As Arsenal is brought down to earth by our physical and defensive fragilities, the same critics who a week ago was declaring Arsenal a winning team have changed their voices to a nearly team.
Which definition fit yours? Is the current team a winning team or a nearly team? What factors or personnel can change the course of this team at this moment of the league run?
In my mind, barring any injuries or new signings (if ever), the three most volatile players in this current team would be Arshavin, Diaby and Almunia or ADA collectively. While Fabregas, RVP and Gallas can be depended on week-in and week-out to play at the highest level, ADA’s performances can fluctuate from brilliant to despairing. Depending on how ADA plays, they can influence the outcome of the trophy cabinets in the Emirates stadium.
Almunia answered his critics last season with a solid season that gave him confidence to command the posts. It even led to suggestions that he could be the answer to England’s goalkeeping problems as he is eligible to play for England this season. His run of eight clean sheets in his first 11 appearance was cemented with a splendid stop from Robbie Keane’s spot kick to allow him to claim number one position in the fan’s heart. However, he began this season in quite horrible style.
He was out-jumped by Kaboul in the Portsmouth match to a high floating ball that any decent goalkeeper could have caught. As the game was held precariously at 2-1 after the goal, Almunia should have thanked the guys for sewing up the match for him. He was again caught out with his awareness and judgment when he came rushing out to give Rooney a chance to dive even though the Manchester united striker was going nowhere with the ball. Many fans wondered what he was doing rushing out like a mad dog. I think Almunia was still thinking about that when he failed to come out and claim the high cross which was eventually headed in by a totally confused Diaby for an exquisite own goal. It is a simple communication process of shouting, “My Ball!” and coming out for it.
Will Almunia rise to his levels of last season or will he sink to the depths of being sold? Will Fabianski or Mannone step up and give Almunia a reminder that the number 1 shirt needs to be earn on merit and not age? Almunia himself should know consistent performances from an experienced keeper are the key to trophies.
What about Diaby? This lad can make you cry in pain or make you scream for joy. As shown in the Portsmouth game, he can single handedly destroyed a team with his silky skills and powerful runs. However, his lack of concentration is also evident when he inexplicitly flicked the ball home with his head for United under no pressure at all. Much like the Sound of Music song of “What do you do with a girl like Maria….?”, I often scratch my head and wonder, “What do you do with a player like Diaby?”
This is a player who was deemed to be the next Patrick Vieira and who captained France Under-19s to success in the 2005 European Championship. At 23 years old, he is the most appropriate player to fit into the mould of the central midfielder to complement Fabregas vision. However, his inconsistency and injury-plagued career has left many gunners pulling their hair out in frustration when one looks at the output of this raw diamond.
He was purring at the start of the season until that own goal marred an otherwise perfect start to the season. He actually had a chance to redeem himself straight away after his own goal with a brillant shimmy that left two United defenders gasping at air. However, when one on one with Ben Foster, Diaby shot wide and missed out on a chance for hero-ship. Will the young Frenchman recovered from this setback or will the own goal haunt him for the rest of the season? The way he reacts will play a great part in determining the success of the Arsenal team on the pitch.
The greatest enigma will be on the shoulders of a certain Russian named Andrey Arshavin. Captain of the Russian side and at the age of 28, his experience in winning leagues and cups put him in a great position to help this team to greatness. His four goal exploit against Liverpool at Anfield also made him an instant cult hero among the Arsenal supporters. Arshavin is truly a world class player capable of winning games on his own.
So what is wrong with Arshavin? In the past few games, he did not looked happy. Even when he scored his thunderbolt against United, his happiness seemed muted with a definitive stare at the bench instead of true happiness which was seen at Anfield last season. The murmurs on the tax structure by Arshavin’s agent and also the claims that Arshavin is only a 20 minute player did not add to a happy background at all.
Will Arshavin become the destabilizing factor similar to the then-captain of Gallas? Or will he rise to the occasion like the ex-captain Gallas? Which player will we see? I sure hope he will match the exploits of Gallas this season and contribute more goals with his Russian torpedoes.
With the spine of the Arsenal team in place, these 3 players will play a crucial or cursory part to assist the spine in search of titles. Will they destroy the team with their performances or will they rise to the challenge of the game? For the sake of Gooners around the world, I hope it’s the latter that will materialize.
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