We just got beat today by a team playing as hard and well as they can. Our goal was on a deflected free kick and we didn't work their keeper all that much; Cech was the busier of the two. Evertone earned the three points.
But with our talent, we really should have imposed ourselves on a team with a smaller squad that had a day less to prepare. I hate to keep picking on them, but once again, I thought our wingers were not pulling their weight. I don't know what Theo was trying to do, but obviously it wasn't working. This was a game he should have shone in. Instead, he and Ox failed to do their defensive jobs on the Toffees' first goal. Walcott may not have figured on Leighton Baines putting in a perfect ball with his right foot, but he shouldn't have been so free to line it up and send it in. Then, Coleman was untracked by AOC and became the extra man who got onto the cross, and did well with it. Maybe one of our center backs should have gotten under the ball better, but that does not excuse Ox for falling asleep. On the left, Ox made some decent dribbles, but seldom did anything with them. His whole time with us, he's held onto the ball a step or two too long and chances are lost.
The less said about Ozil's finishing, the better. Oog. He works hard, but he frequently looks annoyed or disgusted out there. He's desperate to play for a team that is going to win trophies, and it's sinking in that Arsenal is probably not that team. He and Alexis will be thinking about their next employers soon unless Wenger figures out how to get the most out of this team. That did not happen today. If we play like this in Manchester, we'll be back in fourth in no time. Heck, we may be there tomorrow.
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Roma won yesterday over Milan 1-0 in a game that showcased the worst and the best of Szczesny. First, he came flying out to try to take the ball off the feet of an attacker and missed badly, conceding a PK; then, he saved it impressively. He made several other first class saves in the game too. He still exudes calm and confidence out there, which I love. He didn't remonstrate with the referee; he just got between the sticks and concentrated on keeping the ball out of the net. I hope he comes back one day, but realize that's a long shot.
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Bayern Munich again, February 15. This time, we're the group winners so we play the second leg at the Emirates. Wenger has to want this trophy more than any other, seeing as he's never taken it. To be honest, I'd like us to win it just as much as I want us to win the league.
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