Theo’s Mr Angry, Arsene’s Gary Cooper

Theo Walcott is Mr. Angry according to Manuel Almunia ,

I told him to be a bit more aggressive and not so nice on the pitch because if people can kill you they will do so

It is something that is of concern. Not Theo’s niceness but the expectations that have been raised since his sojourn to Croatia. Since then he is a world-beater. Before that, he was a hopeful of a more imposing season. There is a balance between the two that has to be struck. He is a key player for Arsenal, providing more directness than before but we need perhaps to step back from the edge – as does his manager – and continue to allow him to develop before we pounce on every match where his performance does not meet expectations.

Arsene must feel a little like Gary Cooper in High Noon, listening to ‘Do not foresake me, oh my darling, the speed with which he has been foresook by some. It is right to question decisions such as Saturday’s team selection. But remember two things; you have the luxury of an armchair and none of us is right all the time.

A strange piece from Oliver Kay in The Times yesterday. As in peculiar ‘strange’, not humorous ‘strange’. Of course Wenger pines for a world where ‘brilliant young talent would conquer all’ as he has the brightest young collection of players ready for first team action, anywhere in the world. Now that is a sweeping statement and entirely subjective; if I had put Europe there would be no question for the Champions League has indicated that there are none so collectively young as Arsenal.

It is the reason for optimism in these seemingly dark days where pessimism ‘rules OK’ – the chant would be similar to that of ‘A-G-AGR-AGRO’ which emanated from many a terrace thirty years ago except ‘P-E-PES…’ doesn’t quite scan. The recent under-par performances against Hull and Sunderland have cast doubt, when considered with Fulham, as to the viability of believing that a title challenge can be made. Everyone wants to believe it can be done but there are, understandable, doubts emerging.

Last season raised the expectation that this season would see the club return to the summit of English football. The blistering start, stumble and recovery before the fall towards the end of the season, gave indications that Arsene’s faith in the squad was actually correct. That he did not make significant investment in the summer dampened the spirits for sections of the support, casting doubts when considered alongside the huge sums invested in and by other clubs. Yet the big spenders are not necessarily seeing the returns that they would have expected, the gap that they are trying to bridge in one attempt is too large. That does not alter the fact that the eight points dropped thus far have been unexpected in their happening. Fulham are not a powerhouse, nor with all due respect, were Sunderland and Hull.

However, judgement is being passed too quickly as the season is not even one-sixth passed in the League. Liverpool and Chelsea have been consistent thus far and have both played Manchester United. Does that make them a cut above Arsenal? Depth-wise, the former are far above everyone else in the league yet they were not Champions of England or Europe last season. They have their own problems in a misfiring forward line but that is compensated by having a scoring midfield. Liverpool have stumbled, Torres the only forward to score in the league, their altitude in the Premier League would not be so high had they not bucked recent history by beating United. The defending Champions meanwhile have stumbled but recovered in recent weeks. In short, no one is setting the division alight so far.

Arsenal, though, are not being afforded that ‘luxury’. It seems the dropped points are too much. That we have yet to play a top four rival is held as the axeman waiting on the stage for the final denouement. Why is this the case? Why is there a ready assumption that we will not be able to regain the points by beating Chelsea, United or Liverpool? Last season’s encounters with those teams suggest that the balance between victory and defeat is marginal. One win in the six encounters could quite easily have been none or six. Chelsea were fortunate to gain three points at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool fortunate at Anfield whilst the home points against Liverpool and United could, conceivably, have gone the other way. There is no cause for instant dismissal of results before the matches have happened.

It has not been a rollicking ride this season; it has not been the fatal drop either. The international fortnight allows cobwebs to be shaken. Notoriously poor after international weeks, perhaps this is the season when slovenliness does not happen then, especially with a home match against West Ham. Perhaps we needed this international break to recharge mentally, a change of scene being as good as a rest.

’til Tomorrow.