Today is a Brucie Bonus day,Adrian Clarke has been good enough to allow us to post an article he recently wrote for BT’s Life’s a Pitch.

And we thank him very much

Also there is a tactical analysis of the reading game from our friends on the  facebook page “OOOh! To Be A Gooner!!“ (more commonly known as OTBAG) by Abhishek Ghising (@A_Ghising)

First,friend of the blog and former Arsenal player Adrian Clarke

Five common Arsenal myths shot down

It doesn’t take much for Arsène Wenger and Arsenal to get a pasting these days. Seizing on the Frenchman’s failure to bring the Gunners silverware in eight frustrating seasons, a lengthy queue of angry critics can be guaranteed to appear online, on the radio, on TV and in the press, frothing and fulminating over every dropped point.

Some of the negative assessments have been fair and entirely justified, but many observations have been extremely wide of the mark. Having watched every second of Arsenal’s season so far, here are five common myths and misconceptions I’d like to put straight.

Wenger doesn’t do tactics
Inside the Emirates Stadium it’s true to say the Gunners only have eyes for themselves. How they play is all that matters. This can be their strength, but it’s also been their undoing at times when they’ve left themselves vulnerable to the qualities of certain opponents.

To claim the manager has no tactical acumen is, however, grossly unfair. In testing away conditions at Stoke, Liverpool, Manchester City, West Ham, Sunderland, Bayern Munich and Swansea, Wenger came up with sensible off-the-ball game plans that his players delivered immaculately. Highlighting the dangers, he ensured they were snuffed out and just two goals were conceded on those trips.

The Gunners don’t often stray too far away from 4-2-3-1, but this season we have seen three at the back, a more positive 4-1-4-1 at home in selected matches, and even the occasional 4-4-2. Those who say Wenger doesn’t do tactics aren’t looking closely enough.

Arsenal don’t cross the ball: they try to walk it into the net
In previous seasons there was a clear obsession with scoring the perfect goal. That’s no longer the case. In fact, they have swung over 575 Premier League crosses in 29 matches, placing them well ahead of Man City, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool and higher than two-thirds of the division.

It’s the accuracy of those deliveries that needs to be fine-tuned. Not that it’s a problem for the rather misunderstood Lukas Podolski – a player of supreme efficiency who boasts one of the best accuracy percentages of anyone in the top flight when it comes to crossing the ball. Considering the Gunners have been accused of lacking punch in the final third, it’s amazing to think that Podolski, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud have 57 goals between them already this term.

Per Mertesacker is a carthorse
The German has been Arsenal’s most consistent defender this season. A January dip in form exposed his lack of pace at times, and for a while his confidence and decision-making were affected, but overall he’s been a calm, intelligent presence in the heart of the Gunners back four.

Statistically he’s Arsenal’s strongest and most powerful figure, winning more duels in the air and on the ground than anyone else, and he’s also the most secure, conceding one foul every three (yes, three) matches.

Currently, Mertesacker’s partnership with a rejuvenated Laurent Koscielny is unbeaten in six Premier League outings, while contrastingly in his absence, the side has on average conceded two goals per game. Without their dominant German presence Arsenal simply aren’t as safe. He’s no donkey.

Giroud isn’t good enough
Comparing Giroud with the not-so-dearly-departed Robin van Persie is unfair. Not only are they two men at very different stages of their careers, but they also have completely contrasting styles. The French striker is raw and is in no way the finished article, but he’s not the useless hitman some would have you believe. He’s a player with spunk and spirit, he creates chances, and in all competitions he has 15 goals to his name.

He’s good enough. And if he’s competing with another top-class striker for a first-team spot next season, I feel his game will develop enormously.

Arsenal don’t have balls
When you recall the disappointing displays against the best sides this season – Manchester United, Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham – it’s easy for people to question the character of the players. “They’re not up to it,” they say. With the exception of André Villas-Boas’ Spurs, with all due respect Arsenal should be behind the top three clubs, given their spending levels. I’d put those poor performances down to quality rather than attitude, so it’s nothing that a bit of summer investment can’t fix.

I also say this safe in the knowledge that nobody in the Premier League has conceded fewer goals away from home, and that no one has scored more goals in the final 10 minutes of matches than Arsenal all season.

Myths and misconceptions – there have been a few

AND

Arsenal vs Reading-A Tactical Analysis

In a must win game against Reading at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal produced a masterclass in attacking football that destroyed the Royals and ensured a thumping win for the Gunners.

The win has helped the Gunners to remain within touching distance of the top 4 spot which, now, is the main priority for the season.

Let us examine some areas where the game was won

1. The midfield: If there was ever a display of good, attacking, dynamic midfield play, this was it. From the very outset, it was clear that the Arsenal midfielders were constantly changing their areas of influence to make marking difficult for the opposition defenders.

Santi Cazorla started on the left flank, and switched positions effortlessly with Tomas Rosicky who was playing behind the target-man Olivier Giroud. On the other flank, Gervinho and Ramsey were doing the same. As the game wore on, all 4 players were taking up dynamic positions in the midfield which stretched the Reading defence. The wide players drifted towards the centre taking a defender along, which opened up space behind them. The central midfielders thus found lots of room on the flanks from where they could attack the opposition goal.

Mikel Arteta did a wonderful job of shielding the Arsenal back four, even joining in attack whenever he got an opportunity. He completed a game best 99 passes.

This game probably saw a prototype of the style of play Arsene Wenger wants his team to play. The Gunners were pressing the opposition high up the pitch which caused the Reading players to give the ball away cheaply, time and again. Special mention must be made of Aaron Ramsey who was instrumental in setting up the attack. He made a telling 4 key passes and completely shut-out Karacan and Guthrie in the Reading midfield.

Leigertwood had a busy game for Reading and he was completely out run by Messrs Cazorla, Rosicky and Gervinho. He did, however, make a lot of interceptions but the dominance of Arsenal was such that in the end he could not influence the result. Due to the high pressing game that the Gunners employed, most of the action happened in the opposition half, in and around the D.

2. The flanks: The right flank of Arsenal was a treat to watch. Sagna, Gervinho and Ramsey tormented the left sided players of Reading. The fullback Nicky Shorey, in particular, had a torrid day, as he had no answers to the constant onslaught. With Rosicky and Cazorla also joining in, there was very little joy for Reading. The Arsenal players were allowed time and space on the ball and it was only a matter of time when the scoreline reflected this.

Interestingly, the left wing of Arsenal did not see much attacking play, with Nacho Monreal content to nullifying the Reading attackers. Robson-Kanu was the only one who looked like causing some trouble to the Arsenal defence and his fortunate goal due to a tussle with Monreal was the only highlight from Reading’s point of view.

3. Defence: Mertesacker and Koscielny had a relatively easy game and dealt with everything that Reading threw at them. Since Reading were choked of the possession, there were hardly any dangerous balls played in for the Reading striker Pogrebnyak. Mertesacker in particular marked him out of the game easily. Koscielny looked busier of the two due to his involvement in defensive duties on the left side of the defence. Most of Reading’s attacks were taking place on that flank and Koscielny did a good job of dealing with them.

That the Reading defence had to resort to last ditch blocks tells the entire story. It’s a nightmare to defend against constantly moving attackers. More so when the attackers are technically sound and do not lose possession easily. The Royal’s defence didn’t make things easier for themselves by losing the ball cheaply on quite a few occasions. Had the Arsenal attackers buried their chances more clinically, the scoreline would have been a lot more embarrassing.

The introduction of Oxlade-Chamberlain and his direct, pacy brand of football created immediate problems for Shorey and Mariappa, with the latter conceding a penalty. The defence was unsettled by the effective passing of the Arsenal midfielders, which coupled with the direct play of Gervinho/Ox became unplayable at times.

Conclusion: Even when Arsenal face better opposition than Reading, they can stick to this brand of football and reap rich rewards. Discipline is the key here; and hard work. If each and every player on the pitch works his socks off and doesn’t allow the opposition time and space with the ball, we would be getting a lot more results in our favour. We need to press high up the pitch and not allow the opposition midfielders much time and space in possession