The Short Fuse - Champions League: Arsenal 3-1 Olympiacosit me, Jeffhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51365/tsf-fav.png2012-10-05T15:51:40-04:00http://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/rss/stream/32128532012-10-05T15:51:40-04:002012-10-05T15:51:40-04:00Man of the Match: YOU DECIDE
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<p>There wasn't really a standout player in particular against Olympiakos on Wednesday, so we want to know who you think shone the brightest.</p> <p>Typically we try to come up with a Man of the Match post as soon as possible after a match, because that's when this kind of thing is usually the most interesting. Here's the problem, though - none of us could decide who it was. So because I'm the one tasked with writing this, and I'm a tremendously lazy person who was watching the match while also doing a ton of work, we're asking you to vote on who had the best evening against Olympiakos. I'll briefly make a case for each Candidate, and then we all can decide together who <strike>has to defend the island against the Man in Black</strike> was the Man of the Match.</p>
<p><b>Candidate 1: Gervinho</b></p>
<p>As most of you probably know, Gervinho <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theshortfuse.com/2011/11/14/2554064/appresh-thread-gervinho">is my dude</a>. I won't re-explain why here, when I can just link that article. He wasn't easy to defend last year (as a writer; as a defender he was actually <i>far too easy</i> to defend), <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theshortfuse.com/2012/6/5/3065549/gervinho-arsenal-season-review-2012#104576854">but I tried</a>. This year he appears to be trying to vindicate me personally (he reads the blog, obviously): he leads the team in goals across all competitions, and <span>Arsene Wenger</span> appears to be trying to striker-ize him. He opened the scoring against Olympiakos with his fifth of the season, and assisted <span>Lukas Podolski's</span> goal to take the lead. He's awesome, and I will hear nothing to the contrary.</p>
<p><b>Candidate 2: Lukas Podolski</b></p>
<p>Industrious as ever. Scored the aforementioned go-ahead goal. Just generally awesome. I can't really put it into words, which is an issue, but he did five-hole the Greek 'keeper, so I think that should be enough evidence for anyone.</p>
<p><b>Candidate 3: <span>Carl Jenkinson</span></b></p>
<p>My rabid hatred for Carl Jenkinson is well-documented. I crave his failure, which is what has made his past several games so frustrating to me. He's been really good, maybe <a href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arsenal's</a> best defender, and that pesky bout of "being mostly unable to pass the ball" he had around the middle of last month has cleared up. He's looked assured and confident, and while early on I had fears that he'd swung into cockiness, he played very well on both ends and is really growing into his role. For the parts of the game where Arsenal were tedious, he was the bright spot.</p>
<p><b>Candidate 4: <span>Kieran Gibbs</span></b></p>
<p>Gibbs didn't really do anything flashy, but early on he was basically the extent of Arsenal's offensive output. He's been good all year too and hasn't gotten quite the accolades that Jenkinson has - that's fine, but don't overlook England's New Left Back.</p>
<p><b>Candidate 5: <span>Aaron Ramsey</span></b></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/aaron-ramsey-arsenal-v-olympiakos/">The Best.</a></p>
<p>So yeah, let's see what the community thinks. Who was best?</p>
https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2012/10/5/3461312/arsenal-champions-league-olympiakos-man-of-the-matchThomas Wachtel2012-10-03T17:13:20-04:002012-10-03T17:13:20-04:00Arsenal 3-1 Olympiacos: Match Report
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<p>It wasn't a vintage performance by any means, but Arsenal got the job done against a resilient Olympiacos side. </p> <p>1-0 Gervinho 42'<br>1-1 Mitroglou 45'<br>2-1 Podolski 56'<br>3-1 Ramsey 90+3'</p>
<p>Arsenal are in sole possession of first place in Group B after they beat Olympiacos 3-1 and Schalke were held to a draw by Montpellier. It was hardly the most vintage of Arsenal performances in the Champions League, but it was just enough to break down a resilient Olympiacos side, who did well to contain Arsenal, and looked lively throughout the match.</p>
<p>The fact that Arsenal got so sloppy in the latter stages of the first half was surprising given the way they started. They played with a high tempo, and pressed Olympiacos hard to win the ball back in attacking areas, with <span>Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain</span> in particular giving Jose Holebas a torrid time at left back. Most of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/">Arsenal's</a> play was slanted towards the right, with Santi Cazorla combining well with Oxlade-Chamberlain and the once-again excellent <span>Carl Jenkinson</span>, but <span>Kieran Gibbs</span> was always an outlet, and from a free kick he won, <span>Santi Cazorla's</span> shot was tipped over.</p>
<p>Cazorla, though, was finding it hard to get free from his marker, Dimitris Siovas, and Arsenal's creative play stuttered in the final third. Olympiacos began to become more confident, and started playing more attacking football, leaving Arsenal in two minds; do they press the ball, or drop deep? From that indecision, <span>Francis Coquelin</span> let Machado run into the midfield unmarked, and the midfielder shoveled a cross over the bar when it was easier to score.</p>
<p>That seemed to wake Arsenal up a bit, and when Cazorla produced some skill to get away from Siovas on the left touchline, Arsenal were away. He found Podolski, who crossed to the edge of the box, where Gervinho and <span>Mikel Arteta</span> were. Eventually, they sorted out who should take the ball, and it was Gervinho who made a little space and then hit a shot across the keeper from the edge of the box, to make it 1-0 to Arsenal.</p>
<p>Arsenal, though, got sloppy; <span>Thomas Vermaelen</span> gave the ball straight to David Fuster in front of the penalty box, and Arsenal never cleared the ball; Jenkinson was in two minds whether to close down Greco or go with the run; eventually, he did neither, and Greco had too much time to cross for Mitroglou, who got between Koscielny and Vermaelen to head Olympiacos level.</p>
<p>Steve Bould must have yelled a bit at Arsenal during halftime, because they came out of the gates looking a lot better. Kieran Gibbs won the ball on the edge of the box and cutback for Santi Cazorla, who inexplicably shot wide. The goal was coming though, and a one-two between Cazorla and Gervinho set the latter free, and, on the second attempt, his cutback found <span>Lukas Podolski</span> who hit a hard shot at goal that went through the goalkeeper.</p>
<p>Arsenal, though, again stopped pressing, and looked nervous. The problem with that is that the two ways they've defended thus far are at far extremes; they either press really hard or drop too deep, and that creates too much space in the midfield, as the wide players don't come back far enough if they're unsure of the defensive strategy. That is why Carl Jenkinson was screaming at his back four to push up; there was far too much space in the middle (Jenks for Captain). To add to the confusion, Thomas Vermaelen kept bursting forward, and was almost on the end of a <span>Theo Walcott</span> cutback.</p>
<p><span>Olivier Giroud</span> and <span>Aaron Ramsey</span> also came on, and the two were involved in a great chance; Ramsey backheeled for Cazorla, who cutback for Giroud, who's fierce shot hit Siovas in the head, with the defender not knowing much about it. There was more space to be exploited, though, and Arsenal finally did exploit it in the final minutes; Giroud's flicked header set Ramsey away, and the Welshman dinked over the keeper to give Arsenal a third goal, and seal the points.</p>
<p>The below is an approximation of where Arsenal won the ball back; by no means is it totally accurate, but they tended to win the ball back the most when they pressed the ball; rarely did they cleanly win the ball and find a teammate in their own defensive third. Food for thought for Steve Bould and <span>Arsene Wenger</span>.</p>
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https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2012/10/3/3450796/arsenal-olympiacos-2012-champions-league-match-reportAidan Gibson2012-10-03T14:18:51-04:002012-10-03T14:18:51-04:00Arsenal v. Olympiakos: match thread
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<figcaption>Julian Finney - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Arsenal host Olympiakos Piraeus in a Champions League group stage encounter for a second-straight season as they look to build off their victory away in Montpellier two weeks ago. </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arsenal</a> v. Olympiakos<br>Wednesday 3 October 2012, 7:45PM GMT/2:45PM ET/11:45AM PT<br>Emirates Stadium, Islington, London, England<br>Form (League): Arsenal:<b> DWWDL</b> / Olympiakos: <b>WWWWW </b><br>TV: Fox Sports Net (in your area), foxsoccer.tv (subscribers)</p>
<p>Arsenal head into tonight's UEFA Champions League encounter versus Olympiakos off the back of a loss in EPL action last Saturday to league-leaders <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a> hoping to further secure their entrance into the knockout stage. Tonight's match should prove a stern test for the Arsenal; no matter how you feel about the overall competition faced, there is little that dent the armor of a consistently-winning side and Olympiakos arrive in London with victories in all five league matches they've played in the Greek Super League with their defeat to fellow Champions League group member FC Schalke being their only competitive loss this season.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">While a draw will still see Arsenal in a position to move on to the knockout stages, as we saw last year it's much more advantageous to win the group stage in order to avoid the potential horror matchups that come with finishing second in the group. Arsenal defeated this side last season at the Emirates with such players as <span>Emmanuel Frimpong</span>, <span>Andre Santos</span> and <span>Marouane Chamakh</span> starting (with <span>Robin van Persie</span> coming off the bench for the final 19 minutes), so although our Greek visitors will provide a challenge, a win should be easily-achievable with a draw being the worst result our side can afford. A loss tonight with a Schalke win could potentially see Arsenal fall out of the top two with two-straight group stage encounters with Schalke on the horizon. This would not be good.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">A quick glance at the starting XI shows a team made up of the usual suspects, which is a bit curious with the tricky fixture away at West Ham coming up in a matter of days. To start with, <span>Francis Coquelin</span> replaces <span>Abou Diaby</span> in the midfield. We will also get another glimpse at the <span>Laurent Koscielny</span> and <span>Thomas Vermaelen</span> pairing at center back. Lastly, Gervinho gets the nod in the left forward role with <span>Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain</span> starting on the right; <span>Theo Walcott</span> will start the match sitting in a chair on the sidelines that probably has his name engraved on it.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Arsenal: Mannone; Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs; Arteta, Coquelin, Cazorla; Chamberlain, Podolski, Gervinho</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Subs: Shea, Santos, Giroud, Walcott, Ramsey, Djourou, Arshavin</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Olympiakos: Megyeri, Maniatis, Paulo Machado, Mitroglou, Contreras, Fuster, Holebas, Siovas, Manolas, Diakite, Greco</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Subs: Carroll, Modesto, Ibagaza, Pantelic, Lykogiannis, Diogo, Adboun</p>
<p>Please <span style="color: #292929; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.600000381469727px;">remember to keep image heights 300 or below, do not link to illegal streams, always use the subject line, and most of all, be kind to one another.</span></p>
<p>COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!</p>
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https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2012/10/3/3448538/arsenal-v-olympiakos-champions-league-match-threadTravis King2012-10-03T13:43:48-04:002012-10-03T13:43:48-04:00Serge Gnabry may be the next big thing at Arsenal
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<p>At age 17, Serge Gnabry is one of Arsenal's brightest prospects, and, after making his debut for the first team, could be a lot closer to contributing than one might've expected. </p> <p>A year after <span>Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain</span> made his first big mark at Arsenal against Olympiacos, Serge Gnabry is looking to do the same. The 17-year old German is apparently in <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/">Arsenal's</a> squad tonight, and could be called upon from the bench if Arsenal are comfortably ahead of Olympiacos. It's been a rapid rise for Gnabry, who joined Arsenal just a year ago, for a nominal fee of £100k from Stuttgart. After excelling for Steve Bould's U-18s last season, the youngster found himself at Arsenal's pre-season training camp in Germany, and played a little over 20 minutes against Koln. He made his first team debut against Coventry last week, and has been <a href="http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/-gnabry-could-play-for-first-team-this-year-" target="_blank">touted</a> as making an impact later in the season by <span>Arsene Wenger</span>. </p>
<p>Gnabry is remarkably quick, so much so that he <a href="http://www.talksport.co.uk/magazine/features/120327/arsenal-youngster-who-could-be-better-fabregas-talksport-talent-spotter-167308" target="_blank">claims</a> to have never lost a race in sprinting. Yet unlike <span>Theo Walcott</span>, it's hard to knock Gnabry off the ball; he's got good upper body strength, like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The similarities don't end there; Gnabry, like Oxlade-Chamberlain, is a powerful runner, who can dribble at pace and play excellent final passes; like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gnabry looks destined to end up in the middle of the park, because one feels his creative talents may be wasted out wide. </p>
<p>Last season, Oxlade-Chamberlain took advantage of injuries to Gervinho and Theo Walcott to excel against Olympiacos, getting Arsenal off the mark early with a fantastic left-footed finish. The goal had come after he had played well in the League Cup against Shrewsbury, and, until he was included as a starter against Manchester United in January, there were constant calls for Oxlade-Chamberlain to be starting. </p>
<p>While Gnabry has more players ahead of him, in <span>Lukas Podolski</span>, Gervinho, Theo Walcott, <span>Aaron Ramsey</span>, <span>Andrei Arshavin</span> and Oxlade-Chamberlain, there seems a bit of a opening for him; of those six players, there's a strong likelihood that Walcott and Arshavin could depart in January, while Gervinho will likely be at the African Cup of Nations. That leaves just three wide players, and then a gap opens for Gnabry. Oxlade-Chamberlain took that gap last year, buoyed by his successful outings in the League Cup and home performance against Olympiacos, the strongest team he had started against at the time. If Serge Gnabry performs similarly well to Oxlade-Chamberlain against Olympiacos, the strongest team he would've ever faced, he could easily stake a claim to contribute later this season. </p>
https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2012/10/3/3449326/serge-gnabry-arsenal-alex-oxlade-chamberlainAidan Gibson2012-10-02T21:36:09-04:002012-10-02T21:36:09-04:00Arsenal vs. Olympiakos: Champions League Preview
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<p>Arsenal welcome Olympiakos to the Emirates Stadium tomorrow for round two of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. </p> <p align="center"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/">Arsenal</a> vs. Olympiakos<br>UEFA Champions League Group B Round 2<br>Kickoff: Wednesday, October 3, 245 PM EDT<br>Emirates Stadium, London, UK<br>Form: ARS WWDWL | OLY WWLWW<br>TV: Fox Sports Net (in your area), foxsoccer.tv (subscribers only)</p>
<p align="left">Arsenal welcome Olympiakos Piraeus to the Emirates Stadium for the second game of this year's Champions League group stage. The Gunners, of course, faced the same club in last year's group stage, winning at home 2-1 before losing a dead rubber 3-1 in Greece, and the <i>Kokkini </i>went on to lose out to Schalke 04 in the Europa League later on in the year. It didn't stop them from winning the Greek SuperLeague, however, and here we are again.</p>
<p align="left">The biggest change from last year for the Greek side is the loss of <span>Kevin Mirallas</span>, their talisman, to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a>, where he's gotten off to a pretty good start. <strike>That doesn't mean that they should be taken lightly by anyone, captain Vasilis Torisidis and vice-captain <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110313/avraam-papadopoulos">Avraam Papadopoulos</a> staples of the Greek national team.</strike> [UPDATE: turns out they're both injured. Never mind!] Of potential interest also to Premier League viewers is the man in their no. 1 kit, Roy Carroll, former <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/">Manchester United</a> goalkeeper.</p>
<p align="left"><a target="_blank" href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/10/03/arsenal-v-olympiakos-the-view-from-greece/"><i>The Independent</i> got a view from Greece for their coverage of the match</a>, and one key thing to keep an eye on is the play of Greek international Kostas Mitroglou: "...Injury to leading goalscorer Rafik Djebbour means that Mitroglou will need to step up in his place. The 24-year-old frontman scored 16 goals in Greece last season."</p>
<p align="left">The team news for Arsenal is mostly not surprising, <span>Wojciech Szczesny</span> still facing some time in the trainer's room along with <span>Abou Diaby</span>. The worrying thing is that <span>Mikel Arteta</span> faces an injury test, having picked up an ankle problem against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a>. Everyone else is healthy, but some rotation is probably to be expected to avoid fatigue ahead of what is sure to be a tricky match at Upton Park against West Ham on the weekend. Given that, expect Arsenal to line up something like this tomorrow:</p>
<p align="center">Mannone<br>Jenkinson-Mertesacker-Vermaelen-Santos<br>Arteta/Coquelin-Ramsey<br>Cazorla<br>Chamberlain-Giroud-Gervinho</p>
<p align="left">with <span>Lukas Podolski</span> and <span>Kieran Gibbs</span>, hard workers of the left, getting spelled. Unless it's a laugher, though, expect to see Poldi off the bench along with probably <span>Theo Walcott</span> or <span>Andrei Arshavin</span>.</p>
<p align="left">We'll have more for you tomorrow in the buildup to the game.</p>
<p align="left"><b>Match prediction:</b> The game is a surprisingly tight, terse undertaking for both sides for 67 minutes, until Andrei Arshavin comes on for <span>Aaron Ramsey</span>. He and Cazorla immediately boost each other up to the top shelf of the cupboard where Wenger keeps the good cookies, and while they snicker and run away, Wenger chases them, throwing water bottles like Donkey Kong. Meanwhile, <span>Andre Santos</span> saunters up the left and cuts inside, laying a reverse pass off for <span>Olivier Giroud</span>, who looks up at Carroll, gives him the ol' Stinkeye, and buries it far corner. Arsenal win, 1-0, and cookies for everyone.</p>
https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2012/10/2/3446790/arsenal-olympiakos-match-preview-2012-champions-leagueTed Harwood