In
biblical times, there were certain men called the Mighty Men of David. These
guys were warriors - infantry swordsmen you don't want to come against on the
battlefield. One key thing about their swordsmanship was that they were
ambidextrous. After slashing, stabbing and cutting down with one hand,
when the nerves connected to the muscles in their arm begins to send signals to
their brains that it has been stretched, they switch to their other arm and
slash, stab and cut with the same accuracy, strength and skill. That's the
recipe for a winning team. Your options when fatigued should be as potent as
your first choice.
At
a goal down away at Old Trafford, Arsene Wenger threw caution to the wind and
decided to double-up in the striking department. The worst that could happen
would be Manchester United getting a second goal but it will still be a loss of
3 points. No questions about that. But when you decide to do that, one would
expect that the striker to come on - the strengthener - would be someone just as good as the misfiring
individual on the pitch - at least. Not Niklas Bendtner.
Such
has been Arsenal's dilemma so far in their 8 trophyless seasons. And if the
pattern is not rectified by January, we might just extrapolate the graph of
silverware-barreness for an additional season.
I
was watching the game yesterday with some colleagues who were a mix of
Liverpool, Chelsea and United fans. At the point when it seemed Szczesny could
not continue, they were super excited that Arsenal will be forced to bring on
Fabiansky based on the schtick Spurs received from handling Hugo Lloris' case
last week. Another less mighty-man in goal it would seem. When the news broke about Per
Mertesacker not being able to start, there were already concerns about Thomas
Vermaeleen's composure not to gift Robin van Persie the ball again like he did
last season. And when you consider that
a knock to Sagna would mean Carl Jenkinson would be the Frenchman's
replacement, then you really have to ask how serious Arsenal really are in
their bid to go all the way. An injury to either Vermaeleen or Koscielny would
mean 18 year old Isaac Hayden would be called into action against what is
arguably the most intelligent strike-partnership in the league (compared to the
young, prolific but individualistic SAS of Liverpool)
However,
you have to give the team some credit for being 2 points clear on the league
table and on top of their Champions League Group standings despite these
short-comings and the number of choice-players they have on the treatment
table. With 3 heavy fixtures back-to-back, Arsenal amassed an impressive
6 points - one of which was stolen at the Signal Iduna Park in Germany to become the
first English side to beat the UCL runners-up on their turf. Also, when you consider that Serge Gnabry
almost made an instant impact when he replaced Mikel Arteta at Old Trafford, one cannot but
imagine what could have been if Theo Walcott had been available for the length of the game and made such
runs throughout the 90 minutes. Podolski, with 2 goals already despite being
out for almost 3 months, will also be a boost when he returns. Likewise Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain. Nevertheless, the 2005 FA Cup champions need quality
options to take-on quality opposition in one of the most improved and
competitive leagues in the world.
