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Another Monday, another long list of injured players. For Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, the problems mount. On Wednesday, in Athens, he will field a team of youngsters and reserves in a UEFA Champions League visit to Olympiakos and on Sunday, at Liverpool, he will check on his walking wounded before a clash that could be a very important indicator of who qualifies for Europe again next season.
Thankfully, beneath the surface, Arsenal is a club of obdurate spirit, considerable stoicism and many traditions. The family fabric rises to supply the strength when it is needed, too, as the players demonstrated in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Stoke City - a game that, Wenger conceded, "we had to win." He was pleased, also, with a rare clean sheet and, the performance and result apart, the togetherness of his squad at the end of a fortnight of strain.
Significantly, the goals came from two influential players, men of unquestionable ambition and positive attitudes - Andrey Arshavin and Aaron Ramsey. Cesc Fabregas may be the captain, but he is not the only Gunner who can fire inspiration in the team with his example on and off the pitch.
Arshavin did not want to play centre-forward and was talked into it by Wenger. Ramsey came off the bench, for a fixture that he might have expected to start. Yet both men performed without complaint, scored excellent goals and played with a perfect mixture of intelligence and industry to ensure their team-mates had a platform to work from.
That spirit, the belief in the collective, is essentially the most vital part of the Arsenal philosophy under Wenger. Individualism, in certain areas of the pitch, is welcome, but only in the subordinated service to the team; as a way to unlock a defence or escape a tight situation; otherwise, always, always, always, it is all about passing the ball early and cleverly, moving intelligently and reading the shape of the team on the pitch at all times. Technical? Yes; but always for the collective, too.
Willing student | Ramsey buys into team ethicThat is why Arshavin, Fabregas, Nasri and the rest look so well suited to the team and to the style. They know it is not down to them, as individuals, to do it all themselves - but they know also that their individual roles, the lustre of their skills, will shine out in the polished perfection of this Arsenal team flowing fluently in its best form. And in this subjugation of their wonderful technical qualities to the team ethic, they are also giving everything to their manager and his judgement.
In other words, if Wenger, restricted by injuries, picks the wrong team, or takes a calculated risk that fails, it is his fault - not the players'. For example, if Arshavin had looked lost, positioned himself too close to the big Stoke defence and been crushed in a physical battle, the cry for Carlos Vela would have echoed around Ashburton Grove. But, between them, Arshavin and Wenger got it right and made it work - the clever Russian adopting a role once almost patented by Alfredo di Stefano at Real Madrid by dropping deep, leading his markers astray and finding space in the inside-forward channels as all around him his team-mates made the most of the extra room to play.
Credit therefore for the win that put Arsenal back on the road must go to both men and, also, to Ramsey who is a dependable student and an industrious technician whenever and wherever he is asked to perform. Indeed his goal was almost as sumptuous as that of Arshavin who, Wenger said, could have had three or four. It was an afternoon of great credit to them all, but hugely to Arshavin for his dazzling intelligence as a footballer - one who can play wide, or play deep, or scheme, or finish, or provide a lead to an attacking line.
Those who may have held concerns about his occasional reluctance to chase back and dive into last-ditch tackles, or sometimes look a little tired and distracted by events, should monitor his movement. The off-the-ball space he makes for himself and others is a clear signal of an exceptional football brain at work and he has the sleight of foot and intuition to take his opportunities when they fall his way. Four goals at Anfield in one night last season marked him out as a great player.
Alas, for Wenger, as he has to prepare for another visit to Liverpool via an irksome chore in Greece, where his 'Carling Cup team' will be in action, there may be too many significant absentees to suggest a repeat performance by Arshavin this time. He may not even be picked at centre-forward again, but if he is, and he sees enough of the ball, it is not without reason to think that some Liverpool fans will be remembering a certain Kenny Dalglish, another supreme technician with body strength, who could beguile defenders from deep positions and punish them with alacrity.
So congratulations are due to Wenger, and Arshavin, as they ponder the week gone by and the week ahead, as well the mounting injuries, at London Colney. One took a risk in his team selection, but had calculated well and won. The other adapted his game to the collective cause to demonstrate that even for a 'new boy' the spirit of playing for Arsenal - particularly Wenger's Arsenal - runs deep.
Thankfully, beneath the surface, Arsenal is a club of obdurate spirit, considerable stoicism and many traditions. The family fabric rises to supply the strength when it is needed, too, as the players demonstrated in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Stoke City - a game that, Wenger conceded, "we had to win." He was pleased, also, with a rare clean sheet and, the performance and result apart, the togetherness of his squad at the end of a fortnight of strain.
Significantly, the goals came from two influential players, men of unquestionable ambition and positive attitudes - Andrey Arshavin and Aaron Ramsey. Cesc Fabregas may be the captain, but he is not the only Gunner who can fire inspiration in the team with his example on and off the pitch.
Arshavin did not want to play centre-forward and was talked into it by Wenger. Ramsey came off the bench, for a fixture that he might have expected to start. Yet both men performed without complaint, scored excellent goals and played with a perfect mixture of intelligence and industry to ensure their team-mates had a platform to work from.
That spirit, the belief in the collective, is essentially the most vital part of the Arsenal philosophy under Wenger. Individualism, in certain areas of the pitch, is welcome, but only in the subordinated service to the team; as a way to unlock a defence or escape a tight situation; otherwise, always, always, always, it is all about passing the ball early and cleverly, moving intelligently and reading the shape of the team on the pitch at all times. Technical? Yes; but always for the collective, too.
Willing student | Ramsey buys into team ethic
In other words, if Wenger, restricted by injuries, picks the wrong team, or takes a calculated risk that fails, it is his fault - not the players'. For example, if Arshavin had looked lost, positioned himself too close to the big Stoke defence and been crushed in a physical battle, the cry for Carlos Vela would have echoed around Ashburton Grove. But, between them, Arshavin and Wenger got it right and made it work - the clever Russian adopting a role once almost patented by Alfredo di Stefano at Real Madrid by dropping deep, leading his markers astray and finding space in the inside-forward channels as all around him his team-mates made the most of the extra room to play.
Credit therefore for the win that put Arsenal back on the road must go to both men and, also, to Ramsey who is a dependable student and an industrious technician whenever and wherever he is asked to perform. Indeed his goal was almost as sumptuous as that of Arshavin who, Wenger said, could have had three or four. It was an afternoon of great credit to them all, but hugely to Arshavin for his dazzling intelligence as a footballer - one who can play wide, or play deep, or scheme, or finish, or provide a lead to an attacking line.
Those who may have held concerns about his occasional reluctance to chase back and dive into last-ditch tackles, or sometimes look a little tired and distracted by events, should monitor his movement. The off-the-ball space he makes for himself and others is a clear signal of an exceptional football brain at work and he has the sleight of foot and intuition to take his opportunities when they fall his way. Four goals at Anfield in one night last season marked him out as a great player.
Alas, for Wenger, as he has to prepare for another visit to Liverpool via an irksome chore in Greece, where his 'Carling Cup team' will be in action, there may be too many significant absentees to suggest a repeat performance by Arshavin this time. He may not even be picked at centre-forward again, but if he is, and he sees enough of the ball, it is not without reason to think that some Liverpool fans will be remembering a certain Kenny Dalglish, another supreme technician with body strength, who could beguile defenders from deep positions and punish them with alacrity.
So congratulations are due to Wenger, and Arshavin, as they ponder the week gone by and the week ahead, as well the mounting injuries, at London Colney. One took a risk in his team selection, but had calculated well and won. The other adapted his game to the collective cause to demonstrate that even for a 'new boy' the spirit of playing for Arsenal - particularly Wenger's Arsenal - runs deep.