Arsenal seal victory over gallant Greeks

Tonight was an important match. We had to bounce back form the very disapointing result at the weekend, and we had to show we were not the frail Arsenal of old, but a side that was strong enough to mount a challenge for the title.

I suppose you cant really say we were that impressive, but in these Champions League fixtures, it is all about the result. Getting three points on the board is a massive plus, and puts us in a very comfortable position.

Truth be told, we were slightly sluggish in the first half. Bould afterwards explained that we had taken a lot out of ourselves at the weekend, and that somewhat explains the lacklustre display. The man covering for the banned Arsene Wenger said: "We kicked the game off not too badly, but then we looked a little nervous, maybe the result from the weekend drained us a little bit."

Yet that shouldn't take anything away from the Greek champions. Despite their awful record in Europe, and especially in England, Olympiacos gave an excellent account of themselves. They were very well organised in defence, under the stewardship of new manager Leonardo Jardim, and despite not having at least 5 key members of their first team they matched Arsenal in almost every department. They also retained possession well and were "technically very sound" as Bould said in his post match interview.

Up front, instead of the dynamic freescoring Djebbour, they had an equally exciting forward in Mitroglou. He made some great runs and scored a brilliant headed goal, and just generally he caused the Arsenal defence a lot of problems.

Their midfield was also great at closing the team down and smothering our midfielders, especially Cazorla. This was recognised by Bould who said "Santi  couldn't get on the ball in the first half and we tried to correct that at half-time, and I thought we improved."

Vermaelen and Koscielny were reunited, in an unexpected twist following their poor performance together on Saturday. But with Mertesacker out with an illness, they may be in line to start this weekend. Together they were yet again in unimpressive. Koscielny was arguably luck to stay on the pitch, after a dodgy challenge early on, whilst Vermaelen carried on his usual form of giving away free kicks on the edge of the box. They were also very sloppy in possession, along with Mannone and the main threat to the Arsenal goal came from defensive mistakes.

Yet in the second half the defence was much stronger, and easily held off a late charge from the Greek side. Hopefully they can continue that second half form if they are to play against the Hammer on Saturday.

In midfield, Ramsey was not selected, but Coquelin partnered Arteta and together they generally coped well in a packed midfield, and shielded the defence well. However they were at time susceptible for giving the ball away in dangerous areas.

Cazorla was his enthusiastic self and was at the centre of Arsenal attacks, but it was Gervinho who was the main man. The Ivorian is a slight enigma, due to his unpredictability. Nobody knows what he is about to do next, probably least of all him, and he can really cause opposition defences problems. He scored a decent goal in the end of the first half and earned an assist for Podolski's finish. Afterwards the skipper discussed his upturn in form, saying "He's doing great. For me he had a great pre-season as well. In the matches he is scoring a lot of goals. He's quick and he's quite busy, so I'm happy for him."

As we started to control the match in the second half, we could quickly slice through the defence, but the second goal was again slightly fortunate. Gervinho played a one-two off an Olympiacos defender in the box, before passing to Podolski who turned well and played it through a defenders legs and off the keeper into the goal. It was a powerful strike from the German, but the 'keeper should definitely have done better and it is easy to see why Roy Carroll has started in every league game so far from them.

It was good for Podolski to grab a goal, as his performances in the City and Chelsea games were not at the standard that he had set himself. In those games he cut himself an isolated figure, and struggled to get into the games and truly dominate, which resulted in him being substituted. Tonight he grabbed a goal, which will give him a great confidence boost to take into the game on Saturday.

In the second half, we started to keep the ball more successfully, which is absolutely vital in European games, and finished the match with 57% possession. However it was no plain sailing. The Greeks made a lot of attacking substitutions and we did drop quite deep for the last ten minutes, in a similar situation to last year where managed to hang on for the 2-1 victory.

This year though, in the 94th minute Mannone's goal-kick was flicked on by substitute Giroud to fellow sub Aaron Ramsey who charged into the box and finished beautifully, chipping the ball over the keeper into the net. A goal Giroud would have loved.

Onto the Frenchman who would probably have been disappointed not to start the game. When he did come on eventually,he did threaten the Greek defence. He got his assist and was overall unlucky yo get on the score-sheet after a shot was blocked. For me, he needs a run of games to get into form and then the goals will come. Whilst there are comparisons to Chamakh, he has much better movement than the Moroccan and hopefully his finishing can come back to him.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him start the game at the weekend, to help with the aerial threat that will undoubtedly arise form any Sam Allardyce side. Yet given the form of Gervinho, Wenger will have a choice to make there.

To conclude we are in an excellent position after two matches. In his post-match interview, Vermaelen said "I think it gives us a lot of confidence, six out of six and that's really important," which excellently sums it up. Schalke and Montpellier shared the spoils tonight in the other clash, so we are comfortably in first place ahead of the double header against the Germans.

We have to take the positives from this game, which were mainly in the second half, and use them in Saturday's fixture against an impressive West Ham side. We need to put together an unbeaten run now and start putting three points on the board. I feel that in October, with us facing West Ham (a) Norwich (a) Schalke^ (h) QPR (h) and Reading* (a), that we can win every game and probably should expect to win every fixture this month if we want to challenge for the title.

Let's start with 3 points on Saturday though!

^ Champions League Fixture
* Capital One Cup Fixture

Scouting Report: The Olympiacos Threat

So what to expect from our rivals tonight? Well compared to many teams across Europe we are probably best inclined to know about Olympiacos. This is the third time we have been in the group stage of the Champions League with them in recent years, with the home side prevailing on each occasion.

Wenger has stressed the importance of home form in the Champions League, saying:

“The Champions League is simple - you need one away win and three home wins. We have done the first part of the job, now the second part is to be strong at home. It is only a big advantage to have an away win if you are efficient at home. That is what is at stake for us." 

Arsenal have certainly showed that consistency since their move to the Emirates. The Gunners have only suffered 1 defeat in 38 home games in the Champions League, and that was the 2009 semi final defeat against Manchester United the eventual winners.

Coupled with the scintillating Arsenal home form, Olympiacos are known for being poor travellers and have only won three of their 56 away Champions League matches. They also have a wretched record in England, losing all 10 European away games here. Yet they certainly cannot be underestimated.

Despite making a poor start to the group, with a 1-0 defeat at home to Schalke, Olympiacos have European pedigree and experience and will relish the chance to get some points on the board. Arsene Wenger illustrated the fact that they should not be underestimated, saying that "They are highly motivated to know they have to give everything to make it through, [they] are already in a position where their backs are to the wall because they have lost at home and in this Champions League when you lose at home it is very difficult,"

But what threat do the Greek Champions pose?

Well after winning their 39th League title, the Greek champions split with their coach, and sold some of their star players - most notably Kevin Mirallas to Everton. But Valverde's replacement, the ex-Braga manager Leonardo Jardim is a talented manager and has a 100% record in the league so far, with Olympiacos storming to the top of the league after 5 victories.

At Braga Leonardo Jardim worker wonders, challenging the trinity of Porto, and the Lisbon based clubs Benfica and Sporting for the European places. He even claimed a club record 15 win streak in the process. The Portugese manager, Jardim, sets his side up in an attacking 4231 formation with experienced defensive minded midfielders in the 2 covering for forward thinking fullbacks. 

The key danger man is definitely the Algerian Rafik Djebbour, who has notched up 25 goals in only 35 appearances since joining Olympiacos in 2011. The 6ft 1in frame gives Djebbour a powerful physique which he combines with his pace to case a major threat to teams. He likes to drift out from the centre of the pitch, and makes clever runs in-between defenders. On his day his finishing is electric from any angle, and Arsenal's defence will face a stern test from the French born Algerian.

The Mirallas replacements are another Algerian Abdoum, who is a direct winger and Paulo Machado who signed for 2.7 million euros, and looks to cut in from the left and uses his pace and dribbling skills. Representing their main threats to our side, it will be key for Gibbs and Jenkinson to concentrate and be supported by midfielders around them so as to be left left isolated. But given how well the coped with Hazard and Mata last weekend, and Silva and Aguero the weekend before, I'm sure they'll be up for the test.

In midfield, the 35 years old Argentine playmaker Ariel Ibagaza has been defying his age and producing some stunning performances in recent years, winning two title in Greece. He is technically very gifted and got an assist at the Emirates last year, so we should know his threat. He will be key for Olympiacos getting any result, as he will try and help them keep the ball and use their possession well.

A recognisable figure should be Roy Carroll, the ex-United goalkeeper, who has started every league game so far. He has had many games against Arsenal, and has forged a successful career for himself since leaving United.

In terms of our players, Cazorla will be monitored closely by the two holding midfielders, in particularly Frenchman Modesto, but he should be able to still find space and opportunities to create chances, whilst Podolski and the other wide players will certainly be keen on exploiting the gaps left behind by the attacking full backs. Up front, it seems Giroud will get a chance to start and will be relishing the chance to face the Olympiacos centre-backs. Overall they provide no great test, with a solid partnership yet to be found by the new manager. Siovas, Papazoglou and Manolas are hardly established players in Europe, and Arsenal should have more than enough to trouble the defence.

With Arteta facing a late fitness test, it remains to be seen whether he will feature, and Coquelin may get his chance in the starting eleven. Without our experienced Spaniard carrying out his defensive duties, Coquelin and the midfield around him will have to focus on runs from deep, which play a key part of Olympiacos' game.

Overall, Olympiacos will pose a threat to our defence through their tricky forwards, and the confidence gained from their domestic form. But, at the Emirates, and with a strong expected line-up, Arsenal should be able to prevail by a couple of goals.

Olympiacos Preview - Time to bounce back

Great teams all suffer defeat, and what separates them from average teams is the way they react to those defeats.

The Chelsea game hurt, and I guess I'm not the only one who's been pretty down since we slumped to our first defeat of the season on Saturday. And whilst its easy to sit in confinement replaying Giroud's late miss over and over again in our minds, and just generally feeling sorry for ourselves, it would probably be better for us to move on.

The good thing about this stage of the season is that the games do come thick and fast, so there is definitely an opportunity to immediately bounce back, and coincidentally put ourselves in a very promising position to qualify from our group. Olympiacos are notorious for their lack of success on their travels, and we should definitely expect three points form tonight's game. Arsene has reiterated the squads desire " to put things right." and also the fact that winning your home fixtures in the Champions League is absolutely vital “The Champions League is simple - you need one away win and three home wins. We have done the first part of the job, now the second part is to be strong at home."

Whilst it would be nice to bring in a number of fresh faces, we should undoubtedly try an start as good a team as possible, and the expected  line up is this: Mannone Jenkinson Mertesacker Vermaelen Gibbs Ramsey Coquelin Cazorla Gervinho Podolski Giroud.


Starting at the back, Szczesny remains out injured, so Mannone will yet again deputise in goal. Whilst in defence, it seems certain that Mertesacker will be back in the first team, after missing the Chelsea game as part of a tactical gamble. A gamble that sadly for Wenger did not pay off. Mertesacker seems an integral cog in our defence this season, giving a calming presence to the rest of the team. Koscielny was poor on Saturday and has taken much of the blame for the defeat, but we must remember he was our best defender last season and is still a quality player. But right now he will have to earn his place due to the form and partnership of our other defenders.

In midfield we are encountering something of a slight crisis. Arteta is suffering from a slight niggle, and will probably be rested, and Diaby suffered yet another injury at the Weekend, adding to his perennial injury problems, and will be out for a couple of weeks. Yet waiting in the wings are more than adequate replacements. Ramsey is really starting to show some great form that he hasn't seen since before that trip to Stoke, and deserves the chance to start next to Cazorla in the central of midfield. This will certainly take away some of the creative burden which has evidently weighed heavily on his shoulders in matches last season, where he was seen as the man who was picking up the mantle from Cesc, which is too much expectation for someone so young, and in his first full season since returning from a career threatening injury. 

The Diaby injury has been heavily analysed, with the evident lack of a replacement with his physical capabilities. Possibly contributing to the two goals lost from set pieces at the weekend. Yet the Frenchman's injury certainly gives his fellow countryman Coquelin a great chance to step into the first team frame.

Up front, whilst Arshavin has been included in the first team squad he is still quite a way off the first team, which highlights the quality we have in attacking positions. Giroud is crying out for a start and an important goal which can properly kick start his Arsenal career. Speaking of his £12 million signing Wenger described how low in confidence he truly is: "He is upset. I told him not to worry but you can say what you want. A striker who doesn't score, doesn't really listen to you. They run it through their minds over and over again."

A goal and a good performance will certainly help Giroud, and Arsenal. After-all we need a proper striker this season, Gervinho may be able to do a shift in some games but ideally we need someone better. Giroud has shown that he has the movement to become a top forward, but he needs to back that up with ruthless finishing, and goals.



A good performance will probably benefit Podolski as well, who made an extremely impressive start to his Arsenal career against Liverpool, Southampton and Montpellier, but in recent games against City and Chelsea has failed to take charge of the game and found himself substituted. Tonight if he can bag a few goals or assists will help maintain his overall positive start to his career.

Fellow German Serge Gnabry has also found hiself involved in the first team squad, and whilst I doubt he'll be able to get much involvement in terms of playing time, the whole atmosphere of a big Champions League game will certainly be something for the young German to savour. He has real talent and is expected to feature for the first team at some stage this year.

Lastly, It in interesting to note that today's clash comes almost exactly a year on from our last game with Olympiacos at the Emirates. Last year Santos and Chamberlain put in impressive games for us, both scoring their first Arsenal goal and European goal respectively. That game came third in a run of 14 games where we only lost once, winning eleven times. If we can put a run like that together following tonight's game we will be in a great position to properly mount a challenge for the league.

Here's to the three points!