Kevin Whitcher
I’ll start with some texts and emails reflecting the thoughts of others in the aftermath of the game…
Ian Henry: “No points from the Chelsea games and no goals scored is par for the course. The necessary dose of realism for the fans and pundits alike”
Rob Burne: “Please give it with two barrels in your editorial tomorrow. This predictable collapse is unacceptable and I hope you let rip on Wenger and his dictatorship”
Doktor Schneide: “So the FA Cup it is then. Provided of course that our luck continues in that competition”
A couple of hours before the game, it was relayed to me that Olivier Giroud might not start due to injury. I was relieved when the starting line-ups indicated he would. Alexis, as expected was on the bench, and Ozil returned to replace the Ox. Eden Hazard was not in Chelsea’s starting eleven, which I took as a positive.
The game started off as end to end stuff, far less cautious than it might have been were Jose Mourinho still in charge at the Bridge. Both sides had decent opportunities to score before Arsenal were reduced to ten men. Theo Walcott was a sentimental choice as captain, which at least saved Per Mertesacker the trouble of taking off the armband when he saw red.
My view at the time was that it was the correct decision. Sure, Costa is a cynical pro who will take advantage of any opportunity, but, even with his dramatic roll after contact, the BFG brought him down with an optimistic slide tackle that he felt he had to make to stop a goal. Of course, he should never have been exposed that way if the Arsenal midfield had been more adept at cutting out the supply, but as already stated, it was an open game with plenty of space on the pitch.
The crowd were mystified by the decision to sacrifice Giroud to get the complement of defenders on the pitch back to what was required. The manager later stated his thinking was that his team would be playing on the counter attack and that pace would be required. The counter argument would be that if, indeed, the Gunners were forced to defend for the most part, Giroud could offer an outlet with his ability to hold the ball up, and in addition, set pieces at either end would benefit from his height and power.
If Arsenal had squeezed a draw out of this match after the sending off, you could justify Wenger’s decision. However, it didn’t work. Once Chelsea scored a goal where several players failed to do their jobs properly, the visitors became the counter attacking team. And it wasn’t that long after the red card that Gus Hiddink’s side established their lead. A more confident Chelsea side might have gone for the jugular, but results are what matter for them at the moment, so they went with a ‘what we have we hold’ policy.
With an extra man on the field, this made life difficult for Arsenal, and yet, they did fashion enough chances to have leveled the game. Walcott missed from the angle, dragging it wide, and Flamini’s miss just before the half-time whistle was almost criminal. Credit to the number 20 for finding the space for the gilt edged chance, but at least force a save from there. Chelsea, inevitably, had their own chances, and once again Petr Cech kept his side in the game. ‘Match of the Day’ later revealed that Cesc Fabregas had a good call for a spot kick turned down when baulked by Koscielny.
It wasn’t too long into the second half before the introduction of Alexis, although it was a slight surprise to see the more industrious Joel Campbell make way for him. Arsenal pepped up, and the Chilean undoubtedly worried Chelsea. It was interesting to see a number of players, with options for passing more limited due to the reduced head count, take players on with their dribbling. It was a needs must situation, but it certainly had the visitors worried when it was happening in and around the area. There were other times, when it was done a little too deep, but on these occasions, the Gunners got away with the loss of possession.
In fairness, Arsenal played with spirit and intention. I cannot fault the attitude, but I can pick holes in the quality at times. The finishing was a tale of airshots and mishits. Not good enough in these games.
Certainly, the title race is not done. I did though, before the game, have the feeling that if Arsenal did not win this fixture, they would not be the chanpions in May. I hope that is wrong. Would Giroud remaining on the pitch have led to a goal? He has scored a lot more than Theo in recent matches. It’s one which we will never know. The manager explained his reasons for the decision to sub the number 12, but Chelsea scoring so soon afterwards was not part of the plan.
A little reminiscence. I recall Dermot Gallagher being very kind when Steve Bould, as last man, upended (I think) Gianluca Vialli at Highbury in the late 1990s. Bould should have seen red that day. Arsenal went on to win the game. I also recall for many years Arsenal having a hoodoo over Chelsea. The Chavs simply couldn’t beat Arsene Wenger’s team. Now the boot is on the other foot. Wenger’s record against the south west London outfit is pretty dire since 2004.
The Ox came on for Walcott towards the end. Given the circumstances of the game, I would have been tempted to throw new signing Elneny on. Just try something a bit unpredictable. An X-factor. You know what you will get with the Ox, and on recent displays, well, he is on a par with Theo. Wenger could have gone for broke and just swapped Elneny for Flamini instead and given Arsenal more attacking options. Sure it could have ended with a two or three goal defeat, but what difference would it have made? It seemed a go for broke scenario to me.
Two points out of nine. The two dropped at Anfield are starting to look more and more costly. Having said that, Arsenal’s remaining home fixtures are all, in theory, less challenging than this one (although Leicester might beg to differ). Certainly, they would now look to be must win games. Eight matches, 24 points, takes the Gunners total to 68. 82 would probably be needed to win the title. So 14 points from the following seven away matches…
Bournemouth
Man Utd
Spurs
Everton
West Ham
Sunderland
Man City
Four wins and two draws? Even better, five wins? Hmmm… Do you believe? Arsenal made life difficult for themselves in losing yesterday. They are still very much in the title race, but in my view, dependent on Manchester City not getting their act together. Leicester, I think, will fade, and I have a feeling that, as promising as Spurs are, they have been fortunate with injuries (which might continue) but more significant is that they are a very young team. My thought is that the bookies have it right and it is a two horse race. My feeling is that at the season’s end, the Gunners might look back on this period of three matches and regret that they did not gain three more points than they managed.
The kind of season it’s been, of course we cannot be certain of anything in any particular game. I would be very surprised if the champions ended up with fewer than 80 points, and I think 82 will be needed. Arsenal can do that, but there is not much room for more of the kind of defending seen against Liverpool and Chelsea. Francis Coquelin can’t come back soon enough. And in spite of the presence of Petr Cech in goal, defending does seem to be the side’s weak point just at the moment. Chelsea might have scored more yesterday, although having ten men is of course mitigation. There was no such excuse at Anfield.
Anyway, over a week for most of the players to take a breather and ready themselves for the visit of Southampton. Burnley next weekend will see the debut of Elneny which is something to look forward to. I am honestly far from traumatized at the loss yesterday. Unfortunately, I have become hardened to Arsenal doing this to its supporters. I don’t feel it as much as I once did. That is what experience does to you, I guess.
To end on an unfortunate note, a couple of The Gooner sellers suffered physical abuse from Chelsea supporters yesterday. There are many perfectly reasonable, civilized supporters of the Stamford Bridge club, but there are also a fair share of knuckleheads. I have to say that these incidents occurred in busy areas where one would expect some kind of a police presence. But I hardly saw any police yesterday. Is this a consequence of budget cuts or something? I believe the club do not pay for the policing outside the stadium. Anyway, as at the Lane, there remains a significant element of swamp life amongst the support at Chelsea. Sadly, there is something generally rotten about that club, and there has been ever since the National Front held sway on their terraces. And for those who might think otherwise, an unfortunate recent reminder. Titles you can buy, but class is something that doesn’t have a price tag.
