Chelsea 2 – 0 Arsenal: Arsenal lose match; I win bet
40 comments February 8th, 2010
Chelsea 2 – 0 Arsenal (Drogba 8, 23)
Highlights | Arsene’s reaction
I couldn’t back Chelsea to win. I didn’t bet against my own team. That would open me up to all sorts of accusations: a possible lack of faith – even a conflict of interests.
I did, however, place what looked like a very sensible bet. What looked like a bet in which I couldn’t lose:
I backed a team that took to the field without a recognised striker to fail to score.
Had we managed to find the net, I would’ve considered the loss money well spent. As we all now know, I won.
Something about Arsene’s strategy doesn’t add up. If you pick a style of play that is designed almost entirely to score goals, a vital component is that of a ‘goalscorer’. If you accept that by freeing up the creative talents of Fabregas, Diaby, Nasri, Arshavin & Co that you will leave yourself likely to concede at least a goal, you must have a player on the pitch who is capable of cancelling that out that at the other end. If your principle hope of victory is dependent on out-shooting your opponent, then you need a great marksman as your spearhead.
Robin van Persie’s injury did not need to be the death knell for our title hopes, but Arsene’s refusal to replace him has made it a fatal blow. Poor defending is a huge part of the problem, but let’s not forget that this is not a side set up to a defend.
It’s a side that is ostensibly set up to score goals. Yet, paradoxically, one that contains no strikers.
It’s foolish. The “nil” next to Arsenal on yesterday’s scoreboard was entirely predictable.
Some of us even made money out of it.
More tomorrow.
