Admittedly, the immediacy and lack of contemplation generally involved in posting to the internet can bring out the worst in people, but the reaction of Arsenal fans to last night’s 2-2 draw of Wigan was nothing short of hysterical.
I’ll give you an anonymous example from Twitter:
#Arsenal were a disgrace 2nite. Ashamed to b a supporter.
In fact, do you know what it reminded me of? This:
Those most vehement in their fury at Arsene Wenger, Sebastien Squillaci, and Lee Probert will justify their words by saying they “careâ€. Well, William Gallas cared. But that didn’t stop 90% of Arsenal fans from calling him a big jessy.
We’re all disappointed that Arsenal dropped points at Wigan. Instead of exorcising the ghosts of last season, we allowed ourselves to suffer another haunting. It is disappointing, but it’s not a disaster. Beating Chelsea didn’t suddenly make us a great team; drawing at Wigan doesn’t suddenly make us awful.
The selection…
…is one of the more controversial issues. Arsene made eight changes from the team that beat Chelsea, and many fans are angry at what they see as a disruption in momentum. I understand that, but this is an exceptional circumstance. By next Wednesday we will have played four games in ten days. Two of those games are against fellow title challengers (Chelsea and City). Rotation is essential.
Arseblogger pointed me in the direction of this article last night, in which Steve Bruce talks about the perils of these Christmas fixtures:
“We’ve got five games in 13 days starting last week. That’s ludicrous considering we’ve played 18 games in five months. People are playing tired and pull muscles.â€
We can’t afford injuries to key players with so many big games on the horizon.
Some of the changes we made, however, were enforced. Cesc was suspended, and the idea of Johan Djourou and Robin van Persie playing twice in three days is ludicrous given their injury record.
Marouane Chamakh, Andrey Arshavin and Sebastien Squillaci may not have played against Chelsea but have spent most of the season as first-choice. Emmanuel Eboue, meanwhile, was a tactical choice intended to cope with the left-footed inverted right-winger, Charles N’Zogbia.
Every single player who came in to the side was an international footballer. Every single player in an Arsenal shirt was a more heralded, decorated player than his Wigan counterpart. The team Arsene put out was more than capable of beating Wigan. Indeed, it was a weaker team than last night’s that beat Wigan 2-0 in the Carling Cup just one month ago.
With that said…
…there were some issues with personnel. As I’ve tried to explain above, most of the changes were justifiable, but leaving out Alex Song will always create problems because we have no direct replacement.
Arsene seems to see Denilson as a holding player, but he’s not. He’s a combative, hard-working, central midfielder. He doesn’t have the positional intelligence or tactical discipline to play as an anchorman.
The same is true of Abou Diaby, though his credentials will always be something of an irrelevance if he continues to be dogged by injuries. From what I can gauge, his reintroduction to the squad was always something of an experiment, to see if he was able to play without pain. Clearly, he’s not, and he was withdrawn after just 27 minutes.
By then, Wigan already had their first goal. When Charles N’Zogbia started the run that ended in the dubious award of a penalty, both Denilson and Diaby had charged forward to the edge of the Wigan box. At that point, playmaker Tomas Rosicky was actually our deepest midfielder.
We’ve complained about Song’s wanderings this season, but against Chelsea he showed he is learning the value of balance. It’s a lesson Diaby and Denilson have yet to master. Arsene has no-one with the tackling ability, physical strength, and willingness to carry out a strategic foul of Song. If he wants to rotate, he’ll have to buy one in January.
My suspicion is that he won’t. Why? A familiar reason: the desire not to impede a young talent. Emmanuel Frimpong is currently out injured with a ligament problem but is extremely well regarded, and is very much in the Song mould. Will Arsene bite the bullet and bring in a senior alternative? Time will tell, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.
Charles N’Zogbia..
…is an idiot. Arsenal and Newcastle had various discussions about the player’s availability a few years back, but the deal always broke down over concerns about his temperament. Last night showed we were right to steer clear.
He undoubtedly has talent. At times last night he left Emmanuel Eboue for dead. But as if tumbling in to the box to earn a penalty wasn’t bad enough, in the second half he followed up by head-butting Jack Wilshere. Never mind N’Zogbia – that’s N’Forgivable.
There is, however, a caveat. As much as his diving infuriated me, we musn’t forget that in the early part of the season we benefited regularly from the suddenly vanishing balance of Marouane Chamakh. These things, unfortunately, do tend to even themselves out.
The referee…
…is perhaps the real villain of the piece. Yes, N’Zogbia dived, but he did so outside the area. To award a spot-kick was a mistake entirely of the officials’ own making.
He also missed a clear handball in the wall defending a late Samir Nasri free-kick. Sat at home watching, Cesc Fabregas was deeply unhappy – he’ll remember conceding a penalty for a similar thing at home to Spurs.
The performance…
…wasn’t great. At the back we were particularly disorganised, and it’s no exaggeration to say that if it weren’t for some last minute interventions they could have scored more.
A dismal first half was saved by five inspired minutes from Andrey Arshavin, who scissor-volleyed home the equaliser before driving at the defence and playing in Nicklas Bendtner for the second. He should probably have done better, however, with a second half opportunity created by Jack Wilshere. A third goal would surely have brought three points.
Set pieces…
…continue to be a huge problem, as evidenced by their equaliser. Arsene’s quotes after the game were not particularly reassuring:
“It is (a concern) because nobody looks from the outside to take charge on the organisation side.”
Yes, some teams have people like that. They’re called a ‘coach’.
The result….
…is, as I’ve already said, not a disaster. Winning at Birmingham and taking seven points from the nine available this week would be a good return. To do that, we’ll need Djourou, Song, and a much better performance. Fortunately, there’s no reason not to have all three.
We laugh at pundits when they declare us “in†or “out†of the title race after just one game. But when we react as hysterically as we did last night, we make it easy for them.
Get behind the team. Monday night showed that they want this and they understand what is required. Saturday will be a real test, and they’ll need our support.
2010’s been tricky at times. Let’s make 2011 great.
Like Bon Jovi before us, we’re only halfway there. Halfway through the season, and halfway through a pair of games that see us come up against old foes and ghosts.
Having vanquished some demons against Chelsea, we now go to the DW Stadium, to try and overcome the horrors of that mad ten minutes that saw us throw away a two goal lead to lose 3-2 back in April.
I expect it to be quite a different side to the Chelsea game. Two games in three days is a big ask, but that’s what you build a squad for. Manchester United made just one change in their game against Birmingham yesterday, and that strain took its toll as they conceded late on. I won’t laugh too much, though – we’ll have to try and cope with the same aerial assault at the weekend.
Cesc Fabregas is suspended, so Tomas Rosicky ought to come in as both playmaker and captain. Sebastien Squillaci and Marouane Chamakh are obvious introductions at either end of the pitch, whilst Denilson and Diaby could freshen up the midfield engine. On the flanks, I expect an immediate reprieve for dropped dribbler Andrey Arshavin. He’s scored at this stadium before – a goal tonight would do him the world of good.
The key to victory will be maintaining our discipline and team play in spite of all these changes. Wigan have won just two of their opening ten games, whilst no team has conceded more goals on their own ground. Not even us.
Win tonight and we’ll join messrs City and United at the top of the tree. Let’s go Gunners.
All those calls to Childline have paid off. Arsenal won’t be bullied anymore.
Only time will tell if last night’s game will prove to be a watershed evening in the development of this Arsenal team. For now, Arsenal fans should simply indulge in the unusual pleasure of not having to spend the day following a big match actively avoiding newspapers, television, and Spurs fans.
What will have delighted Arsene Wenger is that this victory was achieved in his own way. He made some big calls in his starting line-up. He dropped Sebastien Squillaci, and plumped for Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou. He dropped Andrey Arshavin, switching Nasri to the left-flank and bringing in flyer Theo Walcott on the right. And he left out a tiring Marouane Chamakh, with Robin van Persie entrusted to make only his second Premier League start of the season.
These were bold decisions. Arsene is often accused of not adapting his team to the opponent in question – not so last night. Bringing in Djourou and Walcott for Squillaci and Arshavin meant choosing youth over big game experience.
Both choices were vindicated with superb performances. Johan Djourou is maturing in to a fine centre-half, and perhaps the most obvious candidate to partner Thomas Vermaelen when the Belgian returns in January. Djourou arrived at Arsenal as a gawky holding midfielder in his mid-teens, but after he shackled Didier Drogba last night it’s same to say his transformation to bruising centre-half is almost complete. He has finally learnt to use his six foot four inch frame to dominate aerially. In January he will turn 24: this is his time.
Walcott, meanwhile, was outstanding. We know he has his faults. In the first half his control was erratic and his movement occasionally baffling. But crucially, his pace pegged back Ashley Cole, whose incisive runs had proved our undoing on so many occasions in the past. Once Cole was booked for hauling back Theo, he was even more inhibited. And in the second half, Walcott did the damage in the final third we know is capable of. He is now just one goal away from reaching double figures.
The key, however, was not individual performances, but a high-tempo pressing game reminiscent of our early form in 09/10 and which was a clear attempt at emulating Barcelona’s style. Chelsea use John Terry and John Obi Mikel as their main outlets from the back – in this game, they didn’t get a moment’s peace on the ball, so much so that Mikel was withdrawn at half-time for the Brazilian Ramires.
All too often in this fixture we’d conceded shortly before half time, giving ourselves an uphill struggle in the second 45. On this occasion, we were the beneficiaries of a goal right on the whistle. Alex Song played a neat one-two with midfield partner Jack Wilshere on the edge of a congested area, and the ball fell to Cesc. The captain was fouled and a penalty would have been awarded, but instead advantage was played and Song was able to toe-poke home.
The start of the second half was crucial, and we made a statement of intent by nicking the ball from Chelsea right from kick-off. There then followed a two minute period in which Arsenal fans entered wonderland. First Walcott latched on to a loose Essien backpass, tore down on goal, and squared unselfishly for Cesc Fabregas to tap in to an empty net. Then, with chants of “2 nil to the Arsenal” still ringing around the stadium, it suddenly became three. Walcott nicked the ball of Malouda, and found Cesc. The captain then played a sumptuous flicked ball inside the defender for Walcott to race on to and finish first time underneath Cech.
I can’t remember a goal that has been so raucously celebrated in the stadium. Drinks were split, strangers were hugged and ghosts were exorcised. The team clearly felt the same, bundling on top of Theo in a mixture of joy and relief.
Of course, Arsenal being Arsenal, we didn’t make it easy for itself. Just a couple of moments after going three up, we conceded, allowing Branislav Ivanovic to reach a lovely flat delivery from Didier Drogba and nod home.
Chelsea made changes, throwing on Kakuta and Bosingwa (why does Paulo Ferreira start ahead of him?) to try and save the game, but we held out. Diaby and Chamakh came on to help close things out, and it’s no exaggeration to say we had opportunities to extend our lead: Samir Nasri volleyed tamely when picked out by a Walcott cross, and Abou Diaby should have scored after a precision pass by Wilshere.
Full-time brought the loudest of Christmas cheers. I can’t emphasise enough how much the team played for each other, but within that some individuals did excel. Djourou was dominant and Walcott electric, but Alex Song and Jack Wilshere were outstanding against the more experienced Lampard and Essien. Seeing Wilshere bounce off challenges at the tender age of 18 was inspiring. A lot is made of the significance or otherwise of having English players, but it was clear last night that Jack understood just what this game meant.
The win takes us within two points of Manchester United, albeit having played a game more. More importantly, it invests the squad with a hitherto unknown belief. What’s vital, however, is that they don’t allow this victory to make them complacent. The effort levels, the commitment in the challenge, the urgency going forward have to be taken in to every game – starting at Wigan tomorrow, when we’ll have to cope without the suspended Cesc Fabregas.
Today, however, we should just enjoy a massive win. City could leapfrog us today to make it an all-Manchester top two, but, for now at least, we are the pride of London.
Iiiiiii… don’t want a lot for Christmas,
There is just one thing I need,
I don’t care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree.
I just want this for my own,
More than you will ever know,
Make my wish come truuuuueeee…
AND BATTER CHELSEA.
Paraphrasing Mariah Carey is an unusual way to open a call to arms. It’s noteworthy that Henry V’s St. Crispin’s Day speech didn’t refer to the novelty Christmas singles of any RnB divas. But at this time of year, it felt appropriate. I got some cracking presents this year, but there’s one I’m still waiting for: victory tonight.
Our recent record against the ‘Big Two’ of Chelsea and United is woeful. In our last 11 games in all competitions against Manchester United and Chelsea, we’ve managed one draw and 10 defeats, with five goals scored and 23 conceded. It’s embarrassingly bad for a side with supposed title aspirations. Arsene puts it down to a mental hurdle:
“I believe that my players are quite solid mentally but they have not won yet and that is a mental hurdle everyone in life has to get over.”
Which is all well and good. Except that recent attempts to overcome this particular hurdle have been… well, a bit like this:
Whenever the big occasions come up we freeze, hampered by a metaphorical, psychological handbreak. Arsene’s hype becomes a ball and chain that we drag to another demoralising defeat.
Enough times I’ve come on here and said ‘we have to change it around’. We don’t. If we lose, the pain will have a dull familiarity. The awful truth is that every passing defeat makes failure all the more acceptable.
Instead, we can hope. Hope that this is the day when we finally free ourselves of the shackles of inhibition to play our best football on the big stage. Hope that Cesc, Nasri, Arshavin and Wilshere are able to be at their creative best. Hope Marouane Chamakh is over a bout of fatigue. And hope, against all rational evidence, that our defence has finally learnt to cope with Didier Drogba.
As Arsene has pointed out, our home form between now and the end of the season will be defining. We have Chelsea tonight, then City, United and Liverpool. So far this season, we have three home defeats – just one less than West Ham, who have the league’s highest with four. If we bury that poor form with a win tonight, then we can start to talk realistically about the title.
All yesterday I felt sick. At first I thought it was due to the ludicrous combination of food and drink I had deposited inside myself during the preceding festivities. But then I realised, it was only partly that. More disconcerting was the fact that I had to endure a day in which Manchester United, Spurs, Man City and Stoke all emerged victorious.
Only one thing can make me feel better. Only two things can make me feel better: Rennie, and an Arsenal victory tonight. Do not let me down, boys. I’m not sure my digestive system would cope.
Well, we’ve done alright thanks. We’re through to the next round of the Champions League, we’re in a League Cup semi-final, and within touching distance of the top of the table. And, while we’re at it, there’s no need for that slightly passive aggressive tone, Mr Lennon. I didn’t ask you what you’ve achieved this year. Admittedly, this is partially because you are dead. Rest in Peace.
As for you, the readers, all I can say is thank you for your continued support of the site. It really does mean an immense amount to me. I’ve been doing this for more than six years now, sometimes more frequently than others, but having there are a loyal core of readers who have stuck with it throughout, reading some absolute drivel along the way. Thanks for your patience and your support: you continue to make the site worthwhile and fun.
Seeing as I’m so grateful, perhaps you’ll be expecting some reward. Well, like Santa, I know just what you all want for Christmas. It’s Bacary Sagna to sing you a carol. Make it through this video to the end, and if you’ve been a good boy/girl/ladyman you’ll get just what you asked for.
