It was probably obvious before. But the longer I watched this game, the more blatant, and in-your-face, it became. Arsenal have only one decent striker.
Any remaining Arsenal fans who had not yet noticed Gervinho's tendency to go AWOL in games away from the Emirates Stadium, will have done so now. When he first came to Arsenal, one of Gervinho's most frequently touted strengths was his directness, his willingness to attack opposing defenders. But what use is it if Gervinho has an unwillingness to attack the ball? When Marouane Chamakh replaced him midway through the second half, it called to mind one of Gervinho's direct comments when he signed for Arsenal, "Do not compare me to Chamakh. I'm going to Arsenal to play
and be in the action. I'm not going there to sit on bench."
Robin Van Persie scored one, a delicately cushioned volley from close range, and on another day would probably have scored three. Begovic making outstanding saves, one in each half, to deny him. Van Persie apart, Arsenal's goal threat was limited to hopelessly inaccurate long range shots, and lame penalty appeals.
Since Newcastle lost at Wigan, a draw at Stoke was a good result for Arsenal. With third place in the League now a distinct likelihood, Stan Kroenke and those Arsenal fans who are content to win nothing will presumably be satisfied.
What of Stoke? Well, Crouch took his goal well. He was helped, of course, by the fact that Vermaelen's feet didn't leave the ground when he jumped. That probably won't distract the burgeoning "Crouch" for England campaign from rapidly gained momentum in the Potteries. But this was an archetypal Stoke performance. No need to elaborate on that.
Worth mentioning is the amount of abuse hurled at Arsene Wenger during the game. Viewers were regularly treated to images of contorted and twisted visages, spewing venom in the Arsenal manager's direction. Fortunately, it wasn't possible to make out the words, and the Britannia Stadium is hardly the only Premiership ground where away managers are subjected to this type of behavior, but it is absolutely pathetic.
