Thinking The Unthinkable

A second consecutive poor performance has brought the nay-sayers out in depth again. Frustrating as it is to read much of the negative attitudes on the various forums one has to consider that some of the points being raised may be worth further consideration.

I have no time for those who just keep on saying player x is rubbish, but there is now a growing acceptance that some key players are not in a rich vein of form. Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas have temporarily fallen from the high standards we have come to expect of them.

Let’s get one thing straight. We pretty much controlled the game in Eindhoven, but came unstuck to a wonderful strike, and showed little of the guile and creativity that swept Bolton aside just a week ago. Yes, that’s right, it was only a week ago that those who were so critical last night were eulogising about the performance at the Reebok.

The beauty of playing Chelsea at Cardiff next is that the young players who stood out at Bolton will return to the side. Most notable of these is the Brazilian midfielder Denilson who has impressed massively in his first few appearances.

There are all sorts of reasons for wanting the fringe players to triumph on Sunday, not least of which is the fact that it will confirm to Wenger that some of his squad players may just be in better form than their senior colleagues.

It may also persuade him to do the unthinkable, and drop a couple of the misfiring Gunners for the big games to come, starting with PSV at home which has now become the biggest game of the season thus far. (Note to self, check knees for a jerking reaction!)