So that’s that. Another
point gained in the slow jog to a Champions League spot and another game
undefeated. A draw against the newly crowned champions that somehow
encapsulated a number of issues that have been scrutinised, analysed and
postulated over in a season of, by and large, mediocrity for the Arsenal.
The returning ex player who
left for glory or was it money or just the little boy inside. Good periods of
possession but failure to turn that possession into goals. Defensive errors
alongside some excellence at the back. A team that rose to the occasion on
occasion but fell short of taking all of the spoils. Lack of cutting edge when
it was most needed. Shortcomings in terms of substitutions and missing pieces
of a jigsaw.
The sideshow over the guard
of honour was nothing more than tomorrow’s chip paper and the vilification of
our former captain was restrained on the whole.
Is the twenty something
point gap between the two sides that pronounced on this showing? I think not.
What is worth bearing in mind is that we really needed the points whereas
United probably only wanted the points. Once titles have been clinched end of
season tussles seldom give an accurate measure of the opponents relative
quality. Having said that, the Arsenal drew with the champions and that is
fact.
Three games and nine points must now be the mission statement before another, no doubt frustrating summer: our ace in the hole the Sp*rs v Chelsea game.
The bigger question is how
and when do we start to turn this fixture into something more meaningful? This
fixture and its corresponding one at Old Trafford used to be the only show in
town: nothing matched it. Unfortunately one half of that famous double act that
was box office dynamite no longer has the star quality to draw the adoring
audiences. one half is not about show, it's about business. Many performers fall from grace but the true greats return for more
curtain calls.
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so I said...