Ian Henry
I don’t mind losing. I do mind the manner in which this current Arsenal team manages to lose however. I know Van der Sar made some excellent saves, but when I saw the ManU line-up I said to myself, if Arsenal can’t beat this ManU team there really is no hope.
I thought the performance at Old Trafford was slow, ponderous, predictable and utterly naïve. Were it not for Almunia (never thought I would have to praise the Spanish waiter), Djourou and Wilshere, it could have been 5 or 6. Gibbs was like a rabbit in the headlights (very Clichy-esque I thought, good to be able to replace like for like); Nasri, Arshavin and RvP went round in circles most of the time (come back Wiltord all is forgiven), and what Denilson and Diaby actually did in a positive sense was lost on me.
Our squad, which was too thin at the start of the season, is now falling apart. Failing to ensure we have adequate playing resources is totally the responsibility of the manager and someone needs to hold him to account, not that our supine board will do that.
Having three keepers injured and being reliant on someone who you were going to get rid of anyway may be unlucky, but the fact that we will have to rely on Koscielny and Squillaci for the final ten games of the season will not only almost certainly mean kissing goodbye to the title, but if they play in the way have done so far when paired together, we can expect at least 3 or 4 defeats in our remaining games. If that happens, not only will Man City and Chelsea overtake us, but we will be fighting it out with Spurs for 4th spot. You think I am being negative? Judge me in May. Or wait until we lose at the Lane on April 20.
Now, however, is a perfectly fair time to judge the manager’s squad building strategy. I’ll grant him bad luck on the goalkeeping front, but the failure to bring in any cover at centre back is shockingly inept; the midfield is devoid of fight – take Wilshere out and can you tell me anyone in there knows how to tackle? Take Wilshere and Fabregas (when fit out) out, and do any of the regular centre midfield players have a goal, let alone a game changing performance in them? We have no wingers, and Van Persie apart, we have no strikers who can score. In the absence of Theo, we have no pace.
Maybe, just maybe, Arsene Wenger will manage to get his pampered, lazy and overpaid bunch of primadonnas to fight and win the title. I’d be delighted, but so frustrated if they do – why frustrated? Because they have shown no fight so far this year when it matters, so if they somehow produce some fight I will simply ask why has it taken so long to come out? However, I don’t believe this squad has the fight, nor any of the famous “mental strength” the manager talks about.
My friend Ash, a Baggies fan and a holder of a couple of season tickets at Craven Cottage, has offered to take me to the last game of the season, on the grounds that it could be a title decider. Well Ash, unless Arsenal stuff your beloved Baggies (1-0 will do), there will be no title decider down by the Thames. Not this year anyway. Not with the Chuckle Brothers at the centre of our defence and the Denilson-Diaby axis patrolling the centre of the midfield.
