There are those who believe that this...
...is not a foul. And I vehemently disagree with you on that. The guy has gone it at pace in order to head the ball, and has caught Bellerin in such a way as to knock him cold on his follow through. Whether there was intent or otherwise, he has caused him damage and forced him to be substituted.
I do not see the difference between the above and sliding in to get a ball on the ground, reaching it just before the opposition player and on his blind side, and catching him badly in the follow through, causing him harm.
Eyes only for the ball? Sure.
Caught the man? Yes.
Injured him? Yes.
That's a foul!
Now I am not for one minute suggesting that this was the moment that tipped yesterday's match in favour of Chelski; only a blinkered fool would suggest that anything apart from a Chelski victory would have been the correct result. But it sure didn't help (and by the way, for all the beauty of Hazard's goal I would suggest that an arm into Coquelin's chest in order to fend him off might be permissible in rugby, but not in good old Association Football.
Much has been said about the relative physical and mental merits of the two teams yesterday, and to be frank I was so annoyed by the apparent narrative that the Sky commentary team had in place throughout that I muted the sound (before finally turning the TV off and walking out of the room as the third goal went in). I think that the two things that annoyed me most about their narrative were firstly that they were prepared to interpret what went on in order to suit their narrative; e.g. describing professional and strategic fouling as 'game management', and secondly that they were proved right - yet again!
I'm not going to be able to say any more than what we've all heard said and written about the Chelski game; nor the Watford game either frankly (although that first half was probably the worst I have seen them play in all Wenger's time in charge, and believe me when I tell you that I've witnessed some real sh*t in that time). The frustration, of course, is that this horrendous week should follow on directly from the excellent FA Cup performance and result. However here's my interpretation of it from the point of view of the present - and the future:
As per the name of this post - Decapitation. Enough, quite frankly, is enough now. Cut it off at the head.
Let's face it, the head is being out-thought by a new breed of manager, and this is causing the players to run around like headless chickens. Our Manager has taken the team as far as he can, and whilst other clubs move past Arsenal - and frankly that's each and every other one of the current Top 6 - our club merely stands still.
The trouble is - and I've said it before but it's a matter of historic fact - that the owner is far more interested in money than glory; and that is reflected in the results of each and every of the 'franchises' that he owns. So he'll happily offer Wenger a new contract, knowing full well that he is likely to drag the team into 4th place yet again and thus preserve the status quo, but that is NOT what the fans want, and it's not making use of the vast resources available. It looks like Liverpool are slipping away, which helps, but it's yet another battle to get into the Champions League spots, plus perhaps another decent FA Cup run. And nothing more. If Bill Murray was an Arsenal fan, he'd star in a film about it...
And to rub salt into the wound, it's now that we hear about the new contract that has been offered? Of all the times to let this news out???...
I'll repeat what I've said before; the BIG change need to be made this summer, and if that causes the league position to slip for a while, then so be it - No Pain, No Gain. United lost Ferguson, and just three years later they are well on their way back to the top. It has taken Liverpool longer, but they are on their way now. Sp*rs are heading past us (not even they can possibly repeat last year's astonishing capitulation). Manchester City are going to be pushing on too. And for all that Chelski's 2015-16 season was hysterical, look how they've turned it around in just one solitary season!
There aren't that many Managers with the qualifications to take the Arsenal job, but if what now must be the vast majority of Arsenal fans get their wish in the summer (here's hoping that M Wenger decides not to take up the option in front of him), then I think that the short/wish list is probably Tuchel, Simeone and (and there are quite a few rumours flying around about this...) Allegri. I'll take any of them, thank you very much (and by the way, talk of Eddie Howe was and is utterly preposterous!).
The groundswell of opinion is growing into a tidal wave now; let's hope - for all that the owner seems inured to it - that M Wenger himself takes notice now. Let the club allow somebody new to take up the baton, release the purse strings, do something different, and hopefully kick on. The issue now, of course, is whether the likes of Sanchez and Ozil are going to hand around to see what happens. The repercussions go far beyond a 12 point gap.
