... and then they Scrape a Win against a Rubbish One.
Arsenal 1-3 Bayern Munich
Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa
Arsenal came perilously close to repeating their familiar and unwelcome trick of allowing a whole season to crumble in the space of a week.
Defeat to Bayern was expected, but the performance didn't get half the criticism it deserved. It was another exhibition of naive defending, the self-destruct button pressed yet again on the big occasion.They play like a team that knows it's not good enough. The lack of belief in whatever it was they were supposed to do was painfully clear.
Anything less than a win against Villa and Arsenal's top four hopes would have been hanging by a thread. Cazorla scored early; they failed to build on it. Yet another soft concession to add to the collection, and it was 1-1 without much time to change things. It was some relief when Wilshere scooped a super pass through to Monreal down the left, and the new boy conjured a clever cut back for Cazorla to slide in his second of the game.
Back to Bayern. The manager, and many pundits, were happy to shower the impressive German side with praise, rather than spotlighting Arsenal's failings. Maybe it's because those failings have been evident for so long. Maybe people are tired of talking about them. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't acknowledge that Bayern didn't have to be particularly impressive to kill the tie at the Emirates. And that, for a club of Arsenal's stature, is embarrassing.
After a promising, high tempo start by the home side, the inevitable sucker punch wasn't long in coming. Muller's cross from the right seemed harmless enough, but bounced beyond a flat footed Ramsey, and Kroos drove an emphatic, demoralising shot past Szczesny. A brilliant finish, but the chance came so easily.
The second was even more disappointing from an Arsenal viewpoint. A corner, a painfully free header, Szczesny scrambling the ball out only for Muller to knock the ball in from point blank range.
Arsenal toiled to almost zero effect for the rest of the opening period, could have been three down by half time. A glimmer of hope was gifted to the Gunners when a wrongly awarded corner was inexplicably allowed to bounce in the goalmouth and Podolski simply nodded the ball in.
There was something of a revival, and sub Giroud might even have equalised. He was unlucky that his instinctive right footed strike from Walcott's cutback was straight at the keeper. Soon after, it was game over, tie over: Arsenal undermanned at the back, Lahm overlapping Robben, Mandzukic scooping the low cross into the net.
Some people are saying that Arsenal simply lack for quality. I don't think there are many poor individuals in the team though. They are poorly organised and tactically inept. And even if they lack for stars compared to Arsenal teams of the past, they should be able to recognise a superior team, and play with a suitable plan. AC Milan have less quality than Arsenal but were able to beat Barcelona. Arsenal should at least be able to give Bayern a game.
The fact that they didn't is down to the manager.
Showing posts with label Aston Villa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aston Villa. Show all posts
Monday, February 25, 2013
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Comeback Win
Arsenal 3-2 Villa
Arsenal responded well to the United setback against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
In the first half, they played with a decent tempo but got suckered in typical fashion to first, a clever set piece, and second, a clever counter attack. With Arsenal having dominated but failed to open up Villa's defence, it seemed that Alex McLeish had got his tactics spot on. The now familiar chorus of jeers greeted the half time whistle. Arsenal's hopes of silverware this season looked dead.
Having played well and not created chances, however, the Gunners started the second period by ripping into their opponents and creating a flurry of them. Mertesacker had a glancing header cleared off the line. Ramsey found space in the box but shot straight at Given. Finally, Song released the Welshman with a perceptive pass, Richard Dunne blundered into a needless challenge, and Arsenal had a penalty. It really was one of the most stupid tackles you could hope to see. Ramsey's first touch had clearly taken the ball too close to Given, who was picking the ball up as Dunne flattened Ramsey. So probably not a denial of a goalscoring opportunity, but certainly worthy of a yellow card, which would have been Dunne's second. The referee inexplicably let him off.
Van Persie tucked the spot kick away and it was game on. Arsenal were flying and Villa clearly needed to weather the storm. In the face of the Gunners' onslaught, they instead went to pieces. Warnock slid into a pointless challenge on Walcott, allowing the heretofore wretched winger to waltz into the box. Without an obvious option to cut the ball back to, he tried to smuggle the ball past the keeper at the near post. Given saved but Alan Hutton's attempted clearance hit Walcott and flew into the net. No more than that hideous cunt Hutton deserved- he is more adept at kicking people than footballs. Walcott launched into a stupid celebration but even that disturbing sight was not enough to halt Arsenal's charge.
Koscielny embarked on a rampaging run from his own half up the left wing and into the Villa area, where a third stupid tackle of the second half resulted in Arsenal's second penalty. Darren Bent had done the right thing in chasing back, but with Cuellar ready to block Koscielny's run the striker attempted an ambitious slide that took man and ball, in that order.
Van Persie stepped up again. Went for the opposite corner this time. Again, Given went the wrong way. Barely fifteen minutes into the second half, Arsenal were in front.
The rest of the game played out without much incident. Arsenal's troph hopes remain alive. The best moments of the remainder of the game were the respective returns of Arteta and Sagna. Both will add solidity to a team that had recently reverted back to its shoddy former shape.
Arsenal responded well to the United setback against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
In the first half, they played with a decent tempo but got suckered in typical fashion to first, a clever set piece, and second, a clever counter attack. With Arsenal having dominated but failed to open up Villa's defence, it seemed that Alex McLeish had got his tactics spot on. The now familiar chorus of jeers greeted the half time whistle. Arsenal's hopes of silverware this season looked dead.
Having played well and not created chances, however, the Gunners started the second period by ripping into their opponents and creating a flurry of them. Mertesacker had a glancing header cleared off the line. Ramsey found space in the box but shot straight at Given. Finally, Song released the Welshman with a perceptive pass, Richard Dunne blundered into a needless challenge, and Arsenal had a penalty. It really was one of the most stupid tackles you could hope to see. Ramsey's first touch had clearly taken the ball too close to Given, who was picking the ball up as Dunne flattened Ramsey. So probably not a denial of a goalscoring opportunity, but certainly worthy of a yellow card, which would have been Dunne's second. The referee inexplicably let him off.
Van Persie tucked the spot kick away and it was game on. Arsenal were flying and Villa clearly needed to weather the storm. In the face of the Gunners' onslaught, they instead went to pieces. Warnock slid into a pointless challenge on Walcott, allowing the heretofore wretched winger to waltz into the box. Without an obvious option to cut the ball back to, he tried to smuggle the ball past the keeper at the near post. Given saved but Alan Hutton's attempted clearance hit Walcott and flew into the net. No more than that hideous cunt Hutton deserved- he is more adept at kicking people than footballs. Walcott launched into a stupid celebration but even that disturbing sight was not enough to halt Arsenal's charge.
Koscielny embarked on a rampaging run from his own half up the left wing and into the Villa area, where a third stupid tackle of the second half resulted in Arsenal's second penalty. Darren Bent had done the right thing in chasing back, but with Cuellar ready to block Koscielny's run the striker attempted an ambitious slide that took man and ball, in that order.
Van Persie stepped up again. Went for the opposite corner this time. Again, Given went the wrong way. Barely fifteen minutes into the second half, Arsenal were in front.
The rest of the game played out without much incident. Arsenal's troph hopes remain alive. The best moments of the remainder of the game were the respective returns of Arteta and Sagna. Both will add solidity to a team that had recently reverted back to its shoddy former shape.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
This is a Low
Arsenal 1-2 Aston Villa
Another addition to the litany of listless displays at the Emirates this season. The home campaign ends in defeat.
Vermaelen returned but could do little about the ineptitude of one of Wenger's worst ever signings. Squillaci watched the ball sail over his head, left for dead by Darren Bent, who chested the ball down and volleyed it over Szczesny and into the net. 0-1.
Arsenal were 2 down inside fifteen minutes. Ashley Young received the ball, got a bit of extra time on it as Vermaelen slipped, and played in Bent, running off a static Sagna. Bent slipped the ball through the keeper's legs.
Arsenal had about eighty minutes to get back in it but whatever atmosphere there might have been in the ground became poisoned and the confidence of the players had plummeted still further. The deficiencies of the defence pile pressure on the attack, and an attack lacking both Nasri and Fabregas struggled to create. There were sporadic spells of danger but Arshavin and Walcott were both wretched and so the responsibility to score had to be shouldered again by Van Persie, who cracked a shot off the post after some typically inventive individual play.
When Wilshere chipped a lovely ball through to Ramsey, the Welshman chested down and lined up a shot, but Richard Dunne slid back and did enough, perhaps illegally, to stop him from finishing. No penalty the decision.
Half time, Squillaci replaced by Chamakh, with Song dropping back to partner Vermaelen for the remainder. At last, a return to something like a 4-4-2, although Van Persie frequently dropped deep. There were more bodies in the box when Arsenal attacked, but they still struggled to make the pressure tell. Song was having one of his off days (complacency?) and nearly let Bent in for a hat trick goal by miscontrolling what should have been a harmless Villa pass.
Eventually, Chamakh found the net with a close range header; it was disallowed for what the referee saw as a push by the Moroccan. Already booked, Petrov should have seen red for a late tackle.
Late on, Van Persie scored from close range after a bit of a scramble. Not enough. Bendtner had replaced Arshavin on the left wing and tried his best but it is pretty pathetic watching a glorified target man plod along the touchline and then be told that this is a team that has lofty ambitions.
The final whistle was greeted by a mix of Villa cheers and Gooner boos and the sheepish looking Arsenal players, including Fabregas, embarked on a lap of dishonour around the half empty ground. Will the captain play for Arsenal again? You couldn't blame him for wanting out.
Now, amazingly, if Manchester City win their final two games, Arsenal will finish in 4th and have to play the qualifying round of the Champions League. The collapse continues- will it be arrested next season?
Another addition to the litany of listless displays at the Emirates this season. The home campaign ends in defeat.
Vermaelen returned but could do little about the ineptitude of one of Wenger's worst ever signings. Squillaci watched the ball sail over his head, left for dead by Darren Bent, who chested the ball down and volleyed it over Szczesny and into the net. 0-1.
Arsenal were 2 down inside fifteen minutes. Ashley Young received the ball, got a bit of extra time on it as Vermaelen slipped, and played in Bent, running off a static Sagna. Bent slipped the ball through the keeper's legs.
Arsenal had about eighty minutes to get back in it but whatever atmosphere there might have been in the ground became poisoned and the confidence of the players had plummeted still further. The deficiencies of the defence pile pressure on the attack, and an attack lacking both Nasri and Fabregas struggled to create. There were sporadic spells of danger but Arshavin and Walcott were both wretched and so the responsibility to score had to be shouldered again by Van Persie, who cracked a shot off the post after some typically inventive individual play.
When Wilshere chipped a lovely ball through to Ramsey, the Welshman chested down and lined up a shot, but Richard Dunne slid back and did enough, perhaps illegally, to stop him from finishing. No penalty the decision.
Half time, Squillaci replaced by Chamakh, with Song dropping back to partner Vermaelen for the remainder. At last, a return to something like a 4-4-2, although Van Persie frequently dropped deep. There were more bodies in the box when Arsenal attacked, but they still struggled to make the pressure tell. Song was having one of his off days (complacency?) and nearly let Bent in for a hat trick goal by miscontrolling what should have been a harmless Villa pass.
Eventually, Chamakh found the net with a close range header; it was disallowed for what the referee saw as a push by the Moroccan. Already booked, Petrov should have seen red for a late tackle.
Late on, Van Persie scored from close range after a bit of a scramble. Not enough. Bendtner had replaced Arshavin on the left wing and tried his best but it is pretty pathetic watching a glorified target man plod along the touchline and then be told that this is a team that has lofty ambitions.
The final whistle was greeted by a mix of Villa cheers and Gooner boos and the sheepish looking Arsenal players, including Fabregas, embarked on a lap of dishonour around the half empty ground. Will the captain play for Arsenal again? You couldn't blame him for wanting out.
Now, amazingly, if Manchester City win their final two games, Arsenal will finish in 4th and have to play the qualifying round of the Champions League. The collapse continues- will it be arrested next season?
Monday, November 29, 2010
Villa 2-4 Arse: Arshavin Wakes Up
but Villa looked sleepy at the start of this particular early Saturday kick off.
Arsenal, on the other hand, were very quick out of the blocks. Their pressing and approach play was lively, but not matched by the necessary ruthlessness in front of goal. Chamakh was denied by Friedel in the first minute, and the otherwise impressive Rosicky spurned a couple of chances.
Villa missed the pace of Agbonlahor. Carew is not mobile enough to turn a defence, and the result was a half played mostly in Villa's half. Bobby Pires was rendered redundant.
Still, until the first goal you worried Arsenal would lack cutting edge.
Arshavin seems to have at last awoken from his slumbers. When Luke Young and Collins misjudged a high ball on halfway, the Russian attacked Dunne, cut inside and smashed a shot that Friedel got a hand to but couldn't keep out of the far corner. It was a goal that summed up the "something different" that Arshavin would ideally provide on a more regular basis.
Immediately after, he released Nasri, who danced around Friedel but could only waft a shot into the side netting from a difficult angle. A flowing move then ended with Sagna crossing for Chamakh, whose close range header was brilliantly repelled by Friedel. From the corner, Arshavin lofted all the way to Nasri. He caught the volley well, but it took a hefty deflection on its way past the keeper. 2-0 right on half-time, game over? Not for this team.
Villa had been abject to that point but were perhaps spurred on, so to speak, by recent events at the Emirates. Sure enough, the early goal came, smashed in by Clark after some fatal hesitation by Gael Clichy, and you thought, "here we go again". In fairness, the goal should have been disallowed- Carew stood offside, right in the line of Fabianski's vision, and the keeper may well have saved the piledriver had he not been unsighted. Still, the concession highlighted Arsenal's terminal inability to soak up a period of opposition pressure.
The Gunners, on this occasion, responded well. Only a few minutes later, Rosicky's slide rule pass released Chamakh who outpaced Dunne and slipped the ball under Friedel. Villa looked deflated all over again and there followed a period in which Arsenal should really have put things to bed, but fell into the old habit of overplaying around the box. And it looked like this profligacy was set to be punished when Villa pulled another back, Clark heading in via the bar after Arsenal predictably failed to clear a corner.
Nerves were jangling anew but strangely, Villa did not seem to gain a whole lot in momentum, and failed to make another clear-cut chance. The game was fizzling out a little so Arsenal decided to go chasing a goal in typically naive but entertaining fashion, and got it in stoppage time. Four forward, Denilson's blocked shot sat up for Chamakh, who unselfishly lobbed across the goalmouth, and Wilshere stooped to nod in his first Premiership goal for Arsenal.
Crisis averted? Until next time.
Arsenal, on the other hand, were very quick out of the blocks. Their pressing and approach play was lively, but not matched by the necessary ruthlessness in front of goal. Chamakh was denied by Friedel in the first minute, and the otherwise impressive Rosicky spurned a couple of chances.
Villa missed the pace of Agbonlahor. Carew is not mobile enough to turn a defence, and the result was a half played mostly in Villa's half. Bobby Pires was rendered redundant.
Still, until the first goal you worried Arsenal would lack cutting edge.
Arshavin seems to have at last awoken from his slumbers. When Luke Young and Collins misjudged a high ball on halfway, the Russian attacked Dunne, cut inside and smashed a shot that Friedel got a hand to but couldn't keep out of the far corner. It was a goal that summed up the "something different" that Arshavin would ideally provide on a more regular basis.
Immediately after, he released Nasri, who danced around Friedel but could only waft a shot into the side netting from a difficult angle. A flowing move then ended with Sagna crossing for Chamakh, whose close range header was brilliantly repelled by Friedel. From the corner, Arshavin lofted all the way to Nasri. He caught the volley well, but it took a hefty deflection on its way past the keeper. 2-0 right on half-time, game over? Not for this team.
Villa had been abject to that point but were perhaps spurred on, so to speak, by recent events at the Emirates. Sure enough, the early goal came, smashed in by Clark after some fatal hesitation by Gael Clichy, and you thought, "here we go again". In fairness, the goal should have been disallowed- Carew stood offside, right in the line of Fabianski's vision, and the keeper may well have saved the piledriver had he not been unsighted. Still, the concession highlighted Arsenal's terminal inability to soak up a period of opposition pressure.
The Gunners, on this occasion, responded well. Only a few minutes later, Rosicky's slide rule pass released Chamakh who outpaced Dunne and slipped the ball under Friedel. Villa looked deflated all over again and there followed a period in which Arsenal should really have put things to bed, but fell into the old habit of overplaying around the box. And it looked like this profligacy was set to be punished when Villa pulled another back, Clark heading in via the bar after Arsenal predictably failed to clear a corner.
Nerves were jangling anew but strangely, Villa did not seem to gain a whole lot in momentum, and failed to make another clear-cut chance. The game was fizzling out a little so Arsenal decided to go chasing a goal in typically naive but entertaining fashion, and got it in stoppage time. Four forward, Denilson's blocked shot sat up for Chamakh, who unselfishly lobbed across the goalmouth, and Wilshere stooped to nod in his first Premiership goal for Arsenal.
Crisis averted? Until next time.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Villa: Not an Easy Opportunity to Bounce Back
The wallowers face another test of their questionable mettle at Villa Park on Saturday.
Gerard Houllier and Arsene Wenger are good buddies with clashing philosophies. Houllier teams sit back and counter-punch. Wenger is, as we all know, committed to attack.
There are signs that Houllier's style of play has already taken root at Villa. In truth, it is not a huge departure from that of Martin O'Neill, who also seemed to lack any interest in aesthetics. But, by accident or by design, there is now less emphasis on the Big Man Upfront. Carew and Heskey have been unavailable and the long ball has become pointless. Villa now attack down the flanks at great pace and, as they showed against United a couple of weeks ago, are not afraid to commit bodies forward at the right moments. They were superb on the break for a lot of that second half and really deserved to be out of sight by the time they ran out of steam and let United back in.
Arsenal, in their current incarnation, are hugely susceptible to counter-attacking football. Manchester United and Chelsea have shown that it's the best way to beat them. Keep it tight in your own half- stay compact- defend deep. Spring into the space that Arsenal invariably leave open behind them. Sprint past the dawdling Denilson and the gawking Gael Clichy. BANG BANG they're dead.
Possession may be nine-tenths of the law but to Arsenal it seems a fair fraction of the problem. Possession alone doesn't score goals. Barcelona play the possession game best but they very rarely lack for a cutting edge and only use it in a defensive way when they're in a winning position. Too often, the Gunners lack a high tempo and their supposedly thrilling football starts to look like the dull swinging of a pendulum.
Houllier will relish the opportunity to sit back and let Arsenal worry about holding onto the ball. Even before Wenger became a purveyor of the possession game, his fellow Frenchman enjoyed the upper hand in their head-to-head battles.
That said, Arsenal have been either unusually solid or wonderfully lucky away from home in the Premiership this season. Only Chelsea have beaten the travelling Gunners, but this is a bit of a paradox to my mind because Arsenal haven't looked in complete control of many of those away games. Maybe that's a lesson in itself to Wenger. In the English league, sometimes it's GOOD not to have the ball. Teams don't tend to be that good with it. And you're more likely to score three passes after they give it away than after 33 tippy-tappy-touches.
I'm not suggesting we return to the days of George G but a little variation goes a long way...
Gerard Houllier and Arsene Wenger are good buddies with clashing philosophies. Houllier teams sit back and counter-punch. Wenger is, as we all know, committed to attack.
There are signs that Houllier's style of play has already taken root at Villa. In truth, it is not a huge departure from that of Martin O'Neill, who also seemed to lack any interest in aesthetics. But, by accident or by design, there is now less emphasis on the Big Man Upfront. Carew and Heskey have been unavailable and the long ball has become pointless. Villa now attack down the flanks at great pace and, as they showed against United a couple of weeks ago, are not afraid to commit bodies forward at the right moments. They were superb on the break for a lot of that second half and really deserved to be out of sight by the time they ran out of steam and let United back in.
Arsenal, in their current incarnation, are hugely susceptible to counter-attacking football. Manchester United and Chelsea have shown that it's the best way to beat them. Keep it tight in your own half- stay compact- defend deep. Spring into the space that Arsenal invariably leave open behind them. Sprint past the dawdling Denilson and the gawking Gael Clichy. BANG BANG they're dead.
Possession may be nine-tenths of the law but to Arsenal it seems a fair fraction of the problem. Possession alone doesn't score goals. Barcelona play the possession game best but they very rarely lack for a cutting edge and only use it in a defensive way when they're in a winning position. Too often, the Gunners lack a high tempo and their supposedly thrilling football starts to look like the dull swinging of a pendulum.
Houllier will relish the opportunity to sit back and let Arsenal worry about holding onto the ball. Even before Wenger became a purveyor of the possession game, his fellow Frenchman enjoyed the upper hand in their head-to-head battles.
That said, Arsenal have been either unusually solid or wonderfully lucky away from home in the Premiership this season. Only Chelsea have beaten the travelling Gunners, but this is a bit of a paradox to my mind because Arsenal haven't looked in complete control of many of those away games. Maybe that's a lesson in itself to Wenger. In the English league, sometimes it's GOOD not to have the ball. Teams don't tend to be that good with it. And you're more likely to score three passes after they give it away than after 33 tippy-tappy-touches.
I'm not suggesting we return to the days of George G but a little variation goes a long way...
Monday, April 12, 2010
United Held- Chelsea Hot Favourites Now
United are suffering the poorest sequence I can remember them having in quite a while.
After the first leg defeat to Bayern came the summit meeting with Chelsea, where they were largely outplayed and beaten 2-1. Then despite a riproaring opening half hour in the second leg against those 'typical Germans', United faded, the naive Rafael GOT HIMSELF sent off, and Arjen Robben's wondergoal squeezed Bayern through. And now, without Rooney, United's deficiencies were exposed again in a scoreless draw at Blackburn.
This leaves Chelsea potentially four points ahead, should they beat Bolton midweek, with just four games left through which to seal it. The momentum is theirs now, and they also have an FA Cup final to look forward to after beating Villa 3-0- Martin O'Neill's one-dimensional, tired-looking side have run out of steam just as they did last season. Chelsea's opponents will be Portsmouth. Heartwarming to see them beat their old manager, Harry Redknapp, and Spurs, in an extra-time thriller.
And if Arsenal rouse themselves to beat Spurs away on Wednesday, we can leapfrog United and apply some pressure to the leaders, although because of our inferior goal difference, Chelsea will have to drop points twice to let us in- and that's assuming we win every remaining game. Realistically, it's not going to happen... But realistically, we didn't have a chance after the consecutive defeats to United and Chelsea in February... You never know.
One has to admit, although I'm no fan of them, Chelsea have done well to ignore the absence of Michael Essien, probably their most influential player. There is now an irony to Alex Ferguson's earlier assertions that Chelsea are too old, as it is United who look over-reliant now on their experienced players. United gathered momentum in the time that the Champions League was in hibernation, but Giggs and Scholes cannot play twice a week, and United's younger players aren't up to the task yet either. Most of their defeats in the league have come after European games.
After the first leg defeat to Bayern came the summit meeting with Chelsea, where they were largely outplayed and beaten 2-1. Then despite a riproaring opening half hour in the second leg against those 'typical Germans', United faded, the naive Rafael GOT HIMSELF sent off, and Arjen Robben's wondergoal squeezed Bayern through. And now, without Rooney, United's deficiencies were exposed again in a scoreless draw at Blackburn.
This leaves Chelsea potentially four points ahead, should they beat Bolton midweek, with just four games left through which to seal it. The momentum is theirs now, and they also have an FA Cup final to look forward to after beating Villa 3-0- Martin O'Neill's one-dimensional, tired-looking side have run out of steam just as they did last season. Chelsea's opponents will be Portsmouth. Heartwarming to see them beat their old manager, Harry Redknapp, and Spurs, in an extra-time thriller.
And if Arsenal rouse themselves to beat Spurs away on Wednesday, we can leapfrog United and apply some pressure to the leaders, although because of our inferior goal difference, Chelsea will have to drop points twice to let us in- and that's assuming we win every remaining game. Realistically, it's not going to happen... But realistically, we didn't have a chance after the consecutive defeats to United and Chelsea in February... You never know.
One has to admit, although I'm no fan of them, Chelsea have done well to ignore the absence of Michael Essien, probably their most influential player. There is now an irony to Alex Ferguson's earlier assertions that Chelsea are too old, as it is United who look over-reliant now on their experienced players. United gathered momentum in the time that the Champions League was in hibernation, but Giggs and Scholes cannot play twice a week, and United's younger players aren't up to the task yet either. Most of their defeats in the league have come after European games.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Just When I Thought I Was Out...
THEY PULL ME BACK IN!
Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool
09/10 continues to defy convention. I'm happy we won a game- it seems like ages- but this recurring trope of crushing disappointment followed by nagging optimism is starting to seem a little cruel. Every time people start to write the season off, the door creaks back open. And yet the definitive sensation one feels is that it ultimately won't matter that much. But I guess it keeps things interesting, at least.
A relatively poor game at the Emirates lastnight, certainly a slow-burner. While some teams tend to fly out of the traps after a disappointment, Arsenal under Wenger have always had a tendency to get bogged down in adversity, especially in recent years. Disappointing results seem to breed a lethargy that borders on self-pity. So it was against Liverpool in the first half. We weren't helped, on the face of it, by Rafa Benitez' usual plan of containment. But then again, his team's negativity was such that there was little threat of the sucker punches we habitually walk into against the more aggressive United and Chelsea. Thus, despite a listless 45 minutes, Arsenal made it to half-time unscathed. Thereafter, there was an improvement in tempo, and the game opened up as Liverpool finally became attuned to the benefit that a more adventurous policy might bring them. In the second half, we had our only real counter-attack alarm, when Willy G chased back to execute a heroic challenge on Ngog just as his fellow Frenchman pulled the trigger. Generally, there was a sense that painful lessons might finally be sinking in. At one point, Andy Gray remarked that Arsenal kept five players back while on the attack (and with the scoreline goalless). Song and Diaby ensured that Liverpool were not granted the ocean of space that others have exploited in front of our centre-backs.
In an attacking sense, it wasn't the most cohesive performance but the result was paramount after recent setbacks. Bendtner gave us a focal point, an aerial target, things that have been missed in his and RVP's absence. That said, it's hard to escape the suspicion that he's just not a particulartly good footballer, although this was hardly the night to judge him, having only just returned from a lengthy enough layoff.
The decisive moment came with twenty minutes or so to go. Rosicky, having fluffed his lines when presented with our most clear-cut opportunity, reasserted his class. The Czech maestro provided what is known in the industry as a "goal ball", daring the profligate head of my pal Diaby to even try and miss. He didn't, and thus began the familiar spectacle of a jittery Arsenal ceding ground and seeming to invite disaster. One of the things that annoys me about this team is the way that their possession football is lauded, and yet deserts them in these situations. Surely possession football is most effective when there is a lead to protect. Teams laugh in the face of our fannying around on the edge of the area, but those guffaws would turn to tears if we used that ability while they were chasing the game. I think of Barcelona's utter mastery of the ball and the game after Eto'o's opener against United in May. But I guess efficiency just isn't in our DNA. Quite the opposite. Strange things seem to happen when we're defending a lead- lastnight we were granted the spectacle of Vermaelen charging forward looking for a killer second, and Theo Walcott, when presented with the ball near the corner flag, effectively back-passing it to Pepe Reina so that Liverpool could launch another attack.
For neutrals, it's part of the charm, but I could do without that stress.
As alluded to earlier, there was food for thought elsewhere. United dropped points at Villa- and it could have been worse if Martin O'Neill's negative streak hadn't infected his team after Nani's red card in the first half. You can really tell by his reaction to Wenger's supposed "long ball" jibe that there is some truth in the apparent accusation- why else would he get so worked up about it? Villa are surely too one-dimensional to finish in the top four this season. People talk about Arsenal's inability to adapt, but at least OUR one dimension is an entertaining one. As far as I can tell, Villa just play like the away team, wherever the venue, whatever the circumstance. Lastnight, United's ten men made most of the running but it finished 1-1 and so the momentum they have ominously threatened lately is now somewhat hindered.
Speaking of momentum, Chelsea's apparent inability to build much of it may yet prove fatal to their hopes. Whatever their current strengths, they are not the relentless machine we saw under Mourinho. After their drubbing of Arsenal at their Emirates, they succumbed to a come-from-behind Man City at Eastlands; there was a sense of deja vu lastnight as Florent Malouda's early opener was consigned to memory by a fine Louis Saha double. Once again, Chelsea failed to build on a win against Arsenal, and their season has been littered with poor performances and results away from home.
A nice night overall was rounded off by Spurs' capitulation to Wolves, a rousing response to their manager's assertion that they can overhaul Arsenal, and should already be third themselves. Our 'Arry reckons that Spurs have thrown away leads that should have seen them to a much stronger position. Presumably, these include 0-0 leads against Wolves (twice) and Stoke. Fack off 'Arry. Now we know where Jamie gets his brains from.
A word also for Steven Gerrard, who subjected Arsenal to another diving masterclass. An irony seemed to pass unnoticed during the recent John Terry furore- few seemed bothered that one of the supposed candidates to replace him in the "hallowed" role of England captain was a cheating hypocrite who beat the shite out of a DJ for not playing a Phil Fucking Collins record. I'll say no more on that.
And finally, what do we make of this:
1. Chelsea 58
2. Man Utd 57
3. Arsenal 52
With twelve games each left to play?
I say, don't get your hopes up, it's a two-horse race.
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the top two could lose a couple more games each, or at least drop enough points for Arsenal to again scent blood. But does anyone really see the killer instinct in this team? Actually, can anyone even IMAGINE Arsenal as champions, especially after the last couple of weeks? I certainly can't.
For one thing, we'd have to win almost every remaining game to stand any chance. I know we went on a decent run after the first Chelsea tonking, but to repeat that at this stage of the season and with the major prizes in sight is a different proposition. I still think that Wenger missed a trick (or four) in the last couple of transfer windows, and Saha's impact against Chelsea, if you're looking for negatives, can be seen to reinforce that. He made Terry look like a chump on a couple of occasions, simply by being a very decent forward player. Something that Arsenal have shown themselves to lack. To be brutally honest, I think that if this set of Arsenal players were somehow presented with a genuine chance of winning the title, they would contrive to mess it up. That's not pessimsim, but my considered opinion.
Basically: it would be ridiculous, after all I've written here, if I were to now state that I truly believe Arsenal can win the Premiership.
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