Arsenal FC: Redemption Beckons

Article by e-Arsenal Correspondent Kingsley Okiwelu

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So, Arsenal’s quest to save a season that promised so much and was in danger of imploding precipitously rumbles on. Of the five games left on the gunner’s schedule prior to Tuesday evening, that against West ham presented perhaps the greatest potential for the gunners to be confronted with a damp squib. The reasons for this are not difficult to fathom. Firstly, the Hammer’s physical style and direct play bore all the hallmarks of a typical Sam Allardyce side and presented the precise kind of in-your-face ruggedness and muscularity that have so often proven to be an unassailable challenge for Wenger’s team of soft-shoed artists in the recent past. Secondly, coming barely 72 hours after the gunners endured a physically tasking and emotionally draining 120 minutes, eventually squeezing through on penalties past a determined, well-drilled Wigan Athletic side, you could be forgiving for thinking this fixture could not be more ill-timed for Wenger’s band of weary warriors.

As it turned out, the gunners, hampered as they were by injuries and fatigue, were barely able to cobble together a starting eleven. Kim Kallström was handed his full debut, and the return of Laurent Kolscieny at the heart of defense meant that Thomas Vermaleen could be shunted wide to replace the once again injured Kieran Gibbs. Aaron Ramsey was granted a little respite from having played an unanticipated full part in the victory over Wigan, as he took a place on the bench besides Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the latter still no doubt feeling the effects of a groin injury.

West Ham started the game strongly, competing for everything in midfield and utilizing the slight discomfiture of Vermaleen in playing in his less favoured left-back role with Matt Jarvis tormenting the Arsenal defense through the gunners left. Andy Caroll was proving himself a nuisance as usual, challenging for every ball that was lofted in the air and doing his utmost to unsettle the just reunited pair of Mertesacker and Koscielny, whilst Mohammed Diame’s strength and dynamism at the tip of a three-man West Ham midfield was providing an undoubted challenge for the unfamiliar pair Arteta and Kallstrom at the base of Arsenal’s midfield.

The gunners weathered the early West Ham storm, however and gradually began to exert some dominance in midfield, stringing together some good passes and, but for Giroud’s profligacy in front of goal, could have taken the lead. West Ham, somewhat against the run of play, struck the first blow, the ebullient Jarvis striking in the 39th minute from close range after the Arsenal defense failed to clear a shot parried by Wolciech Szczsney in the Arsenal goal.

The first rumbles of discontent had just begun to simmer from an Arsenal crowd that had seemed apprehensive of their team’s chances from the first blast of the referee’s whistle and it was obvious that a failure to respond quickly would bring about the now customary smattering of boos at halftime. Respond quickly Arsenal did, however, with Cazorla who had had a rather indifferent start to the game beginning to pull the strings, moving seamlessly into the centre of the pitch from his starting position on the Arsenal right and helping the gunners vary the angles of their attacks with his ambidexterity.

The equalising goal came just before the end of the first half with Cazorla seizing on some uncertain defending to pinch the ball of a West Ham defender and pick out Lukas Podolski via an unerring through ball through a maze of West Ham bodies. The ice-cool German controlled brilliantly on the turn to place a left-footed shot low and hard across his body to the right of the West Ham goal and beyond Adrian’s despairing dive.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with West Ham starting strongly but with the gunner’s gradually establishing a stranglehold on the game with the midfield trio of Arteta, Cazorla and Kallström all excelling. Another brilliant finish came from Giroud, showing an exquisite first touch to pluck Vermaleen’s cross-field delivery out of the sky and in one fell swoop strike powerfully with his right foot before Podolski, fed through on goal with an intelligent headed pass from Ramsey, put a gloss on proceedings with a typically thumping left foot drive.

The result ensures that Arsenal’s quest for a top four finish remains alive. It all still hangs in the balance of course with Everton potentially ensuring a top four finish if they win their remaining 5 games, but with fixtures against Manchester United, Manchester City and Southampton to come, it’s difficult to believe that the Tofees will not drop some points at some stage of their run-in. Arsenal’s run in, consisting as it does of ties against Hull City and Norwich, away, and Newcastle and West Brom, at home appears much kinder on the surface and it would take a brave man to bet against the gunners attaining a 17th successive qualification for the Champion’s league. That coupled with an FA cup triumph that would ensure that Arsenal’s nine year wait for a trophy finally comes to an end and should present an acceptable end to the season.

It’s difficult to be surprised at anything that happens these days with the echo chamber that is the internet providing the ideal medium for those whose ill thought out and raucous noise seem perfectly suited for drowning out the opinions of others who attempt to appeal more to reason than to emotion, but it’s still a bit amusing how the narrative in the media seems tailored to ignore nuance and assume that if something is not an unqualified success, it has to be the extreme alternative, an unmitigated failure.

Yes, this season has been slightly disappointing considering the blistering pace (after the unfortunate loss to Villa on the first day of the season) of Arsenal’s start to the season and the fact that the gunners were League leaders for a large chunk of the season until January. However, whilst not excusing the fact that some of Arsenal’s all too familiar failings had a role to play in stalling what had seemed a relentless title charge, surely there were some mitigating circumstances that should mean that the verdict(especially if the gunners come away with the FA Cup and Champions league qualification) should be less than completely damning. For a team to have played without as many as 5 or 6 regulars (including Walcott, Ramsey, Özil and Wilshere) absent for long periods and still finish in the top four should mean that any criticism of their failure to provide a more sustained challenge to what is the toughest domestic league in the world should be accompanied by some understanding.

Bottom-line, there’s no way ending up in the top four after a gruelling season hampered with injuries constitutes failure, and with Arsenal still in with a shout of winning the FA cup, there’s still all to play for.

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