Six weeks ago Chelsea were scoring four goals while dismantling Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Arsenal suffered an unforeseen defeat at Norwich City, having made an encouraging start to the season which featured wins at Liverpool and West Ham United and a well-deserved draw at Manchester City.
Both sides were brimming with confidence and playing some of the most fluent football in the Premier League. Chelsea in particular were dazzling, with their attacking triumvirate of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar making them the country’s ‘must watch’ team.
In the intervening period there has been no change in playing personnel at either club, yet form has spiralled to the rate where the men in charge of both teams – for very contrasting reasons – are under acute pressure.
Of greatest concern for Arsene Wenger must be the manner of the Gunners weekend defeat to Swansea City. This was no ‘smash and grab’ by a plucky and resolute visitor. The Swans enjoyed the majority of possession and for large parts of the encounter were pulling their opponents all over the field with fluid movement and incisive and imaginative passing. Adding to Wenger’s chagrin, will have been the fact that the style in which his side were out-manoeuvred by Swansea was reminiscent of Roberto Martinez’s Wigan Athletic and their fast moving brand of football storming North London in April.
Fingers have long been pointed at Arsenal’s inability to cope with a physical battle, epitomised by past struggles against Sam Allardyce’s outfits at Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. Seeing his team rendered inferior, in an aspect of the game in which he so prides himself on their proficiency, will be starkly alarming for Wenger.
Arsenal came into the game with the Welsh club having ground out draws at Villa Park and Goodison Park, both respectable and hard-fought results, although not enough to satisfy their demanding support. Those two points garnered on their travels would have amounted to a healthy return if supplemented by three more on their return to the palatial Emirates.
The bare fact causing consternation on the Arsenal terraces is that the 5-2 defeat of bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur, which had bought Wenger some breathing space, has been followed by two points gained from a possible nine. Consequently, the 63 year-old is under the microscope more than ever before during his 16 years in North London.
Where Wenger has undoubtedly erred is in giving his players a ready excuse for their weekend slip. The manager has spoken openly of the tiredness being experienced within his squad. Indeed, in the seven days prior to Saturday, the Gunners had been involved in those two frenetic tussles with Villa and Everton. Their opponents however, had faced two similarly stiff challenges against Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion in the previous six days.
The key difference was that Michael Laudrup’s unit was a buoyant one after securing four points and delivering an exhibition of flowing football in their first-half rout of the Baggies on Wednesday. With their mix of strong defenders, clever midfielders, and potent attackers the Swans were never going to be fazed by a trip to Arsenal and confidently took the game to their hosts, even being prepared to do so as the 90 minutes was coming to an end and a point was there for the taking.
At that same stage, Wenger’s players, even if only sub-consciously, knew they had that ‘get-out’ helpfully provided for them by their manager. They were told they are weary, so if they couldn’t find a breakthrough there was an extenuating factor and all could be forgiven. That attitude was particularly evident in Swansea’s clinching second goal when, shorn of options while on the ball, Carl Jenkinson was robbed by Nathan Dyer who set the sublime Michu free.
The recovery runs from red shirts were largely absent and Tomas Rosicky’s ‘attempt’ to close down the goal-scorer was shameful. Likewise, Thomas Vermaelen’s defending in the lead up to Michu’s fantastic first goal was akin to that of a greenhorn thrust into the limelight, rather than a player of vast experience who was schooled at Ajax and with 40 Belgian cap’s to his name.
With Champions League progress now assured, the Gunners can focus on their next six Premier League matches, which crucially take place within the space of 24 days – a period which also includes a League Cup tie with Bradford City, a game that – in light of Arsenal’s relative trophy drought – cannot be treated frivolously.
Those league clashes – against West Brom, Reading, Wigan Athletic, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Southampton – are certainly winnable for a focused and clear-headed Arsenal, whose squad Wenger is unable to alter until January. The players selected cannot be allowed any exemption from responsibility. They are paid excessive sums to perform for a huge football club, and are trusted by one of the game’s most venerable figures with that duty.
It might be time for Arsene to get nasty with his under-performing squad, for it is he who will bear the brunt of fierce criticism from the Gunners’ discontented support if its team don’t rediscover their early-season mentality.
(As an aside on matters concerning Arsenal, who are the club trying to kid by continuing to post their official home attendance figure as being in the region of 60,000? A cursory glance at the stadium while the action takes place reveals an abundance of unused red seats).
The antipathy from fans of his new club towards Rafa Benitez is giving those tasked with playing for the Spaniard a free pass when their levels of effort and performance drop below that which are expected. Many of the same group found a zip that had been missing under Andre Villas-Boas when Roberto Di Matteo took charge in March – a similar phenomenon is occurring at QPR since Harry Redknapp replaced Mark Hughes.
The degree of animosity towards Benitez means it is the Spaniard who will shoulder the vast proportion of blame for unsatisfactory results, such as that at West Ham on Saturday and at home against Fulham last midweek.