Stoke 2-1 Arsenal

By: travis | November 2nd, 2008

Um, ok. After a dreadful performance mid-week, this is not the response you look for from a team with title aspirations. A dominating blowout? That would be something to take pleasure in. That would be a sign of encouragement. Instead, it’s another result where all you can do is sigh, make your displeasure known in whatever manner you feel, and move on with it.

Who can you pin the blame on for this one? Again, the defense was suspect. Failure to deal with two long throw ins from Rory Delap cost two goals. But what was Wenger doing with a starting midfield of Diaby, Fabregas, Denilson, and Song? Is he that stubborn to think that players like that will win the Premier League? Nasri and Walcott were both left on the bench, the two wide players on the roster. Walcott came in late in the game, only to exit with another shoulder injury. Fabregas’ play so far this season has been subpar, but it’s hard to blame the Spaniard. He has no Flamini – no consistent partner in the center of the midfield to play off of. He is no doubt also tired, but you begin to wonder if he’ll be an Arsenal player next season. Other questions bounce around in your head after this one. Teams such as Chelsea, Man United, and Liverpool all boast a handful of world class midfielders – and the best we can do is trot out an assortment of four central midfielders. That’s simply not good enough.

Making matters worse on Saturday, Adebayor and Walcott took hard knocks. Throw in that absolutely stupid foul from Van Persie, and Arsenal finished with nine men. A lucky shot by Clichy helped to avoid a shut out, though that offers small comfort. Once again Wenger is faced with a tall mountain to climb, now six points adrift of Liverpool & Chelsea. Along with that, I think that there will be more reports about spats or arguments within the team. Gallas talks about being infuriated – it’ll be interesting to see when he returns from injury, or to see if he can offer any sort of leadership that has been lacking thus far.

The telltale sign of this season is simple. Just compare our results with the other three teams of the big four. Look at the 5-0 drubbing Chelsea handed Sunderland. Arsenal managed a 1-1 draw – and just barely. Man United escaped with a 4-3 win again Hull, and no need to go there with the corresponding fixture. Chelsea beat Stoke 2-0 at the Britannia. Those are the sort of results that a team that shows a desire to win a title exemplifies – not three defeats to Hull City, Stoke, and Fulham. It’s too early to bury the title chances completely, but they are way out there.

Looking on the bright side of a dreary situation, the only good thing about all this is that there is time. Instead of last season’s late meltdown, there is a long slate of games to play, and if, by some miracle, Arsenal can get a decent string of results, there may be some hope left. Next weekend’s fixture against United will reveal all.

Tomorrow, I’ll look at the idea of Arsenal being “burned out.” Say what? Less than a third of the season has progressed…

Last but not least, match of the day highlights below. If you dare to watch.

Watch Stoke City v Arsenal in News Online | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com