Quick Arsenal link roundup for Monday, February 21

Bit of a slow day for Arsenal news today after the media avalanche following the Barcelona match last week. This is perhaps a reflection of the tempo of the Leyton Orient FA Cup match yesterday, a classic cup encounter and a well-earned replay that Orient supporters and chairpersons will remember fondly for some time.

Anyhow, the links:

Arseblog feels much the same as most, today:

I think the word is ‘meh’. Not exactly an enthralling cup tie by any means. Arsenal had most of the ball but did very little with it from an attacking point of view. Orient defended well enough, got men behind the ball and we lacked the bit of cleverness needed to open them up. When we did, and Gibbs cross found Chamakh six yards out and unmarked, the Moroccan should have scored. Instead he made a total hash of it and put it wide.

ACLF thinks relying on Tomas Rosicky on days like yesterday in the middle is perhaps no longer enough (presumably despite him scoring):

Quite simply Arsenal missed a creative spark. Rosický, before injury robbed him of prime playing years, might have been able to fulfil that role. Now he is marginalised too often to be a major influence in such fixtures, better suited to the wider midfield positions.

Tactical website Holding Midfield says Orient pressed well and that Arsenal didn't help themselves:

Arsenal were having problems of their own though – Orient were pressing, albeit it not that intensely, rushing up to Arsenal’s players but neglecting to put their feet in, making it difficult for Arsenal’s midfielders to play it to one another or the forwards. The main issue was that Arsenal’s players were too spread out to pass easily through the midfield – Denilson showed the solution with a couple of nice one-twos, but Arsenal didn’t change anything.

Despite the lack of rest, though, Arsène Wenger still supports replays in the Cup.

Carlos Vela, off the mark for West Bromwich Albion. Hopefully he gets some run and some good time in at the Baggies in their fight to stay up.

Malcolm MacDonald scored against Orient once in the FA Cup; he also did this.

Have a good day, everyone.