SOCCER:ARSENE WENGER'S displeasure was easily understandable as he ended the match raging at the referee who had shown Robin van Persie a second yellow card, and the Frenchman continued his diatribe in his post-match interviews. But now he needs to lay aside that sense of injustice and give attention to some of the deep-lying issues exposed by Tuesday night's elimination from the second of the four competitions that were still in Arsenal's sights some 10 days ago.
On Saturday night Arsenal travel to Old Trafford, where they meet Manchester United in an FA Cup sixth-round tie which could reduce their list of targets to one or, if the evening goes well, renew hopes a double, the third of the Wenger era, could be on the cards.
“This is when a manager earns his money,” George Graham, a former Arsenal manager, remarked on Talksport yesterday, and it is hard to imagine his successor getting much sleep between now and the weekend as he plots to arrest the sudden disintegration of a side that until recently looked like fulfilling all the potential he has insistently claimed on their behalf.
Only three weeks ago we were acclaiming perhaps the greatest performance of Wenger’s decade and a half in north London, when they took on the world’s best club side and prevailed not just through speed and skill but courage and sheer will to win, the very qualities they had so often been accused of lacking.
In truth, they were fortunate Lionel Messi missed two clear chances and the referee denied Barcelona a penalty claim, but still there were signs Wenger’s constant reiteration of a belief in his side’s “spirit” had some substance.
On Tuesday, however, their virtues were blown away and only the flaws remained. They may have been within one Nicklas Bendtner touch of smuggling themselves through to the next round, but such an outcome would have been an offence against natural justice.
The surprise was in the way Arsenal approached the match. Yesterday’s Spanish papers were withering in their condemnation of the English side’s disinclination to attack, a derision compounded by Arsenal’s failure to complete their mission. Spanish observers did not like it when Jose Mourinho ordered Inter to pack their defence in last year’s semi-final, but at least Mourinho’s success earned him a measure of respect.
Yesterday’s scornful cartoon in Mundo Deportivo had Wenger reading from the Mourinho coaching manual: “The fault for not having a shot on goal . . . is the referee’s, the referee’s, the referee’s, the referee’s, the referee’s”.
But he can hardly be proud his side became the first since 2004 to fail to register a single shot in a Champions League match.
Dismay and perhaps even a measure of shame are the proper responses to such a lamentable feat. Barcelona are a wonderful team, but they were playing with two replacement centre-backs.
Despite the freakishness of the possibility that Bendtner could have put his side through to the last eight, Arsenal did nothing to deserve any form of reward. The absence of Thomas Vermaelen, Alex Song and Theo Walcott played a part, and the marginal condition of Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas was clearly unhelpful.
But the displays of Tomas Rosicky, Abou Diaby and Bendtner in particular cast doubt on Wenger’s readiness to invest further deposits of faith in players who have spent most of their Arsenal careers underperforming.
Diaby, positioned alongside Jack Wilshere in front of the defence, again highlighted the inability or unwillingness of Wenger to plug the gap left by the likes of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva.
A strong, driving midfielder used to be an Arsenal characteristic, and Javier Mascherano showed how it should be done. Argentina’s captain is a player Wenger could have acquired a few years ago, although he might not have fancied doing business with Kia Joorabchian.
Rosicky and Samir Nasri were virtually absent from a game in which they were given enough scope to make an impact. Nasri, so stunningly effective in the first half of the season, seems to have forgotten that his best contributions come when, like Messi, he takes on opponents at close quarters.
As for Bendtner, his heavy touch was as apparent as it had been in South Africa last summer, the point at which Wenger should have cut his losses on the Dane.
Eavesdropping on Arsenal supporters during the flight to Catalonia, it was interesting to hear one of them compare Wenger to L Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. “What Arsene’s running isn’t a football club – it’s a cult,” the fan said.
Barely even half-joking, he was representing that large section of the support to whom Wenger’s pursuit of his vision has been too single-minded. What they want is for Arsenal to act like the other big clubs. To them, that means buying an Andy Carroll rather than a Marouane Chamakh, or splashing out on the established qualities of a Mascherano rather than hoping for a Song or a Diaby to mature.
To accept such criticisms, and to take the appropriate action, would require a radical change in Wenger’s approach. It would mean admitting that for several seasons his squad has lacked a balance of skill and strength, of artistry and resilience, of fantasy and functionality.
Given the strength of his convictions, that seems unlikely to happen – which means Arsenal’s fans, however much they admire his integrity, cannot seriously expect the future to live up to the past any time soon.
GuardianService
NUMBERS GAME
The statistics across the two legs illustrate Barcelona's domination
Total shots
Barcelona 31 Arsenal 13
Shots on target
Barcelona 17 Arsenal 5
Possession
Barcelona 71% Arsenal 29%
Passing success
Barcelona 92% Arsenal 79%
Total passes
Barcelona 850 Arsenal 267
Distance travelled
Barcelona 233km Arsenal 227km
Tackles
Barcelona 48 Arsenal 40
Fouls
Barcelona 20 Arsenal 35
Yellow cards
Barcelona 2 Arsenal 7
Red cards
Barcelona 0 Arsenal 1
