Kevin Whitcher
And so, once again, we witness the ugly collapse of another Arsenal title challenge. Psychologically, Arsenal have never recovered since the their 2008 meltdown at Birmingham. The manager talks about ‘mental strength’ when the evidence points to exactly the opposite, as his team’s inability to get results when the pressure is really on (in terms of challenging for the Premier League) has been carried forward through the seasons as players have come and gone.
Robin Van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy all knew that if they were to win titles, they would have to move on. Players are not completely stupid. Even if they have only known Wenger as a club manager, they are exposed to better coaches and match preparation at international level.
Arsenal’s problem is that the game has moved on. Arsene Wenger inherited a good side, and then added to it with power and pace. With the stadium move, he was able to indulge himself and try to win a title with Project Youth. The club lost their way on the field and never recovered. The Invincibles was broken up a little too quickly and players that were part of Arsenal’s successful years under Wenger have not been welcomed back to the club to help with their knowledge. Steve Bould is a yes man whose daughter goes to one of the most expensive schools in the country and will swallow his tongue to ensure that arrangement can continue. The likes of Martin Keown or Patrick Vieira are not asked to play a role because they might conflict with the manager. Harmony is everything.
Fortunately for the club, this zen philosophy seems to have extended to the stadium. There are some panto boos for poor performances or daft substitutions, but no open revolt, no Wenger out chants. Many feel it, but no one has the balls to point out that the Emperor has no clothes on. A good number vote with their feet by leaving a long time before the final whistle, and some simply do not bother to attend in the first place. On my own part, results like last night’s defeat have stopped bothering me. I am immune to it now. I would take pleasure from Arsenal winning the title under Wenger, but can no longer be disappointed when any promising challenge predictably collapses. It simply isn’t worth wasting emotional energy on something so inevitable.
Taking a look at the table, Arsenal’s title challenge – on paper – is alive and kicking. They win at Spurs on Saturday and they can overhaul Leicester by putting a run of wins together. But look at their form this season. Their best run was four wins in a row in December, and there were three in October. Aside from that, it has been a tale of inconsistency. At this stage last season, they had three more points from the same number of matches. In terms of results, they have actually gone backwards.
The bottom line is that to win the title, you need a defence. Arsenal have conceded seven goals in their last three matches – two of them at home. Sure, two of those were against a trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar, but the other five were the combination of a teenager, Ander Herrera and the frontline of a relegation threatened team. For the first goal, play to the whistle. The players were asleep and Ramsey to start with, should have committed a foul on Cork to prevent the through ball to Routledge. Alan Curtis had changed Swansea’s formation shortly before to provide a solution to the home side’s early dominance and it was evidence of the value of such an approach, so rarely seen from Arsene Wenger.
The Gunners has started brightly, and certainly can claim ill fortune from the result last night. They hit the woodwork three times, and both Swansea’s goals had question marks over them (the winner was offside, although Petr Cech should have dealt with the cross far better).
In isolation, just a bad day at the office, but on the back of the insipid display at Old Trafford, we are watching Arsenal’s title challenge collapse by installment. Defeat at the Lane on Saturday would be a terminal blow.
Although the table offers hope of possibility, looking at the team, they look anything but champions in the making. They have simply gone off the boil. Giroud has not scored for ten matches, Alexis has failed to find the net since returning from injury. The defence looks out of sorts with the midfield in front of them doing little to cut off supply and the full backs seemingly unable to prevent crosses coming in. It sure isn’t a recipe for success.
In any normal football club, Arsene Wenger’s position would be untenable if he failed to win the title this season, but as we all know he will be hanging around next season like a rotting piece of fish stinking the place out. And these are his players, his team, his tactics, a consequence of his decision not to spend on a single outfield player last summer. He is the man responsible for the club’s lack of on-field success. An honourable man would have walked after 2008, and if he was in any doubt, definitely after 2009. But he had to stick around to prove everyone wrong. And how is that going, exactly?
To finish, an offering from Ian Henry:
“I have a new PC, which arrived yesterday; and for the first time this morning I used the Word spell checker on it. It did not recognise Arsene and suggested arsine - which is, as I am sure you know from your chemistry O level, a poisonous gas caused by arsenic reacting with certain acids.”
Quick note to Pete Mountford – I will do you a proper plug next time. But for now, check out this link if you want a bit of Arsenal art to take your mind off what we are witnessing on the pitch at the moment.
I am now on Twitter@KevinWhitcher01.
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