The win at Wolves felt like those Saturdays when you wake up with a hangover, knowing the night before was a quality one and so you’re quite happy festering in the pain of throbbing temples and aching alcohol joints. Arsenal’s win wasn’t pretty even if the two goals from Maroune Chamakh were, but I’m sure any Arsenal fan would have been happy to take that ugly dehydrated morning feel which was representative of Arsenal’s away tactics last night just to get the win and subsequently that small grin, the ones you pull when the memories of a messy night become clear.
The Newcastle result on Sunday wasn’t a surprise. Arsenal had played scantily against West Ham and Shaktar Donesk, each player’s care in precision like some bored worker manning a conveyor belt in a biscuit factory, taking the eye off the job with a heavy cheek slumped into a loose hand. It really was below par for a team raised on being meticulous and dedicated towards the finer details of their chosen profession.
And that’s it: boredom! I met a friend after the West Ham game and over a pint he told me Arsenal were bored with teams coming and setting up stall. But this is no excuse. Yes, a midweek Carling Cup win away at Newcastle was open and thrilling and the players responded well. Arsenal need cups but a win at home in the league is far more important.
Fixtures against West Ham and Newcastle shouldn’t be gloomy days of boredom but chances to prove creativity and express inventive styles. Needless to say, the Manchester derby was fruitless producing any of that and I doubt those players have the same qualities that Arsenal do. At times though, that class seems to be chained up somewhere within the depths of the Emirates and not out on the playing field. No doubt Arsenal players posses the magic, but they must show it before the boredom becomes a fixed habit.
There were some spells against Newcastle where Arsenal were class pressing the ball. One of the great things about The Invincible team was the way they forged tri-angles around the opposition and hunted in packs. Arsenal’s appetite for the scrap died prematurely on Sunday, like the optimism of the Arsenal faithful. Just when you think the team is evolving – victory away at Man. City – they find a rock and crawl back under.
Perhaps the problem is that we compare to much our present teams with past greats. Taking the season as it is, the signs indicate that this Arsenal team are just leaving the starting blocks, and only because of the away win last night together with Chelsea’s inability to pull away at the top. From the stands, ears are burning to hear the starting pistol and for Arsenal to stop lacing up their boots and get moving.
Somehow then, Arsenal’s season is alive. Aside from Chelsea, the chasing pack are comical in themselves. I’ve never seen a Manchester United team rely so heavily on so little; players like Chorizo Hernandez, Haircut Mancheda and the guy who played that crazy scientist in Tim Burton’s ‘A Nightmare Before Christmas’, what’s his name, Obertan?
Alive, kicking, heading, tackling and muddying the Arsenal colours at Molineux were notably Alex Song, Bacary Sagna and the ever improving Lukas Fabianski. Eldo took some stick for his denigration of the Pole although his own deniability is somewhat defensible. Time is against Arsenal and the fans can’t be hearing much more that about how the team are ‘learning’, ‘improving’ and will come through ‘the test’. No wonder a few of us are a little heated.
Fabianski skipped the test when Wenger took years messing around with his keepers. At 3-0 a blunder between the posts can be pushed down and forgotten. At level scores a cock-up will be caught on camera frame by frame, each milli-emotion on the forlorn keeper’s face highlighted and blown up onto the back pages, but not before being stored in the archives, only to be revivified when the next wobbler threatens to ruin a his career. And you can be sure, it will happen.
A keeper’s blushes can be saved by the men in front of him. Andrei Arshavin really needs to learn how to finish one-on-ones. More of the same from Jack Wilshere too, like when he anticipated and broke up play early in the second half. One pass and Arsenal were in. Last ditch tackles like one from Sagna in the 46th minute and early balls into the box like the one from Song after 44 seconds. Another day and Song would have passed short to the overlapping full-back before the ball was handed around the edge of the penalty area, then back again like an empty church collection plate. Hopefully Arsenal have woken up to the effectiveness of basic football.
Those still hungover on Arsenal’s edgy victory, you’ve every right to turn over and lie in now.
THE ARSENAL
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