Underrated Giroud The Spark Against Southampton

Match Review: Arsenal 1 Southampton 0 - Premier League - 04.12.14

Southampton at home would normally be the sort of game you’d expect three points from comfortably every season. But football landscape has shifted dramatically since last year and while Arsenal have been toiling and struggling, Southampton have made a mockery of those who tipped them for relegation and have rocketed into the top four. Their incredible form has been such that there’s actually been talk of Champions League football at St Mary’s, even at the expense of Arsenal. So Wednesday night represented a crucial win for us against an excellent side and may go a little way to slowing the Southampton hype train.

Arsenal made one change from the weekend, with Chamberlain replacing Giroud and Welbeck shifting into the central striker role. The game was cagey, with Arsenal slow to move the ball and Southampton very quick to press and chances scarce for both sides. Danny Welbeck had a chance after being put through by Cazorla, but he skewed wide with his weaker foot and from a tight angle. At the other end, a beautiful bit of interplay between Pelle and Davis resulted in the former blazing a volley over when he really should have scored. To be honest, it was a pretty poor first half of football, but we would have gone in ahead had not Fraser Forster produced a brilliant save after Alderweireld flicked on a Cazorla free kick towards his own goal.

The second half was even more forgettable than the first, we had more of the ball, but most of what we did fizzled out in the face of a disciplined and determined Southampton team. They did start to drop off their pressing as the game wore on though and let us have the ball in our own half more. However, we couldn’t really build any momentum until Giroud was brought on in place of Chamberlain. The change was met with boos (yes boos!) from some of the home fans. I’m not entirely sure what reason you could have for booing the substitution, maybe it’s the same reason you unfurl anti-Wenger banners after away wins and your parents don’t love you. In any case, it pissed me off, especially as the substitution proved to be a catalyst for our late rally. We talk about deadwood players who take up space in the squad, but we’ve certainly got some toxic fans who contribute nothing but negativity and could really do with staying at home. I’m not saying there should be no questioning of the manager, but some things are just plain cretinous and the booing was a prime example.

Anyway, Giroud’s introduction provided something of a spark and we suddenly appeared to have something strangely resembling urgency. There was certainly more intent in our attack and Giroud’s strength and presence helped no end. He provides a target that Welbeck just isn’t at the moment and his movement is something that he doesn’t get enough credit. Within minutes of coming on, he made a diagonal run which allowed Cazorla to play a long raking pass into space for the Frenchman, but Forster saved Giroud’s volley. Not long after that he produced a lovely back heel to set up Welbeck for a shot and when that was saved he had his follow up shot blocked.

Despite Giroud’s positive impact though, it looked as if Southampton would be able to cling on for a draw. That was until Alderweireld limped off after the away side had already made all their subs and left them with ten men. With that they lost a presence in midfield and left Yoshida, who is at best a Championship defender, with much less protection. Giroud nearly exploited that, latching on to a beautiful cross from Podolski, who replaced Welbeck, but he saw his looping header somehow clawed away by Forster. The England keeper joins a long list of keepers who have had the game of their lives against Arsenal, but unfortunately for him it wasn’t enough and the late pressure told.

Cazorla found Chambers down the right, who controlled the ball beautifully, before hitting a low cross towards Giroud. The striker’s first touched looped the ball up and Fonte made a very poor attempt to defend it, as he ended up kicking it into his own hand. It should have been a penalty, but I’ll be kind and say the ref played advantage. Ramsey picked up the loose ball and drew three defenders to him before he managed to squeeze the ball back across goal and there was Alexis Sanchez to tuck the ball home. I think on the balance of play, we did enough to deserve a win, but it was harsh on Southampton who will look at the injury to Alderweireld as the turning point.

Three victories in a row is unusual territory for us this season. Inconsistency has been the only consistent thing about us, but three clean sheets and two gritty 1-0 wins have gone some way to steadying a ship that was listing alarmingly. Grit is something we’re going to need in spades at the weekend as the dreaded trip to Stoke looms. For us, it’s one of the more testing away trips on the schedule and it’s like a cup final for the Orcs. A win there would be a huge confidence boost ahead of the hectic Christmas fixtures. It’s important that we start building momentum too, as United and Liverpool are both starting to string results together as well. With City and Chelsea almost out of sight, we will have to focus on making sure of another season in the Champions League and Wednesday’s result was an important step towards that.

Teams

Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Martinez, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Ramsey, Alexis, Cazorla, Chamberlain (Giroud 65’), Welbeck (Podolski 81’)
Subs
Macey, Bellerin, Gibbs, Podolski, Giroud, Rosicky, Sanogo

Southampton (4-5-1)
Forster, Clyne, Alderweireld (Y), Fonte, Bertrand, Cork (Yoshida 29’), Wanyama (Y), Davis, Tadic (Mane 62’), Long (Mayuka 81’), Pelle
Subs
Davis, Yoshida, Gardos, Mane, Mayuka, Reed, Targett

Player Ratings

Martinez - 7/10 - Another solid performance and showed great confidence catching the ball
Chambers - 7/10 - Did very well against Tadic and was key to our late winner
Mertesacker - 7/10 - Looks so much more comfortable with Koscielny back with him
Koscielny - 7/10 - Did a brilliant job of nullifying Pelle, nipping in front and showing strength too
Monreal - 7/10 - I have to say, he’s an excellent player and showed it again on Wednesday
Flamini - 7/10 - Had a tough time against a very physical midfield, but did a good job
Ramsey - 6/10 - Despite the assist, it was another frustrating performance
Alexis - 7/10 - Actually had a pretty poor game, but popped up with another vital goal
Cazorla - 7/10 - His shooting is still atrocious, but he looks a lot happier in the middle
Chamberlain - 6/10 - Couldn’t get it going and was rightly substituted for Giroud
Welbeck - 6/10 - Struggled with the lack of service as Southampton choked our midfield
Subs
Giroud - 8/10 - Had a brilliant impact and looks hungry now he has competition
Podolski - N/A - Not on long but did a good job

http://twitter.com/sambangsdrums Tell us what you think! If you agree, or have a different view, please leave a comment in the comments section or why not write a response or your own article on YouWrite?

Think you know Arsenal? Test your Arsenal knowledge on our trivia page and see if you can beat the top score.

Don't forget to like us on Facebook, add us to your G+ circle and follow us on Twitter.