The Gunners recorded a well deserved victory over Welsh side Swansea, and have now closed down the gap between themselves and Chelsea by only two points.
Chelsea however do have a match in hand when they welcome West Ham United to Stamford Bridge in a London derby, in another London derby we will see Spurs battle it against Fulham in an attempt to maintain a seven point lead over their bitter rivals Arsenal.
But Arsenal will continue to fight on and will be hoping to take advantage if their London counterparts are to drop any points. Arsene Wenger hailed the attitude of his current crop and assured the fans that his side will continue fighting till the end of the season.
“We have shown as well that we are up for a fight and we will do that until the end of the season.” Said Arsene in a post-match conference.
Wenger made a statement by dropping both his first choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny,as well as his captain Thomas Vermaelen for the second consecutive game. Wenger has declared that no player in his side has an automatic place in the squad, but has assured both his young goalkeeper and his captain that they have a role to play in the squad.
However Wenger’s decisions did pay off and replacements Lukasz Fabianski and Laurent Koscielny both put up impressive displays, to ensure Arsenal emerged victorious at the Liberty Stadium.
The Arsenal stand in goalkeeper was rarely tested, with Swansea unable to register any shot on target. However his performance greatly highlighted the errors which his compatriot Szczęsny seems to make on a daily basis. Unlike Szczęsny, the 27 year old maintained his line and did not rush out of the goal uselessly. This has been one of Szczęsny’s greatest weaknesses, and is greatly exposed in set pieces as well as counter-attacks.
Laurent Koscielny also deputized brilliantly in place of Belgian international Thomas Vermaelen, the Frenchman continued his brilliant performance after a fantastic display in midweek against Bayern Munich. The centre back made some well timed tackles, however he was less effective in his attacking expeditions and made some forward runs losing possession in the process.
However the score line as well as the fact that Swansea failed to register any shot on target, despite a superior possession suggests that Koscielny as well as the entire defence line did remarkably well.
Another man who justified his position in the starting line up was Arsenal’s January recruit Nacho Monreal. The fullback recorded his first goal in an Arsenal shirt, and what a way to open up his account for the Gunners.
The Spanish international was a very unlikely candidate to score, but took his chance well and a deflected shot made its way past Michel Vorm to earn Arsenal a very important lead.
It was a day in which all of Arsene’s decisions paid off and all of his tactics were spot on. Wenger then introduced Aaron Ramsey and Gervinho in the 71st minute, with the duo being responsible for Arsenal’s second goal and sealing a very important win for the Gunners.
Arsene is generally known to be quite stubborn when it comes to sticking to his principles and his tactics, however recently he seems to have accepted some of his mistakes and has worked upon them. For Arsenal it would have been better, had the realisation come a bit earlier.
Nevertheless with Chelsea and Tottenham having difficult matches ahead, Arsene and Arsenal will have to be on their toes to not let any opportunity slip away.
Their success currently depends on the failure of their London counterparts, however if they continue working hard and produce similar displays like they did at the Liberty stadium, Arsenal can surely ensure a 17th consecutive top four finish under Arsene Wenger.
But Arsenal will continue to fight on and will be hoping to take advantage if their London counterparts are to drop any points. Arsene Wenger hailed the attitude of his current crop and assured the fans that his side will continue fighting till the end of the season.
“We have shown as well that we are up for a fight and we will do that until the end of the season.” Said Arsene in a post-match conference.
Wenger made a statement by dropping both his first choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny,as well as his captain Thomas Vermaelen for the second consecutive game. Wenger has declared that no player in his side has an automatic place in the squad, but has assured both his young goalkeeper and his captain that they have a role to play in the squad.
However Wenger’s decisions did pay off and replacements Lukasz Fabianski and Laurent Koscielny both put up impressive displays, to ensure Arsenal emerged victorious at the Liberty Stadium.
The Arsenal stand in goalkeeper was rarely tested, with Swansea unable to register any shot on target. However his performance greatly highlighted the errors which his compatriot Szczęsny seems to make on a daily basis. Unlike Szczęsny, the 27 year old maintained his line and did not rush out of the goal uselessly. This has been one of Szczęsny’s greatest weaknesses, and is greatly exposed in set pieces as well as counter-attacks.
Laurent Koscielny also deputized brilliantly in place of Belgian international Thomas Vermaelen, the Frenchman continued his brilliant performance after a fantastic display in midweek against Bayern Munich. The centre back made some well timed tackles, however he was less effective in his attacking expeditions and made some forward runs losing possession in the process.
However the score line as well as the fact that Swansea failed to register any shot on target, despite a superior possession suggests that Koscielny as well as the entire defence line did remarkably well.
Another man who justified his position in the starting line up was Arsenal’s January recruit Nacho Monreal. The fullback recorded his first goal in an Arsenal shirt, and what a way to open up his account for the Gunners.
The Spanish international was a very unlikely candidate to score, but took his chance well and a deflected shot made its way past Michel Vorm to earn Arsenal a very important lead.
It was a day in which all of Arsene’s decisions paid off and all of his tactics were spot on. Wenger then introduced Aaron Ramsey and Gervinho in the 71st minute, with the duo being responsible for Arsenal’s second goal and sealing a very important win for the Gunners.
Arsene is generally known to be quite stubborn when it comes to sticking to his principles and his tactics, however recently he seems to have accepted some of his mistakes and has worked upon them. For Arsenal it would have been better, had the realisation come a bit earlier.
Nevertheless with Chelsea and Tottenham having difficult matches ahead, Arsene and Arsenal will have to be on their toes to not let any opportunity slip away.
Their success currently depends on the failure of their London counterparts, however if they continue working hard and produce similar displays like they did at the Liberty stadium, Arsenal can surely ensure a 17th consecutive top four finish under Arsene Wenger.
