We dominated possession but far too often Giroud was isolated upfront and we couldn't supply him. Then in the 19th minute Mannone spilled a shot that he probably should have held and even against Grant Holt Mertesacker couldn't match his pace to block his finish. Again this leaves question marks over Mannone about whether he really can challenge for number 1. That for the moment is a debate for another day though as at this current moment we simply have no choice with SZCZ and Fabianski out for the near future anyway.
From that we never really looked like getting an equaliser. Giroud had a half chance with a falling, overhead kick, a difficult technique so no surprises when he didn't quite pull it off. Then the best chance of the game fell to Gervinho. Serge Gnabry who every time I've seen him has been quality, slipped a perfect ball through for the Ivorian who delayed too long before pulling the trigger and saw his shot blocked. In all honesty, he may have scored 5 goal this season but I still see him as the weak link and the sooner he disappears off to the ACoN the better in my opinion.
It was interested to hear what Arteta had to say after the game about defensive issues and the effect conceding has on a team:
“If you go ahead, it gives you a lift, the other team has to take risks, and you can cause mistakes. You can’t get back in the game every time you fall behind. It’s a tough ask and we haven’t done it today."
He's correct in what he says and it was clear to see that he was highly disappointed with the performance of the team and to be honest he should be.
Ah well that's the end of the match and now it has to be forgotten before we face the toughest opponents in our group, Schalke, at the Emirates on Wednesday night. A preview of that match will be up tomorrow. Until then chin up and lets move on.