Myths and Madness

Firstly, I am not happy. The manner of the defeat to Man U was hurtful. You wouldn't be an Arsenal fan if you left the game early if you weren't upset. We support our team through thick and thin and when they are miserable, we are miserable. That isn't to say that we won't be critical when criticism is justified.

I understand the anger of some fans, I understand the knee jerk reaction and I also know what the media is like in this country and their appetite for drama and extreme headlines. They relish results like this. It gives them an opportunity for lauding the greatness of one big club and the demise of another. The truth, of course, is somewhere in between.

I'm going to try and break through the garbage and nonsense, sadly, on occasion, written by those who profess to be dedicated Arsenal fans.

Myth One: Arsenal are not in Man United's class
This is absolute nonsense. This team has not lost to any of the big four this season and have actually beaten Chelsea away and Man U at home. What was different about the last two games? Critical injuries. Gallas is a huge miss for us, not to mention Clichy who has experience in these sort of matches. The other factor is that sometimes one team has an off day and sometimes the luck isn't with them. No one knows what would have happened if Gibbs hadn't slipped, and I agree that overall Man U were the better team over the two legs, but a lot to do with this is personnel and injuries have hit Arsenal at the worst stage of their season. What would have been the outcome of this game if Ferdinand and Evra had been injured for both legs and Gallas and Clichy not? How many would then say that Arsenal were outclassed? If Arsenal had beaten Man U under those circumstances you can bet the headlines would have been about crippling injuries to the Man U team. On a final note, I seem to remember Liverpool destroying Man U 4-1 at Old Trafford, I don't recall people saying Man U were not in Liverpool's class. Let's keep some perspective, sometimes teams have an off-day, and others have a purple patch.

Myth Two: Arsenal have suffered because they have a small squad without depth and Man U are succeeding because they have strength in depth

Let's look at the facts. Man U are lauded for their attacking play, how many strikers did they start the season with? Rooney and Tevez. They were so light in this department that they went out and bought Berbatov in January. How many strikers do Arsenal have: Eduardo, Bendtner, Adebayor, Van Persie, Arshavin, Vela not to mention that Walcott can play there. Ok, so maybe Man U have more in defence. Let's test that theory. How many central defenders do Man U have? Ferdinand, Vidic, Jonny Evans, maybe Neville at a push, even O'Shea or Brown? Arsenal: Gallas, Toure, Silvestre, Djourou, Song at a stretch, we also have two right and two left wing fullbacks. Man U have Evra and A N Other at right back, and the young twins. My point is that Arsenal have a big squad. There is a difference in quality, their first choice starters are very strong, but a big plus for them is that they have all stayed relatively injury free all season. I challenge anyone to predict where Man U would finish if Ronaldo had been injured for three and a half months, and Ferdinand for the last two months of the season. Arsenal have lost key players in all parts of the pitch to long term injuries. Walcott, Fabregas, Eduardo, Adebayor, Clichy, Gallas, Rosicky all had long term injuries and still this team managed to be the form team in the premiership over the last three months.

Myth Three: Arsenal's squad is too young to win anything

This is a myth but not because of the reason you think. Arsenal are certainly a young team compared to some, but actually many of their players are not that young. RVP, Adebayor, Arshavin, Almunia, Gallas, Eduardo, Rosicky, Sagna, Eboue, Toure, Silvestre are all 25 or over. Most of those players would get into the strongest Arsenal team, are you also telling me that Fabregas and Nasri shouldn't start because they are too young. This team is also very experienced for their age. I would argue that Arsenal don't need a player of a certain age, they need a player of a certain type. By that I mean a player who plays in a certain way, and someone of the right personality. Arsenal desperately need a roll-your-sleeves-up, never-say-die, fighting character who will lift the team when they are down. Someone who will drive the team forward, someone physically imposing and a leader. I don't care if he is 23, if he is experienced and has those traits then it doesn't matter. Arsenal need a central defender that leads the back line and loves defending for defending's sake. I don't care if he is 24. Adebayor is 25 years old, experienced in playing in the big games, in the world cup, and yet what stops him being world class is his attitude. He needs someone to scream at him during the games, to get him psyched up, to inspire him. That's what Arsenal lack. Age, for me, is not that much of an issue, quality is.

Trophyless seasons are not representative of quality. In the last two season Arsenal have improved siginificantly, last season they should have won the league if it were not for some appalling refereeing and terrible bad luck with injuries, not to mention some wayward captaincy. Remind me what Chelsea and Liverpool have won recently and please don't count the Carling Cup as a trophy.

The Real Post Mortem

Here is what I take away from this match and the two legs as a whole:

1. Man U are a terrific team, one of the best, if not the best, the Premiership has seen. They could conceivably win the league and champions league two seasons in a row. That is an astounding achievement.

2. Arsenal need to develop a winning mentality. They have to find a way to get through these crucial games. They need two players in the spine of the team that can give that to them.

3. The final scoreline did not reflect the true difference between the teams/squads. Man U were practically at full strength, Arsenal were depleted in a key match in key positions.

4. The premiership is unbelievably competitive and Arsenal need to make signings to challenge for the title, but it remains very strong with four true european contenders. If Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal won the Champions league, no one would argue it wasn't justified.

5. Arsenal needs its fans, not people who walk out after 15 minutes. They are not true fans. Give up your season ticket to the long waiting list if you can't support your team when they need you the most.

Quick prediction for tonight....Barcelona to go through, winning at Stamford Bridge is a possibility.