Felix von Geyer
In almost forty years of supporting Arsenal, the 6-0 defeat at Chelsea is unmatched. Even the 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford bore the positives that no team had scored more than one goal at Old Trafford during the entire season previously. And Arsenal had scored two, which could have been three had Van Persie not missed his penalty before half-time.
The 6-1 beating by Sir Alex Ferguson’s men in 2001 was akin to a market correction to take home and analyze; ditto the 5-1 recent mauling at Anfield. Similar scorelines such as against Tottenham only happened in the League Cup.
Saturday’s collapse of Arsène Wenger’s Tower of Babel, the positive communications spin around team spirit, resilience, determination, the collective over the individual has no equal. In seasons past Arsenal fans have watched the train come off the rails on the final bend as teams quicken pace before the final sprint to the finishing line.
Saturday’s breakdown does not figure in any psychological manual. But the existential writer (and goalkeeper) Albert Camus’ famous line that ‘Life begins on the other side of despair’ would appear the most apt offering to take away from Saturday’s game.
Whether this applies just to Arsène Wenger, the board, or a host of overpaid and below par footballing performances on the pitch is a key contention. The board’s ultra-prudence and closing out of Usmanov and Dein from the boardroom to foster a near-US style corporate sports model on English soccer is one contention that needs to be seriously evaluated. The point and purpose of paying up to £100,000 (and beyond in some circumstances) per week for mediocrity is another contention when a more performance related pay structure of a much lower base salary plus £1,000 per week pay rise for every goal or assist you score, £500 per week match-win bonus, £500 per week clean sheet bonus would be more appropriate for a player’s first season. The final salary would be the basis for the following season’s starting salary with a ±10 per cent target over or below which your third season’s salary is reconciled according to the tally of assists, goals, victories and clean sheets accrued.
But most in contention is Arsène Wenger’s delusional idea that fielding a team against Chelsea without Mathieu Flamini in the starting line-up was going to yield success when his absence was noted in the failures against Napoli, at home to Bayern Munich, away to Manchester City and away to Liverpool and, recently, away to Stoke where Arsenal lost 1-0 and also at Spurs where Arsenal clung onto an early 1-0 lead.
After 999 matches at Arsenal with no victories against a determined and universally successful coach as Mourinho, Wenger must have felt like calling the 999 emergency number. Indeed, his starting line-up was akin to Tennyson’s depiction of the slaughter at Sevastopol in the Charge of the Light Brigade. However, Arsenal’s charge lasted four minutes, consisting of Cazorla failing to play a cross-field pass to the left-side penalty box that would have created a goal scoring chance while Giroud tamely tapped a left-footed shot for the outstretched reach of Petr Cech. A chip; first touch control and second touch shot were all very possible for a highly-paid professional and could have altered the shape of the game.
Instead Luiz, Matic and Oscar were able to overrun Arteta in midfield whom, without Flamini (and admittedly the injured Wilshere and Ramsey), could provide no cover for Mertesacker and Koscielny. Chelsea consistently caught Arsenal dawdling in possession in their delusional attempt to play Barça style tica-taca, the frailty of which was ruthlessly exposed at Anfield.
Why Arsène Wenger thought that Podolski and Giroud would provide any firepower remains another mystery. Sanogo’s presence showed the ability of pace to intimidate the opposition. Dropping both Podolski and Giroud to play Gnabry and Oxlade-Chamberlain upfront would have been far more intimidating with a midfield pairing of Flamini and Arteta.
How Arsenal and Arsène Wenger choose to move forward will depend on how deeply they feel the trauma and despair of Saturday’s defeat. In his own pride, self-esteem and self-worth, Mr Wenger must feel crumpled and foolish. He should realize that he was reckless and irresponsible. If not, then the faith the board has in him must have fuelled some psychotic hallucination in his mind that his judgement and faith in his players are justified.
The season can still produce twists and turns. Arsenal can still do the Cup and League double. But after Saturday, simply winning the FA Cup will likely not allay the ‘Wenger-out’ section whose short-sighted traditional impatience has now likely been added to by many of those from the ‘Trust in Wenger’ community who are now wondering if Arsène Wenger is the man who can produce the tactics, team, squad and ruthless ambition to win the Premier League let alone the UEFA Champions League next season.
If everyone from the boardroom to the manager, coaching and fitness staff to the players acknowledge the level of despair and the significant part they all have to play in transcending from the abyss, then Arsenal’s season will not be lost and Arsène Wenger can consider signing a new contract.
The alternative is a major shake-out for both the board and for Wenger, his staff and, of course, the underperforming players.
