Well, here we are in the cold light of day. Let’s begin with some facts.
Fact – we had chances to win the game yesterday. Two van Persie headers, one which hit the post, one saved, a van Persie shot after a great Arshavin through ball, a Diaby header which nearly squirmed under Schwarzer.
Fact – we have taken 5 points from the last 15 in the league
Fact – we haven’t scored in our last 4 league games
Fact – we have scored just 4 goals in our last 8 home league games
Fact – we’re in 5th place, 5 points behind Aston Villa who have a game in hand, and just 2 ahead of Everton
Fact – our record in the league is 12 wins, 10 draws and 5 defeats. Not top 4 form.
Fact – our form means we are exactly where we deserve to be at this moment in time
Ok, let’s leave the facts and go for some opinion.
Opinion – if Aston Villa win today then we will not qualify for the Champions League next season. As I said some weeks ago it’s all well and good saying Villa will drop points but it makes the assumption that we won’t do exactly the same.
I just don’t see us clawing back 8 points between now and the end of the season. Not with Liverpool, United and Chelsea still to play.
Opinion – this team’s attitude is not right. The longer the season goes on the more the evidence mounts that they prioritise games. Big games. Which is why we see a different Arsenal against Roma than the one we do for league games against Sunderland and Fulham.
The manager’s press conference was interesting yesterday. As well as looking quite bewildered and at a loss, Arsene said something quite telling. Speaking about the difficulties of winning in the league after a midweek European tie he said:
There’s a lot of mental investment in the Champions League game. We are not mature enough to prepare well and to say ‘Ok, let’s get the priorities right and win the game’.
An amazing thing to say, really, and a sad indictment of the team that he has built, of his players. Because these are all his players. The ones in whom he’s shown such faith, the ones that he has asked us to believe in, and then he tells us that they’re not ‘mature’ enough to show the same kind of effort in a must-win league game as a glamourous Champions League tie.
That’s appalling. I’m not going to single out any players but there were some who started both Roma and Fulham and who obviously, quite obviously, did more, gave more, tried harder and so on, against the Italian side.
Opinion – the last 10 minutes against Fulham were the most depressing, saddening 10 minutes of the season. When we should have had them right under the cosh we stood off them, let Danny Murphy and co pass it around us. There was no urgency, no desire to win the ball back, we just watched, we didn’t want it badly enough. More than anything I think those last 10 minutes are what drew the chorus of disapproval at full time.
It was horrible to watch. I sat, literally, with my head in my hands. It was like seeing your dad being beaten up and not being able to do anything about it. I don’t know how to describe quite how upset those last 10 minutes made me.
I’ve said it time and time again. Fans can and will overlook lack of quality in a player, for the most part, but lack of effort at any level, at any stage of the game, is unforgivable. The team lacks heart, it lacks leadership, there was nobody in that team yesterday to kick the rest of them up the arse. And look what happened.
Danny Murphy bossed the show. Danny Murphy.
Opinion – this team misses Mathieu Flamini, or a similar kind of player. I don’t want to go over the whole Flamini saga, he did not cover himself in glory, he went to Milan for money and maybe he’s regretting it now when he gets 20 minutes here and there, but Arsenal wouldn’t have been so toothless yesterday if he’d have been playing.
Wenger’s biggest mistake, in my opinion, is not replacing him, or Diarra, or Gilberto. It’s been obvious all season long yet in the transfer window he went out and bought a winger/number 10.
Look at our attacking options: Robin van Persie, Adebayor, Eduardo, Bendtner, Walcott, Rosicky, Vela, Arshavin.
Look at our central midfield options: Cesc, Diaby, Denilson, Song, Ramsey.
I know this is old ground but to me it’s so blindingly, maddeningly obvious. I simply do not understand why he has ignored this problem. I don’t understand his faith in someone like Song, I think he’s thrown Denilson in at the deep end way before he’s ready, Diaby has yet to prove anything and Ramsey is 18. Just 18.
And the worst thing is he knew he needed a central midfielder last summer. That’s why he tried to buy Xabi Alonso from Liverpool. He knew last summer and when it became even more obvious that we still needed that player, when it became an absolute necessity after Cesc’s injury, he bought Arshavin.
He bought Arshavin because he felt the team was lacking creativity. Fair enough, but wouldn’t it be fair to say that the creativity we lack is in the central midfield area? We don’t have anyone with the quality to consistently create, see openings, and so on.
Opinion – if we had a better central midfield we would be comfortably in the top four. That’s my opinion, I will stand by that in the face of any argument. I’m not blaming Song or Denilson, at the end of the day the manager picks them, but it’s the manager’s fault that he is picking players who are not ready to play at this level at this moment in time. It’s his fault that our options in that area are so poor.
Opinion – much of the frustration felt by fans comes because we are Arsenal, we feel like we should have a team that can beat Fulham, Sunderland etc.
The reality is that you judge a team on its results and performances. This is a team that has taken 1 point from 6 against Fulham this season, 2 points from 6 against Sunderland, etc. We’re frustrated because we can see this team isn’t capable of much better. A few grandstanding performances aside we are a very average football team.
Opinion – this is undoubtedly the worst season under Wenger’s stewardship. The longer it goes on the more his explanations, his excuses, begin to grate. I love Arsene. I think he’s a brilliant man, a fantastic ambassador for our club, he has done wonderful things for us, and I would like nothing more than for us to be a force again under him.
However, I think he’s made bad mistakes this season. Maybe he’d be the first to admit that but that’s not going to make things any better now. He had the chance in the summer and in January to address the problems, the balance of the side. He didn’t.
And now, sadly, I think we’re going to count the cost of that with a UEFA Cup campaign next season. The implications of that are best left for another day.
Opinion – we have 11 games left in the league this season. We need a miracle, hopefully it can start today with Stoke beating Villa, or least not losing, and maybe fans have a part to play too. The frustration is understandable and I would never tell anybody how they should react or cheer or sing or not sing but maybe there’s a part to play for the fans too.
Finally:
Fact – I love the Arsenal. That’s why this hurts so much.
