Referee Didn't Give Two Fuchs

Saturday 20 August 2016

Leicester 0 Arsenal 0

Arsenal battled the reigning champions Leicester City to a 0-0 draw yesterday at the King Power Stadium. Arsenal had the better run of things for the majority of the game but can count themselves somewhat lucky. Mark Clattenburg, officiating his first Premier League game of the season, let Arsenal off the hook twice, once in each half, as Leicester had strong claims for penalties turned down.

Leicester, playing their first home game of the season, started slowly and Arsenal were on top from the very start. But the Gunners never seriously challenged Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being the only player to threaten, curling a shot just wide of the Leicester goal.

The home fans were in uproar minutes later as Danny Drinkwater was seemingly tripped in the box by Laurent Koscielny but the referee was having none of it. Replays indicate that Koscielny didn't get the ball but Drinkwater was looking for the spot-kick all day long and Clattenburg waved away the home side's appeals.

Leicester looked an improved side in the second half but still never really looked like challenging Petr Cech. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, both linked with the Gunners this summer, did little to make Arsenal fans feel as if they'd missed out, as both forwards were largely ineffective against the Arsenal back-line. Mahrez came closest for the hosts with a late effort, saved well by Cech. Just before that chance, Leicester had another penalty appeal turned down when Foxes new boy Ahmed Musa got the best of Hector Bellerin but went down in the area softly after minimal contact. I've seen those penalties given though, and Arsenal can count themselves fortunate that Clattenburg was in a generous mood for the visitors.

All in all it was a game between two very evenly matched sides who effectively cancelled each other out. You could tell both teams have studied each other well. Arsenal refused to let Leicester play that counter-attacking style they love and the hosts proved difficult to unlock as the Gunners continued to pass the ball around the opposition's penalty area, without ever piercing the defence.

Alexis Sanchez, playing up front as the sole striker for the second week in a row, failed to get into the game yet again. It's increasingly clear that Alexis, as supremely talented as he is, is not accustomed to leading the line and looks out of sorts in that position. He was so isolated, as he was against Liverpool, and he never really got going. There is no faulting his effort levels but he doesn't have the same impact as a striker and is completed wasted there. The fans' jeering at Arsene Wenger to spend some money on a new number 9 will continue for a while longer.

There were some positives for the Gunners though. Laurent Koscielny returned to the starting eleven and instantly settled the Arsenal back-four. He was unshakable in defence, and aside from that potential penalty tangle with Drinkwater, never put a foot wrong. His influence and authority on the team cannot be questioned and he gave a man of the match performance.

Rob Holding, making his second start for the club, was the main benefactor of Koscielny's return. Partnered with the experienced Frenchman, Holding looked confident and self-assured and kept the Leicester attackers at bay. The Arsenal boss said after the game: "Nobody speaks about the performance of Rob Holding today - he is English, he is 20 years old, you should be happy. But I am sorry he didn't cost £55m."

We also saw the return of Olivier Giroud, Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere. All three of them came off the bench and Ozil and Wilshere made an impact straight away. It was nice to see Jack back in the side, in this somewhat make-or-break season for him.

Arsenal's next test is another away game, this time at Watford on Saturday 27 August. The Hornets threw away a 1-0 lead over Chelsea yesterday, falling to them 2-1 late on. The Gunners will be looking to pick up their first win and should really have enough in them to beat Watford.

Thanks for reading.

Wilshere Makes England Euro 2016 Squad

This afternoon Roy Hodgson named his final 23-man squad for England ahead of Euro 2016 and our own Jack Wilshere, out of action for nearly the entire 2015/16 season, has made the team and will be on the plane to France.

As an Arsenal fan I am very pleased to hear he'll be representing the club. After Danny Welbeck's late season injury ruling out what was a guaranteed place in the squad, and Theo Walcott's unfortunate but not unsurprising exclusion, Jack will be the sole representative for Gunners fans in this England squad dominated by players from teams I absolutely despise.

Don't get me wrong, as an Englishman I am desperate for my national team to succeed on the international stage. However it is sometimes difficult to cheer and actively support players like Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney when for the majority of the year I don't like them very much at all (to put it mildly.) This England squad in particular is very Tottenham-heavy, making it even more difficult to fully embrace these guys. I will of course cheer and celebrate whoever puts the ball in the net wearing an England shirt, but if it's an Arsenal player it makes the celebration that little bit sweeter. So for Wilshere to be included in the team and to get this opportunity, lets just say I'm very happy with Roy Hodgson's decision to take him.

There has been quite an uproar on social media (what else is new?) over Danny Drinkwater's absence from the squad. Many fans feel aggrieved that the likes of Wilshere and Jordan Henderson, both with doubts about their fitness, have made the team instead of Drinkwater. Wilshere in particular is receiving a great deal of abuse, mainly because he only started 1 game during the 2015/16 season.

The 26 year-old Leicester City midfielder can certainly feel aggrieved at Hodgson's decision to leave him at home. A player who made 35 appearances this season for the League champions, Drinkwater definitely merited serious consideration ahead of Euro 2016.

However, he has a few factors working against him. One of which being Roy Hodgson is a very loyal manager; it's safe to say he has "his boys" and Wilshere and Henderson have long been part of that exclusive club. They've both contributed meaningfully on the international stage, they are known quantities and Hodgson feels comfortable with them. Drinkwater is a relative newcomer to the current England setup, whereas Wilshere has been established in Hodgson's squad for many years now.

Also, whilst Drinkwater is a very talented player, at the international level he's still somewhat unproven. He and Leicester City have had a tremendous season but the level of quality at Euro 2016 may be a step above what Drinkwater is used to. If England make the knockout stages, Drinkwater would be up against some of the very best players in the world, not the scrubs he's used to seeing fielded by the Aston Villa's and Norwich's of the Premier League. Whereas Wilshere has faced the world's best for over half a decade, playing regularly in the Champions League and for England.

Perhaps the biggest factor in Wilshere's favour over Drinkwater is his style of play. Drinkwater, a very capable and workmanlike midfielder, cannot pick a pass or make a turn and drive forward like Wilshere, in fact there are very few who can, hence why Hodgson is so insistent on having him in the squad, regardless of his fitness. I am positive Drinkwater has areas in his game that Wilshere cannot match but the Leicester man does not yet possess the skills that mark him out as "world class." It is a phrase I hate using as it's so unspecific and handed out far too often, yet Jack has exhibited this level of play in the past and been lauded for it.

So I can understand fans feeling Drinkwater has been wronged by Roy Hodgson. But this youthful and dynamic England side is a talented one, and should Drinkwater have made the squad, how many minutes would he have seen anyway? In a very strong midfield, which is likely to see Wayne Rooney crammed in there also, I don't think Drinkwater will have had much of a look in over Henderson, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, James Milner and Ross Barkley, all players who can operate successfully in the centre of the park. Will Jack Wilshere see many minutes either? Perhaps not. However, if that is the case, I would argue that Jack can bring a spark off the bench Drinkwater cannot yet manage, a different option and a vastly different technique to his peers that could prove useful.

England face Portugal in 2 days time in their final warm-up match before taking on Russia in their first Euro 2016 game on 11 June. I expect to see the England manager select a strong lineup against the Portuguese with many indicators on who is first eleven may be ahead of England's first group game against the Russians. Here's hoping Wilshere features prominently and puts in a performance to silence his critics. Lord knows he has plenty of them.

Thanks for reading.