Stoke v Arsenal stats highlight strengths and weaknesses

Stats from Arsenal’s game vs Stoke

So this weekend we played Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. Just like last week, we dominated possession, created opportunities but we once again failed to find the back of the net in a 0-0 draw.

So here are the statistics from Sunday’s game supplied by eplindex.com

-          Arsenal had 17 shots with only 2 on target.

-          Arsenal had a pass success percentage of 81%.

-          Arsenal kept 66.7% possession vs Stoke.

-          Mikel Arteta completed 67 out of an attempted 77 passes.

-          Santi Cazorla completed 27 out of an attempted 29 attacking third passes.

-          Mikel Arteta created 3 chances during the game

-          Santi Cazorla  had 6 shots, 4 from outside the box

-          Lukas Podolski had a 100% take-on success completing all 3 of his take-ons.

-          Kieran Gibbs made 4 interceptions, more than any other Arsenal player.

Now clearly the most notable stat there is the shooting and for the 2nd week running it has been the least impressive there. We clearly need to work on our shooting in training, from all different areas on the pitch.

Once again we had a high pass success rate, not quite as high as usual for Arsenal but our domination of possession kept our game flowing. Again Mikel Arteta was our anchor man in midfield stringing together the passes, whilst Cazorla’s attacking qualities meant he completed 93% of his attacking passes.

Our defence was solid, keeping a clean sheet with Koscienly still to come back as well as Sagna. It won’t be an easy decision for Wenger to make about who to drop from the starting XI, because Mertesacker has performed well so far, so it would be difficult for Wenger to break that defensive partnership. Vermaelen could then move to Left Back, but Gibbs has been growing stronger and better as a player so again it would be a difficult decision.

Overall we can take away positives and negatives. The negative being the shooting, whilst the positive being the strong defensive display we put on. We must also credit Vito Mannone for a safe game, because let’s face it we all had a little worry when the team was announced.

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Silver Lining for Arsenal against Stoke City

Stoke 0 – 0 Arsenal. A boring game with a silver-lining by KJ

We came out today needing a win because of the poor result against Sunderland at the Emirates. Stoke City and their fans were well up for this match. They always are. This is their cup final. We are their biggest rivals in the Premier League. This was proven with their organised mass Wenger impersonation today. Stoke fans truly live a horrible existence.

Onto the football now, the starting line-up was:

Mannone

Jenkinson Mertesacker Vermaelan Gibbs

Arteta Diaby

Gervinho Cazorla Podolski

Giroud

There were a couple surprises to the starting line-up. Firstly, Mannone started instead of Szczesny who had a rib injury. I knew about this yesterday but still expected him to start. He went through 4 months last season with an injury but still played every game. I was also surprised that Walcott didn’t start. He is in the midst of contract negotiations and starting him can only help our stance on him.

The game started off pretty well for the Gunners as they managed to quickly impose their style of play on Stoke without being bullied out of the game. Podolski got the first chance of the game with a cute pass from Cazorla that initially looked like it would be cleared up by the Stoke defender, however, he slipped giving Podolski the opportunity to shoot but that in itself was shrouded in controversy. As the Stoke defender slipped, the momentum moved him forward allowing him to block Podolski’s shot. But, he blocked the shot with his arm. The goal was destined for the goal if there was no block and from watching the replays, it looked like the arm moved upwards to intentionally block the shot. I would’ve called it a penalty personally.

Cazorla was being his usual self and was controlling the game with ease. His passing was slick and his vision was unrivalled. He really has been a breath of fresh air. He definitely will be our best player since Fabregas. He also got a nice shot off from outside the box which really tested Begovic.

Podolski was playing really well in the first half. He was driving at the Stoke defenders and was imposing his physicality on their fullbacks. They knew that he wasn’t going to be pushed around.

Giroud seemed to be slightly isolated as both Shawcross and Huth made sure they were only an arm’s length away from him. He managed to get into good positions and could’ve been at the end of a great Cazorla through ball if only he took it in his stride.

Onto the second half, we started worse. Cazorla wasn’t really controlling the game anymore and Stoke were able to get some possession. Fortunately, Arsenal wasn’t fazed by it and kept to the game plan. We eventually settled but were still hard-pressed with the challenge of creating clear cut chances. Eventually, Wenger made his first two changes with both Podolski and Gervinho coming off for Walcott and Chamberlain. Gervinho was appalling today which is unlike him. Although he struggles with the final product, he always manages to make the defenders look like clowns. Unfortunately, nothing was working for him.

Walcott and Chamberlain really added that extra dimension and were able to get behind their defenders. There were numerous times they beat their man but failed to deliver the final ball.

Ramsey came on finally to the jeer of boos across the ground. Just disgusting. The Stoke fans were revelling in the atmosphere. Enjoying the hatred they were spreading.

The game fizzled out with the final chance falling to Giroud who had two options. The goalkeeper was off his line and hence the chip was on. Ramsey was bursting through the middle and would’ve been one on one with the keeper. It’s fair to say that Giroud picked the wrong option with the shot that wasn’t far off at all. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t spot the run but at least he is showing his willingness to score. His confidence hasn’t been dented at all from the Sunderland game.

The game finished 0 – 0 with it being by in large, a boring match. However, there was some positives for sure. We were extremely solid defensively and the attacking signs were positive. We just need to start finishing off our chances and we’ll be on our way.

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Individual contests that Arsenal face against Stoke

Key Battles in the match against Stoke by AM

Per Mertesacker v Peter Crouch

So what do you do when you have 6 ft 7 in tall striker up against you? You ask your 6 ft 6 in tall defender to man mark him. From Arsenal’s point of view, how Per Mertesacker handles Peter Crouch could possibly effect the outcome of this match. The Englishman has been a thorn in Arsenal’s site, he has scored seven Premier League goals against Arsenal; only versus Blackburn (8) has he been more prolific. He has also scored in both games for Stoke against the Gunners. But last time Arsenal played against Stoke at Britannia stadium, a match which finished in a 1-1 draw, Per Mertesacker was not in the team. The German international is Arsenal’s best bet against Crouch creating a nuisance from long throw-ins, free-kicks and corners.

Jenkinson v Etherington

Jenkinson, in his short career, has already played some ‘big’ matches. This time he will be up against another wily customer in Matthew Etherington. The former Tottenham Hotspur winger now a veteran at the age of 31 and while Peter Crouch attracts most of the attention down the middle, Etherington has enough about himself to cause trouble down the left wing. He is a wonderful crosser of the ball and in the last game against the Gunners, he was the one to provide the assist for Peter Crouch’s goal. Stopping Peter Crouch is secondary, what Arsenal should primarily stop is the supply to Peter Crouch. Jenkinson, who has stepped into the team due to the absence of Bacary Sagna, will have this important task of keeping Etherington quiet and stopping him from delivering crosses towards the box for Crouch to attack. Etherington is also quick on the counter attack and considering that Arsenal will hold a high backline, Jenkinson has to be on his toes to not let Etherington run behind him.

Arteta v Walters

Mikel Arteta, after the departure of Alex Song, now has extra defensive responsibilities on his shoulders. With Stoke playing a 4-4-1-1 formation, Jon Walters will be playing in the hole behind Peter Crouch. He has a tendency to play in between the lines, as in the line of defense and midfield. This can cause problems if one of the midfielders in the double pivot of 4-2-3-1 used by Arsenal, don’t mark him. Arteta plays in a much deeper role than the other pivot, Diaby. He will hence have the job of keeping an eye on Walters. Otherwise, the center backs will be drawn towards him leaving space in behind for the wide men to run into.

Cazorla v Whelan

Expect Santi Cazorla to be in the center of everything good for Arsenal and also expect Glenn Whelan following him like his shadow. Whelan is Stoke’s workhorse in the midfield and last time he played against Arsenal he had the job of keeping Rosicky quiet. Rosicky though was in fantastic form during that period and put in a wonderful display in that match and Whelan was unable to do much about it. Cazorla, who will play in similar role this time around, will also be marked by Whelan. It remains to be seen whether the Spaniard can evade him in the match.

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Full Arsenal injury list update ahead of Stoke game

Posted on August 24, 2012 by admin

Although Arsene Wenger has admitted that he is very busy with Arsenal transfer business this week, we still have the small matter of a difficult away game at Stoke on Sunday which needs to be addressed, and thankfully there are not many new injuries to report after the bore-draw with Sunderland.

Laurent Koscielny missed the game and it looks like he hasn’t recovered from his calf injury yet. Wenger said: “He will not be back. But he should definitely be back next week. So he should play in the game after Stoke.”

The only bit of good news is the return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to the side, although it is unlikely he will have a starting place. Wenger admitted: “He should be back in the training group from Friday. He has not practiced with the team yet. But he should be in the squad for Stoke.”

The reserve keeper Lukasz Fabianki is also set for a comeback. Wenger said yesterday: “He should be OK. He has a test today and, normally, he will be back. He has had a problem with inflammation of the back.”

Another few midfielders we are missing are Jack Wilshere of course, who is expected to be back in training next month, along with Thomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Frimpong. Wenger is very hopeful all three will be able to join the first team squad in October. The likelihood is that at least one of those will have a setback!

Probably the one Arsenal player that we need back as quick as possible is Bacary Sagna. He has also resumed some fitness work, but yet again we cant expect him to rush back after two breaks in a year. It will be at least October for him as well.

So thats the full list, and considering how many more midfielders we have now it is not too bad, but I cant help thinking that perhaps Wenger should bring in some new cover for Sagna. If he suffers a setback we could be in real trouble, especially as the inexperienced Jenkinson is also known to have back problems on a regular basis……

SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH YOUR MATES! Tags: Frimpong, Koscielny, Rosicky, Sagna, The Ox, Wilshere
Category Arsenal Injury News, Arsenal News
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Preview by Numbers: Stoke City v. Arsenal

Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-TrentSunday, August 268:30 a.m. EDT, 1:30 p.m. BSTMatch OfficialsReferee: Lee MasonAssistants: Simon Long and Ron Ganfield4th Official: Howard WebbThis Match, Last Year: Stoke City 1 - 1 ArsenalAll-Time in All Competitions: 50 Arsenal wins, 23 Stoke wins, 22 drawsArsenal's League Form: L-D-D-D-W // DStoke's League Form: L-D-D-L-D // D"Ahhhh, I locked my keys in the car!"Photo: Guardian.As Fulham and Swansea both ran up the score against Norwich and QPR respectively on Saturday morning, we joked at the pub that the title race between those two sides looked like it was going to be interesting. In fact, both sides play each other in t...

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