Some thoughts on the Everton, Napoli & City games

Apologies for the recent radio silence, but any of you unfortunate enough to work in sales at Christmas time will understand.

So the last 3 games haven't quite gone to plan then. The question is whether it is just a blip during a seven day period into which three tricky games were mushed or whether we should be more concerned - some would have you believe it's a four horseman type scenario; that our inevitable implosion has begun and that our title challenge is over, if we ever really were challengers that is. Personally, I'm a glass half-full kinda guy and I think we'll be just fine.

Arsenal 1 - 1 Everton

An ultimately fair but disappointing result against an excellent Everton side.  Almost won at the death by a sensational Giroud volley.

Positives:

• Despite being dominated for large periods of the game we did not often look like conceding and it took something a bit special to eventually break us down.
• Walcott came off the bench and provided an assist (with his head, unusually)
• Koscielny's defensive performance was truly outstanding and he negated the threat of the in-form Lukaku comfortably.

Negatives:

• Everton dominated possession, particularly in the first half and managed more shots.
• Having taken the lead late on, it was bitterly disappointing not to hang on for the three points. Perhaps Gibbs could have done more to close down Deulofeu but it was a wonderful strike.

Napoli 2 - 0 Arsenal

Positives:

• We've qualified from a very tough group; qualification from which was far from a certainty.
• Progression was more comfortable than the scoreline suggested - we never looked like losing by three goals.

Negatives:

• One more point would have secured us top spot in the group. Second spot got us drawn against the side that knocked us out last year; the all conquering European Champions, Bayern Munich. Were we a little more clinical we could have got that point in Napoli and we certainly should have taken a point at home against Dortmund but we went a bit unnecessarily gung-ho!
• We conceded two goals, albeit very good goals, for the first time since October.
• The extremely poor decision to send of Mikel Arteta means we will be missing his influence and protection in the first leg against Bayern Munich.

Manchester City 6 - 3 Arsenal

Ugh, that left a terrible taste in the mouth. Neutrals will point to the fact is was extremely entertaining. For us Gooners though it was a bit of a nightmare.

Positives:

• Almost everyone will lose here. Points would have been a bonus.
• Theo scored twice on his first start in 3 months, the second goal was a fine finish. He celebrated the first with a cradle celebration following the lovely news that his wife is expecting their first child. Let's hope baby Walcott is born into a world where Arsenal are champions and not this cretinous City team.
• Samir Nasri didn't score.

Negatives:

• The defensive performance was truly woeful. It was frightening how open we were and given City's outrageous home form it showed naivety. Perhaps if Flamini and Arteta were both in the side we would have been a bit more sensible but we weren't helped by countless individual errors and we were out-muscled and outmanoeuvred at every turn. We also completely failed to defend set-pieces. Given that we only conceded one goal in November, it was disappointing and surprising that our defending was such a fucking omnishambles.
• Koscielny went off injured - permacrock/dullard Michael Owen feared the worst but apparently the injury wasn't as bad as he feared.
• It was an absolutely outrageous performance from all three officials - I know it sounds like straw-clutching given the scoreline but Jaysus they were so very bad.  Four poor offside decisions, two poor penalty decisions and a terrible free-kick decision (in the build up to City's 4th). Of course our defensive performance was dire but the officials made the outcome inevitable when perhaps it wouldn't have been.
• Jack Wilshere. He has bags of ability but it was a terrible game for him, capped off by flipping off the City fan's for which today he has been charged by the FA. Yes they're insufferable ball-sacks but don't get yourself banned for making that point.  Leave it to us fans; we're more than capable.
• Our Big F***ing German had a big F***ing go at Mesut Özil for not thanking the travelling supporters. Mesut has since apologised on Facebook (possibly with Per looming over his keyboard).

So what now? Well it's time to bounce back - a rest and then a home game against a stuttering, beatable Chelsea. There is no better way to show it was just a blip and that we are bang in that title race than giving Mourinho's team a good seeing to.

And on another positive note, thank god for spurs! They've always been there to cheer us up in our times of need.  Here's spurs "players" Assou-Ekotto and Emmanuel Adebayor (remember him?) showing their bitter disappointment after their employers lost 5-0 at home to Liverpool yesterday.

Aaand now AVB has been sacked.  Total meltdown on the Death Star!