Young Szczesny can’t imagine it.
But Arsenal could finish below Spurs
Arsenal played on Tuesday afternoon and drew 1-1 with Wolves.
Spurs played that night and won 2-0 at Norwich.
Wenger’s improving side had a wonderful chance to go above Chelsea with a game against a team they’ve beaten in the last 12 home fixtures between the two clubs.
But Arsenal blew it after scoring a superb early goal.
When Matt Jarvis roasted Djourou and crossed, Koscielny cleared to Rosicky, who evaded two Wolves players near the halfway line and played the ball into the run of Benayoun, who took a touch and then played it into the run of Gervinho, who spun past his marker to create a one-on-one with the keeper and when he didn’t shoot the crowd groaned but Gervinho zigzagged left and buried his shot for 1-0 in 8 minutes.
In a game like this, you need an early goal. It’s all very well being stable and patient but what happens if they score an early goal?
It’s best, at home, to take charge of the game and that’s what Arsenal did.
But when Milijas took a left wing corner, Djourou headed out straight to the unmarked Stephen Hunt in the D. No distance on the header, no height either, and no marking. So Hunt was easily able to juggle the ball past Benayoun and hit a shot that deflected off Koscielny to Fletcher, who was sharp enough to head the ball down and past Szczesny.
Song, dawdling in the right back position, had played Fletcher onside.
After 38 minutes, it’s 1-1.
Second half, it still 1-1 after an hour
Then there was a midfield skirmish which was badly handled by Song and the referee.
When Karl Henry came in with a high boot that missed Song’s thigh, and then shoved Song down, the Cameroon international saw the red mist and kicked Fletcher when he could clearly have kicked the ball and then, as Hunt picked up the loose ball that Song had chosen not to kick, Song turned round and kicked over the ball again into Hunt’s ankle.
Incredibly, ref Stuart Attwell gave Song a yellow card.
Replays showed that it was easier for Song to kick the ball than kick Fletcher. Then he aimed his boot over the ball to kick Hunt, even though the ball was nearer to him than Hunt was.
Song’s foul on Fletcher was a straight red card all day long!
How did he stay on the pitch? We see players sent off every week for 25% of what Song did there.
Two minutes later, Wenger took Song off because he thought he would be sent off. The manager knew his midfielder had lost it and would not survive the next 15 minutes.
Three minutes later Atwell sent off Nenad Milijas for a tackle that should have been a free-kick to Arsenal, not a straight red card.
Miljas got the ball and a bit of Arteta’s ankle and yellow card would have been harsh. A straight red card was outrageous.
After that it was a siege and Arsenal had plenty of shots, corners and free-kicks. Good saves by Hennessey and one lucky save with his foot.
A friend had front row seats on the halfway line.
He said there were loads of empty seats, that it was all quite boring, that Song was very pissed off when he was yanked out of the action, that Chamakh came on and went for the same ball as Van Persie and collided with him, and that Arshavin, unlike other players, actually watches the match when he’s on the bench and continues to watch the match while he’s warming up.
Arshavin, on for Benayoun, came closest to scoring with an opportunist left foot jab which just beat the frame of the goal. That would have been an amazing goal if it had gone in.
OK, it’s a 38-match campaign. Sometimes you drop stupid points at home, even when you have two specialist full backs in your team.
At Norwich, Gareth Bale had a shot wide and a shot saved and in the second half, Adebayor set him up for 1-0 in 55 and then Bale scored a spectacularly 12 minutes later.
Modric and Bale were both in the centre circle when the Croatian released the Welsh powerhouse with a short pass.
Bale made a very long run to score from a short pass, took two touches into the box, and, when the keeper went down too early, dinked the ball past him.
That counter-attack was vintage Arsenal from 1998 or 2002.
Reminiscent of when Bergkamp used to release Overmars or Anelka, like the night Wenger’s Arsenal ripped George Graham’s Spurs to shreds at the Lane and won 3-1 and George admiringly summed up his old club’s performance by saying it was “Quality on the break.”
Power players are exciting and almost every great team has them.
Looks like it will be Manchester v Manchester from now till May, with Spurs third and Arsenal battling Chelsea for fourth place.
If Liverpool lose Suarez for eight games, I can’t see them winning often enough.
It might be a very,very tight contest between the three London clubs.
Arsenal v Spurs on Sunday Feb 26th could be a watershed moment in the season. It’s two months away but I’m already looking forward to that one. I love meaningful games.
Arsenal are more stable but too predictable, with a weak bench and too many injury-prone players.
Chelsea have old men fighting for their careers in a team that will be in transition for the next two years.
PS If Dennis Bergkamp is a Rolls Royce of a player, and Ryan Giggs is a Porsche, what car is Gareth Bale?