Nine Jimmy Rimmers – Arsenal and Football

When I was a learner driver I can remember coming up to junctions and waiting nervously when there was no traffic to be seen.  I knew I could go, but my nerves said you always give way at junctions.  “Don’t wait for trouble”, my instructor would say, “if the road is clear, go!”

Arsenal looked like learner drivers last night.  They are a more skillful team than Braga but they didn’t believe it and didn’t play like it.  Instead of being motivated by the embarrassment of the Tottenham game they were paralyzed by it.

They waited eighty-five minutes for trouble and eventually it found them.  They were so uncertain about their task that they looked lost.  The ball was moved backwards and forwards along the half-way line until it was lost.  Braga had no real ambition in the first half, but I think that in the end we were boring them so much that they decided to attack to break the sheer tedium of it all.

There were some promising moments, we are still a talented side, but it was all held back by this problem of attitude and fragile confidence.

To top it all we lost two players with injury.  The referee tried to liven up proceedings by being generally crap.  I haven’t seen a TV angle yet that explains why Arsenal didn’t get a penalty when Vela went down.  Eboue got booked when a Braga player took a dive right in front of the fifth (or is it the sixth) official.

It may be that if we had been luckier with the referee we might have won 1:0, but it would still have been a worrying performance.  Arsenal have talent.  Every one of those players is worth a premiership start.  What they don’t have is grit.  Their attitude is as fragile as hell and no-one on the pitch wants to lead.

When Fabregas came off, the armband passed to Nasri.  Now I know that passing on the armband when the captain comes off is not a well thought out thing in any team, and Nasri is my favourite player so far this season, but it typifies the problem.  The captain should not necessarily be the most skillful player on the pitch – they should be the leader.  Fabregas and Nasri are often the best players on the pitch.  But they are not leaders.

I could write about not using Walcott‘s pace enough or single out Bendtner for never being in the box when Walcott did deliver the ball onto the six yard line, but to be honest they were all lacklustre.  Didn’t bother setting up a man of the match poll because there wasn’t one.

George Graham was once asked after a crunch game, “how did you decide who to make captain today.”  Adams must have been out.  He replied, “I didn’t really know so I just gave the armband to the first player to pick up a ball and leave the dressing room.”  Maybe, since the injured Fabregas can’t get offended, Wenger should try the same approach for the Villa game.

Wonderful first half.  A penalty then two great goals.  Arsenal moved the ball so well.  Fast accurate passing.  Very classy.  Braga out of their depth.

The second half – more of the same!  Three more great goals.

Yes, Braga left acres of space between their midfield and defence.  But this was still a classy Arsenal performance.  Chamakh impresses more and more.  He is good with the ball at his feet, as every Arsenal player is expected to be in the Wenger era, but he has other dimensions too.  He is good in the air and he has a physical presence that we’ve missed.

Sensible substitutions that do reveal some weaknesses.  Denilson to give Song a break.  We have no real cover for Song.  Vela for Chamakh, we have to protect him with three other forwards unavailable.

Arshavin was his usual self, occasionally half-hearted and then right on the money.  They were all good tonight.  Good touches from Wilshire and determined stuff from Nasri.  What I like about Wilshire is that he can operate comfortably alongside Song when we don’t have the ball and then just as well alongside Fabregas when we have possession.

But the boss was Cesc Fabregas.  No question.  Best bit of business of the summer.

This wan’t much of a test in truth, but let’s enjoy it because it was ruthless and professional which we haven’t always been.  Plus there there are good signs of real progress so far this season.

The first real test will be Chelsea, but the build-up is going absolutely great.

What does September hold in store for Arsenal?  Three premiership games, two Champions League and Spurs in the Carling Cup!

In the Premiership we are at home to Bolton and West Brom plus away to Sunderland.  All three have grabbed a solitary win in the first three games.  Bolton have beaten West Ham (and so have the other two clubs who’ve played them).  West Brom have beaten Sunderland at home, whilst Sunderland stung Man City with a 1:0 home win.  Sunderland away will probably be the toughest of these, but if we don’t end the month nine points to the good then we will be off the pace.

Toughest game of the month ought to be Braga in the Champions League.  The Portuguese league runners-up are in the Champions League for the first time, beating Celtic and Sevilla to get there.  Partizan Belgrade were in Pot 4 for the draw so they have the lowest ranking.  They were last in the group stages seven years ago when they got a killer group and finished bottom behind Real Madrid, Porto and Marseille.  We really ought to be on for maximum points here as well.

So the really tough one to call is the Carling Cup game!

After the draw, Arsene Wenger said words to the effect that he will follow his usual policy of giving the younger players a game.  Will ‘Arry do the same?  Are our ‘stars of the future’ brighter than Spurs?  I think they are and they will be hungry to prove it.

Despite not getting everything I hoped for in the transfer window I’m feeling cautiously optimistic about this season.  I think that the three players we brought in are all good buys that strengthen the squad.  New keeper would have widened my smile further but what’s done is done.  Here’s hoping for a perfect score in September.