Sol Campbell went to Portugal and never came back. The indomitable England centre-half of Euro 2004 has not been seen since. In his place there is a melancholic veteran toiling with the abrupt mortality of a sportsman's talent. Even that careworn figure does not necessarily stay in view. With Arsenal 2-1 down, in the eventual 3-2 defeat by West Ham, Campbell exited the match and the stadium.
During the interval he walked away from Highbury, raising questions about how much else he is leaving behind. Arsene Wenger, after stating that Campbell had been "down" and felt "guilty" after the visitors' first-half goals, has now given him a few days off by ruling him out of tomorrow's game at Birmingham City. Bedlam, however, did not break out in the dressingroom on Wednesday. The distressed player and Wenger retreated to the manager's adjacent office and no voices were raised before the Frenchman came back to tell the 20-year-old midfielder Sebastian Larsson he would be coming on in place of Campbell.
There was a lack of histrionics because the crisis in the player's form is well known. Another defender might have wanted to barge back on to the field and make West Ham pay for his indignities, but Campbell's mental state has been delicate for a while. "Sometimes you end up thinking, why is this not happening?" he told the Guardian in November. "The relationship with my body and the ball, my positioning on the pitch, the timing and touch, is just not right."
Though Campbell (31) talked about working hard until "suddenly it clicks" that moment of restoration has been a pipe dream. Vigour and pace are not in harness any more. A string of younger English defenders are superseding him. He was brushed aside by James Beattie and Jason Roberts before, on Wednesday, Bobby Zamora left him sprawled on the turf. Those goals for, respectively, Everton, Wigan and West Ham put Arsenal out of the League Cup and hobbled their bid to be fourth in the Premiership, which would in any case be Wenger's worst finish in 10 years at the club.
The manager will still have to decide when next he can trust in the centre-back's temperament. Resources at Arsenal are low, with some players at the African Nations Cup and others injured, but Johan Djourou could form a serviceable if gauche partnership with Philippe Senderos in the middle.
Campbell's bleak state of mind must stem from the manner in which he has gradually been introduced to his own disposability. Troubles with achilles' and calf handicapped him to such an extent that he had made a mere 16 Premiership appearances last season before Wenger dropped him from the FA Cup final line-up. He was thought to have been available for sale in the summer.
The defender has been worn down by his heavyweight career. Campbell is the only man to appear for all 25 hours (including a couple of bouts of extra-time) of England's 16 matches at the last four major tournaments. Rather than ensuring he will continue to hold a place of honour in the side, that record speaks of an athlete who has endured much wear and tear, in addition to mental fatigue. Such a long involvement may actually undermine his hope of future participation. Sven-Goran Eriksson has developed second thoughts. Campbell was recalled to face Austria but dropped for the exalted friendly with Argentina in November.
Like so many sportsmen, the defender may have learned that no one hits 30 without sustaining damage in the collision. Campbell struck that birthday in September 2004.
His talk of acting lessons and of starting a designer label have already proved that he knows the time is coming to gaze beyond the horizon of football.
Guardian Service
