The Passing Game

What a great game I've just witnessed between Swansea City and Arsenal; two of the most fluid passing teams you will get to watch in this universe. I was salivating beforehand to watch this FA Cup third round fixture and I got exactly what I expected. Two tremendous passing teams who keep the ball beautifully, who like to caress it out from the back and with great intricate movements all round. While the first half was pleasing to the eye, it was the second that exploded the game into action.

 

Arsenal came out for the second half on the upper hand, dominating possession and looking dangerous. Michael Laudrup, sensing something not right, quickly brought on Michu and Pablo Hernandez, and the tide swung in a jiffy. Michu, on the way to becoming the Revelation of the Season, went through on goal with basically his first touch and prodded the ball home with the composure of God. Arsenal, stunned into action, retaliated back and kept turning the screw on the hosts. Laudrup, while previously right in making the substitutions, now got it all wrong, as he implored his team to go ultra-defensive in planning to hold on to their lead. He also brought on defensive midfielder Kemy Agustien to further tighten their defensive set-up.

 

This only encouraged Arsenal to attack even more, and that's what they did. Swansea were now panicking all over the place and their defenders were slipping up and anyhow clear here, clear there. It got so bad that even the commentators were mentioning it was only a matter of time before Arsenal were gonna score. And they did, not once but twice. First, it was German substitute Lukas Podolski who rifled home a superb left-footed half-volley from inside the box. Then left-back Kieran Gibbs with an even smarter finish, volleying home sweetly to end off a typically-classy Arsenal foray.

What had seemed an unlikely Swansea win was now turning quickly into a self-induced, morale-sapping defeat. But hang on, there was still one more twist left in this tale. From a Swansea corner, South Korean superstar Ki Sung-Yueng, who had a splendid game all afternoon, relayed a neat ball to Danny Graham who blasted home from an acute angle. And I was telling myself "Thank God, we got another one coming at the Emirates!"