At Bournemouth; it required nerves of still and strong mentality to come back after going three goals down in a most forgettable manner. Those were available. Arguable but relatively deserved one point was earned. Fast forward four days later and in the Emirates FA Cup; Arsenal struggled to beat Preston North End needing Giroud to do a winner for the umpteenth time in the season. For most, these two games gave the clearest indications beyond the shocking defeats to Everton and inconsistent Manchester City in December that the Gunners won’t do the job again this season.
Prior to these disappointing games were some brilliant results like the clinical thumping of West Ham United Stoke City and FC Basel. Then the shaky trend that’s been synonymous with Arsenal began rearing its ugly head first at Everton and then at Manchester City where the Londoners took the lead in the games but ended up losing with the same score lines. In the case of Arsenal; thunder do strike twice!
A quick, confident and fluent display in Wales made some to believe that Arsenal could put together (for the second time this season after the shocker of an opener against Liverpool) a good run seeing the impressive displays from city rivals Tottenham Hotspur and resurgent Manchester United. To note is the fact that Liverpool has beaten all the big teams expect the Red Devils and a blip against Swansea yesterday will not derail their season with their quick recovery and attacking prowess.
Now the nervy display against Burnley (who by the way does a nice job defending), the inability to pick a hole in the rear guard and Xhaka’s reckless challenges sure calls for concern for Arsene who we all know never faces the reality! The questions sometimes are simple and straight forward. For instance; why does the Gunners struggle to win at the Emirates? Is it not possible to lay down the gauntlet for first teams members as to what is expected in making rash challenges when calm headedness is required? How come Arsenal can’t keep clean sheets for considerable number of games?
Poor judgments in challenges, reactions to provocations and personal conducts destroy the team just as lack of necessary wins foreclose the possibility of being crowned champion. If Wenger could conjure mirage of excuses for the latter, he should eradicate or limit the former. For the records; Granit Xhaka, a 30Million poundssummer arrival wasn’t bought to rake up silly red cards – it’s Wenger’s job to let him know that!
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