Ahoy, Arsemates! It’s Tom, here – early for a change. I don’t know what Blogger’s doing this weekend. He just said the prospect of writing the blog on his phone appealed to him about as much as watching us draw nil-nil again and do fucking bugger all to improve anyone’s mood about the current team.
Oh. So perhaps I’ll be around for a while then. I really do get to write all the good blogs, eh?
Anyway, whatever he’s doing today, I don’t know whether Blogger had the misfortune of watching the game. I did, and I wish I’d not cunting well bothered. I’m writing this immediately after the match has finished, so you’ll forgive me if I’m angry about what I’ve just seen, and I hope this isn’t too much of a knee-jerk reaction. We did, after all, batter Cardiff in our last game, but with due respect to them, this is the Premiership and it should always be our top priority, no matter what our current league position.
Let’s start with the positive (note the singular), shall we?
Arshavin was picked to start on the right side of midfield, with Nasri on the left. Eboue – thank Christ – left on the bench. I think we all hoped that despite clearly lacking match practice, Arshavin was going to bring some badly-lacking energy to this team. Seemed weird seeing him in the number 23 shirt. Clearly they’ve managed to get the whiff of cunt off it, and he’s obviously not wearing BFS’s actual shirt – he’d have been utterly lost in that.
For the first 15 minutes, he certainly did bring some excitement. In the fifth minute he was gifted the ball by some cunt, and he ran at the Sunderland defence and shot narrowly wide. After 15 minutes, he cut inside and hit a lovely left footed shot on goal that their cunt of a goalie pushed wide for a corner. He was part of most of the good things the team were doing. He put in a great cross for Bendtner, who’s header was parried wide by the keeper. It was encouraging.
Robin also had a fantastic chance to score in the first half, having been put through, just sliding his chip over the goalie wide at the far post. Slightly glib and easy comparison, but it did remind me of the sort of goal Dennis used to score.
All that said, Sunderland were playing too. We were letting them. We were practically inviting them to come through the centre of our midfield. We do have talent at the club – no, really, we do – but the state of our central midfield is seriously fucking embarrassing at times, compounded by the fact that the one supposedly defensive midfielder we do have (I’m talking about Song, in case anyone has no idea who I mean) was going fucking walkabout all over the place. Seriously, where the fuck did he think he was supposed to be playing? He was all over the place, particularly in the second half. And – imagine – given our resources, who the manager would put in there if Song was injured? Eboue? I think we can all agree that that’s something no one, ever, ever, ever wants to see (again…). Bischoff? Inspiring.
I think, after the first 35 minutes, Sunderland had taken more shots on our goal than we had on theirs, and Almunia had made more saves. Sunderland looked dangerous on the counter attack – quite like we used to of a time. We’d had most of the possession, but to be honest, they looked more effective.
It was fucking irritating, to put it mildly. I think if we’d got that early goal from the chances to Arshavin or RvP, we’d have won the game. But – and this is the fucking problem with this team, beautifully fucking pointed out to Adebayor by that bloke in Lagos airport, who has now become my new personal hero – there’s just not the effort, not the commitment, not the urgency, and not the hunger. Villa lost at home in the day’s early game, and looking on the bright side, at least we’re a point closer to them, but this was the chance to move 3 points closer. But they just looked like they couldn’t be arsed. Like they didn’t understand what was riding on the result. Like they really didn’t give a fuck. I’m sure playing for fourth place can’t be awe inspiring, but it doesn’t excuse the lack of effort. This is The Arsenal they’re playing for. Our club.
I get the feeling with this team that they only start to play when they really sense blood, it’s a “big” game, or when the crowd really start getting behind them, and it’s just not good enough.
Far be it from me to criticise the people that are ‘lucky’ enough to have paid for the privilege of going to the game and watching that, but it did seem like a subdued atmosphere at the ground. Maybe it was just me. Maybe it was the utter dross served up. Perhaps someone who was actually there might like to comment.
The commentator I was listening to said that this team plays like Manchester United do. Except United only do it once they’re two goals up. And he was spot on. This team just wants to pass and pass and pass and hope that something happens. And death by a thousand passes is fine – as long as it actually results in death. Arshavin provided a refreshing change, having a couple of pot shots, and to his (almost only) credit, Bendtner also had a shot saved from out side the box, but it was otherwise all thoroughly predictable. I appreciate you need patience in games like these, and I wasn’t unduly concerned at half time, but as soon as Arshavin came off on the hour, you kinda felt that was it. Nil-nil it’ll be. No invention.
In the second half, Sunderland were less ambitious, and played for the point. And yet still we created fuck all. Arshavin was replaced by Vela, who almost immediately had an impact, putting in a great cross from the left. But – predictably – we only had two players just arriving in the box. It was exactly where you’d expect Bendtner to be. To be fair to him I think he’d started the move so he was still a little further back, but where was anyone else? Vela also missed a couple of chances. But to rely on – rather than hope for – him to be a match winner is maybe a little much at this stage of his career.
Aside from central midfield, which was just shite, I have to say that one of the players with whom I was most disappointed was Nasri. Where was he today? It’s unfair to single him out, I realise, but we needed a creative spark, and that’s kinda his job.
As much as anything else that’s frustrating with this team, it’s the tempo and pace at which they play the game that’s most annoying. Particularly today. All of Arsene Wenger’s teams have played with huge amounts of pace and movement, and there’s just none of that in this team. Nasri isn’t a seriously quick player, Arshavin isn’t fit. Robin isn’t that sort of player and neither is Bendtner. We still seem to be expecting to play at Thierry Henry pace, without the lightening quick pace. We’ve still got Walcott to come back, but to expect him to save the day (assuming the manager puts him in the team) is unrealistic.
Of course we have a lot of players out. Walcott, Rosicky (heh; he must’ve spent more time at the club injured than fit by now), Cesc, Eduardo, and Adebayor are all players you’d probably call first choice, but what’s the point in them coming back into the side when the rest of it plays with the sort of attitude and tempo it did today? Perhaps they will make all the difference. Fingers crossed…
The only players to come out of today’s game with any credit – or at least no discredit – were Alumunia and Sagna (who’s covering tackle might well have stopped Jones scoring), and the rest of the back four (and Arshavin). It’s just not good enough and the manager has to sort it out; they look like they’re playing training games at times. These games matter to the supporters, and it matters to the club financially as much as anything. I’m quite sure the manager’s well aware of all that – whatever he might say in public, I’m sure he’s as frustrated as anyone – but it’s time to do something about it because displays like this one just aren’t good enough.
Playing for fourth place might not be much motivation for the players – which might well be one cause for this sort of display – but it doesn’t make it excusable, and it needs to be put right. No doubt another reason for the problems is the lack of leadership in the team itself, and the changes in captain we’ve had this season can’t have helped that, but it’s still not acceptable.
Roma in the Champions’ League next. At least the tempo of that game might be more suited to this lot’s lazy attitude. Though I’m sure Roma will hardly be quaking in their boots after this result.
Normal service (at least from Arseblog), will be resumed tomorrow. Nice talking to you. Sorry it was that pile of shite I had to write about and not the win we all hoped for, and I’m sorry there weren’t more positives. At least we didn’t lose…
Until next time, Arsechums.
