Finishing Touches

As Arsenal trudged off the Fratton Park pitch, their 1-1 draw against Portsmouth must have felt more like a defeat and it may yet prove to be of more use to Pompey, Spurs and Blackburn Rovers than the Gunners.

But they have only themselves to blame. Though not at their magical best, they dominated the game and carved out enough chances to have won by four clear goals, yet in the end they had to settle for an elegant finish from Thierry Henry, who by his standards had a remarkably quiet game at a ground where he normally stars. Adebayor, who has by common consent given Arsenal’s attacking play another dimension, was nevertheless guilty of two glaring misses in situations where a player of his calibre would be expected to score, and Jose Antonio Reyes was subdued almost to the point of anonymity.

One thing, however, should be made clear. Arsenal did not fail to win this game because Arsene Wenger made several changes to the side that lost at Old Trafford. Premiership commitments and Champions League success have conspired to make such decisions a necessity to avoid burn-out and undue risk of injury and in any case there were many positives in the performances of the players who were introduced. Sol Campbell made a solid and impressive comeback and was unfortunate to pick up head and facial injuries which may temporarily return him to the sidelines. Djourou was confident and composed as Eboue’s deputy and despite the reservations expressed by former Gunners boss George Graham on Sky’s Premiership Plus channel, the young central midfield pairing of Diaby and Song looked extremely promising.

Sadly, at the moment the only points which are provided by evidence of the extraordinary depth of Arsene Wenger’s squad and the terrific potential of so many young players are talking points. Goals win games and there is no doubt that if Arsenal’s finishing this season had consistently matched the quality of their attacking play, it would be Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and a whole host of European teams who would be having problems.