In the realm of Arsenal games, this (exactly like the other home games so far this season) was one of the more frustrating and annoying. We played a team that could possibly be tricky, but that we would normally be expected to beat quite easily (last season it was 7-0). We went behind quite early in the game, completely against the run of play. We comprehensively outplayed the opposition in terms of posession, but absolutely failed to make that advantage count where it matters. We passed the ball around in pretty little patterns on the edge of the penalty area, but nobody was willing to have a shot. We eventually got the goal back, but failed to get through a second time for the winner.
The Aston Villa game at the start of the season was like this, and so too was this game. We seem to have the posession, and the ability to blow teams away, but to say that we lack a killer instinct at the moment is a huge understatement. Utterly unable to finish these teams off. We should really have 9 points by now - instead, we have 2, and are out of the relegation zone only on goal difference. Not a good start to the season.
For all this, a finger has to be pointed at the unwillingness of everybody in the team to have a shot at goal. I understand that we want to create beautiful goals, but when faced with 9 defenders lined up on the edge of the area, that is going to be very difficult at the best of times, and we need to adapt our play to the situation we are facing. We try to thread the ball through the eye of a needle, every time, when some situations just cry out for somebody to take a shot and at least make the keeper do some work, or to try to force a mistake. When we do try that, it isn't a bad option at all - it just doesn't happen enough. OK, the crowd are shouting "shoot" a little too often, sometimes when it would not be the best option at all - but equally, the team are not having enough shots from distance.
I got into the stadium quite early today, and had a wander around the place, particularly to have a look at the Upper Tier. Soon after getting in, I held my breath and paid £7 (!) for a "cheeseburger meal deal", which included the burger, some chips, and a drink. The burger had the makings of a very nice burger, except that it was stone cold - I can see how it would have been lovely, but it was far too cold and rubbery for that. The chips were also stone cold, tasted of cardboard, and were the chewiest things I think I have ever eaten. The drink was a nice cold Coke.
Arsenal really need to get a grip on this - because it is not on. If you charge £7 for that (or indeed £4 for a pie), you really need to be getting the quality right the vast majority of the time. My experience with their overpriced food has been 50-50 - half the time it is really nice, the other half it is awful, and there seems to be no in-between. Charging top dollar is permitted, and people will put up with it, but they really need to deliver the "good" experience in much better proportions than they are managing at the moment. Hopefully they will sort it out before it is too late, and people just give up buying food in the stadium.
The other thing to sort out, experienced again today, are the queues at half time. Before and after games it isn't so bad, but the queues at half time are a complete joke, not helped by the fact that they also move at a snail's pace (competent staff would help here). The cause of the problem seems to be that you have to buy beer at the same place where you buy food. This means that anybody who wants anything at half time, must get into the same queue - when typically people only want either beer or food. For God's sake, separate them out, and get some people selling beer from rucksack dispensers, like they have at every other major sports ground! It really isn't that difficult!
Finally, a special "thanks" to London Underground today, who ensured that no Piccadilly line trains were allowed to stop at Kings Cross - the one station on the line that most people use. Extra thanks for then suspending the Victoria line as well after the game, ensuring a complete nightmare of a journey home for the vast majority. Well done!
What a frustrating afternoon all round!!
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