The Enigma that is Arsenal.

I never thought i'd post so soon again, but i just cannot resist. Having witnessed a mammoth battle between two of the best teams in Europe, i must say, i simply HAD to write this.

The Game: Manchester United vs Arsenal.
The Location: Old Trafford, Manchester, England.
The Time: Sunday, April 13, 2008, 8:25 IST.
What was at stake: Bragging rights of course, but more importantly, it was the EPL title that was at stake.
Result: Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal.

Well, this match pretty much summed up Arsenal's season thus far. Going into the lead, conceding just moments after, and then conceding another one, whilst dominating the game in the backyard of the opposition. All too familar for an Arsenal fan like me.

Having been so unceremoniously knocked out of Europe by Liverpool last Tuesday, few expected Arsenal to come to Old Trafford and give United a real battle. The players were knackered, both physically and mentally. Poor old Phillipe Senderos(responsible for the goal which let Liverpool back into the game in the Champions League Q/F) was left so scarred mentally, that the boss had to give him a rest for this game. And there were ofcourse a few very very crucial injuries to key players, like Flamini, Sagna, Rosicky, Eduardo and Denilson, whilst Diaby was out due to suspension. Even without these players, the fact that Arsenal went to OT and gave an almighty fight to United, was in itself, a HUGE achievement.

Arsenal started brightly, and were clearly embarrassing the United defence, which was cut apart at will by the skillful Arsenal players. There was no sign of tiredness or mental stress, because the way Arsenal were playing, you could have been forgiven to think this was the opening day of the season. Emmanuel Adebayor had a glorious opportunity to score from Hleb's intricate pass, but he didn't score, much to the frustration of innumerable Arsenal fans. At the other end, Rooney had a couple of good opportunities to score too, but Lehmann was to the rescue, and it was still level at H/T. The second half began with a bang. Arsenal scored from a Van Persie cross, through Adebayor, who headed the ball into the net from 5 yards out. There was suspicion of handball, but Arsenal couldn't give a damn after all the bad luck that they've experienced this season. But as is the cliche these days, Arsenal just CANNOT keep a lead. Just minutes after taking the lead, we concede a penalty because William Gallas handles the ball in his own box. Ofcourse, he didn't mean to handle it and couldn't have done much about it. So there was bad luck there too. Ronaldo steps up and scores his 28th goal of the season. and from then on, you just knew what was coming. Arsenal continued to play well, and had good chances of their own. United looked more comfortable on the ball, and looked the most likely to score, which they did through a brilliant Owen Hargreaves free-kick. Arsenal pushed on, and had great chances thereafter, especially a couple of strong headers from Nicklas Bendtner, but it just wouldn't happen for Arsenal.

The final whistle blew, and it was all over for Arsenal. For a team that was at the top of the EPL table for more than 28 weeks this season, for a team that defied all odds and played some scintillating and artistic football, for a team that was completely written off at the start of the season by journalists and pundits alike(who actually expected us to finish outside the top four), for a team that missed the influence of players like Eduardo, Rosicky and Van Persie for most of the season, for a team that was considered too naive, this was just too difficult to accept. Arsene Wenger's young team defied all odds and gave Manchester United a run for their money for much of this season. A "first-team" that cost Arsenal 30-odd million pounds in total, which was just a little more than what United paid for a certain Wayne Rooney, had come mightily close to winning the title, only to be undone by some poor defending, some real proglifacy in front of goal and ofcourse, a massive chunk of bad luck.

This team has it all. On their day, the lads can beat anyone, and they can do it comprehensively too, as was evident when Arsenal beat AC Milan 2-0 at the San Siro in February. The first team of Arsenal is comparable with any first team in Europe. Its just the bench-strength that has undone us this season. For the first half of this campaign, Arsenal played every bit like champions and got some memorable results, like the 1-1 at Anfield, the 1-0 against Chelsea at the Emirates, the 4-1 at Goodison Park, the 2-1 at Villa Park, the 2-2 against United in the reverse fixture..at this point, you thought Arsenal would stroll to the title. At one point, we were 5 points clear of United. But then things started to turn ugly for the Gunners. The 2-2 draw at St. Andrews against Birmingham City was the stimulus for what was to be a terrible terrible two months for Arsenal. Just two league wins in the past 7 games wasn't championship material. There was an odd revival at Bolton where we rallied to win 3-2, but it was just too little too late.

The boys have been just brilliant this season though. Players like Gael Clichy, Mathieu Flamini, Bacary Sagna, Alex Hleb and Cesc Fabregas, amongst others, have been top notch. Arsene Wenger's philosophy of playing football which is from "another planet" nearly paid off. The faith he has in his players is immense, and the sense of unity amongst the Arsenal players was a joy to watch.

If Arsene Wenger can bring in a couple of new players to add to the squad, i think this team is more than capable of lasting the distance next time around. A left winger and an attacking midfielder is all thats need in my opinion. This team has got tremendous spirit, fight, ability, unity, energy, spunk and doggedness. It has been evident all season long. No one expected us to do so well, and we were obviously criticized incessantly by the fickle British media. I'm glad we came close to shutting their traps, though i'd love to have completed that job.

But we'll leave that for next season. Sure its a massive disappointment to have come out of the season with no silverware, for all our efforts. But this team is capable of reaching the dizzy heights of European supremacy. All that is required is patience from the fans. And ofcourse, lest i forget, Arsene needs to do his bit this summer and get that spirit back.

Its sometimes frustrating to be a Gooner. Sometimes you feel you're in wonderland, but off late, you feel like pulling each and every strand of hair from the top of your head. But i guess its the part and parcel of supporting any football club. I'm proud of what the boys have done this season though.

Roll on next season baby!

Come on you Gunners!!