Arsenal has held firm against
the doubters all the way through to the New Year and into February. And even
though there were setbacks at Liverpool, the draw with United and the 2-0
disaster at home against Bayern in the UCL, they still sat just a point below
Chelsea coming into their most important March in several years (or at least
since that second leg lead they blew at Barcelona in 2011). First they needed
to take care of business against Sunderland (done) and then Stoke, before the
title-deciding games to come. But something happened on the way to those
deciders – the Gunners forgot to show up at the Brittania and paid the price.
Arsenal played the most inept
first half of the season so far, though they remained strong on the defensive
end until a questionable penalty for hand ball against Koscielny gave Stoke the
lead and ultimately the game. In the first half, Giroud had a header from a
tough angle that was easily saved by Begavich, Podolski shot wide in on goal from
the left and Cazorla shot right at Begavich. And that was about it. At the end
of the half, after one poor pass after another under the constant pressure of a
well-organized Stoke (particularly from Wilshere and Arteta, who were really
off their games), the home team actually had the possession advantage 51-49%.
The second half started with
a little more flair for the Gunners, though they were creating almost no
chances. And then after a few excellent saves from Szczesny on an increasingly
menacing counterattacking Stoke, the penalty call came in the 75th
minute. It was dispatched by Jonathon Walters and suddenly Arsenal were in
trouble. Wenger had already brought on Ozil for Podolski in the 66th
and Ox for Rosicky in the 74th. Ox brought the pace and flair
missing from the game the entire time and set up Giroud with a good chance for
an equalizer, after cutting in an around the defense on the right edge. Giroud
flubbed the shot and the chance was gone. In the 81st Sanogo came in
for Wilshere and was provided with an even more gild-edged chance to score from
the same move by Ox, though he sent the ball horribly over after leaning back
before shooting. And that was it.
Three points gone, falling
four behind Chelsea and moving to third place (and will probably be fourth once
Man City plays their two games in hand). And the season teeters on the edge of
disappointment once again. It is too early to write the Gunners off, as they
will play City and Chelsea this month and could thus catapult back to the top,
but if this is the level of effort they are going to provide, it could be the
second half collapse Gooners had become accustomed to until they did the
opposite tango the past two years. Three quick thoughts from the game …
1) Wenger: Wenger has to take much of the blame
here, in my estimation. It was a weird lineup he introduced and several
attempts to play Wilshere and Arteta against tougher teams have not gone well.
If Flamini was healthy, I would have much preferred him in the game. Both
Wilshere and Arteta seemed cowed by the Stoke pressure and physicality and
missed pass after pass. Cazorla played farther further alongside Podolski, but
neither was really in the game much and Rosicky was largely ineffective as
well. It was also clear that Giroud was either tired, still thinking about his
publicity/relationship troubled or just not into the game, and should have been
subbed out by the 60th minute to me. The fact that he continued to
play until the end made little sense to me and provides further proof that not
picking up a striker is costing us too many points in the second half (I would
argue two against Manchester United, three here and two against Southampton).
Wenger’s stubbornness has cost Arsenal for years and the thought of another
trophyless season and three more years for the Frenchman is really turning my
stomach.
2) Giroud: while the Frenchman started scoring
again in the past few games he really looked off today and should have been
subbed out, as I mentioned above. His first touch was too heavy, he kept trying
to pass the ball blindly into empty spaces (to no effect), he made no good runs
on goal (0 offsides for the game for the Gunners – though Stoke was clearly
sitting back) and was weak on his shots and hold up play in general. Al l the
other top clubs in Europe have at least two quality strikers – even Tottenham
does. Why Wenger thinks he can continue to play with one is beyond me. It is
not Giroud’s fault, but every player needs the occasional rest – particularly on
the cusp of a feast of big games in the next month.
3) Trophy Hunting: when a team lacks players who
have won trophies in the past, it can have a truly deleterious effect on the
present. Sure teams rise from the ashes, as United, Chelsea and others have in
the past, but they were smart enough to mix seasoned, winning talent with the
young and hungry. Arsenal have a quality team from front to back, but also no
recent record of winning anything … unless you count fourth place as a trophy.
This summer it might be imperative to not only bring in another defender and
striker but also someone who has experienced winning trophies in the past.
It is not hopeless yet, and
an FA Cup victory and top three finish would still suffice for me this year,
but it’s time for the Gunners to find the form that had them looking one step
below the very best in Europe. It truly is now or never.
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