Habeas Corpus

I remember how this season began, I remember how it progressed, and I will do my best to forget how it ended—namely, with the Captain of the Arsenal Football Club watching the Spanish Grand Prix while the squad eeked out another draw with a lower-placed side.

If anything symbolises for me how this sad story came to a close, it’s that—the Captain, the “leader” amongst the players, forgoing the Club’s last match of the season (in London, no less, not like he would have had to travel to the hinterlands for it) in order to catch a race at the Circuit de Catalunya. That’s what it’s come to. Would an injured Tony Adams have buggered off to who knows where while his teammates played one more game? Especially following their recent run of terrible form?

What was the conversation on the training ground like? “Ah, si, I gots tix to de race and, ADIOS! Ellos can deal with Roberto Zamora con sus lonesomes.”

Dear Arsenal.

I know I’m treading on sacred ground by saying this, but please don’t think I’m taking on Cesc for the sake of just doing something outrageous—mostly because I find the fact that he left the team (obviously with the gaffer’s blessing) before the final game an outrageous act unto itself. I mentioned before how I feel that lack of accountability among the players and lack of real leadership has affected the squad, and then Cesc goes off and does this. It’s not as though he’s completely crippled and in some sort of injury rehabilitation.

Somewhere among these players exists a leader who will not settle for second-rate performances. Is it the former Ajax captain? If so, then I hope he can regain fitness and stay fit for the whole of the next campaign—one made even longer now that a Champions League qualifier has been added.

I’m not suggesting that should (should?) Cesc return in an Arsenal shirt next season that he be stripped of the armband. That would get all Billy Gallas now, wouldn’t it? But I am suggesting that, in addition to the great technical skill that Arsène searches for among his signings, perhaps real leadership might be a quality he wants to seek. Other than TV, I’ve not seen it in any player he’s recently bought.

Sorry for that diversion, as this is meant to be an inspection of the corpse of Arsenal’s season.

The ugly

Rather than single out “the defence” or any other portion of the side, I think the ugliest part of Arsenal’s season were the repeated mental errors. I don’t think any player was immune, although some were less susceptible than others. Clichy tarnished himself quite badly. Cesc gave away the handball against Spuds and then made his legendary backheel against “his home club.” Kos and Squid and JD had plenty of chances to impress. Denilson never stopped sticking out a leg as part of his defensive technique. Bendy missed the goal like Emile Heskey on his worst day. Chamakh could head over the bar from three feet. Eboue. Diaby. Should I go on? No, no I don’t want to go on. This is a ridiculous state of affairs for players at a club like Arsenal.

This list is not acceptable, and I believe it can be sorted out easily enough.
Step 1: Cut out the dead branches. We have differing opinions on who that may include, but I think almost all supporters would agree that this squad is unbalanced with players who have never developed a winning mentality and if they haven’t done it by now, they won’t.

Step 2: Bring in a few players in key areas who DO have a winning mentality. The balance that the side is missing can be corrected by purchasing some players who have medals and have demonstrated leadership at their clubs. Will they be expensive? Probably. Will they be worth it? Of course. And I’m not just talking about Ligue 1 here, or a fringe player from a club that had a good cup run. I’m talking about a player who was a key component to a club that won a big trophy. Arsenal are full of technically skilled players who’ve done **** all. They need to line up alongside a few winners.

Step 3: There are players who act like leaders among the current squad. The gaffer needs to let them lead. Give them a voice in the changing room and let the other players know that even if they don’t wear a captain’s armband, they are to be respected and followed.

The bad

Newcastle. Sunderland. West Brom. Newcastle. Spuds. Spuds. Blackburn. The Carling Cup Final. Liverpool. Liverpool. Stoke. Villa. Leyton Orient. Wigan.

Timid displays, collapses, lack of confidence, terror, fear, immaturity—did you ever think you’d see these words apply to the same club that fielded a side that went unbeaten in the Premiership? It means something to pull on an Arsenal shirt. Only this season past it seemed to mean, “I am a professional football making a lot of money. I will also cock up a match like a scared little boy.”

This has to stop. Lesser clubs have stopped fearing Arsenal. Again, a few strong personalities who won’t tolerate such nonsense could go a long way to curing this ill. You could blame weakness on set pieces alone but I see that as more of a symptom than the problem. Players who play with fear get it in their minds that they probably will at some point make a mistake and set pieces are the most likely place for it. Also, the silly mistakes that lead to sillier fouls that lead to set pieces can be eliminated by playing with confidence—and by getting rid of the habitual mistake makers.

The good

I think it starts with Jack Wilshere. Everything that so many other players have lacked, he has and he has in massive quantities. In fact, everything that Arsène talks about ad nauseum—spirit, belief, etc.—was displayed by young Jack all season. I do think he tired a bit by the end but even against Fulham in the final match he was still making himself available, still making timely runs, still tackling with verve and still fighting. Yes, Jack has a temper. Jack will get in your face. Jack will tell you what he thinks of you. I like Jack. Jack works hard on the pitch and I believe he gets the most from his talent. I know he was a more forwardly placed player as he came through the youth ranks, which makes this season even more impressive. It’s as though he’d spent his entire playing career in that rearguard position—so it says to me that his ability and his intelligence on the pitch are equal.

Almost his equal, for his season-salvaging efforts, is Robin van Persie. Will he ever play a complete season for this club? He was brilliant, there’s no other way to describe him. If he could stay fit, you could see building a team around him. If. He is the biggest if in the side, bigger than the Captain. The way he played this season makes you wonder if 40 goals isn’t beyond him.

We must applaud the end of the Almunia era at Ashburton Grove. Either Pole was preferable and we must remember that before his injury, Big Luke had made great strides and a great contribution to the season. Wojciech had what I would consider a remarkable debut, taking into account his age and the poor play in front of him. A 21-year old keeper with the ability to step into the first team at the highest level and acquit himself as he did is to be greatly prized.

I really, really like Bacary Sagna, not just because his given name sounds like a brand of rum, which I enjoy shouting out during matches. No, I also like him because of his dedication, his commitment, his work rate, and sometimes heroic willingness to run as fast as he can to cover someone else’s mistake. He is not without fault or beyond reproach but he has been a model footballer this year and that’s a damn sight better than quite a few in this squad.

No matter what anyone else says, I am most pleased with another year of progress for Theo Walcott. I think he is adding incisiveness and skill to his deadly pace. If you don’t share that point of view, that’s fine, but he clearly is becoming more than the one-trick pony that he was even season-before-last. His finishing has improved, and his assists/minutes played ratio has skyrocketed. He makes the perfect foil for Robin’s central striker, as the two can trade off and he can play through the middle to exploit his sprinter’s pace.

Lastly, of the good, the moment of the season for me was Aaron Ramsey’s goal against Man United. As the moment that ape nearly ended his career a season before took me to depths I prefer to forget, that moment, seeing him make the pass to Robin and then feeling like the entire world slowed down as Arsenal poured forward and there he was, arms raised, unmarked, taking the glory…I can never, ever forget it. I can see it now. I have watched it over and over and it has lost none of its brilliance. In fact, it grows in stature. By season’s end, it was clear he was still shaking off the rust of his year away in rehabilitation, but to give us a moment like that shows that he is still a special talent and I still have the dream of he and Jack in the same midfield on a full-time basis. Welcome back, Aaron. We missed you.

There it is. My obituary of this season. Bury it and let it rot. Remember the good, forget the bad, and hope for the future. Or don’t. That’s the way I live with Arsenal. Sometimes the club is like a beautiful wife who knows how to cook and provide other services as needed; sometimes its like an unwanted flatmate who never does any washing up and leaves a trail of flatulence when he passes. Either way, it’s my club and I love it and I choose to stay with it.