Kevin Whitcher
It was a long way to travel for not very much in the end. There was a lack of guile and imagination in Arsenal’s play at the Stadium of Light, the inability to create a gilt edged chance.
25 years ago, the Gunners, under George Graham, went to Sunderland, then playing at Roker Park, and carved out a 0-0 draw. By the next time they played they were champions, due to Liverpool losing at Forest. It’s all about context. Sometimes a 0-0 can be a key point, job done, Champions League progress. Who will forget the nil-nils against Real Madrid and Villarreal in 2006? Yesterday’s 90 minutes will not live long in the memory.
Arsene Wenger kept faith with the same eleven that defeated West Brom last Thursday night. They created some chances, but over the 90 minutes, the home team had the better ones. The game does not bear a great deal of analysis. Both teams were seeking the win, Sunderland’s need probably greater. It was a game that needed a goal to become more interesting, but it never came.
Which brings us to Arsenal’s forward options. Giroud has now gone 14 consecutive Premier League matches without a goal. Thierry Henry was right. You don’t win the league if Olivier is your main option up front. Theo was tried with predictable results. Welbeck is a busy player, but the bottom line is that United let him go. He is useful, a good squad member, but not your go to man. Alexis is not a centre forward. Can play there, but wants to get too involved in the build-up play, so will get too attracted to the ball. All this was obvious last summer, and yet, we have gone through a campaign where a great chance to win the title was passed up because the team could not score enough goals. Arsenal are fourth and the reason is the number of goals scored is lesser than those above them, whilst the defending is no better than Leicester, Spurs and Manchester City either. Defence was another area of the team where strengthening was needed.
So we have another wasted season to look forward to in 2016/17 before we can all finally move on. Guardiola will arrive at Manchester City and they will be stronger next season. Antonio Conte will get Chelsea playing result football without the distraction of European competition. Jurgen Klopp will make wholesale changes at Liverpool and start the season with his own team. Manchester United will have a new manager, and if it is Jose Mourinho after all, will challenge again. Tottenham will hang onto their manager and best players and are improving with every month. Arsenal under Arsene Wenger will fall further backwards, undone by the lack of tactical preparation and motivation. Next season could be salvaged if they went out and got Diego Simeone and he learned to speak English in three months, but that isn’t going to happen. No, Arsene will stick around like the Queen Mother of Premier League football and every defeat, every setback will have the fanbase on his back. It’s horrible that it has come to this. It will come to something if he feels unable to join the lap of appreciation after the Villa game, but I seriously think that could turn very ugly if he does. How has it been allowed to reach this stage? Through abdication on the part of the board, bereft of any football expertise, unable to see what has been obvious to many since 2008. Arsene has lost the ability to put out teams that can win enough football matches when the pressure is on.
I still hear the view that he is Arsenal’s greatest ever manager. George Graham won two league titles in eight years. The team that Herbert Chapman built won four titles in five years. Arsene Wenger has won three titles in 18. Some fans and so-called experts need to read their history books.
Leicester’s win at home to Swansea confirmed the mathematical impossibility of Arsenal winning the title. I am looking at my notes to see if there is anything else worthy of mention regarding the football match that took place, and I can relay that Mike Dean did not seem biased against Arsenal. Perhaps he doesn’t like Sunderland either. There was a moment of Mannone madness that brought back a few memories, but on the quality of chances created, the Black Cats should probably have won this game. Jack Wilshere came on for a few minutes at the end, a little too late to save the season and I cannot remember him even touching the ball.
So Norwich, Manchester City and Villa to play. Let’s envisage defeat at Eastlands and home wins in the other two matches. 70 points for Arsenal. Manchester United would need to win all four of their remaining fixtures to finish fourth in that instance. Home to Leicester and Bournemouth, away to Norwich and West Ham. That perennial Champions League spot looks likely, but the fat lady isn’t singing just yet.
I am now on Twitter@KevinWhitcher01.
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