Yesterday’s breakfast time kick-off FA Cup tie at the Grove against Huddersfield Town was yet another case of any landing you walk away from. As I consider any hour before midday on the weekend to be breakfast time, I was barely awake when I took my perch.
Unfortunately the injury curse has hit us yet again with Samir Nasri having to come off with a hamstring problem. Shortly after Samir Nasri hobbled off just after the half hour, Sébastien Squillaci got himself sent off just before half time. The right decision in my view. Some Gooners have claimed that he wasn’t the last man, but if you don’t commit soppy fouls as he did you’re not in any danger of being dismissed. Squillaci will be suspended for tomorrow night’s visit of Everton to the Grove in the Premier League. Denilson also pulled up lame towards the end of the game but had to stay on as we’d used our three substitutes and couldn’t afford to go down to nine men.
You couldn’t really begrudge the Terriers their equaliser. They deserved it for all their hard work. We finally managed to sneak the tie with a penalty from Cesc Fàbregas – who had come on a quarter of an hour earlier for Abou Diaby – after Nicklas Bendtner had gone down (a little too easily for my taste) in the box with eight minutes to go. Until then the tie appeared to be heading for a replay. Thankfully we were in the draw and came out away to Leyton Orient. Given we’ve had two consecutive home ties in the FA Cup this season we can hardly complain about being drawn away. On paper we should be favourites to go through. The game will however be played on grass, not paper. I’ve no doubt Brisbane Road will be rammed to the rafters.
I’ve seen us play Orient twice in the FA Cup, once in 1972 in the sixth round at Brisbane Road when Alan Ball won it for us with a scuffed goal shortly after half-time; and in the 1978 semi-final at Stamford Bridge when we tonked them 3-0 courtesy of a Malcolm Macdonald hat-trick. How he had the front to claim the last goal as his, an outrageous deflection I’ll never know. Typical centre-forward I suppose. I’ll settle for one goal more than they get in three weeks time.
We need to put that right out of our minds now though and concentrate on the League once again. As we were beating Ipswich in the Carling Cup semi-final last week it appeared for a good while that Blackpool might do us a right favour against Yoonited in the League. They were 2-0 up at half-time. Unfortunately United – as they so often do – came back to win 3-2. We need to win tomorrow night to keep the pressure on them at the top.
I continue to worry about our defending. Sébastien Squillaci can look very shaky, Laurent Koscielny has done better but has still made mistakes. Johan Djourou has been the best of our central defenders by some distance this season for me in the absence almost all season of Thomas Vermaelen. Let’s hope he’s back on schedule sometime in March.
We also continue to lose shape and discipline when defending too often. That has to be addressed. I also continue to be concerned about the quality and consistency of our goalkeeping, although Manuel Almunia did make one excellent save yesterday. Credit where credit is due. Wojciech Szczęsny has done more than enough to claim top spot, despite having one flap against Ipswich in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg. Łukasz Fabiański I’d let go I have to say. Likewise Manuel Almunia. I don’t think Fabiański nor Almunia have the consistency needed. Both are too error prone. The jury is still out on Vito Mannone, who has put in some good performances whilst at Hull City on loan and put in some good performances for us last season, albeit with a few errors.
With a few hours until the January transfer window shuts tonight at 11.00pm GMT it looks like my prediction that we wouldn’t bring anybody in will be proved correct. Gilles Sunu has gone to Lorient in France on loan until the end of this season, joining many other young players gaining first team experience elsewhere. The manager has said he wants to bring in a central defender on loan. We did very well with Sol Campbell last season. It’s difficult to see us being able to pull another rabbit out of the hat like that.
I also expected to see Manuel Almunia on his bike, but he appears to have decided to stay until the summer at least. I wouldn’t completely rule out a last minute move in the market but I doubt it very much. Some in the Gooner blogosphere are screaming bloody murder about this. I’d be much happier if we’d signed a quality central defender and a top of the range goalie. I still maintain however that our faults are more tactical and mental than in lack of personnel in key positions.
We’re heading into the sharp end of the season now. I suspect we’ll make do with what we’ve got. I think that’s a big risk, especially in central defence with a big question mark over when Thomas Vermaelen might be fit and available for selection again. It is the manager’s decision however. He needs to own whatever choice he makes.
Keep the faith!
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