IN THESE DAYS OF SPIN AND counter-spin, no manager worth his salt can look at a defeat without trying to accentuate the positive. Arsène Wenger reflected on elimination from a second cup competition in four days by declaring that, contrary to the evidence of an eighth away defeat of the season, his team had proved they are no longer a soft touch and that he had, in Vassiriki Abou Diaby, seen the first glimpses of a new Patrick Vieira.
In one sense it is laudable, the power of positive thinking and all that, but, after a week in which their hopes of silverware have been dashed on two fronts, leaving only the Champions League, it is difficult to paint the rosy picture that Wenger was offering on Saturday evening. Yes, there were mitigating circumstances, with at least half his first team and several squad players missing for a variety of reasons, and yes, they deserved a little better. But the most disconcerting aspect of this supposed FA Cup upset is that it shocked no one, least of all the Arsenal manager or his opposite number, Sam Allardyce.
When all was said and done, Wenger expressed disappointment that his youngsters had not got what they deserved, but he sounded relieved that they had not been battered or bullied into submission by a Bolton Wanderers team that he has come to regard with fear. No they were not, but an alternative theory — again one involving an element of spin and counter-spin — is that Bolton won without having to revert to the physical approach that they often favour when faced with opponents of superior technical ability.
Put simply, Arsenal lost because they were the one team that showed signs of weakness — and against a side such as Bolton, able to modify their game the moment Allardyce gives his word from the directors’ box, any such weaknesses are usually exploited.
One chink in Arsenal’s armour was exposed by the only goal, six minutes from time, when Stelios Giannakopoulos stole between Sol Campbell and Philippe Senderos to finish off Ricardo Gardner’s terrific cross — “a moment of outstanding quality”, Allardyce said — but there were others for Wenger to ponder. Alexander Hleb and José Antonio Reyes were simply not up for the physical challenge, while Diaby, for all the manager’s Vieira comparisons, showed the rawness expected of a 19-year-old who had barely tasted first-team football at Auxerre.
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The outstanding midfield player on view was Iván Campo, who controlled the game and produced some wonderful passes before his evening was ended by a brutal late challenge from Diaby early in the second half. Campo limped off with his second foot fracture of the season, adding to Allardyce’s problems when his squad is already stretched almost as severely as Wenger’s. Arsenal went on to dominate the midfield for much of the second half, but only in terms of removing Campo’s influence could Diaby truly be said to have imposed himself.
Wenger said he did not know why Arsenal tend to struggle at the Reebok Stadium — this was their third defeat in four visits, with Giannakopoulos scoring a headed goal on all three occasions — but Allardyce pointed out that they are not the only ones. “If anyone comes here and looks at our record in all competitions, they will see it is an outstanding record now, both in terms of wins and clean sheets,” he said. “We ‘ve only conceded four goals in the Premiership and six or seven in all competitions.”
It is little wonder that Allardyce describes the stadium as a fortress — even if it seemed rather less intimidating with a 13,236 crowd, and, bearing in mind they were playing a team who are such a soft touch away from home these days, the outcome was no surprise. “Sometimes psychology plays a part,” Giannakopoulos said. “Maybe it does for Arsenal here and we take advantage of it. We’re getting stronger. We now have a big-club mentality.”
Such is Bolton’s confidence that Allardyce, getting a little ahead of himself, said he would be “gutted” if they reach the final and the new Wembley Stadium is not ready. Either way, his case to lead England into the European Championship qualifying campaign on the same ground is strengthening by the week. One thing is for certain: the No 7 ball will be one to be avoided in the fifth-round draw this lunchtime.
Bolton Wanderers (4-3-3): J Jaaskelainen — J O’Brien, T Ben Haim, B N’Gotty, R Gardner — K Nolan, I Campo (sub: R Vaz Té, 54min), H Nakata — K Davies, J Borgetti (sub: M Jansen, 73), S Giannakopoulos (sub: N Hunt, 90). Substitutes not used: J Fojut, I Walker. Booked: Davies
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Arsenal (4-2-3-1): M Almunia — K Gilbert, J Djourou, S Campbell, P Senderos — M Flamini, A Diaby — A Hleb, F Ljungberg, J A Reyes — R van Persie. Substitutes not used: S Larsson, N Bendtner, F Muamba, A Lupoli, M Poom. Booked: Reyes, Diaby, Senderos, Van Persie, Gilbert
Referee: M Dean