Destroyer Deeney exposes gutless Arsenal outfit on and off the pitch
THREE years ago this week, Jose Mourinho explained the difference between his Chelsea side that had just won at Crystal Palace, and the team that had meekly surrendered at Selhurst Park the season before. “Big Balls!” he wrote in a journalist’s notepad, and Chelsea duly went on to win the title that season.
Now it is Arsenal whose ‘cojones’ are the subject of scrutiny, after Troy Deeney spelled out bluntly what opponents believe and the club’s supporters fear - that Arsene Wenger’s men do not have the appetite for a scrap.
Watford have improved enormously under Marco Silva this season, and their rise to fourth place in the Premier League is just reward for a team playing stylish, passing football with speed and confidence.
But on Saturday they were up against Arsenal, the masters of that type of game, and getting little joy until Silva sent on Deeney just after the hour mark. Immediately the Watford captain began “putting himself about a bit”, as he said afterwards, and was surprised to find no reaction from the visitors, who were leading through Per Mertesacker’s 39th-minute headed goal.
Deeney set up a chance for Richarlison, that was missed, but made no mistake when the favour was returned, as the Brazilian winger’s tumble brought the penalty from which Deeney equalised. Suddenly the game swung Watford’s way as Arsenal faded alarmingly, and the difference between the two teams in terms of desire was apparent when a fired-up Tom Cleverley burst into the area past a statuesque Granit Xhaka to score the winning goal in stoppage time.
While Wenger railed against Richarlison and Neil Swarbrick for a penalty that he called “the creation of the referee”, Deeney hit the nail on the head.
“I’ve heard Wenger’s already saying the penalty is the reason they lost,”
Watford’s captain said afterwards. “Well, I’m not going to be one to tell Mr Wenger about himself, but there’s a reason they lost and it wasn’t because of one penalty – it’s having a bit of cojones. Whenever I play against Arsenal, I’ll go up and think ‘let me whack the first one and see who wants it’.
“I came on today and jumped up with Mertesacker. I didn’t even
have to jump, actually. I nodded it down, the crowd got up and they all just backed off.
“For me as a player, I just think ‘happy days’. That’s my strength – if you’re going to let me do my strength against you, you’re going to have a tough afternoon.”
With the exception of Alexis Sanchez, who was rested because of a “muscular injury” according to Wenger, Arsenal’s players do not seem to have the hunger or desire to scrap it out at places such as Watford when the going gets tough.
Their away form is alarming. Mertesacker’s header was their first away goal in the league this season, and they have just one point from a possible 12.
Wenger knows this has to improve: “We must score more goals away from home,” he lamented.
They should have scored more against Watford, but with the score at 1-0 Alex Iwobi was denied by Heurelho Gomes and then Mesut Ozil shot straight at the goalkeeper with the goal at his mercy. It was a bad miss by a player who epitomises Arsenal – world-class at times, but found woefully wanting when the going gets tough.
Wenger excused Ozil on the grounds that he is not yet fully fit, but already there are more injuries starting to stack up. As well as Sanchez, Shkodran Mustafi and Aaron Ramsey were absent after international duty, and both Laurent Koscielny and Danny Welbeck limped out of the game.
Deeney’s ability probably wouldn’t get him ahead of many of them in the Arsenal team. His attitude, though, certainly would. (© Daily Telegraph, London)