Kevin Whitcher
We know that on the playing side at Arsenal, there is zero accountability for underperformance. So on that basis, and assuming this comfort zone complacency exists throughout the club, I fully expect Arsenal’s “event safety and security manager” Sharon Cicco (according to this page) to be hauled up in front of the CEO this morning and promptly given a pay rise.
It wasn’t exactly a big secret that Cologne would be travelling with 20,000 supporters to last night’s game. And yet, in conversation with one of the police officers working on the concourse, the club only paid for six policemen to work on Arsenal’s territory (where the public highway becomes Arsenal property) last night. The plan was that the stewards would be able to handle 20,000 German visitors, the majority of whom had been drinking all day.
Now, the positive about the Cologne fans is that, as far as I could see, they were not blatantly aggressive towards Arsenal supporters. Certainly they colonized the Clock End upper and lower tiers and club level. There may have been some arguments over seats from those who found a Cologne fan in their allocated one, but hell, there were thousands of others elsewhere in the stadium to choose from. I estimate the actual attendance last night was around the 40,000 mark at best, with at least 10,000 Cologne fans.
However, the stewards at the away supporters turnstiles had a far less positive experience, as, once a decent number of fans had been admitted, apparently they forced an emergency exit open, and it was rushed by ticketless fans. Stewards were physically assaulted as chaos reigned. I fully expect that both Arsenal and Cologne will be sanctioned by UEFA after last night. Arsenal for their inadequate preparations – there should have been heavily manned and barriered ticket checkpoints on both bridges on the east side, and the two sets of steps and ramps on the west side. This is what happens at major international tournaments and UEFA club finals and it prevents the kind of scenes witnessed last night.
There were so many Cologne fans gathered who could not get access that the police, when it was decided that the officers patrolling the streets near the ground would be required at the stadium itself, had to stop people entering the area near the turnstiles from the two bridges. Some fans, seeing the chaos and hearing about the hour delay, turned round and went home. Many decided to leave at half-time due to a combination of not wanting to be stranded in London, intimidation felt by the sheers number of German fans in the home sections and for a few, the sheer poverty of Arsenal’s first half display. A steward that received a complaint by one half time departee - unhappy at being surrounded by away supporters in a home stand - advised that the disgruntled member should write to the club in the morning and that a refund would be issued for the price of their ticket.
Here’s a bit of a tip for the club. Cologne fans are like kittens compared to those that follow Red Star Belgrade. Just a heads up for Ms Cicco there.
So let’s get onto the game itself. A tale of two halves. A 3-4-3 with Maitland Niles at left wing back (eh?) converted to a 4-2-1-3 at the interval with Holding making way for Kolasinac, who made a huge impact. Maitland-Niles was played in a more familiar position for the second half and the team performed far better.
It seemed, with the starting line-up, a case of the manager deciding he wanted to field certain players and it didn’t much matter if they were out of position. Iwobi as an in the hole Ozil style attacking midfielder I can see, but is he really a player that has the discipline for one of the deeper spots? It seemed to me that the manager was underestimating the opposition. Sanchez became very frustrated with Maitland-Niles, but I am glad the kid was not hauled off, as he can’t be blamed for being unable to play the position. Mind you, what does it say about Jack Wilshere’s prospects that both Elneny and Iwobi were selected ahead of him? At least he got some game time later on.
Arsenal conceded a poor goal in the first half when Ospina failed to clear the ball sufficiently to avoid being caught off his line when it was returned with interest from the midfield. Worse still, the players seemed uncommitted, partially I suspect because of the unfamiliarity of the line-up and the lack of ability to put together any meaningful moves. The midfield was awful, and then you throw in a self-imposed handicap like Theo Walcott and you are asking for trouble. Youngster Reiss Nelson will create more danger than Theo, but the man with the espresso machine is like the unwanted guest you just can’t seem to get rid of.
I remember Ivan Gazidis telling supporters that he would be looking at the players and salaries with lazer sharp focus soon after he arrived in 2009. Then again, Ivan’s spouted a lot of bollocks since. One thing’s certain. No mug is going to pay Theo anything like the wages he is getting unless some Chinese club decides they want him. His current contract runs out in 2019. I wonder what kind of crowd he’d get for his testimonial.
I digress. The second half saw the kind of response those that did remain were looking for, with two cracking finishes from Kolasinac and Sanchez, and a third from Bellerin after Theo had failed to beat the keeper. In all honesty, even if Arsenal had conspired to lose this game, the paucity of the other opposition in the group means they would probably have qualified anyway, but going into Sunday’s game, the win will do no harm, contrasted with the predictable outcry that greets any Arsenal defeat these days.
We wait to see what will happen on Sunday before the game. Will Wenger go with three at the back or change to the formation we saw in the second half last night? Will Sanchez start? If he does go to a four, who will make way, Monreal or Kolasinac? As for what happens after the kick off, the team will be playing with a midfield of Xhaka and Ramsey (and Chelsea will not be in party mode, unlike last May). I am going to think about doing an accumulator on Sunday, and I’m afraid a home Chelsea win will probably be on it…
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