I really put the boot in against Liverpool on Sunday, and a lot of people would say that it wasn`t undeserved. In fact, I put that much effort into my rant that I don`t think what I produced could even be considered a match report! But ho-hum, football is a game of emotions and opinions and I`m sure we were all feeling pretty dreadful after having to watch that rubbish on a cold afternoon the weekend before Christmas.
So, in the interests of fairness after being so harsh on the team three days ago, it only seems right that I should praise the team tonight for giving us such a fantastic response to that debacle and playing brilliantly with lots of effort and desire. What more can we ask for as the paying public?
It would have been great to get just the one point to stop this stodgy run, never mind three, but I suppose that when you come up against a team with as much quality in the attacking areas as Arsenal, if you don`t manage to force the ball into the back of the net enough times there is always the chance you could get punished.
That brings me onto the only negative I`ve got about tonight, which I want to get out of the way first – our complete and utter inability to defend set pieces is really starting to grate, especially given the size of our centre backs. I`m pretty sure that, with the exception of Barry Bannan, Yossi Benayoun was the smallest player on the pitch tonight, yet we allowed him to score from a corner. I`d like to know exactly what McLeish and co do on the training ground, because work on set pieces doesn`t seem to be one of the things.
Charles N`Zogbia deserves a special mention for finally looking like he`s settling into the task of representing Aston Villa on the green grass. He put in an exceptional performance tonight, was unlucky not to be able to claim an assist and that little piece of showboating he did to Coqelin reminded me, positively, of Ashley Young at his best.
Villa dominated the opening exchanges, putting a lot of pressure on the Arsenal defence from the wings, where the Gunners looked especially vulnerable given their injury problems in the full-back area, and dinking the ball around well, whilst at the same time not creating any really tremendously clear-cut chances, although neither side had many shots on target throughout the whole game.
Cue Arsenal`s first threatening attack of the night. The claret and blues looked like they were in a good position to deal with it, but the Cockneys were then awarded one of the softest penalties I`ve ever seen, after Arteta`s shirt found it`s way into Ciaran Clark`s hand. They`ll be punishing players for breathing too hard next. There were plenty of times that happened subsequently throughout the game, and not one of them resulted in a free kick. Anyway, Van Persie got around to duly dispatching the penalty, for his gazillionth goal in 1.1 games.
To our credit, Birmingham`s representation kept on battling, although it could have got worse after the Dutchman put ex-England boy wonder Theo Walcott through, but Guzan cleared well. Wee Scotsman Barry Bannan then went close from a free kick immediately after replacing Stephen Ireland, who also looked decent, who went off with what I can only assume to be an injury. The half-time whistle then blew and Villa exited the pitch to a chorus of cheers, and justifiably so too. I can only hope that Darren Bent was actually there to see our performance and not doing any last minute shopping at the Bullring.
Villa resumed looking dangerous in the second period, and what`s his name, Arsenal`s keeper, Sczezzzzzzzney, did well to collect a few dangerous crosses that could easily have been converted by the home attackers, before Villa finally got the break their play deserved, with wing wonder Marc Albrighton collecting an under-hit pass, flicking the ball over Mertesacker and into the back of the net. 1-1, game on.
Despite a little more pressure from the Villains, Arsenal began to haul themselves back into the game a little more. Van Goals got booked for diving, while Rosicky, who I`ve always held a little admiration for after seeing some of his Dortmund performances, and Arshavin both went close.
In the end though, it was Benayoun who struck the final blow after more poor defending from corners from Villa, to the visible frustration of Captain Stan, and that was pretty much it, aside from Hutton getting himself sent off, which I must confess that I didn`t see because I was busy emptying my bladder in a toilet cubicle. Too much information? Probably, but I need to justify why I didn`t see it to you!
I believe that there was more than enough to raise the spirits here, especially ahead of a visit to a Stoke side that have been inconsistent at home. If we name an unchanged side, and maintain tonight`s battling qualities, we can get a result there.
As I put the finishing touches to this report, it`s ten past twelve, so I`ve just entered the final 24 hours of my teenage years, It`s going to be a busy few days for me, and I`d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope to be able to write the Swansea report, but after this coming week how much thinking I`ll be able to do might be up for debate!
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