Kevin Whitcher
Somewhere in Cobham, June 2015
‘So Petr, you can still serve the club well, even if Courtois will be the first choice. You can make interventions that will give us the title again’
‘Really Mr Abramovic?’
‘Oh yes, Petr, and you will be handsomely rewarded for these’
‘I don’t understand’
‘You will join Arsenal this summer Petr, and there will be times when you need to do things to ensure Chelsea retain an advantage over Arsene Wenger’s team’
‘What, like throw matches?’
‘You will be handsomely rewarded Petr, and still held in awe by Chelsea and its fans’
‘I see…’
If John Terry reckons Cech will be worth 12-15 points a season to Arsenal, I wonder what he made of yesterday’s performance against West Ham. Certainly, the players in front of him were equally culpable, losing the man they were marking or simply losing possession, but one would hope a keeper of Cech’s stature would have been able to compensate.
As good as he looked pre-season, one was found wondering if David Ospina might have done better on the two goals conceded to West Ham.
The other thing that came out of yesterday was confirmation that pre-season is an exercise in getting match fit, but in terms of influence on results once the games start to matter, it is completely meaningless. Five wins out of five. Great. But it was an irrelevance against Slaven Bilic’s side.
The most damning thing of all over the course of the match was that the Hammers seemed to have a greater appetite to win the game. They were more determined in the tackle, more organized in defence, and more clinical when opportunities presented themselves.
Arsenal created some half-chances, but nothing that really looked clear cut. West Ham found it all too easy to keep them at bay. As one email correspondent pointed out, “Too many players are either brilliant or rubbish with nothing in between. Ramsey, Ozil, Giroud (who should not be starting) in the main. Walcott too.” It’s a valid point. Some level of performance is required even when the team is having an off day. At the very least the home team should have kept a clean sheet, even if they were firing blanks. The entry of Alexis into proceedings at 2-0 down was sheer desperation. Here is a player that needs to be eased in far more gently, only back from his holidays in recent days. He should not have been anywhere near the subs’ bench and when he came on it was apparent why.
As to why the mentality and approach of the players was so lacklustre is a question that needs answering. Here, we were told, were a team that would challenge for the title this season, without needing additional players in. In fact, the lack of goal thrust from the forward players merely confirmed why the manager is trying to sign Karim Benzema from Real Madrid. And going on yesterday’s performance, his arrival can’t come a day too soon. Certainly, the £70 million available to the manager is going to help the team a lot more if it spent on the pitch rather than lying in a bank vault.
Can one point the finger at the manager for the mentality of the players? Perhaps. What was most damning was that, from the start of the second half, there seemed no real hunger to do anything different from the first, with the consequent arrival of a second West Ham goal. Had anything been said in the dressing room at half-time? It didn’t really look like it. The only spell when the Gunners seemed genuinely driven was the brief period between West Ham’s opener and half-time. Apart from that, for large passages of play, they resembled an already ‘on the beach’ team at season’s end.
Tactically, they were a one-trick pony. Little in the way of pace, with the exception of the Ox, too keen to keep their play down the middle rather than ask questions by taking the ball to the bi-line. Was Hector Bellerin that great a miss? West Ham were fielding a 16 year old centre back in central midfield. They should have been there for the taking.
The title is not sacrificed in one match, but this did serve as a worrying portent that, mentally, this team is not equipped for the consistency required to win the league. Beat Chelsea one week, fail to overcome a side that should be meat and drink, and at home to boot, the following weekend. The lack of inspiration was a real concern. Those who believe Arsenal will never win the title until there is a change in the dugout will not have seen anything to make them feel different. It was a rank performance on a fine summer’s day.
I am now on Twitter@KevinWhitcher01.
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