I wanted to try and avoid the cliche but after a pause for a moment or two, it seems quite difficult to avoid. I suppose many seasons are like roller coasters for clubs up and down the country and it was no different for Arsenal.
After a last gasp Koscielny winner at the end of season 2011/12 to push the Arsenal over the line ahead of neighbours Tottenham for the final Champions League spot, we had all thought that we had a chance to take strides forward, to build our squad after some rather key departures that previous summer. It took a while to adjust to life without Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri amongst a few others but we got there eventually.
Lukas Podolski had agreed to wear the red and white even before the season had finished, it gave Gooners hope until a Robin van Persie statement sized spanner was thrown into the works. He and Alex Song headed out of the door which put a downer on the signings of the superb Santi Cazorla and French top scorer Oliver Giroud.
After yet more change, I honestly had no idea what to expect from our team as we entered the unknown. The early signs were very promising. Steve Bould and Neil Banfield had clearly got their hands on the players for defensive coaching as a day wouldn’t go by before we had a quote from the likes of Szczesny, Jenkinson, Vermaelen and co telling us how good Steve Bould has been to our defending.
In the early games that work executed on the pitch, the trouble was that the team defending was affecting our attacking play, not just the numbers committed to get behind the ball when we were not in possession but having built a new attack, players were clearly adapting and adjusting to a new life in the Premier league. If you look at individual examples of the past like Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry they all had their issues with adapting to life at Arsenal but having three offensive players having to do so at the same time made things much more difficult.
We had failed to score in our first two games against Sunderland and Stoke City but produced a great 2-0 victory at Liverpool. Three clean sheets in a row, the team beginning to click offensively, Jack Wilshere to come back meant that many were beginning to dream of a title challenge, and I am not just talking about the glass half full folk but those who were usually pretty skeptical were encouraged by what they had seen.
Things were going swimmingly apart from a couple defensive mistakes against Chelsea who inflicted our first defeat of the season. We beat West Ham at Upton Park in October, with contract rebel Walcott continuing to impress. We all felt pretty content before the international break, an international break that was obviously disguised as Kryptonite because the players came back to the club without any of their powers.
One of our worst performances followed at Carrow Road, Norwich beating us 1-0 without having to break a sweat. Inconsistency set in from that moment onwards. Some have pointed to Arsene’s change of approach as the reason but the truth is that we had made a more offensive change far earlier than the West Ham game.
The team really looked like it was struggling to find it’s identity, not defending well enough at times but certainly not the offensive Arsenal that we have grown used to over the years. Without a match winner, the team had to develop as a team and do it quickly. Jack Wilshere’s return was a highlight against QPR so was that epic league cup game at Reading.
Beating that lot 5-2 again was the only real bright spot in a dreadful November which saw Swansea City come to the Emirates and play us off the pitch. Footballing teething problems still needed fixing, readdressing of the team balance around the pitch continuously fiddled with from the start of the season.
Arguably the lowest point came in a quarter final league tie against lower league Bradford. Even though we had a lot of games during that period, Arsene showed how much he wanted to win the game by fielding his strongest possible side. The team were incredibly flat, didn’t know how to break down a disciplined lower league side and ended up relying on Sagna crossing the ball into the box, not the best plan A idea in the world. We lost on penalties and pressure on the manager increased.
From that point onwards until the Tottenham game at White Hart Lane, we just did not know what Arsenal team would show up. Would it be the swashbuckling side that ripped Newcastle 7-3, Reading 5-2 or West Ham 5-1 or would it be the side that couldn’t win at Southampton, Everton or Liverpool at home.
In hindsight it now looks like February was the rock bottom that the club had to hit before the resurgence. Getting knocked out of the FA cup against Championship side Blackburn at the Emirates was soon followed by defeats to the hands of Bayern Munich and then our rivals for the top four spot, Tottenham.
Our defending for the Tottenham two goals in that short period of time were so bad that players, manager and coaching staff had to have a rethink and regroup.
We decided to go into games the way we started the season, defend first and attack when the chance presented itself. The difference from post Tottenham and the start of the season was that the team had developed a better understanding of eachother and their team mates. Partnerships had been formed and players bedded into Premier League football. Goalscoring chances may not be as regular but the team would be more efficient than back in August.
Bayern Munich away would be the perfect testing ground for our new approach and we remain the last and only team to have won their this season, by two clear goals also I may add. Confidence was gained and belief had grown so why change a winning team? The manager had to make some big calls by dropping both captain Vermaelen and keeper Szczesny and their replacements did very well, especially the former. Szczesny regained his place due to a Fabianski injury a few weeks later.
It was that Tottenham game that started our tremendous run and we should all take a moment to thank Tottenham for that. Had we beaten Tottenham that afternoon, we may have finished 5th today, who knows.
Two draws and eight wins later, Arsenal players punched the air and hugged each other on the Newcastle pitch at the final whistle.
A season that we were hoping would be one of progress turned into another transition campaign where new players had to adjust quickly and the manager and his assistant spent a good chunk trying to find the correct balance between defensive stability and attacking creativity.
I think it is safe to say that we have achieved that former, finishing with the 2nd best defensive record and the best away from home. The coaching staff and manager deserve credit for this.
In the last 10 games we fell behind only once and that was to Norwich when they were awarded a non existent foul. Not only that but we did not concede more than one goal in any of those ten games. Our goal scored column looks impressive from the outside but high scores in certain games have made it look better than it is. I expect this side of our game to be the focus during the summer whether than be external or on the training ground.
I am hoping that the chasing pack have had and missed their best chance to overhaul us this season and now we can kick on with the huge increase of income into the club, pushing us back into the league of title contenders rather than pretenders.
If that is to be the case then surely we can look back at the 2012-2013 season as a success. Getting us into a good position for the summer. Seeing how we are all obsessed with trophy labels, how about the ‘Springboard Trophy?’ If we get back to where we want to be then I would gladly take
that.
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