Forget about your worries and strife as Arsenal deliver bare necessities

Arsenal 3 Shrewsbury 1

Gibbs 33, Oxlade-Chamberlain 58, Benayoun 78; Collins 16

They started poorly and showed some familiar defensive weaknesses, but Arsenal‘s young Carling Cup team, featuring seven teenagers in all, eventually imposed their quality on a Shrewsbury side who pushed them hard before fading towards the end. A hat-trick of first-time Arsenal goalscorers – Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yossi Benayoun – sealed the Premier League side’s place in Saturday’s fourth round draw.

After Saturday’s limp second half display at Ewood Park, Arsenal returned to the competition seen by many as the root cause of a slump which had seen them win just six of 22 games in all competitions – and three of 16 in the league – since the 2-1 defeat to Birmingham in last season’s final.

Arsène Wenger could not have asked for a more favourable draw for his beleaguered squad than a home tie against Shrewsbury, third in League Two but 3-1 conquerors of Swansea in the previous round. On Monday he promised to “give a chance for young players to shine and find the right mixture in this competition. That means having the right balance between experience and youth”, and he delivered exactly that with a starting line-up including the 20-year old Francis Coquelin and four teenagers in Carl Jenkinson (19), Ignasi Miquel (18), Emmanuel Frimpong (19) and Oxlade-Chamberlain (18):

Fabiański

Jenkinson – Miquel – Djourou – Gibbs

Oxlade-Chamberlain – Coquelin – Frimpong – Benayoun

Park – Chamakh

Given Arsenal’s woeful inconsistency so far this season, a win and an uninhibited performance were the bare necessities required to relieve the worries and strife which had only multiplied after the defeat at Blackburn. (And, yes, I am channelling The Jungle Book. That’s what the start to the season has done to me.)

A young, inexperienced side gets off to a slow start

It should not have come as a major surprise that a team lacking in experience and familiarity of playing together should struggle in the early stages, but the natives were given reason to feel restless as they fell behind after barely a quarter of an hour.

The home side looked good in possession, but without the ball displayed the same frailties as their first team counterparts. After a couple of early efforts by Marouane Chamakh, an enterprising Shrewsbury team soon established themselves firmly in the game. Mark Wright had already served due warning by hitting a post when Marvin Morgan‘s cross was headed in from close range by James Collins, with the unimpressive Johan Djourou – captain for the night – watching from afar.

Gibbs was the first of three players to register their first Arsenal goal (image courtesy of arsenal.com)

With Łukasz Fabiański looking less than assured on corners and crosses, the visitors had chances to extend their advantage. Wright cut inside, only to see his shot deflected wide. And only a late Francis Coquelin intervention prevented another opportunity.

The young Frenchman was Arsenal’s most prominent player in the opening stages – tenacious in defence and willing in attack – but the right-sided combination of Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also looked promising coming forward. And it was the young full back who set up the equaliser. His pinpoint cross took a slight deflection and was met at the far post by Kieran Gibbs, whose downward header could not be kept out by Ben Smith.

The goal seemed to settle Arsenal’s nerves as they finished the half on top. Park Chu-Young, on his debut, sent a curling effort wide and Emmanuel Frimpong had a couple of efforts saved by Smith as the half-time whistle came as a relief to Shrewsbury.

Arsenal turn dominance into goals

However, the second half started much as the first had ended, with Arsenal dominating both possession and chances and growing in assurance as Shrewsbury began to tire. In particular, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s pace and directness, allied with a useful array of crosses, started to cause the visitors no end of problems.

Oxlade-Chamberlain marked his first Arsenal start with a fine goal (image courtesy of arsenal.com)

Fittingly, it was the England under-21 international who finally put Arsenal into a deserved lead just before the hour, finishing a patient build-up with a low right-footed drive into the bottom corner from about 25 yards. A debut goal was a fitting way for the former Southampton player to mark his first senior start for the club.

Having overturned their early deficit and with the game under control, the final 20 minutes provided an opportunity to introduce more of Arsenal’s promising teenagers. The pacy 18-year old Japanese Ryo Miyaichi came on for Park, while Dutch midfielder Oguzhan Ozyakup replaced Frimpong. The latter, who turns 19 on Friday, had been on the field for barely a minute when he seized the opportunity to drive to the by-line and pull the ball for Yossi Benayoun, who had grown in influence as the game progressed, to slot home from about seven yards.

All that remained was for Arsenal to see out the final 12 minutes without incident and for a third 18-year old substitute, Chuks Aneke, to earn his senior debut. The Emirates crowd, tetchy initially after conceding the early goal, were in full voice by the end, launching into a lusty chorus of ‘There’s only one Arsène Wenger’ in support of the manager. After their initial stumble, Arsenal had eventually done what was necessary to maintain their place in a competition which may represent their best chance of silverware this season. That’s all that matters at the moment. Fans will hope that the winning habit – a one-game unbeaten run! – rubs off on the first team, who host Bolton on Saturday.

Post-match reaction and analysis

After the game, Arsène Wenger was relieved to have come through a nerve-jangling evening with a win:

It was a bit nervy because we played against a good side. They were direct but not without technique. They had a direct game but they played it with intelligence and efficiency. They had a few dangerous situations in the first half, even after they scored. So 1-1 was not too bad for us at half time and in the second half we took over, they dropped physically and we played in one half after that.

He praised the performances of Oxlade-Chamberlain:

Oxlade-Chamberlain grew through the game and became stronger and stronger. In the first half he was a bit timid and suddenly he grew in stature in the second half. It was unbelievable. What came out, you didn’t expect it after the first half. He became stronger and stronger. You could see that he will be a first-team player here, that is for sure. He still has things to work on but, very quickly, he will be knocking on the door.

And he answered the growing speculation about his future with the following:

Whether I work here for the next 10 years or the next day here, I will give my maximum for the club. I will let other people assess the situation. I focus on doing well for this club, that is all. I am not bothered at all by all this speculation.

I can understand that people are unhappy and criticise but people are very quick to go overboard. I prefer it if people say I am good but I cannot complain when we lose a game and you are criticised. When we do well, we take all the plaudits so we have to take the blame when it doesn’t go well.

No detailed analysis tonight, as I was only able to listen to audio commentary of the game, but the team did exactly what they needed to, with a number of the younger players making the most of their moment in the spotlight. Oxlade-Chamberlain has drawn obvious comparisons to Theo Walcott – young, fast and ex-Southampton – but as Wenger has pointed out he is more of a winger/midfielder, whereas Walcott is a winger/striker. He is also stockier than Walcott, and at this stage in his career seems to have more tricks and a more consistent delivery on his crosses. Of course, only time will tell if he can reproduce tonight’s form against top-class opposition on a regular basis.

Coquelin also caught the attention, popping up in both boxes to make useful contributions and also showing off a good passing range. Frimpong was energetic and, as he did against Liverpool, showed that he is not afraid to take on shots from distance.

Beyond that, it seemed that Jenkinson linked up well with Oxlade-Chamberlain – although he had a few too many shaky moments defensively – while Ignasi Miquel was calm and assured. Fabiański and Djourou both experienced their wobbles – no surprise there, but the latter certainly did not set a shining example as captain as Arsenal’s defensive frailties were all too apparent in the first half. Park took a while to get going and was perhaps still a bit rusty, but will have benefitted from getting 70 minutes under his belt.

All in all, a pretty decent night’s work.

Some fans had argued in the wake of Saturday’s defeat that Wenger should have played his first team to give them a much-needed opportunity to gel. That was never going to happen. The starting XI can work on familiarisation in training, but can only really develop in the heat of battle against top-level opposition. Featuring first team players here would have done nothing more than put unnecessary miles on the clock and risk potential injury – and Arsenal have more than enough of the latter to contend with already. Instead, Wenger rightly gave new and fringe players their chance to shine and make a case for inclusion in the senior line-up – and on the evidence of this game Coquelin, Frimpong and Oxlade-Chamberlain can expect to become regulars on the bench for the first team at the very least. The experience gained here in a competitive match, albeit against lower league opposition, can only have done them good.

Arsenal man of the match: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. First start, first goal, and a performance full of pace, directness and end product. If he continues to progress, it won’t be long until Theo Walcott’s starting place comes under threat.

How will Arsène Wenger spend his money?

In the wake of Arsenal‘s euphoric 3-1 aggregate victory over Udinese, manager Arsène Wenger now faces the equally testing challenge of signing reinforcements for a squad which has seen more outgoings than incomings this summer. With a transfer fund at his disposal which reports put at anywhere between £65m (mildly pessimistic) and £100m (wildly optimistic), the usually parsimonious Wenger has an unprecedented opportunity to add revamp his side in one fell swoop. But how many players should he buy, and where should he seek to strengthen?

It has been a summer of turmoil at the Emirates like no other in recent history. Arsenal fans are accustomed to off-season transfer sagas revolving around their top players – before Cesc Fàbregas and Samir Nasri there was Juventus’s pursuit of Patrick Vieira, Barcelona’s wooing of Thierry Henry and the malcontent mercenary that is Emmanuel Adebayor. But never have Wenger’s decisions been scrutinised – and criticised – so vociferously, and never before has there been such a revolving door of player movements. Over the course of the summer the squad has been stripped of both quality (Fàbregas, Nasri, Gaël Clichy) and depth (Emmanuel Eboué, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and loanees Denilson, Carlos Vela and Kyle Bartley). And of Wenger’s four signings to date, two – winger Gervinho and right back Carl Jenkinson – have already been blooded, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joel Campbell sure to see action (at least in the Carling Cup) sooner rather than later.

But with a sackful of money (potential sellers will be rubbing their hands together with glee) and just one week to spend it (ditto), Wenger is unlikely to flood his dressing room with a rush of new names which will take time to integrate and will hinder the progress of up-and-coming youngsters such as Emmanuel Frimpong. So what can we realistically expect from him before the transfer window closes next Wednesday?

Goalkeeper

Almunia's days at the club appear numbered (image courtesy of arsenal.com)

At the end of last season many pundits identified this as a key area of need. Manuel Almunia may well be at the front of the queue for the exit, but with Wojciech Szczęsny growing in stature and exuding confidence and Łukasz Fabiański a capable and experienced backup, Arsenal appear more settled in their last line of defence than at any time since Jens Lehmann’s peak years. Szczęsny will commit errors from time to time – we should not expect perfection from such a young keeper – but has already demonstrated the talent and the mindset necessary to shrug off any setbacks.

It is difficult to see Fabiański settling for warming the bench behind his younger compatriot beyond this season – as an international with 18 caps he will surely need first team football somewhere – but that is a problem for next year, not this one.

Verdict: No activity, other than Almunia returning to Spain.

Defence

Cahill has been a long-term target for Arsenal

Injuries and the development of young players mask the fact that the nucleus of a good group already exists. On the flanks, Carl Jenkinson already looks to be a capable deputy for Bacary Sagna, while it is unlikely that Wenger will seek further cover for the injury-prone Kieran Gibbs beyond Armand Traoré.

Any new defensive signing will be a central player of substance, although whether this will be a ready-made partner for Thomas Vermaelen or a capable backup to enhance bench strength – which is currently provided by the brittle and inconsistent Johan Djourou, the seeimgly out-of-favour Sébastien Squillaci and youngster Ignasi Miquel – is less clear. We’ve all heard the links to Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka – my preference would be for the former, who is 25 rather than 29 – but Scott Dann or Christopher Samba are also distinct possibilities who would bring both a physical presence and valuable Premier League experience.

Verdict: Expect one arrival, but it may be a squad player rather than a starter.

Central midfield

Yann M'Vila (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

There are two distinct needs here – a holding player and a creative one. In the holding role, Arsenal have been closely linked to Rennes’ 21-year old Yann M’Vila in recent days. Six foot tall and physically imposing, he could provide steel to a midfield which has too often been lightweight in recent years. Rather than being a replacement for Alex Song, I would see him forming half of a midfield anchor pairing with Song (or Emmanuel Frimpong when the Cameroon international is called away to the Africa Cup of Nations), with Jack Wilshere taking the creative role in front of them.

In Wilshere’s absence Aaron Ramsey has appeared ill at ease being used as the creative fulcrum of the side. Tomáš Rosický or Andrey Arshavin could also fill in, although neither is ideal. Some genuine quality here would be most welcome – although it appears that an enquiry to Lille about Eden Hazard has been firmly rebuffed – but my suspicion is that Wenger will hope that Wilshere can stay fit and make do with what he already has when he is not.

Verdict: Wenger will strengthen one or the other, but probably not both. With a better defensive screen vital, I would focus on M’Vila to ensure depth in the critical holding role(s).

Wide midfield/attack

Will Lille be willing to sell Hazard as well as Gervinho? (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

One of the reasons I think Wenger may pass on adding another creative central option is my perception that he is placing a greater emphasis on creating chances from wide positions this season. He already has the fitfully brilliant Theo Walcott and Gervinho has already shown signs of settling in immediately. Rosický and Arshavin can provide plenty of experience off the bench (as can the perenially injured Abou Diaby), while Ryo Miyaichi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are more youthful and pacy alternatives. Gervinho’s former teammate Eden Hazard would be an ideal fit as he can play both centrally and out wide but, having already lost the Ivorian, Lille are understandably reluctant to sell so late in the window.

With early summer target Juan Mata now at Chelsea, I suspect Wenger is happy to stay with the balance of experience and youth he already has – although, like Song, he will lose Gervinho for the duration of the Africa Cup of Nations – with depth not a major issue here.

Verdict: Possible but unlikely, unless a star name becomes available. Well-stocked with both youth and experience.

Centre forward

Zárate has been linked with Arsenal, but would he add much to the squad?

Although new captain Robin van Persie is nothing short of world-class when fit and on form, he has never made more than 28 league appearances in a single season for Arsenal, and has played fewer than half the games in two of the past four years. With Nicklas Bendtner agitating for a move and Marouane Chamakh bereft of goals and confidence, an injury to the skipper could leave Arsenal dangerously short of a central striker who can lead the line effectively. Walcott, for all his pace and goalscoring ability, is not that kind of player, and neither is the on-loan Carlos Vela.

Recent reports have linked Arsenal with a move for 24-year old Lazio and Argentina striker Mauro Zárate, who had an undistinguished load spell at Birmingham three years ago. At just 5-foot-9 and with a record of less than a goal every four games for Lazio, he is not an obvious solution for the problem. One obvious candidate who is, however, will never return to the club he left in acrimonious circumstances two years ago: Emmanuel Adebayor, who is currently surplus to requirements at Manchester City and seems most likely to move to Tottenham if he stays in the Premier League. Wenger may choose to stick with what he has, hoping that either Bendtner stays for another year or Chamakh regains his form, and relying on Walcott, Gervinho or Joel Campbell in the event of injuries.

Verdict: Essential if Bendtner departs, otherwise only a nice-to-have third priority after a defender and a midfielder, with a purchase only taking place if it is for a top-class finisher.

Of course, there is no knowing for sure what the team will look like on September 1st, but here’s my view of the likely starting XI, based on my own assumption that Arsenal will sign Cahill and M’Vila.

Szczęsny

Sagna – Cahill – Vermaelen – Gibbs

Song – M’Vila

Wilshere

Gervinho – van Persie – Walcott

With a Carling Cup/second XI of:

Fabiański

Jenkinson – Djourou/Miquel – Koscielny/Squillaci – Traoré

Frimpong/Eastmond – Ramsey

Rosický/Diaby

Oxlade-Chamberlain/Campbell – Bendtner/Chamakh – Arshavin/Miyaichi

Of course, I would love it if the club were able to add more than just those two players, but Wenger’s belief in his squad and the limited timescales make a last-minute spree unlikely – although I would not be surprised if he picked up a couple of handy squad players to improve cover in key positions. Anything less than two more signings will be a major disappointment. However, if Arsène wants to break open the piggy bank to throw Eden Hazard and one or two others into the mix as well, I won’t complain.

Hold on to your hats – it’s going to be an interesting week.