This game was a rather neat microcosm of our entire season. A fairly abject first half, a spirited improvement in the second, due largely to the unquestionable brilliance of Robin van Persie; and a heart-wrenching collapse at the finale. Having dragged us ourselves back from the brink to lead 3-2, we handed Norwich an equaliser, and in doing so may have handed third place to either Spurs or Newcastle.
That guaranteed Champions League spot seems to have been in our hands for a little while now. We’ve treated it like a hot potato, fumbling and flustering, and have now well and truly dropped it. Both chasing sides know now that if they win their remaining two games, they will finish above us – even if we beat West Brom on the final day.
If we play like we did yesterday, there’s little chance of us doing that. The first half was every bit as poor a performance as the one we put in against Wigan – worse, really, because it showed we’d learnt no lessons from that game.
The key area of the pitch was central midfield, where we had no shape or discipline. Alex Song and Aaron Ramsey were ostensibly the holding pair, but there was almost no protection provided for the back four. Norwich were canny and left three attackers up the pitch at all times. As Song and Ramsey bombed on, we were left vulnerable to counter-attack after counter-attack. Similarly, when the likes of Vermaelen pushed forward, neither Song nor Ramsey showed the initiative to fill in. Ultimately, would prove costly.
It all started so well when Yossi Benayoun, celebrating his 32nd birthday, curled home a peach of an effort with barely a minute on the clock. Unfortunately the rest of the team took it as a cue to sit back on their imagined laurels. Norwich were all over us in the first half, and their two goals were undoubtedly deserved. The first came after a simple move down the right-flank, although Wojciech Szczesny will be disappointed to be beaten so easily at the near post. He could do little about the second, which cannoned off Kieran Gibbs and looped over his head and in to the net. It reminded of the goal Louis Saha scored for Spurs when they led at half-time. Arsenal would need a similarly remarkable comeback in the second half to salvage anything from this game.
To give credit to the players, we showed a lot of spirit. The likes of Gervinho, abject in the first 45, suddenly sprung in to life. Of course it was Robin van Persie who scored the two goals to restore our lead – his 29th and 30th league goals of the season. The first saw him collect yet another of those clipped Alex Song passes to volley home; the second spin and fire in after a lucky deflection inside the penalty box.
At that point, there were 80 minutes on the clock. It tells you something about how dangerous Norwich looked, and how poorly we had defended, that I had absolutely no faith we would see through the game at 3-2. And so it proved: Alex Song gave the ball away, Kieran Gibbs inexplicably allowed Steve Morison to run beyond him, and the lifelong Spurs fan fired expertly past Szczesny, rooted to his line.
There was still time for Arsenal to spurn a couple of chances to win it, but in truth Norwich deserved at least a point. On the touchline, Arsene Wenger was as frustrated as he’s been all season, and that’s saying something. His irritation was with his own team. Yes, we should have a penalty, but so should Norwich. We have nobody to blame but ourselves.
There were mistakes and poor performances all over the pitch, but what stood out for me was how badly we missed Mikel Arteta. It remains the case that we have not won a Premier League game in his absence. Without him, I’m not sure Alex Song has the will or the nous to play as a true holding midfielder. Perhaps that’s something we need to address in the summer.
It was a particularly bad day for great Arsenal right-backs. This was almost certainly Pat Rice’s last home game before retirement, and he deserved a better send-off. Also, in a sad footnote to the game, Bacary Sagna broke the same fibula bone as earlier in the season, and will now miss the Euros and quite possibly the start of next season.
Before that there’s plenty to be decided. We’re now in a position whereby we need favours from other clubs: namely Man City, Aston Villa, Fulham, Everton and possibly Bayern Munich. Both Spurs and Newcastle face their hardest games today. If we’re to get a reprieve, it will surely come at Villa Park. It’s unlikely, but you never know.
As many said in the build-up to yesterday’s game: if we can’t beat Norwich, we don’t deserve Champions League football. Perhaps they were right.
It’s all so simple. Win two games, and third is ours. Other teams’ results can do nothing about that single, unalterable fact. It should be utterly reassuring. And yet…
I must confess that I am an anxious Arsenal fan. If you’re a regular reader of the blog, that won’t surprise you: the enormity of wrenching third place from this most nightmarish of seasons, and the potential heartbreak of handing it back to Tottenham on the final day have combined to fray what little nerve I ever had. It seems it’s catching, too. Amusingly, after Newcastle and Spurs both picked up impressive wins in midweek, a reader tweeted me declaring the results were my fault, as I’d been giving out “negative vibes†all week. I question his reasoning, and yet apologise profusely.
I appreciate the arguments against anxiety. We’ve only got to play Norwich and West Brom. The Canaries seem to have preempted their summer holidays, losing three on the bounce and conceding an average of almost four goals p/ game across those fixtures. West Brom, meanwhile, are also playing for nothing, and are led by a manager who has admitted to the press he would have preferred to resign in order to focus on his forthcoming responsibilities as England manager. On paper, these are distinctly winnable fixtures.
The problem is that Arsenal have a habit of losing distinctly winnable fixtures. Even in the midst of our best run of the season, we managed to come unstuck against Wigan and QPR. Common perception is that we’ve stalled; our positive momentum halted by an unshifting metaphorical handbrake. We’re all looking nervously towards Robin van Persie, a figure whose form this season has been so stupendous as to take on a mythical quality. He, we all hope, is the Arthurian figure who can release the handbrake from the stone and set us on the roll again.
My panic reached its peak on Wednesday night. Whilst things have been in our own hands for a while now, I can’t help but hope for favours from others. Going in to the game, we knew that a draw between Chelsea and Newcastle, coupled with defeat for Spurs, would leave us needing to win just one of our two remaining games to guarantee third spot. At a certain point, it looked as if we might get our wish: Newcastle held a slender 1-0 lead at Stamford Bridge, as Bolton equalised against Tottenham. However, Papiss Cisse’s wonder goal and Bolton’s defensive collapse soon put an end to that. Spurs and Newcastle have now closed to within a point of us, and suddenly we’re under the cosh.
After a brief period of catastrophising, during which I began to cancel all my post-August appointments for Thursday nights, I consoled myself with the thought that in these end-of-season tussles for league positioning, the dynamic can shift very quickly. Look at the battle at the bottom: the favourites to join Wolves in the Championship seem to change on a week-by-week basis. This Saturday, Arsenal have a tremendous opportunity. Beat Norwich – as we know we must – and suddenly the pressure piles back on to the chasing pack. They would know that defeat on Sunday, when Newcastle face title-chasers Man City and Spurs travel to a relegation-threatened Villa, would leave us out of reach.
There is no reason we shouldn’t do it. When you take a step back, talk of our ‘poor form’ is somewhat overblown. Yes, we haven’t won in three, and the defeat to Wigan was very disappointing, even taking in to account their recent giant-killing exploits. Draws against Chelsea and away to Stoke, however, are creditable results. At the Britannia, there were signs that the fighting spirit so crucial to our second half of the season resurgence is returning.
We have all the ingredients to win both remaining games. Our first-choice back four is fit and in form. We have the league’s best player, and he’s back among the goals. And, as supporters, we have the reassurance provided by having been in this situation before, and come out on top – albeit with a little help from a dodgy lasagna and a certain Yossi Benayoun.
The squad must know now that there is absolutely no margin for error. Spurs have had their dip, and are now right back in form. Newcastle’s dip came and went months ago, and they look like they could overturn anyone at the moment. The pressure is back on us now, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s when we were comfortably clear that we began to look a little complacent. Beat Norwich tomorrow, and the pendulum swings once again.
So the worst kept secret in football is finally out: Lukas Podolski will join Arsenal this summer.  It is, you won’t be in the least bit surprised to hear, a ‘long term contract for an undisclosed fee’.  Media reports suggest we’ll end up paying about €11m for the Germany striker – a very reasonable fee, and a consequence of the fact that he has just a year remaining on his contract.
Back in September few Arsenal fans would have bet on Arsene Wenger being in charge for 2012/13. Â Now, however, it seems planning for next season is well underway, and Podolski is an important part of that. Â Arsene says:
“We are delighted to secure the deal for Lukas and see him as an important part of our future. He is a top-class player, a very good finisher and a proven performer at club and international level. He is a very strong player and will provide us with good attacking options.
We are happy to have made this signing early and we are looking forward to watching Lukas contribute at the European Championship over the summer, a level where he has already made 95 caps at the age of 26. That is a phenomenal record and just shows his quality as a player.”
The player himself, meanwhile, seems excited about the second major move of his career:
“I’m so happy to be joining Arsenal Football Club and to play in the Premier League. Arsenal is one of the top clubs in Europe with a huge history. There are many top quality players at Arsenal and the style of football which the team plays is fantastic. I’m proud to become an Arsenal player and am looking forward to playing my first match at Emirates Stadium and doing my best for all the Arsenal fans.”
It’s quite the coup to have secured his signing this early. Â A good European Championships would only have increased demand for Podolski, and probably his inflated his demands beyond our means.
Like his countryman Per Mertesacker, Podolski fits the new profile of Arsenal signings: mid-twenties, internationally decorated, and continentally-known. Â His Bundesliga experience and muscular build mean that adaptation to the Premier League shouldn’t be too problematic, whilst his direct running and powerful shooting offers an immediate improvement upon the likes of Gervinho, Park, and Chamakh. Â I expect him to be deployed on the left of a 4-3-3, although he also provides an option through the middle.
And therein lies the first concern with this signing: that it might be a replacement for rather than an augment to Robin van Persie. Â I can’t pretend to know whether that will ultimately be the case, but I can say with a degree of conviction that it is not Arsenal’s intention. Â Indeed, one hopes signings like this will help convince Robin to sign on and stay. Â The second concern is Podolski’s failed stint at Bayern Munich, but as this article by Raphael Honigstein suggests, the player has matured significantly since then. Â All in all it’s a good addition and something to be excited about ahead of next season.
As I write, Roy Hodgson is on the verge of being named as the new England manager. Â I think it’s the right appointment, for various reasons, but it does mean our final game of the season will see us travelling to West Brom for Hodgson’s farewell. Â He’ll want to end on a high, so that looks an increasingly tricky game.
The situation remains simple: win our two remaining games, and third is ours. Â However, my dwindling confidence has inevitably got me hoping for slips elsewhere to make our lives easier. Â Tomorrow night, Spurs travel to Bolton and Chelsea face Newcastle. Â If Chelsea are held to a draw, and Spurs are beaten, a win for Arsenal against Norwich on Saturday would all but guarantee Champions League Football a week in advance. Â Wishful thinking perhaps, but my nerves could use a bit of relief.
Three games left, three wins required, with third place the prize.
As you all know by now, fourth place is a risk we cannot take, rewarding us with only the a fifty-fifty chance of having an opportunity to qualify for the Champions League.  Third place takes you straight in to the group stage, and is currently in our hands.  To lose it now, having been granted so many repreives already, would be simply ungrateful.
Today is undoubtedly the trickiest of our remaining three fixtures. Â It is a sad and unsatisfying fact that we have not won at Stoke since the game in which Aaron Ramsey picked up that horror injury. Â Whilst Stoke, Norwich and West Brom all ostensibly have nothing to play for, Tony Pulis’ dislike for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal is so strong that he simply won’t allow his side to roll over today in the manner they did at St. James’ Park last week. Â Make no mistake, they will be up for this.
Arsenal’s defence will have to be at their very best to cope with the catapulted throw-ins of Rory Delap or Ryan Shotton. Â It is just this sort of game, facing the height of Peter Crouch, that 6 ft 6″ Per Mertesacker was bought for. Â In the absence of the giant German, Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen will have to be at their springy best to keep our Crouch, Shawcross, Huth and more of Stoke’s lumbering orc army.
In midfield, we’ll miss the discipline and steel of Mikel Arteta. Â It’s possible Francis Coquelin could be drafted in, but the most likely starter is Aaron Ramsey. Â What better place to recover his form than ‘the scene of the crime’, as it were?
Ahead of that, Theo Walcott’s injury means that Yossi Benayoun will come straight back in to the side. Â The other wing spot will most likely go to one of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Gervinho – although there is always an outside chance that Ramsey or Rosicky will be shunted wide to provide some more defensive stability. Â We’ll once again be looking to the newly-crowned Footballer of the Year, Robin van Persie, to score the goals to fire us to victory.
It’s not an exact science of prediction, but last night I dreamt about the game in some detail. Â Arsenal came from 2-1 behind to draw 2-2. Â We scored a third, from a set-piece, that was wrongly disallowed. Â In the end, I was fairly happy with a point, and I think I would be today too – seven points form our final nine should – SHOULD – be enough. Â Crucially, it’d be enough to guarantee we finish above Spurs, regardless of what happens with Newcastle and Chelsea.
You can hear me discuss Stoke, the race for fourth, and our potential new kits in my first appearance on the Arsenal America Podcast. Â Have a listen.
Not having the hardiest constitution, or the deepest pockets, I’m not really one for football betting. Â Even if I was, I’m not sure I would put money on Bayern Munich in the forthcoming Champions League final. Â All of which means…
Fourth is now a risk we simply can’t take
We should have known something was up. A day that began with portents as ominous as Denilson returning to Arsenal could never end well. As it turned out, the return of the crab-like midfielder was the first sign of the apocalypse. The second was Chelsea eliminating Barcelona to reach the Champions League Final.
There are big implications for Arsenal. Roberto Di Matteo’s side are now just one game from snatching the Champions League Qualification spot normally awarded to the side who finishes fourth. Fourth would always have been a risk – our tie with Udinese this season showed just how treacherous the obligatory qualifying round can be. Now, with the possibility that even that opportunity to qualify might be whisked from under our feet in Munich, it’s a risk we simply cannot take.
Arsenal have three games remaining. Win them and we will be third. It is in our own hands, and letting it slip through them at this point would be criminal. We travel to Stoke on Saturday, before hosting Norwich, then going to West Brom on the final day. None of those three sides have anything in particular to play for. There is no reason we should not take nine points.
Even seven would probably be enough. The big concern is the forthcoming game at Stoke, where we traditionally struggle. Now is surely the time to try and put that hoodoo to bed; and what better place for Aaron Ramsey to recover his form than on the ground that nearly ended his career?
Transfer News
As I mentioned, it seems Denilson is on his way back to England this summer. If I were him, I wouldn’t bother unpacking – I don’t imagine it’ll be a long stay. Sao Paulo have been unable to agree an extension to his loan deal, primarily because Arsenal are looking for a permanent buyer. Denilson is one of a crop of players that also includes Manuel Almunia, Nicklas Bendtner, Carlos Vela and Andrey Arshavin who will be shunted off the wage bill in an attempt to fund new contracts for the likes of Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott.
Congratulations to Chelsea
Despite the fact it’s something of a disastrous result for Arsenal fans, I can only offer my congratulations to Chelsea on an extraordinary performance at the Nou Camp. There is a lesson to be learnt there: whilst Chelsea aren’t your traditional underdog, they showed that no side is unbeatable, no contest pre-determined. With the exception of the idiotic John Terry, they were a credit to themselves and the Premier League.
