Arsenal left feeling heat of friendly fire

Remember me? Thierry Henry clashes with Thomas Vermaelen on his return to the Emirates Stadium yesterday
11 April 2012

Arsenal's League campaign kicks off in less than two weeks' time and their fans are already holding heads in hands and booing the team off at the final whistle. So much for pre-season optimism.

If there is one time in the year where supporters of clubs up and down the country are feeling their most positive it is now, when a ball hasn't been kicked in anger.

The dream that anything is possible is usually thriving but, judging by the mood at Emirates Stadium this weekend, many of those dressed in red and white feel beaten before the season proper has even started.

Games against Boca Juniors and New York Red Bulls in the Emirates Cup were supposed to serve up comfortable morale-boosting wins and a token trophy to boot. Instead, it highlighted the same old failings which have ensured the previous six years have been starved of any silverware.

To some observers, the jeers aimed toward the Arsenal players at the final whistle after the match against Thierry Henry's New York Red Bulls yesterday must have seemed absurd considering nothing really serious was at stake.

Yet who can blame them when, for the second day in a row, the home team dominated and went in front only for sloppy defending to ensure a sharing of the spoils - and another trophy ended up eluding them. Robin van Persie had put them in front only for Kyle Bartley to score an own goal late on.

Normally such things in friendlies are dismissed as a bit of rustiness or lack of fitness. However, as Arsenal's long suffering supporters are all too aware, it is the weakness that has been the hallmark of their underachieving team since 2005 and cannot be ignored.

The football may have been pretty on the eye as usual but they either ran out of ideas when the opposition's penalty area loomed into view or failed to convert their chances. It certainly felt like a familiar script.

Events on the field are clearly cause for concern but to make matters worse for Gunners fans, Cesc Fabregas is still pushing for his dream move back to Barcelona, while Samir Nasri's future at the club is not assured.

Of course, Arsenal have every right to hold out for the large transfer fee they believe Fabregas is worth and boss Arsene Wenger has put his reputation on the line by fighting to keep Nasri, even though the midfielder can leave on a free transfer when his contract runs out next year.

Still, a feeling remains that these issues should have been resolved long ago, rather than allowed to fester and create such uncertainty with Arsenal's first game of the season, at Newcastle, just around the corner.

By all accounts, Nasri is waiting to see who else joins the club in the transfer window before committing his future, having only seen Arsenal sign the promising Gervinho from Lille so far.

Arsenal's pursuit of Valencia star Juan Mata is close to fruition and they are upping their bid for Everton defender Phil Jagielka.

But Wenger may have avoided such negativity if he had acted quickly rather than hesitate to make a move in the first place. The club have always boasted that the money is there for significant acquisitions and yet it took them till mid-July to make a rather derisory £10million offer for Jagielka, a defender who is sorely needed to stiffen a brittle backline.

One need only to compare Arsenal's summer with that of champions Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson's squad had problem areas despite winning the title in May and, with a minimum of fuss, acquired Phil Jones, David de Gea and Ashley Young to make them stronger.

Meanwhile, Manchester City, who beat Arsenal to third place last term, have flexed their financial muscles by signing Sergio Aguero, Stefan Savic and Gael Clichy, from Arsenal, with the promise of more to come.

Arsenal's growing injury list makes for grim reading, too. Jack Wilshere joined Theo Walcott and Abou Diaby on the sidelines after limping off after just seven minutes yesterday with an ankle injury which will rule him out of England's friendly against Holland next week.

Still, in keeper Wojciech Szczesny the Gunners have a bullish competitor who is determined to ignore the doom and gloom. "I'm confident," he said. "We have had a good pre-season. If we keep it going then hopefully we can step up a level and use the experience of last season to win the Premier League.

"We are Arsenal Football Club and we should do our best to win the Premier League and not just fight for a top-four place. I feel we have the quality to do so, in all positions. If the boss decides to add one or two then fair enough but the team we have is good enough to win the League."

When asked about the futures of Nasri and Fabregas, the Pole added: "Am I distracted? No, not at all. They are both still Arsenal players. It will be a big plus [for them to stay] because they are great players. I hope they stay."

Hope, rather than expectation, has come to reflect the feeling among Arsenal supporters in recent years. Worryingly for Wenger, many no longer appear to even have that.

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