Blinded In The Light

Sunderland 1 – 0 Arsenal

1 – 0 Bent (71)

A title challenge is built over 38 games, lost not in a poor November defeat but in the failure to attain consistency over the course of the season. One result as winter beckons is no determinant of what a nine-month outcome will be.

Arsene recently bemoaned the injuries sustained, citing them as a reason why his teams tend to stutter in this particular month. Before the trip to the Stadium of Light, he observed that the changes in the footballing calendar might help him to prepare his teams for the fixtures immediately after an international break. An extra day may indeed assist him but judging by this below par performance, he would be better served if there were an additional three days, the returning fixture being not in the Premier League but a European one instead.

Yet Wenger cannot point just to injuries for the defeat. History counted against them, 60% of away fixtures under Wenger following the November international break have been lost. For the most part at venues where victory would be expected. That does not matter as it was the performance yesterday which mattered. Not one player was exceptional; not one player was outstanding. One – Fabregas – had a good game whilst Song, Gallas and Vermaelen put in decent efforts. The remainder were simply average. On any other Saturday, that might be good enough to get the required result; yesterday it was not.

Changes were forced upon Arsene through injury. He made others through choice from the victory at Molineux. Traore replaced the injured Clichy and Gibbs; Eduardo shifted to the centre for van Persie’s absence. Ramsey retained his place with Diaby out, Rosicky replaced Arshavin and Nasri filled the gap left by Eduardo moving centrally. The number of changes proved too much of an impact on the attacking sextet’s fluidity, a point acknowledged by Arsene afterwards:

It is more worrying that we did not score. Going forward we lacked sharpness and desire to go beyond the defenders. We didn’t expose them with our pace.

The opening minutes did not give any indication of the flaccidity of performance that was to follow. Sagna hung a deep cross into the area that Fabregas did phenomenally well to not just keep in play but to execute a deft pass into the path of the onrushing Rosicky. The Czech international struck the ball well, avoiding Mensah’s charge but Fulop parried the ball well to safety. Before the quarter hour mark had passed, Traore cut inside and shot, the blocked effort fell invitingly to his captain but Fabregas failed to keep the ball down, clearing the Sunderland bar by a foot.

Whilst Arsenal dominated proceedings, Sunderland edged back into the game. Malbranque twice fired high and wide when he should have done better from the right side of the area. Yet Arsenal probed, outmanned in midfield but occasionally finding the route through. Perhaps the best chance fell to Eduardo. Song burst from midfield and the duo exchanged a sublime pair of one-two’s, the Croat shifted the ball inside his marker, evaded a challenge and lofted the ball over Fulop. Agonisingly, it dropped wide of the post and Song, whose run carried him towards the ball’s trajectory. That he was probably offside was a moot point as the effort was too strong for him to catch.

Before the interval, Ramsey and Fabregas wasted shooting opportunity through weakness of effort or accuracy. It was the Welshman’s last contribution as he made way for the disappointed Arshavin as the hour approached. The stalemate needed something sublime to break it; instead, Keystone Cop defending prevailed. Reid hoisted a deep corner that Bent could merely misguide to Campbell at the far post. The ball ricoheted back across the six yard area and Bent beat Almunia to the ball to bury the ball. Rosicky was half asleep at the far post, slow to react to the ball reaching Campbell, indicative of his natural attacking game, a defender perhaps would have been more alive to the chance. Yet the central danger point in the area should not have left unguarded, reaction times low to apparent danger.

Arshavin came close to restoring parity, smuggling the ball wide having chased Song’s cross to close to goal. Vermaelen could not capitalise from his captain’s cross prior to that whilst a couple of instances of pace saw cross flash across the Sunderland area with no-one in a position to capitalise. Vela was felled in the area by Campbell but surprisingly little was made of the incident by Arsenal. Playing to the whistle, they chased back before Traore intervened with a late challenge in the centre circle. Equally the Sunderland players did not over-react to that, perhaps aware of the youngster’s penchant for carrying a duster.

Comments this morning attributed to Andrey Arshavin have a familiar ring to them, old ones regurgitated perhaps. Wenger is apparently not going to rush into the January window for a striker, preferring to give Vela and Eduardo a run at proving their places worthwhile whilst his Dutch talisman is out. That will no doubt be seized upon by critics of Arsenal, re-iterating the belief that the squad needs serious strengthening. One performance cannot decide that. Wenger has observed that he is confident that ongoing talks with Gallas, Rosicky and Merida will result in new contracts being signed, these three taking more of his thoughts than new players.

Standard Liege offers the opportunity to put the train back on track before next weekend. ’til Tomorrow.