Alfie Powell
At the time of writing, Arsenal are 2-0 down to Tottenham Hotspur.
There’s just under 20 minutes left of the game and despite some promising attacks from the boys in red, it looks very unlikely that anyone will be able to get on the end of a pass across the face of goal or even dare to take something called a “shot”.
Usually when Arsenal lose - or are in the process of doing so - I find myself angry, frustrated and unable to think completely straight: Not this time though.
As Arsenal take awful corner after awful corner with next to no back up on the bench, the only thing I’m feeling right now is sadness.
A few years back, a close family friend of mine passed away from a brain tumour and early-onset dementia.
Perhaps more heart wrenching than the man’s death however, was witnessing the inexorable decline of his mental capacity and his previously dangerously potent personality.
As the days passed and the diseases took more and more control, the man we loved turned into a different man who looked familiar and had fleeting moments that reminded you of an old friend, but was increasingly becoming a stranger.
At this point, you know exactly where I’m going with this particular metaphor, but just in case you don’t, the point I’m trying to hammer home is that Arsenal are sick.
Watching these eleven men fruitlessly run around in a kit that looks just like the one that the team you loved used to wear is nothing if not heartbreaking.
Full time: Spurs 2-0 ArsenalThe game’s over now. Arsenal have one win in seven Premier League games while Tottenham climb to the top of the table that we languish at the bottom half of.
A lack of ideas saw the Gunners play more crosses into the box than you thought might be possible - despite it seeming like a very long time since doing so actually worked - and a previously glorious strike force looking like an impressionist act that was accidentally thrown onto the pitch instead of the real players.
The first goal from Son saw Arsenal players lazily giving the South Korean space and Leno perhaps not in the right position to save the shot, but sure, sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade. It was a wonderful shot.
Their second goal was a little more bizarre
There appeared to be no defensive shape and Partey inexplicably walked off the pitch in a bid to substitute himself. You can’t really account for that.
The Kane goal may have still happened if the Ghanaian was on the pitch, but you can’t excuse behaviour like that.
By all accounts yes, he was injured and was likely rushed back into the first team in a bid to win some favour from the fans, but walking off the pitch during a counter-attacking team in the midst of a counter-attack? Quite silly, if you ask me.
Who's to blame?
It’s difficult to know who’s to blame for this run of results (not including the Europa League).
The form of Arsenal’s captain and main attacking outlet has fallen off the face of the earth, the previous play-of-the-season is now being made to experiment with being a quasi-attacking midfielder, and Arteta’s insistence of starting Willian - who appears to have aged 25 years over lockdown - is as baffling as Hector Bellerin’s throw-in method.
We all want Arsenal and Arteta to succeed
I so want Arsenal to succeed with Arteta. Not only for the obvious reasons, but because it would be a lovely, romantic story that the fans could really get behind.
Sadly though, since the FA Cup victory, we haven’t had an awful lot to smile about.
The Willian situation is troubling and apparently Mikel wants yet another centre back.
Something is wrong at Arsenal
Endlessly crossing the ball into the box has never really worked for us, but that’s all we get for weeks on end.
At this point, a certain German playmaker in our ranks could probably do us a few favours, though that’s almost certainly out of the question now.
I don’t recognise this team. They’re not winning an awful lot which I’m more or less used to now, but they don’t even look like they’re trying anymore. There’s no rhythm to the football and no romance. Even off the pitch, there have been some bizarre choices from management that further distances ourselves from the beautiful club we still claim to be.
Arsenal are sick.
It’s now a waiting game to see whether or not the disease can be cured.
...........
...........
