LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 30: Danny Welbeck of Arsenal scores the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Norwich City at The Emirates Stadium on April 30, 2016 in London, England (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
This has been a strange old season for Arsenal and yet the results are overwhelmingly familiar. Sitting on top of the table at the end of last year, Mesut Oezil purring, Walcott and Giroud stroking the ball in, and all around the usual suspects for the title developing forms of septic shock. Then came the second half of the season and it all crumbled spectacularly with fans reaching various stages of recovery from grief. Yesterday, the Canaries rolled into the Emirates, billed as a sort of Hyde Park of protests against Stan Kroenke and proxy Arsene Wenger to take place in the 12th and 78th minute, symbolic intervals chosen for the number of infertile years since the title last won in 20024.
This being Arsenal, even the protests had an apologetic and apathetic feel, the smattering of Wenger Out banners being met by an equally cursory In Arsene We Trust retort. The atmosphere was more of muted resignation, the swathes of empty seats telling their own tale. Arsenal are being killed gradually by indifference, ennui, bad habits, and staleness. All of these are interchangeable but it just means half arsed. There is no passion, no pride, no mojo. Just half arsed.
On the pitch, the match took on a very familiar look. Norwich organizing every man behind the ball while Arsenal ringed outside the box tried to out pass their way through a narrow bandwidth. Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, lose ball. Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, lose ball. On and on. Not one iota of unpredictability. Was Mohamed Elneny the last player to put his laces through the ball successfully? That was three months ago. At the other end, Cech had to be at his best to keep out Nathan Redmond’s three lightning quick goal attempts.
Olivier Giroud is living a nightmare. The Frenchman is about the most inert center forward on the planet – which means service and very accurate at that with opponents standing off yards away maybe the only way he will score again. By the time he generates enough inertial torques to get limbs swinging, he’s mobbed off. For a big target, his hold up play is non-existent. The only way he featured in the first half was on his bottom protesting Mike Jones. That’s the gestalt Giroud gives off nowadays. To set the record right, he did well to lay his header off Bellerin’s cross into Danny Welbeck’s path for his strike. Welbeck came on for the excellent Alex Iwobi who has been about the one breath of freshness.
Man City’s next. A chance for Arsenal to end on a somewhat high, to cement third, and a very, very outside shot at St Totteringham’s day. Plenty to play for.