What happened? I thought...this was the new Arsenal. I thought this was the team that had banished the past of almost-things. I thought it was an Arsenal that could go to Old Trafford and heighten the misery at Manchester. Well, I guess that was not the case. For some inexplicable reason, I was watching the same exact Arsenal just fold their cards and accept defeat. It was the same timid display that we have all grown so accustomed to in the post-Henry era. BUT WHY DID IT HAPPEN?!
I'll tell you why. It's the reason why I stopped short of saying Arsenal were favorites. While everyone jumped up and down and said they were the team to beat, I kept quiet. I knew that they had not yet been properly tested. Okay, they got past Liverpool and Dortmund but it was THIS game that would have told us how far they had come. This was the venue in which the team of kids showed their infantile side and cowered whilst the Manchester team towered over them, glistening in red and black. So it was a really sad thing to see Arsenal fall into the predictable realm of not doing anything and being afraid to show their class.
I cannot give this team the tag of favorites. To be favorites, it's not about how well you play, but the character and mentality you show. Arsenal showed that in Dortmund, and that was a much harder game than the Manchester one. In truth, they did not play well in Germany, but they still got their victory. But in this Manchester game, I saw a team that were just going through the paces and happy to daydream till the referee just put them out of their misery. It's also even more baffling that Wenger admitted that Arsenal were scared. Okay....they were...SCARED?!!! After all these years, they still can't grow some testicles and actually impose their attacking passing style against a struggling Manchester team?
What Wenger needs to work on is creating a character for this team. THAT'S what Vieira brought. With him on the pitch, you always felt Arsenal had that mental strength to go toe-to-toe with United in their backyard. I just don't see that leader. It's SUPPOSED to be Arteta and Ramsey was supposed to rise up and show us why he's playing so well....and I can't even begin to explain why Ozil decided to to sleep an extra four hours before coming to play this match.
Never jump the gun when this Arsenal team is concerned. Get back to me in the next few months, and I'll tell you whether this team can even be CONSIDERED champions.
HH
