Mental Health Week

I've known some difficult times as an Arsenal supporter. My first cup final was the League Cup loss to Swindon (I was almost 8 - yes, I am indeed getting old!). I was there when Arsenal lost to Luton in another final of the same competition. Shock defeat to Birmingham a dozen years ago brought up that particular League Cup treble. I was in Cardiff when the referee and Michael Owen combined to rob Arsenal in 2001. I was in Paris in 2006 for the heartbreaking Champions League Final loss to Barcelona. I've sat through Roger Osborne's late FA Cup Final winner for Ipswich, Trevor Brooking's headed winner in another FA Cup Final, Nayim's freak goal in a Cup Winners Cup Final, humiliating 6-1 and 8-2 losses at Old Trafford, and embarrassing 6-0 defeat at Chelsea in Wenger's 1000th game. And all that's just off the top of my head...

But I don't think that I've ever been so down about Arsenal as I had been this past week. Perhaps it's 'recency bias', or all the accompanying social media exposure; or even the ludicrous Europa League Final situation - but these past few games have hit me hard. I've felt unable to read a single report on either the Bournemouth or (particularly) PSG defeat, nor listen to any of my favourite Arsenal podcasts. It's all been so depressing. And I was bereft at half-time of the Liverpool game. What on earth, I sat thinking, has happened to my boys for them to lose all sense of pride and self-respect? They're not Tottenham or Manchester United, after all. I mean; wasn't it motivation enough to have to stand there and give Liverpool a Guard of Honour?

So let's take a look at the full week through my personal lens:

Bournemouth at home. OK, so we had bigger fish to fry a few days afterwards, but there was a clear lack of intensity amongst the players. You don't have to be too many per cent off the mark on the work rate side to allow the class gap to close, and Arsenal were 5-10% off it. The away side looked continually dangerous on the break, and the dam finally broke with Iraola's intelligent substitutions (I'd add at this point, by the way, that I wouldn't be saying no to the summer arrival of Semenyo, of whom there have been rumours of interest. Although he may be a secondary target for Arsenal, he looks like a very decent player indeed!). Arsenal had looked to ease their way through the match, but it's very rare that one can get away with that in the Premier League, and there was continual danger; as there always is with a single goal lead. I myself was never comfortable watching it live. And those two second half goals also meant that the pack were closing in on Arsenal's second place...

But all that went on the back burner when it came to Wednesday. The biggest game in Arsenal's history for 19 years, and clearly a stiff task. Yet Arsenal were rampant in the first 10 minutes. Rice's header just wide, and then two saves by Donnarumma - the second, from Odegaard's shot, quite remarkable - failed to go in, and my excitement and ebullience soon faded as the game became more even and it looked like Arsenal had missed the opportunity to take advantage of their earlier dominance. You have to make it pay when you're on top.

And so it proved. A poor header from Partey following a corner, a deflected shot from the edge of the box, and it was 1-0. Once more I was cursing Arsenal's misfortune, as a very low percentage attempt took a deflection and found its way into the net. There was misery in my living room, as the first goal was always going to be crucial.

By the way, let's talk about ridiculous penatly awards. At least Vitinha did the right thing and missed it...

As time ticked on and started to run out, I could at least feel a sense of pride that Arsenal were competing with such a fine side as PSG. But a second goal - again following defensive errors - put the kybosh on matters. Hakimi's fine effort inevitably found a corner of Raya's net, and gloom settled once more on my sofa.

But then... hope as Saka finished off a fine move to give us something to cling to. And what did you feel in those moments when Starboy had a chance to level it up on the night moments later? That split-second as the ball was heading for Starboy remains ingrained on my brain. But over the bar the ball went; and that really was that. If that had gone in, who knows what may have transpired with such a momentum shift, but the game played out to an inevitable conclusion, and whilst the players were inconsolable afterwards, I was merely numb.

Before I go into all those thoughts that have been keeping me awake at night, I'll cover the Liverpool game too. Because part of that was a microcosm of Arsenal's season.

Yes, Arsenal were once more off the pace in the first half; perhaps an understandable hangover from Wednesday. Unacceptable nonetheless. And I don't often get angry or raise my voice whilst watching on television, but I was effing and blinding at the concession of those two first half goals. Poor, poor defending - and my wife came in to see what all the fuss was about. I was deflated and angry. As, of course, was Mikel Arteta.

Three big points to be made about this game:

Firstly, the fightback. Whatever was said at half time certainly did the trick. Along with the tactical move to switch Trossard with Martinelli (I'll cover that below; it's really got me thinking). I'm sure that Liverpool relaxed at 2-0, but Arsenal showed the fighting spirit that we really ought to expect. My pride in the players was restored. No quibbles with the late sending-off of Merino, by the way - he had to go.

However, there was inevitable refereeing controversy in this game too. Not one, but two incidents of assaults on Arsenal players that should surely have resulted in more action than Anthony Taylor (he whose whistle had robbed Arsenal of a very late winner in the first game between the two sides) felt the need to take. VAR quite rightly chalked off Liverpool's late 'winner' - but was I the only one who felt that Konate grabbing MLS's face deserved more punishment than the award of a free kick?

As for the early incident between Robertson and Saka; well... The defender had both hands around Starboy's throat, and threw him to the floor - literally in front of the linesman. Nothing given. The sort of assault that gets players sin-binned in rugby matches; yet neither linesman, referee nor VAR saw anything in it. The pompous Dermot Gallagher on Sky TV's Ref Watch said: 'Foul;' that's all'. 

Good to know what players are allowed to get away with these days - I shall certainly file that away. And Saka is not the only Arsenal player to have been choke-slammed this season for no punishment, by the way. Serious foul play is something players can perform with impunity, apparently, but technical infringements lead to cards (Rice, Trossard dismissals earlier this season being cases in point). FFS, PGMOL - get your priorities in order! 

Finally on the Liverpool game, I cannot let pass the treatment meted out to Trent Alexander-Arnold by his own supporters. Yes, he could/should have handled his departure from the club better - especially as a Liverpudlian himself. But he's a young man, and perhaps not self-conscious or media savvy enough to deal with difficult questions in interviews with the required delicacy. 

But this is a player of exceptional talent, who has given his all for his home town club - and won every trophy he could on the way. Without him, the likelihood is that the club wouldn't have won those trophies. So for his home 'supporters' to boo him onto the pitch, on a day when they were supposed to be celebrating a title, was for me a bridge too far. 

Yes, Liverpool supporters have gone through some horrendous tragedies; but that does not excuse such entitlement and classlessness. Remember the death threats to Steven Gerrard and his family when he expressed a desire to leave? He was 'forced' to spend his entire career at Liverpool. Get over yourselves, Liverpool fans. This self-entitled behaviour mirrors that. The height of ambition for any footballer is to play for Real Madrid. Who are you to treat a club legend in such a fashion? Anyway, enough of that.

And so I've found myself thinking continually about how Arsenal have got to this point. Another trophyless season; which these players frankly do not deserve.  And it's easy to point to bad luck, but all teams have that (maybe not Liverpool; not this year anyway). It's also easy to point to all those incidents over the course of the Premier League season that have undermined Arsenal's points tally. Incompetent officiating - and there's been plenty of it. And all those injuries. But...

It's clear that the squad has been short of numbers. For years now, in fact. And that has meant players being over-played for match after match after match; probably for three years now. Whilst key players avoided injury in the main in the previous two seasons, all those stresses and strains have hit during this one. I don't need to list the names and amount of time they've had out - you all know.

But what we've known all this time is that the squad has been short or both quality and quantity in reserve. And that has left holes. You just have to look at Liverpool's squad, for example, to get a sense of where the opposition are in comparison. Arsenal are literally outnumbered in that respect. And, remember, the likes of Nwaneri and MLS have burst onto the scene almost out of the blue this season. 

And it's not just lack of numbers that have let Arsenal down. To expect to compete at the very top level with Havertz and Jesus as one's first choices at centre forward is delusional, I'm afraid, and this area has been neglected for maybe three years now. It's not that they aren't very good players. But they simply don't have the qualities one needs for that role at the highest level.

Two points on this: firstly, one just has to witness the exasperation on the face of Bukayo Saka , match after match, when his brilliant wing play and incisive crossing fails to be matched by those in central positions. The wrong runs being made. Or nobody there at all. 

And secondly - and this was clear to see against Liverpool - the choice of shape up front. Merino has done a remarkable job standing in for the injured players, but a centre forward he is not. So Arteta has rotated Trossard in and out of the 'false 9'. Yet desperation at 0-2 at Anfield led to something he'd been loath to look at, and showed what he'd been missing. He switched the Belgian and Martinelli, and Arsenal had a whole different threat about them. Trossard is a fully effective left winger, whereas I'd argue that Martinelli is not. Why Arteta has not tried Martinelli at centre forward at all is something I cannot fathom, because it was in that role that he broke into the team in the first place... and the goal he scored at Anfield was a carbon copy of one he scored in a European game 5 years ago!

All this squad frailty went through my head last Wednesday evening as the last rites played out. And again after the Liverpool game finished. Excuses? Maybe? But pretty damn factual. And finally Arteta has come clean about it (and, by the way, I believe that it wasn't for the want of trying last summer - and I've heard rumours that the real reason for Edu's abrupt departure is that he messed up no less than two deals in that window).

So expect departures and - especially - arrivals. Those leaving for certain will be Neto, Tierney, Jorginho and Sterling; also possibly Zinchenko, Kivior, Partey and even Trossard. The club can clearly not rely on either Tomiyasu (remember him?) or Jesus for the foreseeable future either. The likes of Lokonga and Tavares - forgotten and out on loan - will surely also depart. 

And coming in? Well, if Arsenal have been short of numbers then it's a question not just of quality in certain areas, but of quantity also. They must raise the ceiling, but also raise the floor.

It's not right or fair to pick a Best XI - because that's what a squad needs to be for - but for the really big games I'd be hoping to see this line-up next season:

Raya

Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly

Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard

Saka, ???, ???

And White, Calafiori, Partey (perhaps), Merino, Havertz, Trossard and Martinelli on the bench. Not forgetting Nwaneri or even Max Dowman! And that's a proper bench, with proper depth.

Make no mistake - this next year is going to be make or break for this regime. For the Manager, but also a big test for Andrea Berta. With a squad made up of players approaching their prime - so many are 23-26 years old and some considerably younger - it's surely time for some Win Now purchases. I suspect that we may see quite a bit of Josh Kroenke in the news over the summer, too, as he'll have to sanction anything up to £200m of new players.

The squad is not far away. We all know that. But this summer they must - like a Panini sticker book - complete the set. Whether that's with the likes of Gyokeres and Nico Williams, or with alternatives, is up to them. But an upgrade on some starters is required, as well as sufficient depth for Arteta to be happy to rotate. 

We're merely fans, but I for one am ridiculously invested in all this. I really like this group of players - remember how unlikeable many elements of the squad were a mere half a dozen years ago? I want to see them succeed; for themselves and also for the well-being of those of us who love the club so much.

I cannot, before I go - and for the sake of my own mental health - leave without commenting on the forthcoming Europa League Final. A match to be played between the two most disappointing and embarrassing clubs in the Premier League, who have found themselves blundering to Bilbao mainly as a result of UEFA's rule changes with regards to the Champions League. I'll be watching with morbid fascination, in the hope that neither side wins, or that the trophy self-combusts.

I've had supporters of both clubs trying to convince me that if their team wins, then they'd have had a better season that Arsenal's. And I tell you this; I wouldn't swap Arsenal's season, with all it's disappointments, with either of those two clubs. Between them, they have loss 37 league matches out of 72, and it'll probably be 41 out of 76 by next weekend. Champions League? They are literally having a laugh!

Much as I dislike Manchester United, I will be supporting them. Because I never want to see Tottenham win a throw in, let alone a trophy! Fingers crossed for that. But I honestly believe that UEFA should simply cancel the Final out of sheer embarrassment. To think that one of those sides will be in next year's Champions League is frankly laughable.

Meantime, there are two games to go. In order to stay in control of the race for second place, Arsenal must at least draw with in-form Newcastle on Sunday. That's suddenly a much bigger game for Arsenal that we expected or hoped it would be.  After that we finish with the formality of a win at Southampton. So COYG!