Arsenal: From Quadruple to Nonetuple!

19!

After Chelsea's catastrophic collapse and until the final month of the season, it looked like United will be fighting it out with Arsenal for the title. But, Arsenal being Arsenal, wilted under pressure and now look like, as one blogger put it, finishing fourth in a two horse race.

A summary of Arsenal's 2010-11 season and more with Vikas.

Rajesh: A season that promised much for Arsenal has ended on an utterly disappointing note. Where did it all go wrong?

Vikas: Carling cup final. The team showcased it brittleness to a large extent. After that, we have won just three games – Leyton Orient, Blackpool and United. I also think a double injury to our goalkeepers which led to us getting back Almunia never helped the confidence of the defense and it was all downhill from there.

R: 6 years now without a trophy for Arsenal. How much longer before the board runs out of patience? Do you think it is time for Wenger to call it quits?

V: 6 years is a long time for a club like Arsenal. The frustrating part is that we have not been like Liverpool – miles away from even winning a coffee cup. We have been too close too many times in these six years. That’s why it has hurt the Arsenal fans more.

Having said all that, there are a few things that need to be put in perspective

• Making transition into a new ground has been disastrous for many a club in the past. It helps the club in the long run, but hurts a lot in the short term. It is like taking a huge loan to buy a home. We curse ourselves for the first few years- compromise on a few vacations, a few other indulgences etc. But it would always turn out the right thing to do.
• The problem with the old board (after Dein left), was that it was never amongst the most ambitious ones. It was too happy for being able to play in Champions League. The takeover will instill more ambition and I am very much pro the takeover. I also feel that this board might just make Arsene a little more accountable some time sooner.

Personally, I think, we are too close to ask Arsene to call it quits. And whenever Arsene does quit, he would go upstairs into a director of football role, which I think he might be much better at, considering the vision he has in everything he does. And, finally I do not know many people whom I would want replacing Arsene. Everyone in football seems to love a sack. But they know not what to replace. For Gods’ sake, a club like West Ham is struggling to find a right manager.

R: Chelsea and United, in the last decade, built their success on a strong back 3 – Cech, Carvalho & Terry for Chelsea, van der Sar, Ferdinand & Vidic for United. Don’t you find it annoying that these are the 3 positions where Arsenal lacks real quality?

V: It is frustrating but it is important to recognize what the strength of each team is. I know Barcelona have a worse back 3 than even us. But that does not count for much, does it. Arsenal will always concede more than United and Chelsea. And it’s more down to the difference in playing styles. I think the back 3 is not as bad as the media makes them out to be, if we don’t consider Almunia and Squillaci.

But the frustrating part is conceding in set pieces which are more than anyone in the league. It is an honestly embarrassing stat. And set pieces are something down to the training ground rather than just the back three.

R: Title No. 19 for United. Deserving winners?

V: United were the worst losers and hence finished top. None of the clubs have looked vintage by any standards. I guess Ferguson deserved the title more than United.

R: Jack Wilshere has had a terrific season and is now a vital player in the Arsenal midfield. Apart from his emergence, what other positives would you take away from this campaign?

V: There have been a few bright spots this campaign. Chamakh, in the first half of the season, was unbelievably good. Wilshere is a first teamer and has looked a real terrier all the time. This would seem ironical, but I think the emergence of Szescesny, Djourou and Koscielny has been very positive. One of the latter two seem good enough to me to pair Vermaelen as our first choice.

R: Player of this season’s Premier League? For Arsenal?

V: For Arsenal, Jack Wilshere. Premier League is a tough one. But I may go with Scott Parker. West Ham is one of the other clubs I have always liked. And to play as motivated as he does for an insipid manager like Grant was unbelievable. It tells me more of the season too, that, there are too many people who have been outstanding for three to four months, but not lasted the marathon.

R: Wenger has been promised significant transfer funds according to various reports. Do you think he is going to make some big money signings or is it going to be another unknown gem from Burkina Faso? More importantly, can Arsenal hold on to Fabregas (and Nasri)?

V: Fabregas and Nasri won’t go. I think Cesc is a smart guy and realizes he won’t be picked ahead of Xavi. So when the latter retires he would walk into the team. I think Arsene will buy this year. There will be a quirky buy here and there. But I expect some big name players to come through.

R: Relegation battle tonight. Who are your favourites to go down?

V: I think Wigan might stay up at the expense of the other two. I sincerely hope Birmingham are relegated. A team which has five strikers and players like Hleb and score lesser goals than Wolves do not deserve to be in the Premier League.

R: Predictions for next season? Obviously, it is Liverpool’s year! But, do you think Man City under Mancini can mount a challenge? Spurs? (Ha!)

V: Man City will not win but will be the spoilers, I guess. Chelsea will have some rebuilding to do but you never know if Hiddink comes through. I think it might be down to United and Arsenal. Liverpool have to change a lot of players. Probably if Kenny still plays as he does now, a year or so from now. Spurs will spend a gazillion pounds, buy six players, sell five players, beat a few big team and finish a valiant sixth. Harry will blame the Europa League for his poor performance and say he needs three players to finish in top four in January. He will buy the three and run the club to bankruptcy soon. His last two clubs filed for bankruptcy – Southampton and Portsmouth.

R: Finally, it’s the Champions League Final in six days’ time! Who are you cheering for, rather, cheering against? Do you think this United side has it in them to beat, arguably, the greatest club side ever?

V: I think Barca will win this one. A couple of years ago, I would have cheered Barca. They were my second favourite team, once upon a time. I still can’t get my heart to cheer against Barca. But this time I will be a downright neutral on this one.

R: I hope you are proved wrong! Thank you so much for your time!

Follow Vikas on Twitter.