After the events of last season in the corresponding fixture, this was quite a damp squib in comparison( I'm talking about the result of course, the game had its fair share of fiery events!). We finished the game with 10 men yet again and Newcastle should by all means have been reduced to 10 men themselves but for the incompetence of referee Peter Walton. A point away from home on the opening day is not so bad but considering we are up against Liverpool and Man United up next, it seems we might have quite a slow start to the season. And an unsettled squad is clearly not helping matters.
The Match
It was a cagey affair, with both sides lacking creativity in attack. The back five was solid defensively, and apart from a couple of lapses by the full backs, we were quite assured. Koscielny had a very good match at centre back and he was the pick of the defenders from the game. Szczesny had very little to do throughout the match in terms of shot stopping, otherwise he did the sweeping up job pretty well.
Up front, we lacked penetration and we found it difficult to create chances, or even half chances. The fact that Newcastle were also determined to try not to concede made life difficult for us when going forward. The midfield did okay defensively but we really lacked the spark. Ramsey was anonymous most of the time and Rosicky was not creating enough. Arshavin produced some good runs but failed to find Gervinho twice while he was in good positions. Particularly, the second of one -when we were 2 against one- should have given us the lead but he picked out the defender instead. Van Persie also failed to latch on to a delicious ball over the top from Arshavin and he had little by way of chances. Gervinho looked lively each time he had the ball.
Towards the end, late in injury time, we could have snatched all three points when Djourou broke out after we successfully defended a corner but he fluffed his pass and the chance was gone.
Tactics:
i) Arshavin and Gervinho were constantly switching wings.
ii) Alex Song played more of a lone defensive midfield role.
iii) Zonal marking could be seen from set pieces, and it worked quite well for this match.
iv) Szczesny did the sweeping up job behind the defenders, and he did it fairly well.
Talking point:
Joey Barton is a thug. How he managed to stay on the pitch after the fracas is quite astonishing. How is manhandling an opponent justifiable? When Gervinho fell in the penalty area after getting clipped by Tiote(which by the way, should have been a penalty), the referee waved play on and what business did Barton have in dragging Gervinho up by the shirt. In fairness, Barton was the one who provoked Gervinho's reaction and Joey Barton should have been sent off, and probably kept locked inside bars.
The referee Peter Walton was unbelievably incompetent and the actions he took after the incident was bewildering to say the least. How can one justify him consulting with his assistants AFTER he had given out the punishment to the players? Being an experienced referee, he should have consulted his assistants first as his back was turned when the incident happened, rather than listen to the melodramatic acting by Newcastle players. A rather familiar felling of injustice again resurfaced. If the same thing that Barton did was done by an Arsenal player, I can bet he would have been sent off.
Fair play to the commentators and even Alan Shearer for calling a spade a spade and pointing out that Joey Barton deserved to get sent off. On the other hand, espnstar's Steve McMahon was vociferously defending the thug for his thuggery and playacting. I wonder if his reaction would have been the same if the same thing had happened to his beloved Liverpool.
Where we stand:
Lost in the melodrama of the altercation and the red card that followed was the stamp by Alex Song on... you guessed it!...Joey Barton. It was a stupid thing to do and it is very likely that he will get a retrospective ban for 2 to 3 matches. And with Gervinho also out for the next 3 games, Wilshere, Diaby, Cesc and Nasri still unfit to play, we are down to the bare bones at the very start of the season.
I'm praying for a miracle now but it doesn't look like happening, with Arsene Wenger refusing media claims about Juan Mata and Jadson. If/When both Cesc and Nasri depart this summer, we are really thin in midfield and we really need some backup for the creative midfield position. If yesterday's match is the midfield we're going to settle for this season then we can forget winning the title and focus on gaining 4th place, which we'll also struggle to achieve on the basis of yesterday's flat performance.
Up next:
Udinese! It's going to be difficult and we need to make the home advantage count, whie making sure not to concede. Robin is suspended for this and I hope Chamakh comes with his shooting and acoring boots! I'm hoping for a much improved performance and another clean sheet, with the usual wish of no injuries(and after last night's game, no suspensions!).
Till then, take care.
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