The utter heartbreak of Arsenal’s 2007-8 season

Note: This article was written back in April of 2008 when I was still writing on just my personal blog.  I have since branched out to begin writing for a soccer blog entitled Endlines.  If you dig this article, please cruise over there and check out what we got going about the latest news and developments.  Cheers!

I am very much a half-full kind of guy generally. I have coached several soccer teams, some good and some not so. I usually look at the season as a sum total of all experiences, not just a particular piece. But right now, in the immediate aftermath of Arsenal’s stunning, and frankly befuddling, 4-2 defeat at the hands of Liverpool that has ended their Champions League run (not to mention the 1-1 tie this past weekend against the same Liverpool that has severed all but the slimmest hopes of a title run), I look back over this season and must, am absolutely required, to call it a disapointment. Now, hear me out before you think this argument is soley about not bringing home silverware. I think you can lose in grand fashion and be successful by some definitions doing so. But this season has seen Arsenal collapse under the weight of it’s own expectations here in the late running. These expectations are of their own creation after their fast start to the season and attractive style of play. They are a gutsy team, there’s no doubt about it. And while it is most certain that injuries played a role in the slow demise of the Gunners, one cannot blame injuries for all that has happened. Is it inexperience? Maybe, they are a rather young side, but that is countered by the derth of talent on the squad. I tend to think that is squad depth that is mostly at the heart of this season’s fall from grace. The Gunners are a rather thin squad. The season is long, and made longer by multiple competitions outside the domestic race. Players get tired. It isn’t for a lack of talent that Arsenal have fallen. They have talent in bucket loads. But that talent is concentrated in a small squad. I’m not begging Arsene Wenger to splurge on buying big name talent. We’ve seen that’s not his style, but I think he’ll need to consider expanding his squad for next season if he is going to make the push for at least the double of the Champions League and the Premier League.

This game was particularly disapointing because of the fast start, and also because of the advantages that Arsenal had coming into the game, which I have spoken to before but will mention some of here for the sake of wrapping up the series. Arsenal were in prime position, with the 1-1 tie at Emirates, to come in and progress. Anything better than a 0-0 draw would give them a chance. All they had to do was get on the board to put the pressure on Liverpool. And they came out blazing and got on the board with a nifty piece of work from Hleb. But weither through caution or fatigue, the game turned fast. Liverpool had started out playing the game close to the vest, bunker-and-counter, just as had been suspected. And Arsenal made them pay for it with attractive passing and aggressive tackling. But the Gunner goal sparked Liverpool into life, and after half time Liverpool was up 2-1. When Adebayor equilized in the 84th minute it looked as though my 2-2 prediction would proove precient and Arsenal would advance. But the collapse of my beloved Gunners was completed in the 85th and 90th minutes as Gerrard and Ryan Babel hammered the nails in the coffin. Did i or did I not say that both Torres and Gerrard would get on the board in Anfield? And of course, Senderos, having a tough season but never really that impressive, was culpable in at least 2 of the goals (losing his mark on Hyypia first and then letting Torres turn him so easily). How a team with such attractive soccer and so many of the pieces needed to be great can slowly collapse this way (especially after downing the defending European champs to get here) can only be attributed to two things in my mind: of course the fact that Liverpool play as though they are entitled to a European berth every year, and fatigue from a squad too short on personel.

Will Arsenal challenge for multiple pieces of silverware next season just as they did this season? Undoubtetly, but until they expand their squad, the numerous injuries that plague Arsenal year in and year out (Van Persie, Rosicky, Hleb, Eduardo this season, and Fabregas is usually good to miss a few games) will continue to thwart their best efforts. The frustrating way they have been thwarted this season both domestically and in the CL makes this a dissapointing season no matter what their record is.

Steven Gerrard hammers in the penalty that ends Arsenal’s Champions League run…and breaks my heart.