Olympiakos vs Arsenal, 1-0: Full time thoughts, analysis and player ratings
The Game
I have mixed feelings about the game. It may be a disappointing defeat with some chances missed but let’s not forget that many of the players who were in action had never played in the Champions League, some didn’t even play at all for the regular side of Arsenal.
UEFA Champions League
I am very upset with Carlos Vela’s performance of course, he puts himself in very good positions but today he did get the right ball on his left foot but wasted it. Aaron Ramsey, on the other hand, was superb, man of the match, and the only one of these young kids who is ready for the regular side. All the others need to work hard to achieve that.
Match Video Highlights
Match video highlights are available in the Videos section of our website. If not there yet, rest assured they will be up in a matter of hours.
Player Ratings
Fabianski: 6,5 – Pretty solid game, not much to do but very secure in the air when called into action.
Gilbert: 6,5 – Comfortable at the back and provided help when going forward.
Bartley: 6,5 – Very composed at the back though caught out of position in a number of occasions.
Silvestre: 6,5 – Another solid game for the Frenchman who is building confidence ahead of a busy schedule where he might be used.
Cruise: 5 – Olympiakos’ first half attempts came almost all from his side as we was clearly the weakest link at the back.
Ramsey: 8 – Misplaced a couple of passes at the beginning of the game but after settling down he produced a wonderful performance and I’m very happy for him of course, for having recovered from the poor game at Manchester City like this.
Song : 7 – Didn’t want to be out there with Liverpool on Sunday Alex, but made his presence felt in midfield.
Merida: 6 – Some nice tricks from the Spaniard but switched off for a good part of the game.
Walcott: 4 – Not the best of games for Theo unfortunately but he played very very little this season so needs time.
Wilshere: 5,5 – Full of running was young Jack but didn’t make any impact.
Vela: 3 – Lo siento, but Carlos missed two glorious chances as he was again used in an unlikely central striker position. The left wing is where he belongs I believe.
(Subs)
Sunu: No Vote – Too little to judge.
![[Video] Hull City vs Arsenal: Match Video Highlights, including Nicklas’ last-minute winner!](http://www.thegunninghawk.com/wp-content/themes/arthemia-premium/scripts/timthumb.php?src=/wp-content/uploads/video.jpg&w=80&h=80&zc=1)
This team suffers from the same thing the senior players do – they don’t know how to score. I was literally screaming at my computer “SHOOT!!”. Wenger’s philosophy has long been flawed in that it drills the idea of walking the ball into the net as the only means of scoring. This is more or less one of the plagues that run rampant in the Arsenal team. It’s completely viable to test the keeper from outside the 18 yard box, but the art of long range shooting has been lost over the years. Henry and Pires were never afraid to let one rip and they reaped the benefits of having a diverse game like that. This crop needs to learn to punt a few at the net instead of looking for a pass when they’re sitting on top of the box.
We could have won or tied this game easily but Wengerball is a blessing and a curse.
Yes, you have a point. But then again, the team was made up of midfielders. Theo is no striker, Vela is no striker. Aaron is one who can hit it from range but only tried once I think. Would have loved to see Watt today.
vela and walcott are stikers lol, what are they then??? walcott needs a few matches, vela just needs confidence
Vela also needs strength. Arshavin gets pushed around some, but also keeps a good based and can absorb contact (like he did on his goal on Saturday vs Stoke) while Vela just falls at the least bit of contact and can’t get around anyone who is shoulder to shoulder with him.
Walcott is probably more of a forward than a mid the way Arsenal plays and when he does play mid is always in the position the overlapping defenders usually take up when he is not playing. He is the one player we can get behind defenses (though he can’t finish very well yet, kind of like Bentdner last year). He needs time and games under his belt as he has had precious few this Fall.
I guess you didnt see denilsons or vermaelens goals this season, or bendtner’s, or cescs numerous long range shots. This is one area where we have improved for this season.
I’ve seen just about every Arsenal game and no we haven’t improved in this area because a few anecdotal incidents doesn’t prove anything. When we can’t find a way to unlock defenses we continue to try to pass the ball in the goal. The Sunderland game is a good example of Arsenal not having proper diversity in their game.
The fact that we had a team of “midfielders” as Chris puts it, even worsens the idea because most midfielders I’ve seen shoot from the outside – it’s their territory. So if you want to propose the midfield theory then it illuminates how poor we are in this goalscoring area.
Against Everton: Denilson and Fabregas goals.
ManU: Arshavin goal
Man city: RvP goal
Wigan: Vermaelen
Blackburn: Vermaelen, Fabregas, Bendtner
Birmingham: Arshavin
All those goals were either out of the box or at least just inside. There are others but I cbf going on.
Everytime you think a player should “SHOOT!” but they dont and mess up the chance then yes that is a chance gone. But whos to say that the opportunites created from more passes don’t outweight those from just shooting. Its not as if every shot ids going to end up in the back of the net – more than likely it will be parried by the keeper.
This is actually an area that I thought we needed to improve upon last season, and we have. I think the balance is about right now – we are a threat from up close but also from distance.
I do think we are looking to shoot from outside more, but they aren’t always good shots to take. I liken us most to Barcelona in the fact that we can really pass the ball around (though they surely are more potent scoring than we are) and up until the last few weeks since RVP went down we were scoring at a great clip (more than 3 per game) in league play and all games. However, it has dried up since then and hard to believe we are that impotent without one player. I saw some of the DK-Barcelona game yesterday and their first goal they had 18 straight passes in the offensive third finish off by a one time cross on the ground behind the defense to Xavi who timed his run perfectly. They had the patience to work the ball around side to side until they got the defense where they wanted them. We do the same thing, but then waste a cross into the box for a 5′6″ player against three or four 6 foot plus defenders that is played in the air (usually to the front post defender). We also lack in #s in the box even though we play a similar formation (Barcelona had plenty and they’d rotate in and out).
POR QUE Carlitos?! =’(
Ramsey was man of the match without a doubt.
Vela =’(……
It’s ok amigo, he lacks confidence, he’ll find it soon, all he needs is that one goal and after that he’ll settle down.
Last season he took all chances when they presented themselves, he just needs to settle down in front of goal this year. He knows that he’s under heavy pressure as he’s a “candidate” to replace Van Persie and this is affecting his game.
I didn’t read this before I posted. You basically agreed with me here about vela’s finishing ability, so why is it you see him as a winger may I ask?
Btw, I dont know that it is the pressure that has dented his confidence. A reason might be because eduardo was rubbish against sunderland and we lost, then vela played very well against AZ and we won, then eduardo played rubbish against chelsea (we might have lost either way in truth, but eduardo didnt work there), and then after all that, eduardo got injured, and vela must have been thinking “finally I’ll get my chance, there’s no competition”, and wenger chooses to keep him on the bench and play 3 midfielders up front against stoke. Its ridiculous imo.
That’s my theory, but something has clearly dented him, because he’s always been so good in front of goal, and he didnt play with a smile today, as he usually does.
dav i agree with what your saying but with the case for vela, god forbid he gets injured thats 1 striker for how long??? so i think arsene’s right, and remember were in december games will be around like every 3 days in a row so ofcourse we need a rotation, when bendtner returns then i think we will see a better rotation
I hope so, but wenger doesnt seem to want to include vela.
You’ve got to play the best players for the job – and wenger simply felt playing a midfielder up front was a better bet than this young striker.
Maybe in this case he was right, as arshavin played really well and scored, but it’s got to dent vela’s confidence.
How long does he have to wait? He was the star of last seasons league cup – clearly better than all the other impressive youngsters – and yet he can barely register an appearance.
On the other hand you get players like walcott – who still has a lot to prove before he can be considered a top class player btw (for example, play well consistently) – who can just walk into the side whenever he’s fit.
So it’s like all these brilliant performances (scoring one or two, setting up goals, saving that game earlier in the season coming off the bench) were for nothing. I just dont understand it.
Today did expose some flaws in velas game. I dont think his movement off the ball is quite as good as it could be for example, as well as the 2 misses, but equally walcott’s flaws were clear for all to see. But guess which one of the two will be in the side for the next game (if fit) – it’s ridiculous imo.
If he was good enough he would play no? He showed today that he is not ready yet imo..
He’s ready to play with the regular side.
But he’s not ready to play as a striker
I know Theo is just comming back from weeks of injury (only 2.5 hours first team action this season one pundit said) but who thought it was a good idea he should take the free kicks????…very poor!!
Yes mate, I thought the same, but if not him, who? To be honest I’ve never seen Vela take free-kicks, Ramsey maybe?
Ramsey and merida are very good free-kick takers
to be honest theos free kicks were mostly all poor crosses were ok but his too greedy at set pieces, he didn’t even give ramsey a chance, and ramsey is good at free kicks aswell
Same as ever, lots of possession, but missing a spark in the final quarter (sorry if that sounds american football esque).
I too would have like to have seen Watt…..we need strike force reinforcement – in both senior and reserve side…..
Ramsey looked good though, which was pleasing…..
Your rating on vela is a bit harsh – you always do this! lol
He played pretty well, but I agree he should have finished better. Particularly that one on his right foot. That was a real sitter.
Still disagree about him being a winger. He’s definitely good on the left, but he’s shown many times before hes a deadly 1-on-1 finisher, so I’d put that one down as a blip. He looked short of confidence today. Finishing aside, he leads the line pretty well – especially in this system as he can interchange with the other forwards to good effect. Id still have him above the other forwards available currently (except maybe arshavin, but he has to do it away from home to prove himself up there imo – im a sceptic tbh).
Also, regarding walcott – fair enough he hasnt played much, but it’s his attitude that annoys me. He’s so arrogant now, he thinks hes already made it. The reason he was taking free-kicks was because he feels superior to the others, even though hes never taken freekicks for us before – and merida and ramsey are known to be pretty good at set pieces. Hes more senior than them, so if he decides to take the kick, he gets to basically.
He kept trying these insanely difficult moves that are just above his technical ability – like he tried to control a high ball and knock it over the defender’s head in one movement in the 1st half – and there’s just no way he could do it! The guy really needs to get a grip and play to his strengths and within his limitations – then he’ll be a very useful footballer
Anyway, disappointing result – but again hardly unexpected. The players did pretty well in an intimidating atmosphere and it’ll be good experience for them.
Btw I thought of a new nickname for silvestre: The Nanny – cos he only plays in these youth team games, any thoughts? lol
loool lol, i know what you mean dav about theo i don’t think that its his arrogance i personally think that arsene gave him the go to take them all, but i think he made some very good runs especially the ball from the top from ramsey which he controlled a little awkwardly but was a little too much overall good performance from the kids just needed 1 or 2 more experienced players i think the team that arsene picked against liverpool in the CC was perfect, i think though vela needs more games and to regain confidence he should’ve finished them 3 chances, but this guys ratings to vela are appalling!
The Arsenal players has in the past gone out and said that free kicks and penalty kicks are decided before they go on the field. Decided by AW in the dressing room. So if Walcott takes free kicks it is because he has been told so by AW beforehand. Not because he feels senior to Merida and Vela.. Where did you get that idea? Or are you one of those that just hate Walcott cos he is a talent that has not yet blossomed as we want him to? It is not really his fault everyone is hyping him you know. It wasnt Walcotts faoult he was dragged to WC with the sweed. All he has done is work his talent and it surly is not Theos fault that everyone keeps talking about him as a prodigy. I have never seen walcott complain or say hes better than others. have you? I wish he was bit more arrogant ifact, it may have helped him to play better, as it is now he seems to polite, to nice. No one wins footy matches by being nice! The big stars in PL are egosentric, arrogant idiots like Gerrard, Terry, Drogba, Tevez , Ronaldo, Vidic, Ferdinan you name it! Thats how you become a PL winner, not by being nice!!
i just know your sending that comment towards davi and not me mate because if you clearly read and see my first two lines of the comment
what do you mean “Didn’t want to be out there with Liverpool on Sunday Alex” is song suspended for this match?? that’s terrible!
(
torres is recovered to…i can’t believe this
to me, Song is player of the season, in england and in europe, and african player of the year. he is like Neo of the matrix. he has replaced Kanu’s throne, in my heart.
further more he is tough on the tackle. you cannot ask for more accept now, some edgar davids (pre-spud) kind of shooting.
looool, i think he just needs to work on his key decisions, needs to cement his position in games to fully stable his mind with confidence, and also his speed, other than that mate his good to go but surely will be missed through january and february.
lets just hope now that diaby and eduardo are fit enough for the game on sunday because they will be key!
You can give Fabianski a good 7.5, a very courageous performance i must say.. Kept coming out to pluck the ball from the air.. his first team counterpart can learn something from him.. Your rating on Vela is 3?? And in your opinion he must stick to the wings. I agree that he belongs to the wing but by giving him 3 in a game where he has played out of position is contradicting yourself.. he had to take up the mantle of the central striker in the absence of big guys in the middle..
@Davi: Vela is a superb player.. quick feet, agile movement and a cool finisher.. but he has no body balance.. in the sense he can be easily outmuscled by the opposition.. Playing Arshavin upfront against Stoke was a masterstroke by the Boss.. You can be as skilled as you want but if you cant hold the ball for a moment without the opposing defender swatting it away from you then all the skill counts for naught.. In the 4-3-3 formation Vela will fit perfectly into the Wings.. but as a central striker in any formation? Vela? It just wont work buddy..
Ramsey is world-Class.. doesnt his rise up the ranks resemble someone else? 6mil pounds (I think) from cardiff.. what an investment by the Boss! if Ramsey carries on this way then he can easily take up diaby’s position by the end of this season.. remarkable talent!!
I dont know that that is really true though. He holds the ball better than eduardo – that’s why I wanted him up front.
He may not be amazingly strong, but he’s not weak. He has pretty good balance, and his 1st touch is as good as van persie’s – that’s the area I thought arshavin would struggle in last weekend, and he did a little bit at times, but hes a clever lad and his movement really made it easy for the midfielders to find him in enough space –> THAT is the only area I really think vela needs to improve on to be really good in that position.
I’m afraid Carlos wasted a golden opportunity to be a contender for the Liverpool game, though if both Rosicky and Eduardo fail to recover he may have to start no matter what.
We of course agree on his runs, his timing and the space he creates for the midfielders. I remember one move where Jack Wilshere took full advantage of Vela’s typical run from the center to the left, with Jack then passing it to Theo who didn’t follow. We also agree on his first touch, which was superb yesterday when Aaron picked him for the second of the wasted chances.
But yes, Carlos’ only problem at the moment is confidence in front of goal and unfortunately, since he’s being asked to play as striker, this is not helping the side. I’m of course not blaming Vela for yesterday’s defeat, far from that, but he had to score at least one of those two chances.
I agree with that.
Given his lack of confidence, a place on the left against liverpool might be ideal as he could offer strong support to arshavin in attack and switch positions at times too.
He may have wasted the opportunity in a sense, but there’s been plenty of times before when hes seemed to grab the opportunity with both hands, just to be overlooked in the next game, so we’ll just have to see what happens
“Grab the opportunity with both hands, just to be overlooked in the next game”
That has “last season” written all over it I’m afraid. Carlos is already being criticised with many fast to say we need a striker and so on. I mean I admit he had a poor game yesterday but I’m not saying he’s not good enough and should be sold like many are already saying.
And the point is that he played so very little last season that this season is the one in which he’s getting used to regular football so he needs time, that’s all.
Well, I thought he grabbed the opportunity against AZ, thought he played very well coming on against chelsea, and he saved that game in the carling cup. He did as well as could be expected against Man city. Yesterday was prbably the worst ive ever seen him play – and he wasnt even that bad overall.
I dont really agree he’s played more games this season. Hes been injured quite a bit and missed the carling cup games and hasnt had much more 1st-team football than last season. I think hes played very well again this year in the main. He just looked to be suffering from a lack of confidence. My theory is that wenger has induced it, but vela needs to be more confident generally, regardless of what wenger thinks. If only he could borrow some of walcott’s confidence we’d have two very good players imo
I agree that he’ll come good eventually. My worry is that if wenger keeps overlooking him, and doesnt keep him informed on why leaving him out, hel eventually do a diarra and look for 1st team football elsewhere – and this kid is a far better prospect than diarra was.
My worry is that if wenger keeps overlooking him, and doesnt keep him informed on why leaving him out, hel eventually do a diarra and look for 1st team football elsewhere
Do you think that AW and Vela does not chat? Do you think vela sits there all in the dark thinking ” hmm why was i not choosen, AW has not spoken to me in 3 weeks and i have played so well, why am i not choosen?” Surly they have dialouge. Ofc he keeps Vela informed and ofc Vela knows what he has to work with and why he is not included.
But then it is the balance of strikers again. people moan and moan about how we need a new strong great striker upfront and when we buy him, if we buy him we all know that that means Vela will go down the pecking order. So on one side everyone wants this wonderful new striker and on the other hand everyone wants vela to shine and to be given chances to fail(cos everyone does) before he shines. Same time as everyone say ” pl and cm and all our matches are not for kids but for grown ups” gaah ! Make up your midn people!
I have made up my mind – vela deserves a chance
And yes I do think its possible wenger doesnt talk much to vela or other players.
Diarra said that I think. That’s why he wanted to leave. Not only did he not get many chances, wenger didnt even speak to him about it.
It was quite similar actually. There were times when diarra played really well (eg against aston villa where he dominated gareth barry) – and then the next week an off-form gilberto would come in ahead of him – it must be confusing and frustrating.
Wenger doesnt seem to talk much to the rest of the players. Otherwise you’d see clearer signs of it on the pitch Id have thought.
For example, diaby often doesnt seem to kno wat to do or what his role is in the side, and all walcott seems to want to do is run with the ball like hes maradona or something – surely wenger would say something to him about that!?
davi i understand what your saying but honestly if his too weak to play upfront which I agree with too, then put him on the right instead of walcott, because on the wings his very good, he can pace defenders, use skills, cut left and shoot, i honestly think arsene needs to play around with him more in terms of position in the team especially if we play 4-3-3 all the time.
honestly mate against liverpool arsene should bring him as a sub on the 70th minute and put him on the right wing against aurelio or dossena or even insua, i think he can outpace them and cut to the centre to shoot or find some one, if you guys saw him against real madrid 2 seasons where he played on both wings he totally tormented and raped sergio ramos cutting in, pacing, skilling and crossing in to the box, arsene needs to put him on the wings because his crosses are very good aswell, anyways lets just wait and see hopefully eduardo and diaby are fit too
Very proud hats off for sure to all
Now i know we don’t have a real striker yet it saddens me the amount of chances we created without that finish a frustrating scenario i thought vella should have done better no goals no points that’s the naked truth
vella should be in the field every day being pushed around until he stays on his feet and then turn in with a shoot the passes were amazing from all direction but definitely we don’t have that killing machine we need that machine can we bring in batastuta or van basten or both
Here comes the weekend and yet another match looking forward for what’s it to be hope we will convert our chances as we can really play
Ramsy worked hard and made a few beautiful long range passes but he messed up far more short range ones. He does that regularly. Song was absolutely immense today and our best player in my opinion. We’d have conceded more without him.
didnt know what game u watched to give gilbert a 6,5 rating. he was the one exposed all the time and was at fault for the goal. tom cruise got exposed a lot less often. i think u confused the two flanks.
mmm ok i was pretty pissed about vela missing those 2 clear goals but a 3? really a 3?
take a look here for vela rating a 7? mmm so lets average and just called it a 5 yes?
http://goal.com/en/news/1716/champions-league/2009/12/09/1677507/player-ratings-olympiacos-1-0-arsenal
For a match with nothing at stake and qualification to the knockout round already assured, the result is meaningless. Instead this game offered a glimpse into the future, and the future looks promising. Except for the one defensive lapse leading the Olympiakos’ goal, Gilbert, Bartley, and Cruise looked cool and composed in the back, particularly given their limited game experience and at full game speed. Merida, Wilshire and Ramsey had midfield under lockdown. Even without Sanchez Watt, Arsenal would have won the game had Vela, with a bit of luck, converted his scoring opportunities. Throughout, wily veterans Olympiakos were outplayed by Arsenal’s talented young bucks. Most promising, Ramsey’s precocious talent is soon set to force his way into a spot on the senior starting XI. Comes the day Arsenal do cash in on the windfall profit from Fabregas’ eventual sale, Arsenal won’t miss a beat with Ramsey as his heir apparent. There is a growing chemistry between Merida and Ramsey that, over time and with produce continued magic in games over the years to come. Other than ManU’s youth ranks, no other Premier League team can boast such rich prospects.
No, Arsenal 2.0 has all the right stuff and, with a little of Wenger’s usual tinkering, they are well on their way.
Kudos, Arsene. The kids are alright.
Meanwhile, as concerns the immediate future. On Sunday, look for Arsenal to further dent a dysfunctional Liverpool’s fortunes of placing in the top four. Arsenal 4 – Liverpool 2.
Remember: ya hear here from Phillydawg first.
I disagree with Vela’s rating. Yes he wasted chances but he got in position to score. He will get his scoring touch if he gets more playing time. Walcott on the other hand will never be good enough for the top teams. His first touch is crap, he euns straight into defenders, and he needs a10 meater diameter clear zone in order to play. I thing we should count our losses on him. It’s not worth the managers’s time to have him there. Ramsey is the next Gerrard.
Ramsey is like gerrard with actual skill. He just needs to be a bit more calm with the ball at times and he’ll be incredible.
Lansbury is very similar as well. He’s got a great engine and skill level. Those two could make a powerful midfield for us in the future
What the hell??I think Vela and Gilberts ratings should be swapped coz quite honestly Gilbert was the crapiest man we had on field yesterday.Song was obviously motm.I dont know why people are going on and on about Ramsey’s performance coz for me he was only average and he still has the tendancy to overplay the ball when he should be passing it,he went missing a few times and Song had to shoulder the burden of Creativity and defending.I was however impressed by Bartley seeing that he hadnt made any senior appearances prior to this game.Now wenger should get rid of Gilbert coz he is simply crap.
The only thing I have to say is, this match + Manchester City match is fantastic experience for our young players. The result didn’t realy matter.
Good morning friends.
Some replies before I immerse myself in the world of work
bogdan, I believe Song was suspended for the Stoke game but will be eligible for Liverpool.
On Vela, well, you should all know how much I love the player and although I do agree that he placed himself in very good positions – hence why he had two glorious chances – well he missed both of them, and when you play as a striker your job is to score goals. And Reyes, don’t be fooled by goal.com, most probably they didn’t see the game.
Then yes, as I said above, all Carlos is lacking is confidence in front of goal. And that is why, Davi, I said he should play on the left. He was lethal last season where I believe he missed chances only against Sunderland but this year he’s struggling to even hit the target.
oh that’s good…we need song..
vela needs time…u can’t expect that vela be the savior from the first game….the striker that we need…yes he missed but al strikers missed…remember rvp at the beggining of the season…or bendtner how many chances ruined…vela has all the qualities for a finisher but he needs time and confidence,he needs more games and a good understanding with the others…unfortunately time is something that we can’t afford right now but we must…i hope vela will play with liv for 2 reasons: we don’t have anyone else 2 play out there in front and 2 maybe he will have a great day since liv defence is not at their best right now..
and we need maximum concentration in defence with torres recovered!
i can’t hardly wait…it will be a cracking match…GO GUNNERS!
Hello everybody..I am not happy with our performance..Here in Greece they talk about a great win from Olympiakos,but i disagree.Arsenal wasted the game and didn’t have the spirit of a big team yesterday..Ok i know we played with 18-years old team,but we had no confidence.As about Vela,i don’t think he should play in Arsenal..He is not a player for such a big team..He is not bad but maybe not for us..Wenger knows better..We’ll see.
http://www.onlinegooner.com/blog/index.php?id=202
and i thought you were harsh on vela chris, read this article
Yes, many are quick to condemn Vela after only, how many, 300 minutes played this season? Apart from rare occasions, Arshavin has been shocking before the Stoke game yet no-one is saying he should be sold to a Spanish side.
My rating of “3″ is based on yesterday’s game, not my feelings towards the player, who I repeat, at the moment is a better choice than Tomas Rosicky for the left wing.
Yea i know how you feel about the player, i thought that guy who published the article was a little bit to fast to jump to conclusion on a rookie, just like any good wine it takes time to age!
what do you mean about quick to complain about arshavin, the guy is a world class established player proven from day vela not yet if your comparing him to arshavin, arshavin is just not performing at the moment to his capabilities like we all know he can(performances like olympiacos, liverpool, spurs and more), plus vela is still young im not saying he should be sold actually no body is its you over reacting, what person or thing would say sell vela!
we’re jsut saying he needs to be put in the right position needs confidence and a bit mroe strength then he is good to go, the guy is 20 and plays for his country and established there all the time its just here its his confidence and the premier league is a little strong for him his lacking a little give him more time