If Everton had managed to get a superior result against Manchester City on Saturday, this game would have had a greater significance but as the events turned out, Arsenal had already secured a fourth-place finish before the ball was even kicked on a warm Sunday afternoon. Unlike Arsenal, West Brom had other fish to fry as they are currently flirting with relegation so getting a positive result in the match was quite important to them but in the end, all it took was an Olivier Giroud header to settle the score.
In the wake of Arsenal’s win over West Brom, Gooner Daily has decided to reflect on the game and share a couple of lessons that were learned…
Aaron Ramsey’s Absence Left a Void in the Team
This season, Aaron Ramsey has risen to prominence to become a very indispensable member of the club and after a blistering start to the campaign, he suffered a thigh injury that kept him out for the best part of four months. Since his return in the tail end of last month, Ramsey supplied an assist against West Ham, scored and created an assist against Hull and he was directly involved in Giroud’s match clincher against Newcastle.
Sky Sports reported that he was having a thigh problem, so Arsene Wenger opted to give him a rest. Mathieu Flamini deputized in Ramsey’s stead and as expected, he alongside Mikel Arteta hovered around the center of the park, even though there were moments when Flamini drifted forward to no devastating effect.
With Ramsey out injured, his impact was keenly felt.
We Probably Have Witnessed Sagna’s Last Game at the Emirates
After amassing a whooping 279 appearances over a period of seven consistency-laden seasons, Arsenal fans may have witnessed Bacary Sagna at home for the last time, especially with the Daily Mail reporting that he is set to hold talks with Manchester City after the FA Cup final.
Sagna has been a devoted servant to the club for many years and his absence would leave a vacuum in Arsenal’s defense, but we can only hope that he would be replaced with a player of equal or even better quality. It has been an honor watching Sagna maraud the right flank all these years but I guess the saying is really true that all good things come to an end someday.
For those that don’t know, here are 30 reasons to love Bacary Sagna.
Giroud is a Dependable Striker, But he Needs Someone to Share that Burden With
Despite all the vitriol and abuse he has suffered from his fans this season, Giroud’s stats (via WhoScored) show that he has had a great season by his standards.
His historical data with his previous clubs also show that he does better in his second campaign with the clubs he has played for. When he plied his trade with Tours FC in the French Ligue 2, he scored 14 goals in his debut season for the club before scoring 24 goals in the next season. After securing a move to Montpellier, Giroud scored 14 goals for the French outfit before his 25 goals (21 goals in the Ligue 1) helped his team secure a maiden Championnat title against all odds.
He scored 17 goals in his first campaign with the Gunners but he was deemed not good enough, as filling the boots of a lethal forward like Robin van Persie is no mean feat. This season, Giroud’s surpassed his previous goalscoring tally with the club and despite scoring 22 goals, many fans still believe that the club needs to sign a new center forward.
If Arsenal wants to challenge for the Premier League next season, they need to get a striker that would share the goalscoring burden with Giroud.
A Fortress Called the Emirates Stadium
With 19 games played at the Emirates this season, Arsenal lost its first game against Aston Villa in August and went on to record 13 victories and five draws. While the Gunners dispatched “weaker” opposition with consummate ease at home, there would be some regret in the fact that when the Gunners faced off with the juggernauts of the Premier League, they failed to secure victories, earning creditable draws in the process.
Arsenal would seek to build on this next season and hopefully, the Gunners can produce better results against the big clubs next season.
Sayonara.
You can download the Gooner Daily BlackBerry App to receive notifications on your Smart Phone when a post is published.
You can follow Gooner Daily on Twitter @goonerdaily. I’ll follow back
Feel free to visit Gooner Daily’s Facebook page and click on the like button.
You can also join Gooner Daily’s Mailing List to get notifications of new posts by email by clicking on the Follow button