Kevin Whitcher
We thought New Year’s Day 2015 was bad. A 2-0 defeat at Southampton when the team did not turn up and Szczesny took a drink from his water bottle to mark the second goal. This was worse. A chance to go top of the table and keep a decent gap above Manchester City. Before the game, the best price the bookies were offering on Arsenal for the title was 6/5, Manchester City could be got for 8/5. After this performance, City floated into 5/4 and Arsenal were 9/5. The Gunners certainly looked anything but champions elect at Southampton.
Ronald Koeman set his side up to press and harry Arsenal deep, force them to go long and not allow them easy possession. It was too easy. The worry is that this is a tactic easily replicated by other sides.
Granted, the first goal was a freak long range effort (although marginally offside in the build up). The second goal saw a trip on Koscielny missed by the officials which proved decisive, and the third was scored from a corner that shouldn’t have been given. So certainly, ill fortune, but Southampton had plenty of other chances and there is no doubt they were deserved winners. Arsenal simply didn’t turn up.
As Arsenal did against Manchester City last Monday night, Southampton played like the away team, soaking up the pressure and hitting Arsenal on the break. Mertesacker and Koscielny were badly exposed by the runs of Shane Long. Why worry about Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, eh? Flamini and Ramsey had howlers in the middle, losing the midfield battle with little resistance. There seemed no-one out there who could motivate the team as a unit to work harder and compete for physical domination. Too many nice guys, no real leaders.
The team, unchanged for the fourth game running, looked devoid of energy or inspiration, prodding at Southampton when the game was scoreless and then failing to come up with anything in response to the home side’s opener. Arsenal’s appalling and predictable injury crisis means that options to rest bodies on Monday night are fairly limited.
The marking for the third goal deserves special attention. The Ox did nothing to block the run of Fonte, whilst Mertesacker didn’t even seem to get off the floor to compete for the ball that arrived in his area of the zonal marking set up.
This was a defence that had conceded the fewest goals in the league this season, joint with Spurs before yesterday evening’s encounter. You’d have to wonder how.
It was a day for the end of runs. Arsenal had not lost on Boxing Day since 1999, the commentator told us. Southampton had not won in their last five Premier League games, and lost four of them. Such is football. Manchester United lost away to Newcastle 5-0 in the autumn of 1996 and went on to win the title. Stranger things have happened. But as a convincing argument that Arsenal have what it takes to hold off Manchester City (and perhaps a Jose Mourinho motivated Manchester United?), this was an evening to forget.
There is a quote from 1973 from Abba Eban after the Geneva Peace Conference – “The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity”. The same might apply to Arsenal.
Let’s see what happens against Bournemouth and Newcastle. Arsenal are still ahead of City and two points behind Leicester. Pretty much where they were ten days ago. In one sense, nothing has changed, although in another, perhaps everything has. That will be seen when Arsenal get the opportunity to demonstrate whether their confidence has been affected by this reverse. Fortunately, their next three outings are at home. Defeats against West Ham, Chelsea and West Brom have been forgotten as the team bounced back. The same for the three bad losses in the cup competitions.
However, there remains a niggling doubt about the ability of the modern day Arsenal to seize the moment, a trait we have seen before in 2008, 2010 and 2014. We’ll know if it’s another case of déjà vu by May. Keep the faith? Some will, whilst some lost it a while ago and the events at St Mary’s will not have come as too great a surprise.
I am now on Twitter@KevinWhitcher01.
The new issue of The Gooner went on sale at the game yesterday evening, and can be bought at the home matches v Bournemouth, Newcastle and Sunderland. It includes a free 2016 pullout calendar. The theme, with next year marking the 10th anniversary of the stadium move, is “10 Years at the Grove” and features a notable match from the last decade for every month. The issue can also be bought online here.
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