Soteris Charalambous
Losing at home to Aston Villa on the opening day of the season created the perfect storm for fans to vent their frustration at the club’s lack of signings.
Expectations had been raised by the CEO Ivan Gazidis and his declaration of spending power. Big names had been linked all summer, but none arrived. Arsène Wenger irritated many when he claimed that the current squad was capable of challenging for the title in its current state and insisted that he would only bring in ‘super, super’ quality.
A significant factor in our loss to Villa was the performance of the referee. He was subsequently dropped from the elite list for the following weekend fixtures, which indicates that it wasn’t just us who felt he had a bad game. But the game highlighted other major problems which completely undermine Wenger’s assertion that the current squad is good enough to compete with United, City and Chelsea.
Kieran Gibbs showed that he isn’t cut out to be a top player. His inclusion in the party that flew to Istanbul for the Fenerbahçe game indicates that there was no concussion sustained from the gash above the eye that occurred against Villa. Modern medical treatment makes it very possible to stop the bleeding from a cut in no time. But within a few minutes of treatment Gibbs left the pitch holding a gauze patch above his eye, forcing the manager to make a change.
Gibbs must have been aware that Nacho Monreal couldn’t replace him, so coming off was inevitably going to disrupt the defensive unit. To be a champion and to win trophies, a player needs to be brave and endure some pain for the good of the team. On the evidence of his injury plagued career thus far, Gibbs is lacking in that department. Staying on the pitch for the cause has a galvanising effect on the team; sloping off when the going gets tough has the opposite effect.
Wenger often asserts that his current squad has the best team spirit he’s ever had. He knows his players better than I do, but I would have to disagree with him when it comes to Gibbs. I’m fairly certain that Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira would not have been impressed with Gibbs either. Is his attitude a product of the over-pampered, over-protected life modern footballers enjoy today? Or is he basically lacking the minerals? My fear, based on what I’ve been told about the player, is that it’s the latter.
Another player who I have a big concern over at the moment is Jack Wilshere. Most journalists laud him as the saviour of English football, but he is still way, way off the level he showed he was capable of when playing alongside Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song and Samir Nasri. Fitness and the effects of multiple injuries are clearly factors in his current displays, but defining his most effective position is still an issue.
Last season’s unbeaten run, which helped us claim fourth place, was achieved without Wilshere. In the period of games he played before his injury-induced absence, the team often stuttered in midfield and lacked fluency up front with the England man playing at the tip of the midfield trio. In the Villa game, Wilshere was employed in a deeper role alongside Aaron Ramsey. All three of Villa’s goals were a result of a lack of midfield cover through the middle of the pitch. Everyone has high hopes that Wilshere will become the next Arsenal great. All the ingredients – including bravery – are there. But he needs to be played sparingly until he reaches full fitness and he also needs to find his true role within the team.
Had Wenger bought a defensive midfielder to cover for the injured Mikel Arteta, Wilshere wouldn’t have had to play so deep. But because of the weaknesses in the current squad, he played in a role that he’s less suited to while less than fully fit. The result - Gabriel Agbonlahor is being talked about as a potential England player again.
The most frustrating aspect about the squad situation is that everyone who supports Arsenal can see that we are not far off from challenging again. And that the addition of 3-4 ‘super, super’ quality players would change the club’s focus to challenging for the top prizes rather than looking over our shoulders and worrying if we will hold on to fourth place again.
The mass of frustration that has poured out after one poor result isn’t because of the fact that we lost to Villa. It’s because Arsenal have been in this state of limbo for too long. The chance to compete for the title has always been within reach – it’s the failure to make the necessary investment time and time again, while we are being asked to pay the highest prices for tickets, that has left the fans feeling they are being short-changed by the people in charge.
Uncertainty about who is responsible for the lack of signings has created division within the fan base. Some feel the board are hampering Wenger, others claim it’s the Frenchman who is at the heart of the problem. What is beyond question is that a problem clearly exists with regards to keeping and attracting the best talent to the club. Unless that is resolved, the inevitable result will be that fans will continue to vent their anger and frustration until they reach the point where they will simply refuse to pay to watch the team anymore.
The new stadium was supposed to be the gateway to Arsenal FC reaching the top table of football clubs alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and the rest. But, until now, all it has ensured is that the fans have to spend more than anyone else in the world to follow their club.
