Gunnerblog

Confessions of an anxious Arsenal fan

37 comments May 4th, 2012

It’s all so simple. Win two games, and third is ours. Other teams’ results can do nothing about that single, unalterable fact. It should be utterly reassuring. And yet…

I must confess that I am an anxious Arsenal fan. If you’re a regular reader of the blog, that won’t surprise you: the enormity of wrenching third place from this most nightmarish of seasons, and the potential heartbreak of handing it back to Tottenham on the final day have combined to fray what little nerve I ever had. It seems it’s catching, too. Amusingly, after Newcastle and Spurs both picked up impressive wins in midweek, a reader tweeted me declaring the results were my fault, as I’d been giving out “negative vibes” all week. I question his reasoning, and yet apologise profusely.

I appreciate the arguments against anxiety. We’ve only got to play Norwich and West Brom. The Canaries seem to have preempted their summer holidays, losing three on the bounce and conceding an average of almost four goals p/ game across those fixtures. West Brom, meanwhile, are also playing for nothing, and are led by a manager who has admitted to the press he would have preferred to resign in order to focus on his forthcoming responsibilities as England manager. On paper, these are distinctly winnable fixtures.

The problem is that Arsenal have a habit of losing distinctly winnable fixtures. Even in the midst of our best run of the season, we managed to come unstuck against Wigan and QPR. Common perception is that we’ve stalled; our positive momentum halted by an unshifting metaphorical handbrake. We’re all looking nervously towards Robin van Persie, a figure whose form this season has been so stupendous as to take on a mythical quality. He, we all hope, is the Arthurian figure who can release the handbrake from the stone and set us on the roll again.

My panic reached its peak on Wednesday night. Whilst things have been in our own hands for a while now, I can’t help but hope for favours from others. Going in to the game, we knew that a draw between Chelsea and Newcastle, coupled with defeat for Spurs, would leave us needing to win just one of our two remaining games to guarantee third spot. At a certain point, it looked as if we might get our wish: Newcastle held a slender 1-0 lead at Stamford Bridge, as Bolton equalised against Tottenham. However, Papiss Cisse’s wonder goal and Bolton’s defensive collapse soon put an end to that. Spurs and Newcastle have now closed to within a point of us, and suddenly we’re under the cosh.

After a brief period of catastrophising, during which I began to cancel all my post-August appointments for Thursday nights, I consoled myself with the thought that in these end-of-season tussles for league positioning, the dynamic can shift very quickly. Look at the battle at the bottom: the favourites to join Wolves in the Championship seem to change on a week-by-week basis. This Saturday, Arsenal have a tremendous opportunity. Beat Norwich – as we know we must – and suddenly the pressure piles back on to the chasing pack. They would know that defeat on Sunday, when Newcastle face title-chasers Man City and Spurs travel to a relegation-threatened Villa, would leave us out of reach.

There is no reason we shouldn’t do it. When you take a step back, talk of our ‘poor form’ is somewhat overblown. Yes, we haven’t won in three, and the defeat to Wigan was very disappointing, even taking in to account their recent giant-killing exploits. Draws against Chelsea and away to Stoke, however, are creditable results. At the Britannia, there were signs that the fighting spirit so crucial to our second half of the season resurgence is returning.

We have all the ingredients to win both remaining games. Our first-choice back four is fit and in form. We have the league’s best player, and he’s back among the goals. And, as supporters, we have the reassurance provided by having been in this situation before, and come out on top – albeit with a little help from a dodgy lasagna and a certain Yossi Benayoun.

The squad must know now that there is absolutely no margin for error. Spurs have had their dip, and are now right back in form. Newcastle’s dip came and went months ago, and they look like they could overturn anyone at the moment. The pressure is back on us now, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s when we were comfortably clear that we began to look a little complacent. Beat Norwich tomorrow, and the pendulum swings once again.

Come On You Gunners. Please.

Podolski confirmed; Third place far from it

413 comments May 1st, 2012

So the worst kept secret in football is finally out: Lukas Podolski will join Arsenal this summer.  It is, you won’t be in the least bit surprised to hear, a ‘long term contract for an undisclosed fee’.  Media reports suggest we’ll end up paying about €11m for the Germany striker – a very reasonable fee, and a consequence of the fact that he has just a year remaining on his contract.

Back in September few Arsenal fans would have bet on Arsene Wenger being in charge for 2012/13.  Now, however, it seems planning for next season is well underway, and Podolski is an important part of that.  Arsene says:

“We are delighted to secure the deal for Lukas and see him as an important part of our future. He is a top-class player, a very good finisher and a proven performer at club and international level. He is a very strong player and will provide us with good attacking options.

We are happy to have made this signing early and we are looking forward to watching Lukas contribute at the European Championship over the summer, a level where he has already made 95 caps at the age of 26. That is a phenomenal record and just shows his quality as a player.”

It’s interesting that in the week in which he’s admitted we have an over-reliance on Robin van Persie, Arsene makes a point of heralding Podolski’s ability in front of goal.

The player himself, meanwhile, seems excited about the second major move of his career:

“I’m so happy to be joining Arsenal Football Club and to play in the Premier League. Arsenal is one of the top clubs in Europe with a huge history. There are many top quality players at Arsenal and the style of football which the team plays is fantastic. I’m proud to become an Arsenal player and am looking forward to playing my first match at Emirates Stadium and doing my best for all the Arsenal fans.”

It’s quite the coup to have secured his signing this early.  A good European Championships would only have increased demand for Podolski, and probably his inflated his demands beyond our means.

Like his countryman Per Mertesacker, Podolski fits the new profile of Arsenal signings: mid-twenties, internationally decorated, and continentally-known.  His Bundesliga experience and muscular build mean that adaptation to the Premier League shouldn’t be too problematic, whilst his direct running and powerful shooting offers an immediate improvement upon the likes of Gervinho, Park, and Chamakh.  I expect him to be deployed on the left of a 4-3-3, although he also provides an option through the middle.

And therein lies the first concern with this signing: that it might be a replacement for rather than an augment to Robin van Persie.  I can’t pretend to know whether that will ultimately be the case, but I can say with a degree of conviction that it is not Arsenal’s intention.  Indeed, one hopes signings like this will help convince Robin to sign on and stay.  The second concern is Podolski’s failed stint at Bayern Munich, but as this article by Raphael Honigstein suggests, the player has matured significantly since then.  All in all it’s a good addition and something to be excited about ahead of next season.

As I write, Roy Hodgson is on the verge of being named as the new England manager.  I think it’s the right appointment, for various reasons, but it does mean our final game of the season will see us travelling to West Brom for Hodgson’s farewell.  He’ll want to end on a high, so that looks an increasingly tricky game.

The situation remains simple: win our two remaining games, and third is ours.  However, my dwindling confidence has inevitably got me hoping for slips elsewhere to make our lives easier.  Tomorrow night, Spurs travel to Bolton and Chelsea face Newcastle.  If Chelsea are held to a draw, and Spurs are beaten, a win for Arsenal against Norwich on Saturday would all but guarantee Champions League Football a week in advance.  Wishful thinking perhaps, but my nerves could use a bit of relief.