As the subject of this match review, it was tempting to choose from so many proverbs and witticisms around the failure and its, often paradoxical, implications. “There is no success like failure, but failure is no success at all.” “Success has a thousand parents, but failure is an orphan”. “Failure is success in progress.” “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor”. Etc.
But I don’t think we need to reach for too much of an insight from a loss in a football match. It’s a charmingly/bewilderingly/notoriously unpredictable sport, and this was neither the first time nor would it be the last time that Arsenal would lose an FA cup match against a lower league opposition. Cliched as it may sound, the “magic of the FA cup” has always been an endearing footballing reality, and once we can shake off the initial disappointment of the result (and the sub-par performance), it is best to simply congratulate Southampton and acknowledge that they were more efficient in both penalty boxes, and beyond all the analysis, statistics, theorizing – all of which have their rightful place, naturally – the fate of a match is often decided by this very simple fact.
I have chosen to put together some impressionistic thoughts – and not terribly structured or even thematically consistent – about Arsenal’s quarter final loss to Southampton F.C. away at the English seaside, avoiding the annoyance of recalling the performance and the manner of loss, and hopefully saving you from the displeasure of reliving what couldn’t have been a particularly enjoyable couple of hours.
This was the first time in the season we lost in two consecutive matches. The fact that they were both cup matches, and punctuated by a two week long international break in between, doesn’t make us realize how singularly good we have become in overcoming disappointments and bouncing back quickly from losses. It is a trait worth remembering, by players and supporters alike.
I don’t follow much of the incessant conversations about football in general and Arsenal in particular in the media outlets – including in the social media “discussions” – and as a result, I am (thankfully) spared much of the noise that some of the contributors in this blog (rightly) lament about. Football and Arsenal are important to me, but I try my best to refuse to let the inevitable ups and downs of the team’s fortunes dictate the tone of my relationship with my own self and the world. And understanding rather too well how the content machine works, profiting at the expense of others’ valuable time and invaluable emotional wellbeing, I try my best to not fall into the traps. It is not easy, but it has become easier over the years as one learns more about oneself and others.
So, I have been able to avoid most of the discussions about quadruples and trebles etc. And whenever I have heard those mentioned – typically in the commentary while watching the matches – I felt that anyone who brings that up doesn’t have Arsenal’s best interest in mind. Even when we were playing very well in the late summer and early Autumn, it seemed to me that we are well set-up to really fight for PL and CL, and hopefully win at least one of them to build the habit and confidence in this squad, but we should rotate more and give academy players more chance in the domestic cup competitions. To have started following Arsenal since the early Wenger days, I could never really take the League cup seriously – the League cup may turn around and say that she/he/they/it also never takes Arsenal seriously – and while our unique history of success in the FA cup and the romance associated with this oldest football competition in the world means that I always enjoy a long run in this competition, I didn’t think that we are a squad that can seriously fight for all three competitions until the very end. We need to get a PL and/or a CL trophy over the line first, and subsequently make some more fine tuning to both our personnel and playing styles, before we can become the kind of all-conquering team that can go on and win the three most important trophies in the season.
Our league position this season has been built on the basis of defensive solidity, a methodical control of games, greater efficiency in both boxes, tactical and psychological dominance in key passages of play, and a rugged willingness to leave no stones unturned in search of a result. And I loved it. It has been instructive, and despite the many nerve-wracking days, enjoyable in its own strange ways – demonstrating the values of those innate human qualities that never fail to inspire.
That said, we also must not delude ourselves into thinking that we have shown the kind of inventiveness, insouciance, originality, sharpness in our attacking play that can see out bad days in office against well-drilled oppositions by the sheer verve of football. This is not a criticism of the players or the manager or the coaching team, but just a simple observation. There may be many reasons for that – a lot of new players settling in, injuries to many key players, individual losses of form, opposition teams mostly choosing to defend deep – but I have no problem accepting the reality that this season we haven’t really sparkled in attack. The fact that we still have scored so many goals in PL and CL, and topped the group in CL, speaks eloquently about how extraordinarily good we have been in all other areas of the game.
But there would be days when not all of these other qualities of the team would shine, not all the moving pieces that work meticulously together will connect, the defense will make the kind of mistakes on long balls over the top that have become extinct from the Arsenal form book and hence all the more jarring when they reappear, and that missing sparkle in the attack will mean we will find it very difficult to simply overpower the opposition and score more goals that they do. Keeping those days to a very minimum should give us an excellent chance of winning the league, but the very possibility of those days mean that our cup runs would require us to be more or less flawless in exhibiting the core strengths of the team in every single match.
Today was not one such day. That really I think is all there is to say about it. Hopefully we will avoid a relapse in CL, and I continue to retain my optimism for our CL run. I have my reasons, but all of those center around the hope that we would be able to play the game we want to play in each of our remaining CL matches, starting with Sporting Lisbon away in a few days, and put on the kind of flawless efficiency that I think is the defining character of this team of their best days.
The PL would obviously be a mighty grind. We Arsenal fans will all probably go through quite a few days where the gap between catharsis and despair would hinge on a VAR call, a last-ditch tackle, a sublime finish out of nowhere, a last minute corner kick that would concentrate all of our breaths into one single hopeful outcome. I have no illusion that the next couple of months would be a challenge to our nerves. But if we are to simply rationally look at the possibilities, and expect that the team would continue to do very well the things that they have mostly been excellent at, we would still be able to remember all these frantic days with a fondness and joy that binds us all together for life. Millions of people world over – across all the divides this divisive species of ours had dreamt of in its short sojourn on this planet – would feel connected over a shared experience of achievement, maybe for a short moment most of us would be reminded that we are all so very similar.
Maybe it would be a Max Dowman goal that would confirm the league win for us? If there was one player today who deserved to win, it was him. He was the best player, by far, across both the teams. His technical skills have already been noticed by all, but his strength and conviction today were impressive. No one can know what the future will bring for him, but we as Arsenal fans should feel privileged to witness the emergence of a special talent through our ranks.
Southampton 2 (Stewart 35’, Charles 85’) – Arsenal 1 (Gyökeres 68’)
Outstanding report Dr F.
Summed up the game and the situation very well really.
On we go to Tuesday, hopefully a couple more players back
and a result in Lisbon
Thankyou Dr F
Much of the Goonerverse is turning on Arteta . I refuse to do so. Without him talk of a quadruple wouldn’t have arisen, it was always ridiculous and mainly came from non- Arsenal fans.
What we learnt at St.Marys is that many of our understudies are nowhere near the quality we need and because of this a lot of our genuinely excellent players have been driven into the ground . Our injury situation has to improve if we are to clinch the league which is well within our grasp. C130y freshened their ailing side up with over £100m of talent- are they really in a position to do that ? Are they using income nefariously obtained?
We can’t do that but we need Rice, Saka, Timber , Saliba and Zubi back and we must use Dowman as much as we can without running a sixteen year old boy into the ground.
A lot of the second string were found wanting. You can cope with one or two changes but wholesale exposure reveals who isn’t at the right level and this game against an impressive and well-coached Southampton team revealed that. We must pray Gabi is not seriously injured, that our key players return and get behind the team so that we can clinch the league . That is what this team and our manager deserve .
Ahead of this game I thought that MA8 wouldn’t waiver, determined to wring the absolute most from every one of our three remaining competitions, he’d start our strongest available team. When he didn’t and I saw his selection I wasn’t quite persuaded that it had the essence of superpower required to overcome St Mary’s kryptonite – but it certainly should have done, a team chock full of international talent should have had just to much for the Saints to better.
But kryptonite, inexperience, legs that haven’t yet recovered fully from injuries, and anticipated levels of quality in support players that are illusionary, are a dangerous mix of rabbits in top hats, two sided coins, turtle doves and thunder flashes to take into a ‘magical’ FA Cup encounter that “absolutely thrills the neutrals” and throws commentary teams into orgasmic ecstasy.
Arsenal should have progressed to Wembley last night. That we didn’t doesn’t mean that we can’t go on to win the League or CL. It does, however, clearly show that the depth of squad we’ve been praised for assembling leaves considerable need for more depth and strengthening in the summer.
The fitness, availability and level of our ‘first team’ (now including Mighty Max) will determine whether either of our remains twin targets can be captured. My fingers are crossed.
Super eloquent and thought provoking as always, Dr F. Great job.
C100 and son – Outstanding portrayal of concerned Arsenal fans on global TV. Your agent’s telephone will be ringing off the hook this morning, future roles seem certain.
A disappointing evening with a six hour round trip drive. Dowman’s was fantastic and Jesus, at Easter, was appalling. We had great seats though.
Dr F – superb. Your best ever for me 👏🏻
Personally I have never mentioned a treble or quadruple and neither do I “require” one for the season to be a success. I wondered, but never mentioned it, whether we might possibly win the league and one domestic cup but I don’t honestly believe our attack is good enough to do that.
Winning the league after all the injuries we have suffered would be a huge achievement in itself. The rest is media spewed headlines. Best ignored.
I’ve just this second heard on radio “Arsenal can now win only two trophies”. Yep, ONLY the Premier League and the Champions League. Daft nonsense.
What Trev said @5, Dr F. The perfect antidote to clear the head that one needs this morning, and written with your characteristic eloquence.
C100@4: Front and centre, as you should be.
As others have commented before me, thank you Dr. F for putting this loss into perspective so well.
Couldn’t agree more, Dr F. Not sure our second string are all to be dismissed, TTG. There’s a reason they’re not first choice but they’re essential. Kepa ain’t Raya but he’s better than most back up keepers. White is injured. MLS was built up to a ridiculous degree last season and is on the downside of that with much work to do. Norgaard can’t run and isn’t Declan quality. Madueke ain’t Saka. Jesus is done. Martinelli is still erratic Better they all played here and others were rested even tho the FA Cup run ended. Onwards.
Bath@9: Not sure about Nørgaard being unable to run, but otherwise your assessments look spot on.
Given the extent of the injury list, one only dreads to think where we would be if we hadn’t improved the squad depth last summer.
And the women upset in their FA Cup quarter-final, too. Hopefully, all the ill fate getting washed out in one go.
Thanks Dr F that is a mighty match review – you hit the right tone impeccably. Some of last nights team had not played together and it showed. It wasn’t to be and we move on – there’s some terrific matches to look forward to and the opportunity to get the monkey off our back of not winning the EPL, it’s in our own hands, 19 other teams would love to be in this position. There is also the ECL to play for as a bonus, no other distractions.
Thanks everyone for your kind words! I am humbled to know that my personal impressions and thoughts resonated well with you. Ours remain a rare forum, where kindness and connection guide what we tell each other. Feel privileged to be a part of it.
Thank you again!
I meant “I feel privileged to be a part of it.” Sorry.
Cheers Dr Philosofaustus!
Thanks Doc,
A sensible response to a difficult day. Odegard back, Declan and Timber to come with Eze to follow. Still ours to win.
UTA.
Ollie 🫢🤣
Nice one Doc. Lisbon next, much more important. Let’s go.
Ollie @ 15: 🤣😂.
Well, to be fair Faustus was a philosopher to begin with, and his bargain was borne out of his love-of-knowledge (philo-sophy). 🤣
Song for Artemis II
Nice one bt8
Nearer to home it seems Gabriel and Rice trained yesterday,
good news for us.
>>>>>>>