The Game

Plenty of possession, no end product. Instead, we get humiliated in the stadium you would never want to be humiliated in and another season comes to an end with no trophies to show for. Many will use Robin van Persie’s amazing performance as an excuse, saying that had he stayed fit, things would have been different. Maybe. But that would also mean that Arsene Wenger has yet again got it completely wrong when he decided not to replace the Dutchman and keep on going with the squad he had as his disposal.

Considering it was a North London Derby and a game which we needed to win in order to keep our title hopes alive, I expected 11 lions from start to finish. Instead, the only Gael Clichy, Sol Campbell and Samir Nasri seemed to care about what was going on out there. All this, for the record, in the game which Wenger and Almunia described as one where players will be fresh after resting for a whole week. No friends, they didn’t look fresh to me. Watching Denilson losing the ball, seeing Spurs players surging past him and not showing interest to stop them made me physically sick. This, against a Spurs side which according to many was supposed to suffer fatigue after last weekend’s F.A. Cup exit.

I’m sorry for those who believed until now, like myself, but you don’t win games and titles with players who don’t give a damn about the outcome of the match and I’m afraid big changes are needed if we are to ever compete until the very end. As for the rest, what to say, Thomas Vermaelen probably ended his season tonight, the player who Arsene Wenger described as the one playing through “big pain”. I called this outrageous days ago. After today I call it criminal. The number of players who played through injury this season is shocking, and watching them go down in pain, one after the other, should come to no surprise really. May I ask: is this the price we have to pay whilst the club’s bank account gets fatter and fatter?

Match Video Highlights

Match video highlights are available in the Videos section of our website. If not there yet, rest assured they will be up in a matter of hours.

Player Ratings

Almunia: 4 – Another game ends and another mistake goes down under his factfile. As if punching the ball and tumbling in doing so wasn’t enough, he also had to stay out of his goal allowing a 19-year old to score the goal of his life. Disaster.

Vermaelen: No Vote – It happened today. It could have happened months ago. Thomas is the latest player to suffer because of the depth we so much lack in the squad. Get well soon Thomas.

Campbell: 8 – One of the three players who actually cared about the match. He said it this week, these young players need to understand what it means to play the game and win. Yes Sol, I agree.

Clichy: 7,5 – Never gave up and yet again he is a player who others should look at to understand what it means loving the red and white colours and wanting a win with all your body.

Sagna: 6 – Fought hard and was not impressed with Bale’s diving antics.

Eboue: 5 – I’m not sure what was wrong with Emmanuel today. He put himself in very good positions yet almost always wasted the opportunity. Twice he had shooting opportunities but failed to shoot.

Denilson: 4,5 – The reason why he shows absolutely no interest in stopping players racing past him beats me. It’s a disgrace, and all the sideways passes in the world can never cancel such an attitude.

Nasri: 6,5 – Tried hard, very hard Samir, but not much he can do alone. All those around him failed, miserably, until Robin came on of course.

Diaby: 2 – This will go down as one of the most shocking performances from an Arsenal player this season. What happened to the beast we admired two months ago?

Rosicky: 5 – Beautiful first touch, lovely skills but what for? No end product.

Bendtner: 6 – A goal cannot cancel a very anonymous performance from Nicklas. But as always, let’s judge him the day he plays alongside another striker.

(Subs)
Silvestre: 3 – No comment.

van Persie: 9 – Thirty minutes. All he needed to go close to score three times. One goal and I would have given him a 10. Welcome back Robin. But it’s too late I’m afraid.

Walcott: 5 – Not enough. Though to be fair on him, he produced a number of very fine runs only for Diaby first, and Bendtner then to completely ignore him.