TODAY, THE MERE fact of Thierry Henry’s presence wasn’t enough.
The reemergence of the talismanic Frenchman during Monday’s FA Cup third-round clash with Leeds appeared to herald a new dawn at the Emirates. His late winner, scored minutes after his introduction as a substitute, lent credence to Arsene Wenger’s insistance that the striker could steel his young squad’s notoriously fragile confidence.
Slowly bled of its high-profile talent, reduced to a succession of catastrophic exits from major tournaments, this was a team, its manager insisted, in need of confidence rather than wholesale change.
On the strength of this afternoon’s performance, during which the Gunners were comprehensively humbled by Swansea City, essentially a team of technically-gifted Championship veterans, Wenger hasn’t just underestimated the capacity of Henry’s presence to instil confidence, he’s completely misdiagnosed the extent of their frailty.
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One wonders if he’s already begun to regret his club’s inactivity in the January transfer window.
Arsenal’s afternoon began promisingly enough, when Andrei Arshavin, making his first and only significant contribution to the game, threaded a pass through the Swansea defence and found Robin Van Persie. The prolific Dutchman wasted no time in putting his side a goal ahead.
A little over ten minutes later, however, Swansea were awarded a penalty when Aaron Ramsay was adjudged to have fouled a pirouetting Nathan Dyer. Szczesny read Sinclair’s mind and dove to the right corner, but he couldn’t place on a hand on the shot, which had been judged to perfection.
As has so often been the case over the preceding 18 months, Arsenal proved incapable of coping with a moment of minor adversity, immediately ceding the initiative to Swansea, who began to move the ball with increasing confidence in midfield.
The promoted side’s second goal came in the 57th minute, Dyer finding himself in space on the edge of the Arsenal area after Ramsay was caught in possession. The 24-year-old, who later collected the Man of the Match award for his efforts, drove a shot high into the left side of the Arsenal goal.
The crucial exchange of the match came during a 90-second spell either side of the 70-minute mark. Theo Walcott capitalised on a marvellous through ball from Johann Djourou to level the game and, in doing so, underscore the extent to which Arsenal had been underperforming.
Seconds later, a beautifully-judged ball from Sigurdsson provoked a series of errors from Koscielny, Mertesacker and Szczesny. Graham, who could scarcely believe his luck, flicked an accurate effort goalward and condemned Arsenal to a frenetic 20-minute quest to stave off humiliation.
It was to an advantage the Welsh side never looked close to relinquishing.
Having watched their side’s performance oscillate wildly between apathy and incoherent panic, Arsenal fans could be forgiven for wondering if club morale has reached a lower ebb in the Premier League era.
Inner demons again cost Arsenal dear
Swansea City 3-2 Arsenal
TODAY, THE MERE fact of Thierry Henry’s presence wasn’t enough.
The reemergence of the talismanic Frenchman during Monday’s FA Cup third-round clash with Leeds appeared to herald a new dawn at the Emirates. His late winner, scored minutes after his introduction as a substitute, lent credence to Arsene Wenger’s insistance that the striker could steel his young squad’s notoriously fragile confidence.
Slowly bled of its high-profile talent, reduced to a succession of catastrophic exits from major tournaments, this was a team, its manager insisted, in need of confidence rather than wholesale change.
On the strength of this afternoon’s performance, during which the Gunners were comprehensively humbled by Swansea City, essentially a team of technically-gifted Championship veterans, Wenger hasn’t just underestimated the capacity of Henry’s presence to instil confidence, he’s completely misdiagnosed the extent of their frailty.
One wonders if he’s already begun to regret his club’s inactivity in the January transfer window.
Arsenal’s afternoon began promisingly enough, when Andrei Arshavin, making his first and only significant contribution to the game, threaded a pass through the Swansea defence and found Robin Van Persie. The prolific Dutchman wasted no time in putting his side a goal ahead.
A little over ten minutes later, however, Swansea were awarded a penalty when Aaron Ramsay was adjudged to have fouled a pirouetting Nathan Dyer. Szczesny read Sinclair’s mind and dove to the right corner, but he couldn’t place on a hand on the shot, which had been judged to perfection.
As has so often been the case over the preceding 18 months, Arsenal proved incapable of coping with a moment of minor adversity, immediately ceding the initiative to Swansea, who began to move the ball with increasing confidence in midfield.
The promoted side’s second goal came in the 57th minute, Dyer finding himself in space on the edge of the Arsenal area after Ramsay was caught in possession. The 24-year-old, who later collected the Man of the Match award for his efforts, drove a shot high into the left side of the Arsenal goal.
The crucial exchange of the match came during a 90-second spell either side of the 70-minute mark. Theo Walcott capitalised on a marvellous through ball from Johann Djourou to level the game and, in doing so, underscore the extent to which Arsenal had been underperforming.
Seconds later, a beautifully-judged ball from Sigurdsson provoked a series of errors from Koscielny, Mertesacker and Szczesny. Graham, who could scarcely believe his luck, flicked an accurate effort goalward and condemned Arsenal to a frenetic 20-minute quest to stave off humiliation.
It was to an advantage the Welsh side never looked close to relinquishing.
Having watched their side’s performance oscillate wildly between apathy and incoherent panic, Arsenal fans could be forgiven for wondering if club morale has reached a lower ebb in the Premier League era.
Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Caulker, Williams, Taylor; Dyer, Britton, Allen, Agustien, Sinclair; Graham. Subs: Tremmel, Richards, Monk, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Moore, Lita.
Arsenal: Szczesny; Djourou, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Miquel; Song, Ramsey, Benayoun; Walcott, Van Persie, Arshavin. Subs: Almunia, Yennaris, Squillaci, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Henry, Park.
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Arsene Wneger Brendan Rodgers Deja Vu Swansea Arsenal