and we all know what that is. Arsenal can offer more, and have offered more, but other interested parties have the benefit of deeper pockets and the fact that a Bosman signing-on fee paid over the course of a contract can bulk up a weekly wage considerably. If Theo really wanted to stay at Arsenal he wouldn’t be a poor man by any means. And here we are.
Anyway, if it’s a bitter-sweet end to a blog post then there’s not much we can do about it. I’d much rather that that bitter-bitter or bitter-philcollins, so it’s good to look on the bright side.
Next up Southampton on New Year’s day and hopefully we can make it 5 wins in a row. Till tomorrow.
