Ewen Cook
For all the criticism slung his way this season, Arsene Wenger is still capable of pulling off Jedi mind tricks – even on the seething detractors calling for his head.
Consider the regular calls in recent weeks from Arsenal fans/writers/tweeters for Bellerin to replace Chambers and Chambers to be played at centre-back – “because at least that would mean we’d have players playing in their natural positions.”
Master Yoda alert: the notion that Calum Chambers is a competent top-tier centre-back is exclusively based on Wenger’s own decision to simply rebrand the Saints second-stringer as a central defender and play him in that position for less than five professional games. In other words: based on nothing.
Today saw steely reality crunching home. It is not possible to play rookie defenders and expect anything less than fatal inexperience to raise its head.
Or in this case, duck it.
Chambers’ woefully undercooked near-post non-header for today’s opening goal was potentially the very first time he had attempted that type of clearance from that position in a professional game. Like ice did Bambi, it simply caught him unawares - his hands tucked tellingly inside his schoolboy sleeves.
Let us be clear: Chambers should bear no blame whatsoever for today’s phantom howler. Just as when an untried Szczesny and Koscienly, having played only a handful of games together, conspired to gift the 2011 Carling Cup to Birmingham in the dying seconds, it is the manager alone – and his unfathomable defensive negligence – at fault. What other top-echelon manager would expose his team to such risk?
It goes without saying that the chorus of questions over Wenger's structural inadequacies grows louder each season. But even by his standards, this year's inquest has begun early - and the clamour is becoming a howl.
Ed’s note – We are recording the December Gooner podcast this evening. If you have any questions, you can :
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Or just leave them in the comments below this exclusive. If you are reading this after 5pm, it will be too late for this month’s recording.
