Kevin Whitcher
I wonder. I wonder if Arsenal miss out on Champions League qualification and the attendant £40 million income by two points, whether Arsene Wenger will reflect on his decision in the summer of 2010 not to push the boat out and increase his bid for Mark Schwarzer by £500,000. It was an irony that a keeper set for a move to the club a couple of years ago should be the one that saved Mikel Arteta’s last kick of the game penalty. And it’s a valid question to ask how many extra points the Gunners may have picked up were Schwarzer in the squad over the time since the manager’s parsimony prevented a move both the player and Arsenal wanted to happen.
Still, that aside, it’s a pick the bones out of that one kind of match. Where to start? Probably with the fact that there was Keystone Cops defending on both sides, leading to the plethora of goals and I don’t doubt a thrilling encounter for the neutral. Sadly, quality only appeared in fits and starts. But there should be no getting away from this basic fact. At home, Arsenal were 2-0 up, yet managed to find themselves 3-2 down. The collywobbles of old are back with a bang, The other thing that needs stating is that Arsene Wenger’s team have struggled to beat QPR and Fulham in consecutive home League matches. In between that sandwich was the visit to Old Trafford, which seasoned watchers have told me felt worse than the 8-2 defeat there last season, because there was no mitigation for the lack of spirit in the performance. Where does that leave the club? Optimism must be getting hard to find, even amongst those that still believe the current manager is the best man for the job.
There was a fair bit of friction inside the stadium as the Fulham goals went in. Those calling for the team to pull their socks up, granted sometimes with language straight out of the saloon bar (remember those!), were given a warning by stewards to behave or face ejection and suspension of season tickets. So if you are going to protest against the board or Arsene Wenger, here’s a tip – keep it clean. Freedom of expression is presumably ok as long as the language isn’t industrial. Football stadiums sure aren’t what they used to be.
Olivier Giroud looks to have turned a corner of late, with the goals starting to come. It’s just a shame about the team’s inability to prevent conceding them. I was reminded before the match that Arsenal were still the side that had conceded least goals in the Premier League. A classic example of ‘lies, damned lies and statistics’ if ever I saw it. When Arsenal created their goals, they came from wide positions, players heading towards the by-line and getting balls across the face of the goal. That, and a corner. Maybe they are starting to play to Giroud’s strengths, with less tippy-tappy that gets nowhere. Opponents have now worked out that you stop Arsenal simply by pressing their midfield, so going wide has really got to be the only option going forward.
As for the defence, perhaps it is time for a change in formation. In an email exchange on Friday, it was suggested to me that the reason the 1997-98 team were so successful was that they had three midfield players who did a very effective job of screening the defence – specifically Petit, Vieira and Ray Parlour. Arsenal switched from 4-4-2 halfway through the season with Overmars playing less wide and further forward. Many, many games were won 1-0, with a solidity so good that they could afford to play Christopher Wreh as one of the front three and still win matches.
Naturally, the problem now is that the personnel isn’t right for a 4-3-3 in this fashion. Mikel Arteta is not a defensive midfield player, and the others at the club are either creative or simply not good enough. So, the solution would seem to be to use some of that £60 million sitting in the bank and address the problem in January. But you know what? The club have reputedly lined up a £12 million January bid for Crystal Palace striker Wilfried Zaha, who has recently been scoring goals for fun. All well and good, but Robin van Persie was doing that last season, yet it did nothing to prevent 49 goals going in at the other end.
On that note, Vito Mannone really should have stopped that second Fulham goal. Wojciech Szczesny was on the bench, presumably because he was fit to play. I kind of doubt that Mannone will be in the starting line-up next weekend, and you have to wonder why Szczesny wasn’t yesterday. Sure Mannone had a decent match in midweek, but there have been enough horrorshows for anyone to know you are taking a gamble playing him. Strange.
Phil Dowd loves his penalties. I have not seen replays of either at the time of writing, and neither can I ascertain whether Steven Sidwell should have received a second yellow card after the incident which saw Aaron Ramsey booked for presumably suggesting to the referee that this should be the case.
Anyway, this performance does not bear any further scrutiny. Arsenal were a bit of a shambles, but Fulham gave them enough encouragement to score three goals. I don’t see any real leadership in the team, it feels like a bit of a rudderless ship stumbling from one fixture to the next at the moment. And more worryingly, because I can’t see them winning anything until there is a change in the dugout, I have stopped caring greatly about the side. Defeat, or the inability to defeat Fulham, doesn’t really hurt anymore, because I have seen so much mediocrity over the last four seasons that I have slowly become immune to it. Arsene Wenger would do well to concentrate his focus on the two domestic cups this season, because the players need reminding what it is like to see a job through to its conclusion.
A new issue of The Gooner went on sale yesterday, and will remain available for the games against Spurs and Montpellier. It can still be bought online here. There is also an e-version of the issue available to read on your ipad/tablet/iphone/android. The app is free and you can download the first few pages of each issue as a taster before deciding whether or not to purchase the whole thing.
