Kevin Whitcher
The only scenario in which Arsenal will not qualify for next season’s Europa League (which does actually have a significant financial benefit, albeit one dwarfed by the Champions League) is if they finish seventh and Southampton win the FA Cup. It’s possible but unlikely.
Anyone but a mathematician will have given up on hopes of the club climbing into the top four between now and the season’s end, so it’s perfectly logical to play the second stringers in games like this. It was good to see Reiss Nelson get a start, and your writer could have lived with Eddie Nketiah being given one as well. I am not going to be over-critical of Arsenal losing matches like this giving the kids experience, as there is realistically nothing at stake.
However with questions over Mkhitaryan’s fitness, Arsene Wenger needed to assess Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi with a view to selecting one of them for the Europa League. Both contributed to the win, Welbeck scoring two and assisting with the other, Iwobi involved in the build-up to two of them. Neither have the quality of Mkhitaryan, but the reality is that his season might be over. Arsenal have won a European trophy in the past with big players unavailable, and might have to do so again.
Southampton took the lead due to an ‘after you Claude’ mix-up between Cech and Mustafi which allowed Shane Long to help himself. It wasn’t good enough. Mustafi needs to learn to take responsibility and hit row Z with this kind of ball from wide. Fortunately, Aubameyang dropped a little to begin the move that led to a decently worked equalizer he finished off himself. Welbeck’s opening goal followed a few minutes later when he fashioned space for a shot on the edge of the area and a deflection took it in. Things were improving after a shaky start.
It was another damp dog of a matchday at the Emirates, and it feels like there have been a lot of these this season. The actual attendance was another that could have fitted into the old Highbury Stadium. ‘Match of the Day 2’ refereed to empty seats and a toxic atmosphere at the club. You do have to wonder how long this will be allowed to continue. I have written before that I do believe the sheer multitude of no-shows are what will finally mean the board decide the Wenger era must come to a conclusion. That there were at least 10,000 stayaways for the quarter final three days earlier was something I did not expect. People are now in the habit of not prioritizing using their season tickets. It’s a very dangerous trend and the club need to start countering it with a more imaginative approach.
The second half saw a Southampton equalizer with the introduction of Charlie Austin from the bench. With so many Arsenal players in the area, it was disappointing that no-one could prevent the ball across the face of the goal after Cedric’s run into the area. The visitors enjoyed many chances, and even allowing that two of the first choice back four were absent, it did not engender confidence for the stiffer challenges that lie ahead in the Europa League. CSKA might even think they have a chance of winning 3-0 on Thursday based on this display, although one assumes both Koscielny and Monreal will return to the starting line-up.
Arsenal, too often in this game, were not tight enough to their opponents when Southampton ventured forwards. There may be an element of lack of motivation in a fixture of this nature, but we saw it earlier in the season when the matches did still matter. It’s a long-running issue. Too many opportunities are being allowed too easily. And it’s something that isn’t going to be ironed out by the current manager’s coaching methods.
Arsenal’s blushes were spared by a late Welbeck winner, a good header from the back post to meet Iwobi’s cross. Southampton have won one Premier League match since November, so even with a scratch team it would have been disappointing not to have beaten them at home. As it is, the momentum of a series of wins continues, and it’s possible that may still be the case after visits to Moscow and Newcastle, although as long as progress to the semi-finals is made on Thursday, it won’t matter hugely if they lose both fixtures.
The only near capacity crowds we will see at the Emirates for the rest of this season will be for a Europa League semi-final and in the very unlikely event it is made public that Arsene is going at the season’s end before the Burnley game, I can see a big crowd turning up to see his final home match. West Ham will see another crowd below 40,000.
Mohammed Elneny will presumably receive a three match ban for his red card so won’t take part in that game. He was trying to stop Southampton moving the ball forward after their own player was red carded for lashing out (quite understandably in all fairness) at Jack Wilshere. Elneny was naïve to push an opponent in the face, but it was good to see a bit of passion from him, Wilshere and Kolasinac in the various melees. We need to see more of this kind of fighting spirit, at least to show the fans that the result matters to the players. Too often, this does not seem to be the case. One imagines that Ainsley Maitland-Niles might get some more game time thanks to the Elneny suspension if the Gunners do progress in the Europa League and continue to rest first choice players.
Arsenal remain sixth, and there is a belief Chelsea can be overtaken to rise up to fifth. Whether or not that will be painted as some kind of triumph remains to be seen. The bottom line though, is that for the Premier League, Arsenal are now playing ‘so what?’ games and have been doing for a few weeks now. In that sense, we are all kind of going through the motions as the atmosphere at home games makes all too obvious.
Still, always next season to look forward to, eh?
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