Kevin Whitcher
Arsenal made it out of the initial group stage of the Champions League for the 13th time in succession last night, and given the fate of Manchester City, and in all likelihood Chelsea in this season’s competition, credit where it is due for that piece of consistency. Arsenal’s seeding does mean they had an easier group than some of their Premier League rivals, but it’s a status they have earned over the years through always being in the competition in the first place and not making a hash of too many group games.
It also means we have seen a lot of mundane clashes against inferior opposition with a fair number of season ticket holders preferring their armchairs on a chilly autumn night to an excursion to London N5. And so it was last night. On one level, it did not help that Montpellier were already eliminated and chose to field a weakened team. There was an element of tension lacking because only one side really cared about the result. Additionally, the Gunners’ first half performance was largely uninspired and fairly patchy. The team never really developed any rhythm.
The second half saw them step their game up as a young Montpellier team dropped a little physically. Both goals were very well taken and Olivier Giroud’s contribution to them should not be overlooked. He performed excellently as a link man in the build up to Wilshere’s and Podolski’s strikes. The team are beginning to play to his strengths and he is responding.
The Frenchman has slowly come into form and does not appear to be the serial misser of chances we saw in his early performances. Some were quick to dismiss him, whilst others saw that positionally, he was doing a lot of good things. Granted, RVP he isn’t, but it’s early days and Arsenal need to share the goals around the team more if they are to attain success. And get the defence sorted out, obviously.
Whether they come top of this group and, supposedly, face easier opposition in the last sixteen, we will find out in a fortnight, but matchday six of the group stages often throws up some strange results. Given recent history, people are not optimistic about Arsenal’s chances in the latter stages of this competition, but after Chelsea’s good fortune last season, some will dare to dream. Winning this trophy would buy Arsene Wenger six years in the job as opposed to the six months enjoyed by Roberto Di Matteo. And there is no doubt that this is the one trophy the manager prizes above any other these days. So if Arsenal were to progress to the League Cup Final, it’s just as well the first leg of the knockout round is the midweek before, rather than after, or we’d probably see a mix and match line-up at Wembley.
It was a performance - the goals aside - to forget, but the necessary job was done. Let’s see what visits to Villa Park and Goodison tell us about the ability of this group of players to turn things around and begin to demonstrate some much needed consistency of performance. It will also be interesting to see what kind of team Arsene Wenger sends to Greece. My feeling is that he is not obsessed about finishing top of the group, so the game will be used to rest about half of the players who turned out last night. What price Andre Santos returning at left back?!
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