Wenger’s big chance to bow out on a high
THE WEEKEND just gone was one of those times that my sporting viewing on the television was severely curbed by hours spent on too many sidelines to mention, earning a few bob to put tasty morsels on the table.
I’m not complaining of course as I love watching a bit of live action, no matter what the sport at whatever level, although sometimes it would be nice not have to scribble down the goings-on into a notebook or type manically on a laptop as the story unfolds.
However, when it comes to writing a weekly column it would be rare to find a subject from a local match that would resonate with the wider public, although some of the stuff you’d hear on the sidelines would make for interesting reading, even if most of it would be unlikely to get past the legal team or would have to be severely edited in the interest of good taste.
Anyway, with all my comings and goings and time spent in front of a computer screen I missed Munster and Leinster’s toughto-take losses in their respective Champions Cup semi-finals, Galway’s surprisingly easy Allianz Hurling League final win over Tipperary, and Barcelona overcoming fierce rivals Real Madrid in El Clasico, to name but a few mouth-watering contests.
The first bit of sporting action I got to feast on on the box was the FA Cup highlights programme on the BBC late on Sunday night.
I’ve often criticised the grand old competition and its perceived ‘magic’, but in fairness the four clubs that were left in the race, although they would all have loftier ambitions at the outset of each season, really wanted to win it having reached the business end.
For all the failings of English football, with its standing in the European game lower than a rattlesnake’s belly, there’s no denying that the tendency across the water to play matches at full throttle provides plenty of edge of the seat excitement.
Going by the highlights reel, the Arsenal versus Manchester City showdown was jam-packed full of incident, end-to-end football with plenty of intensity and goalmouth action and a small bit of controversy thrown in for good measure, with defences as leaky as a decrepit rust-riddled watering can.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been under increasing pressure over the past few months with the ‘Wenger Out’ cries growing louder with each passing week, but in terms of underachieving he has been seriously outdone by Pep Guardiola, after the hysteria and expectancy that greeted his arrival at the Etihad.
Of course, since the Spaniard is relatively new to the job, time might be on his side after his first season failure, although you never know in the cut-throat world of football.
Pep was clearly dejected in his post-match interview, unsurprisingly as it’s gradually dawning on him the enormity of the task he has to challenge for the title in England with City, never mind the European honours that his bosses would have been eyeing when he was cherry-picked for the hotseat.
It might be a long way from the biggest prize on offer for the giants of the English game, but if the Gunners could overcome double-seeking Chelsea to claim the FA Cup it could be the insurance Arsene Wenger needs to avoid joining the dole queue on a Monday morning at the end of May.
I do firmly believe that winning a trophy is far more important than finishing fourth. Whatever the financial ramifications, for a fan it’s hard to get excited about qualifying for the Champions League when you know in all likelihood that your club will exit the competition at the last 16 stage.
Lifting a trophy, on the other hand, is something to savour and cherish for a lifetime.
In an ideal world it would be great to see Arsenal winning the cup and Wenger bowing out on a high with a record number of FA Cup wins and his legacy intact.
Unfortunately, there’s a fair chance that either Chelsea or Arsene’s stubbornness could scupper those lofty hopes.