Everyone laughed at Arsène Wenger when he said Chelsea would falter after Didier Drogba sacked the Emirates. Beat Bolton tonight and Arsenal’s young colts are the form nag in what has become a three horse race for the Premier League title, says the Bung..
Back in November, when Arsenal struggled to contain Didier Drogba about as convincingly as a sinister property mogul locking the A-Team away in a disused garage that contained a broken tank, several tubs of volatile chemicals and a 168 piece tool kit, the chances of Arsenal winning the Premier League this season looked remote.
About as remote as a star on the periphery of the Milky Way that several years ago imploded in on itself and is now sending its last pitiful shards of pallid light towards an uncaring world.
Chelsea were unstoppable. Drogba pranced around the Emirates bullying all before him as he reached double figures for goals against Arsène Wenger’s men in just 11 matches.
More than three points lost, that match seemed to signal a yawning gulf between the two teams; the confirmation that this year’s title race would be between Manchester United and Chelsea with Arsenal left to battle it out with Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham for the remaining two Champions League places.
The only consoling thought for Arsenal fans to cling to was that at least things weren’t as bad as they were at Anfield.
One man, however, did not buy in to such an assessment. Instead, he surveyed the sacking of North London with quiet calm and proclaimed that it would be Chelsea and not Arsenal for whom trouble lurked in deep midwinter. Carlo Ancelotti’s side would drop points, he said. No one believed him.
That that man was Wenger appeared to strip such claims of credibility. A notoriously poor loser, the Frenchman was clutching at straws that weren’t even there. He was merely trying to deflect from another season of relative failure. Finding imaginary fault with the opposition rather than admitting his side were second best.
Should Arsenal, as expected, beat managerless Bolton tonight, the gap between his side and Chelsea after 20 games will be a single point; their advantage over United the same margin.
Wenger is a “good magician” admitted Ancelotti of his opponent’s unnerving ability to predict the future with such accuracy. A 10-point turnaround over Christmas has been achieved. And without much effort from Arsenal themselves.
In this most unpredictable of Premier League seasons both Chelsea and United have squandered points with such carelessness you begin to wonder if either of them actually wants to win the title at all. Arsenal have snuck up on the rails and now stand like stalking colts. A two horse race it is not.
But can they go the distance? Wenger certainly thinks so. And who’s going to laugh off his predictions now, however fanciful?
“The title race will be different because there are six or seven teams challenging for the top four,” said Wenger, trying hard not to look smug and almost managing it.
“We all play each other over the next few months and that means everybody will continue to drop points. I said a few months ago that 78-83 points will win the title and I stick to that.”
Arsenal, Chelsea and United are all on course for a final points tally within that range and though Arsenal’s squad looks callow next to their opponents’ at least they aren’t in the business of losing at home to sides from League One or being sent in to paroxysms of blind panic every time a ball is hoofed in to their penalty area.
With Robin van Persie out for the foreseeable future and Nicklas Bendtner still unsteady on his feet Wenger will need to add striking power to his side this month if his youngsters are to stay the course this time.
After the infamous horse healer failed van Persie, Arsenal may yet get some equine assistance from the mooted short-term signing of the goalscorer’s goalscorer Ruud van Nistelrooy. Not as fleet footed as he once was, that may still be all Arsenal need to to make a convincing gallop towards the finishing post.
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