asajoseph
Established Member
A slow game - as I predicted before the match, Prague were a very ordinary side, but we also managed to stoop to their level, and play a very pedestrian, stop-start match.
Good to win, and we're all but through now - and that's the important thing - but the performance was very, very ordinary.
Jens - 6.5 - Caught flapping on a few crosses, though he was hardly helped out by his defence - one very good save from a Sparta header, but otherwise looked untroubled.
Sagna 7 - Another very tidy display from the new RB, and set up a good goal for Hleb with quick thinking in the last minute
Kolo - 6 - Tidy enough, and a couple of decent challenges, but we still looked vulnerable every time the ball was in our box
Gallas - 6 - A decent enough display, although hardly dealing with the most challenging attack we'll see all season. Like Kolo, was at fault for some questionable decision making in the box, but make a few nice challenges, and generally had a reasonable game.
Clichy - 6.5 - A few nice runs, but really struggled to establish himself in the match, apart from his brilliant assist for Cesc. Also caught out badly on a cross-ball which gave Sparta their chance that ended up hitting the post. Showed very quick thinking, and nice feet for his assist though - well done Gael.
Eboue - 2 - I don't even know why he gets 2 points, but at least he didn't get sent off, or score an own goal. He did absolutely nothing all match, and gave the ball away almost every time he received it - a truly awful display, and yet another wake-up call to Arsène, that this experiment in money-saving will not pay off - hopefully.
Cesc - 6.5 - Lost out in midfield too many times, but still showed some tidy ideas with his forward passing. A nicely taken finish, and maybe should / could have had another. Nice aggression too - I'll forgive anyone that leaves their foot in on Repka.
Flamini - 5.5 - Nice aggression, but caught out too many times at the back, and just doesn't offer the security of Gilberto. A few reasonably good moments, and good to see him getting stuck in - but his size, strength, and general lack of attacking threat is still limiting him.
Tomas 'Stamina' Rosicky - 5.5 - a few nice moments, and one clever pass to RVP that set up a decent half-chance, but otherwise contributed far too little tonight. No real direction in a lot of his forward play, and looked slightly out of touch with his passing. Predictably substituted, as he faded towards the end.
Alex Hleb - 6.5 - A nice, if slightly scuffed, finish towards the end puts a gloss on an otherwise fairly ordinary display, that left RVP isolated up front far too often. He played some nice passes, like Rosicky, but really failed to have much of an impact. Oh, and kudos for having a go at Repka...
Van Persie - 5.5 - Far too isolated for most of the match, though able to look at least a little threatening on the rare occasions he received the ball from the midfield around the box. Didn't have a lot of options, and was left stranded by the midfield too often.
Song - 4.5 - When Wenger randomly brings on defensive substitutes, without clear positional roles, they often cause more havoc than create stability, and such was the case with Song. Scary haircut and all, he hardly made us look more secure when he came on.
Overall, a poor performance, but still more than enough to beat an even worse Sparta side - good enough, but 'Must do better' is the order of the day. And I'm sure they will.
Good to win, and we're all but through now - and that's the important thing - but the performance was very, very ordinary.
Jens - 6.5 - Caught flapping on a few crosses, though he was hardly helped out by his defence - one very good save from a Sparta header, but otherwise looked untroubled.
Sagna 7 - Another very tidy display from the new RB, and set up a good goal for Hleb with quick thinking in the last minute
Kolo - 6 - Tidy enough, and a couple of decent challenges, but we still looked vulnerable every time the ball was in our box
Gallas - 6 - A decent enough display, although hardly dealing with the most challenging attack we'll see all season. Like Kolo, was at fault for some questionable decision making in the box, but make a few nice challenges, and generally had a reasonable game.
Clichy - 6.5 - A few nice runs, but really struggled to establish himself in the match, apart from his brilliant assist for Cesc. Also caught out badly on a cross-ball which gave Sparta their chance that ended up hitting the post. Showed very quick thinking, and nice feet for his assist though - well done Gael.
Eboue - 2 - I don't even know why he gets 2 points, but at least he didn't get sent off, or score an own goal. He did absolutely nothing all match, and gave the ball away almost every time he received it - a truly awful display, and yet another wake-up call to Arsène, that this experiment in money-saving will not pay off - hopefully.
Cesc - 6.5 - Lost out in midfield too many times, but still showed some tidy ideas with his forward passing. A nicely taken finish, and maybe should / could have had another. Nice aggression too - I'll forgive anyone that leaves their foot in on Repka.
Flamini - 5.5 - Nice aggression, but caught out too many times at the back, and just doesn't offer the security of Gilberto. A few reasonably good moments, and good to see him getting stuck in - but his size, strength, and general lack of attacking threat is still limiting him.
Tomas 'Stamina' Rosicky - 5.5 - a few nice moments, and one clever pass to RVP that set up a decent half-chance, but otherwise contributed far too little tonight. No real direction in a lot of his forward play, and looked slightly out of touch with his passing. Predictably substituted, as he faded towards the end.
Alex Hleb - 6.5 - A nice, if slightly scuffed, finish towards the end puts a gloss on an otherwise fairly ordinary display, that left RVP isolated up front far too often. He played some nice passes, like Rosicky, but really failed to have much of an impact. Oh, and kudos for having a go at Repka...
Van Persie - 5.5 - Far too isolated for most of the match, though able to look at least a little threatening on the rare occasions he received the ball from the midfield around the box. Didn't have a lot of options, and was left stranded by the midfield too often.
Song - 4.5 - When Wenger randomly brings on defensive substitutes, without clear positional roles, they often cause more havoc than create stability, and such was the case with Song. Scary haircut and all, he hardly made us look more secure when he came on.
Overall, a poor performance, but still more than enough to beat an even worse Sparta side - good enough, but 'Must do better' is the order of the day. And I'm sure they will.
ops:
for a change 
