Arsenal 2 - Olympiacos 0: Lots of cooking, no taste.

In the Champions League, any win must be congratulated as you play opponents that have earned their national federation right to play abroad. For most of the game, Arsenal were the better side in an attacking sense, and by attacking relentlessly, they had little to defend. A taste of what may be enjoyed if all players remain fit, all the clubs premier technicians were on show bar Nasri, Fabregas-Rosicky-Diaby-Arshavin-Van Persie.

Inevitably, this led to lots of very good approach work, and against Nikopolidis who did a 'Mannone' saving everything, it took Arsenal 78mins to get past the Greeks. Whilst all the approach work was very good, where was the finishing? Do Arsenal require a finisher in the box still? Also the opposition were able to breach the lines a few times, why can't the team become more compact when an attack breaks down? This is something I keep seeing, the midfield not becoming compact and constricting the oppositions chances. Onwards and upwards then.


Player Ratings.

Mannone 5: Did his job when required.

Eboue 6: Good attacking.

Gallas 6: Very firm performance

Vermaelen 6: Very firm performance, no need for his all action style today.

Clichy 5: Can still improve yet in all departments.

Song-Billong 6: Never looked in trouble, infact got others out of trouble.

Fabregas 6: A bit like we are used to, although bad shooting, needs to mark better though.

Rosicky 5: Nice work, but fitness and not tracking back, hopefully once he has been fully rehabilitated he will get back to his Dortmund levels.

Arshavin 5: Still not getting into the matches enough for my liking. Nice goal though.

Diaby 5: The real Diaby never came out, the Diaby Arsenal need, the Diaby that can dominate a match with his technique. He is setting the bar very low for himself, what a shame for both player and the club.

Van Persie 6: Works hard, but Arsenal require a finisher in that role. Good for him to score as well though.


Trainer Rating.

Wenger 7. Deployed his resources where required, good tactical scheme, made changes when required, not many complaints when things go well. Maybe he may have to find a way to get Eduardo or Vela into the side as the team needs a striker that can finish all the creativity the side creates.

Green Light for Diaby.

Samir Nasri-injured, Denilson injured, Tomas Rosicky rehabilitating, the time has come for Abou Diaby to stand up and emerge as an Arsenal player. If there ever was a do or die moment for an Arsenal player, this is it. In a 3 man midfield, Fabregas and Song-Billong have laid their claims, and unless Diaby does something special, he will relinquish the last posting to Samir Nasri at the end of October when he returns.


As pointed out in my early season preview, Abou Diaby has the tools to cement a place in the Arsenal team, what he hasn't done yet is apply himself mentally to becoming an elite champion. He cannot become a holding player for Arsenal, but he has the abilities to act as buffer to teams passing and breaking at Arsenal through his technique. As for his assertiveness, he showed it against Portsmouth by scoring two powerful goals to compliment his good performance.

Also, in the French set up, he is a certainty to be called up on Saturday in the France matches against the Faroe Islands and Austria, and is a dark horse to start as Raymond Domenech looks to add more attacking ability in midfield and the word is that Toulalan will be 'rested' as he hasn't been on form for Lyon, partly because he has had to play in defence, but also to find a new solution to having two pure holding players.

The time for Diaby is now, I personally feel he can rise up and declare himself to the Arsenal fans. He has the ability, few players get called up for France just after playing two matches, Diaby has done that in one of the most fiercely competitive positions in the French team that has a long queue in midfield. If Abou realises that he must apply himself mentally to using his abilities, and to produce performances over 90mins and not just 5-15mins a game, then he will have solved a few of the problems that Arsenal face.

Fulham 0 - Arsenal 1: Mannone fights alone.

Oh well, 3 points is what matters they say, but another performance for me that was not convincing. We are coming accustomed to misplaced passes, especially in midfield, lack of cohesion in midfield as well. That Mannone was the stand out player for Arsenal today by far shows that the rest of the team never took responsibility and tried to make the result easier for the young stopper. Arsenal have to improve and control matches better.


Match Ratings:

Mannone 7: Did far too much work, and congratulations to him for not shirking responsibility. Now look to improve, 1 good game doesn't make a career.

Sagna 5: So/so, would be nice if he could come off the axis instead of always head down and cross.

Clichy 5: Better from the left back, although still commits himself too much, it will cause trouble if he doesn't change that.

Gallas 5: Needs to be more proactive, why is the goal keeper having to make so many saves?

Vermaelen 5: Same as Gallas, also at set pieces, if you are not tall enough and can't jump high enough, find a solution like putting the jumper off.

Song 5: Not dominant as at the start of the campaign, he needs to step up and be the master, otherwise the trainer is obliged to find a new player.

Diaby 3: he has immense talent, but without mental application to it, you get nowhere. The best keeper of the ball at Arsenal and for France, and he turns in performances like this. When you get dropped, don't make noises, you will deserve it.

Fabregas 4: Misplaced passes, not enough defensive work. A top player when he combines it all, he isn't at the moment. Also needs to guide others around him to elevate their levels.

Arshavin 1: Clearly unfit, so why play him? Get fit then play, Arsenal doesn't need passengers this season.

Van Persie 5: Still not convincing as a central striker, at least he has a goal to his name now. Shoot from range more often.

Bendtner 5: Maturing, always plays with guts. Now needs refinement, not sure he will get that on the flank.

Rosicky 4: Not much time to show his true worth.

Eboue 4: Same as Rosicky.

Manager Rating.

Wenger 4: Why start an unfit Arshavin? Why keep an ineffective Diaby on for so long? Why not make changes to ensure that not many shots are aimed at the goal keeper? You can't keep the team under pressure for so long. Also why play youngsters in the Carling Cup, and then not promote them to the league, and instead use unfit players like Arshavin, when will Wilshere start in that case? Ramsey plays well mid week, then is on the bench for Diaby? I hope you have taken note of under performers, and make changes accordingly on Tuesday.

Game to measure improvements: Rosicky to start.

A key to Arsenals hopes for domestic success will hinge on reversing negative results they incurred last season. Last season, Arsenal drew at Old Trafford, this season they lost, last season they lost at Eastlands, this year they repeated the result, last season they drew at Goddison Park, this year they won.

Next on the list is Fulham, the team that exposed what was to come during the season, beating Arsenal off a corner 1-0, in one of the worst displays of the campaign. Fulham are not playing as they were then, and Arsenal are in a better rhythm in this moment than they were last year, so the scope for a better result is there.

This match could examine how Arsenal will fare this term, Fulham are a team that have some ability, their defence and midfield synergy is impressive, in that they can defend deep and spring on the counter at the right moment. Arsenal will have to be brave and persistent to get the openings and also be compact in midfield to constrict the game in their favour. Another important aspect, post that game, the trainer Wenger admitted to the team not having the mental preparation and application to meet the challenge on the day, we saw this against Liege, a repeat and his team could face problems again. Walcott will be on the bench, Tomas Rosicky will make his full return to the starting line up as well.

Arsenal need to get 3 points from game, they need to reverse the negative results last year to gain the points they dropped so easily last season.

2 Wins, 1 disaster, 1 redemption

Post the double defeats in Manchester over the last 3 weeks, Arsenal went to Belgium, fell behind to 2-0 after 5 minutes against Standard Liege, played horribly, but managed to win 3-2, 1 good Bendtner goal, two other scrappy and questionable goals. A win is a win, but it is a glimpse of prospective poor performances this side is capable of. Not to be focussed from the first whistle is a sin on both the trainer and the players. Against stronger and more mindful opponents, there will be no way back.

I won't do match ratings for that match, as all of them were rotten.

Today, 4-0 win over Wigan, first clean sheet of the season, long may it continue.

Mannone 5, Sagna 5, Gallas 6, Vermaelen 7, Clichy 5, Song 4, Fabregas 5, Diaby 5, Eboue 5, Eduardo 5, Van Persie 4, Bendtner 5.

Paid back with Interest, 4-2 loss to Man City.

Some may have been happy with the sale of Adebayor, I for one was not, especially at £25m to the worlds richest club. The numbers do not lie, he scored 24% of the teams league goals in the last two seasons. Some may be angry at his celebration and provocation, but some Arsenal outlets were proud to say he was a cancer and we never needed him now that the goals were being shared around the team. The fact remains, unless you have players who can score every game, and in the tight games, you need a striker, Arsenal lacked that today. We should not have given Man City and Adebayor the platform to do what they did today.


As for the match, well, a very very very poor performance. With the squad already being stretched with injuries, we cannot employ the new 4-3-3 to the same effect if the primary players are not playing. The goals we conceded, well all collective mistakes. The first, why did the team allow a routine ball into the box, have they not learned that this is a weakness that time on the training ground will fix? Almunia was very casual as well, and put the ball in his own net, a big shame.


The second, a very lazy pass from the captain, and Clichy being over enthusiastic set the pieces in motion, there was complacency again collectively in not all going back to stop the impending danger, and another goal, very simple.


The third, Clichy went diving into a tackle, he never came out with the ball, then Gallas and Vermaelen never spotted Adebayor in acres of space, the dive by Almunia was in slow motion as well, another easy goal.


The fourth, Clichy over ran the ball, had it stolen, Man City jogged with the ball up the field on a counter attack, Rosicky who was fresh never tracked the dangerous runner, and Wright-Phillips chipped home. Where were the covering runners in midfield? See a pattern?


For these goals, were Arsenal undone by extraordinary skill or moves? No, basic elementary mistakes, lack of team work as well. Collectively they never fought back to show who was boss. To be a champion, you give your best to the end, and yet again, we already saw the players give up with 10mins to go. Fabregas should be the last one to give up hope, yet again he was the first. Collectively, if Arsenal do not defend as an entire unit, we will continue to leak goals, we are already on 8 goals against, not good at all.

Ratings.

Almunia 2: Very poor the the first, no authority over team mates, could have done something for the third and fourth strikes.

Sagna 3: Still crosses to nothing, until that changes, he should stay at the back and not come forward, it is simply losing possession with his crossing ability.

Clichy 2: Three goals have his fingerprints all over them. He needs to calm down and measure his game, you will never see Evra give up such incidents that lead to goals.

Gallas 3: Comes forward looking for goals, but as the last line of defence that ships 4 goals in one match, you can never be praised.

Vermaelen 3: His poorest display in an Arsenal shirt. Maybe the hammering by Spain last week is still in his system.

Song 3: On the counter, we were skinned, he needs to fall deeper if he knows he has no pace. Also beaten very easily by Richards for the second.

Fabregas 2: Poor pass that led to the second, not at the races. As a captain, we need him to fight to the 95th min, he looked like he gave up at the 80th min. Is the captaincy a burden too much for him?

Denilson 3: Not much to say, not visible, but not a disaster unlike others. Still plays with guts.

Diaby 2: He needs to bring his A-game, we saw glimpses of his undoubted ability, but he is not good enough to play well for 10 mins out of 95mins. He needs to play well for 95mins.

Bendtner 3: Played well over the internationals as a central striker, deployed on the flank for his club. Lots of effort, not much quality output.

Van Persie 3: Not involved, keeps smacking the woodwork. Not sure he can be the central striker the team needs to score goals.

Rosicky 2: Nice to see the talented player back, especially with a goal, but watch the second and fourth goals, he was fresh and never bust a gut to get there before the attacker. We need the whole package Tomas.