It’s always seemed to me to be unfortunate that vital matches, like the crucial late stages of domestic and European cup competitions, are played at the time in the season when players are nearing exhaustion. I’ve had this thought since 1978, when Arsenal lost to Ipswich at Wembley in the FA Cup, with gifted and crucial players like Malcolm MacDonald and Alan Hudson amongst those in red who played despite struggling with injuries. But, being realistic, finals are the climax of a competition, and everything before has led to them. How else can it be?
What it means though is that showpiece events that deserve the best talents performing at their peak are, all too often, stifled by mental or physical fatigue, with creative players a shadow of what they are capable of and have shown earlier in the competitions.
And there is a knock-on effect in the Premier League, the best barometer of performance. The length of a season ensures that it covers the ups and downs of fitness and form of players and the vagaries of fortune, rather than (as in, say, a cup quarter-final) all depending on a single tie. True, it’s possible to lose key players for lengthy periods or be uniquely struck by series of misfortunes, but with 36 games, most ought to be immune from end-of-season-itis. Which is why, for this writer, it’s the trophy I most want to see us win.
Except crucial league matches can affected by fixture pile-ups and the loss of players and fitness that can arise from the late-stage cup games. “The price you pay for being successful,” people say, but that still doesn’t make the drop off in form any easier to accept.
I write this from the perspective of defeat by Bayern Munich. We know how good Martin Ødergaard and Declan Rice have been over the season, how Bukayo Saka is becoming one of the finest players of his generation (to name but three), yet against Bayern, they all looked (to me) very slightly below the level we’ve enjoyed for much of the season. Would they, in the pomp of earlier in the season, have found ways around or through the superb covering of the Munich players? Brim full of energy and confidence, would they have found ways to fire in shots and score match-winning goals as they were doing at the start of the year? We’ll never know!
We know it’s not lack of skill, technique, desire or application
But the drop-off in performance in the second half against Villa and in Germany suggests something has gone missing. From the results for much of the season, we know it’s not lack of skill, technique, desire or application. Were Bayern players that much better than us? Or do they have less demanding seasons and can replicate early season freshness right to the end, having not been kicked, fouled and run into the ground for nine months?
I can offer no conclusion or solution. We have fantastic seasons of football played out year after year, with match after match of enthralling entertainment. Would we sacrifice eight months of dross if it meant a toophy in May?
In the meantime, there’s the small matter of Wolverhampton, followed by Chelsea, followed by Sperz. In my mind, I long to see fresh legs and freedom of expression that evaporates when mind and body tires, but as much as I believe in the squad players, expecting them to come in mob-handed and click instantly is perhaps a dream too far.
So, fingers crossed that sheer professionalism and ability will win the day in the forthcoming matches. Perhaps a few different players will be selected – and if they succeed, it’ll invariably lead to asking why they’ve not been selected before. Either way, we know how good this team can be, and we need to get behind them, whoever is on the teamsheet, to restore their confidence and rebuild their energy.
Keep the faith.
Richard Smith 18 April 2024