YAMACast S2E8 – the one where we’re slightly down to earth

With any season there are ups and downs. And on this blog and on this podcast we’ve always maintained that as good as the season has gone so far, that there would be a time to have a reality check.  That being said, I am absolutely alarmed at how thunderous that reality check has been for some folks.

Coming off an impressive run in the league, Arsenal have suffered defeats to both Dortmund (in the Champion’s League) and to Chelsea (in the League Cup). Taken invididually, you can excuse Gooners for getting downcast. However, when looked at with a rationale eye (yes, I know it’s very very hard to do) and you look at the larger picture, neither loss is either earth shattering or all doom and gloom.

Looking only at the Dortmund match, it was a match that for the most part, Arsenal deserved at a minimum a draw. Maybe more. In every key stat this was a match of equals. It wasn’t on any level similar to the Bayern match last season, where the Germans barely got out of second gear. This match was a good measuring stick, and even though the result was not where any of us wanted it to be, we still gave as good as we got against a team many had pegged to be heads and tails above us and others. They’re good of that there is no doubt, heads and tails above Arsenal, I may be biased, but I am not so sure about that.

As for the Chelsea match, it’s something that Arsene Wenger has not won against Jose Mourinho in 9 attempts. 4 draws and 5 losses. This loss however, was rather easy, at least for me to swallow. We all want silverware but if you told me we had to drop out of any competition, it would be this one. And there is very little wonder we did. Nicklas Bendtner is useless up front. As much as I want him to prove us all wrong, it’s just going to happen. Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky are amazing players, but they are short on match fitness and their inability to affect the match was noticeable.  Throw in Carl Jenkinson having an absolutely “not ready for primetime night” and you have all the makings of a defeat.

Not to diminish the result, it’s certainly disheartening, but the boys gave it as much emphasis as their manager and to an extent their supporters did and do.

So we’re back to earth, still top of the table in the Premier League, with winnable fixtures against both Liverpool and Manchester United.  After those matches, maybe a more somber reflection will be warranted but the thud you felt this week was many fair weathers jumping off the band wagon. No need for doom and gloom yet my friends, we’re still very much alive in the competitions that matter.

We have the chance to look on this and other issues with this week’s guest Danny Karbassiyoon. Danny is a former Arsenal player, an american. Who on October 27, 2004, in a match against Manchester City scored. Injuries forced an early retirement and now Danny scouts for Arsenal here in the states and other areas. However, Danny has been expanding out from his Arsenal endeavors and has launched the highly engaging and successful, Soccer Without Limits  web site. If you haven’t checked out the site, you really should, its well designed and as I said highly engaging.

Danny and I take the time to look over three key areas:

1. The emergence of Olivier Giroud
2. Is Arsenal’s midfield the best in the league?
3. Are Arsenal as poor as pundits would lead us to believe.

Tom and Billy are off this week. We’ll all be back next week disecting the Liverpool match and focusing on the Champion’s League tie and upcoming United match. Until that time, enjoy this week’s episode. We’re grateful to you for tuning in. So until next week, stay Goonerish!!!