DANIEL MATTHEWS: History tells us football’s biggest prizes are won by cool heads
Thierry Henry was back in the Emirates on Friday night. Back next to Patrick Vieira. Back in North London to see if Mikel Arteta’s side would take his advice.
The Frenchman had warned before visiting Southampton that unbridled passion could spell Arsenal’s downfall in this title fight with Manchester City.
“They have to keep calm… you can win a cup with emotions, but not a 38 game season,” said Henry. You can’t be too emotional and we’ve seen Arsenal being too emotional lately.
“There is a difference between passion and emotion.”
How easily those lines fade. There can be no doubt that the energy and atmosphere that Arteta has worked so hard to promote at the Emirates has been a driving force in his side’s title fight.
Arsenal have been warned not to let too much emotion into play in their pursuit of their first league title since 2004
Manager Mikel Arteta watched in horror as his side fell behind twice by two goals
The atmosphere at the Emirates this season has been exciting at times, although the games are getting more and more frenzied
It was no coincidence that, as they searched for a route back to this match, several Arsenal players tried to rouse the crowd.
Unfortunately, while those supporters were on a rollercoaster for another 90 minutes, it was hard not to wonder if Henry was onto something.
“Just an opinion,” was Arteta’s response to Henry’s comment before this game. But history tells us that the biggest trophies are more often than not won by cool minds. And recently, Arsenal’s minds seem scrambled.
Hence the creeping stream of individual errors. Hence the yo-yo frenzied atmospheres that plagued the front runners in recent weeks.
Hence perhaps why Arsenal only had one shot between the 45th and 77th minutes on Friday night. They had lost some of the control and composure that fueled this title charge.
It was in January, after a home draw against Newcastle, that Arteta was accused of allowing his own manic antics on the touchline to infect his players’ minds.
Now he must find a way to keep their cool. And fast.
How to explain these two statistics? Only two goalkeepers kept more clean sheets this season than Aaron Ramsdale (12) in the Premier League.
Only two teams have conceded more goals at home this season than Arsenal (21). Those are Leeds and Southampton, by the way. They conceded 30 each, with 11 in Leeds’ last two games. Arsenal’s exceptional away form this season was a vital reason behind their title attempt. Their home record also makes for nice reading: 16 played, 12 won, one lost.
Only surpassed by Manchester City. Also improved by only one point. And yet comfortable days in the Emirates have not come as easily as perhaps they should.
Arsenal conceded within the first minute when an error by Aaron Ramsdale let Southampton in
Arteta’s side have now dropped points in their last three games – with a trip to Manchester City scheduled
Arsenal have kept only two clean sheets at home since October. Their last five games at the Emirates, meanwhile, have been against teams threatened with relegation: Southampton, Crystal Palace, Everton, Leeds and Bournemouth. None have passed without a wobble or an awkward spell. Perhaps to be expected at this stage of the season. But against both Bournemouth and Southampton, Arsenal needed last-minute heroics.
“You can’t collect the goals like we did (and win games in the Premier League) unless we do a miracle,” Arteta said afterwards.
What do they say about playing with fire and the inevitable outcome?
James Ward-Prowse is expected to leave Southampton this summer, with Newcastle and Aston Villa reportedly among the players eyeing a possible transfer of the midfielder.
His contribution at Arsenal was just more proof – not that it was necessary – how they would miss him on the south coast.
James Ward-Prowse was an all-powerful servant to Southampton and showed his quality again on Friday night
It was Ward-Prowse’s fantastic performance that secured Southampton’s third at Arsenal, a Duje Caleta-Car header that looked to secure three vital points in the race to avoid relegation.
Then, right at death, when Arsenal pressed for a winner and Reiss sent Nelson flying, who was there with an outstretched stud to bounce the ball just wide?