A Wembley Redemption 2.1

Image Credit: Bellanaija

       Wheeeeeeeeww, what a way to salvage something from a hitherto disappointing season!!! This is a moment to savour, every bit of that joyous tingle to the very last bit of it cuz after this, you are only as good as your last win. One has to give credit where due, the boys came to the party and were duly rewarded even if we know the FA cup is more about show compared to the league. Winning a trophy in a much underwhelming season is always most very welcome. Arsene Wenger,  Arsenal Team and the Board get a free pass today, no hating or bickering, no protests or social media tirades, let just bask in the glory of this record setting FA Cup win, Arsene's 7^th Arsenals 13^th  be it the manager, the team, or the Fans.

            It was a game of the season performance, the boys were up for the fight, despite the number of setbacks the team had to overcome going into this game, they all dug their heels in and gave it their best. Arsene had some big calls to make and they paid off. Mertersacker was handed his first start in a 3 man backline in the last game of the season. Ospina was picked ahead of Petr Cech in goal and Oxlade chamberlain just back from injury, was going to play as a left wing back instead of the usual right wing he has come to favor in recent weeks Welbeck also started ahead of Giroud as the lead striker. I must say here that every single one of these calls, Arsene Wenger got absolutely right. From the blast of the whistle, Arsenal set about the business of the day with probing passes and slick movement of the ball with Chelsea scurrying after them. The early goal came, and while it was a much debatable as it was a fortuitous one, since Alexis had earlier chested the clearance from Chelsea with the help of his hand, it was very deserved cuz the gunners were the better team for most of the game. Gone was the focused and organized Chelsea, Arsenal were up for the scrap, winning almost all the 50-50 challenges and recycling play forward. Maybe the blues were feeling a little bit of celebratory blues I really can’t say, but this wasn’t the Champions we had seen all season in the league. They were leggy, static and just not allowed in the game. Imagine the sight of Ozil chasing down Hazard and getting in his slide tackle that summed up the hunger they had for this trophy and that was the Arsenal we saw today.

Of course it won’t be Arsenal without a few nervy moments, and they were few scares from Chelsea. Costa did level scores in the second half although Ospina should have done better, but he more than made up for it with some vital saves at 1-0 and 2-1.  On the balance of the whole play, the better team won without any doubt. I think whats surprising for me was Chelsea’s performance or was it Arsenals dominance? The other question would be …why did we leave it so late when we could have churned in such 5star performances week in week out in the league? I guess we would never know. I am sure that beyond the win, the focus will be on the possible exits from the club. Arsene, Ospina Sanchez, Ozil, Oxlade. Maybe now might be a good time for Arsene Wenger to bow out, on some sort of high? I think that would be more befitting for his work at the club especially in his first 10years. Anyway, all that is going to be unraveled as gist for another day. Shout out to Per Mertersacker for his sublime performance, he was most impressive to me….word to Welbeck Oxlade Ozil and Xhaka not forgetting Giroud for that assist. I guess that well and truly closes the 2016/17 footballing season inspite of how we performed, it’s been one to cherish and I hope we are going to make amends next season. For now though, lets enjoy the glorious occasion of being the 2017 EMIRATES FA CUP WINNER……............Cheers!! 

Image Credit: The Uk Guardian Online.

Curtains Call On a Season of IFs

Image Credits: Arsenal.com

Ho ho ho, it’s the last game of whats been a rollercoaster season from a Chelsea fans perspective, Conte really showed the others (gat ma eyez on U Arsene) who is BOSS. For us gunners, well its being a disappointment let’s call a spade a hecking spade, no offence to Wenger apologists. Speaking of Apologists, we at anaijagunner do apologies for going AWOL on our readers. We welcomed the arrival of a “goonerette” yeah our founder just had a baby girl. So as you may have guessed right as every other thing including writing about Arsenal had to take a back seat, trust me when I say, it has been another learning curve of responsibility….hats off to our mothers and wives who make responsible child caring look easy. I am still trying to make up for lost sleep. And that’s saying a lot for someone who people sometimes call an insomniac.

Anyway it’s the final weekend of the EPL season as we all know. One which has had it all, highs lows and everything else in between…right? Ok, maybe more lows than highs and then everything else in between, from an Arsenal fans perspective. For the first time Wenger’s holy grail of a champion’s league qualification and finishing above the Spuds down the road at seven sisters is looking like history (the latter definitely is). Yeah there is a slightly off chance we may finish fourth, but let’s keep our feet on the ground as this is absolutely out of Arsene’s or Arsenals hands. I fear this time the team has left it just a little too late. Last season should have thought us a lesson, but we failed to heed the warning signs after falling abjectly short last season. Arsenal barely improved, other teams around us did, sure we have improved on the points total at this time last season by a whooping 1point, and we may even increase the tally by another 3 points if (BIG BIG IF ooo) the gunners beat Everton in the universal 3pm kick off for all games on Sunday.  Should they s do that and somehow find a way to qualify for the champion’s league and then also win the FA cup on the 27^th, it will be one of the greatest of “great escapes” for Arsene Wenger and that’s the best he can hope for from what’s turned out into a season of “ifs, what and maybes”!

 To the game proper, there is nothing much to analyses except well, Everton would of course want the gunners to get that Champions league spot over their Merseyside rivals in Liverpool, but like Klopp said when asked “it’s in our hands to get the job done, and if we do it we deserve to be in the champion’s league, if we don’t then we don’t deserve to be in the champions league”. Quite a frank manager there if I may say, Arsene on the other hand says things like “ Winning trophies don make you better” JEEEZ I hope that was a slip please Arsene. That’s the reason why our team is stuck in status quo, while the speed train is beginning to leave us behind. Arsenal need a convergence of coincidences to qualify for Europe’s premier club tourney. For me that doesn’t look like happening besides what’s the point of qualifying to the champions league if you end up bowing out at the round of 16? Pointless if you ask me shaa ooo, but it would still be nice for sentiments sake to qualify, even though everyone including my dog (which is non existent by the way) knows the gunners don’t deserve the slot on the basis of this season’s poor showing by the whole team. You may have noticed I didn’t mention Man City, that’s because I believe their train has left the building. Yes, this is football where anything could happen, but come on guys….do you see City losing to Watford looking at the current form of both teams? GOD knows that I don’t, so i ain't even going to bother myself with their game, Liverpool on the other hand……….well, you can fill in the blanks.

The gunners definitely have a job on their hands with so much at stake, there is the subliminal issue of who gets the golden boot, with harry Kane pulling 3goals clear of the chasing pack in Romelo Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez. This definitely puts a real twist to the last game of the season. Lukaku would like to win it, Alexis I am very sure is hungry for it while Hurricane ....sorry Harry Kane must be having a good laugh wherever he is cuz he still has a chance to add more goals in Spurs own last game against Hull. We haven’t added the issue of Wenger’s future, will he be staying or going, who knows? For the first time in a long long while Arsene’s future seems to be hanging in the balance with rumblings in the background about a power struggle between Ivan Gazidis and the coach, not forgetting the failed bid of $1.7B by Usmanov to buy out KSA. There is an AGM coming up and the Club says his future will be decided after the FA cup final on the 27^th.  I am sure we all know where this is headed but l I guess this is what makes the EPL most exciting as a league, all the twists, scenarios and drama. Let’s hope the fans get their due for backing to this TEAM. My predicted line up here

Image Credits: The Uk Guardian Online

Subs: Ospina, Giroud, Gabriel, Walcott, Coq, El Neny, Gibbs, Jeff

     Once again, while not a Chelsea fan we celebrate football, so Congrats to the Blues of Stamford bridge again, much respect to Conte for the turn around the 3-0 trouncing at the Emirates, now all coaches are playing back three including Wenger. That for me was one of the few highlights of my 2016/17 Arsenal season. On that note, its Adios Amigos……do enjoy the last sip, Ciaaooo