Kevin Whitcher
I’ve never been 100% convinced about Laurent Koscielny. At times he can look good, but there is a sneaking feeling that some of his last ditch tackles are a consequence of situations his lack of defensive ability has allowed to develop. And I am not convinced he is strong enough to really do what is required of a centre back in the Premier League. As for the own goals…
Anyway, of late, Arsene Wenger seems to prefer starting him to Per Mertesacker, although I think the German is the better defender. But the manager does not always pick on form or ability. Sometimes it feels as if a player is picked by Wenger because he is a favourite. That may endear the manager to them, but it doesn’t tend to help win football matches. Do you think more successful managers ignore form? Per Mertesacker has been playing fairly well, but found himself on the bench yesterday. However, he didn’t have to wait long to get his chance, as Koscielny’s inability to deal with Edin Dzeko saw him dismissed for a rugby tackle. Arsenal were fortunate that the resulting penalty was not converted.
Reduced to ten men, the need for focus and commitment was critical. There was little of that in the hour that followed until Vincent Kompany was, in fairness, harshly dismissed. The defending for both City’s goals will have surprised nobody that has become accustomed to the Gunners’ lack of defensive quality. The manager uses such terms as ‘mental strength’ and ‘focus’ about his players. Hmmmm….
The way things are going, I can already predict the future words of Wenger should the club miss out on the top four this season. “It is an incredible achievement to compete in the Champions League for 15 seasons in a row. There are only three other clubs in Europe that have done that. You miss one season and suddenly everyone knows better than you.”
Arsenal might of course, still make that precious Champions League spot. But the slow decline in the team’s standards indicates that the kind of consistent run that might be required to propel them in the spring could be hard to come by. An injection of quality is required in several positions, but the only sound on the grapevine in the transfer market is that of tumbleweed. Apparently Wenger is a nightmare in transfer negotiations, which makes signing anyone doubly hard.
Granted, with a man less for most of the game, blanket conclusions cannot be drawn from the home defeat to Roberto Mancini’s side. But there did seem to be a lack of hunger (or ‘spirit’ as Wenger likes to call it) as a consequence of the perceived injustice of the red card. In distant days, a sequence such as Koscielny’s dismissal and the resulting penalty save would have acted as a springboard for a committed battling performance. We don’t see many of those these days.
I received a text early in the second half. “Things will only change when Arsenal fans refuse to pay to see this.” And therein lies the rub. As long as the stadium is selling out, then there is no imperative to change. If people are willing to pay caviar prices to consume sausage meat, that is exactly what the club will continue to serve up. No need to spend more giving better quality if they do not have to. The fans have been sold a pup, although gradually, a growing number of them are taking the decision to stop paying for it. Every summer it gets harder and harder for the club to sell all the season tickets.
At least they won’t be able to claim a full house on Wednesday against Swansea, unless they give away about 10,000 tickets to local schoolchildren and claim those as sold seats, even if the kids don’t come. Certainly, my guess is that about 15,000 of the 45,000 season ticket holders won’t bother attending, maybe more. The atmosphere at kick off will be very strange as many will not get there in time for the 7.30 start. The place will literally be half empty. The shape of things to come…?
The current issue of The Gooner, with a free 2013 calendar will be available at Wednesday’s replay v Swansea. It can 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.
