Fabregas-less midfield won’t inspire confidence
In fact, considering the way in which the atmosphere went from its customary lukewarm to white hot, as a result of the apoplectic riposte to Howard Webb’s red card and that this in turn prompted such a positive response on the pitch, I was left quipping “I wish he’d sent Adebayor off half an hour ago”.
Having seen Fabregas limp off at half-time, in truth I feared the worst when we saw Diaby warming up during the break.
Although Cesc doesn’t quite have the same talismanic status as Steve Gerrard, it must’ve been a major body blow to lose our best player (and captain), in the midst of a match that had been built up as a must win contest, if the Gunners were to cling on to any genuine title pretensions.
And yesterday’s news that Cesc will be out for up to four months is a major blow to our title hopes.
That said, I think two wins and a draw is a more than acceptable return from the so-called mini-league between the top teams.
In seasons past these stats have proved significant because we were the only sides that could be expected to beat one another.
However in such an unprecedented campaign, where all the big clubs are blowing points against the lesser lights in such a profligate fashion and could conceivably continue to do so, when playing for such high stakes every week, with the entire chasing pack only two games away from either the relegation mire, or a potential seat aboard the UEFA Cup gravy train, this mini-league isn’t likely to matter nearly so much, as our comparative results against the remaining 16 sides.
In this context and with Gooner bums beginning to squeak over the perceived threat to our highly-prized Champs League berth — no matter how much Martin O’Neill tries to minimise the expectation levels and the pressure upon his Villa side, by playing down his club’s (hopefully temporary) intrusion into the top of the table game of musical chairs — our outing to Birmingham on Stephen’s Day could prove far more important, both in a practical and psychological sense, than Sunday’s inconclusive affair.
Watching Diaby’s rigorous warm-up routine, my first thought was that perhaps the loss of Fabregas wouldn’t be felt so acutely, if Abou was to be given a rare opportunity to replace Cesc in the heart of our midfield. It wasn’t until the battle was rejoined, that I realised Wenger was always likely to opt for restoring Denilson to the middle of the park, alongside Song, with Nasri switching to the right flank and Diaby on the left.
Don’t get me wrong; all four players have great individual attributes. Yet each also has their failings and it was no real surprise the Scousers gained the upper hand early in the second half. I can’t envisage any Premier League side being exactly intimidated by the prospect of facing up to this midfield foursome and Villa will be looking at a Fabregas-less team sheet and fancying their chances!
I adored Van Persie’s quote about scoring with his “chocolate leg” and Robin will soon top every Gooners’ Xmas card list, if he continues to maintain the level of commitment he displayed against Liverpool. Not that I want a striker conceding reckless free-kicks on the edge of our area, but give me this sort of tenacity any day, over the indifference of an overpaid prima donna, who doesn’t think work rate comes within his remit.
Meanwhile, as certain as I am that the rumours linking Wenger to Real Madrid are utter codswallop, I can’t help but wonder if something major is in the offing. It’s the only conclusion I can draw as to the motivation for the positively Machievellian shenanigans that have resulted in the ousting of such a seemingly innocuous board member as Lady Nina Bracewell.
If the Gunners aren’t destined to mount a serious title challenge this season, I hope the Scousers go on to triumph, in honour of Steve Kelly’s dear old dad. I guess the passing of time and Benitez’s kidney stone will tell.
