DW Thomas
I am an Arsenal fan. I want the best for my team. I want Wenger, if possible, to turn this team around. I want better players coming in in January and next summer. I want at least a top four finish and maybe a good cup run this season, but much more in the future. I want to see the players playing their cojones off each game and playing good collective defense. Is all that too much to ask? I think not.
Mettle: vigor and strength of spirit or temperament. This is what Arsenal lack from top to bottom. The manager, players, and board. Too many times this team has given in, lacked the fight to win big, medium, or even small matches. The Carling Cup Final showed everyone clearly what we all were starting to suspect. This team has real issues. So how does one acquire mettle? How does a team gel together and build and maintain a fighting spirit? Can Wenger bring this team up from the depths it now finds itself? Is there a player who will take the reins, pledge his heart to the club, and say I will lead and we will flourish? I think it’s possible, but right now I don’t trust anyone at Arsenal. Just look at some comments coming out from the three top men this year:
-Gadzidis on the CL: "We would rather qualify for it but we have got a really stable model that could not just cope but do well and compete,"
-Wenger on the CL: "My record? I have just managed 14 years at this club [actually 15] and I have kept them 14 years in the Champions League and I wish it lasts another 14 years."
Snake oil salesmen. Double speak . Wenger claims being in the CL each year is like its own trophy, yet Gadizidis plays it down when it looks very possible we will miss out this year. These are the kinds of things that come out of their mouths that p*ss me off. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, now can you? And are we competing this year? If so with who? Swansea? What happens when we finish out of the top four Wenger? Is the Europa League just as good now as winning a trophy? I for one am tired of the same old excuses.
And this one-Kroenke on Wenger:
"Maybe it is one of those times when we have to work our way through, maybe with some young players. Arsène has been really good at developing these guys, people like Alex [Oxlade-]Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere. There are some really good players that Arsène thinks can be special. Arsène's our man."
Am I mistaken, or didn’t AOC come from another team’s youth system? Just like Walcott? Haven’t we been trying to “work our way through” with young players for 5 years now, and what have we achieved? If that doesn’t say it all, then I don’t know what does. Here’s what I hear from that quote, reading between the lines. Let’s keep making profits, who cares if we win anything, we can always shift the blame for losing to something or someone else. Relying on young players has backfired miserably! Only Jack seems to have the character to become great, a real leader. He shows heart and determination. Enough so that he played himself into injury trying to win something for his team. To build a team with mettle, you must get players with vast experience that have won things, achieved things. And find a few young ones that are born with it, like Jack. And that costs some cold hard cash. Which we have, but no one will spend. At least not on world class talent, ones with mettle.
I don’t claim to have all the solutions, but we all know where improvements are needed. Here’s a grocery list of what most intelligent, passionate fans think we need:
-Steel in the back four and a defensive coach to bring it out. Plus some better cover than former league two defenders.
-More attacking prowess to replace Cesc and Nasri. Someone really good like (Yes, I will mention him again) Eden Hazard. It will get the fans pumped and bring proven class to our midfield. We need that if our attack is to flourish again. Mario Gotze doesn’t look half bad either.
-A coach who covers all aspects of the game and an assistant who is not just a yes man. Can Wenger and Rice change enough at their age to be those men? Probably not, but we have to hope they do as Gadzidis, Kroenke, and the board love Wenger too much to part with him anytime soon. I’d say Guardiola or Ancellotti couldn’t do much worse.
-An emphasis in training on pressing the other team when on defense to get the ball back and then transition to attack quickly with a focus on end product, ie. shooting or crosses into the box. NO more tippy-tappy, pass 25 times and walk the ball into the net. Play more direct, not with long balls, but incisive passing that gets behind defenses and promotes our speed on the wings and down the middle. If we go up 2 or 3 goals, then maybe we possess to control the game. But, with an emphasis on solid defense first.
-Get a captain that isn’t afraid to yell at his teammates and call players out for slack performances. Now that I mention it, a coach that does this too. I want to see players pissed at the end of games when they lose. I want to hear them in press conferences talking only about how they are going to mend things, work harder, and then show it. No more apologies please. We’re tired of hearing it. Sounds to me like Van Persie is the next Cesc and may be gone next year. In my opinion he owes this club for sticking by him through all his injuries. Prove yourself at Arsenal. That would be really something. Anyone can win with a team like Barcelona behind them. And he is our captain. He should be the first to say he is not giving up.
Now back to my main point. To win anything this season or next, we must get back the mettle. Are Arsenal mice or men? Can they break this 6 year saga of no trophies and reach the heights of a championship? It is possible, even with this team. They do need all their key players to make it happen, sure. But, I have seen glimpses. Remember Dortmund? What about the first half at Blackburn? We see these periods of terrific offense and solid defense, but we need to see consistency. A complete shedding of the old skin, a rebirth to a mentality from years ago. I want to see teams fear our offense and our defense. I want our players to have that desire to bust a gut for their teammates and cover for one another, everywhere, every time. That’s what is needed. That’s what the fans deserve. I want to see goals like the great teams of the Championship winning sides. With a defense like a brick wall that opponents know will not be easy to break down. I hope this can be more than a dream. Mettle. Remember that word and what it means. Think of it when you watch Arsenal play. Winners have it. Losers want it. Who will we be? I hope it’s men.
