Let’s do it for Jack, at least

Events of the past three weeks have obviously put a huge dampener on all sorts of expectations and hopes that this season promised. So much was expected, nothing so far has been delivered. The Carling Cup apart of course, no trophies are handed out by March of any season.


It was never expected that we would be in possession of anything in terms of silverware by March. Our serene and surprise progress to the final of the Carling Cup however raised expectations skywards that before May when trophies are normally handed out, we would have at least have the League Cup to show for our season’s efforts. Well, as we all know, Birmingham put a brutal end to those expectations and immediately after, Barcelona and Manchester United both got in on the act to compound our misery and leave us empty-handed. Or almost.


March is coming to an end and with it, the business end of seasons everywhere in Europe is fast approaching. While our so-called rivals, the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea, Tottenham and Man City are all involved in do-or-die battles for silverware, we are left licking wounds both physical and psychological as we contemplate what might have been for the sixth season in a row. Our perennial betenoire, Man Utd are actually involved in fights for silverware on three fronts.


One of those fronts, the Premier League, is interestingly, where we are destined to cross swords again as we lie second behind them with a game in hand. It is inn the premiership, which we haven’t won since 2004, that ironically we now have the only real hope of any silverware and if you ask me, the brightest chance.


We may be three points behind Man Utd, but everyone acknowledges that we have an easier run-in. Taking the spotlight away from us though, the real story is what is happening to everyone else around us.

Immense..Jack has stood tall all season despite our disappointments

Man Utd, the only team above us, are battling injuries especially in the defence. Sir Alex Ferguson will never admit it, but the chances of Rio Ferdinand playing again this season are fast receeding. Captain Nemanja Vidic is also hampered by injury and needs injections to complete minutes. Fabio, the anointed successor to Gary Neville at right back is out for a month with a hamstring. Same for John O’Shea who can play almost anywhere at the back. Only Patrice Evra is left standing at the back and he has to midwife the likes of Wes Brown and Chris Smalling. With such suspect backline, Man Utd have to take on Man City in an FA Cup showdown that as always packs in all the bitterness and hatred both sides reserve only for each other. Not mentioning a two-legged Champions League arm wrestle with Chelsea next month before they arrive at the Emirates in the first week of May for their league date.


I do not consider Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham as serious threats in the league but nonetheless, they are all burdened with internal issues and pre-occupied with the lure of greater glory in either the Champions League, or the FA Cup. Just dumped out of the Europa Cup during the week, Man City know they have to give everything for the FA Cup, or else they stand the big chance of missing out of Europe altogether next season. Of course, they are involved in a neck-to-neck with Tottenham and Chelsea and even Sunderland for that last Champions League fourth spot in the league, but that is a race where no bets can be taken until the last ball has been kicked on May 15.


So, where does that leave our dear Arsenal? Well, if the truth be told, in a nice spot indeed. Injuries are aplenty of course, but so is it with all the other sides. Positively, the likes of Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song should return in 2-3 weeks and we do not have midweek games to disturb our serene march to the title. What title, you may ask?


Wenger would never admit it, but we have a golden, almost-unbelievable chance to nick the premiership if we just hold our nerves, concentrate and win games. Tottenham’s ever-pragmatic manager, Harry Redknapp said what everyone at Emirates is avoiding to put into words last night. He declared:


“What an opportunity Arsenal have. They are not playing Saturday, then midweek. They are going to play Saturday-Saturday, while everybody else will be playing Saturday-midweek. Arsenal have a great chance of winning the championship now. They are out of everything now except for the league…I think you have to say Arsenal have the most incredible opportunity ever”.






Well said Harry, but the hard yards need to be put in on the pitch. We signed on veteran Jens Lehmann to provide back-up in the goal for Manuel Almunia and it was a clever move. If Wenger wasn’t positive that we could nick, he wouldn’t bring in someone who’s been there, done it before like Jens.


So, let’s go nick it for Jack Wilshire, who for me, has been our most outstanding player all season and a beacon to all the rest of the team. He doesn’t deserve to finish the season empty-handed and what better way to mark his first full season, with the premiership!

Guardiola reveals why Wenger will never win the Champions League

Success, they say, breeds success.
In his nearly-three years at the helm of Barcelona, Josep “Pep” Guardiola has amassed trophies in triplicates in every season he has coached the Catalan clubside. In his first season, 2008-2009, he actually won six trophies, which is something almost unheard-of in this modern era of intense rivalries and fierce competition. Notable amongst those trophies was the Champions League, which he won by dominating and beating Manchester United in the final.
He looks set again to lift that trophy this year at the final in Wembley stadium after steering his team to another functional win over us last night.
He calmly and rightly pointed out the reasons why his side beat us over two legs and unless you are seriously jaundiced or suffer from a flawed type of blind support, you just must agree with the 40 year-old tactitian.
Some of his analyses were just too spot-on to be ignored. Listen to this:


“If you analyse the game 11 against 11, we managed to dominate the game. I perfectly understand his (Wenger) complaints. In the future we might sit down together to watch both legs. Maybe my feelings are too fresh but we have been better than them”.


In both legs, just as was the case last year, I have never seen the entire Arsenal side chase the ball so much or given the run-around by any other team. The possession count in the second leg last night rightly gave us 32% while Barcelona got 73%. The scattered moments when we managed to get the ball, we gave it back almost immediately because Barcelona never allowed us to settle. For a team like Arsenal whose game is based on superior possession and endless passing, it cannot be fun to chase your opponents around the pitch for almost the entire 90 minutes.

Game changer...Van Persie getting sent off by Busacca

Wenger, typically, railed and railed about the injustice in the Robin Van Persie sending-off. Indeed it was a wrong call by the Swiss ref Bussacca, but as Guardiola rightly pointed out, it wasn’t the reason why we lost. Even while Van Persie was on the pitch in the first half, Barcelona still dominated us convincingly.
But you just have to admire Guardiola’s clear-sighted reading of the game and it gives an insight into why he has been so successful in so short a career. Hear him again:


“I can understand their view that they are out of the quarterfinals because of the card for Van Persie. If they believe that, then okay but the reality is that they didn’t have three passes in a row. We had almost 70 percent possession. They played in the back, not a shot on goal at all and not had three passes in a row. Of course with players like Nasri and Fabregas they have great players. Only Song was not there”.


I admire this man a lot. I put him in the same category with such great football minds like Kenny Dalglish, Alex Ferguson, Louis Van Gaal, Johann Cruyff, Fabio Capello, the tempestuous Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti. These are men who have won the big prizes in various countries, with different teams over and over again. I wouldn’t mind adding the likes of Harry Redknapp and David Moyes to the list because of their pragmatic and hands-on approach to the game. All the men mentioned above understand the nature of the game as well as what is required to survive on the pitch and win games in the space of 90minutes.
Arsene Wenger cannot, sadly, belong to that list because he is indeed a scientist and not a football manager. He delights in endless experimenting, of which its aim and objective is to defy accepted norms and go against conventional wisdom. When his experiments work, they make him look like a genius which is how he has come to covet the name Professor. When they fail though, he moans about injustice and refuses to blame his tactics and players.
Despite his obvious weaknesses, he is still a man to be respected for his revolutionary style of coaching which is admired the world over. But in truth, Wenger will never reach the heights attained by the likes of Guardiola and Sir Alex Fergusson because he is too stubborn and proud to accept that his methods are faulty and he needs to change them. But as we all know, you can’t teach an old dog, new tricks. At 61, he cannot now dump a lifetime of set principles for something new and novel.
If only he could learn from the younger Guardiola. If only he could eat humble pie and accept the unworkability of his methods. If only he could stop for a second and listen to the free advice Guardiola offered him after last night’s defeat at the Nou Camp, in which the Catalan suggested that:


“The only way they can grow is to think about the bad things they have done and improve. We have played great 11 against 11. They are nearly leaders of the Premier League and did not have a shot on goal, which says a lot”.


It is always a sorry sight whenever things are not going right for Arsenal on the pitch and Wenger starts waving his long hands in the air and arguing with the fourth referee. It is too immature and trite. A man of his stature and reputation ought to have outgrown things like that. Yes we all know he cares, but no amount of hand-waving by any coach on the sidelines has ever influenced any referee’s decision. It actually only helps to incur the referee’s wrath.
In as few words as possible, Guardiola has thrown a lot of light on the reason why Arsenal will always remain second-fiddle to the likes of Barcelona. He has explained the problem with Wenger and invariably with his team. It might sound like bitter truth, but it still remains the truth.
Pragmatism has never killed anyone. It might be too late to expect Wenger to change his ways but as long as he remains at the helm at Arsenal, let us all know that trophies as competitive and tough like the Champions League will always elude us.

Parody of Arsene Wenger's explanation Carling Cup loss

This might sound a little deluded, but let’s just pretend it is an open letter from Arsene Wenger to all Gunner fans following last Sunday’s capitulation at the hands of little Birmingham, who just three seasons ago were foraging in the championship and fighting for their football life.





Hello All Ye Gunners,
Well, ladies and gentlemen (no offence gentlemen that the ladies take pre-eminence even in this so-gentlemanly of sports). Ok, ladies and gents, I know we bottled it. I know we failed to bring a smile to your faces. I know me and the players failed to deliver as we promised. But I still believe in this team. I still know that this group of players deserve a trophy.
We have remained competitive since I came here in 1996. We have never failed to qualify for the Champions League. We have always, until 2005, always been in the first two positions in the premiership. Since the coming of Abramovich’s era at Chelsea, life at the top has been hectic but we have still never finished a season below fourth position. Yes, the trophies may have dried up since 2005, but so has it dried up for Liverpool since 2006.
I don’t know what the real reason is. Or why the trophies have decided to give us a wide berth. Sometimes, I think it might have to do with the move to the Emirates stadium. You see, I am not superstitious or anything as mundane, but you guys hardly ever sing when we play in front of you at the Emirates.
The place is so silent and hollow, it sometimes feel like you are all waiting for us to lose matches. Often when I look up from my well-padded seat in the dug-out, I think you guys are spoilt. You are all seated in your own padded seats up there, while me and the boys strain every muscle and dodge tackles from rugby sides like Stoke, in order to make you guys smile and enjoy your afternoons.
I’m not exactly saying that is the reason why we haven’t been winning trophies, but I mean, me and the boys would appreciate a little bit of love. We wouldn’t mind a little bit of tender-loving at least to know that we are not in enemy territory. Because, to tell you guys the truth, it sometimes feel like that when we play before you all and we ain’t cheered or serenaded with oles at every touch.
Even at Wembley over the weekend, you guys only started singing after Robin scored the equaliser. I know we are a London team, but the fans of Birmingham all the way from the Midlands outsang and outcheered you guys. Com’on, we are the biggest team in the biggest city in Europe!
It is none of my players’ fault that we lost against Brum. I must say we played like champions, if not for that former Newcastle bloke that frightened poor, little Wojniech to drop the ball and he sneaked in without any shame to score. I mean, why would a self-respecting, gentleman do a thing like that? No wonder he couldn’t last too long at Rubin Kazan. They buy proper footballers who know how to dribble and make a 1,000 passes like my players. And not sneaky, dodgy types like the ex-Newcastle bloke who scare goalkeepers into making mistakes and then shamelessly poke the ball into the net before flipping and turning over in the air like a deflated balloon.
I thought of making an official complaint to both the FA, FIFA and even the United Nations on such dangerous tactics by strikers, but I was talked out of it by my very considerate players, who are gentlemen of the highest degree.
So back to you guys. I am getting fed up with all of you talking and moaning about a lack of trophies. I mean, how often have I said that we need to be patient with these players? Which other team in all of Europe can claim to have such gifted, skillful and also very handsome players who qualify them for the Champions League consistently every year? And most importantly, which team in Europe has been able to assemble such a talented bunch at such cheap, rock-bottom rate?
Tell me also, which team in the whole world can survive and remain competitive by living out of a piggy bank? We have brought all these most-wonderful players and sustained our very high level both in the league and the Champions League by scrapping and penny-pinching for years. While everyone else around us has been splashing the cash and raking up mountains of debt, we have lived on scraps and crumbs from the table literally. Not only have we spent almost no money, we have also got astonishing value for the pittance we have spent. I am talking about the great, world class players that have passed through this club in the past 15 years. Players like Patrick ‘One Man Army’ Vieira, Dennis ‘The Menacing Specialist’ Bergkamp, Thierry ‘Prima Donna’ Henry, Fredrik ‘The Lunatic’ Ljungberg, Robert ‘The Ghost’ Pires, Marc ‘Runaway Train’ Overmars, Nicholas ‘Almighty Sulk’ Anelka just to mention a few. I don’t want to bore you too much by adding other world beaters like Sylvain ‘Sly Fox’ Wiltord, Pascal ‘Slow Motion’ Cygan, Igor ‘No Nonsense’ Stepanovs and Oleg ‘Incredible Hulk’ Luzhny.
These are just a tip of the player iceberg. I brought them from all corners of the world to help make Arsenal a world class side. The trophies have come as well, until the last six seasons due to the fact that you guys have refused to cheer this current group of world class players.
May I warn you all right now that if you continue to refuse to cheer them,, the trophies will continue to stay away from Emirates. It is not a threat, but a fact. You guys have all become too comfy in your padded seats, you’ve forgotten the real reason you are allowed into the ground in the first place.
And one day, when my world class players have all had enough, they will seek greener and noisier pastures elsewhere and I will go with them. While going, I will equally take the tea lady with me, as well as Mr Ivan ‘The Terrible’ Gazidis, the club CEO and my self-appointed sorcerer.
When that happens, I promise you, Arsenal may start appreciating me more when they suddenly find themselves playing in the Conference League with the likes of Brentford, Leyton Orient or Walsall.
A word is enough for the wise. If there is any amongst you ungrateful lot.


Signed: Professor AW.

Don't worry, be hopeful all ye Gunners

Now that we’ve failed to break our trophy drought yet again, it seems like the end of the world for many a Gunner. Now that Arsene Wenger has failed to deliver  - yet again – on the promise of turning this team into winners, it may look like an early end to yet another futile season.

It is always great and convenient to become wise after the event. Many comments picked up from Arsenal fanblogs scattered over cyberspace were naturally filled with frustration, exasperation and people fed-up with our latest failure and Wenger’s lily-livered tactics.

Yes, we bottled it. Yes, Birmingham outfought us on the day and showed greater hunger for the prize at stake. Birmingham, whom we have trashed both home and away in the league, suddenly found a hardened resolve from somewhere to hold us at bay and sneak-in goals from nowehere to claim the Carling Cup.

Some comments of bitter fans looked interesting to me. One of them mentioned that the line-up lost us the game; that it was a mystery how Tomas Rosicky managed to play a full game despite not contributing anything meaningful. Nothing new there. Rosicky has been in terminal decline for almost three seasons now and surely does not merit a starting spot in any game we play – least of all our first cup final in five years!

I’ve written severally about him here and how he has lost his mojo, or desire, or fighting spirit, or even legs. He hardly stays on his feet. He can’t score anymore (forget that freak effort against Leyton Orient last week, which was his first goal since Everton in January 2010). All in all, Rosicky rightly contributed nothing, as expected, and if you ask me he should be seeing out his final season with us.

We all know he played due to the injury to Cesc Fabregas. But Wenger should have picked Abou Diaby ahead of him. The Frenchman may be infuriatingly inconsistent, but in a game that promised and turned out to be hard-fought, his muscle and physical presence would have been crucial. Nothing ought to have stopped Wenger pushing Jack Wilshire into the Fabregas role and deploying Diaby alongside Song to stop the combative Lee Bowyer and co in Birmingham’s midfield.

Well, like I said earlier it’s always great to be wise after the event. It’s all done and dusted now. The Carling Cup, edition 50 is gone to St. Andrews, rather than the Emirates. The history books will always give it to Birmingham and disregard all the nitty-gritty and pre-post game permutations. Period.

However, one other thing I picked up from all the fanblogs was the role played by Jack Wilshire in this game. If anyone had any doubt about his abilities, he laid it all to rest in this game. Not that he needed to prove anything to anyone. Not even to Fabio Capello, who was an interested spectator at Wembley.

Jack was our standard-bearer. He was a one-man warrior. He was our own Roy of the Rovers. He has come of age, if it is possible to say that of 19 year-old.

He constantly and tirelessly took the fight to Birmingham as his teammates allowed the occasion to play havoc on their nerves. The awesome shot he cracked against the bar from 30yards, ignited panic amongst the Birmingham ranks and produced our equaliser in the 28th minute.

That shot apart, he was full of boundless energy. He was positive, inventive and full of gutful running. He never gave up and drove the team forward in the absence of Fabregas. Sadly, very few of his teammates were on the same wavelength with him and fewer had a stomach for the fight.

Well now, it might be early days yet, but Fabregas can now depart in peace and re-unite with his Catalan  kith and kin at Barcelona. He has a successor and heir in Jack. Ian Wright put it best that you don’t have the Arsenal captaincy handed to you on a platter, but for Jack, as preposterously as it may sound, he has shown enough bottle to be a great player and leader of men.

Talent is one thing; character another matter entirely. He has them both in full measure and will be probably the greatest captain this team will ever know.

Yes, the Carling Cup has been won and lost. For all Gunners, the pain will take time to go away but what has emerged form the ashes of the defeat is that we have a leader and a beacon for a glorious future. That beacon is a bandy-legged 19 year-old who is an Englishman with the skills of a latino.

That is the greatest consolation from our Carling Cup debacle.

Beware the sinners from St. Andrews

Sunday, 27^th February will be the day all of Arsene Wenger’s hopes and expectations for his protégés will either come to fruition or bite the dust. Yet, Gooners everywhere, me inclusive, are hoping it will be the former.

Carling war....Wenger and McLeish go mhead-to-head for glory

 This team needs a trophy. The Emirates stadium is long overdue for one. All the endless planning, groundwork, scouting, investment (paltry it may seem) have all come to this.

As we file out against Alex McLeish’s Birmingham City inside the Wembley stadium on a brand new turf that replaces the erstwhile, troublesome, heavily-criticised surface this Sunday, it will be a day that dreams can come true.

All talk since last month has been about this game. The first final Arsenal have found themselves in since that FA Cup final against Manchester United in 2005. It is a must-win game. No bones about this one.

Coincidentally, this Carling Cup final will the 50th edition since the competition began rather ignominously in 1961. Coincidentally, it means a whale of a lot to Arsene Wenger and the graduates of his Colney creche, because they need success and need to bring a trophy to a team so desperately in need of silverware but starved of it in the past six seasons..

With such a scenario in mind, it would be tempting to dismiss the opponents on the day, Birmingham City as no-hopers, or lesser favourites. It is a dangerouas thing to do and despite what the bookmakers may say, Arsene Wenger and his players will not be falling into that trap.

Yes, our first game this year was away to Birmingham at St. Andrews in the league. It is a venue that holds bitter, better-forgotten memories for all Gunners. It was there that Eduardo Da Silva had his leg snapped into two in February, 2008 and forever lost his deadly touch in front of goal.

It was also there that we lost our way in our quest for league glory, as we imploded on that day, ending up throwing away our lead for a 2-2 draw and eventually giving up the lead at the top of the league ladder to  - who else – Manchester United.

It was to this same ground that we returned on Saturday, January 1 this year and thrashed the hosts 3-0 in a game that saw Robin Van Persie hit the opener with his first successful freekick in almost two years!

Since then, Birmingham have strengthened their attack with the acquisition of two very dangerous players who have breached our defence in the past. Those two players are ex-Gunner David Bentley and ex-Newcastle forward, Nigeria’s Obafemi Martin. On their day, both players can hit wuthering heights of excellence if they get it right.

Bentley we all know about. So also Martins, who is full of endless running and still remains a handful for defences despite knocking on the wrong side of 30.

Unlike January 1 when we overpowered them, the Birmingham City that will file out against us this Sunday will be a very different proposition. I’m not too sure if Bentley will be eligible for the game cos he was part of the Tottenham side we beat last September at White Hart Lane in this same competition, thanks to two Sami Nasri penalties. Not sure about that. But even without him, McLeish can still call upon Serbian giant Nicola Zigic who is a formidable presence in the air and will keep the ever-impressive Johann Djourou on his toes for 90 minutes.

Fingers crossed, we will celebrate after 90 minutes, barring the odd-unforeseen event like a penalty out of nowhere or a deflected header off a freekick or a cornerkick. Against such things there are hardly any solutions. All the pre-game tactics and chalkboard permutations can quickly fly out of the window in such instances. But all Gooners, me inclusive are confident that after 90 minutes, we will be celebrating the end of our long, long trophy drought.

There is simply no reason to consider anything otherwise.

 

Arsenal 2 Barcelona 1

And so finally, finally the dragon was slayed at the fourth time of asking. Arsene Wenger finally beat Barcelona at the fourth attempt last night as his substitutions inspired a late fightback that turned the tables against Spain’s best.
It lived up to expectations as a feast of footballing delicacies. All the trickery and polished passing of Barcelona was on display at the Emirates in this eagerly-awaited Round of 16 clash.
Unlike last year though when the Catalans came visiting and silenced 60,000 fans with breathtaking artistry, this time it took them a while to get into their groove.
Arsenal started like the proverbial house on fire, using the pace of Theo Walcott to get behind Barcelona’s backline. On one occasion, Walcott evaded four tackles on the edge of the box and though his final ball eventually came to nought, the early signs were good that the Spanish were in for a difficult time.
Not so soon though. The visitors regrouped and set about their task with their usual precision. Lionel Messi, slippery and evasive as ever soon began his conjurer’s act. By the 20th minute mark, he almost struck as his toe-poked effort beat Wojniech Szczesny but trickled agonisingly beyond the far post when every pair of eyes in the stadium believed it was heading for the back of the net. Relief for all Gunners couldn’t be more welcome.
Undaunted, the Barcelona ensemble continued to dictate the pace and gradually took over possession. Already, the early yellow card to Alex Song restricted the presence of the holding midfielder, allowing the pair of Andre Iniesta and Xavi to enjoy more and more space in the middle.
Their endeavour finally paid off in the 26th minute when Song failed to close down Messi and the little Argentine prodded the ball into the path of David Villa. The dangerous Number 9 took it in his stride and further helped it on its way; between the legs of the exposed Szczesny for the opening goal.
Every Gunner feared the worst, or at least a repeat of last year’s capitulation.
It proved unfounded as we resisted until the halftime whistle. On resumption, we came out quicker from the blocks as Jack Wilshire began to assert his presence and much-trumpeted abilities. It was a different Arsenal that seized the initiative from the Spaniards as we enjoyed more possession and drove forward at every opportunity.
Robin Van Persie became more and more prominent upfront and Barcelona’s defence set-up of Gerard Pique and Maxwell suddenly had their work cut out for them.
Despite our increased presence on the ball, Barcelona were doing a pretty good job of containment and it could be said as the game frittered into its latter stages, that the visitors would comfortably escape with a lone goal lead.
Until a five-minute salvo that changed the face of the game and increased the decibels inside the packed Emirates.
Firstly, newly-introduced Andrei Arshavin - on for Song - received the ball at the near byline and fed the overlapping Gael Clichy. The fullback lifted the ball into the path of the persevering Van Persie and as the Dutchman strode with determination towards the goal byline, not many in the stadium saw any tangible end result for the move.
Not many indeed, excluding Van Persie. He glimpsed a small swathe of space between Victor Valdes and the near post and it was in there that he blasted the ball with all the pent-up frustration of the night. It was a goal of supreme risk and determination. How well he celebrated. How much it meant to the massed army of Gunners all waving red flags and scarves declaring their avowed love for their hungry club.
The second goal arrived to greater excitement five minutes later when Samir finally found himself free on the right side. With all the time in the world, he angled and measured a pass into the path of fast-advancing Arshavin, who took the ball first time and swept it into the bottom corner beyond the reach of Valdes and his massed defenders who were all caught in a frantic retreat.
Barcelona threatened a late response through the irrepressible Messi, but the impressive Johann Djourou and Laurent Koscielny snuffed out everything they could conjure.
The celebrations at the final whistle were full-blooded even though we all acknowledge that it is though a job well done, it was still halftime in 180 minute contest.
Guardiola, Barcelona’s ever- demanding coach, summarised it in typical style:

“In general, I’m happy with the performance – the result is the thing I don’t like”.


His counterpart, the relieved Arsene Wenger naturally had more words and more reason to expand on the outcome of a crucial victory:

”I’m very proud for Arsenal tonight. Everybody urged us to play differently to our nature and this result will strengthen the belief in our philosophy. We needed to score two goals. I just took the gamble – it could have backfired to 2-0 or 3-0, but it worked”.


Indeed it worked well. We wait till March 8 for the return leg to know if those goals will be enough to see us through to the quarterfinals. With last night’s fighting spirit though, anything is possible for this Arsenal side now.


Ratings: Szszesny 7, Djourou 7, Koscielny 7, Clichy 7, Song 6, Eboue 6, Wilshire 8, Nasri 6, Fabregas 6, Van Persie 7, Walcott 6, Arshavin 7, Bendtner 5.

The real reason why Fabregas will stay or go

 In the week where all our progress, strides and forward-movement of this season will be measured against the unofficial ”best team in the world”, Barcelona, a key player of Arsenal gave us the biggest reason so far why Cesc Fabregas will or will not continue his stay at the club.

We play Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16, on the night of Wednesday, February 16 and oh, what a night it promises to be!

More than games against the likes of Chelsea or Man United, this encounter between the two-most stylish clubsides in the world, will be the marker of how far we have progressed or improved from that 6-3 thrashing of last year.  Pep Guardiola has described Arsenal as dangerous opponents, while bits and pieces from inside the camp of the Nou Camp side suggest that in Theo Walcott, Arsenal possess a player that ought to be feared.

None other than the incomparable Lionel Messi has voiced his concern about Theo:

“I remember we were winning 2-0 on the pitch and Arsenal had no chance to change the course of the game. But on the field came Walcott, and without the help of his teammates, he managed to do something that could not be done by the whole team before”.

Note how he said, ‘Arsenal had no chance’. The great thing about non-Englishmen expressing their opinions in English, is the abject frankness and blunt edge to their expressions. They do not have the vocabulary to do doublespeak and coax their true feelings in innuendos. So they just say exactly what they feel. Period.

All that might just be an attempt to create a sense of falsophobia (the fear of something that doesn’t exist) or simply prematch diversionary tactics. Whichever the case may be, it is not an encounter that would permit drowsiness. Expect fireworks aplenty.

In truth, we have indeed made big strides from last year in terms of playing personnel. Samir Nasri has become a veritable threat and the complete attacking player that Wenger dreamt he would become. Alex Song and Jack Wilshire have formed an impressive midfield combo that oozes strength, guile, boundless skill, mutual understanding and tenacity. Marouane Chamakh has become a reliable goalpoacher that can always be thrown into the fray when goals are the essential commodity. Not to mention the sweet chemistry developing between Johann Djourou and Laurent Koscielny at the back.

But the man that keeps annoying Barcelona when they think of what might have been, remains Cesc Fabregas. In him, Arsenal have a leader, a warrior, a fighter and a standard bearer

He has been the topping on the mountain of potential that Wenger has cobbled together. It is him that will not make Barcelona rest until they have taken him back from London Colney, back to Nou Camp. It is him that continues to make such encounters between we and them more than just a soccer game.

Fabregas’s continued stay at Arsenal or departure, is what Alex Song has finally given a sense of purpose by telling us the real truth. He revealed over the weekend that Fabregas, like any other player simply wants to win trophies. Major ones. Lots of them.

Spanish Armada..Fabregas (front row, 2nd from left) with the Spanish side

Having tasted unprecedented success with Spain –first in Europe and later at the toughest of them all, the World Cup – he is naturally hungry for more.

It is a short career, we are always reminded and at 23 (24 in May), success has come to Fabregas quite early.

But European championships and World Cups only happen once in four, long years and even then, form, injuries, selection hurdles and unfamiliar coaches all present formidable obstacles to a player’s dreams of winning those tournaments. Enroute to being World champions, Spain were lacking in form and rhythm until the second round when they beat neighbours Portugal. That ignited their campaign, though they never hit the heights that we know they can, as they only scraped through most games with a 1-0 scoreline. They won the final itself with the same margin.

So, considering all the odds, a player stands a far better chance of glory at club level, where competitions are annual and playing patterns more consistent. It is at that club level that Fabregas now wants to prove himself as a winner.

The 2005 FA Cup apart, he’s got nothing to show for seven years of stewardship at the Gunners. Though he was part of the squad of Invincibles that won the Premier league in 2004, he didn’t the minimum requirement of ten games, to earn a medal. The same fate that befell Jermaine Pennant.

Now, as captain, expectations are higher on him and his mates to deliver. All that high hopes have a chance of being fulfilled in a fortnight when we file out against Birmingham in the Carling Cup final.

But as Alex Song rightly mentioned, Fabregas needs to lead Arsenal to major trophies, to make him want to stay. The Premier League and Champions League that is. Trophies that make you belong to the big boys’ club. Trophies you can boast about and tell of your exploits with a glint in the eye. Trophies you cannot win without beating a very, very big team.

It is in that exclusive category that Fabregas wants to belong. And deservedly too.

That is the long and short of what will keep him at Arsenal; or make him finally demand a move back home to Catalonia. Overcoming Barcelona in this Round of 16 will go a long way in determining where Fabregas’s immediate future lies.