The Morning After The Night Before

Tottenham Hotspur 5 – 1 Arsenal

1 – 0 Jenas (3)
2 – 0 Bendtner o.g. (28)
3 – 0 Keane (48)
4 – 0 Lennon (60)
4 – 1 Adebayor (70)
5 – 1 Malbranque (90)

I hate to see Arsenal lose which is why this is a result that is both ‘gutting’ and bringing forth a phlegmatic attitude at once. The nature of the team on show and the competition has a lot to do with this; eight changes to the starting line-up from Saturday is not an Arsenal first team despite media attempts to portray it as such. That is not an excuse as Gus Poyet said afterwards, it is a fact. There has been some suggestion that Arsene took Spurs too lightly; I do not believe that to be the case – he fielded a team with the best that he had available and in light of the current fixture list. Indeed his irked reaction with the interviewer on Sky afterwards suggests he took the game very seriously.

It was a resounding score line with which Tottenham brought to an end a nine year search for a win over Arsenal. To some degree it was flattering yet they displayed a greater desire to win, a more cohesive game plan and a far greater sense of teamwork. Their tactics were simple; hunt in packs, be it defence, midfield or attack; hassle and harass; counter-attack effectively. To score as early as Jenas did assisted that plan, to be two goals in front within thirty minutes of the start boosted confidence immeasurably.

Arsenal were architects of their own downfall; three players could have realistically challenged Jenas before he shot; at least two more backed off as he progressed, to make up his mind for him about which course of action to follow. Warnings have been given in previous encounters about his ability to shoot accurately from outside of the area; last night confirmed that they had not been heeded. To compound this poor defensive technique, Bendtner was equally culpable for his own goal. Misfortune struck as his header hit the back of the net yet had he not taken his eye off of the ball’s flight, he would not have been in the position where it met the top of his skull rather than his forehead.

Conceding two early goals required digging into the depths of their reserves of mental strength but they could not be drawn on sufficiently to get a scoring foothold in the game. To concede three minutes into the second half was indicative that the night was lost; there would be no Herculean comeback this time. In between the second and third goals both sides had chances to score; Berbatov hit the post, Sagna forced a good save from Cerny whilst Chimbonda made the sort of tackle on Diaby that concedes penalties as often as they are denied.

Arsene would have emphasised the need to score an early goal in the second period and not to concede to force Tottenham’s nerves to the fore. The latter happened and ended the tie. A long pass over the top sent Keane through the gap between Sagna and Hoyte, Keane struck a tame effort with the outside of his boot that Fabianski should have stopped. Bendtner then hit the bar with an acrobatic volley which would have reduced the deficit. The fourth fifteen minutes later was the pick of the five; Lennon started and finished the move following an eighty metre run from well inside his own half. Sometimes you just have to doff your cap to the opposition for scoring. Adebayor replaced the ineffective Walcott and scored a cracker in the seventieth minute, driving home from the edge of the area. In the end, Arsenal pressed forward so much that gaps and further punishment was inevitable; that it took thirty minutes from scoring the fourth is the only surprise, Malbranque tapping home from close range in injury time.

Statistics are useful in some cases but in this instance only serve to deceive. Arsenal may well have gained 61% of the possession but when they had the ball in the attacking third, they were ineffective. Too many square passes across the pitch and possession surrendered cheaply. That they won it back equally cheaply does not help their cause. The Tottenham defence was well marshalled by King and they isolated Bendtner and Walcott, rendering them largely ineffective. Their midfield worked harder and closed down spaces when the ball reached the final third of the pitch yet supported their attack very well.

In many respects it was ‘one of those nights’; Spurs had six shots on goal, scored five and hit the post, the sort of return that happens once a season. Yet they merited the win fully. They were more effective in possession, more menacing in front of goal where it counts. Whether it is the spark to revive their season is a way off being known, they have the small matter of a visit to Old Trafford to gauge that aspect. For Arsene, there is now a quandary; what does he do about this weekend’s FA Cup tie? The side would largely have been the one he thought about putting out for that fixture yet the defensive naïveté would question the wisdom of that. Certainly, Hoyte one would expect Philippe Senderos to return; up front, Walcott and Bendtner did not gel; Bendtner and Adebayor got physical with each other such was the frustration of the defeat. Eduardo and/or the Togolese forward will surely start the next two games. However, there is a Premier League match in six days time so more rotation has to happen. The easiest reaction would be to field his strongest team yet when you fall off a bicycle; the best thing to do is to get back on it.

To write off the careers of players on the basis of last night is foolish. The castigation of those who played – including Fabregas in this instance – might well have been merited but to say they are not good enough or have lost it beggars’ belief. Fabianski is at least a decade younger than either of the first team goalkeepers used in the Premier and Champions Leagues; he will make mistakes and learn from them. Hoyte is a decent squad right back and not ready to be more versatile for a longer period of time. Denilson and Fabregas have had a dip in form in their recent games but this is temporary. Walcott is young and low on confidence; the ability is there, perseverance is required. If I was to mark out of ten, none of the team would get more than five, many less, showing the low level of performance. To presume a season is over based on one result is unbelievable; still in three competitions and knowing that two of them will have a complete first team on the pitch means that whilst last night is not irrelevant, it is equally not the end of the season nor indicative of anything like that.

‘til Tomorrow