TERRACE TALK: Arsenal - Baby steps to lifting the gloom for Gunners

While the Gunners might have desperately needed to pocket all three points from our day out at the seaside, I’ll be delighted if the Cherries go on to consolidate their highly-prized place in the Premier League because the humble, yet most hospitable, environs of Dean Court is a very welcome addition to the top flight.

With an allocation of only 1,100 away fans at the 11,000 seater ground, Sunday’s game was always this season’s hottest ticket, with reports of our East Stand seats changing hands for utterly ridiculous sums, 15 times their £33 face value.

Bright sunshine greeted our lunchtime arrival, yet the sunny disposition of us Gooners soon gave way to exasperation with the news that Coquelin and Campbell had been left on the bench.

Considering the “make or break” nature of this encounter, as a result of our recent slump, the consensus on the terraces was that Arsène had completely lost the plot, by leaving out the energetic Costa Rican, in favour of the far less committed Ox, and by failing to reinforce the ineffectual midfield pairing of Flamini and Ramsey.

Our new Egyptian midfielder Elneny was out due to his wife having given birth, but none of us could fathom keeping Coquelin in reserve.

Watching the wholehearted way the Foxes went about vanquishing City on Saturday, the thought of the relentless Kanté and Drinkwater running rings around Flamini and Ramsey at our place next weekend is utterly horrifying. Yet what would be the point of Wenger keeping Coquelin fresh for this encounter, if we’d ended up losing against Bournemouth, and struggling to peg back an eight-point gap between us and the leaders?

Although the travelling faithful were in good voice, the underlying indignation only intensified for the first 20 minutes or so on Sunday, as the blasé body language of the likes of Ramsey and the Ox was in such complete contrast to the intensity seen from a Leicester side who really look as if they’re relishing what might be a once-in-a-lifetime tilt at the title.

During this opening period, only our two star turns, Mesut and Alexis, looked capable of the sort of inspiration necessary to raise the entertainment level beyond the mundane. Of the rest of our outfield players, the Flamster appeared so wound up, that he came far too close to an early bath. The others’ lukewarm and lackadaisical contributions only lent weight to accusations they’re treading water, in the hope of retaining the wherewithal to shine at at Euro 2016 this summer.

However, in typically fickle fashion, we were soon lauding Arsène’s genius, when first Ramsey teed up Mesut’s opener and then the Ox chipped in with his first league goal in 16 long months. Nevertheless, while the two goals in such quick succession might have virtually killed this game as a contest (albeit with the customary aid of Petr Cech’s unimpeachable consistency), in truth more clinical opposition might well have punished the way the Gunners subsequently took their foot off the gas.

I was hoping that we might go on and bury Bournemouth, with the likes of Giroud and Alexis banging in the goals that would enable us to face the daunting task of subduing the Foxes next Sunday (not to mention Barca nine days after that) full of confidence. Yet as the weather took a turn for the worse, and the heavens opened as we headed back to London, it was somewhat symbolic that it should rain on our three-point parade.

Spurs’ nine-goal advantage leaves us languishing in third and while we might not have achieved the sort of convincing scoreline to made some inroads into this deficit, we’re grateful to have begun taking some baby steps towards dissipating the recent gloom and doom of recent weeks.