Frank Lee
I am uncertain how confident Gooners are about the team’s chances of a title challenge next season. I suspect the odds offered on Arsenal are longer than they have been for a few seasons after last season’s demotion to fifth place – see some betting predictions online if you want confirmation. One imagines that a necessity for a title challenge would be real strength in depth in defence, and quality to boot.
Or maybe not. When Arsenal won the double in 2001-02, a certain Igors Stepanovs made six Premier League starts for Arsenal. In Gooner myth, Igors has joined the likes of Jeff Blockley and Gus Caesar in the ranks of dodgy centre-backs that the club probably regretted giving a chance to. I am too young to remember Ian Ure, but I believe him to be another. Older readers can confirm.
The story of Igors being signed in the summer of 2000 is relayed in Ray Parlour’s autobiography, the full relevant extract helpfully posted online in four parts here as follows – one - two - three and not forgetting four. In summary, the player was recruited as a consequence of Martin Keown’s team-mates praising a dire Stepanovs performance in a trial game to get at the centre back, and Arsene Wenger failing to realize the praise was not genuine. The manager may have been at Arsenal for almost four years by that point but he had not twigged the use of the wind-up in English humour. I’d be intrigued to know if the abridged version of Parlour’s book distributed in the members’ pack last season (the one with the red Arsenal neckwarmer) contains this anecdote.
So Igors played in the memorable 6-1 defeat at Old Trafford in his first season. He partnered Gilles Grimandi, and the Gunners were hammered in spite of a midfield pairing of Vieira and Ray Parlour in front on the defence. Mind you, Ray played his best football right of centre for the club. As for Stepanovs, he only made one further appearance that season.
Those who remember Igors will recall he was not blessed with great pace nor mobility. Then again, neither is Per Mertesacker, who can look back on a relatively successful career, not least at international level. Reading the game and positional intelligence is key in this respect, so that the lack of pace is not fully exposed.
I am reluctant to completely write-off Stepanovs in this respect for one reason. Language. I remember his being paired at centre back with Oleg Luzhny for a FA Cup home win v Chelsea in Stepanovs’ debut season. The pair performed impressively, I suspect because they were communicating in Russian, which both would have been fluent in. At international level, Stepanovs had an impressive Euro2004 finals with Latvia, only their lack of goals scored preventing them from progressing out of a group containing Germany, the Czech Republic and Holland.
Stepanovs had a four year contract at Arsenal, in hindsight an expensive joke, and was part of the first team squad for three of those before being loaned to Belgian club Beveren for his final season, which gave him more game time ahead of the Euros in Portugal. After that he bounced around minor European leagues before finishing his career in his native Latvia. Thinking about the pecking order of centre backs in 2001-02, you’d have Adams – Campbell – Keown – Upson – Grimandi - Stepanovs – Luzhny. In one sense, it’s amazing that Igors made six starts, although it does remind us that injury crises at the club are nothing new. Adams only made ten league starts that campaign, at the beginning and end of the season.
Currently, and remembering that three central defenders will be used, the pecking order at Arsenal for that trio of spots is probably something like: Koscielny – Mustafi – Monreal – Kolasinac – Gabriel – Holding – Mertesacker – Chambers. So eight players for three positions (although one of Monreal or Kolasinac will almost certainly occupy the left wing back spot, probably the latter). None is as bad as Stepanovs, although there are result-risking mistakes in all of them (one fairly knowledgeable acquaintance maintains that Koscielny costs the team 10-15 points a season, which is a debate for another time).
I think it’s fair to say that the best three are not at the level of Adams, Campbell and Keown but perhaps the strength in depth is greater. My own belief is that if the team are to challenge this season, then the purchase of a dominating ball winner in midfield would address what is lacking on the defensive side, but the options behind are probably good enough, if the cover is there. And if the club managed to win the title in a season where Igors made six starts, then maybe a Vieira-style purchase could turn them into contenders.
And of course if you don’t fancy a flutter on Arsenal, then you can always back one of the other teams, or get betting tips for different sports and invest in something with a better chance than a Wenger-inspired Arsenal title. We’ll know a lot more after the first five Premier League fixtures have taken place. Leicester, Stoke, Liverpool, Bournemouth and Chelsea. A racing start or riots in the stands? More new signings to bolster the squad? An August 31st trolley dash akin to 2011? We watch and wait.
One thing’s for sure. After the Stepanovs experience, Arsene won’t be taking too much heed of any of his players' opinions if anyone is trialing for the club.
