Past, Present & Future

Twenty-one years. A li’l over two decades.

That’s how long it has been since Liverpool laid their hands on the English First Division Trophy. Since the very inception of the Premier League. And their last major honour was the FA Cup in the 2005-06 season, a match decided on penalties against a team that had ended their season on negative goal difference.

But even then, they have never failed to attract talent. In the past six years, the Merseysiders have brought in a wave of new (star) players while their selling list remains comparatively small. This is in contrast to Arsenal’s condition, whose outgoing list outdoes the incoming list.

So what is it that the Reds can promise that the Gunners cannot? Huge lumps of money? I wouldn’t think so. If you can afford to fork out eleven million pounds for a player who gets himself banned for three matches on his Premier League debut, I wouldn’t think there is a shortage of that to fulfill his weekly fantasy. A house full of trophies? Nah, not really. Both haven’t won anything for six seasons now. Managerial success? All three are renowned names. Valencia under Benítez certainly had the last of their glory years. Mention the word Dalglish to any Scouser and the word legend hits you back in the face. And Wenger was the man who led the team to an unbeaten season, earning them the nick “The Invincibles” in the process.

Is it something about the logo?! Hmm.

Wait, ideology of the manager? Bingo. Dalglish knew that this disheartened Liverpool side could be revived with the infusion of new blood. But that wouldn’t mean bringing in inexperienced youth, but people who have earned a name for themselves over the years. Yes, he has found gems in the reserves/academy and brought them up to the first team but those select few are playing with highly experienced individuals, thus improving on a daily basis. In the case of Arsenal, half of the team is comprised of these enthusiastic-but-prone-to-costly-errors players and to top it off, their captain was 23 years-old himself! Agreed, Arsene’s policy of nurturing the youth is credible. But to sell them off when they become stars to clubs who are waving money like tap water is not a viable option. You can’t possibly expect to win trophies if you become a selling club.

I'm ..WHAT?!

So does that mean that the North London club should let go of their almost-into-his-fifteenth-year-as-Arsenal-manager manager? Yes no doubt he is missing crucial players, but some are gonna be permanent absentees as compared to others. And if he’s not ready to bring in any well-established stars by the end of this month, the board of directors of Arsenal may not have any other choice left.

Cesc Fàbregas’ return to home has left a gaping hole in a very crucial role for Arsenal’s first XI. And that combined with Wilshere’s injury coupled with Song’s first-of-a-three-match-absence has hit them where it hurts. Central midfield. These are the players that infuse calmness in the defence’s minds and allow them to pass the ball out rather than hack it away to the other half of the pitch. And for a team whose game revolves around ball control, it was a shame to see them give away the ball so easily. Repeatedly. So much so, that possession give-aways became the norm of the day. And so with the supply line cut, Walcott and Arshavin were nowhere to be seen. Nasri’s creative sparks were the only salvage for a depleted Arsenal. But his getting-stronger-by-the-day ties with Manchester City may spell disaster for Arsenal. And a man wearing a coat, sitting on the sidelines and smashing bottles into the ground only adds to their woes.

Just look at the fun he's having!

The problem is that the problem just doesn’t end there. Endless injuries in defence combined with poor performance by others has weakened Arsenal further, so much so that young 18-year-old Miquel was handed a Premier League debut against a team of the Traditional Big-Four, without even a proper warm-up. And if it wasn’t for the return of Thomas Vermaelen, the scoreline would have been very different. But Liverpool’s inability to think differently, or get bored of lofting in balls for thirty-five-million-pound Carroll meant they needed injury time of the second half to get one of their players on the scoresheet, which goes to show how they are a work in progress themselves. And if it wasn’t for Frimpong’s naïveté (and for Wenger sleeping with his eyes closed in the first half), they might not have scored at all. Also, if it wasn’t for an unlucky combination between Miquel and Ramsey, they might not even have had the lead at all.

Point is, if any one of these two teams are looking to, forget win the title, at least qualify for next year’s Champions League, they must be dreaming.