Benfica Celebrate Thier Goal
In their final tune up of the 2011/12 preseason, the script was pretty familiar for Arsenal. After going ahead in the 34th minute through striker Robin Van Persie, it was once again mental lapses in the defensive third that proved the difference, as the Portuguese side netted twice in the span of 12 minutes in the second half, to claim their own preseason trophy, 2-1.
With the specter of both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri hanging over the club, Manager Arsene Wenger named the best starting XI he could given the players available, attempting to give his squad one final dress rehearsal before heading to Newcastle in a week’s time to open the Premier League season. It was Wojciech Szczesny in goal for the Gunners, giving the Polish international an opportunity to stake his claim to the Arsenal #1, a distinction that has seemingly been awarded to him already. Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs manned the wings, where they’ll be next weekend, and were joined by Johan Djourou and Thomas Vermaelen in the back four. With the absence of Nasri and Fabregas, Wenger turned to veterans Alex Song and Tomas Rosicky to shoulder most of the midfield responsibilities. It was Van Persie up top for the Gunners, with newly-signed Gervinho and Andrey Arshavin on the outside of the Dutch target man.
The match kicked off in front of a spirited crowd at the Estadio da Luz, and early on, it was clear both sides were looking to attain a tempo more reminiscent of a full fixture. It was Benfica with most of the energy in the opening moments, and the pressure finally cracked the Arsenal defense, when they seemed to be awarded a penalty when Szczesny seemingly took down a Benfica player, but the match referee waved it off and the match continued scoreless.
After regaining their composure and hold on the match, it was Arsenal who broke through in the 34th minute. Arshavin found a streaking Kieran Gibbs down the left flank, who used his superior pace to gain the attacking third, and then created enough space to cut the ball back to Van Persie, who clinically finished his opportunity, giving Arsenal the 1-0 lead on the road. Arsenal continued to dominate the match throughout the final minutes of the first half, seeing out the final ten minutes and reaching the half time whistle with the lead.
Wholesale substitutions were the theme at the half for Wenger’s men, introducing Fabianski, Chamakh, Miyaichi, Frimpong, Jenkinson, and Squillaci into the match. Benfica did precisely the opposite, bringing on their more famous names, most noticeably Pablo Aimar. The major changes clearly impacted the outcome, as was evidenced merely moments after the break when Benfica found the equalizer.
Nico Gaitan found space down the flank and fired a cut-back pass to Nolito at the far post, who hit a one touch pass to Aimar, who was wide open at the top of the six yard box, and the veteran Argentine buried his opportunity with authority, and the match was level.
Clearly the goal unsettled the Gunners, as the match was turned on it’s head and the momentum changed drastically in favor of the hosts, who now had a thirst for more goals. Benfica hit the bar three minutes later, when Luisao found enough space to fire a rocket at Fabianski. Benfica continued to pressure and push forward, and the efforts finally paid off in the 60th minute, when once again the Arsenal defense was lacking.
Aimar broke free down the left and found Joan Capdevila on the flank, who corralled the pass and crossed to Nolito who outclassed Squillaci and beat Fabianski at the short post, delighting the boisterous fans in attendance. The lack of solidarity and overall quality was perfectly evident at the back of the Arsenal defense, as Squillaci was beaten to the ball and then out-maneuvered by the Benfica striker, leaving him more than enough space to get off a powerful drive at the net.
The final scoreline could have looked much worse than it did, if not for Fabianski, who played extremely well down the stretch. The Polish keeper did well to save a great free kick from Javi Garcia in the latter stages, as well as pounding away a thunderous drive from Gaitan in the dying minutes. The match ended at 2-1, and the home side reclaimed the Eusebio Cup, which had been held by Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, who won the Cup last summer with a 1-0 victory.
It’s perfectly evident where the holes are on this Arsenal roster, and there seems to be a stalemate as to whether or not the club is going to go out and make the necessary moves to plug them. The ongoing, and quite frankly, utterly maddening saga of “Cesc to Barcelona” continues to hang over the club like a black storm cloud: the club can’t go out and spend money on players, without first knowing whether or not Cesc (and/or Nasri for that matter) will be in the fold for the upcoming campaign. However, with the first kick of the 2011/12 season now less than a week away, there’s clearly more questions than answers, and they aren’t novice questions either, they’re without a doubt major club-changing questions. Expect to see mostly an unchanged side on Saturday at St. James’ Park, save for Cesc and Nasri, who could feature in the if they’re decided to be part of the club going forward this season.
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