Kevin Whitcher
Just as I was about to start typing my thoughts on the Carling Cup final, a text came through from one of the guys that sell the Gooner, Alex. Those that go away to support the team regularly will know him well. Here’s what he had to say…
“What did you make of today? I thought Birmingham wanted it more and again we had no big leaders on the pitch. Didn’t think we passed the ball well. Also thought AW got his tactics all wrong yet again. Feel George was such a better tactician but with this board AW is under no pressure. Only a big name on the board could force AW to spend. What’s your opinion?”
Well, for what it’s worth, Arsenal lost a game they should have won, and the reasons why are a mixture of injuries to key players, a questionable selection, questionable substitutions and costly and calamitous errors. There are bigger questions about the psychological make-up of the squad, but they will only really be answered by how the team reacts to this defeat.
The first major surprise was the selection of Tomas Rosicky. Some felt he had a decent game against Orient last weekend, but you have to take into account the quality of the opposition when weighing up whether he was worthy of a starting place at Wembley. After the defeat at Newcastle, I firmly believed we would never have the misfortune to see him in an Arsenal first eleven again and I was flabbergasted to hear he had been picked to fill the void left by the injury to Cesc Fabregas. Having heard that Abou Diaby was fit and available for selection, I thought either he would start (with Wilshere pushed forward) or Bendtner would get the nod (with Nasri moving into Fabregas’ position). Some thought Denilson might begin, but I could never see that happening. I would certainly never have predicted Rosicky though. Granted, in form, you could argue he is a natural replacement for Fabregas, but when was the last time he showed any of that? Bendtner has been played often enough out on the right and at least created chances from there, so for me was the obvious option.
Still, Arsene knows best right? He sure knows something completely unapparent to the rest of us when it comes to the number 7. The midfield trinity of Fabregas, Song and Wilshere has been responsible for a lot of Arsenal’s success this season, and with the captain absent, surely a better option would have been to put Nasri in Cesc’s spot, which happened to decent effect earlier in the season. As it was the Gunners’ midfield struggled to control the centre of the park for much of the game, lacking authority and misplacing passes, although Wilshere, as ever, tried his heart out.
Birmingham’s first goal was a consequence of a poor pass by Sagna that gave away possession cheaply in his own half and led directly to the corner from which the Blues’ scored. Szczesny had a horrible game. Saved from a red card and the concession of a penalty by a poor offside decision early on, he hardly covered himself in glory for either goal. The best keeper at the club, he is the future in this position. You could argue Arsenal should not have relied on someone so inexperienced for a cup final, but that is the consequence of the botched job the club made of the transfer window last summer. Sometimes these things come back to haunt you. It can only be hoped that the dent to the young keeper’s confidence is overcome soon.
Basically, this final was the tale of Arsenal’s failure to outwit Birmingham’s determined defending. In fairness to Alex McLeish’s side, they did not set out to cynically destroy the match as a showpiece. They played to their strengths and did what was needed to deny their opponents, without being particularly malicious. The Gunners were simply not good enough on this day to unpick the locks. The removal of Van Persie for Bendtner was down to injury, but taking Arshavin off for the out of sorts Chamakh was not a move that was going to increase the chances of winning the game. The Russian posed a threat, Chamakh did not.
Arsenal did have a spell during the second half when Birmingham were on the rack, but they could not administer the killer blow. The quick passing was running into walls or an inspired display from Ben Foster in goal and the hope was that time, maybe extra time, would wear down the resistance. It was not to be. The winning goal was a mix-up. The consensus seems to be that Koscielny should have ignored the call from his keeper and put his foot through the ball to clear it. Having called for it, Szczesny should at least have got hold of the ball, but it was one of those moments. It was a calamity of momentous proportions and a horrible way to lose a cup final. It’s one thing for a side to fashion a goal from their endeavour, entirely another for it to be tied in a ribbon for them by the opposition. Koscielny has had a decent run of games of late, but before that, he was perceived as prone to errors, some leading directly to goals. Wembley was an untimely reminder that these have yet to be banished from his game and the jury still has to be out on whether or not he will prove a decent investment over the long term. It was his failure to win the first header from the corner that led to Zigic’s goal.
This defeat may not matter if the team can get back on track and continue taking maximum points every time they play a Premier League game between now and the season’s end. That won’t happen, but they can’t afford to drop many points now if they have serious pretentions of winning the title. Unfortunately, in past seasons, cup defeats have had a knock on effect in the league. Many fans, having seen it all before, can see the team imploding once again. What concerns this observer most is not so much the possible psychological effect of this defeat as how long Fabregas, Van Persie and Walcott will be out for. If there’s one thing this campaign has proved it’s that ‘the best squad I have ever worked with’ is actually more a case of ‘the best paid squad I have ever worked with’. The strength in depth is not good enough to win the title if the back up boys are to be relied upon.
The manager has steadfastly stuck to his experiment in building his own side largely excluding the buying in of experienced proven talent. And yet, the 2007 Carling Cup Final line-up featured all the young up and coming prospects that would serve the club well in the future. Not one of that eleven featured four years on. Which suggests that the manager has tried this youth experiment with more than one set of players, and neither of them has produced silverware. The 2011 first team should be the 2007 prospects developed, experienced and come good. So much for long term planning.
In 2008, Gael Clichy’s decision not to put a foot through the ball against Birmingham led to the collapse of Arsenal’s hopes of the title. In 2011, another defender did the same and another chance of a trophy went with it. The monkey is still very much on Arsene Wenger’s back. If his players can prove their mettle, the season is not over. Sunday 27 February will be remembered as a bad day at the office. A defeat that wounded and spurred the players on to put things right and win more significant prizes (as happened after the League Cup Final defeats of 1969 and 1988, albeit a season on).
However, one does feel that this has to be rectified this season, that the club cannot endure yet another year of finishing as nearly men, especially with unspent funds in the bank (and admission prices almost certain to rise this summer). Forget the Champions League and forget the FA Cup. Arsenal have eleven Premier League fixtures remaining, all of them winnable, and 89 points to aim for. There will be calls for the manager’s head after his side’s inability to defeat a workmanlike Birmingham side, a firm belief that he is incapable of ever managing the club to another trophy as his way of doing things has proved unsuccessful for several seasons. But ultimately, such calls can only be made once the 2011 title is out of reach. Cup finals do not always see the best team win. Arsenal fans, of all people, know that very well. It was a depressing day and a frustrating performance, but let’s hope one that doesn’t matter by the end of May.
Granted, it could be the moment that signifies the house of cards toppling over. However, let’s hope the defeat hurt so much that the players find their bollocks and put things right in the one other competition they have a realistic chance of winning, on paper at any rate. If Arsenal beat Sunderland next weekend and United fail to win at Chelsea and Liverpool, then it’s game on. As supporters, we must try and hold the condemnation and see how the team respond, because the season isn’t over yet, even if it might feel like that right now.
As for Alex’s thoughts about the board of directors with which I began this. The manager is a director in all but name and will never be sacked by the current board. So it’s really now a matter of discovering at what point he will change his ways when something patently isn’t working (tumbleweed sound effect). The board are mainly interested in the value of the club as a business. Winning trophies is not a major priority as long as income remains healthy. For this reason they are perfectly happy that money is sitting in the bank when fans would prefer to see it used on the pitch, as it enhances the club’s financial value. The Orient replay on Wednesday is great news for them.
Looking at my email inbox, there are no shortage of offerings of views on the final. I will get these up at the rate of three a day, so please bear with me if you have submitted something and it does not appear immediately.
The current issue of The Gooner will be on sale for the matches at home to Orient and Sunderland. For those unable to make either of these games, it can be bought online here.
Oh and there are four spares I have been asked to shift for the replay against Orient on Wednesday evening. The game has sold out (although thousands upon thousands of season ticket holders will not be attending!), but these upper tier, East Stand tickets. Face value is £44 but they are on offer for £35 each. See here for details.
