Our Boy in the Clock End
By Nick MacWilliam
I tried to eat my words once. Soaked as they were in the bitter taste of bile and resentment, I forced them down only to immediately throw them up everywhere. It was a nasty moment but it taught me a lesson: never precede the event with gloating.
There are people out there who I hope are experiencing this for themselves. Such as certain media 'experts' who were loudly and stupidly proclaiming Arsenal as a spent force, having lost Thierry Henry and struggled somewhat over the last couple of seasons. And all those Real Mad... sorry, Tottenham fans who were prattling on about how they were now North London's best side, largely on the basis that they spent a lot of money, like the kid in school who won't shut up about how much his trainers cost. I think we disproved that one. While the season is still in its infancy I shouldn't read too much into the team's strong start but things are certainly looking up.
Henry's departure was painful but it seems to have galvanised the boys, who, having been written off by so many people, look like they've got a point to prove. Young men don't like being called soft, even when they're millionaires, and the new spirit which now permeates throughout the side was summed up by Cesc's hacking of Repka. If they can permanently align this steel to the craft which shows no signs of diminishing, even though the team has had a complete makeover in just over two years, then they could be on the verge of something big. As always, the true tests will come at places like Bolton on wet Tuesday nights in January, because, you know, that's when Johnny Foreigner tends to crumble. I think it'll be different this year.
So, we lost Tel, and Freddie (good luck, chaps), and Baptista and Aliadiere (double boo-hoo), but we brought in Eduardo who hasn't played much but has been a goal monster for Croatia and his previous clubs. His two goals in Europe so far suggest we finally have the man to score with his knee in the six-yard box. Had he been in the side last season, he'd have probably got about eighty goals. And Bakary Sagna's hair might be dubious but his tackling isn't. Last issue, I wrote of my wish for an Eto'o-type (which would still be nice) but I appreciate his kind might not slot seamlessly into the side. There are fantastic players but there are no superstars in Arsenal these days: they're all in it together.
Best of all is the fact that Wenger is staying for the rest of his career. I always suspected he'd sign a new contract, as the potential of his painstakingly assembled young squad is too great to walk away from. He appears to have been vindicated in his decision to clear out the Invincibles and replace them with unproven kids, although the time of hiding behind the team's youth as a reason for underachievement is over. Even though the season is still early doors, I've got a strong instinct that this can be Arsenal's year. Hopefully I'll be singing the same tune at Christmas.
 |
(9.4Mb)
