Rafa the conductor of mayhem leads Arsenal on a merry dance . . .
AS A frantic finale was played out amid the noise, one manager orchestrated his team from the touchline; the other was nowhere to be seen.
Rafa Benitez and Arsene Wenger, the former leading his side to a fourth straight victory, the latter beating a retreat to the shadows after five consecutive away defeats, Arsenal’s worst run on the road since 1984.
Arsenal have come to embody flattery to deceive. Possession? No problem, 72 per cent. Chances? They aren’t afraid to shoot: 15 shots here. But when it comes to being clinical in attack and ruthless in defence they are flaky. They try to trick the observer into believing they might actually be in control. They are not, especially when meeting the antidote to their pretty patterns, as was the case at St James’ Park.
Once the home side figured that Arsenal’s plan did not extend far beyond keeping the ball and doing little with it, they made sure to punish them when their own chances came along.
They did that by turning half of their four shots on target into goals. Only four teams have bettered their conversion rate in the calendar year, and to think they slumped into the bottom three when beaten by Arsenal in the reverse fixture in December.
Since then Benitez has managed his team, bringing improvement from every player. Compare that to Wenger and Arsenal, where players and seasons drift aimlessly. The Europa League and a semifinal with Atletico Madrid is their salvation now, but their extended stay in that competition will prove another mirage to judge from this evidence.
Wenger called Arsenal’s away form a ‘negative spiral’, but then delayed the inquest because of mitigating factors.
And there is the football club in a nutshell — yes, there are problems, but we don’t want to address them now.
Wenger claimed Thursday’s trip to Moscow was the reason they underperformed yesterday, even though he made six changes.
‘It is a concern because traditionally we have a very strong record away from home,’ he said.
This was a snapshot for the Gunners of what a club should be like, where players, management and supporters are as one. That much was evident on full time as Benitez joined his team for an impromptu lap of honour.
They sing Benitez’s name in these parts, they snarl Wenger’s in north London. Not that the away fans could be bothered to turn on their manager, there was almost a sad acceptance of their fate.
And how can that be at a ground where Arsenal had not lost since 2005? They even had a lead to protect, handed to them when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette — the £105million strikeforce paired for the first time — clicked on 14 minutes, the former crossing for the latter to hook home.
But come the half-hour Newcastle