Parker shows Wenger what he missed out on
After the final whistle of a game that confirmed Tottenham’s current superiority over their near neighbours, the question was even more pertinent.
Parker’s energy and commitment to protecting his back four providing a foundation on which his team-mates could base their attacking moves was central to Tottenham’s victory and demonstrated what Arsenal are currently lacking.
Wenger accepts his side are playing without confidence at the moment, that too many of his young players are unable to attain the standards expected from a side accustomed to life in the top four and not within touching distance of the danger zone.
His failure to act decisively in the transfer market when he knew Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri were leaving has been dissected ever since the transfer window closed. No conclusions can be drawn until his clutch of new signings have bedded in, but among those recruits, there is no one who fills the role Parker does so effectively.
True, the central midfield area was weakened by the need to field Alex Song in central defence, but a lack of protection in front of a creaking back four is nothing new for the Gunners this season and Parker would have been a welcome addition.
Not that Redknapp is concerned by such matters. The Spurs manager is simply delighted to have signed a player whose talents are being belatedly recognised now he is a thirty-something.
Redknapp admits he had to work hard to convince his chairman, Daniel Levy, to sanction a £5 million transfer fee and lucrative four-year contract for a player who will have no resale value when his deal comes to an end.
The manager can be persuasive when he wants to be and Parker’s performance at White Hart Lane provided all the evidence Redknapp needed to justify the move.
As excellent as Parker was, however, his best work came following the introduction of Sandro to give him support against an Arsenal midfield that, for all their recent problems, still knows how to pass a ball.
Working in tandem, the pair gave Spurs something they have so often lacked in the past; a solid spine. Parker was then able to expand his sphere of influence and when he was substituted in the 89th minute to savour the deserved applause, he did so having only just launched another late raid into the visitors’ area.
Once again then, Redknapp’s eye for a player has been confirmed while Wenger’s ability to plug the gaps in his squad remains questionable. And that is the main reason Tottenham are on the point of usurping Arsenal as the strongest club in this part of London.
The opening Spurs goal was a case in point. Emmanuel Adebayor’s chip found Rafael van der Vaart who finished expertly, despite apparently using an arm to control the ball and two more of Redknapp’s more astute signings had combined to put Tottenham in control.
Compare and contrast with the efforts of Gervinho, Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker. Mertesacker has undoubtedly shored up the Arsenal backline and Arteta is a quality midfielder who will improve the Gunners. Gervinho, meanwhile, will clearly take time to settle. Good players, but are they the right players and can they make a game changing difference to Arsenal? Time will tell, but at the moment, time is a precious commodity for Wenger.
Already 12 points adrift of the two Manchester clubs who lead the early table, Arsenal have now lost four of their opening seven games and have just seven points to their name. Too early to declare a crisis, but early enough to write them off as plausible challengers for the championship unless something extraordinary happens. And with this Arsenal squad, it is the ordinary, not the extraordinary, that has become commonplace.
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