Chumpeons League

Ugh. Another stupid Chelsea v Liverpool match awaits us in the Champions League. If only, if only. Another dubious penalty awarded at Anfield in the dying moments while Arsenal were still celebrating an amazing cross-field run by Theo Walcott, who setup the defining goal at the time. The only ending that’s clearer is that there’ll be a similar penalty awarded at Old Trafford tomorrow.

Were there mistakes made by Arsenal? Absolutely. Their midfield had no presence to contend with Mascherano and Alonso, they had no pace up front with Hleb and Adebayor, and Cesc was efficiently eliminated from the equation early on by having to take a more defensive role with the injury to Flamini. People will be talking about the penalty, a classic dive arms flailing by Babel through Toure, who was flailing his arms just to avoid contact, but that’s not ultimately what brought Arsenal down.

I know we hardly talk about the Prem here, and with good reason the football is generally atrocious, but Arsenal are re-knowned as a proponent of Continental football in the lump-it-up garbage can that is most of English football, aren’t they? Stop talking that nonsense. They don’t have the players anymore to play the champagne football they played with Henry and Pires and that falls directly at the lap of Arsene Wenger. He has dropped the ball at restocking the side with world class quality players to play the way he wants to play.

He says he can’t compete with Manchester United and Liverpool financially. No, that may have been true 3 or 4 years ago, but they are the most financially stable club of the big 4 as an independent financial entity. Please, if Roman Abramovich went way today, Chelsea would drop like a wet turd.

This marks another year with no chance of silverware, yes I know the Prem is still mathematically feasible but please, when is the criticism going to fall on Wenger for his buys? He had a chance at Torres, a chance at some very talented stars just hitting their prime, why then does he insist on 15 year old starlet? Because he can.

I know I’ll get stick for this, they’ll say that Arsenal have a talented young side with promise for the future. When the loans come in for United and Liverpool they’ll have to pay for it somehow so that’s when Arsenal will strike. Not a chance.

I guess Barcelona are still hanging around...