Gunnerblog

Fulham defeat shows the need for Henry

479 comments January 5th, 2012

I don’t, like Arsene Wenger, blame the referee for our defeat at Fulham.  Nor do I blame the Fulham players who targeted a player struggling on a booking: I would hope Arsenal would do exactly the same thing.  I don’t blame Johan Djorou for being sent off, or Francis Coquelin for being out of position when Bobby Zamora volleyed home the winner.  When you line-up with two out-of-position players in your back four, you have to accept there is a chance you’ll be punished defensively.  Instead, you need to make the most of your attacking opportunities.  And that, I believe, is where Arsenal fell down.

Let me start by saying that Robin van Persie is exempt from criticism.  He has been outstanding this season and the fact he went a single game without a goal cannot possibly be held against him.  But on the days when he doesn’t score, it is even more vital that the players around him take advantage of any time and space afforded to them.  For my money, the other two members of the front three, Theo Walcott and Gervinho, are currently not doing enough.

Both players are quick and have reasonably intelligent movement, so inevitably find themselves receiving the ball in promising positions.  All too often of late, however, their final ball or decision-making has not been up to scratch.  In Theo’s case, I feel his confidence has dipped slightly.  He’s talking up the number of assists he provides for Robin van Persie, and rightly so, but when played through one-on-one against QPR he seemed to be more interested in trying to square for his Dutch mate than finishing the simple chance right in front of him.  He seems to be in danger of contracting Hlebitis.

And then there is Gervinho.  I’ve watched the Ivorian winger with intrigue over his first few months in England.  I’m conscious of how long some foreign players can take to settle, and have been hoping some of the inconsistencies in his game would iron themselves out over these winter months.  It does not seem so.  Already in his short Arsenal career he has produced enough outrageous misses to banish any memories of Nicklas Bendtner’s private collection of howlers.  His decision-making is erratic and his final ball variable.  He reminds me of the old adage about Andy Cole: he would always score, but he’d need five opportunities to do so.  Gervinho occasionally produces vital contributions, but in the meantime so many simpler chances to make the difference pass by the wayside.  His defenders will point to his stats (4 Premier League goals and 5 assists), but some of those assists simply hit Gervinho on their way to the goal.  They were far from deliberate.

I’ve not given up on him and I see the value he brings to the team in terms of his work-rate and interchanging of positions.  But were he and Theo more effective in the final third, we would have been out of sight against Fulham by half-time.

If Thierry Henry is to be available to face Leeds on Monday, his registration needs to be completed by lunchtime tomorrow.  It cannot come soon enough.  The combined goal tally of Walcott, Gervinho, and Aaron Ramsey (who has played right behind Robin, almost as a number 10) barely reaches double figures.  It is less than half of RVP’s total.  Anyone who can add some much needed confidence and quality to our attacking play is very welcome indeed.

I know you’re not half as quick as you used to be, but hurry up Thierry.  We’re waiting.