Mick Appleton
I always like to wait until we reach the 10-game mark to assess where our season is heading and, unfortunately, the stats do not make for good reading.
In June, I wrote this. As much as it pains me, that pre-season prediction - that we would have nine points after our first six games - came true and, equally unfortunately, our next four games have only reaped another six points. We find ourselves nine and eight points behind the top two and only the most optimistic Gooner would think we had any aspirations other than fourth place this season. Once again, our squad depth has been tested and found wanting.
Our first few games seemed to indicate that Steve Bould’s voice had made an impact and the clean sheets and teamwork were making up for our lack of goals. The win at Anfield further strengthened our hope that we had turned the corner (despite it being a very poor Liverpool team). There followed an emphatic win against Southampton and a creditable point at The Etihad but since then we have produce patchy below-par performances. Individual mistakes have cost goals in virtually every game and the early-season impetus has been lost. We have resorted to the possession-for-possession’s-sake football that I hate. It lacks passion, it lacks pace and it doesn’t create goal-scoring opportunities. Since our come-from-behind win at West Ham, we have meekly surrendered at Norwich, crept past QPR with an offside goal and been totally outplayed at Old Trafford.
Several players have confirmed my fears that they are not Premiership quality players but Arsène seems determined to play them regardless of the consequences. Aaron Ramsey has become a target for the boo boys but with good reason - his total lack of drive and pace hurts the whole team. I’m not a fan of Theo’s but my calling for him to play instead of Ramsey says a lot about my dislike for what Ramsey does to our tempo of play. Gervinho is another who does not contribute enough for us to accept his occasional goal contribution. He wastes many more chances than he ever converts, and if I were Giroud, I would worry that Wenger thinks the Ivorian’s a better bet as striker than him. I was quite pleased when The Forehead was injured against QPR, as it means I won’t have to watch the ball bobble out of play off his shins for a few weeks.
Left-back has been a problem position since Cashley left. It shows how bad it is that I’m wishing we had Clichy back. Gibbs is perpetually injured and Santos thinks he’s a left-winger. You could drive The Red Army through the hole he leaves every time he lumbers up field and fails to lumber back. Talking about our goalkeeping situation is pointless. Everybody, except Le Boss can see we do not have one top-quality keeper, Chesney showed some promise but has made mistakes in the majority of games since the latter stages of last season and Flapianski is a liability. I feel sorry for Mannone; we know he’s not good enough, he knows he’s not good enough but he has been forced into action by injuries to our other substandard offerings for his position. It’s a comedy of errors that seems never-ending, as it has not been resolved since Mad Jens’ first exit.
As depressing as the squad situation is, I’m far more worried about the general demeanour of the team at present. They don’t look like they have the desire or bottle to want to fight for us. Even the players like Cazorla, Arteta and Podolski who started the season well seem to have lost their way. We still have the best defensive record in the division but we don’t look like we want to win games. When we were 2-0 down at Old Trafford, we spent most of the last ten minutes passing the ball across our back four. As soon as we decided to have a go at them in injury time, we created chances and eventually scored, but it seems there is a lack of urgency or passion to drag ourselves back into games, and Wenger does not seem to be able to raise the team from their slumber.
The loss at Norwich was one of the most impassive performances I’ve seen since Arsène took the reins. Norwich won comfortably and our players didn’t seem to care. The same thing can be said of the Schalke and United games. In the past, I have asked people to be patient with Arsène, but even he will have to hold his hands up if this level of performance continues. The 15 points we have from the first ten games represents our worst start under Wenger and will surely signal the beginning of the end if we fail to make the top four or win a cup this season. I think he should give serious consideration to playing the first team in the League Cup, as any trophy-win may lift the squad, the club and the fans out of our own double-dip recession.
