You wait a long time for an opportunity like this.
When Sol Campbell first joined Arsenal, he was thrown in to the cauldron of his first post-demonisation derby fairly early on. Arsene remembers it well:
“I remember his big challenge, after about 10 minutes. That’s where he showed he is a man. You always wonder what impact the pressure will have but he showed straight away he was ready.”
For the five years that followed, Sol’s decision to leave Spurs was vindicated by acclaim and trophies as Arsenal demonstrated their superiority over their rivals.
And then Sol’s career began to unravel. He found himself at Portsmouth, lacking both motivation and fitness. When Spurs games came around, he was viewed more as pantomime villain than arch-antagonist. As much as Sol must have been hurt by the reception in his early derby appearances as an Arsenal player, he must also have recognised that the burning effigies were manifestations of Tottenham fans’ bitterness and pain at losing an undisputedly great defender. The vilification was replaced by pathetic squabbling: racist, homophobic overtones masking the true cause of Tottenham angst.
In those Portsmouth days, Sol was less of a threat. He was lining up behind Sean Davis rather than Patrick Vieira. He went in to every one of those games as an underdog, knowing that whatever was inflicted upon him he no longer had the riposte of medals and league places.
When Sol signed for Notts County, Spurs fans laughed. When he then signed for Arsenal, they panicked.
Nothing scares Spurs fans more than Sol’s success. It reminds them of the gap between them and us – a gap that Campbell had the courage to cross in pursuit of his own professional goals. When Sol pulled on the red-and-white once again, Tottenham fans might outwardly have guffawed and mocked, but inside they were panicked that Sol would rise again, phoenix-like, to put one over on them one final time.
Tonight, Sol has an opportunity to stand once again before those who have baited him for a decade, who have treated him as a pariah, who have spun lies about his personal and professional lives, and show that he is still, both literally and metaphorically, the bigger man.
You wait a long time for an opportunity like this. The wait is almost over.
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It’s been a frustrating season for Robin van Persie. He started it on fire, scoring 8 goals in 11 games as Arsenal averaged a remarkable 3.26 goals p/game. Since he ruptured his ankle ligaments in a friendly for Holland, he’s missed over six months of football. Arsenal have missed him too, dropping to just 1.77 goals p/game and struggling to replace his finishing finesse and link-up play.
If he had been fit, Arsene says, we would be discussing him in the same bracket as Rooney, Messi, and Ronaldo. I can see the manager’s point, but as Ifs go it’s a sizeable one. Van Persie has never looked like a player capable of escaping the clutches of strains, sprains and breaks. He’s brilliant, but he’s brittle.
He’s not a Robin reliant – he’s an impact player. When he gets a run of form together he can be unstoppable. He possesses instant control and a shot of extreme force. In those hot streaks he is invaluable, but what’s guaranteed is that they won’t last.
It’s horrible to admit but Van Persie’s career will probably never include a defining season – a year when he carries a team to success. His body isn’t capable of it. What he will be remembered for – what he’s already remembered for – are extraordinary moments.
A soaring volley against Charlton, a sliding equaliser against United, a shimmy and shot against Liverpool. In the future there will be opportunities for flashes of ability that win not only games, but trophies. The World Cup in the summer, for example. Or even tonight.
Robin is likely to start on the bench but if he is brought on he’ll have an opportunity to make an impact that could have serious implications for this season’s title race, that would be remembered for much longer.
The scaremongers in the City and in Fleet Street would have us believe we’re on the verge on an apocalyptic takeover. Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, having fallen foul of the board some time ago, has hired someone to sell her 16% stake in the club – having presumably had little success with the eBay listing she was originally using.
The story, in as far as there is one, is that she has contracted this firm and allowed it to become public, thus ‘stepping up’ her attempts to shift her shares. Why now? Well, the answer, as arseblogger affirms, is a simple one: if Stan Kroenke were to buy before the end of May, he’d be obliged to pay the £10,500 p/share he paid to the Carr family. She’s simply trying to cash in.
Tonight Chelsea face Bolton. You’d expect it to be a routine night for John Terry (dull win, almost break someone’s leg, then sleep with a team-mate’s missus), but if anyone can cause him a problem it’s our own Jack Wilshere. He’s put together a series of seven starts or so at Bolton, and manager Owen Coyle is singing his praises:
“Facing Chelsea will be another great test for him and how far he has come. But he won’t be fazed by anything, he will be looking forward to it.”
Whilst I do expect Chelsea to win, possibly at a canter, there’s always hope of an upset with a player as talented as Wilshere on the field. Though he may be cancelled out by the number of Gavin McCanns and Johan Elmanders alongside him.
There’s all sorts of speculation about who might play in our game with Spurs tomorrow. No-one knows for sure if Sol Campbell, Alex Song or Robin van Persie will be fit to be involved – but we’ll soon find out. Arsene has a press conference around lunchtime, and you can follow the fall-out from that over on twitter.
Finally today, something to whet the appetite for the arrival of a certain young Brazilian gentlemen next season. I’m just calling him ‘The Duke’.
Sunday is God’s day
And God, it would appear, is an Arsenal fan. Manchester United dropped two points at Blackburn, whilst Spurs were dragged through 120 minutes of a pitch that made the Somme look like a snooker table before, hilariously, losing to a rag-tag Pompey team.
United could be out of the race by Saturday
If Chelsea beat Bolton tomorrow night and City continue their goalscoring form in Saturday’s derby with United, their title challenge could be over. A point at Ewood Park is no disgrace, but that defeat to Chelsea was a hammer blow, compounded by their Champions League exit. Without Rooney, they lack spark and, frankly, a serious attacking threat. Have they had a goalscoring midfielder since Paul Scholes’ pomp? And don’t say Ronaldo, because he played many games as part of a front three – even sometimes as a centre-forward. United have problems all through their core, and are going backwards fast.
Spurs will be forced to play Kaboul in midfield
With Wilson Palacios suspended, Kaboul is the only viable option to add some steel to the Spurs midfield. It’s not his natural position, and if Alex Song is fit to play you’d expect us to be able to dominate in that area.
Wednesday is our hardest game
City will be tough. Blackburn will be tricky. But the North London Derby is beyond doubt our hardest game. Win there, and the remaining fixtures will feel a lot easier. It is still very much on, but there is no margin for error.
A salute to Cesc
Something that passed without much note was that with our Champions League exit against Barca, the slim chance of Cesc Fabregas re-appearing for the Final disappeared. That means we’re able to call time on a fantastic season from the captain – one that’s brought 19 goals in 35 games, and some truly inspiring performances. Captain Fabregas – we salute you.
Theo
was a very charming guy. With any luck I’ll get hold of some video footage of our chat in the next couple of days, and stick it up on the blog. Keep your eyes out for it – there might be a nice competition for you guys too.
We might have seen the best of Messi
I haven’t talked too much about the Barcelona game – I felt the stats spoke for themselves. Of course most of the post-game talk has been about Lionel Messi: a remarkably talented player who, it’s worth pointing out, was only prevented from following Cesc Fabregas to Arsenal by some spectacularly frustrating red tape.
He is obviously a superb player – one of the top two in the world – and has the chance to be remembered as one of the all-time greats. His finishing against us was astonishing, though I was glad Arsene pointed out that only defensive mistakes gave him those opportunities. Simply put, he punished us every time.
One of the caveats that seemed to accompany his performance was, “and he’s only 22”. I think this is something of a red herring. The Times’ Oliver Kay points out:
“The long-accepted wisdom is that players peak between the ages of 26 and 30, but this is at odds with an uncomfortable reality that has begun to emerge in recent years. This largely overlooked phenomenon can be seen in the list of winners of the Ballon d’Or … Through the first four decades of its history, the award, with a few exceptions, went to players between the ages of 27 and 33. But, of the past 13 winners since 1997, eight — including four of the past five — have been aged 26 or under.”
Messi is not reliant on his pace, but he is doubtless helped by his explosive acceleration. I’m not contesting that he’s an astonishing player, but I’m not necessarily convinced that he’ll improve significantly beyond his current level.
Signing Chamakh would be an exciting prospect Another Champions League goal for the Moroccan was the latest demonstration of his ability. To sign a player leading the line for the French champions and European quarter-finalists – without a fee, let’s not forget – would be some coup.
Vela seems the man most likely to suffer
If Chamakh does arrive, at least one forward seems likely to leave. With Carlos Vela reported to have missed the flight to Barcelona because he forgot his passport, one would have to imagine that might be another step towards the exit door. It’s the sort of youthful folly Arsene doesn’t take kindly to, as the likes of Jermaine Pennant have found out in the past.
Van Persie and Djourou could make a difference in the run-in Both players will make a return to full training in the next couple of weeks – Robin even sooner – and I’d be surprised if we don’t see them on the field before the end of the season. Van Persie could be a useful impact player between now and the end of May, whilst Djourou could help fill the gap left by the calf injury to William Gallas. I’d guess we might see Robin back in the squad for the Man City game on the 24th.
Meeting Theo this Sunday
In just a couple of days I’ll be meeting Theo Walcott for a quick chat at the London heat of Nike’s Tear Up The Pitch event. If you have a question for Theo, simply contact me via email or twitter and I’ll put the best suggestions to the man himself. Cheers all, and have a good weekend.
Total Distance Covered
Barcelona: 116.20km
Arsenal: 112.63km
To be clear: Barca dominated possession, making a disproportionately high number of passes – they moved the ball at a dizzying speed.
And yet, in spite of all their possession, they covered more distance than us – they worked harder, which demonstrates their quite remarkable work ethic and determination to win the ball back.
We were the victims of a magnificent individual performance – but one facilitated by a truly fantastic team.
