YOU could almost hear Arsene Wenger’s football brain ticking as he analysed his team’s title chances following a 2-0 victory over West Ham that has catapulted his team from outsiders to serious and deserved contenders.
Six Premier League victories in a row since a humiliating defeat at Stamford Bridge in February have transformed confidence, expectation and belief in north London, a fact amply emphasised by the way they played with 10 men for 45 minutes on Saturday and yet still emerged as comfortably the more accomplished side.
But Wenger knows his team are now approaching a difficult crossroads as they go from a ‘nothing-to-lose and everything-to-gain’ mentality to a realisation that the title is not only theirs to win but possibly theirs to lose in a fascinating finale to the season.
His big decision is whether to talk up Arsenal’s title chances or whether to maintain his stance that as rank outsiders his young side, whose victory on Saturday put them top of the table for a day, are already proving their critics wrong and happy to take a ‘see how it ends’ approach.
"With the results we are making, we can only go from game to game," the Frenchman said, eyes narrowing as he chose his words carefully, aware that in such a tight title race even headlines can make a difference between finishing first and second.
"But we have the desire, we have the quality and let’s see how far we can go. I believe we can go and win the next games. We have that kind of attitude. What is good, is that we cannot even calculate what we have to do. If it’s 0-0 with 10 minutes to go, we have to throw all the strikers on. We must keep pushing for the win rather than the draw.
"We are nearly there already to finish in the top three and qualify directly for the Champions League. The next step is to go for the championship and to have a chance in that we absolutely have to win all of our games."
It will be interesting to see if Wenger is right because such has been the profligacy of the main contenders this season that even four or five victories in the last seven matches may prove to be enough and Arsenal, without doubt, are the team with momentum right now even if they remain firm underdogs with many critics.
"If you listen to the expectation for us then it is lower," insisted Wenger. "In fact if you had listened to all of the predictions then we should not have even bothered starting the championship and we would have paid not to go down!
"But now we are in a strong position and we have to focus on our quality and continue to improve."
There were signs on Saturday that Arsenal are improving rapidly because Thomas Vermaelen’s controversial 45th minute dismissal for a messy but honest foul on Guillermo Franco in the penalty area could have made for a hugely difficult second half against London rivals who historically make difficult opponents in derby games.
Instead, after goalkeeper Manuel Almunia spectacularly saved Alessandro Diamanti’s spot-kick to preserve a lead handed to Arsenal by Denilson’s fifth minute shot, Wenger’s side showed the kind of guts and quality that seemed missing earlier in the season They not only survived a second half with 10 men but dominated much of it, eventually sealing victory when Matthew Upson handled in the 83rd minute and Cesc Fabregas scored from the penalty spot for his 18th goal of the season leaving West Ham, who hit the post through Carlton Cole, only one place above the relegation zone.
Compare Arsenal’s display to the fragile defending in defeats against Chelsea and Manchester United earlier this season and it is clear that Wenger’s side are growing in maturity and blossoming at the most opportune of moments.
Even so, if Arsenal end a six-year wait to be crowned champions then you have to say it will go down as one of the more remarkable achievements in Premier League history because few teams have survived losing home and away against both their major title rivals and still finished top.
There have been suggestions in some quarters, ludicrous really, that after so many ignominious defeats Arsenal could hardly claim to be worthy champions if they achieve their goal, but it’s not an assertion that Wenger pays any heed to.
"It happened to Manchester United last year," he retorted, before embarking on a soliloquy that suggested, despite his earlier rhetoric, that he sees Arsenal as anything but underdogs in the forthcoming run-in.
"Yes, it’s a point of view. But I tell you, I would still take the title! Ideally, you would want to win all 38 games and then everyone would say: ‘they deserve it.’ But you never have the perfect run-in.
"But we are in a position where we can show to people that we have improved. We’ve improved our consistency. We can turn up every week, win the game, I don’t know where we will finish but let’s go for it.
"One of Chelsea and Manchester United will drop points, we know that because they play each other. So let’s see what we can do."
MATCH RATING: *** – Arsenal managed to produce flowing football even with 10 men and also showed a steely side to their character in a fascinating contest.
REFEREE: Martin Atkinson 7 – You could argue his decision to give a penalty against Vermaelen and send the defender off was questionable but it was made primarily on the advice of his linesman. Most of his other decisions were sound.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, March 22, 2010
