Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
As he surveys the wreckage of a promising season that has gone horribly, horribly wrong, Arsene Wenger will have just one question on his mind. What changes need to be made this summer to avoid ever having to go through that again?
The first thing everyone connected with the club needs to do is to gain some perspective. It's difficult to put a positive spin on the past seven days, but they have to remember that, at the beginning of the season, everyone predicted a fourth place finish. Apart from the people who said that Spurs would come fourth and Arsenal would come fifth. I like those kind of people, the world needs them. Arsenal, for the most part of this season, played gorgeous football, scored piles of goals, captured the hearts of cynical neutrals like myself and put themselves in contention for honours, both domestically and abroad.
However, the areas in which they must strengthen were mercilessly thrust into the spotlight for all to see this weekend. Whatever colours you wore as you watched that game, with the score at 1-0, did you think United could come back? Of course you did, it's what they do. What about when they led 2-1, did you think Arsenal could equalise? Ah...it's all gone quiet. Even when Nicklas Bendtner rose to win a late, short-range header, no-one really thought it would go in, did they? Arsenal haven't got the mental strength or the belief to succeed. Not yet. From Emmanuel Adebayor's loathsome finishing to Emmanuel Eboue's pointless and self-destructive gamesmanship, Arsenal are lacking the right attitude. Manchester United are just as beautiful as the Gunners, but they're nasty with it. They're winners.
Jens Lehmann is a winner, but he has barely played this season, something I've found very strange. Wenger was right to drop him after his appalling start to the season, but when he came back to replace the injured Manuel Almunia in February, why wasn't he allowed to stay? Lehmann was in goal for the 3-1 victory over Manchester City and the 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. Then he was dropped and Arsenal didn't win for six weeks. He's feisty to the point of being sociopathic, but he's a fine goalkeeper and he can keep his defenders organised. I'd rather have him behind me than Almunia, who is a decent enough stopper, but a little too quiet.
Wenger needs some experience in the side to marshal the youngsters, but he also needs some added quality and, oddly enough, he's already got it. As the season wore on, there was no adequate cover for Cesc Fabregas and the young Spaniard has really suffered from over-exposure. Fran Merida is thought to be 'the next big thing' at The Emirates, but he was signed to a season-long loan deal with Real Sociedad. Carlos Vela would, from what I've heard, have made a perfect replacement for Eduardo, but he's been out at Osasuna. Either Wenger has bumbled by allowing them to leave without inserting a recall clause, or he's bumbled by not bringing them back. Neither Adebayor or Bendtner has ended the season well. Just having one more striker to call upon could have made a difference, especially with Robin van Persie's luck with knocks.
Wenger is right to bemoan ill-fortune and injuries, but he can't blame them. Chelsea have been crippled with injuries all year and are currently chasing the title with a third-choice goalkeeper. They're not pretty, but they've certainly got the mentality that Arsenal need. The scattered voices calling for Wenger's head belong to people who really aren't clever enough to be watching this sport. There's no need for sweeping changes, no point in a clear-out of personnel, this club just needs to strengthen in the right places. They simply need to believe in themselves.
The first thing everyone connected with the club needs to do is to gain some perspective. It's difficult to put a positive spin on the past seven days, but they have to remember that, at the beginning of the season, everyone predicted a fourth place finish. Apart from the people who said that Spurs would come fourth and Arsenal would come fifth. I like those kind of people, the world needs them. Arsenal, for the most part of this season, played gorgeous football, scored piles of goals, captured the hearts of cynical neutrals like myself and put themselves in contention for honours, both domestically and abroad.
However, the areas in which they must strengthen were mercilessly thrust into the spotlight for all to see this weekend. Whatever colours you wore as you watched that game, with the score at 1-0, did you think United could come back? Of course you did, it's what they do. What about when they led 2-1, did you think Arsenal could equalise? Ah...it's all gone quiet. Even when Nicklas Bendtner rose to win a late, short-range header, no-one really thought it would go in, did they? Arsenal haven't got the mental strength or the belief to succeed. Not yet. From Emmanuel Adebayor's loathsome finishing to Emmanuel Eboue's pointless and self-destructive gamesmanship, Arsenal are lacking the right attitude. Manchester United are just as beautiful as the Gunners, but they're nasty with it. They're winners.
Jens Lehmann is a winner, but he has barely played this season, something I've found very strange. Wenger was right to drop him after his appalling start to the season, but when he came back to replace the injured Manuel Almunia in February, why wasn't he allowed to stay? Lehmann was in goal for the 3-1 victory over Manchester City and the 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. Then he was dropped and Arsenal didn't win for six weeks. He's feisty to the point of being sociopathic, but he's a fine goalkeeper and he can keep his defenders organised. I'd rather have him behind me than Almunia, who is a decent enough stopper, but a little too quiet.
Wenger needs some experience in the side to marshal the youngsters, but he also needs some added quality and, oddly enough, he's already got it. As the season wore on, there was no adequate cover for Cesc Fabregas and the young Spaniard has really suffered from over-exposure. Fran Merida is thought to be 'the next big thing' at The Emirates, but he was signed to a season-long loan deal with Real Sociedad. Carlos Vela would, from what I've heard, have made a perfect replacement for Eduardo, but he's been out at Osasuna. Either Wenger has bumbled by allowing them to leave without inserting a recall clause, or he's bumbled by not bringing them back. Neither Adebayor or Bendtner has ended the season well. Just having one more striker to call upon could have made a difference, especially with Robin van Persie's luck with knocks.
Wenger is right to bemoan ill-fortune and injuries, but he can't blame them. Chelsea have been crippled with injuries all year and are currently chasing the title with a third-choice goalkeeper. They're not pretty, but they've certainly got the mentality that Arsenal need. The scattered voices calling for Wenger's head belong to people who really aren't clever enough to be watching this sport. There's no need for sweeping changes, no point in a clear-out of personnel, this club just needs to strengthen in the right places. They simply need to believe in themselves.
