ARSENAL VS WENGER - ANALYSIS

I'm so gutted it's difficult to write.

The game told same old story...

Total domination, squandered chances, concede a stupid, freak goal, panicked late substitutions, a sudden sense of urgency, our hearts stuck in our throats till the dying seconds. And...
Then it's ripped out through our gaping mouths as the final whistle is blown. And then to add insult to injury it's eaten 'raw' in front of us by Arsene Wenger.

Why won't he substitute before the 70th minute?

Is he relay that stubborn?

We're out of the FA Cup and our last saviour in terms of silverware this season is the Champions League. I bet the remaining teams are quaking in their boots.

The game:

The first half was very dull. We wasted more corners in the first half than I can count on two hands. We found it very hard to unlock their defense until the last 20 minutes when Arsene finally made some changes.

We looked solid at the back for the most part but Arsene's offensive selection was dire. Gervinho ran in to brick-walls everywhere he turned. As usual! He had the best chance of the game thread through for a one one in the 43rd but dragged it just wide. He should have at least hit the target. He should have scored.

Just before Arsene lined up the subs in the 70th minute Tomas Rosicky hit an absolute belter on a sweet turn just outside the box. The ball struck the crossbar with such ferocity it was almost as gratifying as a goal, until you realize the score-line didn't actually change and we are still loosing to BLACKBURN!!

70 mins: Chamberlain, Gervinho and Rozitsky off and Cazorla, Walcott and Wilshire come on.

Suddenly the game comes to life. It's almost as if every player on the pitch steps up their game. Which is what happened (the wrong end though!)
Minutes later Blackburn get a surprise break, the ball is struck at Szczesny who only manages to clear it to the edge of the box for Colin-Kazim-Richards to scuff the ball into the ground and loop it off the post and in to our goal. I think Vermaelen thought it was going wide which is why he made no attempt on it.

The next thirty minutes were spent surging, wave after wave. We came close but the ball never actually fell the way we wanted it.
Arteta had a last ditch attempt that ended up in the side netting. I think half the Emirates rose from their seats in pure hope but it just wasn't meant to be.

It's a sad day for Arsenal. It's time for a change.

ARSENAL PLAYER RATINGS:

Wojciech Szczesny - 4 - Had very little to do all game. Should have done better with the goal.

Nacho Monreal - 5 -  Looked up for it from the start. Delivered some decent crosses and some poor ones also, he pushed forward and attempted a few shots that came to nothing. Won't be long before he does score for us. A decent performance in a poor game. 

Thomas Vermaelen - 4 - Spent a lot of time complaining and when he actually had something to do. Should have done better on the far post for the goal, caught directly behind Szczesny when he should have been on the post.

Laurent Kosielny - 5- Looked comfortable until he was caught napping for the goal. Should have tracked the runner better. Glad he's back but wtf!

Abu Diaby - 5 - Didn't look too up for it today. Kept passing the ball anywhere but forward in the first half. Held the ball up well and had a great header saved in the 24th from a set piece. Came out of his shell a little in the second. Gave a decent performance when trying to penetrate but was all too late.

Francis Coquelin - 6.5 - I think he was probably the man of the match. looked very pacey with the ball. Was constantly trying to press forward. Some of his crosses were a little disappointing but wasn't for lack of effort. Troubled the defense all game, a definite positive for the future.

Mikel Arteta - 6- Stayed very deep until the end which he probably didn't need to do as we dominated so much. Almost scored but hit the side-netting.

Alex The Ox - 5 - Was all over the place in the first half (in both senses of the term). His running with the ball was good but final ball was very poor. Horrible crosses and corners but was constantly asking questions of Blackburn. If we didn't need him so badly I would say loan him for a bit.

Thomas Rosicky - 6 - Quiet in the beginning but livened up. His experience shone toward the final third but it wasn't enough. Had that great effort ping off the bar just before his substitution.

Olivier Giroud - 5.5 - Wasn't OG's game today. He worked hard but with little fruition. given the ammount of crosses and corners we produced today you would have though he would have troubled the keeper more. The problem was the delivery. 

Gervinho - 3 - Poor in an Arsenal shirt as usual. His runs caused no problems. I think he's the only person who gets intimidated by his jinking and erratic attempts. Was dispossessed on many occasions and just waste's chances for fun. Should have scored with only the keeper to beat but came closer to the photographer behind the post. Sell him or loan him because right now he's a lability!

Subs:

Jack Wilshire - 6.5 - Immediately made an impact when he finally came on late in the game. His clever balls were troubling the back line and given five more minutes you got the thought he would have pulled something out of the bag for us.

Santi Cazorla - 5.5 - looked quiet when he was first subbed but was orchestrating along with jack in the final 10 minutes. Too late in the game for our little Spaniard to make a difference though.

Theo Walcott - 6.5 - Caused immediate problems, running at the defense, making runs for the midfield to work with and forced a few fouls but again too late in the game. A rare header directly in to Kean's hands didn't trouble the keeper.