Deja-vu all over again for Arsenal as title flaws resurface at Wolves

Gooner Fanzine print columnist Simon Rose gives his verdict on Arsenal's debacle at Wolves 

I’ve often written in The Gooner how Arsenal must decide if they’re genuinely trying to win the top honours now, or are playing at it.

Judging by our recent diluted form and return to draws, culminating in the needless 2-2 giveaway at Wolves, it’s becoming a valid question again.

At 2-0 up against Wolves, we had barely shifted out of second gear against mathematically the worst team in the league, but we should have been heading towards a seven-point lead over Man City, albeit with a game in hand.

Not binding in the title race, but certainly very pleasant.

Yet we Arsenal fans recognise the signs. We are the football equivalent of birds which stop singing because they can tell that a storm is coming.

Wolves were having a go and we were barely responding or attacking, seemingly nonchalant about repeatedly giving away the ball. Then Wolves scored a nice curler and I recognised what I felt was coming.

I felt soon after 2-1 that this game reminded me of Sunderland away.

I felt like I could see another ridiculous late moment, where David Raya might needlessly get in Gabriel’s way and gift a calamitous late equaliser. I wanted to ignore the feeling. It’s literally what happened, again.

Raya is an incredible goalkeeper and he’s gained us many points this season, but there’s no doubt that he has needlessly cost us four points too, at Sunderland and now Wolves, piling in over Gabriel’s head and leaving us wide open to concede an unwarranted equaliser.

We were playing like Wolves couldn’t hurt us.

Like we could just control the game and see it out. But you can’t see out an entire match. Yes, we’re playing lots of matches. Yes, the players must be tired. But this is why you have a squad and why we have signed enough players for two XIs. Not that we’re entirely using the squad as sensibly as we might. 

I thought Christian Norgaard might start at Wolves.

He’s a B list Declan Rice, but there’s occasion worked. I expected Eberechie Eze to be held back to start at Spurs, partly to balance the schedule and partly to annoy Spurs.

I’m also presuming that we didn’t sign Eze so that Spurs didn’t sign him, but Eze has been the chief recent architect of slipping vertical passes through the lines for runners to slip onto and shoot early. None of that nonsense at Wolves, sadly. 

There’s been talk of Arsenal winning the quadruple. Please!

We’re just still in all competitions, for now. The media are always slow to spot early narratives, so here’s one: Manchester City might win the quadruple...

City are perfectly able to win all of their remaining games. They’ve done it before. But two things give me hope.

One, this City team isn’t brilliant.

Two, theres a lot of season left. If we had four games to go, including City away, we’d have a big problem. But there’s over ten games to go and this City are more limited than previous incarnations.

Problem is, City know how to end a season and we’re guessing.

We think ‘Control the match, win the game’. City sign Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi.

Everything is on the table: if we just stare at it, City will simply come and take it.

Champions do not hand out gifts, like we have at Sunderland and now Wolves, they receive them.

So what are we?

Read Simon Rose in every print issue of the Gooner Fanzine. Buy the current issue here