Considering that Arsenal had a daunting collection of players on the treatment table, and we started the game against Tottenham with an Alexis running on empty, a Cazorla that couldn’t see straight and a Koscielny that wasn’t 100% fit, the fact we ground out a draw against our bitter enemies begins to look impressive.
The Spuds will surely think that they deserved all three points, but I say they can count themselves lucky that we didn’t have a fit first team out or they may have been severely embarrassed!
Here are my Player Ratings for the game….
Petr Cech – 7.5
The big man has already proved he his worth his weight in gold this season, and he was directly responsible for keeping us in the game on many occasions.
Mathieu Debuchy – 6.5
Can’t have played any worse than his other appearances this season, but he has suddenly been made to play three times in a week. He is at last improving but he is some way off match-sharpness at the moment. Bring back Bellerin!
Per Mertesacker – 6.5
Looked more solid alongside the Boss but, although fine when we are under the cosh, he can’t deal with breakaway attacks any more when he is stranded on the half-way line.
Laurent Koscielny – 7
Not his usual dominant self, but allowances must be made for not being 100% fit for this one.
Nacho Monreal – 7
He has looked consistently solid this season, but even he looked very tired at times and gave the ball away more than usual.
Francis Coquelin – 7.5
Earned his money today. Couldn’t influence the game as much as usual but was firefighting consistently.
Santi Cazorla – 5
I thought about putting N/A for Santi as he didn’t really get play at all. Was obviously sick and should have been replaced much earlier.
Mesut Ozil – 8 MOTM
There is no way we would have had a point if Magic Ozil wasn’t on the pitch. He was everywhere and is now our most consistent player. Record breaking assist king!
Joel Campbell – 6
He’s a trier but was way out of his depth here. It’s time for Wenger to try other options on the wing. Get well soon Ramsey!
Alexis Sanchez – 6
Started in lively fashion but it is clear he needs his batteries recharging at the earliest opportunity. A shadow of his former self.
Olivier Giroud – 6
Simply not Ollie’s day. We all saw his misses and his petulant spat with Vertonghen. Looked more and more frustrated as the game progressed.
Subs
Matthieu Flamini – 6
Couldn’t help but be an improvement on a sick Cazorla, but hardly a game-changer
Gibbs – 7.5
Brought some much-needed energy to the side when replacing Campbell. Immediate impact for his second League goal ever!
Arteta – N/A
A cameo performance but it’s good to see another player returning to fitness.