Kevin Whitcher
Arsenal had several gilt edged chances to score in this tie, saving themselves the trouble of a replay at Elland Road. Andrey Arshavin’s one on one with the Kasper Schmeichel in the first half, Nicklas Bendtner’s free header and later volley wide in the second, Theo Walcott’s shot straight at the keeper. However, the finishing simply wasn’t up to scratch for forwards of the supposed quality of this trio. What was especially frustrating was the seemingly total lack of understanding between Bendtner and Arshavin.
Neither covered themselves in glory, although crowd impatience was greater for Arshavin, not helped by his evident anxiety to get off the pitch. When Walcott and subsequently Vela entered the fray, Arshavin started trotting off in expectation (and it appeared willingness) of his work for the day being done. If I were giving the player the benefit of the doubt, I would say that he is normally withdrawn by the manager (presumably for fitness reasons). However, the body language at other times did point to a man who really didn’t want to be on the pitch. And was there an element in Wenger’s thinking that he did not want to create another Eboue v Wigan moment? I get the feeling there may have been some boos if Arshavin did leave the pitch, such was the frustration with his performance in the stands.
Commitment to the cause is a must for a successful team, and many have questioned the Russian’s these days. It is almost as if he is playing for a move in the worst possible sense of the word. I am so bad, you are going to have to sell me. It certainly isn’t going to aid the team’s cause if he is not motivated. Yesterday may have been a consequence of his sulking due to no longer being a first choice, but he has been underperforming for a good while now, a long way from the player that lit up the team in his early months at the club. Put simply, it seems his heart hasn’t been in it, and hasn’t been since Russia failed to qualify for last year’s World Cup in the late autumn of 2009.
Rather like Adebayor in season 2008-09, it does look like the best thing for everybody would be to allow the player to depart. He is obviously an outstanding talent, but Arsenal are unlikely to get much of that going on recent displays. The one on one failure from a player of his reputation was bordering on the criminal and it’s not the first such incident this season.
As for the rest of the game, basically, Leeds performed creditably, but the clock wore them down. The award of a penalty to the visitors was a result of some poor defending which will have surprised no-one. However, pressure and fatigue gave Arsenal several decent chances in the final 20 minutes. Certainly enough to have equalized earlier and then grabbed a winner. As it was the draw came as a relief. Wenger has never been eliminated in the 3rd Round of this competition, and has never lost to a team in a lower division in it either. Both could still occur at Elland Road. It’s a game Wenger did not want, but after all his proclamations about the abilities of his squad, then if he is not spouting rubbish, his players should be good enough to get a result. However, a word of warning for those planning to travel. The manager feels more obliged to field teams he feels have a good chance of winning if the team are playing at home. So Tuesday or Wednesday week may well see a weaker selection than started yesterday. But who is to say some genuine fringe players won’t be more determined than some on the field for the first game?
Final thought – Did Carlos Vela actually touch the ball in the ten minutes he was on the field?
