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How Arsenal players fared against Swansea in the FA Cup – my ratings

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Here are my Arsenal player ratings from this afternoons 2-2 draw with Swansea City at The Liberty Stadium (feel free to argue or agree with me).

Wojciech Szczesny – Made a few decent saves in the first-half and only really had to pick up the ball (twice) from the back of his net in the second. 6/10

Bacary Sagna – Getting worse and worse with every game that passes by. Lacks conviction, desire and looks like he’s forgotten how to play football. Poor marking led to Swansea’s second. Should be dropped from the side to recompose himself. Rubbish. 1/10

Laurent Koscielny – Did ok, but struggled to handle Danny Graham at times. Positioning wasn’t up to standard at times but was determined throughout. Bagged an assist. 5/10

Per Mertesacker – His lack of pace caused us a few problems today, with Graham easing past him in the first-half to have a great chance on goal. The German was then outwitted by Michu in the second-half which led to Swansea’s first. 4.5/10

Kieran Gibbs – Got forward well and always looked to overlap. Positioning needs improving but in general the England international had a good game. Lashed in a superb volley following a lovely one-two with Giroud to put Arsenal 2-1 ahead. 6/10

Mikel Arteta – Passed the ball around well and always wanted the ball. Was tenacious throughout. Man of the Match for me. 6.5/10

Jack Wilshere – Had a fairly poor first-half but stepped up his game in the second. His passing was slightly off the mark today but his determination and drive to win never faded. Didn’t stamp his authority on the game as he usually does. 6/10

Santi Cazorla – Didn’t see him touch the ball in the first 45 minutes. In the second-half the Spaniard got more involved, passed the ball around well and ventured forward looking to create. Sadly, he failed to deliver. 5/10

Aaron Ramsey – Got booked early on and to be fair tried. However, the Welshman didn’t do anything noticeable in his unfamiliar role as a winger. Was substituted in the 72nd minute. 4/10

Theo Walcott – Was deployed on the right wing and always looked to cut inside to help out Giroud upfront. Got forward well but his service to the front-man was poor and looked uncomfortable being played ‘out of position’. 4/10

Olivier Giroud – Held the ball up well throughout and worked the Swansea goalkeeper on a number of occasions in the second-half. Needed better service from the wingers. Set up Gibbs’ goal with a lovely chip through ball. 6/10

SUBS:

Lukas Podolski – Played only 18-20 minutes but the German managed to score Arsenal’s equalizer eight minutes after coming on. Got forward well. 6/10

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30 comments

  • Joe says:

    Gibbs was definately the MOTM, sagna was terrible, don’t get it why Ramsey is starting. Plus Rosicky was on the bench, i don’t get it why Wenger doesn’t play him

  • BergkampKNVB says:

    Is anyone else just aching to see Santi and Rosicky on the pitch together or is it just me?! Santi has struggled as of late and I think the creative prowess that TR7 possess could uplift Santi’s form. We also need a new DM (obviously). Arteta has done an admirable job but he is getting tired as well and needs some rotation. Our defense … well… what’s new?! Poor again though Gibbs played well! Kos did ok too. And in other news….

    I’m not blaming Ramsey, but the stats don’t lie… it just seems we just don’t win when he starts. He is better off the bench (or staying on it). You can argue his poor form is attributed to the injury he sustained (horrific as it was), but his main problem was apparent even before the broken leg, which was decision making and time on the ball. Again, not blaming Ramsey for the result today just my thoughts.

  • gunnersta says:

    Arsenal has zero defence.

  • kuti says:

    Dis is nt abt our defence,mildfield or attack,it is abt d stratagy,positioning of players ,d right players to play and the right players to buy.first of all we need quality players dat ar tall and strong on d ball.our mildfielders ar too small and weak.I wonder y Wenger can’t use rosicky in d middle and carzola on d wings,moreover carzola played as a winger in malaga.y must ramsy play,especially on d wings.we need players dat can take on opponent on d Wings.podolski and walcot ar nt exceptional dribblers,we need players dat can dribble past opponent to create space and lastly we need a stronger fighter in d middle who can commit to tackles and cover d defence well.for me d defence line is it very ok

  • Geons says:

    I came here to look the rating of Sagna.Thats exactly he deserved.He was too bad.I want Jenkinson on the pitch.His crosses are far far better than Sagna.What was he doing.Also Theo should pass the ball when there is another player in better position.He is too eager to score and prove himself.

  • zola says:

    what we need is new manager. Wenge has terribly failed and he has no clue how he can rebuid and lead the team. Even the flair for which were well known is now gone. If Wenger loves the team he must resign.

  • Mario says:

    It is clear that Santi is losing form because he has to play alongside craps like Ramsey and Walcott(overhyped crap).Wenger is a stubborn fool who is past his sell by date.It was like seeing two midtable teams slug it out.No class and boring.

  • ISF says:

    Some people are mad! Sell Sagna because he has had a few bad games? He has been our most consistent player for years and is one of the best RBs in the world. Don’t let a few poor games make you say stupid things!

  • Carl says:

    It’s not ramsey fault that arsenal could not defend their lead for 12 minutes.

  • FcArsenal says:

    Concerning that Cazorla is playing all these games.

    He has started all premier league games and lets hope he gets a break..

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