Arsenal, just doing what they do, fired off one of their typical befuddling losses today going up 2-0 on hapless bottom feeders Wigan only to fall in a shocking 3-2 result by giving up 3 goals after the 80th minute.
Although their midweek loss to Tottenham was vindicated when the Spurs went ahead and defeated their second straight London rival in Chelsea, 2-1, on Saturday. Arsenal could not take advantage of one last potential opportunity to get back in the English Premier League title chase.
Unfortunately the loss again exposed all of Arsenal's key points of need; 1. Depth 2. Goalkeeping 3. A star front line forward
Manuel Almunia is certainly no prince between the pipes, but his backup Lukasz Fabianski makes the Spaniard look like royalty. Fabianski made another key gaff - remember the Porto cross he fumbled into his own net. Well the Polish man this time dropped a corner right on to the head of Titus Bramble for a free header to tie the score at 2-2 in the 89th minute. He also completely whiffed on Ben Watson's (no not New England Patriot tight end) first goal for Wigan, but I could probably give him a pass on that one if he didn't make such a crucial blooper later on.
But when you look at a team like Manchester United - who when Wayne Rooney is out send in Dimitar Berbatov or Ji Sung Park - or Chelsea - who when Anelka or Drogba sit send in Salomon Kalou, Arsenal just don't have that depth. Without Fabregas and Van Persie and Arshavin, they have no one that can replace that production.
They still have talent to win matches, but unfortunately if you are a Gunner fan like myself you come to expect these inconsistent, laughable, absurd, horrific, "insert bad adjective here" performances.
Although I did not actually see the game, from what I've read and watching these brief highlights this Arsenal fan's reaction below is about how I feel. Enjoy it's pretty funny.
I have no comparison for being an Arsenal fan. I think the closest thing I can come up with is the Tampa Bay Rays in baseball.
Like the Rays, who developed most of their stars through their own drafting and minor league clubs, Arsenal are filled with young exciting homegrown talent.
Like the Rays who have a brilliant manager in Joe Maddon, Arsenal have absolutely one of the most creative geniuses running their club in Arsene Wenger.
Like the Ray, who play in the AL East with the top two high pay rolls in baseball in the Red Sox and Yanks, Arsenal play in the league (the EPL) with the top two spending clubs in the world outside of Real Madrid - Chelsea and Manchester United.
Like the Rays (World Series 2 years ago), Arsenal have gotten close to the summit in recent years, but ultimately came up short in the 2006 Champions League final.
And like the Rays, because Arsenal play alongside clubs in the EPL like Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City - the Gunners will always struggle to compete for trophies because they don't have the resources of those other big clubs.
I guess what I'm trying to say is Arsenal like the Rays have a promising future and any year could be their break out year. But then again when you have the Red Sox and the Yankees of soccer in your same league, it's tough to define what kind of expectations you have year in and year out.
All I can say is I have some serious heart burn right now, maybe the Gunners stirred it up with this dreadful loss or maybe its from back-to-back nights of drinking a lot of bud light. I'm not sure, but does it really matter.
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