The Arsenal season started with decent displays against supposedly cagey opposition and there were positive vibes from all sectors as the team having just sold talismanic captain and midfield dynamo Alex Song were gradually gelling together and showing signs of title contenders.
The likes of Santi Carzola took to the team like duck to water and Carl Jenkinson, Kieran Gibbs and Vito Mannone all showed that the second string were a bunch to watch out for.
As the season progressed, events began to take a funny turn for The Gunners, which eventually led to the team having its worst start under the reign of Monsieur Arsene Wenger. The Arsenal woes were further compounded six days ago after a shock exit at the hands of a team sitting 66 places below them in the log. To make the story all the more pathetic, it was the Arsenal first-team that was on parade, a move that even the Arsenal faithful will find hard to remember when it last happened under the current gaffer. The reason behind the choice of players is very understandable as the team’s next game was six days away. Though I felt the players, especially the creative or offensive ones, needed rest as they appeared to be more mentally tired as shown in their choices in the final third, as opposed to getting more games to become effective again. Anyway, the move backfired and it culminated in our exit from the race in one of our cheapest sources of silverware. It was surprising to see Wenger not doing this when we played a much stronger Chelsea team in the 2006 final.
Looking at the present Arsenal set-up, a lot of people are quick to point out that the team is full of below average players and all sorts. But I always like to state the weaker a team, the more it calls on the manager’s tactical genius. I find it hard to understand that Wenger admits selling his top stars is killing his team and if truly his hands are tied then he must be ready to go the extra mile in deploying his team for action. I really don’t fault those who criticize the quality of players in the squad but to say the whole squad is crap is very untrue. A team comprising of Wojciech Szczesny, Gibbs, Thomas Vermaelen, Per Metersacker, Laurent Koscielny, Bacary Sagna, Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky, Francis Coquelin, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Lukas Podolski, Andrey Arshavin, Olivier Giroud, Jack Wilshere and Cazorla is by no means a squad full of average players. If Mr, Wenger were to always consider the choice of players first before delving further into his squad for additions, then he will be fielding a consistently strong side. It’s funny how some players get the nod week in, week out, despite their obvious lack of form albeit class. Whatever happened to Aaron Ramsey during or after his horrific leg-break is an issue the young Welshman must solve. He is slow in reacting and executing. He is not decisive and he holds on to the ball a second or two longer than he should, while having a very narrow vision as a central midfielder. It is clear Aaron should be restricted to hatchet jobs or see out games with time to spare.
