So the season lurches from one exhilarating high to another crushing low with a 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa.
We’ve been talking all week about how last week’s win over United would count for nothing if we didn’t get the right result yesterday and so it proved. Last week was just another false dawn. Are any of us really that surprised about what happened yesterday? The more optimistic amongst us hoped that the win over United would see the team turn a corner, gain confidence and kick on for the rest of the season. Those less so suggested it was merely a win that papered over the cracks until we got found out again.
The paper lasted seven days and the cracks were there for all to see. Against United we played with passion, desire, commitment, energy. Yesterday you would be hard pressed to say any Arsenal player showed any of those characteristics. We were lucky not go in at half time at least one behind, if not more. Villa had plenty of chances, causing our defence plenty of problems even without Carew, and when Mike Riley awarded them a penalty it looked like things would go downhill from there.
But Almunia pulled off a good save and Gallas showed the benefit of being around when a penalty kick is being taken. His quick reaction when he followed to help clear the rebound prevented a goal. It was good defending. Almunia made other saves from Young and the lively, troublesome Agbonlahor and having escaped the penalty and ridden our luck on the back of a poor first half you thought Arsenal might show up in the second.
It wasn’t to be. Again we were bereft of ideas and craft when faced with a side who sit every man behind the ball. Lots of sideways passing, little triangles that went nowhere and more or less no threat to the Villa go whatsoever. Adebayor came on for Diaby and joined the hapless Bendtner up front (who was in turn replaced by Carlos Vela) but one scabby header that hit the post he did little himself. Cesc had a shot after some decent work by Theo (I think) but that was the sum total of our attacking threat.
At the other end Villa had the pace and the power to bother us on the counter. The first goal came when Sagna was dispossessed (and injured) in midfield, Young whipped in a cross and with Agbonlahor waiting behind him Gael Clichy headed into his own net. For the second it looked like there might have been a foul on Vela on the edge of the Villa box, Laursen pumped it forward and Agbonlahor outpaced and outmuscled Gallas before driving home his shot. Poor defending and it’s an area the manager has spoken about being weak yet has done precious little to fix.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Villa thoroughly deserved that win. They didn’t even play that well but we were so poor it would have been a miracle if we’d gotten anything out of the game. We made it easy for them and while most of us will accept a defeat if we know we’ve given 100% in the game that was collectively a truly awful team performance. Arsene spoke last week about how you need 11 leaders on the pitch. One might have made a difference yesterday. This team is rudderless, inconsistent and now, sadly, out of the title race for this season. We’ve lost four out of thirteen and with so far still to go in the campaign it’s inconceivable that we can remain unbeaten from here on in.
There are some very real problems. Last week they got themselves up for a big match and performed excellently. This week the opposition wasn’t quite so glamorous and the performance reflected that. It was the same against Hull, against Stoke, against Fulham and against Sunderland. Is it over-confidence? Arrogance? Laziness? It’s not my job to find out, it’s Arsene Wenger’s, but you cannot deny the problem exists.
Defensively we are a shambles. There’s no solidity at the back and the centre of our defence is weak. We have conceded 15 goals in our 13 league games, 10 of those at home. The issues the manager identified have not been addressed and unless they are then we will remain a defensively suspect team. Apart from Djourou, who has not really been given a chance in the league this season, none of Gallas, Toure or Sylvester have performed well enough. When you have a soft centre you will get exposed and Gallas, Toure and Sylvester are soft. I won’t say not good enough because that’s too sweeping but not playing anywhere near well enough.
I also wonder that if Gallas and Sylvester weren’t French would Wenger be so forgiving of their poor form and slack defending. I fully accept that Kolo Toure has not been playing well but it was Gallas who was guilty of a string of poor performances and individual errors which costs us goals, yet Toure was dropped. What kind of message does that send? Gallas defended well for the most part yesterday, he prevented the rebound being scored, but was found out with a simple long ball over the top, ‘defending’ for which other centre-halves of recent times would have been crucified for. How long do you keep carrying someone?
Midfield was woeful yesterday. Cesc is playing as poorly as I have ever seen him play, Nasri goes from the sublime to the opposite of sublime, Theo flits in and out of games and when faced with that kind of system has no space to get behind defences where he causes the most damage, Denilson still isn’t ready in my opinion, and Diaby was more or less anonymous.
Up front Bendtner didn’t have a lot to work with, Villa are a good defensive side, but the way he strolls about the pitch is maddening and the way the ball seems to bounce off him at completely random angles when he tries to control it puts me in mind of a hungover Sunday League player at times.
Yet this was the same group of players that did so well and beat United. It’s so, so frustrating.
You have to accept that the game is played by human beings and sometimes physically they have a drop. It is very difficult for us to have a rational explanation about what happened today. I believe that the team want it but it was just like a few other times this year where it is unexplainable why we don’t really play at our 100% potential.
Physically that team had a week off after the United game. There is no reason why they should have had a drop. They should have been full of confidence, full of energy, yet they were half-arsed, sluggish and, at times, disinterested. Where was the urgency? Where was the fight?
I think it’s obvious this team lacks a leader. Again I’m not being critical of Gallas just for the sake of being critical but he’s not a leader. He might try but it’s just not in his nature. I think that’s obvious and then you have to start looking at the manager who persists with him as captain. Is there a natural leader in the team? I’ve talked up Cesc for the captaincy and I think he’d enjoy it but maybe now is not the right time.
We’re a quiet team. There’s nobody talking, egging people on, shouting, encouraging. We go out, ‘play our football’ but if that doesn’t work we are stymied. We miss a Flamini type character, not only for the way he played football (and I think we really miss that at the moment) but for his relentless drive and unwillingness to be beaten. Some of them appeared to just give up yesterday, went through the motions and that’s not right.
The manager has to address these issues and the only way of doing it now is with the chequebook. We have to splutter through until January, hoping that the Arsenal that is motivated and capable turns up for the matches, and then buy. He needs to buy at least one centre half and at least one central midfielder. Not prodigies, not teen-sensations, not players with ‘great potential’, but players who can come in, bring quality and experience, and improve the side. Ideally one of those players could provide the leadership the team so badly needs.
I know we have lots of good young players coming through but the cream will rise to the top anyway. Let’s not forget Cesc broke into the Arsenal team when we had Vieira, Parlour, Edu and Gilberto in his way. Proper men, experienced quality footballers and to perpetuate this fallacy that buying a player will somehow prevent a talented youngster making his mark does the manager no service.
It’s hard to know what to feel about this group of players. One week they’re fantastic, the next week they’re beyond dreadful. They build us up then knock us down again. The bottom line though is that this team has weaknesses that are apparent to me and practically every Arsenal fan. We lack quality in defence and in midfield and there’s a mental weakness that has to be corrected, otherwise this is going to be a very long and very trying season.
Till tomorrow.
