EPL Week 27: Arsenal Fall Out Of Champions League Spot After 0-0 Draw Against Fulham
March 2nd 2009 22:11
The Gunners are digging themselves into a hole that's getting deeper and deeper as teams enter the final stretch of the season. After an unimpressive 1-0 win over Roma in the Champions League, Arsenal couldn't find the net for the fourth consecutive week in the Premiership. It has come to a point where I hope they'll lose the final Champions League spot so that Wenger can finally open his eyes to reality. Attractive football is all nice and well, but it counts for nothing if your club can't win. Sir Alex Ferguson seems to have learned that lesson as his club is getting stronger defensively while his attack waits for the right moment to strike. Arsenal not only has a shaky defense, but their forwards are stubbornly looking to walk the ball into the net instead of trying long-range shots or basic crosses.
Against Fulham, the Gunners always, always missed that final ball that could prove fatal to their opponent. Two headers by Robin Van Persie and a shot by Diaby was the closest they came to beat goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer with one of Van Persie's header hitting the far post. At the other end, lack of precision killed Fulham who couldn't take advantage of Arsenal's defensive lapses. The visitors were often given plenty of space by the Gunners' back-four (Clichy probably played his worst game of the season), but their shots were always wide of the mark.
Wenger can always claim that injuries are making life difficult for his club right now, but that's just an excuse. I may have missed something, but what the hell happened to Jack Wilshere? When Wenger needed more offense for his struggling squad, he replaced Sagna by Eboue – a sideways move if anything. The young Wilshere, on the other hand, could have taken Sagna's spot and try make runs at the defense. If he is injured then it's my mistake, but you can't vaunt your depth if your substitutes are no better than the guys you're replacing.
Arsenal's line-up: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna (Emmanuel Eboue, 69th), Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Gael Clichy; Andrei Arshavin, Denilson, Abu Diaby, Samir Nasri; Carlos Vela (Nicklas Bendtner, 63rd), Robin Van Persie.
Against Fulham, the Gunners always, always missed that final ball that could prove fatal to their opponent. Two headers by Robin Van Persie and a shot by Diaby was the closest they came to beat goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer with one of Van Persie's header hitting the far post. At the other end, lack of precision killed Fulham who couldn't take advantage of Arsenal's defensive lapses. The visitors were often given plenty of space by the Gunners' back-four (Clichy probably played his worst game of the season), but their shots were always wide of the mark.
Wenger can always claim that injuries are making life difficult for his club right now, but that's just an excuse. I may have missed something, but what the hell happened to Jack Wilshere? When Wenger needed more offense for his struggling squad, he replaced Sagna by Eboue – a sideways move if anything. The young Wilshere, on the other hand, could have taken Sagna's spot and try make runs at the defense. If he is injured then it's my mistake, but you can't vaunt your depth if your substitutes are no better than the guys you're replacing.
Arsenal's line-up: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna (Emmanuel Eboue, 69th), Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Gael Clichy; Andrei Arshavin, Denilson, Abu Diaby, Samir Nasri; Carlos Vela (Nicklas Bendtner, 63rd), Robin Van Persie.
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