Kevin Whitcher
‘It was a bit flat tonight,’ said one acquaintance. And I guess a goal-less home draw after an eight goal thriller only three days earlier is bound to feel that way. However, there seemed to be plenty of chances created, so I am not convinced the game was as dull as it felt to some, although I will admit that it struggled to ever really take off. Perhaps a goal for either side would have created that spark.
There was a feeling Wenger might select Park instead of the form horse Van Persie and so it proved. The Korean tried manfully, but the understanding his team-mates have with the normal front man seemed absent. Given how little game time Park has enjoyed, no-one can really say they are surprised. Wenger has a quandary because he has to keep Park fresh in case Van Persie befalls injury. Chamakh’s form has made Park the most likely replacement in that instance. However, in fairness, he is a long way from being the player the current Arsenal captain is. The ideal solution would have simply been to buy a better forward in the transfer market, and many believe Van Persie could serve the team even better in the Bergkamp role. Imagine if Arsenal had bought Benzema from Real Madrid. However, that would require a change in formation and the spending of some money, neither of which look likely in the immediate future. So let’s just hope the Dutchman stays fit.
When he did enter the fray, the team momentarily seemed to perk up, although the effect was not long lasting. The match kind of petered out, both sides able to live with a point each. It was interesting to see Koscielny relegated to the bench. One suspects, as with Van Persie, this was a case of the manager resting the player. I do expect to see some rotation amongst the centre backs. Defensively, a clean sheet looks good on paper, but Marseille will consider themselves unfortunate not to score at least once. Arsenal, for their part, have allowed an element of reluctance to shoot to return to their game, Ramsey the most guilty party. Van Persie’s attempt to chip the keeper was the best chance the home side enjoyed, but for once, glory was denied. If he had been on the pitch from the start, one suspects he would have had a couple more decent chances and probably scored at least once.
In a sense, after the dramas of the Bridge, this was always likely to be a bit of a damp squib. But the bigger picture is that Arsenal will progress from the group stage if they win their last home game v Dortmund. I’d expect the best players to start that game, given the unpredictability of the trip to Greece that concludes the group matches.
Credit to Marseille for upping their performance considerably from that we witnessed in the Velodrome. Last night, they showed that they are a much better team than that, and I would not be shocked if they did win the group. Obviously Arsenal would prefer to top the pile, but at the moment, their priority has to be re-establishing consistency in the Premier League, which is why last night’s selection was not the strongest.
Not a 90 minutes that will live long in the memory, but we’ve seen many a Champions League group game about which you could say that. It’s funny, given the amount of hype that surrounds the competition, how many relatively unentertaining matches there are in the group stage. In it’s purest form the European Cup was the straight knockout competition from start to finish in which every game mattered. That idea these days comes in after the turn of the year. But the group stages are a necessary evil for TV and the attendant advertising. Some call it progress…
Kevin Whitcher’s newly updated version of the book co-written with Alex Fynn, ‘Arsènal: The Making of a Modern Superclub’ is available in paperback from publishers Vision Sports for a reduced price of £6.99 including postage if you use the promo code ‘Gooner’ on the page that appears after you click ‘buy now’. Click here to order.
