Kevin Whitcher
Blimey, where to start picking the bones out of yesterday afternoon’s 3-1 win over Everton? So much happened, on and off the pitch that I could do an editorial on events every day this week.
It was a fine summer’s day, the kind of weather it is a pleasure to watch a game of football in. Arsenal, needing a win to have any chance of finishing in the top four risked Koscielny, and started Welbeck instead of Giroud. The striker construed to miss an open goal early on but fortunately Hector Bellerin was on hand to lessen his embarrassment. Welbeck had a hatful of chances yesterday, let’s just hope he is more clinical if he plays at Wembley. Anyhow, 1-0 and so far so good.
Then Laurent Koscielny makes a challenge that earns him a red card and a ban from the cup final. A moment of madness for sure. Who can explain it? Referee Michael Oliver was justified in sending off the Arsenal captain (three different players wore the armband yesterday), and Arsene Wenger decided to play with a back four rather than bring on another defender.
The strange thing about the game that followed – which was extremely open, is that Arsenal rarely looked like they were playing with a man less. Sure, they were more exposed at the back, and both sides enjoyed multiple chances to score. As it was, the home side doubled their lead, with the Everton defence switching off to allow Welbeck to tee up Alexis for a tap-in. It will probably be the final Sanchez goal we will witness at the Emirates, unless he returns in opposition colours, although that won’t be for Bayern Munich in next season’s Champions League, as subsequent events played out.
This meant Liverpool establishing control over Middlesbrough. Wenger complained post-match about other teams being on holiday, a reference no doubt to Boro, Watford and other recent opponents of Liverpool and Manchester City. That conveniently forgets Arsenal have had their share of easy games too – hence the run of wins in the Premier League, either side of the horrendous blip at White Hart Lane. A good few easy points there. Still, why let the facts get in the way of your excuses for falling short, eh?
Everton certainly didn’t play with any great intensity for the most part, but due to the numerical advantage, were able to threaten Arsenal’s goal a good number of times. On another day, with more composure, they might have won. The penalty they were awarded for a Holding handball after the interval didn’t really create too much tension when Lukaku converted it. The result had become meaningless with the scorelines at Anfield and Vicarage Road being so convincing. Given that it was a game that in the end made no difference to anything, the collateral damage suffered almost feels like Arsene Wenger is being given a message from above to realize that his time is up. Koscielny’s dismissal was bad enough, but then Gabriel injured himself in the act of committing a foul and was stretchered off, recovery by next weekend looking a long shot.
So finally, club captain Per Mertesacker got his first run out of the season, in the penultimate game. Next weekend it will be intriguing to see if he plays, which I imagine depends on whether or not Mustafi can be patched up. If the younger German makes it, then Monreal will surely be switched to the back three with Kieran Gibbs getting the left wing back slot. This assumes Wenger sticks with a back three of course, which would seem his best chance against Chelsea.
Anyway, the fun wasn’t over yet. Not with the crowd, in spite of the team being ahead, feeling rebellious in the wake of news that Alisher Usmanov is testing the water with a bid to buy out Stan Kroenke. Chants of ‘Stan Kroenke, Get Out Of Our Club’ were sang with more heart and vigour than most heard this season. And it felt empowering. Let’s have more at Wembley when he will be there in person to hear it in the Royal Box. That will make headlines Stateside, and he might just feel uncomfortable enough to know that his ethos of buying Arsenal to make money rather than win trophies isn’t going to cut it much longer.
Aaron Ramsey scored his first goal of the season (in his 30th appearance) with a pearl of a chip into the top corner. However, for a midfield player, that’s not exactly a prolific return. Gilberto Silva was more defensive than Ramsey but scored more often. Alexis Sanchez limped off but I would be amazed if he did not start one more game for the club before moving somewhere with a sense of footballing ambition. Anyhow, no-one in the stands or on the pitch really cared too much by this stage, and we saw more end to end kickabout stuff before the ref blew time on Wenger’s worst Premier League campaign since his arrival in 1996.
The manager declined to join the lap of appreciation, wary of being barracked, and just stood in front of his dugout. Alexis trooped round some distance from the fans and didn’t really acknowledge anyone. Mertesacker, always the pro, seemed to be saying goodbye. Another non-playing captain about to depart then. No-one’s heart was really in it.
Post game, a fascinating series of interviews by the manager to the various media in which he suggested that something happened in December that derailed the season, and admitted, finally, that the uncertainty over his future had affected the team. He spoke of the players performing in a “difficult environment” which was certainly true in terms of the supporters wanting Wenger out, but may have also been a reference to something behind the scenes. Ever the tease, the Frenchman said he would tell all one day.
However, the long and short of it is that the manager has always used his consistency in qualifying for the CL as an argument for his continued stewardship of the club, and it has been pulled from under him by too many younger, better managers at other teams. His time is up and he is kidding himself if he thinks he still has it.
If you want to analyse one point that made the difference, it was the opening match of the campaign at home to Liverpool. Wenger admitted after the game that his team was not ready for the start of the season. They lost 4-3 in a fixture which, had they drawn, ultimately would have secured them fourth place. So if the players were not ready, whose fault, exactly, is that? How many days in football do you need to work before learning how to prepare a side to be ready for the opening match of the season?
I know anything can happen in cup matches, but let’s just say that optimism is difficult to find with regard to next Saturday at the moment. It might be Wenger’s last hurrah. It needs to be, because very slowly, the club is beginning to fall apart. If Wenger remains, decline is inevitable. He has lost the respect of his players and a significant percentage of the fanbase. The shambles needs to end with new direction from an owner with greater ambition than the current one, and a manager who is not some years past his sell-by date. It’s going to be an interesting summer.
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