It’s safe to say that the game at Ipswich was one of the most disappointing performances we’ve seen from The Arsenal this season. But we did bounce back at West Ham, thankfully.
I didn’t go to Ipswich myself but when the final whistle was blown, I shared the feelings of anger, frustration and confusion shown by the 4,500 loyal Gooners who made the journey to Portman Road last Wednesday. Anyway, I’ll go straight to the point…
We. Were. Awful. When Sky Sports announced the team, I felt encouraged. It wasn’t our strongest squad admittedly, but I honestly felt the side put out was good enough to get a positive result. We also had the bonus of having Cesc in the team too, which was surprising to say the least. I wasn’t demanding a 4-0 rout or anything like that, but just a comfortable win that would – pretty much – see us through to our first Wembley final for 3 years.
But as you know, this didn’t happen. Cesc was totally off the pace. Wilshere didn’t perform either. Denilson gave it away far too much. And God knows why our defence couldn’t deal with their “rugby” clearances to the only lonely, Tamas Priskin.
I love watching Fabregas play. His desire to win is unquestionable. But nothing seemed to go right for him against the Tractor Boys on their home turf. He wasn’t the only one obviously but he was far from the worst. I’m only picking out Cesc, because it’s such a very rare sight to see him play so off the pace.
The smile Wenger gave at the final whistle was very concerning too. Why would an ambitious manager, who has just seen his team play so badly in a semi final of a domestic cup, be smiling like he’s content with a 1-0 loss to a, let’s be honest, mediocre Championship side.
If it was a league match, his actions would be quite different. He would tearing his hair out, and then his ears and then his eyes. I’m going over the top there because such a performance would NEVER happen in a Premier League game.
Like at Upton Park on Saturday evening, we saw a completely different team. Our midfield literally dominated the game, van Persie performed very well, getting a much needed brace and our back 5 got a well-deserved clean sheet. The match statistics were impressive too. I’m sure you’ve heard the one about how Cesc had more touches in the first half than their entire midfield. Everyone was on form, and seemed up for it. We were simply awesome. It’s unbelievable to think that we bounced back so quickly in just 3 days…
Obviously the team selection wasn’t as strong as a league game – like we saw at West Ham – but there’s a few signals that have indicated to me that we might have thrown the game. I don’t think Wenger was quite looking for a loss, but part of me feels that it would be a good idea to “keep it interesting” for the home leg.
Wenger – and ultimately the board – are very keen to succeed on a financial basis. They want a full house at The Emirates on the 25th – so understandably, from a business point of view, why would we want to make the final so prematurely when we could keep it a close tie, bring in a plentiful attendance and make a significant profit?
I would like to re-iterate that this is just pure speculation. I don’t fully believe this is the actual case, but there was something a little fishy about last Wednesday night – and I’m not talking about the latest hairstyle of Alex Song!
On a final note, I feel for the fans that made the long trip to Suffolk. And I can understand that reading this article probably isn’t going to improve your mood. So I’d just like to take the opportunity to say that I’m very proud to be part of the hugely dedicated supporters group. Home or away, win or lose, we’ll always be there for the next one, supporting our Reds.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
