{"id":1874,"date":"2020-11-30T19:03:51","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T19:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=1874"},"modified":"2020-12-05T14:51:08","modified_gmt":"2020-12-05T14:51:08","slug":"darkest-before-the-dawn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=1874","title":{"rendered":"Darkest Before the Dawn?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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“They say the darkest hour…is right before the dawn.” – Bob Dylan<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The architecture of footballing success is a less definitive and structured endeavor than what the aftermath of success deludes us to believe. There is no one grand plan where everything comes together by their logical inevitability, but a series of steps executed with different degrees of convictions, often arriving at the right combination of things through trial-and-error, and eventually a somewhat fortunate confluence of factors working together to propel a team to levels higher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That makes the granularity of the timescale by which a\ndefinitive progress can be measured an extremely important choice to make, one\nthat is fraught with too many uncertainties. The (fascinating to the neutral,\nnerve-wracking to the fans, mirthful with schadenfreude to the enemies)\nfootballing project called \u201cArsenal after Ars\u00e8ne\u201d has now entered a pivotal\nstage where judging that timescale correctly will decide the future of the club\nfor many years to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we in the Arsenal community had thought after the FA Cup\nand Community Shield victories this season will surely be a steady upward curve\nof performance and results, culminating in a top four position at the end of\nthe season and hopefully a trophy or two along the way, the last few weeks had\nalready shattered that illusion. We were at 11th<\/sup> position in the\nleague after 9 matches played, with a negative goal difference, consecutive\nhome losses, and not scoring a goal from open play for 5 matches now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we approached our home game against the Wolverhampton\nWanderers with exactly the kind of anxiety that we had hoped at the beginning\nof the season we left behind for good. Not just the ordinary anxiety about the\nmatch, but a feeling of deep uncertainty about the season and worst of all, a\ngrowing sense of doubt about the team and the manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arteta set out the team in a 4-3-3 formation. Leno protected\nby a four-man defense of Hector, Luiz, Gabriel and Tierney. Partey\u2019s injury and\nElneny returning just days back from quarantine meant the old pairing of\nXhaka-Ceballos in the engine room. There was an attacking and positive choice\nin Joe Willock as the midfield in the most advanced position. Willian and Saka\nproviding the width for the captain. This is the most barren run of matches in\nall of Aubameyang\u2019s career and it was now evident from his body language and\nmovements that this has started to impact him psychologically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We started the match at a pedestrian pace, backing off\nWolves as they moved the ball crisply towards our goal and created a bit of\npressure. In the third minute we moved down our left side with a competent\ncounterattack involving Joe, Saka and Auba but the watchful Wolves defense\nhandled the threat easily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the 6th<\/sup> minute David Luiz \u2013 trying to head in\na Willian corner \u2013 collided head-to-head with Raul Jimenez and both landed on\nthe floor unconscious. It looked to be a bad injury for both of them. Luiz\neventually got up after prolonged treatment on his bloodied head, but Jimenez\nlooked to be in a far serious trouble as he had to be stretchered off the\nfield. We later learned that he had to undergo a surgery on fractured skull.\nWishing Jimenez a fast recovery and return to the team. He was replaced by the\nyoungster Fabio Silva, another addition to Nuno\u2019s Portuguese project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some inexplicable reason the Arsenal medical team decided that despite such a collision and all the consequent risks of concussions it was wiser to keep Luiz on the pitch with a bandaged head through which blood was seeping out. Football continues to be reckless about head injuries and I think a quick and effective solution can be easily achieved by involving (a) a neutral medical body that attend every game and only they can make the decision about whether a player can continue or not after any trauma to the head and (b) allowing teams extra substitution to replace players after such injuries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game resumed after 10-odd minutes of delay and as often happens with this type of breaks fell into a lull where both teams were slow on the ball and in movements. We were noticeably the slower of the two. Luiz and Gabriel attempted long and aimless passes into the attacking third that drifted out harmlessly. Then Wolves picked up their speed of movement and passing and we fell apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adama Traore ran rings around (an otherwise solid) Tierney\nwith his speed and trickery, put in a delicious cross that Dendoncker was equal\nto but his header ricocheted off the bar. Our entire defense moved sluggishly \u2013\nnone more so than a bandaged and bleeding David Luiz \u2013 as Neto was the fastest\nto respond and his crisp goalbound shot bounced off Gabriel into the net. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal 0 \u2013 Wolves 1 (Neto 27\u2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal did inspire an immediate response from the team as\nTierney moved forward quickly but his cross was cleared by Coady. A minute\nlater Willian put in an excellent cross in the box (a rare moment of quality\nfrom a highly experienced player who has massively underwhelmed thus far in\nArsenal colors) that Gabriel attacked — using his strength very well to fend\noff multiple Wolves defenders \u2013 into the top left corner of Wolves goal. Rui\nPatricio had no chance. Finally a goal from open play!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal 1 (Gabriel 29\u2019) \u2013 Wolves 1 (Neto 27\u2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of creating a spark of commitment and creativity as can be hoped for the equalizer put us back again into some kind of lethargic funk which was personified by our midfield duo Xhaka and Ceballos. This was a wretched performance by both of them, devoid of discipline, tactical understanding and any impetus whatsoever. Xhaka committed himself in a duel with Traore who quite easily got the better of him and put in a lovely through pass straight down the middle of the pitch that we had no one covering for. Our entire defensive line backed up and backed up, allowing a shot that changed direction deflecting off Bellerin; Leno was wrong-footed, but that alone doesn\u2019t fully absolve him pushing it back in the middle of the box. Our defenders were again sluggish to respond to the danger as Podence was the first to attack the ball and then finishing neatly for their second goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal 1 (Gabriel 29\u2019) \u2013 Wolves 1 (Neto 27\u2019, Podence 42\u2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal conceded didn\u2019t improve the tempo of our game. Only\nWillock and Saka in tandem with Tierney looked to be genuinely bothered to\nforce the issue. And when we earned a free-kick outside the penalty box it was\nDavid Luiz who stepped up to take it. At some point of time in a mythical past\nLuiz had scored from a few long-distance free-kicks; he tried quite a few\nplaying for us and each of those were abysmally poor. I winder at the wisdom of\ncontinuing to allow him to take free-kicks when we have Auba, Xhaka and P\u00e9p\u00e9\n(when he is playing) all of whom have scored goals from free-kicks for us and\nat least more often than not hit the target. Luiz\u2019s extravagant attempt flew\nover. I hope this is the last time we see a David Luiz free-kick in Arsenal\ncolors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tried a few moves, Auba got a tame shot away at the Patricio around 45th<\/sup> minute. And just a few minutes later our defense was again shredded to pieces as they moved the ball with precision and pace through an empty midfield and a right side where Bellerin was being provided little support by Willian and Luiz who was still visibly feeling the effect of the collision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We did put the ball in their penalty box one more time\nbefore the half ended. Dani got an inadvertent elbow his face in the melee. If\na penalty were given it would have probably been harsh on Wolves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first half ended with us trailing at home, again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team emerged from the tunnel for the second half with\nLuiz replaced by Holding. Sanity prevailed eventually, even though 40 minutes\ntoo late. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a bit more determination and intent in our game in\nthe second half. But after that abysmal first half that was not very hard to\ndo. Xhaka and Ceballos were still losing a lot of the 50-50 challenges. Every\ntime an Arsenal attack threatened to form the slow and ponderous passing from\nthe midfield would inevitably dampen the promise.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traore made another of his trademark runs that Gabriel barely managed to handle. The mightily built Spanish winger threw himself to the ground as if the ground beneath his feet suddenly gave away and earned a well-deserved (and unprotested) yellow card for such thespian excellence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the match report until now hasn\u2019t mentioned Aubameyang much that is because our talismanic captain was neither given the service he needs nor was he making things for himself with pressing or intelligent movement between the lines. The one time he pressed hungrily he forced an error off Rui Patricio and took the ball off his feet. From a position like that Aubameyang in full flow was guaranteed to score. But this time he hesitated a bit longer between going towards his left or attempt a curler with his right foot. He chose the second option but his shot was tame and cleared by Coady who, unlike our senior most defender, read the situation perfectly and was alert to the danger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had a few more of these types of chances that we must\nshow more composure and quality to finish if we are to turn around our wretched\nrun of results. There was a free-kick from a promising position, the kind from\nwhich Auba had scored goals for us, and Willian wasted it by failing to test\nthe keeper. Saka \u2013 along with Joe and Tierney our liveliest \u2013 put in an\nexcellent chip in the box from byline and Holding tamely headed that over. Saka\nhimself failed to make best use of a good delivery from Bellerin, a diving\nheader was better suited to the heigh of the delivery than the attempted\nvolley. There was another high quality cross from Bellerin that Auba attacked\nwithout any conviction and headed over. He has both time and space to attack\nthe cross and put the ball in the net. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In between Reiss came in for Willian around 65th<\/sup>\nminute and with 10 minutes to go Lacazette replaced Xhaka. Nelson too missed a\nvery presentable chance when he volleyed over hurriedly just a few meters away\nfrom the goal even though he had all the time in the world to bring the ball\nunder control and shoot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These chances or half-chances were too few and far between.\nWe didn\u2019t put in as much pressure as we should, we didn\u2019t create enough\nopportunities, we didn\u2019t attempt shots on target, the team never raised the\nintensity of the game to a level where a flurry of chances was created. Willock\nplayed well and demonstrated that when you support skill with tenacity and\nintensity you can crack the most resolute of defenses. Xhaka and Ceballos put\nin one of the worst midfield performances I have ever seen for Arsenal, both\nindividually and collectively, both offensively and defensively. In modern\nfootball with such absence of quality in the middle of the pitch cannot be\novercome by other parts of the game. The club has been too slow to recognize\nand react to this glaring hole in the middle of the pitch. Partey\u2019s acquisition\ngoes only halfway towards solving that problem and it is absolutely vital that\nwe reinforce the midfield with players of much higher quality than what we\nhave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolves defended deep for the rest of the match, not overly\ntroubled by any of our attacks. And the ease with which they saw out their lead\nwas a stark reminder about how predictable our attack has become, lacking any\nedge or imagination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The club leadership with be severely tested in the coming months. And this doesn\u2019t just mean Arteta, though much of the accountability rests with him. Leadership includes the decision makers at the executive level who will have to push themselves beyond their comfort zone to strengthen the team and support Arteta in all possible ways. Leadership also includes the senior members of the team who have to come together, find solutions to the problems on the pitch, drive and inspire the highly talented group of younger players we have. Aubameyang, Luiz, Willian, Lacazette, Xhaka, Bellerin \u2013 this is also their time to step up and be counted as true leaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are in a difficult situation, but not an irrecoverably\ndifficult one. A club with Arsenal\u2019s stature, wealth, support base must have to\nfind a way out of it. We supporters should be patient, but we also should see\nsigns that the leadership at all levels are as invested in the success of the\nclub as much as we the supporters, we who make their lives successful.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The architecture of footballing success is a less definitive and structured endeavor than what the aftermath of success deludes us to believe. There is no one grand plan where everything comes together by their logical inevitability, but a series of steps executed with different degrees of convictions, often arriving at the right combination of things […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1874"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1874"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1882,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1874\/revisions\/1882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}