Kevin Whitcher
It’s interesting to get a perspective on a game from an outsider. Sometimes we Gooners are so entrenched in our views we can’t see the wood for the trees and fair assessment goes out of the window. A Norwich fan emailed me yesterday evening and said, “Sh*t, you are good! Should have been 5 or 6 to 1 really”. An Arsenal fan however, bemoaned our lack of clinicism in front of goal. So the same conclusion about the result but a critical take on it.
For me, a win’s a win. I can even take Mertesacker’s gaffe because, in the greater scheme of things, it didn’t cost the team, and hopefully will be a lesson learned. Arsenal’s obsession with possession has long meant the option of Row Z has been rejected by defenders. Fans know it has a time and a place and it doesn’t have to be injury time of the second half. The philosophy of keep the ball at all costs can cloud football judgement and I do not doubt there will be future instances where the price is paid. It is an aspect of Arsenal under Wenger that we have to tolerate in the hope the team will compensate at the other end.
And finishing aside, they more than did at Norwich. Constantly probing, opportunities were fashioned and it is fair to say the team could have been three up before the Canaries’ opener. Still, at least there was plenty of time to put things right, and with the form the front three and Ramsey were showing, you always had the feeling that justice would be done. Theo Walcott is finally delivering on the promise which cost the club dear in January 2006. A neutral pointed out to me that he enjoyed such a fine game because of the quality of the left back he was up against, and there may be en element of truth in that, but for now, my hope is that Theo can prove doubters such as myself wrong on a consistent basis. It would be typical if he finally came good in what could prove to be his final season at the club, with the signs indicating he will move next summer.
There is little that can be said about Robin van Persie that his goal stats do not tell you. It is astonishing to think the guy is possibly not even playing in his ideal position, and it also demonstrates how much the team has suffered over recent seasons from his cursed injury record. He’s a real case of what if.
In midfield, there looks greater solidity with Arteta’s experience and Ramsey’s industry. The season saw a bit of a false start with the late purchase of the Spaniard, Ramsey’s need for a run of games to find his form and Song’s three match suspension. Only the Ramsey situation is blameless, but the other two were a result of abdication of responsibility by the manager (in Arteta’s case) and the player (in Song’s). At least things in the centre have come good in spite of Jack Wilshere’s absence, but it is frustrating as hell to know the club’s title chances took a hell of a battering in the opening month of the season because people were not doing their highly paid jobs responsibly.
A word for Laurent Koscielny. The biggest compliment I can make is that I didn’t even notice him at right back, which means he was doing his job efficiently. Djourou has demonstrated that centre backs can’t always adapt to the full back position, but Koscielny didn’t try to be Bacary Sagna with overlapping runs and played it simple. With Andre Santos’ tendency to play higher up the pitch than is sometimes advisable, Koscielny actually strengthened the backline with his conservatism. Arsenal tend to use their full backs for attacking width, but the lack of a supporting right back near Theo Walcott may have actually meant he played a better game, with less to think about in terms of options.
Arsenal are on a decent run, and so they should be with a sequence of winnable games, Chelsea apart. They do need to start winning on the road regularly, and it must be hoped that wins like this breed greater confidence, with points up for grabs at Wigan, Villa, Fulham and Swansea in Arsenal’s next five away Premier League fixtures. The other is at Manchester City, and anything there is a bonus. At this stage, my main hope regards the league leaders is that they do not match the Invincibles’ achievement, as actually challenging them for the title is still a bit of a pipe dream. But if the team keep winning, people will start to believe. And then we have springtime…
The current issue of the Gooner is available to buy online here
NB – The next issue of the Gooner (220) will go on sale at the game v Fulham next weekend, not the Dortmond game in midweek as stated in the current issue.
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.
