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Ever since I started watching football on television, I hated Arsenal F.C. Like a cat that naturally detests dogs, I grew up hating every aspect of Arsenal. I criticized Wenger’s transfer buys when they flopped, I booed them when they lost a match, I refused to acknowledge that Henry was among the greatest players to ever play in the EPL. So you can imagine the glee that must have coursed through my veins during the early months of the 2011-12 campaign, when the Gunners were in a period of turmoil, finding themselves in the drop zone, and having sold their talismans Fabregas and Nasri, I predicted them to finish in the bottom three.
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But certain events have drastically altered my opinion about the red half of London, and have made me believe that they are good, very good in fact. And it is not because I may have shifted my loyalties, but I have come to respect them, admire them for their consistency, their football philosophy, their determination to succeed against all odds. Here are some reasons as to why the Arsenal Haters Club have one member less.
First of all, their remarkable comeback has to be commended. The likes of Arteta, Mertesacker have all been unfazed by the tags of “panic buys” , and have played their part in consolidating 3rd spot, which would have been brushed aside as dreams of any sane person some nine months ago. Arteta deserves a special mention here.
Brought in to replace Fabregas, he may not have the same vision, the same skill in delivering impeccable passes, but he covers up for those deficiencies in the form of efficiency. Rarely have we seen him waste a pass. Rarely have we seen him give away possession to the opposition. He has effectively shielded the back four, and has enabled Song to venture forward. Arteta may not possess the same silky touch, the exquisite passing ability as most of his Spanish peers (Xavi, Iniesta, Fabi) do, but Arsenal are past the time when creativity was the forte.
They have seemingly abandoned the one-touch passing approach towards games, when they used to aimlessly pass the ball around, and only Fabregas or Nasri to slip the ball through the defence for the striker. The new Arsenal that I am seeing is a organized side, a side who sprays the ball around without too much fuss about creativity. Either Song takes it on himself to finish the move by laying on exquisite long-balls which usually find their target with impeccable accuracy. Or Rosicky, Ramsey and RVP get involved in intricate passing triangles, which bamboozles the defence. But one thing which has notably improved from last season is the finishing. Of course, 90% of that is attributed to Van Persie, who has made scoring look easy and is the main catalyst behind Arsenal’s revival. But lets not forget Theo Walcott, who has improved his ratings considerably by turning in some eye-catching displays down the right flank. He has already scored 13 goals this season, which is a good figure for someone who has been constantly criticized for his one-dimensional play and inept finishing over the past few seasons.
Robin Van Persie has transcended to god-like status in my eyes. I mean, how is it possible to maintain your form over two seasons? How can you still score 35 goals in a calender year with key playmakers having departed the club? How can you lead a club that has been in inconsistent form, and galvanize it to achieve remarkable wins? Yet, RVP has provided all the answers to my questions, and more. He has been the focal point of the club for quite some time now, and he is enjoying it. I mean, if FIFA magically decides to change the criterion for the Ballon D’Or as having scored the most goals over a season, and instead focus on how instrumental the player has been to the club’s fortunes, RVP would win it hands down. Agreed, Messi and Cristiano have been equally important to their teams. But none of them can boast that they are the sole reason behind Barcelona‘ s and Real Madrid’s success. Messi has Xavi and Iniesta for company, while Ronaldo is a one-man team. But for someone like RVP, who needs a constant supply of through-balls and crosses, his goal-scoring exploits have been nothing short of legendary.
And lets not forget the defence. The much-maligned back-four, who have been regularly attacked by the media as being the weak link in Arsenal’s armour. Ever since Sagna and Vermaelen have come back from injury, Arsenal look all the more threatening. Koscielny has been outstanding this season, sometimes single-handedly marshalling the back four and making them look like a cohesive unit. I wonder many a time, that if Wilshere were in the first team this season, they could have been challenging for the title. With him as the deep-lying central midfielder, Song and Arteta would have formed a deadly midfield partnership. But coming back to reality, Arsenal have done extremely well in making the most of the limited resources that they have been provided with.
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https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/04/12/top-3-most-improved-arsenal-players-this-season/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/04/11/arsene-wenger-the-revolutionary/
