At least nobody patronised Arsenal for idealism in defeat. There was nothing at all beguiling about the manner in which they lost to Manchester United at Old Trafford last night. Disappointed fans ought at least to have been prepared. They understand better than anyone that the side do not suffer purely because they have to lead their life in the hard-bitten surroundings of the Premier League.
There was hardly any imagination or capacity for surprise in Arsène Wenger's players, even among those who are supposed to be the defining traits of his team. The United midfielder Park Ji-sung adapted best of all to the demands of the moment by scoring the only goal with an excellent header after he had needed to adjust to a deflection on the cross.
Arsenal can be a devastating side but their statistics now have to be handled with care. Only United have outscored them in the Premier League but Wenger's side are still prone to seizing up. Since late November of last year they have had five meetings with Manchester United and Chelsea and scored only once. And that goal came when Sir Alex Ferguson's players were 3-0 in front at the Emirates in January.
With that backdrop in mind, one can appreciate why Wenger was reduced to complaining about the Old Trafford pitch. Although they have been accused of brittleness over the years, the defence did not shatter yesterday. The centre-half Thomas Vermaelen has not played since late August because of a pernicious achilles injury but Arsenal, to some extent, have adapted to living without him.
The back four generally coped quite well against United although any manager other than Wenger would have detailed someone to double up with Gaël Clichy to pin down the best player on the field, Nani. Arsenal, in the end, did not concentrate fully on either denying United or putting them under threat. It was to be a second-rate game and that is as much Ferguson's fault as Wenger's.
"So this is our El Clásico," someone grumbled at half-time. United did not have it in mind to turn the match into a spectacle but Ferguson knows where his team's strengths must lie until Wayne Rooney, who squandered a penalty kick against Arsenal, regains full force. With Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in harness, the side have kept clean sheets against apparent challengers Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, with the trial of Stamford Bridge to be faced on Sunday.
Praise for the checking of Arsenal has to be restricted because they almost stifled themselves. It made sense for Wenger to look for a focal point but at present the summer purchase Marouane Chamakh is not so much an orthodox centre-forward as a mundane one. Circumstances are against the manager, too, with Robin van Persie, who came on as a substitute at Old Trafford, rooting around for form after a troublesome ankle injury. Arsenal's frustration, however, stretches back further than the medical history of a single player.
The sterility of the line-up on these sorts of occasion would account, too, for the dropping of Denílson, who was an unused substitute at Old Trafford. The Brazilian can no longer be so confident of selection now that an opening in the line-up has to be made for the teenager Jack Wilshere. All the same the Englishman is not ready yet to alarm United on their own pitch.
Wenger was badly let down by those from whom more is to be expected. Andrey Arshavin has started to peeve the fans as he appears to ration his involvement in the game. That charge cannot be levelled against Samir Nasri, who had been at the peak of his form, but he looked stranded on the wing for periods of the match against United, who enjoyed great effort from the energetic Park as he denied opponents a moment to compose themselves.
Alterations are not readily available to Arsenal. The manager, after all, has recently taken to using Theo Walcott as a substitute for the impact his pace might have when others are wearying. He did score a splendid goal against Partizan Belgrade last week but it would be a lack of alternatives rather than a genuine change of heart that saw Walcott reinstated to the starting line-up for the match with Stoke City at the Emirates on Saturday.
Everyone assumed there were barriers to be smashed if Arsenal were to come back to the fore. Defences do still fall before them but not in the more prominent games. The obstacles they cannot yet surmount are in their own minds as much as on the pitches of Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge.
Source: Kevin McCarra, The Guardian on 14 Dec 10
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