It was an interlull to forget. It seemed epically long but it’s over and for Arsenal that means getting back to their fight for a spot in the top 4 and Champion’s League Football. And they did it with style.
Drubbing hapless Reading seems to be something Arsenal have been good at this season scoring a whopping 16 goals agains them. In fairness, the match could have been worse, especially had Chris Foy called the world’s most blatant penalty ever. Regardless of that Arsenal had an abundance of chances and certainly looked like they hadn’t missed a step coming out of the Interlull.
Typically for Arsenal, the match after the Interlull is a lethargic affair often taking a good 60 minutes before Arsenal register a goal. But not this time. They came out and working collectively as a unit when on the attack and made Reading pay for it.
However, you’d forgive Arsenal supporters their nail biting antics given that we only went into the half with a 1-0 lead. And as we know at Arsenal 1-0 is not a scoreline we like too much. But the Gunners didn’t disappoint and in a moment of sheer brilliance Santi Cazorla slotted him an exquisite shot that curled ever so neatly in the corner away from the Reading keeper. It was one of those shots you want every kid who plays the game to watch. The technique of using the inside of the foot to caress the ball where you want it. Working with kids the way I do, I should just cut that video up and show my players every time before we do shooting drills.
Not to be outdone, Oliver Giroud had his own moment of class as he rifled home a text-book strikers goal. And again, the form and technique were pure beauty. Getting the pass nicely from Gervinho, Giroud outside on the left of the box on his own had the an unimpeded view of the goal. He struck a low and hard rifle shot well underneath the keepers grasp sealing the victory. Again, a shot that looks that simple is also one of the hardest to make. Think about how many times we’ve seen a shot like that go wide, over the bar or right into the keeper’s chest. Oliver Giroud is much maligned – unfairly in my opinion – because he is not delivering like RvP. He’s delivered 16 goals in all competitions in his first season. I’ll take it. He’s going to improve.
The game did lose some of it’s lustre as Reading were able to nip one back in their only real threat of the afternoon when a wonderful cross came in and was headed in. It was momentary lapse that was likely the affect of having a 3-0 lead with not much time left to play. However, the Reading opportunity was laid to rest when Mikel Arteta slotted home a PK, courtesy of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s workman effort to get in the box. On replay, it does look like Ox was outside the box on the foul, but let’s say Foy was making amends for his collosal blunder in the first half.
So with the win what’s it all mean? Well, it keeps Arsenal within a touch of the Champion’s League qualification. Only 4 points separate us from 3rd place. It’s not where we all REALLY want to be, but its where we have to be for now.
But rather than read it all here. I’ve take the time to line up some great guests to go over all of this for you in detail. First off, we have Arsenal.com’s very on Adrian Clarke. Adrian is the presenter for various pieces on Arsenal Player most notably “Breakdown” a concise review of the match and breaking down the key moments of the game. Adrian proves a great interview and the discussion was brilliant.
After Adrian, we take some time to chat with some of YAMA’s regularly featured writers – Billy Dunmore (@EducatedGooner) and Tom Marshall-Bailey (@TMB04). The free form discussion is long but well worth it as we dive in to all the post match points that need covering as well as where do we go in the summer. Tom and Billy write some very good pieces but their insights in this week’s podcast are noteworthy.
The podcast is long as usual. We’re sorry. We really do get caught up in the conversations and there never is a point where you say – oooo I better stop now. I’ve noticed some quirks in the final product – like volume in certain areas. If you catch anything, don’t hesitate to let me know – it will only make the podcast better.
Thank you again for taking the time to checking us out.
Until our next episode – Stay Goonerish!
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