Title Slipping Away

Birmingham, Aston Villa and now Wigan (0-0), has blown away Arsenal's chance of clinching back the Premier League title. Three consecutive, and lucky, draws puts Man U in the driving seat of reclaiming back the title.

So promising at the start but fading off in the 2nd half, has become the norm..

Expectations were low, even reaching an CL spot was deemed hard and near to impossible after Henry left. Now 29 games into the season, Arsenal has proved their critics wrong in the best manner. That's where our team has left me, expectations high in every game but this was their 3rd consecutive below-par performance and has left me frustrated... again.

To give a Milan-type performance might be too harsh for the lads but their minimum should have been enough to kill off Wigan, who are fighting for their survival. Don't blame the poor JJB pitch as Wigan gave a good collective performance on their part. They were quicker to the ball and showed more hunger. As is evident in modern day football, having the millions and talent doesn't guarantee results day in, day out. With shock results from the FA Cup (Man U 0 Portsmouth 1, Chelsea 0 Barnsley 1), I would say that whoever wants it more will most probably get it in the end (with Man U an exception as they were unlucky to have lost).

Almunia (6/10) - Made a great save from a A.Valencia shot but had not much to do.
Gallas (6/10) - Good defensively as always but didn't contribute much in attack.
Senderos (6/10) - Still clumsy. Strong defensively but still suspect in his pace. Luckily Wigan didn't have quick forwards to trouble him or I would have feared the outcome.
Clichy (6.5/10) - Was running up and down the flanks with Hleb. Made some useful moves through the middle and linked up with the forward line but no result to show for it. The pitch didn't help him in his crosses and passing though.
Sagna (6.5/10) - Solid defensively but manage to make only a couple of runs offensively. Need him to outpace defenders on the right and to put in good crosses but none today.
Flamini (7/10) - He is doing the captain's job, urging and pushing his team-mates but was in vain. Was difficult to command his area with the poor pitch but did enough to twart Wigan's attack.
Gilberto (Toure)(5/10) - The most puzzling inclusion. Did nothing at all except provide some defensive strength. Can't wait for him to leave this summer. Finally replaced by Toure in 2nd-half, who went into Eboue's position.
Cesc (6/10) - Poor performance from our playmaker. As I've always said, whenever Cesc doesn't turn up, the team suffers. Passing was poor even though he put in a few good crosses through the middle in the 1st-half. Was dangerously close to an own goal in final minutes, putting a cross over his crossbar.
Hleb (6/10) - Another poor performer. Unusually poor in passing, sending balls to opponents. Pitch affected his game and looked tired towards the end.
Bendtner (RVP) (6.5/10) - One of the better players with a more energetic approach. Guess not playing in Milan helped. Some good passing but ineffective in front of goal. Was good to see RVP playing again. Closest was a freekick which he blasted over the bar but there were some neat footwork from him.
Ade (6/10) - Poor in 1st-half and became invisible in the 2nd. Totally lost upfront and the defenders always seem to win the ball from him before he could control it. Definitely one of his poorer games.

Overall (5.5/10) - Forgettable...

Arsenal's chances are slipping fast and the last three matches will hurt, badly. With the focus AW has called on his team, they just did not deliver. With Man U having a game in hand and two points behind, the initiative has gone back to them and this time I don't see them relinquishing it back to us..

Whether it's a learning process towards being a great, winning team or not, Arsenal must know consistency is something they must start to find in themselves and it might not be this season. The prospect of not winning anything will start to get real as the season progresses and with games like these to come, the Gunners must dig deep to counter the slide if they want to win the BPL title.

Yes, come end of the season, it might just be a case of "so close yet so far...".