Five seasons ago, Arsenal finished with 90 points in the top flight, 15 ahead of Manchester United and 30 ahead of Liverpool. Even last season they finished with 83 points, only four behind United, the eventual champions. This time they have 46 points from 27 games, putting them on course for a final total of 64 points. Whatever their progress in the Champions League and FA Cup, this is not good enough, but let us put a stop to the idiotic talk that Arsène Wenger has outlived his usefulness at the Emirates Stadium.
As infuriating as his slavish devotion to those young players can be at times, Wenger is untouchable. Perhaps that is a problem in one sense, but, just like Sir Alex Ferguson when things seemed to be going pear-shaped at United a few years back, he deserves the respect and the time to put things right.
Debate: Is “untouchable” Wenger Arsenal’s best hope? Or the cause of their problems? To have your say, click here
And another thing…
High earner: low opinion
Any article purporting to list football’s top earners should be taken with a pinch of salt, given that these figures are usually the result of estimates, guesstimates and wild speculation. But, whether or not he genuinely has the biggest wage in world football, at a reported ¤166,000 (about £146,000) a week, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is certainly a very well-paid individual. One of these days he may illustrate his value for Inter Milan on the big stage in the Champions League, perhaps against Manchester United in the second leg of the first knockout round. But, given that he was kept in check last week by Jonny Evans, a 21-year-old defender who earns a fraction of that sum, I can’t help but think that he is a teensy bit overrated.
Renewed burst of energy
In the space of eight seconds against Wigan Athletic on Saturday, Petr Cech came for and caught a high cross into the Chelsea penalty area and pumped the ball forward to Didier Drogba, who barged two defenders out of his way before bearing down ominously on Chris Kirkland. A goal did not come of it, but it was as if the clock had been turned back two years. Chelsea may not have been entirely convincing in victory against Wigan or against Juventus four days earlier, but, in the space of a fortnight, Guus Hiddink has reinvigorated two players who looked drained of enthusiasm and belief under Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Scholes breaks cover
In the 14 years since he made his debut for Manchester United, Paul Scholes has turned down just about every interview request that has come his way. Even after the Champions League triumph in Moscow last May, he looked at reporters in disbelief when asked whether he might be willing to give us a quick word. Last week, though, he agreed to do an interview. Was it a buy-up with a newspaper? A glossy spread in Hello magazine? No, he accepted a request from Yeovil Town, who wanted to talk to him about his beloved Oldham Athletic for their match programme. “My hero was Andy Ritchie — always was and always will be,” he said before extolling the virtues of Frankie Bunn, Andy Barlow and the rest. Brilliant.
Beckham’s waiter service
Kit men — or equipment managers, as they prefer to be known — are an odd breed, usually blessed with the kind of self-importance that can come only from knowing exactly how each player likes his jockstrap to be laid out. How gratifying, then, to discover that one of their number, a chap by the name of David Kammarman, having served in such a capacity for three Major League Soccer clubs and also worked as a waiter during his career, has graduated to the grand title of director of soccer operations at the Los Angeles Galaxy. If that does not persuade David Beckham that the Galaxy are a serious outfit, nothing will.
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