november 29th
Where to start with yesterday’s 2-1 defeat at Anfield? In mug heaven my Arsenal chalice is weeping bitter tears.
The first half reminded me of Barcelona in the Nou Camp in the Champions League some years ago. Not so much for the quality of the opposition, because Liverpool ’04 are no Barcelona ’99 , but for how little impact any of our players had on the game.
Liverpool played very well, their 3 central midfielders strangled the game effectively, one of them scored a peach of a goal and I really can’t remember the last time I saw Arsenal go through 45 minutes without having a single attempt at goal.
Can you?
The first 10 minutes of the second half was more of the same. Liverpool dominated and we just couldn’t get into the game. Then came our best move of the match, some slick passing between Vieira, Henry and Pires put the captain through and he finished neatly over Kirkland. After that we got more into it, van Persie came on for Reyes (who had another poor game by his standards) and we looked more threatening without ever really creating anything that you might call a real chance. Vieira got booked and now misses the Chelsea game and he was lucky not to get another yellow after a quite ridiculous and pointless dive when he seemed to have good possession of the ball. A point would have been a decent result for us but with 30 seconds to go Kirkland launched a free kick downfield, Vieira didn’t go for the ball, Sol’s clearance fell to Billy Bunter who lashed in a beautiful 25 yarder to take all the 3 points for Liverpool. Gutting. It’s been a long time since we’ve lost a game with a last minute goal and it really does hurt.
It’s worrying to hear Arsene Wenger says afterwards that Arsenal couldn’t compete physically during the game. Maybe he meant that the players were tired after Europe but I don’t think so. Most football fans can understand a lack of form, but not getting stuck in and fighting for every ball is not so easy to forgive, especially as that’s exactly what you need when you’re not playing well.
It’s fair to say we’re going through a difficult patch now. There are a number of factors to consider though. We’ve lacked the defensive stability on which our attacking game is based. Cygan has done well enough but I’ve said before how I feel our ability to attack so fluently and effectively is based on the forwards knowing the defence can cope if things break down. That no longer seems to be the case although Sol’s return to the team should sort this out. We’re also without Gilberto and Edu, two very, very good players, and while I would have Cesc’s babies he’s still only 17 and he looks a little bit tired now. I’m still worried when I see Vieira – who is now the master of talking a good game – strolling back towards the defence when an attack breaks down, is there some reason he can’t stretch those long legs of his? We have some players in very poor form. José is struggling to find his early season form while Robert Pires is having a particularly bad spell. I know he’s got a lot of goals but his total reluctance to get involved in the physical side of the game is really not good enough now. He shirked too many challenges on Wednesday in Holland and at Anfield. If he’s carrying an injury don’t play him. If he’s not then he needs to be told to get stuck in. He can do it. I’ve seen him do it. Then there’s the whole thing of playing in fucking poxy blue shirts. If anyone reading this could please pass on the following message to a member of the Arsenal board I’d be ever so grateful: “If we ever have a blue kit again I’m going to kill you.”
So there are problems, but they’re not insurmountable. People talk about changing tactics and signing ‘world class’ players, but fail to make any reasonable suggestions of their own. It’s also worth bearing in mind, if you haven’t been too blinded by negativity, that we’ve only played 15 games of the season. There are still 23 to go. We’re the champions, remember? There is just a little bit of quality in the side.
We all know pundits are quite happy to dish out the praise when we’re on top of our game but at the same time they’re dying for the wheels to come off a little bit so they can get stuck in again. How they must be enjoying this. What does sadden me though is how many of our fans, who reveled in the unbeaten run, are so quick to write us off and can’t see any way that we’ll beat Chelsea next month let alone give them any kind of challenge with regards to the league title. If we can lose games surely Chelsea can lose games?
I know football fans are a fickle bunch at the best of times, but that, and the amount of people who are shedding tears over Gilberto’s absence (no doubt some of them are the same ones who delighted in calling him a ‘useless cunt’ last season), really sums it up for me. Sure, there are problems, and I think the team might need a little bit of freshening up (whether that means it’s time for the kids to get more action or for a signing above that of Manu Eboué I don’t know), but it’s not quite time to hit the panic button yet.
