Time to end the wait. Cesc We Can.
308 comments January 26th, 2011
Arsenal 3 – 0 Ipswich (3-1 agg) (Bendtner 61, Koscielny 64, Fabregas 77)
Highlights | Arsene’s reaction
A change is afoot. Beating Ipswich was expected – necessary, even – but this feels bigger than that. Arsenal are on the verge of something they haven’t done in more than five years – lifting a trophy – and possibly at the edge of something even more significant.
As things stand, we’re still in contention for all four competitions on offer. It’s a feat unmatched anywhere else in England. We have tough competitors in each, particularly the Premier League and Champions League, but you get the sense that for the first time, Arsenal are not afraid.
Take last night. In years past a nervy Arsenal would doubtless have thrown men forward early on, leaving them vulnerable to Ipswich’s counter-attack. But last night, the team showed remarkable patience, waiting until the 61st minute for the goal which leveled the tie up and began to turn the tide to an onslaught of red and white.
When the breakthrough came, it showed something else: class. Wilshere’s lofted pass, Bendtner’s dragback and curled finish all spoke silently of the quality that underlines this current Arsenal squad.
If the second goal was unusual – a Koscielny header from Arshavin’s corner – then the third was even more quintessentially Arsenal. Cesc Fabregas broke from the halfway line before finding Andrey Arshavin in space. The Russian had had yet another one of ‘those’ games, but showed the intelligence and awareness to drive elegantly inside before slipping a reverse ball back in to Cesc’s path. The finish was inevitable.
If the goals brought relief, full-time brought jubilation. The critics will say, “it’s only the League Cup Final”. Tell that to the players. The relative ranking of this competition among our priorities hasn’t changed, but our attitude fundamentally has. The second we decided we wanted to win this competition – really wanted to win it – the stakes were raised.
There’s just no such thing as “only Wembleyâ€. Whether it’s West Ham or Birmingham that we face, we’re all guaranteed a grand day out on February 27th. It’ll be our first final in the new stadium. It goes without saying that it’s been too long coming.
Arsenal need this. Pundits keep saying Arsenal need to win a trophy to get over their fear of losing. They’re wrong. Arsenal need to win a trophy to understood how good winning feels.
Winning is an addiction. Ask the 37-year old Ryan Giggs. Once you experience the elation of victory you just keep coming back for it. Win the Carling Cup and its yours for a year. But the long-term effects on the likes of Djourou, Song, Wilshere and Walcott could be beneficial well in to this decade.
Leading them out that day will Cesc Fabregas, and there won’t have been many prouder moments in his young career. After the same, Arsene picked him out for special praise:
“You could see in Cesc’s attitude that he’s hungry for it and overall I still believe that Cesc is a winner, a born winner who wants to win every day on the training pitch. It has a lot of meaning for him.â€
For a man who is a “born winner†to have just one major club honour (the 2005 FA Cup) to his name simply isn’t right.
Between now and the end of the season, Fabregas and his cohorts have a chance to set that right. The Wembley Final falls bang in the middle of two titanic clashes with Barcelona. Get a decent result in the first leg, and what better fillip for the second could their be than raising some silverware above your head?
The team, club, and fans are united now under one banner. Hope. Believe. Achieve? Cesc We Can.
Oh, and there’s a t-shirt too.
It’s a new variation on an old design that proved particularly popular. Get yours now so you can be wearing it at Wembley. Or on your sofa, watching Andy Gray and Richard Keys Jamie Redknapp and some other mug on Sky.
I hope you like it. And enjoy today: bit by bit, this club is getting back where it belongs.
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