Going the Arsenal way

Another FA Cup; Another exit. Another season; Another trophy-less season. Unless of course, Arsenal can somehow magically conjure enough willpower and footballing ability to beat Milan by a jaw-dropping margin. And then go through the remaining rounds, beating teams (if they themselves go through) the likes of Madrid, Barcelona, Napoli etc. How many optimistic Gooners do we have? None?? I thought as much. Rewind a few years, and you’d have seen a LOT of optimism and hope on the now desolate faces of Arsenal fans. They used to support them through every (the few rare ones) high, and all the other lows. But now, support is dwindling, and one man is being held entirely responsible for Arsenal’s profound abjectness. No prizes for guessing, Arsene Wenger.

Undoubtedly, he is greatly to blame, and rightly so. His improper proper dealings in the transfer market have led them to rely heavily on below-par and under-prepared youth team players, youngsters, had-beens (in the case of Arshavin and Arteta), and some never-were’s, like Rosicky, Djourou, Ramsey. Granted, Rosicky and Djourou are players capable of producing great games occassionally, but they remain mere occassions. And Aaron Ramsey has some fantastic talent and may one day become a great midfielder at Arsenal (or another club), but he is still too young. This is not what a great club like Arsenal should be treated to. Wengers youth-policy will take some years to actually flourish, and time something he does not have. His purchase of Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton shows he still retains his transfer prudency. Yet, ironically, Arsenal were harried by young James McClean in both games against Sunderland – 22 years of age and one of the best players in the EPL at the moment. An incidence of O’Neill showing Wenger how its done?

Yesterday, Roy Keane panned the team saying it was the “worst he’d ever seen”. Whether it is or not, is impossible to deduce. But its definitely one of the worst in the last few years. Individually, as well as a team, they have failed to put on too many respectable displays. But, doesn’t that shift the blame from Wenger to his men? They’re the ones going out and putting up shabby games week in & out.

Save for Szczesny, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Song, Van Persie and most recently, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, none of the Arsenal regulars have offered much to smile about. Henry arrived on a month and a half loan, and despite being 34, offered more substance and drive in 7 games than Walcott will, all season. Walcott’s inconsistency baffles, as his pace torments. But pace can only get him so far, and a seeming lack of skill on the ball and mostly poor crossing prove him useless a winger, and erratic finishing obstructs his effectiveness as a striker. He has provided encouraging displays at times this season. But he frustrates his teammates and fans more than he does the rearguards of the opposition. Mikel Arteta, in his early 20s was seen as a poor-man’s Cesc Fabregas, and his performances at Everton, where he seamlessly unlocked stubborn defences, and scored from some sumptuous free-kicks, deemed worthy his demand. But now, injuries and age have taken their toll. He isn’t anything close to being a “bad” player, mind. He still manages to keep possession well and produce a nifty pass or two on occassion, but, as against Sunderland and several others this season, he fails to provide the missing creative spark. Aaron Ramsey is still young, and has his moments, but still isn’t anywhere near replacing Fabregas or Nasri. The Arsenal backline have been ravaged by injury, and with Mertesacker, Koscielny, Squillaci and Coquelin being the latest in line, the future does indeed look dreary for them. Koscielny and Mertesacker had begun providing some steel at the centre of the defence while Vermaelen deputised at left-back. Gibbs and Sagna have just returned from injury, and have been absolutely brutalised by Sunderland and Milan, respectively. Park Chu-Young and Carl Jenkinson (who had begun to show some promise) have either been injured, or lost Wenger’s trust, and have hardly and been anything but transfer coups. And the less spoken about Abject Arshavin, the better. His shambolic, and (as against Man. Utd) degenerative displays, are an embarrassment for the club, and for himself.

But, their gravest malfunctioning has been as a unit, and that is why Wenger continues to be blamed, and now fans have started airing their grievances, in the masses. He has failed to tactically instill much knowledge in his players, and his confidence building ability seems to be waning, and of course, his much advertised lack of transfer activity. His players have given up on hard work, and perhaps Alex OC is the only player who tries defensively as much offensively, and yet he was rewarded with an own-goal for running back 70 yards to defend Sessegnon’s run. The yet non-existent Arsenal fighting spirit showed signs of emerging in Henry’s presence when they thrashed Blackburn and fought till the end against Sunderland in the League. But, with the pathetic games against Milan and Sunderland, the now customary mid-season slump has reared its ugly head, as it did last season after that amazing loss to Birmingham in the Carlin Cup Final. And Arsenal now see themselves realistically out of all competitions, again, and are now struggling for even a Champions League place in the EPL, such is Arsenal’s current fate. Things won’t get much better with Wenger around, and unless he does something drastic with the players very soon, and in the summer transfer window, it might be time for him to say his goodbyes. Existence merely on the mantle of past laurels is no option for a club the stature of Arsenal, even if the man in question is the one who has built that stature.