Football’s various stages of denial

AFTER being written off by Arsene Wenger last November as a player who, “doesn’t do much”, Didier Drogba looked rather surprised to find himself accepting a congratulatory handshake from the Frenchman on the final whistle.

Having single-handedly destroyed Arsenal’s hopes of the title, a shrug and a glare would have been the politest treatment that he could have hoped for. Perhaps though, Wenger had come to realise that Drogba wasn’t just the difference between the two teams on the day, but that he was the difference in the entire ethos of the two clubs.

Perhaps this was the moment that Wenger would acknowledge that a more robust approach would be required if Arsenal were ever going to win the league again. After all, this year’s title challenge is dead and he had just visibly sped through the first four stages of grief on the sidelines already.

There was the denial that came with his refusal to accept some early decisions against his team. There was the anger that saw him boot his jacket across the technical area. Bargaining came next, as he tried to convince fourth official Peter Walton that Mike Dean had taken leave of his senses and then there was the depression as he realised that defeat was inevitable. Perhaps then, this sporting handshake was stage five: acceptance.

Perhaps not. By the time Wenger addressed the press corps, he had regressed back to denial again. Arsenal were the better team, he argued. Only Chelsea’s “efficiency”, a swearword in Wenger’s household, had prevented an exhibition of football. For him, football would be a far nicer game if you won points for passing the ball around the edge of the penalty area. It shouldn’t be about frivolous notions like scoring goals or winning games, it should be about style.

But while there is a perfectly logical argument that, in today’s money-obsessed game, simply securing a place at the Champions League cash trough is far more valuable than a bit of silverware, the Arsenal fans are quickly tiring of all this well-intentioned failure. Wenger is the 10-minute drum solo of the Premier League. The flawless technique and immaculate timing is impressive for a while, but it’s not why you bought the ticket. Purity doesn’t win much without a bit of pragmatism.

Despite Wenger’s dubious assertions to the contrary, Chelsea play some very stylish football themselves. The difference is that they can back it up with physical strength, diverting to route one if the delicate touches aren’t working. Arsenal, in full flow, can beat anybody, but in football as in life, the more complicated the machinery, the more things can go wrong. It only takes a couple of players to slip up and the Gunners fire blanks.

Here it was Gael Clichy whose brain ground to a halt and it was Theo Walcott who offered all the attacking intent of the Swiss Peace Corps. Drogba tore Arsenal apart in the first half with his pace and power, but Wenger remained reluctant to deploy Nicklas Bendtner in a similar role, delaying his introduction until an hour had passed. Given that the not-so-great Dane’s record suggests he might even struggle to score at the Chelsea Christmas party, this is entirely understandable, but it does leave the Gunners desperately short of height in the final third.

Too many crosses were swirled harmlessly over Andrey Arshavin’s head while those that he could have reached were comfortably dealt with by John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. That critical lack of stature makes Wenger’s refusal to reinforce all the more bewildering.

Wenger, of course, prefers to rely on the fruits of his academy, but as admirable as this, it can only work if the players are actually good enough. Would Abou Diaby spark a feeding frenzy from the big clubs if he was put on the transfer list? Would Alex Song? Or Denilson? Or Emmanuel Eboue?

Of the next generation, Jack Wilshere offers the most promise, but then Arsenal aren’t exactly short of pint-size midfielders. It’s Wenger’s own decision not to invest in physical strength, but if he’s not breeding it either, then this pattern of failure seems unlikely to change.

Wenger has much to ponder. A title campaign blown apart by failures against lesser teams would indicate a lack of application, but repeated defeats against rivals suggests only a lack of quality. The Champions League is still an option, unlikely as it may be, but the title remains out of reach for another year.

Wenger can deny the truth all he wants but, here at Stamford Bridge Arsenal were not good enough and not strong enough. It’s time for the Gunners to swallow their pride and find their own Drogba.