If there was any hope for a League Cup victory amongst supporters in the crowd at Wembley Stadium, it was not to be, as for the third consecutive match, Arsenal failed to put in a winning performance. Since beating Everton at the beginning of February, they have twice been shut out at Wembley by top 6 rival and added an embarrassing capitulation to FK Ostersunds at home (luckily advancing on aggregate). Despite their struggles in the 2 games prior to Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final, there was still enough effort on display in those matches to warrant a Man of the Match distinction for at least one player. Petr Cech was responsible for keeping the loss to Tottenham from turning into a multi-goal embarrassment, taking honours for that match. Against Ostersunds, Granit Xhaka was the pick due to the solidity and calm he brought to the midfield after his halftime substitution for Ainsley Maitland-Niles. However, choosing any of the 14 players that took the Wembley pitch on Sunday for the club may just be a bridge too far.
A quick rundown, if I may: David Ospina was the opposite of a calming influence for the Arsenal defence; Calum Chambers somehow managed to look calm and collected while making absolutely appalling decisions with ball, including multiple ill-advised back passes; Shkodran Mustafi committed a cardinal sin by getting wrong sided by the striker from a goal kick; Laurent Koscielny looks a shadow of his former self; all 3 wingbacks who played did not offer enough width to the attack and spent most of their time in the backline, allowing 3 goals in spite of their presence; all 5 midfielders that played were sluggish, beaten to every loose ball and shockingly wayward with their passing; both strikers were apparently just out there for show, if their lack of service was anything to go by. How does one pick the best out of that lot?
To be blunt, I won’t. In that event Gooners, your Man of the Match is…Gunnersaurus! That’s right, the club mascot since 1994 gets my vote. Why, you ask? That jolly green creature was given an impossible task on Sunday. Many fans were apprehensive before the match due to Arsenal’s recent form and the quality of opponent, but by the 60th minute, most had seen enough. Gunnersaurus never once lost his warm smile through the embarrassing display, supporting his club to the bitter end.
The rotund mascot has seen some of the highest of the highs from his beloved Gunners, but Sunday felt more like last season’s 10-2 aggregate Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich, or 2011’s 8-2 embarrassment at the hands of Manchester United. In a way, it is a testament to Arsene Wenger’s consistency that the last 2 decades have seen relatively few embarrassments of this magnitude, but Sunday will almost certainly go down as one of those matches in the club’s history, not so much because of the scoreline as the dearth of effort and steel every player showed. Some supporters are at their wits end with the club right now, but not Gunnersaurus. For his constant, unwavering support, warmth toward young fans of the club and for sitting through all 90 minutes of the most pathetic performance of the season, that lovable green dinosaur is your Man of the Match.
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