Well, that was fun wasn’t it?
To be honest, I don’t even know where to start. So many
things to say, but at the same time so little, because it’s all so obvious.
I’ve said it before, but the fact it’s so obvious is why it hurts so much. It’s
lessons that aren’t learnt, mistakes that aren’t rectified, effort that’s
non-existent, poor form that isn’t acknowledged. It’s problems that are
identified seemingly by all who watch, from die-hard Gooners to fans of other
teams, yet that are ignored by the people who can do something about them;
Arsenal’s players, coaching staff and manager.
I think the best way to dissect this game is to just clump
my thoughts into bite size chunks. So here goes…
Overall play
Our defending was woeful, but I don’t think our overall play
was. We weren’t great by any means, but we actually created plenty of chances.
Arshavin ran his socks off and ran Wes Brown ragged. Yes, he couldn’t finish
today, but we often crave for him to be more involved, and today he was,
despite being pretty isolated. Song looked to me to be controlling the midfield
pretty well, and Cesc was desperate for us to put in a performance – maybe even
trying too hard on a couple of occasions. We troubled M*n *td’s shaky defence
plenty of times but couldn’t capitalise, which makes the result even more
frustrating.
The defence
I’ve just said it was woeful, and it was. But it’s actually
quite difficult to put a finger on why. With the exception of Clichy, our back line performed well. Gallas
made a couple of very good, and super important challenges. Defensively Sagna
was solid, though his crossing still has room for improvement. Vermaelen was
great once again. He has passion, desire, he looks like he cares, and he can’t
half play.
The thing is, individually we have a stonking defence when everyone
is fit and on form. Yet somehow it still isn’t working. Why is that? Is it
discipline? Is it no protection from midfield? Is it lack of communication or
game plan? It’s difficult to know. But when the quality is obviously there, you
have to start looking at Wenger and the coaching staff as to why it’s not
working as a unit. Whatever the cause, it needs sorting, and sharpish.
Lack of height
I’m not running a tired and old complaint about how we have
a team of midgets here. This is a different theory based on our susceptibility
to counter attacks.
Because of our lack of height up front, do we push both our
centre backs forward more than we should to compensate? In situations where one
should stay and one should go, do we still send both up to offer more of an
aerial threat? If we had more physical presence up front, would we be more
inclined to keep our centre backs at the back, offering a more solid solution
to the counter attack? Just a thought.
Almunia
Right, the guy looks ill. He really does. He’s pale, pasty,
and looks shit scared. When he was playing well 18 months ago he had colour in
his skin, he had his teenage-boy highlights in, and he actually smiled every
now and again. His looks should bear no relation to his performance but
generally, everything about him tells us that he is beyond a broken man. To the
extent that I feel a little sorry for him. But there is no room for sentiment
in a football match. The question is, what do we do about it?
Well, buy a new
keeper is the simple answer, but that’s not going to happen. After the Stoke
game I argued that Fabianski’s performance answered why Almunia was still
playing, which makes the situation even more difficult.
It’s not a question of
who’s better any more, it’s a question of who will make the least mistakes
between the two. I don’t know. But just by looking at Almunia, for his general
well-being I think it’s time Fabianski had an extended run in the side. You can
learn skills such as coming for the ball, catching vs punching etc, but
confidence is an attribute that can’t be taught, and right now Almunia is
completely devoid of it.
I also commented from the Reebok Stadium a few weeks ago
that I was close enough to the action to see Gallas give Almunia a look of pure
despise after one of the keeper’s many hesitant moments. This relationship has
clearly not improved, yet the relationship between goalkeeper and his defence
is paramount, and for that reason alone it’s worth switching our No. 1.
Denilson
I have given the boy a lot of time in the past. In the past
his work-rate has been impressive, in the past he has positioned himself well,
hassled, harried and pressed, and broken play up effectively. Right now, he is
having a mare.
You’d have thought he would have learnt after the Stoke game, in
which he made a pathetic attempt to follow the Sidebe run that led to a Stoke
goal. Or at least you would have expected the boss to have given him a
bollocking. And yet yesterday it happened all over again.
You can point fingers
at his attempted challenge on Nani after the winger had skipped past Clichy and Nasri. But I
can just about forgive him this one. Nani was coming at him at speed, they were
in the box, and it was the sort challenge where the defending player is square
footed, and a lunge would have almost certainly led to penalty. What is
unforgiveable is the part he played in M*n *td’s second goal. He was ambling back
as they counter attacked, and as Rooney steamed through behind him, Denilson
turned to watch him, but did absolutely nothing. I can’t understand why. I
really can’t. He just let Rooney go, and predictably, Rooney finished. It was
just a complete lack of effort, a lack of desire, and it is unacceptable. That
it has happened on numerous occasions in two consecutive games of massive
importance makes it even worse.
I’ve read that in the build up to M*n *td’s third goal, the ref
ran back faster than Denilson. I didn’t see this, but I can believe it. Does
the boy care? Does he want to play for the Arsenal and be instrumental in
helping us win something?
Until he starts showing that he does, Diaby and Ramsey
should be well ahead of him for a starting place.
I can’t stand Rooney as a
person, but as a player you have to admire his attitude. If some of our players
showed half of his willing, we wouldn’t crumble in these important games in the
manner that we often do.
Cesc, Vermaelen,
Song, Arshavin, (and RVP when fit)
These players deserve better. What a quality spine that
could be to a team. We are so lucky to have such players at our club, but we
really need to complement them with quality players around them that can win
things in the here and now. Yes, with the exception of Arshavin, they all owe
differing degrees of loyalty to Arsene, but they aren’t going to be around for
too long if we continue to fall short when it matters.
We need to embrace the
talent that is in this squad, talent which extends beyond the above players
too, and do what we have to do to make sure these players are rewarded with
trophies, and crucially, rewarded whilst at Arsenal.
It was closer than
you think
That’s not saying it was close, but just that despite all
the negativity, had Arshavin finished one or more of his early chances, the
game could have taken a very different shape. It’s all ifs and buts, but the
fact is that we were always in the game, and I personally had hope until about
the 85th minute that we could pull something off. That suggests things
weren’t all bad, we’re just incapable of laying down a solid base for our
attackers to build on.
Missed opportunity
With the above comments in mind, this feels all the more
frustrating because I believe it was a big opportunity missed. I genuinely
believe this is the worst M*n *td team for a very long time. And we still can’t
put them to bed. Don’t get me wrong, they played well, but were ripe for a good
beating, especially with such a makeshift defence.
That's what we used to do
Watching *td blitz us with their counter attacks is twice as painful because it reminds me of exacly what we used to do. They used to be our trademark goals, and were a joy to behold. Don't get me wrong, I love the way we play now, but when it's not working you can't help but wistfully remember the way Henry, Vieira, Freddie, Dennis, Pires etc used to sweep from one end of the pitch to the other in a blink of an eye.
We feel so let down…
It hurts because, as fans, we felt we were getting closer to
the title. And we heard the same sentiments coming from the manager and the
players. We started to believe it could happen, we started to put our trust in
the team we had, we felt that this time they had the heart and the desire to do
it. We know we can beat anyone on our day. And then certain players go
and put in an abject performance when it matters most, and shatter all the hope
we’ve built up.
We’ve said it many times before but this team is just a few
tweaks away from being nothing short of amazing. I truly believe that. Hey, we
still could go on and win the title this season. But it looks a lot tougher
than it did do at 4pm yesterday, and the reason is because the same old
failings have come back to bite us again. It’s as if things don’t sink in with
the players and the manager, and it is this that leaves the fans feeling a little
betrayed.
We could all be
proved wrong
We beat Liverpool, we win at Stamford Bridge,
we then have a favourable run in until the end of the season. You never know,
yesterday could just be another twist in the tale of a really strange premier
league season that sees us as champions.
It’s too early to completely write us off. There’s a lot to
be celebrated and enjoyed about this season so far, and there’s a lot to look
forward to. We HAVE improved since last year, we HAVE got a fantastic team,
with fantastic players. We HAVE got the ability to come back stronger after
yesterday’s defeat. Whether we do or not is now down to Wenger and the players.
Let’s hope they take heed of what has gone before, and improve as a result.
Innabit.