London: The Arsenal that Arsene Wenger likes to tell us about — the mentally tough one, the “quality” one — had slipped into myth.
Only he seemed to still believe a giant was hiding inside the pygmy of the team we saw in the Premier League.
But Chelsea will feel he was right all along after Wenger’s men subdued the champions in this thrilling FA Cup final.
If any Arsenal player wanted Wenger out, they had a strange way of showing it. Mesut Ozil was a tiger, attacking down the right with zest and almost kicking Eden Hazard off the pitch. A hammered-together Arsenal defence that was missing three centre-backs confounded almost every Chelsea effort.
This, after Wenger had spoken with unusual candour in a BBC interview about being “treated in a way that human beings don’t deserve to be treated.” Wenger’s future had become such a political football that Arsenal’s third FA Cup final in four years threatened to become a 90-minute wait for a final answer on whether the Wengerocracy was over.
The decision was with him, of course. But his players added weight to the argument put by his supporters — that his 21-year reign is still viable, give or take a structural change or two. Chelsea helped, with a start so casual they might have been sipping sundowners in a King’s Road bar.
Antonio Conte has been this season’s outstanding manager, yet even he was unable to alert his team to the dangers of post-Premier League switch-off. The match officials also lent a hand. Arsenal’s early goal, by Alexis Sanchez, was preceded by their best player raising both hands and directing the ball into the penalty box for him to run onto and score.
Yet, Arsenal’s enthusiasm and grit were unrecognisable from the capitulations we witnessed in too many Premier League fixtures. They played as if they owned the FA Cup — owned Wembley (they had won it 12 times before, stretching back to 1930). Some may have felt they were playing for their personal futures — perhaps at other clubs.
Whatever the motivation, the issue of Wenger’s future soon seemed less pressing as an enthralling final crackled on the nation’s screens. Arsenal legends were divided in their predictions. Liam Brady seemed sure Wenger would sign a new deal; Martin Keown suggested this might yet be Wenger’s last game as manager.
Then, in the build-up, Wenger himself let rip, denouncing those who have made his life so difficult. But did he mean fans, pundits or even some inside his own club? “The lack of respect from some has been a disgrace and I will never accept that. I will never forget it,” Wenger said.
The FA Cup has become Arsenal’s season-saving ritual. A run of eight wins in nine — too little, too late — had left them short of the four Champions League qualifying places, but the Cup presented a chance to paint a rosy glow on the campaign. This was a record 20th FA Cup final appearance for the Gunners — and a chance to create a new all-time high of 13 wins.
— The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2017
