Arsenal 1 – 1 Liverpool: Arsene never used to be a gambler
1 comment April 7th, 2008
This was a game we probably had to win. Which makes Arsene’s decision to start the likes of Hoyte, Traore and Gilberto all the more confusing. Either
- He labours under the severe misapprehension that these players are currently good enough to compete at the highest level, or
- He felt we could no longer afford to try to win the league, and decided to save players for Tuesday night’s Champions league tie
In both cases, his thinking is worryingly flawed. Some of the players he picked are plainly not up to beating Liverpool in a high-pressure environment, whilst the idea that the league was beyond us going into the game was ridiculed by Middlesbrough holding United to a draw yesterday. If we’d picked our best side, I don’t doubt we’d have won the game, and we’d now be just four points off top spot.
The first half performance was absolutely dreadful. Nicklas Bendter was completely isolated as the lone striker, and a central midfield of Fabregas, Flamini, and Gilberto did not seem to contain and attacking play to forward to support him.
The second half was mildly better, but I still couldn’t believe some of Arsene’s decision. Why leave it until the 82nd minute to bring on Hleb? Why wait till the the 86th minute before switching from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2 (a decision that meant Bendtner, a traditional target man, spent a good while playing left wing)? I’m Arsene Wenger’s biggest fan, but on this particular day, his decision making cost us game the game.
The truth is that Wenger has gambled on a squad of players that simply doesn’t have the depth of quality required to lift the title. Of course, staying in the race for so long is a pretty impressive achievement considering our pre-season prospects, but having fought our way to the top of the table, we should have spent money in January to consolidate our position.
If I was one of the players for fought back from two nil down with ten men just a week earlier, I’d be furious at Arsene for his selection. Regarding the incredible performance, I’d be thinking: “What was it all for?”
I don’t want to talk about the title today. All I know is that for various reasons, we owe it to our fans to win at Old Trafford next weekend. Do that, and we can start talking about winning it again with a degree of seriousness.
And so our trilogy against Liverpool tomorrow comes to an end in what should be an enthralling Champions League tie. It’s here that Arsene’s odd selection policy comes under yet further scrutiny – Flamini and Fabregas, probably the Arsenal players who cover most ground, both started Saturday’s game. If we had decided to rest key players, surely one of those would have been a more sensible option than an in-form Philippe Senderos or super-charged Gael Clichy?
The good news is that Robin van Persie is back, but sadly Bacary Sagna has failed to make it. I imagine that means Kolo Toure will play at right-back again, with Senderos and Gallas in the centre. Ahead of that though, it’s anybody’s guess. Personally, I’m hoping Theo Walcott or Gilberto gets the nod ahead of Emmanuel Eboue, who is woefully short on ability confidence.
Our form since going out of the FA Cup has been nothing short of disastrous. We need a result tomorrow not just to get a Champions League semi-final place, but to give the team and the fans a little bit of hope that there might just be a prize worth waiting for at the end of this turbulent season.
Come on Arsenal. One Last Push.
