Robin van Persie now delivering the form that we always knew that he could provide as long as he stayed fit. With a goal in each of the last seven games he is fast becoming a major threat to defences in the Premier league and Europe with his quick feet and eye for goal. He lacks only the perfection of his set pieces to truly become the player who alongside Fabregas can fashion a real charge at the premiership title. The thing that worries me as a Gooner is that every season we see the same potential expectation which then gets dashed by inconsistent performances and defensive lapses. This season the form of Gallas and Vermaelen has provided the foundation required. They communicate well together and this may be the reason why we are doing so well.
Arsene Wenger display of passion against the Scum last Saturday has been the subject of much debate. His violent throwing down of his jacket in frustration at the inability to communicate with his players was very revealing. He claimed that the stadium was louder than he was used to. Is this an indictment on the usually quiet fans or a Freudian slip? Who cares.. for this season he intends to deliver on his promise and he will stop at nothing to get there. The problem apparently was Diaby who failed to get back into the paired defensive formation in front of the back four. Diaby has been inconsistent the last few games, and his inability to work in a focused way means that despite his great potential, he cannot yet adapt to the role given him by Arsene.
It should be the opportunity for other midfielders to adapt to the system, but I see a worrying trend developing and the problems may all be of our own making. There are times when the body language of the players suggest that they themselves have difficulty understanding each other. Hand signals and gestures are normal in such fast paced games, but look at Song, he goes about his work in a very focused way and his blocks and defensive skills have been supplemented by his stamina to provide the central defensive midfield holding player that we have desired. Yet there were moments where lapses in communication between himself and other players left gaps.
I am minded to suggest that this is a language thing? What evidence do I have for this? Well Song and Diaby both speak French, so at first glance my theory must be implausible. The language barriers is said not to be a problem in our cosmopolitan squad and the players are obliged to speak English in training sessions, but I disagree in the heat of the moment what young player can translate and express in a second tongue whilst under pressure to perform?. The admission that language was causing problems during the game would be damaging in itself, but when I see simple errors occurring between two players followed by the shrugging of shoulders which says “I didn’t understand that you wanted me to do that” then perhaps we need to consider that possibility.
The solution may be logical in that Arsenal players means of communication will only improve the more games they play together, so that the spoken language is replaced by the intuitive language of the game. This cohesion will be supplemented by a real fraternity, a bonding that no amount of huddles will ever achieve. This means that the players themselves must take more responsibility and play with more discipline. To shut out games that are to arrive as the relegation dogfights begin in earnest in the new year will mean that despite not having a squad that is strong to beat Chelsea and Man United to the title on merit alone we will benefit from the fact that other teams are getting stronger are now getting results against our rivals. This will play into our hands. So this season’s title will be decided by the performances and results between the top five teams. Chelsea, Man United Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City. In just over two months time we will know if our fledgling hopes of winning the premier league will have grown into a powerful force. Good luck lads.