Kevin Whitcher
So my question is this… what do Laurent Koscielny and Bacary Sagna possess that so many of their colleagues who put Chelsea to the sword do not? By the logic the manager used in his team selection v Wigan, at Birmingham Emmanuel Eboue should have started at right back whilst Koscielny would have stepped down and Sebastien Squillaci kept his place. Yet, these two players were capable of playing three matches in six days.
Still, let’s move onto the good things about Arsenal’s victory at Birmingham. The home side dished out a bit of rough stuff, including a challenge on Fabregas that bought back some unfortunate memories, but the visitors did not wilt and competed manfully. Eventually, their superior football, perhaps helped by the wet conditions, won the day.
This was the performance of a side good enough to be champions in May. It was a largely scrappy affair, but the moments of quality provided enough chances for Arsenal to be deserved winners. I am not convinced Van Persie’s knew too much about his handball, although I have certainly seen referees award them, and not so long ago a far harsher one against Alex Song from memory. However, Birmingham may care to recall the penalty given against Gael Clichy late in the infamous match of February 2008 before complaining too hard.
Aside from that, there was a lobbed (again from memory) set piece into the area in which Koscielny got nowhere near his man, who flicked on to give Johnson a simple chance. Koscielny is exceptionally weak in the air, not a particularly enduring trait for a centre back, and it’s something that needs to be addressed. The other scare was a free kick that Fabianski made a good save from. Aside from that, the home side fashioned little in the way of danger, and the chances ratio leaned heavily towards the ultimate winners. Of course if Johnson’s volley had gone in, it could have been a different match, but it appeared as if the visitors had enough in the locker to have won even if it did.
Going forward, it’s really about whether or not the team are capable of putting together a run of victories. Two points behind United and City, although the games played indicates it is United who are heavy favourites, not least because of their experience of winning titles. It’s now January, the transfer window is open and with serious bids, players can be bought. Koscielny can look a decent player on occasion, but he isn’t the complete package and will continue to cost goals. As Ian Henry pointed out on Friday, Arsenal can get away with playing he or Squillaci in tandem with Djourou but not with each other. It is one thing to get the organisation sorted out defending set pieces, another for each individual to actually do the job allocated him. On this level, improvement does need to be made if the team are to challenge credibly for a title there for the taking. The transfer market would seem to be the obvious way of rectifying it and the club has money sitting in the bank now.
Really, it’s about ambition. Is the manager more obsessed with doing it his way and refusing to address the areas where the team is falling short or does he want to give himself the best possible chance of finishing top? Are the board content with good financial results or do those on the football pitch matter more? The way player contracts are dealt with (did I read Eboue had been given another four years? Or did I dream that?) indicates that the players are looked upon more as balance book assets than footballers at times. In fairness to Eboue, one imagines he has been retained more for reasons of morale than what he brings to the playing squad, but that is not to denigrate the importance of a feelgood factor at Arsenal, as long as they don’t feel good when they drop points.
The team have a great chance of turning this season into a memorable one in spite of some of the horror shows we have endured since August. They surely cannot afford to lose more than one more league game, and critically must avoid draws. On any given day, the strongest available eleven can win the points they should. Manchester City’s visit on Wednesday could be a very good starting point to make the players believe that they can win the games they need to. I can’t imagine there will be too much rotation for that game with the visit of Leeds for the FA Cup seeing more of the faces that started against Wigan.
Things are fine going forward at the moment, as eight goals over the three Xmas matches have proved. If the back can be sorted out, then happy days lie ahead. My instincts are that either Vermaelen has to return very soon (and don’t bank on that), or a centre back needs to be purchased if Arsenal are to be in the mix come May. We live in hope.
