Ok, so I’ve had a go at blogging before, and it went quite well... until I couldn’t be arsed to get up in the morning a write a daily blog, at which point I packed it in. Ever since then I’ve been venting my frustrations through Twitter and Facebook, but now it’s time to get back into the swing of things. Another season that promised so much is coming to another disappointing end. So what’s the matter?
Well, unsurprisingly, there seem to be a lot of things wrong with this side. Things they do, things that happen to them and things that nobody can explain.
First of all, we have had our moments this season. Some great football at both ends of the pitch and some memorable performances. The highlights for me were the two games against Man City – a side who both Chelsea and United struggle against. We beat them 3-0 away and gave them a footballing lesson at home (minus the end product, but hey). Yes, Chelsea at home was impressive, but they were going through an awful run of form. Even our goals against Barca, whilst bringing ecstasy to half of North London, came against a tiring side. The Man City games showed what this Arsenal side is capable of. The only thing is, those games were by no means the only times we’ve bossed teams this season – yet our results list would suggest otherwise.
That’s the thing. It used to be said that, when Arsenal played well, we won. It has also been said for some years now that the difference between us and a championship-winning side is that we are unable to win when we don’t play well. So what has changed? Well, this season, Arsenal have too often been unable to win when playing well. Whether through a lack of ideas or through some bizarre turn of events, we have managed to find a way of undermining every advantage we have had this season.
There have been games such as Man City and Liverpool at home that we have dominated, yet we have not been able to win. I could dwell on those, but there will always be games like that. Let’s instead have a look at the many ridiculous ways Arsenal have conspired to throw it away this season:
At first, this looks like a list of different ways to lose a game. However, I don’t believe in coincidence, and sometimes a pattern can begin to emerge. For example, does one cock-up cause the team to lose confidence? Well, the grouping of cock-ups would (worryingly) suggest that this may be the case. The first and third were separated by only 6 league games, with the Sp*rs game in the middle. It seems the team perhaps took their time to get back into the swing of things.
Then there’s the Newcastle game, which some would argue was the most demoralising event this season. You could see the effect on the Arsenal side. The Carling Cup final followed 3 weeks later and, Barcelona at home aside, Arsenal haven’t looked the same since.
But why, you may ask, do the side let such freak accidents get them so down, if there’s no reason for them? Surely shit just happens and there’s no reason to let it affect future performances? Well, what if there is more to it? What if the players themselves know more about this team than the ordinary supporter? Having thought long and hard, I am beginning to fear that this is the case.
Any solid defence is built upon the strongest foundations; 2 centre-backs and a goalkeeper. In fact, if the centre-backs are solid enough, the keeper isn’t required to do as much as he otherwise would be. So, let’s look at that centre-back pairing for Arsenal. It is widely accepted that Arsenal’s first-choice pairing would now be Vermaelen and Djourou – offering the ideal combination of pace and height. However, due to Vermaelen’s ‘3-week’ injury keeping him out all season, we have had a combination of Koscielny and Djourou (affectionately known as ‘the Djourscielny axis’) – thanks to Arseblog for these names. When Djourou has been unavailable, we have even been ‘treated’ to the delights of the Squiscielny axis. Individually, all these players have their merits; Vermaelen is quick and possesses a phenomenal leap, Djourou is strong and good in the air, Koscielny reads play well and is excellent in a 1-on-1 situation, an
d Squillaci is a very experience player and fine as a 4th-choice centre back. Even as combinations, with the exception of the Squiscielny axis, most fans seem to have no problems with the strength of our defence as players – yet most will accept there is something wrong when tested as a defence. That is to say the players are good enough individually, but not collectively.
Having looked at this, it becomes clear that our two main partnerships this season each have clear weaknesses, which have been exploited, or at least have been made clear for all to see. Let’s present out cock-up table differently:
Inept Swiss referees aside, it becomes clear that both partnerships Arsenal have used this season have fairly substantial weaknesses – and the players know it. As many have always pointed out, the Squiscielny axis lacks the height and physical ability to dominate at the back, and as such can get bullied. Whilst Carroll’s winner for Newcastle may be down to a Fabianski flap, he only felt the need to come for it as he knew that there was nobody else who could make that ball theirs. Sp*rs comeback came from a combination of long balls (Defoe somehow won a header) and set-piece goals, while there was nobody to head a bobbling ball out of the box against Wigan.
Perhaps the Djourscielny axis shows more promise, and the weakness is less worrying. They are both very young as defenders go, and their confidence should improve, but then maybe we should be asking the question as to whether we should ever have to play two players there who are so inexperienced.
To me, this problem seems a very hard one to crack. You can’t really win unless Vermaelen stays fit. We have been linked with Mamadou Sakho, who is a top defender, but he is still learning his trade and is not ready to go straight into a title-chasing Premiership team. Wenger moved for experience at the start of the season when he brought in Squillaci, but as we’ve seen older players might be less suited physically to top-level football. The solution may seem obvious, but buying players at their peak also means buying players when they’re most expensive and that very rarely ends up being good value for your money.
So what should we do? Well, it’s clear that this side is bursting with talent. There is enough ability there to fill one of Sam Allardyce’s jackets (trust me, it takes a lot) and we should not forget this fact. The weakness there is a mental one. They know what it’s like to lose. There may be a desire to win, but there is not the experience of winning. It’s not so much a case of the players not knowing how to win, but more a case of them knowing that they can lose, and lose from any position. One of the Invincibles once said something along the lines of how they knew every time they went out onto the pitch that they were going to win. You just get the feeling of uncertainty with this team, and you know that the players feel the same.
There are plenty of players out there who I could see us buying and who are maybe better than what we have – but how many of them are those players who have won things? Sakho, Hazard – heck, even De Rossi, Chiellini and Cahill at the top end of the market – could all improve our side. But what have they won? Nothing of note. They might give us more talent, but we don’t need that. All things considered, we just need time. And trust me, that hurts to say. I’m fed up saying it, but once you look at everything there, that’s all it is. The players who are entering their prime such as van Persie (27) and Sagna (28) are our best and most consistent performers. That comes with time. Yes, you’ll have your Wilsheres and Nasris who are already at the top level, but just imagine where they’ll be in 4 years! Yes, there are players who might not make it. Eboue and Clichy especially strike me as two very talented players who just haven’t developed the maturity required to perform at a high level and with good consistency. Players like that are too error-prone. I suppose it’s much easier to accept that from a younger player (as with Szczesny against Birmingham and against Sp*rs), but there comes a point in time when you have to accept you’ve made too many excuses.
My other problem with this current side is not the first XI. There’s enough there to beat anyone. The problem lies in the players who come in when our first XI aren’t fit. They are ok when we’re winning, and when only one or two have to play, but every time we’ve played our second string, they’ve struggled – even against Leyton Orient! Players like Denilson and Rosicky need to be moved on so we can have strong options coming off the bench, but also players who we don’t mind fielding when we have injuries. I accept top players won’t want to sit on the bench – but what’s wrong with a bit of competition? Price doesn’t necessarily correspond to ability.
So, there we have it. The solution is simple:
We have to sort our heads out.
