For those of you, like me, who eagerly anticipated the game yesterday and got yourself in front of a television screen whereby you could spent the latter half of your Bank Holiday Monday glued to your favourite team try their best to seal third place, you’ll most likely then be as bitterly disappointed as I was. And maybe slightly worried that a certain St. Totteringham’s day won’t happen (well, until the last day of the season, where it doesn’t really count)… and of course, a slight worry that we may be picked by Sp*rs for 3rd. Highly unlikely considering we play Fulham at home on the weekend before their UEFA cup final and Sp*rs have two away games in quick succession first against Man City and then Burnley…
For us, it was a third defeat in as many games – in fact, we’ve only got 1 point in the last 12 – which means it’s been an end of season collapse and it is a painful one considering that we were still in the title race with five games to go. But for me, what hurts the most is the lack of passion from the team. In the last few games, without our leaders (I’d consider the leaders to be Vermaelen, Gallas, Cesc and Song), we’re a shadow of our former selves.
It’s painful because we have obvious weakness that we don’t see getting fixed and it’s painful because apart from Sol Campbell and maybe RvP, no one yesterday stood up and said, “hey, let’s fight for the shirt”… If you remember the game against Sheffield United in 2006, we were beaten the same way with the same excuses. Yes, other teams get physical, but don’t deny that we don’t. We’ve seen Diaby, Denilson, Song and Campbell get quite physical and with Vieira and Petit back in the day, we used to out physique the opposition.
I write what I write with a whole load of players missing – arguably the spine of the team. But it highlights the fact that the reserves have not much spirit and enthusiam if as soon as a few players are injured we go onto lose to Sp*rs, Wigan and then Blackburn…
Just to top it all off, we had another dismal performance from Fabianski – and I just don’t know what Arsene sees in him. He is pretty hopeless. We’re all just glad when he catches the ball. Surely that is what is expected of him… Fabianski’s form this year has seen him play 9 games – his stats being… Won 2, Lost 6 and Drawn 1 – he’s conceded 16 goals in those 9 games and has only had one clean sheet. And that’s good enough from a keeper. Despite what Arsene says, he wasn’t fouled for the second goal. He was just hopeless.
Positives to be taken from yesterday’s game – well, Van Persie is looking sharp, but that doesn’t help us as much as it helps Holland… and that’s about it.
Negatives are quite a lot… despite our massive squad size, most of the stand in’s don’t have the bit between their tail at the moment and it’s a sign of the quality of the fringe players when they can’t beat the likes of Wigan and Blackburn… Traore was woeful again at left back. Silvestre must leave, he is terrible – why don’t we blood a youngster instead of insisting on playing someone who is such a liability? Eboue was thrown in at centre midfield and looked out of sorts – Arsene, why didn’t you just play Eastmond? Walcott looks like he is devoid of any real craft and ideas in the final third and Vela and Eduardo look like they have both regressed a few years.
One youngster whom I would have liked to have seen instead of Silvestre this season is Havard Nordtveit, currently on loan at Nurnberg… who interesting enough isn’t sure of his Arsenal future right now…
“I will return to Arsenal and take part in pre-season there. More? I don’t know. I will finish the season in Germany and then comes my first real holiday for two years. I’ll make sure I’m well prepared when the season starts for Arsenal. There’s a lot of young players who get a chance at Arsenal, including in the League Cup. But if they want to loan me out to a Championship side or a club in the lower half of the Premiership, it would be great.”
I must apologise for the heaps of negativity, but we need to get rid of a few players, get in some big characters, and clean up the squad a little. We have a good nucleus, but we need to fix what is broken, we need to fix what was broken in 2006. We have £50m sitting in an account accruing interest, but it’s time to ensure we put it to good use and become a force once again…
Starting perhaps with Buffon, one of the world’s best, who interestingly said this:
“If I had to leave, I think England would be my destination. My desire to leave Juve is equal to that of Juve’s will to have me leave. At this time there is nothing [to discuss] but there are two weeks to go [before the end of the season] and anything can happen. “Juve always has the priority and we will see if we will decide for our paths to continue together.”
Is the old man tired of the Italian league finally and ready to kick off a career down at the Emirates? Arsene, what are your thoughts?
