#360fans: Arsenal should prepare for European exile

Richard D’cruze 18:58 22/12/2014
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  • Not good enough: Arsenal's Keiran Gibbs looks dejected during the match against Liverpool.

    Outplayed. There is no better word to describe Arsenal’s ridiculous performance against Liverpool on Sunday; the Gunners should consider themselves lucky to leave Anfield with a draw.

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    Arsene Wenger’s side registered only three shots on target, of which two were goals. The optimists may call in clinical, the rest of us call it not good enough. The 36.5 percent possession figure was the lowest Arsenal have recorded in a Premier League match since August 2003, while the 27 shots Liverpool took on  Wojciech Szczesny was the most Arsenal have faced in the same period. And that includes an 8-2 defeat to Manchester United!

    With a fragile midfield basically only consisting of only red card-prone Mathieu Flamini, the result could have been a lot worse worse. The Frenchman had Lady Luck on his side after somehow avoiding a sending off (he was already booked early in the first half) for his elbow on Adam Lallana – just when Mathieu Debuchy headed home the equaliser.

    Liverpool took advantage of the Gunners’ depleted midfield and had an abundance of space to attack and create chances. Had Szczesny not been in top form, Wenger’s men would definitely have seen a repeat of last season’s 5-1 massacre.

    After great performances against Galatasary and Newcastle last week, it is surprising that Arsenal failed to replicate the same level on Merseyside. Being 2-1 up with only 10 minutes left to play and Liverpool a man down, Arsenal should have seen the game out.

    Golden boy Alexis Sanchez, who has been the one constant rock so far, looks to be wearing down. He is being overplayed and needs rest. Bringing on Nacho Monreal and not Lukas Podolski in place of the Chilean at Anfield, however, was not the right move – it should have been all-out attack.

    When Santi Cazorla’s shot bounced off Brad Jones, it fell into the area in which Podolski can be found rushing in from the flank.  Instead there was Monreal, who decided to play a lob to Danny Welbeck with Jones charging out for the save. Podolski needs to start in matches like these and he is definitely needed him for the next two games. Despite Wenger’s reluctance to use him this season, he is well-loved by the Arsenal faithful – that will continue if he keeps banging in important goals like he did against Galatasaray.

    And then there was Liverpool’s equalising goal. Zonal marking and set pieces do not go hand in hand for Arsenal. Time and time again, it’s always the same silly tactic that sees them let the lead slip. And for the second time, Martin Skrtel was there to add misery. As usual, Liverpool’s most dangerous player at set pieces was left unmarked, Skrtel climbing above 6ft 6in of Per Metersacker, who inexplicably ducked and saw the ball go flying past his team-mates and inside the far post.

    A victory at Anfield would have edged Arsenal closer into the top four. Now an in-form Queens Park Rangers – and their even more in-form striker Charlie Austin – come knocking on Boxing Day and a victory there is much needed right now. It already seems as though the Gunners are looking elsewhere for results to go their way, only this time it’s not Tottenham, who can always be counted on to slip up, but Southampton.

    Wenger has often repeated the mantra that “fourth place is like a trophy”, but at the current rate of progress, the Gunners’ ‘trophy’ cabinet will be bare this season. A campaign out of the Champions League is on the horizon; even Europa League doesn’t look like a likely destination. But this writer for one feels that this is far from the worse outcome for Arsenal, as it will surely finally open the board’s eyes to the fact that it is time to part ways with Wenger.

    The Official Arsenal UAE Supporters Club usually gather at Spirals bar at Grandeur Hotel in Al Barsha. However, due to refurbishment reasons, Arsenal UAE will be gathering at The Crown & Lion Bar at Byblos Hotel in TECOM. For more information please contact [email protected]

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