The Perfect Pitch

Sorry for the long delay between posts. I had somehow gotten the idea that my posts might be jinxing Arsenal, and as any true Arsenal fan would do in the same situation, I stopped posting. But it turns out our season peaked and the crashed many months after I stopped posting, so it looks like it has nothing to do with me at all. I’m as surprised as you are!

What can I say about this season. The less said the better. I know in my last post I said that we shouldn’t get carried away and that the season will have many twists and turns before it ends. Not the type to blow my own trumpet, but it looks like I was right. Who would have thought that with just over two months left to go after beating AC Milan at the San Sior, and 5 points on top of the league, that we would not only blow the lead, but also lose 9 additional points and end up in third spot and out of the Champions League … all within a month! That’s football for you, I guess. Or more precisely, that’s Arsenal football for you!

Anyway, the season is still not over and we could, however unlikely, still get second spot. It’s not impossible for Chelsea to draw or lose against Man Utd and then draw one of their remaining two games (the away game against Newcastle might be the one, since Newcastle are starting to play well again). I think the hardest part is actually us winning all our remaining three games, but if we can do it, then we have a chance at second. And second place is great considering where we are right now, and it does come with some tangible goodies such as automatic qualification and increased Champions League revenue for next season. Plus we would also finish above those blue nosed cunts, and that can only be a good thing.

As for what happens in the summer. Well, at the moment, it looks like it’s going to be a horrible one. Apart from not spending money again thanks for Arsene’s faith in the kids, it looks like we might lose a bunch of “experienced” players too. Lehmann and Gilberto are as good as gone I think, although if Gilberto wants to stay and play a more secondary role, then that’s good enough for me. Hleb looks to be on the way out too, and to be honest, I’m not too sad about it. It’s a shame to lose any player, but Hleb is not first team material and he’s been given several seasons to show us something, and he hasn’t really set the world on fire.

The most worrying is Flamini. I really hope he stays because Arsenal need more committed players like him, not less. If he does leave, then it’s probably not due entirely to money (I think we’ve offered £ 50,000, but Juventus has offered &poundl 10,000 more - not a huge difference in the grand scheme of things), and it will have something to do with taking advantage of current interests and moving to a club he’s supported as a kid (he’s half Italian, in case people didn’t know). I hope he stays and realises that it’s not always easy to go to a new club and to win over all the fans, particularly after coming from one big club to another - the expectations particularly from Italian fans, will be enormous. I get the feeling that he’s still a season away from proving that he’s an essential part of this team. Yes, he’s had a great season. And yes, he was great at left back a few seasons ago. But that’s still just one good season in his preferred position, and I would like to see another just to make sure he can put in the same kinds of performances consistently.

With half the team gone, the boss will have to do some shopping. Otherwise, we wil waste all the improvements we’ve made this season. If Hleb and Flamini stays, then I think we need three signings. A centre-back (Gallas/Kolo doesn’t work, and Senderos is not the answer), a winger (we don’t have any) and a striker (Eduardo, as much I wish he can come back, is not someone that we should rely on next season). I won’t do a FM style “who should we get” list, as I’m sure you’ve all heard the names being brandied about by various blogs, but if we want to challenge for the title next season all the way, and not just until March, then we need to learn from this season’s mistakes and re-enforce our squad.