Brian Dawes
Much bollocks is being spouted about Arsenal currently being a one-man team. We're not, were merely utilising our current best asset in a way which produces the best results for the team. Robin is scoring goals because when playing he's the 'go to' player in our team, because he's the focus of the attack and because the entire squad realises that he is the 'go to' player in the team. When Song had a choice of Gervinho or Robin at Norwich he chose Robin. Robin scored, we scored and it was just an obvious best choice to make. Great for Arsenal, great for Robin but maybe not quite so great for Gervinho. Its not rocket science and it doesn't mean Gervinho wouldn't have scored. He might have missed, just as Robin missed a quite a few chances before finding the net at Carrow Road. Difference is that Gervinho will get slagged by idiot fans for missing while Robin gets forgiven because he's the main man, or from the team's viewpoint the dominant personality - the Alpha player if you like. Its also why he's captain.
It's interesting that not all players can cope with being the Alpha player, while others can't apparently cope with not being the Alpha player. I suspect Arshavin and Chamakh may be cases in point, if either were the focal point of the team they'd certainly play better, but they're not and so don't. It would certainly explain why some seemingly top players fail when they move to bigger clubs: Berbatov for example - the Alpha star with a North London cowboy outfit but now just another nothing squad player at United. It might also explain why some great players fear moving to bigger clubs. Alan Shearer or Matt Le Tissier for example. I'm guessing they couldn't cope with not being the Alpha player and so happily remained big fish in small ponds.
Having a dominant player is inevitable, maybe even more so when clubs employ world class players. Almost every team at every level in world football has a dominant player, or a best player if you prefer, and Arsenal are no exception. No player is ever bigger than the club we're told but I'm not convinced that's entirely true even though all players can be replaced. Just as the current Arsenal team always seem to look for Robin it's much the same with Barca - they move the ball around and make space in order to set Messi on a run or into a position where he can score. It doesn't mean that if Messi wasn't there they wouldn't be creating chances or scoring it just means there would alternative focal points and maybe a lower percentage of chances converted.
It's no coincidence that in 2011 Robin has been in his best ever form whilst also being Arsenal's Alpha player. He became the Alpha player because with both Cesc and Nasri in poor-form/injured/crap mindsets at the start of the year he became the obvious new lead. Since May Robin has become the official captain and gone up yet another gear. You have to imagine that being the best player in a squad such as Arsenal's is a seriously big deal even for world class stars - it surely gives them that extra 5%, or in Robin's case maybe even an extra 10%. It is inevitable that both the press and less unenlightened fans will view this in a negative light, because it's what the media scum and unenlightened fans do. When I say negative light I mean resorting to the couldn't cope without him stories. To say that Arsenal can only score when van Persie is in the team is a nonsense because all teams adapt to the absence of any individual and also find a new or temporary Alpha player. Who that might be I have no idea but it would happen. It could even be one of our other numerous goalscorers this season: Ramsey, Walcott, Gervinho, Song, Arteta, Arshavin, Gibbs, Santos, Vermaelen, Chamakh, Benayoun, Chamberlain or Park. That's 14 different goalscorers in just 20 matches. So if you do happen to be one who believes Arsenal are a one player team perhaps you could tell me which other Clubs can boost as many different goal scorers?
