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Spurs 3-3 Arsenal – not enough, but ultimately not the game that cost us

Apr 202011

Spurs 3 (Van der Vaart 7, pen 70, Huddlestone 44) Arsenal 3 (Walcott 5, Nasri 12, Van Persie 40)
(Premiership)

So that is that – mathematically it is not over, but realistically we all know the title challenge is now dead in the water after a crazy match at White Hart Lane which swung from us being in complete control to being relieved to escape with a point. I actually thought both sides raised their game to produce an enthralling match that in reality did neither side any favours, and in the end a draw was probably a fair result.

Although this is the match that probably finally extinguished our hope, when you look at the last couple of months as a whole, it isn’t this one that hurt us – the costly matches are those that have come before. In isolation, drawing away at Spurs is not a bad result, especially when you consider how well they played in the second half, but the draws at home to Blackburn, Sunderland and Liverpool have hit hard. Win two of those games and we’re a home win against United from topping the table.

I have a feeling that by the morning there will be quite the backlash against this Arsenal team for losing yet another two goal lead, but ironically this is perhaps the one occasion where such vilification would be unjustified. Spurs scored one wonder goal to get back to 3-2 and controlled much of the second half. Despite that, we actually defended very well, Szczesny making some excellent saves but blotting his copybook by conceding the decisive penalty, losing a footrace with Lennon and bringing him down. In fairness to the Pole, he didn’t retreat into his shell, and were it not for the saves that followed we could have come away with nothing.

In the past, we’ve failed to close out matches because of complacency, lack of effort, or panic. None of those traits were on display tonight, Spurs were just excellent coming forward and tested us repeatedly, eventually breaking us down. Similarly, it was our most flowing attacking display in a while, particularly in the first half, and it was perhaps our inability to keep that pace going in the second half that ultimately cost us.

The first half was breathless stuff. Walcott scored the opener after five minutes, slotting home from a Cesc pass, but Spurs were level within minutes, Van der Vaart finishing coolly. Remarkably, it was 2-1 after 12 minutes, Nasri firing through Dawson’s legs to catch Gomes before he was set, but we all knew the scoring was far from complete. Both sides had further chances before the half ended with the two best goals of the game.

First Theo did brilliantly after Gallas had miscontrolled Sagna’s cross, digging out a cheeky chipped ball that Van Persie buried at the second attempt, but any hopes of taking a two goal lead into half time ended when Spurs scored the wonder goal they always reserve for this fixture – this year it was Huddlestone driving a half-volley into the corner to make it 3-2 at half time.

Either side could make a case that they deserved to go on and win – Van Persie had a goal wrongly chalked off for offside at 3-2, and Cesc forced a top save from Gomes at 3-3. But equally, Szczesny denied Van der Vaart his hattrick and also saved well from Sandro late on. In the end, neither set of fans can realistically complain about a lack of effort or quality, and neither team can decisively say they were the better team overall. 3-3 is probably fair.

As I said earlier, under normal circumstances the draw would be readily accepted by both sets of fans. But in context, it is painful – we had to win to stay on United’s coattails, and Spurs needed three points to stay in touch with City. It isn’t mathematically over, and we have to keep fighting until the end (not least to finish above Chelsea), but in all likelihood that is it.

I’m glad that we went out fighting, I’m glad that Cesc confounded his illogical critics by putting in a superb fighting display, and I’m glad that despite his error tonight, we’ve found ourselves a keeper for the next decade. I’m gutted that we’re going to end a promising season without a trophy, but I’m willing to argue with anyone who thinks that we need a change of manager or captain. Some things need to change, but some things do not.

Football, eh?

Running out of ways to cock up – the art of not winning matches

Matches 20 Responses »

Apr 172011

Arsenal 1 (Van Persie pen 98) Liverpool 1 (Kuyt pen 102)
(Premiership)

We conceded an equaliser in the fifth minute of injury time against Sunderland. We lost at home twice to promoted sides. We turned a 2-0 lead at home to our local rivals into a 3-2 defeat. We allowed ten-man Wigan to come back and snatch a draw. We became the first team in Premiership history to blow a four goal lead. And now we’ve probably become the first team in Premiership history to take the lead as the game approaches the 100th minute and still fail to win it. Extraordinary. You cannot accuse this Arsenal team of not being entertaining, but too often it has been our rivals rolling around with laughter as we find yet more ways to not win a football match.

Without doubt. injury time was contentious. That there were eight minutes was expected after Carragher’s horrible injury – when you see medics taking that much care over someone’s head you drop all club rivalries for a moment and simply hope they are being precautionary – but despite the boost of the extra minutes it seemed we were heading towards our third consecutive home scoreless draw. But then, finally, the tippy-tappy football that had proved so infuriating for the previous 96 minutes reaped reward, Cesc being tripped by the otherwise excellent Jay Spearing after some nifty footwork. Van Persie coolly slotted home, and the match was won. Or so we thought.

Liverpool seemed to sense they had only seconds to equalise, and shot straight from the kick off in desperation. But the game continued, and when Song conceded a dangerous free kick after our defence panicked en masse, we feared the worst. Could we concede with the last kick of the game? Surely not. But the kick was blocked, and a collective sigh of relief was audible. Yet play continued, and eventually Lucas went down under Eboue’s challenge and Marriner awarded another spot kick. Eleven minutes into stoppage time.

For me, it was a penalty. It was certainly soft, and Lucas was definitely looking for it, but Eboue should have been experienced enough to realise the situation and the inevitability of his opponents’ desperation – he simply got too close and gave him an opportunity that could have been avoided. Naive, sadly.

At the final whistle, tempers were frayed between the two managers, but that is expected after any dramatic finish. Frankly, I don’t think either did themselves any favours, and both came off looking a bit childish. Afterwards, Wenger diluted the strong argument (the timing of the penalty award) by also sticking to the weaker one (that it wasn’t a foul):

“We conceded the penalty after 11 minutes and the injury time was eight minutes. It was no penalty and I don’t see where the three minutes came from. There was no intervention from Eboue. It was Lucas who stood in his way and stopped his run to the ball. Eboue went for the ball and not for the player.”

I have to admit it annoys me when Wenger does this. By claiming it was not a foul he allows the pundits to focus on that, instead of the timing, for which he has a valid point. What I have less of a problem with is his refusal to criticise players publicly – honestly I couldn’t care less that he seeks to protect them in interviews. It is far more important that he says what needs to be said behind closed doors, and I have no doubt that is the case. Most managers worth their salt do exactly the same thing, and while some would admit to a lack of discipline in the final moments, what difference does it really make? The players know they screwed up, they know that prior to the free kick there was unnecessary mass panic, and they know that once again their inability to see out a game has cost them. Saying so changes nothing.

But the game wasn’t won and lost only in those mental few minutes – the truth is that up until that point, we had not created much, certainly not when you consider how much possession we had. A Koscielny header against the bar and a late effort from Van Persie well saved by Reina were the best of the efforts, but too often our refusal to shoot was frustrating in the extreme. When you consider that Liverpool had two teenage full backs and suffered three injuries during the game, and you have to admit we should have tested them more.

That said, we were playing Liverpool, not Stockport. Under Dalglish they are playing for each other, and were extremely well organised. We probed and probed, looking for an opening, and in the first half the support from the stands reflected our impressive control of the game. In the second, patience simmered and fizzled out pretty quickly. With twenty minutes of normal time left (so thirty minutes of game time), the atmosphere turned, and nervousness swept around the stadium in a flash. At the very moment when United fans roar their team on for a final push at Old Trafford, ours were making the players doubt their every attempted move. Support is a two-way thing, and today I felt it wasn’t as it should have been. It can make such a difference.

Our challenge is nearly over. Six points behind with six games left, we absolutely have to win all six, and hope that United drop 3-4 points somewhere else. If they negotiate Tuesday’s trip to Newcastle, that becomes even less likely than it is now. Irrespective, we face Spurs on Wednesday night, and whether we are in the title race or not, it is a massive game. They beat us at the Grove. They’ve had the media love all season. We owe them.

If this season is anything to go by, it will be highly entertaining for the neutral, and excruciating for us. Keep the fat lady at bay.

Poor display puts title challenge in jeopardy

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Apr 042011

Arsenal 0 Blackburn 0
(Premiership)

I mentioned after the last round of Premiership fixtures that it felt like a day which would be seen as pivotal come the end of the season. United had pinched a late winner against Bolton despite being a man down, meaning our comeback at West Brom wasn’t enough to avoid us losing ground.

If that could be seen as a big day in deciding the destiny of the title, this one was massive. At half time in the lunchtime kickoff, United were 2-0 down at West Ham and struggling. Meanwhile, we had a host of returning stars available for the Blackburn game, and all of a sudden, our spread out fixtures looked a massive advantage.

How a few hours changes things. United turned it around with a performance of defiance in the second half, and we followed it up with an unfathomably limp display against a Blackburn side short of form and confidence. Say what you like about the soft decisions that aided United in their second half, the point is that they fought for their win – somehow it never felt that way with us.

I’ve seen it said that the players lacked effort, but I don’t believe that to be the case, or at least I think the wording is wrong. There wasn’t any lack of effort, or indeed a lack of desire to win (how many players got up from crunching challenges to carry on?), it was more a lack of passion. You can put in 100%, but without the fire driving you forward even that can appear somewhat weak. Effort and drive are two very different things, and for me the latter was woefully absent on Saturday.

It is very difficult to explain why. Mental fatigue could certainly be used as an excuse prior to the international break – we as fans felt drained so the players must have too – but the time to recharge has passed now. Ironic that Wilshere, who started two internationals during the layoff, is the one consistently showing the passion others lack. Too much rests on his young shoulders.

The result leaves us seven points behind United with a game in hand, which in itself isn’t massive – they look so unconvincing and have so many fixtures that I’m convinced they will drop plenty more points between now and the end of the season. The trouble is that we surely will too – we’ve won one in seven now, and that was against Leyton Orient. Not exactly title challenging form.

It was strange to see Wenger so perplexed after the game, talking about the flat display with a look in his eyes that said he couldn’t explain it either. We are on the finishing straight, we do not have the string of injuries we normally have by this stage, and we have no cup distractions. To see that not reflected on the pitch was odd.

And it was reflected in the stands. I’m torn on this issue slightly – I can understand the frustration because I feel it too, but the atmosphere in the final 15 minutes was nothing short of poisonous. We do seem to have a unique take on the role of supporters – ironically cheering Almunia’s every successful catch strikes me as mindlessly stupid – he is our only fit keeper and relies so much on confidence that having a go at him is massively counterproductive. Whether you think he should be at the club or not is irrelevant – he is, and that will not change until the summer. Make your feelings heard then – for now, we need him.

By the end, there was fighting in the stands, whistling of every poor touch, and it worries me. I know it works both ways – the fans react to the players, the players react to the fans, but it seems somewhat hypocritical of us to have a go at them for letting one defeat send them on a tailspin, when we react to every defeat with vitriol and jeers.

Ultimately, however, it was a poor display against a side unable to keep clean sheets away from home. We are making a habit of breaking our opponent’s bad runs – the only point Sunderland have got in ages was against us. These are games we need to be winning.

Right now, it is United’s title to lose. They are likely to give us the opportunity, but current evidence suggests we will not seize it.

Limp display leaves only the league to fight for

Arsenal News, Matches 6 Responses »

Mar 122011

Man Utd 2 (Fabio 28, Rooney 49) Arsenal 0
(FA Cup Quarter Final)

How can you describe that except to say it was painfully familiar? The majority of possession, complete control of the middle third, and the vast majority of chances. Despite all of that, it was a defeat that felt somewhat comfortable, and certainly once United had taken a two goal lead the result was never in doubt, despite Van der Sar being called into action time and time again.

Tired minds were always likely to be a problem after the crushing defeat to Birmingham and the brutal exit at the hands of Barcelona in midweek, but spirits should have been lifted when the teams were announced – an opposing midfield of Fabio, Rafael, Gibson and O’Shea is hardly likely to send a shiver up the spine. Their gameplan was clear – contain and counter, and despite it being the tactic used successfully time and time again by United in these meetings, we fell for it once again.

The most critical thing when faced with that kind of approach is to not concede the first goal, particularly not to a defensive mistake. Unfortunately, as so many times before, we did. In fairness, it was an excellent United move, but when Hernandez forced Almunia into an reflex save, Koscielny was a split second slower to react than Fabio, and one half of the Brazilian twins buried the rebound. It was a galling moment because we had all the play up to that point, admittedly without creating much besides Van Persie’s snap shot that was well turned aside by Van der Sar.

Before half time we came close again, Nasri firing through legs to force Van der Sar into another good stop at his near post. It was scant reward for two-thirds of possession (which, unlike Tuesday night, was not given as a reason why we deserved to be ahead – funny that), but United knew exactly what they were doing – contain and force us narrow, wait for it to break down and then counter at pace. We knew it was coming, but couldn’t stop it.

At the start of the second half we had a minute that defined the game – first Koscielny made an excellent surge upfield, before seeming to get a nosebleed when sent through on goal, trying to square it instead of shoot. But when the ball returned to him, he took it on, and it took a remarkable save to deny him the equaliser. Within sixty seconds, we were two down – Djourou did everything he could in blocking Hernandez after he cut inside Gibbs too easily, but when the ball rebounded up in the air Rooney was the only one to react, heading in a cute finish that we probably all knew would seal it.

Looking objectively, we created enough chances even from that point to win it – Chamakh missed the best when his close range header was too weak, allowing Van der Sar to keep it out, but the veteran stopper was also forced into a string of other saves. Yet somehow it never felt like the misses were going to matter – from the moment Rooney doubled their lead the result was inevitable. You could see it in the players too – there were a number of lowered heads with twenty minutes still left to play, which leaves them ripe for criticism but is perhaps understandable given what they have gone through over the last couple of weeks. As fans, we’re gutted at the evaporation of our challenge in three competitions, and we sometimes ignore the fact that they are too, particularly when the have to walk past trophies and winner’s medals at Wembley. It is a chastening experience that does have a lasting effect.

Three weeks ago we were being talked up as potential quadruple winners. None of us believed it, of course, and neither should we believe that we are the terrible side we will now be portrayed as. The truth, as ever, is somewhere in between. Too many massive fixtures in a short space of time has caught up with us – you could see the mental fatigue in the players tonight, and while you can argue that professionals should be able to get past that, it is easier said than done.

We will not lift a cup this season. Personally, I thought we’d win the Carling Cup but lose the other two ties, and after recent events I predicted we would lose today but recover to win the title. That might sound overly optimistic right now, especially with the likes of Cesc and Walcott on the sidelines, both of whom are critical to our chances – we play with much higher energy levels with the pair available. But both should be back soon, as should Song, and it is worth noting that next weekend’s game with West Brom is the only one we have left in March. Also important is that we will get a good rest in between all our remaining matches – the trip to White Hart Lane at the end of April is our only midweek fixture.

It might sound like I’m clutching at straws, and to an extent I am. To try to spin going out of three competitions as a good thing because it eases our fixture list is pushing it, but that is the reality of the situation. We have ten games in ten weeks, and United have the FA Cup and the Champions League still to focus on. We really have no excuses for not lifting the Premiership now, especially as we have such a long period of time to get over the recent disappointments before the league picks up again. For once, an international break may be well timed.

Of course, we will have to cope without Djourou, whose season is over after dislocating his shoulder in the closing moments. It is a cruel blow for a player who has performed magnificently in the absence of Thomas Vermaelen, and leaves us with Koscielny and Squillaci, a partnership that has hardly flourished so far. Expect Miquel to feature a few times before the season is out.

It has been a painful fortnight. Three massive cup ties have been lost, and the league match sandwiched between them provided no respite. Now we have only one focus, and that is the league. I’m sure many tonight will doubt our capacity to win it, but with United facing the fixture pile up (and collection of injuries) that can push a squad too far, and with no other realistic challengers, even our patched up squad has a great chance. Time to take it.

One more thing. Welcome back, Aaron Ramsey.

Refereeing errors prevent the win, but so does a twenty minute performance

Arsenal News, Matches 10 Responses »

Mar 052011

Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0
(Premiership)

I didn’t catch the Leyton Orient game live and as such couldn’t comment on it during the week, but it was reassuring to not see a hangover from the cup final defeat that preceded it. On many occasions in the past, one bad performance has rolled into another, and before you knew it, four matches had passed, and all hopes for trophies had disappeared in the blink of an eye. One bad month and the other eight months can mean little.

And while many will look at today’s result and last weekend’s disappointment and link the two, I don’t buy it. We haven’t played well in many games this season where we’ve been missing our top stars (I’m thinking some of the FA Cup games in particular, in which they were rested), and this was largely the same. Without Cesc driving the team forward, without Theo stretching them wide, and without Van Persie providing superb movement and a threat both inside and outside the box, we looked toothless for much of the game. Sunderland have to take the credit for a lot of that, but some of it was borne out of the same failing we’ve seen on occasions this season – a baffling lack of urgency.

Only in the last twenty minutes did we come alive, and it should have been enough, but for a pair of poor officiating decisions that were the difference between the analysis of ‘they didn’t play very well, it is a major blow to their title hopes‘ and ‘a sign of champions is playing badly and winning, so they’re heading for the title‘. Fine lines.

The first was a blatant penalty not given – Titus Bramble, having already tried to pull Arshavin back, stumbled and pushed the Russian over with two hands as he shaped to shoot. Bramble has never been the most subtle of defenders, and it was hardly the most subtle of fouls, yet went mysteriously unnoticed and unpunished. Still, baffling penalty decisions occur every week, sometimes you have to take it on the chin and move on.

More difficult to take was the late ‘goal’ chalked off for an offside decision that wasn’t even close. Arshavin thought he had won the game only for an erroneous flag to deny him, and ultimately the team, two valuable points. The pair of decisions were exactly of the type you need to avoid on a day where things aren’t clicking properly – the match had scrappy 1-0 written all over it.

Having said all of that, I’m always loathed to go overboard on the referee. I’ve mentioned before that if a striker misses a glorious chance and the referee makes a critical mistake, blame is always laid squarely at the feet of the official. The trouble is – everyone makes mistakes. It is certainly true that the referee’s bad decisions were a reason why we didn’t win today. But equally, we didn’t play particularly well, and didn’t create enough chances to render his performance irrelevant. The dropping of two points can be attributed to either of those two facts.

I guess the reason why refereeing mistakes are so infuriating is that they are out of a manager’s control. If a striker he buys and trains misses a hatful of chances, he has an element of control over that – it is his team out there, playing under his philosophy and based on his training regimes. But when a perfectly valid victory is wiped out because of the poor judgement of the referee, it is ten times more annoying.

There is little we can do about it other than accept it and move on. I don’t buy into the conspiracy theories – sadly many of our top flight officials are simply not particularly competent. Mark Clattenburg, for example, should not be a Premiership referee, but take a look down the leagues and you begin to realise why he is considered elite. The standard at all levels is poor.

Despite all that, there are reasons to be positive. Midweek, we feared United going seven points clear – the gap is now three, and they have something of a defensive crisis ahead of their trip to Liverpool tomorrow, in a game I would be very surprised to see them win. More a pressing concern is Tuesday’s game in Barcelona – Wilshere hobbled off today and is now a doubt, adding to a growing list. Once again we are being robbed of our best players at the critical point of the season – it is a tired old story that is consistently preventing us from seeing how far the team could go if only they could stay fit. Let’s hope Jack’s knock is a short term one.

We’ve gained ground this week. It might not feel like it, but we have. Come on Liverpool.