9th Time Lucky: Arsenal End Trophy Drought

Blogger: #14

As someone whose first ever Arsenal game was an F.A. Cup Final (2005 vs Manchester United), the 17th of May, 2014 had a sense of occasion to it that earlier trophy challenges didn't have. In short, if one wanted to make a crappy movie about the trophy drought, one would choose the drought to be ended the way it started: with an F.A. Cup. In hindsight, that wasn't in short, was it?

Jokes aside, what a fantastic day it was. Yours truly hasn't ever won a trophy as a fan, and this was every bit as sweet as I had imagined it to be. I'll be honest, the F.A. Cup was never really high on my priority list, but boy, did 'the romance of the cup' sweep me off my feet, buy me a fancy gown and expensive jewellery, and then take me out to that fancy bistro I've been meaning to go. I know, I said jokes aside, I'm sorry. This truly was a liberating moment. It was a victory that brought a sense of completion to the myriad of emotions this wonderful football club evokes in me. I've felt anguish, heartbreak, fleeting moments of joy, disbelief, hope, expectation, excitement, anxiety, exasperation in one combination or the other over the past 9 years. But with this trophy, I can finally experience peace; that warm glow of satisfaction when you see a 'PASS' in your report card.

What was truly remarkable about that victory was that it wasn't an Arsenal that was different from the Arsenal of the previous 9 years that turned up, it was the same old Arsenal. Those 120 minutes encapsulated 9 years of Arsenal: the woeful defending, the indomitable spirit to shoot ourselves in the foot before pulling a rabbit out of the hat when there is no hat to be seen - let alone a rabbit, the atypical scruffy goal, the silky interplay with no end product, the silky interplay with some serious end product, the relief when we finally take control, the almost instantaneous wiping out of said relief by an almighty defensive screw-up. Yet, we pulled through. And somehow, pulling through in this manner makes it seem all the more significant. An assured Arsenal, a calm, surgical one, ending the trophy drought would have felt a little out of place. No Sir, we wanted the Arsenal that we've loved and despaired over to end it. And end it they did.

The implications are immense. We've finally put a full stop to the stadium move chapter and have started a new chapter. A chapter of belief, firepower and ability. Many people attribute City's ascension to the Premier League summit to their F.A. Cup victory the previous season. There's absolutely no reason why the F.A. Cup can't do the same for us. You could see that a weight had been lifted off the players' shoulders. The celebrations were incredible and I shall most certainly tell my grandchildren about how Lukas Podolski poured champagne all over Arsene Wenger. Assuming I have grandchildren.

The parade was a party after the party, an afterpartyparty if you will. I know I'm just rambling on making this a bit of a shit report instead of a shit celebratory post but hey, my team just won the F.A. Cup. The players seem to be a bunch of incredibly nice guys and you can't help but love people like Arteta, Ramsey, Rosicky, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Diaby, Szczesny, Gibbs, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gibbs, Podolski, Sagna,... them. Speaking of Sagna, I sincerely hope his teammates and a bunch of fans asking him to stay is enough to convince him. Because who needs wage demands to be met?

I kid, I kid. It'd be brilliant if he signed on. Top quality right back who can double up as a top centre back. The contract's on the table. Fabianski signing on would be great too, but that would be really stretching things. Kallstrom will be leaving, and Vermaelen could too. But there are two men who require special mention.
Arsene Wenger has faced a lot of stick, he's made a few mistakes, and as long as he's around I shall always hate transfer windows, but he absolutely deserves to and should stay on as Arsenal manager. His contribution to this football club is immeasurable and the man truly deserves a fair crack at the job with fewer restrictions. Next season, with a few signings, this team could seriously contend for the league (some might say it already did this season) and maybe even the Champions League.

But wait, what was the 2nd departure I wanted to address, you ask? Well, it is the departure of Emiliano Viviano, who shall go down in history for enjoying the greatest gap year of all time. Seriously, the guy took one year off to sit on his arse and look a little like Almunia and not only was he paid for it, he also got a winner's medal. Legend. Arsenal have been privileged to watch this unfold. Oooh to be a Gooner!

Think you know of a better gap year? Drop in a comment.
Thanking You,
Yours sincerely,
#14

Bus breakdown at The Bridge : A Tactical Review

Blogger #18:

In the face of scathing criticism from various sections of the media, players and fans after a series of performances from Chelsea that has been dubbed ‘ugly football’ (#14 found that quite distasteful), you might have been forgiven for thinking Jose Mourinho might go for a drastic change of approach from the first leg of this tie, which, to be honest, was quite dull. But this isn’t a guy known to give into conformity (or agree with Jamie Redknapp,for that matter) and Jose put out what was probably his most defensive line up of the season, with 6 defenders in the side (Luiz and Azpilicueta in midfield positions).

Atletico Madrid have had the season of their lives and a win at Lisbon this month, forty years since their last final, against Real Madrid coupled with a league title would serve to show the incredible character of this side, moulded in their manager’s image. They aren’t the most attractive side to watch, but they defend with their lives and are clinical at taking their chances. Simeone aptly chose to discuss the character shown by his players when he said "I would like to congratulate the mothers of these players because they have big cojones."

Line Ups and shape:

With Cech still out, Schwarzer played in goal for Chelsea, while Adrian surprisingly replaced Raul Garcia upfront for Atletico. Atletico played in their customary ‘out-dated’ 4-4-2, and Chelsea’s shape seemed to be a 4-3-3, a Jose Mourinho favourite, with Willian dropping very deep to find space and Azpilicueta playing a role akin to that of a defensive winger.

Chelsea Approach:

Chelsea were content to sit deep and stifle space in midfield. This was quite similar to the first leg, where both teams cancelled each other out. Costa once again had little impact on the game. With little space to run into, he was often forced to compete with Terry and Cahill in aerial duels and was often crowded out. Unable to counter attack and run into space behind the defence, this certainly wasn’t a performance that should be used as an example to show why Chelsea are so desperate to buy him in the summer.

Lacking a proper playmaker in the deep center midfield roles, Chelsea were content to concentrate their build up through the wings. Ramires and Luiz were mostly content with simple passes to the wings, although Luiz did indulge in the occasional cross-field ball to switch play.

Atletico seemed content to deal with this method of attack and Chelsea rarely created good openings from the wide areas. Ashley Cole seemed to have been instructed to stay back and hence with no overlaps to worry about, Turan and Juanfran easily dealt with Hazard on the majority of occasions by double-teaming on him. On a few occasions when Chelsea did get in good crosses into the box, Torres’ positioning was poor. A rare good run from him saw him score the opener. Azpilicueta, primarily in that position to track the runs of Filipe Luis, provided the assist.

 

Chelsea also relied on set-pieces to create attacking openings, and had it not been for a couple of very good saves from Courtois, Chelsea could have seen this approach pay off.

Eden Hazard:

In hindsight, Chelsea could have done with a player similar to Azpilicueta on the opposite flank. The first leg of this tie saw Chelsea line up with Ramires, a defensive midfielder, and Willian, a player noted for his hard work off the ball, on the wings. While they rarely created good openings with that approach, they quite easily dealt with Atletico’s wingers and wingbacks. Mourinho could have also played Hazard in a central role and Willian on the left flank. As it turned out, the decision to play Hazard on the left cost Chelsea their place in the competition. Juanfran, left free by Hazard, twice made late runs into the box which led to Atletico’s first and third goals.

The first and third goals had strikingly similar build-ups

It brings up the debate of the role that such attacking players can have in such a defensive system.  Hazard was burdened with almost all of Chelsea’s attacking responsibilities, a role he wasn’t pleased with. He was often left frustrated due to a lack of support around him and excellent defensive play from Atletico.

Chelsea changes:

To everyone’s surprise (especially Gary Neville), Mourinho made changes as soon as the 54^th minute. Eto’o came on and Chelsea switched to two upfront. While this gave them more men in the box, it allowed Atletico the freedom of the midfield. It was easier for them to keep possession which they did admirably in Chelsea’s own half. This was admirable, as any other team would have been content to sit deep in their own boxes, looking to play on the break. Tiago had a great game, popping up everywhere to receive the ball and keeping it moving. 

Tiago was everywhere

Final Thoughts:

Chelsea weren’t exactly outclassed by Atletico over the two legs. They are two very similar teams, based on counterattacking and cancelled each other for the most part of the two legs. With a bit of luck and some vigilant defensive work from Hazard, Chelsea could’ve been the team facing up against Real Madrid later this month.

Mourinho clearly wasn’t pleased with Hazard and the comments made by the Belgian after the game. While he does go on to criticise Hazard for the first goal, he also showed an understandable reluctance to make Hazard, arguably Chelsea’s best player, change his game. It will be interesting to see if Mourinho goes on to jettison Hazard from the club, as was the case with Mata.

For Atletico, the incredible work done by Simeone has shined through. They have excelled in more than one competition with such a small set of players and without spending big. Should it happen, it will be the greatest European triumph since Mourinho’s Porto won it in 2004.