The Gunners have dropped off top spot due to a lack of form, inexperience and how well their rivals are playing. The impact of the loss of TH14 has been greatly exaggerated.
''Wenger admitted after the Chelsea game that his side lacked 'defensive authority' and were vunerable''
As Arsenal drop five points behind Manchester United in the race for the Premier League, having been top for most of the season, some people having been wondering if Arsene Wenger did the right thing in selling talisman Thierry Henry last summer.
The simple fact is that Arsenal haven’t won anything for since the 2005 FA Cup, and for two of those seasons Henry was still with them. Not only that, but Henry didn’t actually play that well in his last season andwas plagued with injury.
Wenger has a record of getting rid of players at the right time, and I think he has done that with the French star. His performances for Barcelona have been patchy at best, and his injury problems have continued.
In all honesty, if Henry’s departure was going to affect Wenger’s team it would have been at the start of the season. But the fact is current players have benefited from his departure. Rather than being trapped in his shadow they have had the freedom to flourish.
Players like Emmanuel Adebayor, Aleksandr Hleb and Mathieu Flamini have hit previously unknown heights of form this season as they have been allowed to play to their own strengths rather than seeking to enable Henry to play to his. They have said as much in the press over the past few months and you can really see the difference in their play.
In light of all of this, I think we can safely say Henry’s departure has nothing to do with Arsenal’s hesitant form at this point of the season. But this does leave the question open. Why have they faltered?
Perhaps the biggest reason for Arsenal dropping off the top of the table is inexperience. Of the top four, they have by far the youngest and most inexperienced squad. They are undoubtedly hugely talented and arguably play the best football in Europe on their day. But many of the squad players have never been involved in a title race this close to the end of the season - and it seems to be taking its toll.
They just aren’t able to grind out results when they aren’t playing well, unlike Manchester United and Chelsea. Their recent run of results, combined with that hideous injury to Eduardo, seems to have hit their confidence and the behaviour of captain William Gallas is not helping. According to press (which I concede is no guarantee of accuracy). he is currently unpopular with both his manager and the other players.
Sadly, only compounding this problem for Wenger, some of his other key players have suffered a drop in form over the past four games which has left them winless. Adebayor has not been so clinical in front of goal, the midfielders have not been able to find the killer pass they were so adept at getting just a few weeks ago, even Kolo Toure has not been as solid as he was.
Wenger admitted after the Chelsea game that his side lacked 'defensive authority' and were vunerable. This wasn't the case at the start of the season.
Finally, you cannot discount the way Manchester United and Chelsea are playing at the moment. They have been relentless in getting results and there is nothing Arsenal can do about that. All they can do is concentrate on their own game and try to get their season back on track.
Wenger must be applauded for giving his youngsters the chance to prove themselves in regular competition. And it will no doubt lead to another title in the coming years. But we shouldn’t be too hasty - the season isn’t over yet, and there is still plenty of time for an Arsenal return to form.
This has been the most exciting title race in a long time, and let’s hope it goes right to the wire.
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