I opened up my preview for this match with the following paragraph:

Back in action at the Stadium of Light tomorrow, for what I expect to be a very tricky match. Seriously–this match scares the hell out of me. For one thing, it’s a road match against a top half side with a very good home record–those matches are always tough, no matter what. But throw in the fact that nearly half our first team is injured, and that everyone is already talking about next weekend’s matchup with Chelsea, and this has all the makings of an Arsenal stumble. I dearly hope I’m wrong.

I don’t know if I’ve ever been so disgusted to be right.

All year, I (and many others) have been talking about how different this season’s Arsenal squad is from last season. After today, though, you’d have to say: maybe not so different as we thought.

Last year’s team, you recall, made a habit of mailing in awful performances against teams we should have been expected to win against, only to turn around and turn in strong performances against our fellow top 4 clubs and in the Champions League. The only possible explanation is that the club, while capable of playing great, simply didn’t have the focus and mental strength to play their best week in and week out. That’s basically what happened today.

I know, I know, we have plenty of at least somewhat legitimate excuses–injuries, tired from the international break, etc. But you know what? (1) Sunderland had plenty of injuries/suspensions of their own; and (2) we had plenty of world-class players–Fabregas, Arshavin, Eduardo, Nasri, Song, Vermaelen, Gallas, etc. To be blunt, all of those players are likely better than any single member of Sunderland’s squad. We should have won. Period. And we didn’t, because Sunderland wanted it more than we did, and they came out and outworked and outplayed us. Full credit to them for that.

I generally try to avoid hyperbole, so I won’t say that this match ended Arsenal’s title hopes. We’re 8 points behind Chelsea, but with a head-to-head match-up next week and a home game against Bolton in hand. If we were to win both of those matches, we’d be just 2 points behind, easily within striking distance. But I will say that it’s hard to imagine a league-winning side turning in a performance as lackluster as what I just saw from Arsenal. I was at the pub, and the Arsenal game was playing right next to another tv, which was showing the Chelsea-Wolves “match.” The contrast between the quality and composure of Chelsea and Arsenal was disturbingly evident–it didn’t make for a very good morning for me, I have to say.

Like we did so many times last season, we seemed overly content with merely retaining possession and passing the ball back and forth outside of the proximity to goal where we needed to be to cause any real danger. We had 65% of the possession, yet you wouldn’t really say that we dominated the match. Tomas Rosicky missed a beautiful chance inside of 5 minutes, but the entire rest of the game, we only created a few chances and never again forced unproven keeper Martin Fulop into making a difficult save.

This is also the first time we’ve been kept off the scoresheet since the 0-0 draw with Manchester United last season. To be blunt, I think a big part of it was Robin van Persie–we miss him more than even I thought we would. Eduardo certainly didn’t play well, but only so much of the blame can fall on his shoulders, because he’s just not the kind of player to fill that position. Robbie’s position in the 4-3-3 is the fulcrum for the entire attack, constantly getting the ball into feet and sending back out again to someone in a dangerous position. On the other hand, Eduardo is most comfortable as a true poacher, probing for weaknesses in the backline without the ball and popping up to take one touch and get a shot on goal from a dangerous position. For a guy who should have been involved in the attack a lot, Eduardo seemed awfully invisible for almost all of the match. I’m not sure what the answer is, but I do think Wenger needs to go back to the drawing board in terms of who should take RvP’s place as the center forward, b/c Eduardo isn’t up to the task–if it means temporarily abandoning the 4-3-3 until van Persie returns from injury, so be it.

Anyway, as to the match itself, there isn’t much to say by way of recap. Fabregas created a beautiful chance for Rosicky which he wasted by shooting directly at the keeper in the 5th minute. After that, there just weren’t too many chances. Eduardo had another great chance inside the box, but instead of just shooting low to the side of the keeper, where he had room, Eduardo tried to be too clever and chip the ball over the keeper, and his chip went well wide. We had a couple of quality balls into the box late after Sunderland had scored, but couldn’t get anyone on the other end of them. Sunderland didn’t fare too much better–Malbranque had a couple of shots inside the box unmarked (apparently Traore doesn’t quite understand what a left back’s duties are just yet), but in the 73rd minute, off a corner kick, the ball ricocheted around and came straight onto the foot of Darren Bent, who just had to poke it past Almunia. The marking was very poor, and as the ball came back into the six-yard box, Rosicky just stared at the ball, apparently attempting to clear it through the use of telekinesis.

On to the ratings:

Almunia 6.5. Didn’t really have too much to do. His best save of the game came on a play where Darren Bent was offsides anyway, but patrolled his area well.

Sagna 7. Another good performance–good getting back on defense, but seemed consistently involved going forward as well.

Traore 5.5.I’d say that he confirmed Arsene Wenger’s preseason statement that Traore lacked the defensive chops to really play left back. He looked decent going forward, but was pretty calamitous at the back–left Malbranque unmarked in the box twice, and generally just kind of ran around aimlessly when Sunderland had the ball. Took a yellow on a very dangerous tackle in injury time for good measure. His future is not at left back.

Vermaelen 6. Defended well, and stayed tight at the back, but didn’t get forward in attack as much as he could have.

Gallas 6. Ditto.

Ramsey 5.5. Woof. Big step back. Looked tentative and confused, and generally just didn’t look like he knew what he was supposed to be doing. Doubly bad because this probably paves the way for Diaby’s re-entry into the starting XI when he comes back from injury.

Song 8. Man of the Match. Maybe the only bright spot. Aggressive and strong in the middle of the field. On several occasions he would go into an exchange alone against multiple Sunderland players and would come out with the ball on the other side. I know he’s only really come into his own this season, but I’m calling it–he’s one of the best holding midfielders in the world right now.

Cesc 6. Seemed strangely timid and frustrated the entire match. Couldn’t find much in the way of through balls, and kept losing his temper. He’s got to be more composed and influential if Arsenal are to ever become an excellent team.

Eduardo 5. You know, in a sense, it’s not entirely his fault, because he was being asked to play a role that doesn’t suit his skill set. And van Persie didn’t take to the role instantly, either. But even considering that, he was awful–the center forward role in a 4-3-3 is the focal point of our attack, which makes it baffling that Eduardo was almost completely anonymous. He squandered the one decent scoring chance he did have.

Rosicky 5.5. Missed a tremendous chance very early in the match, and despite having possession in Sunderland’s half on many occasions, struggled to create anything at all.

Nasri 6. Not too bad, but has yet to settle in and find his role in the 4-3-3–based on what we’ve seen so far, I’m not sure forward-wing is the best fit, although with his preseason injury he’s only been able to make a couple of appearances.

Arshavin 6. Created a couple moments of real danger, but didn’t look like his normal self, justifying Wenger’s decision not to start him.

Vela 6. Wasn’t as involved as he could have been, but almost drew a penalty in injury time.

Walcott 6.5. Worked very hard in his substitute cameo–how many times in the last 15 minutes of the game did Walcott get forward with the ball only to find himself surrounded by Sunderland shirts with no Arsenal shirts anywhere near him? It seemed like he was the only one who was really desperate to get forward and equalize. Made a claim that he should be in the first XI if he’s healthy.

Truly a wasted chance. A wasted chance to keep pace with Chelsea and Manchester United, and a wasted chance to put some space between us and Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Liverpool, all of whom dropped points today. But we lost, and we’ve got to look forward. We’ve got a chance to win our Champions League group on Tuesday at home, and then Chelsea travels across town to the Emirates on Sunday for a big showdown. If we’re to have any hope of winning the league, you’d have to think that’s a must-win–at the very least, a loss would put us 11 points behind, which you’d have to think would be a mountain too tall to climb.

I think Wenger isn’t going to be sleeping too well tonight, as he tries to figure out whether, in van Persie’s absence, he still has the personnel to operate the 4-3-3, and if so, exactly how. We’ve only got two days off before Tuesday’s matchup with Standard, and then five days later it’s Chelsea. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, I’ll be back with a preview for the Standard match on Monday.

Sunderland: Starters: Fulop, Bardsley, Mensah, da Silva, McCartney, Henderson, Reid, Cana, Richardson, Henderson, Bent. Subs: Nosworthy, Healy, Zenden, Murphy, Ferdinand, Campbell, Carson.

Arsenal: Starters: Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Traore, Fabregas, Song, Ramsey, Rosicky, Eduardo, Nasri. Subs: Mannone, Silvestre, Arshavin, Eboue, Walcott, Denilson, Vela.

Traore starts at left-back. It’ll be interesting to watch him this game–I think I remember coming into the season Wenger saying something to the effect that he didn’t consider Traore a left-back anymore, that his defensive deficiencies made him a left winger exclusively. I’m also glad to see Ramsey in there–I thought he was still hurt from internationals, but he impressed in his previous start and earned the chance to build on that. Another good performance or two and you’d have to say he’s passed Diaby on the depth chart. Rosicky and Nasri, who are more traditional wingers than strikers, play on the forward wings, so Eduardo is our only true striker, as Arshavin and Vela both start on the bench. On the plus side, though, injuries and suspensions have forced Sunderland to field a pretty improvised lineup, too.

It’ll be a tough fixture, but we need three points here if we’re really title contenders–let’s get out there and do it. Come on Arsenal.

Position: 8th, 5-2-5 (17 points, +1 goal differential)

Recent Form: DWLDL

Home Form: 4-1-1

Last Meeting: Arsenal 0-Sunderland 0 (2/21/09)

Back in action at the Stadium of Light tomorrow, for what I expect to be a very tricky match. Seriously–this match scares the hell out of me. For one thing, it’s a road match against a top half side with a very good home record–those matches are always tough, no matter what. But throw in the fact that nearly half our first team is injured, and that everyone is already talking about next weekend’s matchup with Chelsea, and this has all the makings of an Arsenal stumble. I dearly hope I’m wrong.

Sunderland is a quality side, much improved from last season. This is due mainly to the hire of Steve Bruce as manager–Bruce did wonders at Wigan, bringing in quality bargain buys like Valencia and Palacios, as well as youngsters like Lee Cattermole, who followed the gaffer north to Sunderland. The club also gave him a bit of money to play with over the summer, and he appears to have spent it wisely–his main transfers were Darren Bent, who has already shown himself to be a bargain (honestly–compare his production with strikers who were much more costly, like Berbatov, Santa Cruz, and Pavlyuchenko); Lorik Cana, who was immediately appointed captain and has become a mainstay in their midfield; and the aforementioned Cattermole, one of the more promising young midfielders in the Premiership.

Sunderland still plays a very English brand of football–disciplined, tight at the back, and relying a lot on toughness and physicality. But they have opened up a bit under Bruce, who has brought in some skilled players and installed a little bit of an attacking mentality in the club, which is in stark contrast to the way Sunderland played under Roy Keane and Ricky Sbragia the last couple of seasons. And even then, they managed a draw in both their games against us last season.

You wouldn’t necessarily characterize Sunderland as an explosive team per se, but they do have two quality strikers who complement each other well in Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones, who have combined for 13 goals this season. Their midfield is full of battlers like Steed Malbranque and Lorik Cana, and their backline is anchored by Anton Ferdinand and Michael Turner. We catch a little bit of a break tomorrow, though, as starting keeper Craig Gordon and Cattermole are both out injured, and Kenwyne Jones and Turner are both out on suspensions–in particular, Jones is exactly the kind of bruising physical striker that has given us problems in the past, too.

Their home record is very good–they’ve only lost once, to Chelsea, in 6 matches at the Stadium of Light. In their two best results of the season, they beat Liverpool at home and drew at Old Trafford in a match they very easily could have won. I watched that match in its entirety, and I can definitively say that this is a team that will make us pay if we expect to just show up and win. That happened with alarming frequency last season, but with the exception of the West Ham game, we’ve so far been able to avoid that pitfall this season. But hopefully the team isn’t suffering from too much of an international hangover and comes out focused and motivated.

In squad news, obviously the injuries are a big concern. van Persie is out for a while, and while Gibbs’s injury is apparently minor and he may be able to play on Tuesday against Standard Liege, he is out tomorrow. In better news, Theo Walcott is back in the squad–I still doubt he’ll start, but don’t be surprised to see him come on as a late substitute. Denilson, Traore, Wilshere, and Vela are also supposedly going to be available, although I don’t see any of them starting unless Wenger is really convinced that they are match fit–the midweek Champions League fixture would be a much better chance for them all to get a run out. It will also be interesting to see how those who played full matches on Wednesday fare. Fabregas and Arshavin played the entire match, as did Eboue, and Sagna and Gallas both played a full 120 minutes against Ireland. I’m sure there’s others I’m forgetting, too. For example, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sagna get a breather this game.

Lineup:

Almunia

Eboue-Gallas-Vermaelen-Silvestre

Fabregas-Song-Nasri

Rosicky-Eduardo-Arshavin

(UPDATE: So it sounds like Wenger is thinking that Vela will start, and that Arshavin may not play because of the fatigue from internationals. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect in terms of a starting XI tomorrow.)

But given those tired from internationals and those returning from injuries, it wouldn’t surprise me if our lineup was significantly different from that. Between injuries and fatigue, the Emirates is basically a field hospital right now, and Wenger’s just going to have to check with the players and trainers on an individual basis to see who’s really ready to play.

This is a tough match, and given all the surrounding circumstances (injuries, internationals, etc.), it’s the kind of match that last year’s club would have either lost or drawn. But these are exactly the kind of matches a team has to be able to win if it’s a serious title contender. Tomorrow could reveal a lot about what kind of team this Arsenal squad is. A win keeps us clear of United and keeps the pressure on Chelsea going into the the showdown at the Emirates a week from Sunday. Let’s get those 3 points.

Come on Arsenal.

It goes without saying that a win here is crucial. With the Villa-Chelsea game going on now, a win be either one would increase the margin between Arsenal and the top four. Considering that distance is already far enough as it is, let’s hope that it can’t get any further.

Some Robin Van Persie distraction this morning. The Dutch striker has been offered a new contract but is dragging his feet on signing it. This is what worries me:

‘Financially the last offer made by the club is fine but that isn’t everything for me. It’s about my ambitions and how they can be fulfilled in the coming years. The club and I want the same and it is our intention we achieve that.”

You can’t fault a player for wanting to win trophies, and when a club isn’t doing that getting players to stick around can be difficult. Van Persie wants to stay, he just wants to ensure that he’s winning something. Let’s hope that today can be a return to those winnings ways in the league.

For the second weekend in a row, I felt like turning the game off. It was frustrating – although again, the other manager seemed to have a plan – and humbling after a 4-0 romp of Porto this week. Another wonder strike almost was enough for Sunderland to come out on top, and if the people at BBC Sport know anything, end title hopes. Don’t agree with that, but losses against Fulham, Hull City, and Sunderland aren’t going to be of any help. Is Arsenal becoming like Liverpool of the past few years? (Struggling in the league while doing well in Europe) Way too early to say, haven’t yet reached the knockout stages.

Player performances weren’t bad, but they weren’t spectacular either. Almunia made a couple of big saves on Djibril Cisse, and you can’t fault him for the goal. Van Persie and Adebayor lacked the sharpness that they seemed to possess midweek. Cesc did well to equalize (with a header), but played a number of passes astray. Denilson had an up and down game, while Nasri could have done better with an opportunity late in the match.

Sunderland’s manager Roy Keane kept his men behind the ball, happy to concede possession and let Arsenal try and break them down. That almost worked, much to Wenger’s anger. Watching a team defend stoutly is no fun when supporting the opposition, but credit to Keane for sticking to a game plan and trying to hit on the counter attack.

Where to go from here? Even the most optimistic Arsenal fan would be hard pressed to admit that a title run is possible – at least if these kind of performances keep up. The players need to find a next level, and more importantly, a more consistent approach to each match. With each result, it will be harder and harder to unlock teams that will take a similar approach as Sunderland and Hull have in the past two weeks. I think things can change, but right now, who knows what will happen.

There isn’t much to say from the game. Perhaps Abby will mention it – although I don’t know of many people who actually watched it. Most channels were showing games that mattered at either end of the table. As a result, I was stuck watching Chelsea v Bolton (boring) and bits of Man United v Wigan (meh). However, it was exciting that Fulham somehow avoided relegation. Exciting in the sense that Brian McBride is one of my favorite players, and will get to continue playing in the EPL.

As far as the Arsenal is concerned, 83 points on a season is not bad. The major disappointment lies in the face that the title seemed so close, yet dropping points in late February and early March – against Birmingham, Villa, Wigan, and Middlesborough cost use the title. Villa isn’t bad to drop points against, but wins against the other three would have handed us the title. I’ll have a more complete season review in a bit.

Meanwhile, transfer news things will stay interesting between now and the 100 days til August 16th. Wenger has already vowed to make an impact and soon. Two moves that can be made right away: give Theo a starting place, and bring Gilberto back, who should take Flamini’s place in the squad. He’s made it clear that he wants to stay at Arsenal for the remainder of his career, and given the depth problem, this would ease the pain of Hleb’s potential departure. Gilberto’s play did improve the more playing time he received near the close of the season and we all know what he is capable of. With a year left on his contract, he will hopefully be around for a bit longer.