You Can Stop The Rocking Wenger!!

By JAMES CURTIS Rocking back and forth in the dug-out was a troubled Arsene Wenger. Cesc Fabregas had just missed a penalty at 1-0 and the overwrought Frenchman was left pondering whether this would be another defining moment to rue. Wenger just doesn’t do cool these days and had to sit on his hands in case his anxious split personality burst out from within and strangled Pat Rice. He said the win was down to his team’s patience and calm. It was huge, especially with the threat of another Adebayor nightmare and falling eight points behind Chelsea, but the truth remains, everybody connected with Arsenal still felt the solicitude of playing a top rival, even with a man advantage. 

The air of calmness Wenger spoke about was certainly not emitted from the away bench. If the average fan I watched the game with had to be placed anywhere at Eastlands, it would have been hidden away somewhere behind the substitutes for all the nerves. After Dedryck Boyata was sent off if was difficult to see where City’s disadvantage was. Arsenal hadn’t quite found their composure and the usual doubts crept in as David Da Silva made mince-meat of what was before him. In the end though, Arsenal pieced together a brilliant 3-0 win. Building a new indomitable Arsenal monster will be slow coming, but the manner in which City were beaten should mean Wenger’s Frankenstein now has one eye open. 

Beating Blackpool, Blackburn, Bolton and Birmingham helps the self-esteem, but it does little in preparation for a Sunday headliner against Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City. Only by beating the big teams do you feel unconquerable the next time you meet. This is simply a domino effect, and in recent years Arsenal’s train of little black and white tablets were yet to be flicked-started; until yesterday perhaps. A loud explosion filled Eastlands when Nicklas Bendtner, the B52, dropped an incendiary bomb to complete Arsenal’s second-half offensive. His timing to spring back from an injury with a goal was pertinent and his celebration was God-like. 

For Roberto Mancini, it’s easy to say with even teams City would have taken the game. Yes, they did look hungry in the opening minutes, but then they should, always, never forgetting the sums they earn. Arsenal’s unforgiving sharpness though can hit you flat-footed and because of just a moment’s sleepiness from the home side, to let Fabregas wander from his cell to do as he pleased, meant the damage was already done We’ve seen the long legs of Marouane Chamakh draw defenders into tackles before and we’ve seen the outcome. This time it brought the letter of the law down upon Mancunia. The last man had to go, and somebody, somewhere, stretched out a finger and set Arsenal’s domino trail on its way. 

Lukas Fabianski was a rallying body between the sticks, promoting the heavy refinery that would be needed for such an occasion. The City of Manchester Stadium has become an emotional place since the Sheiks rolled in, so those Mancunians were seething and slobbering every time Alex Song or Fabregas put a boot in. The Polish goalkeeper decided it would be him who would keep them as sedated as possible – no infinite amount of anaesthetic can keep a Manc completely numb – and it rippled through the rest of the team. Big saves do more than just keep the scores low; since the guy with the gloves literally cleans up the dregs of others and never wants thanks for it, these become heartrending moments. In short: game-changers. 

By the final whistle Fabianski had a whole load of muck on his gloves but an equal amount of thanks from everybody else involved. The cost of two excellent saves from David Da Silva was priceless and was the starting place for all of Arsenal’s patience. Without a scoreless foundation there is no way Arsenal’s outfield players would have had such time to go about prizing City open. Going a goal down would have led to a more frantic affair where the typical hurried axis of evil take over Arsenal and make them cross to nobody, try long ball and basically turn into everything Arsenal work tirelessly against. I’ve seen it enough and it never works. Is it safe to say then, Arsenal have found their new janitor in goal? Will Fabianski be the unmovable Number One? 

That will become clear probably around Christmas when games come around fast and a keeper finds himself neck-deep in muck Usually that’s the time when how consistently well a man can deal with such mess comes under real scrutiny. For now though something is stirring inside Fabianski and having the remnants of a possible No.1 is big news. The defensive problems are inescapable, but Insider Vic Crescit takes a big enough look at that in the day’s previous post. My Sunday afternoon continued in good spirits with a viewing of ‘The Other Guys’. Will Ferrell might have made me laugh, but I knew the hilarity filling the room came from the shared image of Adebayor heading over, running offside, and finishing his own Sabbath day on a downer. The only blemish re-watching the class goals from Samir Nasri, Song and Bendtner, were the tires of fat that spilled from Mark Lawrenson’s cheap stripy shirt. 

Today it’s half-term for teachers and children across the country. This morning when she’d otherwise be at work, I came downstairs to find my mum in flames after she’d got too close to an omelette on the cooker. Taking a peak around the living room door a little while ago, she had the same look as Wenger had sitting in his dug-out chair yesterday, and might even have been stirring a little bit too. With honesty, I’d much prefer it was her rocking back and forth in a chair than the Arsenal manager and the hope now is, with the win against Manchester City, Arsenal can go on to mirror it against the rest. 

THE ARSENAL

{jcomments on}

JimC

More Posts