"FA Cup the be-all and end-all for Arsenal this season"

LAPTV

17Feb

“FA Cup the be-all and end-all for Arsenal this season”

Arsenal’s year is turning out to be something of an annus horribilis for Arsène Wenger – a football boffin unused to botching things up. Fabregas gone, Nasri gone, Wilshere injured; even Thierry Henry’s brief cameo in Arsenal colours couldn’t save his team from an Italian humiliation earlier in the week. It’s bad. So bad that not only is that FA Cup now of paramount importance, but the Life’s A Pitch team also struggles to locate any good news for the French professor.

“What will be worrying Arsène Wenger is his inability to get a response from his players,” says Duncan White of the Sunday Telegraph. “When they were played off the park by Man Utd a few weeks ago, in the second half they responded and played for him. But against AC Milan, the second half was as insipid as the first. He will feel concerned, and he may even question his own faith in some of his players, some of whom he’s stuck by beyond rationality.”

It’s a point further examined by former Arsenal footballer and journalist Adrian Clarke. “I look at this Arsenal side and there are too many players of the same character. Talent, ability and technique will get you so far as a football team, but to succeed you need a blend of characters. They don’t seem able to dig in when required, and now the FA Cup is the be-all and end-all for Arsenal this season.”

Things have certainly come a long way since Arsenal enjoyed a priceless victory over Barcelona in Europe just a year ago. Not only is their European position now in virtual tatters, but their standing as one of the Premier League’s top dogs is also in danger. So says Dominic Fifield of the Guardian: ”It’s a reflection of the weakness outside the top three in the Premier League that a club can have a good run and it looks like they might be challengers again – but [in reality] it’s just papering over cracks.”

Watch the full video discussion by clicking on the image play button above.

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Follow Life’s A Pitch on Twitter @BTLifesapitch

Watch Arsenal live on BT Vision:
Sunderland v Arsenal, live 4:50pm, 18 February, ITV1 (FA Cup)
Arsenal v Tottenham, live 1pm, 26 Feb, Sky Sports 1

Not got BT Vision? Find out how to get it

More live football fixtures on BT Vision

Comments

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Bradlop

Wenger needs to make a whole list of changes to the team to freshen them up. Play Gervinho and AOC, push Song back and play Coquelin and Arteta together and give Arshavin a chance in Ramsey’s position. These players will at least be hungry for this one and so so fresh because Wednesday looked a tired bunch.
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