Football, like the stock market, thrives on certainty.
On Match of the Day, Ian Wright said, “It’s so unstable, we’re not hearing anything.The owner, his silence is deafening. I know that Abramovich is silent, but he puts his money where his mouth isn’t.”
Alan Shearer said, “They’ve stood still, Arsenal, while other clubs have overtaken them.”
To Ian Wright I’d say: Yes, Kroenke is a nightmare, the owner from hell. But it’s not always about cash spent. Look at Spurs, who have 86 points while Wenger is boasting about his 75
It’s about the collective desire of a squad of players. It’s about the talent of that squad, and the style of the play that their young manager makes them practice over and over.It’s about desire and attitude and organisation. This is Pochettino’s third season and Spurs have finished the season by winning 7-1 at Hull on the same day that Man City won 5-0 at Watford.
What you see when Harry Kane and the boys go on the pitch is high-tempo football with a lot of automatic, and a willingness to shoot from 25 yards as well as 10.And a huge appetite to win the ball back as soon as they lose it.
Spurs might lose to Bayern Munich but they’d never lose 10-2 on aggregate.
Dele Alli and Harry are the bang!bang! twins and Son has improved by beyond recognition.
The 23-year old South Korean has become the first Asian footballer to score 20 goals in a season.
Until now, now Tottenham team has had three players who have scored 20 goals each in the same season. Kane, Son and Alli have done that and Spurs won 7-1 at Hull yesterday.
On Abramovich, he’s very involved. He rarely misses a game at Stamford Bridge. He loves it when Chelsea score a good goal. He is at the training ground. He has staff reporting to him every day. When Chelsea lost that second leg in Monaco, he went back to his yacht. But he was so upset that he couldn’t sleep, so he went back to join a late-night party with the players.
It wasn’t a happy party, clearly. But he wanted to be there anyway.
Kroenke, as far as I know, has been to one Arsenal game this season.
And he left at half-time.
The Times headline on Alyson Rudd’s match report is Horrendous situation my fault, says Wenger.
David Hytner’s headline is Mutiny and lethargy in the air as Arsenal slip from the elite
The Amy Lawrence piece is Fans turn on Kroenke after “Spursdays” finally arrive