Premier League - Match #31

Chelski 2 Dogba2
Arsenal 1 Sagna


It is really heartbreaking to lose in the manner Arsenal did at Stamford Bridge just now. Two route-one balls and two goals much to the delights of those who prefer crap football as long as it won them trophies.

Though, I used to accept these crap football when Arsenal were winning matches 1-0 and won the league and cups under George Graham. However, since the arrival of Arsene Wenger I have been spoilt by the finer aspects of the way football should be played.

One thing about Wenger is his reluctance to employ the route one football if he can help it and it clearly showed again just now. Knowing the opponents have been vulnerable when dealing in high balls and set-pieces, especially after the 4-4 draw at the Lane, he still refused to employ them despite having Manu Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner at his disposal.

Instead, he started with the Togolese and Robin Van Persie in front and Alex Hleb and Manu Eboue on the flanks. If he had started with the tall guys in front, Van Persie and Hleb could benefit from the second ball that might come their way, as much as Dogba benefited from the lay off from Lardpard and Nic Anelka in scoring those two goals.

The usual answer would be that it would be against his principle to win ugly, though I wish he would accept it as part of football. Variety is the key to winning nowadays and perhaps if Wenger was willing to go against his principle a few times this season, we would have been so far ahead instead of dropping to third place behind the Bâtards and the engrais.

There will be advocates for the kind of football the Bâtards dans le bleu play. And when Arsenal broke in a swift counter attack from a corner, Joe Cole stayed down on the pitch clutching his knees. With the crowd whistling, Eboue kicked the ball out just near the centre line.

The soonest the physio touched him, Cole got up and walked gingerly as if nothing happened to him. Would not he deserved to be named a Bâtard? From the throw in to restart the match, instead of kicking it to Manu Almunia, the Bâtard John Terry kicked the ball to the touchline, just a few metres from the corner flag, deep inside Arsenal's half, immediately putting the Gunners under pressure.

I dare anybody to call those two incidents sportsmanship. A behaviour of Bâtards is more likely.

It would not be so hard to take if we lost to goals like the equaliser scored by Michael Essien during last season's encounter.

Well, I am not throwing away the towels as yet being the positive person that I am though it will not take a genius to figure out that the odds against us finishing top in May will be very, very long now.

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