Kevin Whitcher
I’m not sure too many people would have been surprised by Arsenal’s failure to beat Fulham yesterday. Many’s the time a big midweek performance has been followed by a bit of a no-show, especially at home for some reason. Not sure if it would be fair to call it complacency or simple fatigue, but for spells of the match, Arsene Wenger’s men appeared a little lacklustre, a little labored. Enough decent chances were created to have won the game, but they weren’t going in.
To put in in perspective, Manchester United had disappointing results both in midweek and at home to Newcastle. Chelsea did poorly in Europe, but turned it around against Wolves. Manchester City lost on Tuesday night and it must be hoped do so at Anfield if only to preserve the achievement of the ‘Invincibles’ in 2003/04. All the top teams are suffering.
Some felt there was a bit of spark missing from the Gunners approach play, although we endured matches like this with Fabregas and Nasri were in the team. I am not going to read too much into a draw in which the opposition’s strike was an own goal. It was just one of those things. The task for the team is to simply ensure they get it right next time. Draws – at least too many of them – can prove harmful. Better two wins and a defeat than three draws. In previous season run-ins, the Gunners have often paid the price for failing to gain all three points ,going right back to the earlier Wenger years. 2002-03 was especially painful, a title Arsenal should have won was sacrificed by the concession of winning positions at Newcastle, Liverpool, Villa and Bolton. In 1998-99, I shall always remember a cheap goalless home draw v Charlton in the earlier part of the season as being a key result that ultimately cost dear.
It is a weird thing how the concession of a goal can spark the team into life, as if the scores being level is somehow a more palatable situation than actually losing. But with three points for a win, it would be nice to see more of the kind of drive and urgency we witnessed in the last quarter of an hour a lot earlier in the game.
Arshavin was presumably selected because of Gervinho’s seeming inability to convert chances. The latter’s play as part of the Arsenal attack has generally been good, but obviously opportunities do have to be converted. Koscielny was on the bench but Djourou got the nod at right back. Defensively, he had a better game than he often does, but is obviously not suited to the full back role. Still, like with Koscielny there, he can partially compensate for Andre Santos’ ventures forward by being more conservative and ensuring there are numbers back. The idea of at least one defensive minded full back may actually be no bad thing.
Santos has, justifiably, been given a lot of stick for his perceived lack of defensive ability. However, I am not yet at the stage where I have written him off completely. On one level, a pairing of Arshavin and Santos on the left hand side is the stuff of nightmares, but Fulham didn’t really exploit the flank that much.
Fair play to the manager for making some bold substitutions and mixing things up a bit. Granted, it left the team a little vulnerable at the back, but it was a gamble worth taking. Abou Diaby showed some great ball control, but frustrated with his knack of holding onto the damned thing too long and eventually losing possession. Sometimes, you’ve just got to accept that you need to pass occasionally.
With the amount of added experience in the team, I’d hoped that we would not witness the traditional flatter post-big midweek performance I have referred to already, but it was not to be. Looking ahead, it is difficult to see a shadow Arsenal team disposing of Manchester City on Tuesday for reasons of quality of personnel. Additionally, Mancini seems to be able to slot in his back up players more seamlessly than Wenger. With the Carling Cup, in the days when there were more younger players fielded, the understanding seemed greater. With the more mix and match selections to give older squad players some game time, things do not seem quite so smooth. Part of the reason the club are charging so little to see a game that sold out easily is that, no doubt, the side Wenger picks is unlikely to surprise us by actually beating their opponents. Call me pessimistic, but it is very difficult to see progress to the last four in this one.
More important is Wigan next weekend. Arsenal can make up for the draw with Fulham by winning more frequently on the road, and the visit to the DW Stadium is a classic example of the type of match the Gunners should win, although so often they conspire not to. Let’s hope the solidity they have gradually developed comes good on Saturday.
The current issue of the Gooner is available to buy online here
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.
