Start by doing what’s necessary;
then do what’s possible;
and suddenly you are doing the impossible

- St Francis of Assisi

A morning where all and sundry continue their onslaught against Arsenal, Arsene in particular bearing the brunt of the criticism. Questioning the decisions of the manager is part of a healthy debate into the state of affairs at the club and should not be discouraged otherwise complacency sets in.

Where I take issue is when abuse becomes part of the ‘game’ which is counterproductive in both analysis and resolution. Put simply, if you do not have the mental capacity to put forward cogent arguments, do not bother; abuse means your input is instantly devalued and ignored. Indeed, this aspect erodes the pleasure many of us derive from watching and talking about football.

Sanity is in short supply. The media love a good transfer story and when they don’t get their fill, as happened in January, the only solution to all ills which may afflict a club is that they should have signed someone. In Arsenal’s case, a centre forward. Or industrious midfielder. Or centre back. Or goalkeeper. Therein is the problem. No-one could agree on which position needed most urgent attention – if any did – and how the multi-million pound spree required to satisfy everyone’s desires was to be funded.

Undoubtedly Wenger has money to spend. A lot of his transfer pot – Arsenal admit that this funds both new signings and contract extensions – was spent tieing down the current squad to long-term deals. Accusations that this has led to complacency and arrogance are without foundation; none of us knows the individuals involved and therefore you cannot say with any degree of certainty that these traits have suddenly risen to the surface in any player. You can assume that but at the same time, you will presumably not mind if we make some assumptions about you.

We simply do not know how much there is available. Arsenal has a ethos of not talking transfers until they happen although at times talking about it several days after deals are known to be completed is a touch too secretive. Wenger created a rod for his own back after recent transfer windows by mentioning failures in transfer negotiations, something that started with the attempt to sign Xabi Alonso. Open-ness has its pitfalls as well.

These are testing times for the squad. In years to come, it can be looked back upon as character building for them. Unfortunately, the Premier League’s creation eradicated long-term views; it enhanced focus on the short-term where resolution is simple: sack the manager, allow their replacement to spend a sum equivalent to the GDP of a small nation and then sack them when they do not bring in trophies.

Arsenal stand firm as a mote of rationality in this maelstrom. Transfers are funded from the business. It might change if ownership falls into one pair of hands but at this moment in time, cloth is cut according to that which is available, rather than nipping in through the back window of the tailor shop next door and stealing theirs. Is it the correct route? Yes. Only Chelsea and Manchester United has won the Premier League title in the last decade, aside from Arsenal. Aston Villa, Tottenham, Manchester City; they have all spent vast sums in recent seasons but are with the exception of the latter, no nearer to the title than they were last season.

Buying a player or two will be necessary in the summer and depending on the nature of those incoming, moving to the next level may occur. It might not and then we will be where we are now. A top three side with an outside chance of the title and a 1 in 16 chance of winning the Champions League.

Wenger’s problem this time around is that he has admitted to putting his eggs into two baskets: the Premier and Champions League. Domestic cups are highly valued in the press for they save effort, stories almost pre-written before finals and no sniffing around hunting for tattle to fill column inches. The FA Cup is losing its shine, saved this season by the exploits of Leeds and Reading. Looking at the upcoming fixtures, there are few shocks which can have a reasonable chance of occurring, it might even be a shock if Southampton do not dump Portsmouth’s run into the depths of The Solent.

The media are unforgiving if cup competitions are disrespected, losing little chance to lambast Manchester United for their failure to compete at the turn of the century. Ironically, the same hacks who criticise Arsene for not fielding his strongest team at Stoke wanted United to do the same whilst the first team competed for Fifa’s World Club Cup.

Liverpool represents the same opportunity as Chelsea. A chance to get back to winning ways. Victory coupled with the failure of Chelsea and United to take maximum points reduces the nine-point gap to the top which currently exists. No doubt that this would make the world around Arsenal seem less grey. Crucially, it offers hope. Without that, what is the point of following a football club?

’til Tomorrow.

Chelsea 2 – 0 Arsenal

1 – 0 Drogba (7)
2 – 0 Drogba (22)

The title chances took a dent, not ended as some would have you believe but battered and bruised nonetheless. As a performance, the team were vastly improved from last week’s defeat at home to Manchester United but still fell short at Stamford Bridge.

The wounds for this defeat were self-inflicted. Marking was absent for the opener; Terry had a free header, losing Vermaelen and Diaby with an entirely predictable run to meet the corner; Drogba was left unmarked by Song and Clichy went walkabout. Errors which were individually avoidable with the collective being punished.

A sense of déjà vu with the second. An Arsenal attack broke down on the edge of the Chelsea area with Lampard allowed to roam free through the midfield before finding Drogba on the left, isolating Clichy. The run into the box and shot had an air of inevitability about it, Drogba not wasting the opportunity.

The lessons of the previous week were not learned. Apparently Ancelotti observed that the best way to play Arsenal is on the counter-attack, a point proven by the second yesterday and most of the goals scored by Manchester United at The Emirates in the last twelve months.

It is a deeply dissatisfying result. Arsenal had most of the possession yesterday but failed to convert their opportunities. Chelsea, once the lead was established, showed professionalism in containing the Arsenal threat, reducing it to sporadic moments, repeating their tactics from earlier in the season, content to see the ball in midfield with their opponents, defending in depth on the edge of the area.

That is not say that Chelsea were entirely comfortable but Cech dealt with all that was thrown at him. Between the goals, Arshavin played Cesc in, the Spaniards volley well saved. A freekick driven under the wall was blocked by the Chelsea goalkeeper, Gallas narrowly failing to convert the rebound.

Set plays were a disappointment yesterday from an attacking perspective. Corners inevitably found their way to a Chelsea head or the for once, safe hands of Cech. With chances at a premium in such games, it is imperative that opportunities are not wasted, efforts on target have to be the order of the day.

Certain bad habits which had been almost eradicated reared their heads. Cesc had the opportunity to score but spurned it, preferring to pass rather than take on the effort. A reverse situation for the criticism Arshavin received last week and out of character with the captain’s form this time around.

Chelsea’s attack was not nullified in the second period, Malouda shot wide, Drogba rattled the bar from a freekick, jabs to the Arsenal jaw, reminders that threat remained even if a breakthrough had occurred.

It did not and Wenger was disappointed afterwards. Possession statistics mask the blunted Arsenal threat.  Bendtner was deemed not fit enough to start yet played for 25 minutes. Surely some leeway was necessary with Eduardo’s absence. Walcott put in a decent enough performance but like all attacking players, when you are stifled in possession by a mass rank of defenders and midfielders, you need options. Too often we did not have them.

And for all of that, the position of the team is not dire. The players are good enough to be in the top three, the mental impact of the manner of the defeat to United still appears to linger.

Where favour can be found is that the remainder of the season, 10 of the remaining games are against sides in mid or lower table. These matches are not straightforward; relegation threatens to around 11th place – albeit tenuously – and clubs have something to play for.

However, compared to those of Chelsea and Manchester United, the opportunity is there to close the 9 point gap. Problematically, whilst there is a reasonable expectation that both will drop points, Arsenal need to recover their strength starting on Wednesday and then win a high proportion of their games.

They can do it and until the mathematics deem the title unachievable, there is no reason to disbelieve that it will not happen. Right now though, we need to show support for the team. Perceived and real weaknesses cannot be resolved with signings – or as Wenger describes it, ‘The English solution‘ – and the squad need to regain confidence. This tough run of fixtures draws to a close on Wednesday when a victory may close the gap immediately, provided that results go Arsenal’s way.

’til Tomorrow.

Stamford Bridge this afternoon represents a stern test following the capitulation last weekend. Some might say that it is not the ideal fixture to face considering that result. I would venture the opposite, a taxing fixture that is akin to falling off a bicycle; the best solution is to get back on and carry on riding.

It is not, as the Sky cheerleading media may proclaim, a ‘must-win‘ match for Arsenal; it is a ‘must-no-lose‘ fixture if the title is to be a realistic ambition for the season. A gap of nine points at the top may prove a bridge too far at this stage, even with the history of recent months behind us.

As Andrey Arshavin put it:

After the Chelsea and Liverpool games the situation will become clearer

Whatever happens this afternoon, the situation is out of Arsenal’s control, reliant upon others dropping points whilst attaining wins to capitalise. The intangible in all of this is the remaining fixtures of Chelsea and Manchester United, both of whom have a number of clashes against top seven teams, home and away. For that reason you cannot rule anything out, the defining statistic is the number of games left which diminishes every week.

Not that the players are looking to draw this afternoon. Thomas Vermaelen believes in victory:

I think we can win there. If we have one of our good days and play as a team we can beat Chelsea. It is important for us to win. There’s a gap again – not as big as before – but we have to win to stay in the race.

It requires Vermaelen and Gallas to pay closer attention to Didier Drogba than in the madness which enveloped the first half at The Emirates. Certainly, the back four need to be more cohesive in their marking than last week, as do the midfield.

Injury news may well improve that. Diaby is likely to return with in all likelihood, Denilson making way if Wenger decides that Bendtner is fit enough to start. The Dane would provide more physical presence up front than Arshavin yet that aspect of football is often overplayed in the English game. The Russian is small but his movement makes a mockery of height; Arsenal do not lump crosses in when he leads the line.

Criticised after the United defeat for shooting too often, the Russian should carry on in that vein in my opinion. If he is not selfish, chances will go begging from someone else’s foot that he may convert. As a world-class player, Arshavin knows his own abilities, whether or not he can score or whether his choice is driven by vanity. You have to trust the player, especially one who has a decent scoring record at all levels.

At The Emirates against Chelsea, the passing game proved fruitless with intricacy being stifled around the visitors penalty area. This time guile needs to be added as well as support from the midfield to the attack. Perhaps Bendtner might add a touch more variety – oops, the height thing again – from which Arsenal may benefit.

I suspect that the line-up will be:

Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy; Fabregas, Song, Diaby; Rosicky, Bendtner, Arshavin

If Diaby does not make it, Wenger has two options. Denilson is a logical replacement but Nasri offers perhaps width allowing Arshavin to drift inside. The crucial aspect of this afternoon is that the players apply themselves the whole time and are more alive to the positioning of their opponents. It is time to show last weekend was an aberration, that the belief was shaken but not destroyed.

’til Tomorrow.

George Graham’s recent comments regarding Arsenal have struck a few chords. In highlighting the failure to win trophies since 2005s FA Cup, Wenger’s predecessor provided an immediate contrast between the pair:

I’ll give you trophies. We’ll take some criticism, but I will give you trophies

Graham did that to an extent but he lost his way, on and off the pitch.

Having delivered the title twice with teams that had the same capabilities as any that Wenger has fielded, he retreated into his shell, the team content to get the ball quickly to Wright and hope that he scored. They knew that once a lead was established, there was a very high percentage in their favour that the back four would not be breached. Except that really only held true until 1993 when an extraordinarily mundane side had their limitations exposed in the league, a position which would only be recovered following Wenger’s appointment.

Recent summers have seen the Frenchman criticised for not strengthening his squad to the level that people would like. In this respect, he and Graham were remarkably similar. Having romped to the title in 1991, Graham did not bring in many new faces immediately afterwards. Wenger does not operate in any different way. Perhaps this is a contributing factor in why neither has retained the league title. It may not be.

Both changed the style of the team’s play in ‘drought’ spells without trophies. It is hard to argue that Graham’s was not the most immediately effective, delivering 3 trophies in two seasons. The functional style of play was an immediate template for clubs such as Bolton; get the ball forward quickly, keep the defence tight and kick anything that moves. It was not nice to watch most of the time yet equally capable of providing rousing nights as any other manner of play.

Yet the period 1992 – 1994 was the most deeply dissatisfying in terms of spectacle and in truth, further away from winning the title than at any period in Wenger’s reign. Inexplicably, Graham changed the tactics of the 1991 side rather than refreshing personnel. Had he done that, his success would have been more entrenched and quite possibly, his transgression forgiven. Whatever the Board of the time may claim, I would asserverate that the paucity of the football was a significant contributing factor in his dismissal.

The inception of the Premier League meant that the sheen of the League Cup was beginning to dull; in truth the mid-1990s were the last time the competition truly held any sway. Perhaps that is a generational thing since the trip to the old Wembley held more aura. Even that was fading following the decision to hold FA Cup semi-finals at the stadium.

The FA Cup is treading the same path, one that is inexorable with the top sides in the country routinely using the competition to field youth and squad players. Wenger has made abundantly clear his priorities:

it depends on what you call trophies. Is it the Champions League, the Premier League, the League Cup? If you win the League Cup you cannot say you win trophies for me. Of course [finishing third is better than winning a domestic cup]. It’s much more difficult.

His position is clear; domestic cups are not important at all, not even as Graham pointed out, in breaking a squad’s trophy duck. It is an entirely continental position to take where domestic cups carry far less importance than the league. Truthfully, he would probably find backing from Ancelotti and Ferguson although both appear to lean towards Graham’s view than Wenger.

It is essentially sets out his manifesto. This squad is focussing on the league, not only winning it but finishing in the top three:

A season in the English league, when you fight with Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa, to finish in the top three is still not a disaster. It’s not enough because you want to win trophies. But it doesn’t say: ‘oh what a terrible season that was.’

We’ve just qualified from the group stage in the Champions League for the tenth consecutive season. That is, for me, three times as difficult as winning the League Cup five times. I know what’s difficult and what’s not difficult.

Few would argue with his theory that a top three finish is harder since it requires a level of consistency that cup competitions do not need. Yet winning a trophy is still that, especially for younger players. Had the Carling Cup been won then celebrations would ensue but not to anything like the same degree that would follow a Premier or Champions League, or even the FA Cup.

Graham questioned whether the Premier League could be won playing ‘total football‘, playing in the same manner as Barcelona. It is entirely feasible since they were consistent and that is the key element. The style of play is not irrelevant but allows a team to find that level, it works only if everyone knows their role in the side and what is expected of them. That applies to any style.

Wenger will have caused some rancour with his comments, almost inviting ’style over substance’ debates. Those who put forward this as evidence will be ignoring a key plank of his comments, winning:

It’s very important that we win something, we’re here to win trophies

Some are more important than others. ’til Tomorrow.

Monday’s post was originally going to be entitled, “********. There Are Going To Be A ******** Of ******* Whinging ******** About This Week”. Seems I wasn’t alone in thinking that. Darius agrees.

This past week is one of the most depressing I have witnessed as an Arsenal supporter. I’m not talking here about the loss to Man United in the Sunday league fixture at the Emirates. Far from that as I’m a bit more realistic that we won’t win every match we play. It’s more the mass hysteria and the venomous negativity after the self destruct button was engaged by the footballing establishment and Arsenal’s own home grown doom and gloom merchants.

I always find that 2 things help following a disappointing loss.

Firstly, the faster the team gets back on the pitch and corrects the situation, the happier I tend to feel. The Arsenal team didn’t cover themselves in glory on Sunday, and any self respecting player will want to put this right for their own sake and for the sanity of Arsenal supporters.

Secondly, I also find that it helps to reflect after the cold light of day has passed. Football is a profoundly emotive subject and many a time as supporters, we can overwhelm ourselves by our propensity to take leave of our faculties that are responsible for perspective and reason.

I don’t know what it is, but it’s like there’s an unbearable fragility within a section of the Gooner nation that cannot stomach adversity. It’s a characteristic that bears its ugly mug every time Arsenal doesn’t win by playing champagne football.

Let’s get a few things out of the way. I don’t have an issue with fans who like me get bitterly disappointed when the Arsenal team loses. It’s unreasonable and arrogant to expect that we will win every game. No one has the divine right to do that. In fact, I am normally fairly satisfied if and when we lose but the team show great spirit, application, sheer determination and fight. The kind of fight that sees the team scrambling to the death for that desperate point or that elusive win.

There are cases where the team literally throws the match away, and many supporters will be bitterly disappointed. The rightful expectation will be that the team puts this in order as soon as possible.

In this respect, I have no issue with the debate and critiquing of tactics and poor individual or collective team performances. I have no issue in folks expressing the fact that improvements need to be shown individually and collectively.

We’ve had many discussions for example, about the mental fortitude needed by the team, as well as the virtues of defensive discipline that needs to be drilled into the entire team. We’ve expressed our desire to see the players be forced to eat, sleep and breathe this sort of discipline so that they’re better equipped to deal with the different challenges and obstacles that opponents present from time to time.

In my view, what has been unacceptable and bang out of order in the last few days is the outright and wholesale negativity and venom towards Wenger and the team. I’m usually pretty selective about what Arsenal blog or newspaper I read, or what I watch or listen to – but the Armageddon type of hysteria and negativity that has been floating around the Gooner nation has been sickening.

There’s even a petition that has been started to get the Arsenal board to fire Wenger. Supposedly, the myopic view is that the usual suspects of Guus Hiddink, Frank Rijkaard, Jose Mourinho et al, will certainly do a better job. I’m not even going to waste any more real estate on this blog discussing how ridiculous it is to even contemplate a change in manager, but I just wanted to highlight some of the ways in which this extreme hysteria is manifesting itself.

Clearly, the Arsenal team has a lot more work to do. I’m actually quite happy that the January transfer window is firmly slammed shut – so we can get on with the job of fighting on in the league without the speculative distractions of player transfers. I don’t believe that buying ’off-the-shelf’ solutions whenever you face an obstacle is the answer to every problem. I’m not averse to bringing in new players – in fact I support that.

However, any new player being brought in has to absolutely add value and has to be the right fit for Arsenal. I have faith enough that Arsenal has the best and most extensive scouting system in the world and if such a player was available and was value for money, Arsenal would get that player.

I don’t subscribe to the nonsense of spewing out every so called ’big name’ player that the tabloids concoct. I would suggest that our scouting network is in a better position to figure out whether a player is good enough for Arsenal or not. If tabloid journalists were that good, they’d be earning better money as football scouts in the first place instead of concocting rumours linking players to clubs.

I still have the conviction that we have the personnel to cope for the rest of the season. We need to actually just get on with the job. The issues for this team are not personnel based; they’re more to do with application and mental strength.

Perhaps Hull City forcing Chelsea to travel back down south with a point is reminder enough that perspective and faith do have a place in this mad world of football. It’s certainly not impossible to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, because we beat them in the corresponding fixture last season – and we had a weaker team then. We certainly won’t win if the players don’t style up and play like they actually want it more than Chelsea, and we certainly won’t win if the fans self destruct at every available opportunity.

There is such a thing as working together and supporting each other. The team needs the supporters, and the supporters need the team to deliver. Unfortunately, as supporters, we have a lot to learn from teams like Liverpool and stoke City. The match day support that their team get – win, lose or draw lifts the stadium atmosphere to heights that we can only dream of.

When our players are having a nightmare on the pitch, you cannot under-estimate what role good solid support plays in lifting the players’ individual and collective games. It’s as much a reminder of why they must lift their game to prove their worthy of the shirt, as much as it is an affirmation that we are all right behind them.

I’m sure that like Arsenal, the fans from these other teams have grievances about all manner of issues. The difference is that they know when and how to lift their team when it most counts on match day.

Maturely and rationally debating the poor form and tactics of the team, as well as showing absolute vocal support when it’s most needed are both responsibilities we have as fans. They are not mutually exclusive and can exist in the same space.

’til Tomorrow.

Being the subject of a relatively large transfer fee whilst still a teenager is a burden to bear for any player. In Arsenal’s recent history, starting with Peter Marinello through Hartson, Upson and Reyes, these players have promised much but ultimately failed to deliver.

If you add into the mix that before the end of his second decade, a bunfight had ensued over his signature and he was granted an ultimately wasted trip to the last World Cup, it is easy to see why expectations are high when Theo Walcott is mentioned. A sprinkling of magic in what was deemed to be England’s toughest World Cup qualifying fixture and that hat-trick in Croatia saw the expectations bloat. Injuries soon put paid to delivering the promise.

His manager has faith in him, despite the criticism of Walcott, who along with Denilson is being immolated at the altar of youthful promise failing at Arsenal. Wenger has defended Theo quite rightly, pointing out that his fitness is the concern:

What you cannot expect from Walcott at the moment is what he cannot give you. He needs some time to play and come back to full fitness. He has only played a few games this season. If he gets injury free now, he will have a good end of season. But at the moment he is not completely himself.

Frankly, I have found the denunciations of Walcott to be over the top, the only one-trick ponies in evidence are those who claim Walcott has little clue how to beat opponents other than in a straight race for the ball. Rather like some of the criticism of Arsene this week, the sport of sensationalism has shouted louder than the decent analysis, personal axes being ground harder than anything else.

It is a simple equation which is often overlooked. Players are not going to return following a lengthy spell on the sidelines and be wonderously in touch with the game. None of them are; they require time to attune to their colleagues and the speed of thought a match scenario needs. That cannot be replicated in training, no matter how hard anyone tries since you cannot second guess an opponents thoughts once adrenalin kicks in.

Should the manager bring players back if they are not match fit? It is a chicken and egg situation since they cannot be match fit if they do not play but if they play, they need time to adjust. Problematically, when results are adverse, scapegoats are sought because that is how society in general views all walks of life.

The match at the weekend offers the opportunity to put right the ills of the Arsenal world. If that happens, skies will certainly be a lot brighter for everyone, surely…

’til Tomorrow.

Local DIY stores have reported a slowdown in the sales of ropes, the numbers of people wearing Arsenal shirts demanding ready-made nooses has diminished following Chelsea’s draw at Hull last night. How long that will last for remains to be seen, although a victory at Stamford Bridge does not concern the retailers, knowing full well that a surge in demand will arise the next time results and performances do not go to plan.

The squad is slowly edging back to full fitness, with only the long-term absentees, Gibbs, Djourou and van Persie, definitely out for the weekend. Diaby, Eduardo and Campbell will apparently have recovered from their various knacks as the onslaught of fixtures continues. It does give Wenger options if he wants to shake things up following the defeat at home to United.

The Dane in particular has an opportunity to press his case for leading the Arsenal line. Adebayor’s departure and van Persie’s long-term absence should have given him that chance already but missing all of the fixtures since October has hampered his cause.

Bendtner is the latest in a stream of forwards coming through from youth and reserve levels who have promised much but never been able to transfer their form at younger levels. As far back as 1990, Andy – sorry, Andrew -  Cole was spoken of as a very real long-term prospect in the Graham era, falling out with Graham not conduicive to being given the chance.

In Wenger’s time, the situation has not changed considerably. However, Bendtner has proven he can score at international level and not just against smaller nations either, averaging a goal every three games, a decent record at that level. The Portuguese in particular being a defence he enjoys playing against, Bendtner scoring in three matches against them.

He has not yet been able to score regularly enough, contributing factors being played out of position and substitute appearances. He is though nothing less than perservering; missed chances do not see his head drop, willing to be back in the place again when the next chance comes along.

Bendtner does give the option of varying the attack, his height an advantage, almost bringing Arsenal into line of the ‘Big man, little man‘ duo but it masks how good his close control can be. Whether he is the solution for Sunday is another matter. If Eduardo is fit, I suspect he will be the central attacker, supported by Rosicky and Arshavin.

With the fixture being at Stamford Bridge, it seems unlikely that a gung-ho attitude would be adopted. Something similar to the approach in this fixture last season more likely. Chelsea will seek to dominate and it is up to the squad to be ready.

Personally, I’m looking forward to it. The chance to prove that Sunday’s defeat was an aberration, a one-off almost inexplicable collective loss of form is surely the motivation that is needed? If not, the chance to be within a win of Chelsea at the end of the game, refusing to be dumped out of the title race to suit the whims of journalists and pundits alike.

’til Tomorrow.