Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
I've seen quite a lot of Arsene Wenger this season. He might look like a geeky Geography teacher on the television, but in the flesh he's actually quite cool. He's tall and trim, he dresses only in expensive suits and when he sits down for his post-match press conference, it's more like an eagerly awaited keynote speech at a business seminar than an inquisition at the hands of the nefarious UK press. He's cool. Well, he was cool. These days, he has the look of a man who has spent all afternoon building a pyramid of playing cards, but has just heard his wife trilling, "I'll just open this window and get a nice breeze in here, love."
Arsenal's season has crashed off the rails in spectacular fashion and Wenger is not a happy man. I was at The Emirates in mid-February when a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers sent them five points clear at the top and I wrote about the foolishness of some of the people around me, asking Wenger if he thought the title race was over. Incredibly, that was their last win in the Premier League. Since then they've been spanked silly at Old Trafford, frustrated by the division's detritus and mortally wounded by that rarest of things, an Avram Grant tactical masterstroke.
Winning a title is not just about playing good football and scoring goals. It's about nerve. Arsenal won't fail through a lack of talent, they're one of the most skilful teams in the world right now. They'll fail becuase they're not mentally strong enough. I spoke to Viv Anderson recently about the difference between winning the league and winning a cup and he told me that, while a victory at Wembley was all well and good, when you won the title it meant so much more. You knew it was because you'd done it in the sunshine, in the rain, in the snow, in the north and in the south. You won a title because you had influential, experienced men in the team who could help keep you consistent, focused and on track for a league medal. Anderson hould know, as well, he's got two of them.
You look at Arsenal and it's difficult to find those leaders. There's no Jens Lehmann to keep order at the back. No Gilberto to calm things down in the middle. No Thierry Henry to lead from the front. William Gallas is less of an inspirational leader and more like the drooling, smiling maniac that always sits near you on public transport. The Arsenal players don't want to high-five him, they want to edge away from him. It's clear that Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner don't get on, not least because the big Togolese striker lumped him earlier this season. Henry would have snuffed that out in an instant. It's funny that we've spent all season cooing over the way that the youngsters have developed in Henry's absence, but it's only now that we realise how much they could do with him being around.
But, despite the near-suicidal reaction of the Arsenal following to the Stamford Bridge defeat, it's not over yet. On April, 13, they will have a chance to cut the gap to three points when they visit Old Trafford. Manchester United are, of course, clear favourites, but you can read all you like into form and you can study tactics until the small hours of the morning, but it still comes down to eleven against eleven. Arsenal have every chance. After that, it's about not slipping up and the Gunners have a very nice run-in.
Wenger can still turn this around and a win at his old bogey ground, The Reebok Stadium, will do wonders for confidence. Next season though, things have to change. His greatest mistake was appointing the emotionally skittish Gallas as captain and it was clear that the others players had lost all respect for the French defender when he tried to rouse them with a pre-match speech at Stamford Bridge. Wenger can only do so much in training and before the game. He can't lead them once they cross over that white line. This summer he's going to have to invest in someone who can.
Arsenal's season has crashed off the rails in spectacular fashion and Wenger is not a happy man. I was at The Emirates in mid-February when a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers sent them five points clear at the top and I wrote about the foolishness of some of the people around me, asking Wenger if he thought the title race was over. Incredibly, that was their last win in the Premier League. Since then they've been spanked silly at Old Trafford, frustrated by the division's detritus and mortally wounded by that rarest of things, an Avram Grant tactical masterstroke.
Winning a title is not just about playing good football and scoring goals. It's about nerve. Arsenal won't fail through a lack of talent, they're one of the most skilful teams in the world right now. They'll fail becuase they're not mentally strong enough. I spoke to Viv Anderson recently about the difference between winning the league and winning a cup and he told me that, while a victory at Wembley was all well and good, when you won the title it meant so much more. You knew it was because you'd done it in the sunshine, in the rain, in the snow, in the north and in the south. You won a title because you had influential, experienced men in the team who could help keep you consistent, focused and on track for a league medal. Anderson hould know, as well, he's got two of them.
You look at Arsenal and it's difficult to find those leaders. There's no Jens Lehmann to keep order at the back. No Gilberto to calm things down in the middle. No Thierry Henry to lead from the front. William Gallas is less of an inspirational leader and more like the drooling, smiling maniac that always sits near you on public transport. The Arsenal players don't want to high-five him, they want to edge away from him. It's clear that Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner don't get on, not least because the big Togolese striker lumped him earlier this season. Henry would have snuffed that out in an instant. It's funny that we've spent all season cooing over the way that the youngsters have developed in Henry's absence, but it's only now that we realise how much they could do with him being around.
But, despite the near-suicidal reaction of the Arsenal following to the Stamford Bridge defeat, it's not over yet. On April, 13, they will have a chance to cut the gap to three points when they visit Old Trafford. Manchester United are, of course, clear favourites, but you can read all you like into form and you can study tactics until the small hours of the morning, but it still comes down to eleven against eleven. Arsenal have every chance. After that, it's about not slipping up and the Gunners have a very nice run-in.
Wenger can still turn this around and a win at his old bogey ground, The Reebok Stadium, will do wonders for confidence. Next season though, things have to change. His greatest mistake was appointing the emotionally skittish Gallas as captain and it was clear that the others players had lost all respect for the French defender when he tried to rouse them with a pre-match speech at Stamford Bridge. Wenger can only do so much in training and before the game. He can't lead them once they cross over that white line. This summer he's going to have to invest in someone who can.
