What does “we lacked sharpness” actually mean? Anyone?
1 comment November 17th, 2008
I’m still not sure what to write.
I am determined not to write another piece suggesting we buy a central midfielder and a centre-back. What is the point? It’s been said a million times already, and furthermore, I don’t think Arsene often reads Gunnerblog.Â
Reading the manager’s quotes, it’s clear he’s finding it difficult to explain this side’s failings:
“You have to accept that the game is played by human beings and sometimes physically they have a drop. It is very difficult for us to have a rational explanation about what happened today. I believe that the team want it but it was just like a few other times this year where it is unexplainable why we don’t really play at our 100% potential.”
I’m sorry, Arsene, but it is your job to explain this “unexplainable” phenomenon, and fix it. The closest he gets to an explanation is as follows:
“You can make all kinds of explanations but as a team we were not sharp.”
How many times have we heard that? Or something similar, with Arsene’s familiar take on our English syntax: “We lacked a little bit sharpness today”. And yet, I confess I have no idea what he actually means.
Sharpness means abrupt or acute. Sharpness means to be a semitone above the intended pitch. Sharpness is a port in Gloucestershire. And now, in the glossary of Wengerisms, “sharpness” can probably be defined as “the ability to be any good at football whatsoever”.
We lacked a little bit sharpness on Saturday. A lottle bit.
We have lost our aura. We were always perceived as vulnerable on the road, but now we’ve started losing at home too, resulting in this rather damning verdict from Steve Sidwell:
“You look at the top four and you come to Arsenal thinking you can pick up points. That’s how it looks to me. You can get points at Arsenal. Perhaps they don’t take their chances as well as Manchester United or Chelsea – those two are more clinical. And to be honest they didn’t really have any chances. I believe you play Arsenal home and away and think you can get a result.”
When one considers it’s only four years ago that we were regarded (quite rightly) as “Invincible”, it’s been a hell of a tumble from grace.
Nevertheless, this is not an unfamiliar situation. In many ways, this season is reminscent of our league campaign in 2005/06. We had just lost an excellent ball-wnning midfielder (for Patrick Vieira, see Mathieu Flamini), our defence was calamitous (for the ageing Sol Campbell, see any of Gallas/Silvestre/Toure), and we lacked any obvious leader. Furthermore, our best player and talisman was going through the motions as he considered a possible move to Barcelona. Henry ended up staying at the end of that season. I’m not so sure Cesc will make the same decision come the Summer.
In the 2005/06 Premiership season, we lost eleven games. With four defeats already this season, we’re well on our way to a similarly depressing total. And this time, I don’t expect us to have a Champions League Final as consolation.
With an International break upon us, there’s plenty of time for reflection. This will do for now.
