Arsenal 2 West Brom 3

Opinion from the stands....Really?

Like the final result between England and the USA at the 1950 World Cup finals which read 1-0 to the Yanks, you had to look again and again to be sure this was the right result. As footballing tsunamis come, this was a vintage one.
The roof fell in big time last Saturday at the Emirates as we got found out on a day that nothing worked. As much as it would have been wonderful to mark the previous day’s announcement of mouth-watering profits from the boardroom, this was a complete kick in the teeth.
Unfancied, unheralded and a few faces apart, largely unknown West Brom came calling and left a resounding call card that embarrassed all Gunners and shook the premiership to its foundations. Even West Brom, not even the ex-Gunner, Thomas, in their midst could believe the outcome of last Saturday’s game.
We were quite simply outfought all over the park. After that soul-lifting win over Spurs in the midweek, we simply expected (and demanded as a matter of right) to kick-on from there and swamp West Brom.
Rather, the opposite happened and it was heartbreaking watching agonised fans screaming and almost begging for an equaliser as the clock ran down and the life of this most-abominable match ebbed away. 90 minutes earlier, no one in the stadium would have imagined us in the desperate position of praying for an equaliser against West Brom.
Tragically, even that was not to be as we lost all three points along with any dignity we had left. It was shades of Hull City in 2008 all over again.
Wenger, let down by his players and lost for words like we all, rightly concluded that we deserved to lose. I concur as well. There was nothing in the players’ attitude and body language that suggested they wanted a win against West Brom.
“We were not up for it, quality-wise and concentration-wise”, he pointed out. “I don’t think any of the players were up to their usual level today...we had a lack of concentration today and at this level, you pay for it”.
And how dearly did we pay.


The ratings below may therefore better qualify as a pimper’s procession because in all honesty, we didn’t turn up for this game.
*Almunia (5/10) – After his heroic penalty stop, it was customary for us to expect that it would be the platform to push on and claim all three points in the second half. Right? Wrong. We imploded spectacularly in the space of five, second half minutes with Almunia allowing Gonzalo Jara's shot squirm past him for the second goal. Funnily, I’m not holding him responsible because he was let down by his defenders. His penalty-stopping abilities remained unquestioned though and that was one of our very few positives from the game.
• Sagna (4/10) – Never thought he could receive such abominable rating, but there we go. Quite what overcame our dreadlocked French warrior, we’ll probably never know. Directly responsible for their first goal as he allowed himself to be skinned by the impressive Jerome Thomas on the right before he laid it on for the best player on the pitch, Nigerian livewire, Peter Odemwingie. Sagna never recovered from that and was also culpable for their last goal as he lost his bearings yet again. Arguably, his worst game in a Gunners shirt.
• Squillaci (6/10) – Not directly at fault for any of their goals but as part of a woeful defence, he shares the blame. Did well, along with Koscielny in the first period to contain the twin threats of Thomas and Odemwingie but couldn’t stem the tide when the goals started raining in, second half. Almost nicked a goal for himself off a corner kick in the second half.
• Koscielny (5/10) – Just when we thought we had unearthed a gem, he goes and have a shocker. I say that quite reluctantly though. Laurent was swept away by the West Brom tide, along with all the rest of the defence, but the signs were there in the first half. He was left for the dead by Odemwingie’s pace in the 37th, which forced Almunia out and led to the penalty. Probably, just probably, three frenetic games in seven days proved too much for him and it was not surprising that he was substituted in the 72nd minute. But he is still a fine defender all things considered.
• Clichy (6/10) – A very ordinary performance by Gael. Responsible the third goal as he got skinned too easily in the build up by Chris Brunt. It must be said though that his partnership with Arshavin on the left isn’t working. In truth, that part of our team needs looking into as in the days of Ashley Cole and Robert Pires. We need an effective leftwing outlet and in the absence of that, Clichy’s work will remain unassisted and mediocre.
• Diaby (5/10) – He wasn’t up to this game. Never got going. Never really involved. He huffed and puffed all through the 55 minutes he was on the pitch and never found his bearings. Couldn’t click with Song, his partner for the day and as the game wore on, he became more and more detached from proceedings.
• Song (6/10) – Returned from his one-match suspension to give his all. One of the warriors in the team and Saturday was no different. Sadly, the rest of his teammates did not share his enthusiasm and he was left alone to do all the dirty jobs. Almost turned into an emergency striker at some point but in a sinking ship, there’s so much a single sailor can do. Top marks though for his never-say-die attitude.
• Eboue (4/10) – Did nothing of note all game and it was no surprise at all he was the first man to be substituted early in the second half. Funny enough, I was watching a compilation of his grace-to-grass-and-back-to-grace-again saga with Arsenal fans on Youtube during the week. Looks like another compilation will soon be made to his unfolding story as an Arsenal favourite. On Saturday’s showing, the knives are out for him again.
• Nasri (7/10) – Our best player on a forgettable day. Never stopped believing in a miracle. Never stopped probing and finding a way through the black-and-white wall erected West Brom. He was our answer to the irresistible Odemwingie and his two goals culminated those spirited efforts. Sadly, his heroics were not enough to salvage something, but fans love a fighter and he cemented himself into our hearts Saturday.
• Arshavin (5/10) – A stop-start season continues for the unpredictable Russian. To start with, methinks he’s not happy on the left wing and is protesting silently by his erratic game. Wenger needs to drop this experiment and get a proper winger. Arshavin was his usual anonymous self and though this was one of the few games he started and completed in recent memory, it would have been better if he wasn’t on the pitch as regards his contribution.
• Chamakh (5/10) – Due to his newness to our team and the league, he can be forgiven for a pedestrian outing. Missed a half-chance header in the second half when we raised our game but all in all, he wasn’t at the races like most of the men around him.


Subs
• Wilshire (5/10) – He was the first off the substitute’s bench in the 56th minute and it says alot about us that we have to turn to an 18 year-old in times of crisis. By then though, we were two goals down and in danger of conceeding more. Did his best, but it wasn’t a day for gallantry as all else was crumbling around him.
• Rosicky (5/10) – Not much expected, absolutely nothing delivered. In my opinion, Rosicky is on his last season with us from all indications. He may still have some days left in the game, but his legs look to have gone and despite what may count as desire on his part, very little is seen as end product these days from the “little Mozart”. Picked up a caution for his pain.
• Vela (5/10) – I said it earlier this season that the Mexican thrives on being part of a goal frenzy – or better still a feeding frenzy. He isn’t the man to look up to if you are desperate for a single goal or a last-minute saving grace. When the going gets tough, don’t look to Vela and Saturday was a very tough day all round.


As you read this, the boys would be readying for a trip to Belgrade, where we face Partizan, Tuesday night in the Champions League. It’s not a game to look forward to with much optimism and it’s naturally hard to be positive after the events of Saturday afternoon.
Clearly, Wenger needs to do something different at Belgrade if we are to avoid another humiliation. One of the things might be to restore Vermaelen to the middle if he is fit. The sight of him sitting next to Fabregas and Walcott behind the bench on Saturday with the halftime smiles wiped off their faces in the second period wasn’t pretty viewing at all.
He’s needed in the cauldron, where warriors belong.