Captain's Game

On Sunday afternoon, we went into another must win game – a game against a struggling Sunderland side that was looking for an opportunity to bounce back. And what better team to do that against than Arsenal? Let’s face it. We have had the worst start to a season in more than 50 years. We are playing a particular brand of football where we typically score a goal, concede one or two as a result of very questionable defending, and finally lose or, if we are luck, draw. Yes, yes, the team is practically brand new, we are without some of our best players, the panic buys need time to settle in, etc etc. The painful truth is, however, that football is cold and cruel. If you don’t play well enough, you don’t get into the top four. As simple as that. All the excuses can be thrown straight into the garbage can. We had the summer to rectify the mistakes from last season and improve the squad. We didn’t. Once the season starts, we have to put that behind us and do whatever we can to stay up there with the big guys.

This was an important game – both in terms of confidence building, and getting points on the board. We fielded a starting eleven that was probably the best we possibly could. Jenkinson started at right back, and Rosicky replaced Ramsey in central midfield since the latter had slight muscle fatigue.

We got off to the best possible start, with van Persie, that Dutch wizard, put us in front with a great finish from Gervinho’s pass. With his right foot, too. The captain had justified his program notes, where he claimed to be completely committed to the club, and also made it clear that, despite media implications, he was indeed NOT living on the streets, and had a roof over his head. Thank goodness for that.

The first 20 minutes were all Arsenal, and one caught not only glimpses, but the entire image, in distinct colors, of the Arsenal we have all grown. We should probably have been 2 or 3-nill up during that period. Captain Vantastic (yes, that was terrible, but I wanted to use it!) was robbed of a goal by the football gods when he took Arteta’s pass exquisitely while turning on the edge of the box, and then attempted the most delightful of chip over the keeper, only for the ball to hit the inside of the post and out. It was as though the spirit of Bergkamp was throbbing inside Robin.

After that, we realized that we weren’t supposed to be this good. The passes started getting slower, less accurate, and Sunderland started to grow into the game. Of course, we were still controlling the game in terms of possession, but well, when do we not? The second goal that everyone could sense coming was not to come in the first half. In fact, Arteta gave away a free kick outside the box about 25-30 yards from goal. It was an improbable distance, but Larsson had other ideas. He unleashed a curler that bent into the top left corner. Szczesny could do nothing about it. Rosicky didn’t even bother to turn and look if it had gone in or not. It was top, top drawer and Becks himself would have been proud of it.

After that Sunderland sensed that we were vulnerable and had a few great chances to get in front themselves. Szczesny, however, was rock solid. It is amazing how many wonder saves he has pulled off to keep us in the game. He was at his usual best here too, with a brilliant reflex save of a header from three yards the pick of the lot.

At halftime we went in 1-1, and were lucky to be level. We needed the break. In the second half we came out with renewed spirit and straight away took control of the game. Sunderland were not able to get the ball at all, and didn’t particularly want to. We lacked penetration in the final third, and their defense was shut tight. The ref had a terrible game, and we still managed to win a bunch of free kicks outside the box. Walcott, Arteta and Santos all tried but failed to convert a single one.

A little aside here on Theo Walcott: I barely knew he was on the pitch before he took that free kick. He could do nothing with the ball, and couldn’t get behind the defense a lot. He had another one of is anonymous game, and one has to wonder if the boss will keep faith in him. He has been crying out loud for being played as striker, but his finishing has been off too for the most part. The problem is he has little competition. The Ox and Ryo are not ready yet, and Arshavin plays best on the right. Pull your socks up, Theo!

A quick mention for Thomas Rosicky, who I thought was brilliant in his deep playmaker role. He had a few driving runs, and really pushed us forward when we needed him to. One could see glimpses of the Rosicky of old returning. Him hitting form would be perfect for us right now.

Mertesacker impressed in defense too. His reading of the game is amazing, and more than makes up for his lack of agility. Koscielny was pretty solid for the most part, and so, surprisingly was young Jenkinson. Bar a couple mistakes, he was pretty lively down that right flank, and contributed a fair amount to our attacks down that side.

Back to the game though. Arshavin replaced Gervinho in the 68^th minute and he put in a great shift on the left flank. The crafty runs that we knew he could make were there for all to see, and the he weaved his way through the defense was a joy to watch. It is relieving to see him finding some form, since I really like him as a player and genuinely believe he has something special to offer. Yes, even now.

The minutes went by, and all we had to show for our efforts was tons and tons of possession. I think at one point, on the 70^th minute or so, we had 73% of possession. Amazing.

The breakthrough, however didn’t come until the 83^rd minute when van Persie stepped it up once more. Many are wondering where we would be this season without him, and frankly, that is a question I don’t want to think about. The fact is we have him, and he’s a world class player who is reaching his peak. He won a free kick on the right side of the box, and scored with a magnificent strike that more than matched Larsson’s earlier effort. It was an amazing free kick, and deserved to be the winner. We held on for the next ten minutes or so, and I drew a breath of relief as the final whistle blew. I didn’t care that we hadn’t won by a larger margin; just the three points were enough. The win will do a lot towards lifting the spirits in the dressing room, and it definitely gave the fans something to cheer about (except the ones who believe it’s cool to boo the team at halftime. They were almost disappointed). Five straight home wins. Great. Now we must string a couple more, and we will be right on track I think. Being four points off Liverpool, who are our main rivals for that spot, is a position I will take with both hands considering our start.

Yes, we were exposed a few times, and yes, we relied on van Persie to get us over the line. But hey, you can’t expect the entire team to contribute equally every time. Robin gave us that victory, and I’m glad he played the way he did. Shows that he does indeed lead by example. What does Alan Hansen have to say now?

The whole season is developing quite like the last one in terms of players. Szczesny has stepped up big time, much like Wilshere last season, and van Persie is winning us matches, much like a certain Samir Nasri did. He too is refusing to sign a new contract, if the media is to be believed, and would obviously be wanted by any top club. Robin is probably the best asset the club has right now. We must, at literally any cost, offer him a new mega contract.

The wage structure has obvious problems, and needs to be changed. Everyone knows that. However, we must pay the price, again literally, for our stupidity by inflating the wage bill a little bit until we offload the likes of Denilson, Al and Nicky B. Another way of showing ambition would be to sign a star in January. I doubt that will happen though. We will “keep our powder dry”, for God (and maybe Wenger) only knows how long.

I can clearly see this developing into the exact same situation as Nasri’s. I hope it doesn’t, but somehow I just don’t feel we have the balls to take a risk by giving a guy what he deserves. Inflated wages are here to stay, and that’s the truth. We better start matching them, or else we face upper mid table mediocrity. Whining about City and Chelsea is not going to help.

We also have to fill the hole left by Cesc, and no, I don’t think Arteta or Ramsey or Rosicky is good enough (at least for now) to do that. They are great players, but Cesc was on a different plane. Now we have three midfielders fighting for two spots, which is good, but I would prefer having one star who is a cut above the rest. I miss having Cesc on the team, and would be happy if we got someone who will go a little way in adding that something special to the team.

Well, all these things can wait for now. What matters is the performance on the pitch. We take on Marseille on Wednesday in the Champions League, a team who are identical to us in the way their season has kicked off. I think we should be aiming for at least a point from this game, if not three. Four points off the two games would be enough, but I really wouldn’t mind six out of a possible six!

So let us continue this run of amazing form we have found (yes, that was something of a hyperbole), and take the game to Marseille. It will obviously be a step in the right direction if we pull it off.

As always, up the Arsenal!