Written by Graham Yates Thursday, 13 January 2011 16:37

GunnerTalk Blog

By Graham Yates

So the Ipswich debacle, a new low?

Let’s forget the fact we lost by a single goal which should be more than retrievable by an Arsenal side on their game in the 2^nd Leg. But there is the rub; it hasn’t happened too often this season has it?

Chelsea aside (and let’s not forget the goal that we gift wrapped there) and maybe the Villa game where we put our foot down (though goals were conceded) are the 2 stand out games for us this season for me. You could argue Birmingham & Citeh too but I didn’t think we had to play well to win there.

Ok so I am discarding a hell of a lot of football where in patches we have played well but for a whole 90 minutes it is very rare that we have been imperious, as in days of yore. But you see the way we play football means we have to be just that, consistent and slick for whole games. With our play based on a high defensive line (suicide in my opinion, but that’s for another blog you may care to write), possession football where the cross into the box is crime against humanity & intricate one twos used to crack the Oppo. It doesn’t leave any room for error. If we are off our game we suffer, even if we are at 99%.

As Kevin Whitcher in his latest astute offering on Online Gooner “Suffering in Suffolk” states this squad is of a lesser quality than those past. So much so that when resting players for the FA Cup between 02-05 we still could call upon Edu, Wiltord, Kanu & Luzhny. All of which are better than we have now. And they beat teams they were expected to beat. This is why when Wenger says that this crop is the best he has ever worked with you really have to ask yourself whether it is because they don’t answer back, keep the showers lovely and clean or ever scuff the lovely training pitches @ London Colney.

I think what it stems from is Wengers procrastination in finding what his best XI is and sticking with it. He seems think this squad in any guise can beat anybody at anytime regardless of who plays where, I mean Eboue @ left back? Arguably you could say until Chelsea we didn’t have one a 1^st XI, and then we did, made 8 changes against Wigan, lost, went back to the XI again and beat the Brum very easily. Clearly Wenger’s penny hasn’t dropped. It’s the arrogance of thinking he is better than what he is as a manager and this has manifested itself on the pitch as a crap Danish striker.

I would play the Chav$ki XI every time if it meant winning a game and then taking off key players later in any match. There is not much point in playing a varied XI only to find that we are 1-0 down against someone, lets say Leeds (think of that!), and then have to call the rested “better” players back into action. It totally defeats the object. If Wenger’s squad is really that good then these first teamers should have been watching the Leeds game from the Dial Square Hospitality boxes. It is obvious that with every team selection it shows that his candor to lavish praise on these players is undermined by his own lack of confidence in his own personnel by what sits on the bench.

Ipswich served up another reminder of the overall make-up of this squad. No guile, guts, passion or tactical nous when we don’t have the ball, no rhythm, belief, incisiveness or responsibility when we do have it. Forget the other excuses such as fatigue Arsene, I think you’ll find it is pure lethargy, complacency and most of all lack of preparation on your part.

I remember on 5live not long ago Danny Baker on his Saturday morning show  was talking to uber Gooner Alan Davies and asked him how he felt about watching your team against any opposition home or away and truly not knowing what you will get from them. I forget his answer to be honest but for a club that has been one of the top 4 for a long time it should not be something the Arsenal fans should have to put up with, let alone consider.

The unraveling of the squad is slowly starting to take affect. Arshavin & Clichy the most alarming of those who had it, then lost it, and have since never salvaged their form and those who were always below par for our club. You know who they are, they are etched in stone. If the papers are to be believed Upson I fear may just add to this list of illuminati.

The only way Wenger will sell a player is to quietly rest them after an injury and let them leave via the back door, pride in tact for both him and the player. He will continue to persevere with those who able bodied though in my opinion not able minded where despite his deep loyal vocal support for all those 23, he will happily compromise all by his avaricious need to make money. Even Cesc is expendable.

So on these shifting sands he presides over our club. Wenger honestly believes that despite what has transpired since 1996 this is what he had been working to? A new shiny stadium & glorious training facility lauded by our incompetent FA and an empty trophy cabinet?  What’s more would you as a supporter sacrifice 5 years of nothing in the knowledge of what we were under Wenger and now have become under Wenger? He is neither the same Manager nor the same man. Remember George Graham won two league titles, Wenger has only won three.