When Arsenal lost a couple of games in a row just before Christmas we got slaughtered by the football media, even though they were two very tough away games at Everton and Man City, and despite the fact that Arsene Wenger and the lads had previously been on a long unbeaten run and had played some great football and won some big games, like the demolition of their golden boys Chelsea in September.
That was it according to the football press, the Gunners had blown it. No mention of the heavy fixture list and the massive injury problems the boss was having to cope with, just the usual snide remarks about bottling it, lacking leaders and the Gunners having the same old frailties.
Well where are the similar stories about the magical Jose Mourinho’s failure to make the mega money splashing Man United even top four contenders, or the untouchable Liverpool of Jurgen Klopp’s capitulation against the bottom club Swansea (at home no less just a week after they were tonked by Arsenal on their own ground)?
Nowhere, but instead the Arsenal page of the Metro website is full of reports sniping at us for one reason or another. In one story they cannot decide whether to get at Wenger for pushing the fourth official in that touchline row or to castigate him for not pushing hard enough, as they opted to go with the following headline – ‘Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger accused of girly push on fourth official Anthony Taylor’.
In another they have a go at Giroud for celebrating his dramatic equaliser at Bournemouth when Wayne Rooney just tried to go for the winner after his landmark goal on Saturday. Really? He can’t celebrate after clawing Arsenal back from 3-0 down with 20 minutes left? Righto!
So although Chelsea got lucky again when Hull did not get a clear penalty to level the game, Spurs and Liverpool were frankly awful, Man City’s defence is leakier than a sieve and United still huff and puff without scoring enough, the media find things about Arsenal to criticise. Why?
Bob.