Totts can we play you every week Season Review 2013/14 P2

Part 2 of the end of season review sees Arsenal go top of the league, but the end up in a struggle for 4th place. But meanwhile Arsenal start a dramatic cup run, beating Tottenham on the way. Part 3 will deal with the semi- final and final. A link to part 3 is at the very bottom of this article:

Tottnum was next up at home in the FA Cup. Cazorla got us off and running with the opener, and Rosicky ran from the half way line to finish them off, but the headline news for Gooners was a season ending injury to Walcott. We had recently lost Ramsey for what turned out to be eight weeks, so the last thing we needed was to lose another one of our most crucial players for a long spell. Two more wins followed in the league, Aston Villa (A) 1-2 and Fulham (H) 2-0, Cazorla with a double here. Then it was back to the FA Cup and a home game with Coventry, an easy 4-0 was the result with Cazorla again one of the scorers.

 Southampton (A) was next on the agenda, and the home team was by far the better team in the first half and were unlucky to be only 1-0 up at half time. Arsenal looked to have turned the game on its head with two quick fire goals, a deft flick from Giroud and Cazorla kept his scoring streak going, but Arsenal only held the lead for one minute. This was a 2-2 draw that felt like a defeat.

 The non transfer window: Injured Kallstrom the only signing

The January transfer window came and went, and despite most Arsenal fans wanting, if not expecting, a couple of big signings to see us over the line, all that came through the door was the loan signing of the injured Kim Kallstrom, a vastly experienced midfielder with an impressive penalty record, it was found out on the last day of the window during his medical that he had a broken bone in his back, and it would take 4 to 6 weeks for him to be fit, Wenger decided that an injured Kallstrom was better than no one at all, many Gooners did not agree with this then and do not agree with it now.

 The first game after the window closed saw an Oxlade-Chamberlain double see off Crystal Palace (H) 2-0 and Arsenal continued at the top of the league.

Kamikaze Football

What happened next was little short of kamikaze football, away to Liverpool, the game was as good as over within 10 minutes, with two early Liverpool goals, by the 20^th minute it was 4-0 and it finished 5-1. And like, after the big defeat at City, the next game was a bore 0-0 draw, this time at home to Man Utd.

It was back to the FA Cup next, with a home tie v Liverpool; many Gooners could see no way Arsenal could hold out against a team that had hammered us the week before. But this Arsenal team has a bit more bottle about it than a lot of the fans have, and a 2-1 win was secured, with Oxlade-Chamberlain and Podolski with the goals. It was then back to the Champions League and the price for slipping up in the final group game was a tough tie v the reigning champions, Bayern Munich. Arsenal open the game in whirlwind fashion and it seems the good play would be rewarded when a penalty was won, but Ozil’s tame effort was easily saved, and soon after Munich got a penalty of their own, and although it was missed, the fact that Szczesny had been sent off for the foul finally told and the game ended 0-2 to the visitors, but questions needed to be asked as to why Arsenal left themselves so open late on chasing a leveller that they let in the second goal.

Disgraced at Stoke

Sunderland were easily beaten 4-1 at home, Giroud with two of the goals. Arsenal were still well in the running for the league at this stage of the season. So what happened in the next game away to Stoke, was a disgrace and for me was the worst performance of the season, yes worse than the big losses, mainly because it was not any big tactical mistake, not a performance from the opposition that could be praised for its excellence and high calibre football, no this was an ordinary enough Stoke side, who played averagely, and Arsenal put in a one paced, lacklustre, careless and passionless performance that led to a 1-0 loss. Inexcusable.

It was back to the FA Cup, with Everton (H) next on the list, a fully deserved 4-1 win, with the highlights including a top performance and goal from Ozil and a double from Giroud. It was then the second leg of the CL game away to Bayern Munich; a fighting 1-1 draw was of little consolation as it was the end of CL football once again at the first knock out stage. A now annual occurrence.

Can We Play You Every Week

Next up it was Tottnum for the third time this season, this time at White Hart Lane; Gooner Tim was now their new saviour, the Media Darling of the Month if you like. Rosicky scored an absolute gem of a goal in the first few minutes, and Arsenal played a very conservative no risk game from there to the end to win 0-1, three games against the upstarts, three wins and no goals conceded. Mind the Gap.

After the joy of a North London Derby win, came the downer of four poor results. If the 5-1 at Anfield was kamikaze then what transpired at Stamford Bridge was hara-kiri, 6-0 to Chelsea, without even a whimper from Arsenal. The Gooners wide open losing the ball with defenders and midfield up the field, out of position and exposed. We got exactly what we deserved. And as with the earlier response to a drubbing, Arsenal once again followed up this heavy defeat with a draw, this time at home to Swansea, another last minute leveller let in to drop two vital points. That the goal was an OG from Flamini made it even worse.

Man City was next to visit the Emirates; a credible 1-1 draw was the outcome, an even game that could have gone either way. This run of poor results had seen Arsenal go from title challengers to looking over their shoulder at Everton in a battle for fourth place. And it was Everton away next on the list. A 3-0 loss, fully deserved, seen a top four spot no longer in our own hands. Gooners were in despair and even worried about the FA Cup semi final meeting with cup holders Wigan.

That game and the final will be dealt with in Part 3