Like the Aston Villa match last week, the Arsenal fans again were chanting for Arsene Wenger to spend some money. It was hard to blame the travelling supporters for voicing their opinion as they were watching a team that lacked urgency in trying to get back into the game.
Even though Manchester City’s win at Bolton made it irrelevant, at the start of play there was still a chance to finish 3rd and avoid the Champions League qualifier. However, you wouldn’t have known it the way some players were looking to just coast through the game and go off on holiday.
When Fulham went 1-0 up, it was all too predictable and reminiscent of recent weeks. A simple through ball released Bobby Zamora in miles of space on the right and he had ages to set up Steve Sidwell, whose effort managed to go through Johan Djourou and Wojciech Szczesny. Kieran Gibbs had been sucked in-field, making it easy for the hosts to score.
As I suspect most fans did, I immediately wrote the game off, expecting Arsenal to concede a few more stupid goals and give nothing going forward. However, the one man to emerge from the rubble of the end of season collapse with an improved reputation again spared Arsenal from utter humiliation. Robin van Persie’s burst and finish into the box was out of character for the rest of the team, and extended his record of scoring in consecutive away games to nine. It also meant he finished with 18 Premier League goals, two goals away from the winners of the golden boot; a sensational return from a striker who only scored his first league goal of the season on 1st January.
Whilst van Persie was giving his all up front, despite lacking match fitness, Thomas Vermaelen was excelling at the back. Although he was beaten in the air for the second Fulham goal, Zamora had peeled off Djourou too easily, leaving the Belgian exposed. Had it not been for Vermaelen, Arsenal would have easily lost the game. His tackling in all areas of the pitch was superb, however none of them quite compared to his challenge on the goal line to deny Danny Murphy. It showed a determination and a commitment that the other centre backs have been lacking for most of the season. Risking a certain red card if he got it wrong, Vermaelen’s timing was perfect as he somehow hooked the ball away from Murphy and the goal. Obviously Arsenal need to sign another centre back, but getting a full season out of the Belgian will be vital to success next season.
After conceding the second goal, Arsene Wenger made some good attacking substitutions, however they weren’t used well enough. Fulham’s defence looked vulnerable when players were running at them, however all too often Arsenal were passing the ball sideways across midfield, and at a fairly pedestrian pace. Even when Zoltan Gera was sent off for a daft tackle, especially considering Fulham were hoping for a fair play place in Europe, there was little urgency from Arsenal to level the match.
It took a more direct pass from Vermaelen to get Theo Walcott running at their defence. With the left back unable to catch him, Walcott’s finish was assured as he completed his best season in terms of goals and assists. Even though the team has gone backwards, Walcott is a player where the improvement is noticeable.
There was a real sense of relief amongst the Arsenal fans after the match; relief that the tortuous end to the season was over, relief that they hadn’t suffered another defeat and relief that Birmingham City won’t be in the Premier League next season. It almost goes without saying that the Carling Cup final had a hugely damaging effect on the team, but at least the side that beat Arsenal that day have been similarly poor since the match and have been relegated.
There have been varying quotes from Arsene Wenger after the match, but the general theme of them is that signings will be made, which will be reassuring to fans. However it remains to be seen if those signings are the quality, experienced players the supporters are hoping for. Departures also seem on the agenda with Nicklas Bendtner joining Denilson on the list of players looking to leave.
As always with Arsenal, the transfer rumours have begun as soon as the season has finished. Due to changes being more likely this summer, it seems the club are being linked with even more players than usual. As much as some fans would like to see Arsene Wenger go, there is virtually no chance of the Frenchman leaving this summer, so I think it’s best to let him get on with trying to improve the squad. There is no way he won’t have heard what the fans want during the last two games, everyone is just left to wait and see if Wenger is ready to sacrifice his youth project and actually bring in some experience. My suspicion is that there will be quite a few comings and goings this summer, but that some fans still won’t be satisfied with some of the additions when everything kicks off again on 13th August.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking back at the season, assessing the current squad and giving my view on their futures at the Arsenal.
Source: Sam Limbert, ESPN Soccernet on 24 May 11
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