Arsenal Throw in the Towel

Although defeat to Tottenham midweek did seem to kill off our title ambitions, I could see a ray of hope when Chelsea were beaten at White Hart Lane. Even Manchester United, despite beating Manchester City on Saturday, showed glimpses of why none of the top clubs can hold an uncontested claim to the title this year. I therefore thought we were again going to rise from the dead and this indeed would be a vintage season.

I think it was my nature as a fan that made me hope in the face of obvious reality. Otherwise, why would I harbour such hopes with half our first team out injured? Anyway, hope I did, and by the end of the first hour, the 2 goals we scored further strengthened my belief. I was already calculating where, in addition to Liverpool, Chelsea would drop points.

What followed was catastrophic. After the first Wigan goal, where the Arsenal midfield was caught napping, Flappy-hands-ki made a trademark howler. N'Zogbia completed the nightmare with a fine strike.

Were were never good value for the 2-0 lead. We were not passing well, and we were not making use of whatever possession we had. We were not even working hard to close Wigan down. But we did go up 2-0, and a team of Arsenal's standard should have held on to the lead. It is embarrassing to see your side give up a two goal cushion, especially against a side slowly being dragged into the relegation mud-fight. I still cannot believe it happened. The 2 goals should have spurred us on, but instead, we played worse after we took the lead.

The title is beyond our reach now, and it is exhausting to go through all the same emotions again - seeing Wenger's exasperated face, talking to disappointed and angry fellow-fans, and hearing all the speculation about Fabregas that refuses to die down. Then there is the English media, which again has gone over the top criticising Wenger. This is the same press that had predicted Arsenal would be the victims of Manchester City's new found prosperity. This is the same press that said Alexandre Song was Arsene Wenger's worst ever signing and that Vermaelen was too short for the English game. There, of course, is no dearth of xenophobiacs spouting venom at Wenger. Some morons even ask if Wenger is the right man for the job.

Not that all the criticism directed at Arsenal is misguided. The lack of a world class keeper is something that even Arsenal fans have been complaining about, and there is a lot of merit in the complaint. I am sure even Wenger, who has worked with David Seaman and Jens Lehmann, is aware of the fact. Whether it is lack of funds that has kept Arsenal from buying a good keeper, or it is something else, we will never know. What is clear, though, is that Arsenal need a new keeper.

What the critics fail to notice, however, is that Arsenal did have some tough luck. Van Persie was in the peak of form when he got injured. Injuries happen, but he was ruled out for almost the whole season. Such injuries are not common. Also, van Persie is one of a kind. He is a striker and a provider in equal measure. His movement used to create havoc in opponent defences. Losing him for so long was a huge blow. Take Rooney or Drogba out for a season and see if they can cope. Manchester United struggled for 2 weeks without Rooney.

We faced a lot of other injuries too. We were very much in the title race before we visited Spurs, and against them, we were without 5 key players and with van Persie on the bench. A familiar response is "every team has injuries". Every team does, but usually the injuries are rolling in nature. A team usually has maximum 2-3 players of the first 11 out. How many teams have played multiple games without 5-6 of their key players? Vermaelen, Gallas, Fabregas, Song, Arshavin and Van Persie form the core of the Arsenal team. This cannot be disputed. They are the essence of Arsenal.

This is not to blame injuries entirely for our loss. Clearly, a team with title aspirations must invest in big squads, as Chelsea and Manchester United have shown over the past 5 years, and this year. Arsenal have failed to do so, for whatever the real reasons are. But what annoys me is that people do not acknowledge the handicap that a unique situation with huge debts and injuries has created at Arsenal. Wenger is working against all odds.
 
I guess we just have to console ourselves in the knowledge that we were so, so close this time. Wenger had performed miracles as usual, with the signing of Vermaelen, with the improvement of Song and with the 4-3-3 that just re-emphasised that we are the best football playing team in the league. We were looking like a title winning side with our first 11 playing. Last year, our first 11 was not good enough. This year its the backup squad that has been found lacking. There is definite improvement.

We are at a stage where our disappointment threatens to ruin all the work done in the season. We must quickly get over it and ensure we win the game against Man City, and go on to win all the remaining games. We must ensure that we at least finish third, and as close as possible to United and Chelsea. That will help ease at least some of the pain.