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| Arsenal’s Emirates fortress still prone to collapse at feet of top sides | Arsenal’s Emirates fortress still prone to collapse at feet of top sides |
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| At the end of Arsenal’s first season after swapping the intimate and elegant old Highbury for the lucrative scale of the Emirates Stadium, Arsène Wenger admitted that there were times he felt his team were at a neutral venue. It didn’t get off to the most auspicious start when the name etched into the history books as the first goalscorer was Olof Mellberg in an underwhelming and nervous draw against Aston Villa. It’s a difficult business, making a modern arena feel like home. | At the end of Arsenal’s first season after swapping the intimate and elegant old Highbury for the lucrative scale of the Emirates Stadium, Arsène Wenger admitted that there were times he felt his team were at a neutral venue. It didn’t get off to the most auspicious start when the name etched into the history books as the first goalscorer was Olof Mellberg in an underwhelming and nervous draw against Aston Villa. It’s a difficult business, making a modern arena feel like home. |
| The imperative to imbue some feeling on to a concrete bowl, to create a semblance of home advantage as quickly as possible, was keenly felt. The club found it challenging enough that they embarked upon a decoration phase their chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, dubbed “Arsenalification”. They commissioned supersized artwork of legendary players to effectively link arms around the exterior, erected statues of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Tony Adams and Herbert Chapman, and splashed the concourses inside with collages of colour and history. | The imperative to imbue some feeling on to a concrete bowl, to create a semblance of home advantage as quickly as possible, was keenly felt. The club found it challenging enough that they embarked upon a decoration phase their chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, dubbed “Arsenalification”. They commissioned supersized artwork of legendary players to effectively link arms around the exterior, erected statues of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Tony Adams and Herbert Chapman, and splashed the concourses inside with collages of colour and history. |
| Related: Theo Walcott’s England disappointment down to injury, says Arsène Wenger | |
| It was only once Arsenal had finally won a trophy to display in their new abode, the FA Cup last season (incidentally they had home draws all the way to Wembley) that Wenger admitted that the Emirates at last felt properly lived in. “For a while I thought it was a curse,” he pondered to the thousands who came to see Arsenal parade the first silverware of the new stadium era. | It was only once Arsenal had finally won a trophy to display in their new abode, the FA Cup last season (incidentally they had home draws all the way to Wembley) that Wenger admitted that the Emirates at last felt properly lived in. “For a while I thought it was a curse,” he pondered to the thousands who came to see Arsenal parade the first silverware of the new stadium era. |
| Arsenal are currently enjoying their most sustained period of home domination since they moved in nine years ago. Eight Premier League wins on the spin is their best sequence yet and has strengthened their case for another top-four domestic finish. | Arsenal are currently enjoying their most sustained period of home domination since they moved in nine years ago. Eight Premier League wins on the spin is their best sequence yet and has strengthened their case for another top-four domestic finish. |
| But the devil is in the detail. The one home match they didn’t win was a disaster. And while the overall statistics are excellent, the slips on home soil this season have come when the heat was above average. That calamitous defeat against Monaco in the Champions League (not to mention an anxiety attack in the group stages to let Anderlecht grab a draw) saw Arsenal crumble under pressure. | But the devil is in the detail. The one home match they didn’t win was a disaster. And while the overall statistics are excellent, the slips on home soil this season have come when the heat was above average. That calamitous defeat against Monaco in the Champions League (not to mention an anxiety attack in the group stages to let Anderlecht grab a draw) saw Arsenal crumble under pressure. |
| Their only home defeat in the Premier League came against Manchester United in November when their opponents seemed dazed and confused and apparently there for the taking. Manchester City and Tottenham both took a draw away from the red corner of north London earlier in the season. | Their only home defeat in the Premier League came against Manchester United in November when their opponents seemed dazed and confused and apparently there for the taking. Manchester City and Tottenham both took a draw away from the red corner of north London earlier in the season. |
| Arsenal’s fine current record is about to be put on the line. On the one hand the habit they have formed of picking up home victories gives them considerable confidence. On the other, their tendancy to drop in the highest-profile matches comes under scrutiny. Their next two Premier League visitors to the Emirates are Liverpool and Chelsea. The results will have a weighty bearing on how they finish up this season. | Arsenal’s fine current record is about to be put on the line. On the one hand the habit they have formed of picking up home victories gives them considerable confidence. On the other, their tendancy to drop in the highest-profile matches comes under scrutiny. Their next two Premier League visitors to the Emirates are Liverpool and Chelsea. The results will have a weighty bearing on how they finish up this season. |
| Wenger will not read too much into the notion that Brendan Rodgers’ team arrive with momentum dented by recent events. That damaging defeat by Manchester United before the international break, suspensions to Martin Skrtel and Steven Gerrard, and the ill wind that turned into an untimely gale as Raheem Sterling gave an ambivalent interview about his future, are all unhelpful ahead of a match that will put Liverpool’s top-four aspirations into sharp focus. | Wenger will not read too much into the notion that Brendan Rodgers’ team arrive with momentum dented by recent events. That damaging defeat by Manchester United before the international break, suspensions to Martin Skrtel and Steven Gerrard, and the ill wind that turned into an untimely gale as Raheem Sterling gave an ambivalent interview about his future, are all unhelpful ahead of a match that will put Liverpool’s top-four aspirations into sharp focus. |
| The layering of difficulties for Rodgers is not, though, too dissimilar to the problems Louis van Gaal had to contend with when he bought his team to the Emirates last November. Injuries galore and a string of average results suggested a troubling away assignment. Van Gaal could not disguise how pleasantly surprised he looked to grab all three points from Arsenal. | The layering of difficulties for Rodgers is not, though, too dissimilar to the problems Louis van Gaal had to contend with when he bought his team to the Emirates last November. Injuries galore and a string of average results suggested a troubling away assignment. Van Gaal could not disguise how pleasantly surprised he looked to grab all three points from Arsenal. |
| Arsenal sat eighth in the table after that disappointment. Since then, they have climbed steadily. The upsurge in Wenger’s team since the start of 2015 has been a story of quiet efficiency. In domestic competition, since they hiccupped at St Mary’s on New Year’s Day, they have won 13 out of 14 matches. | Arsenal sat eighth in the table after that disappointment. Since then, they have climbed steadily. The upsurge in Wenger’s team since the start of 2015 has been a story of quiet efficiency. In domestic competition, since they hiccupped at St Mary’s on New Year’s Day, they have won 13 out of 14 matches. |
| Wenger feels his team are on an upward trend this season. After a slow post-World Cup start, a few needed tweaks have helped them to step up. The influence of Francis Coquelin in midfield, and the heightened responsibility evident in the likes of Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla – all of whom have delivered standout performances over the second half of the season – have made a big difference. | Wenger feels his team are on an upward trend this season. After a slow post-World Cup start, a few needed tweaks have helped them to step up. The influence of Francis Coquelin in midfield, and the heightened responsibility evident in the likes of Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla – all of whom have delivered standout performances over the second half of the season – have made a big difference. |
| Addressing their failings in away matches against Premier League powerhouses was the first priority for Wenger this season. Last term those outings hit them with the force of cast iron frying pans in the face. A collection of catastrophes – whacked 6-0 at Stamford Bridge, 5-1 at Anfield, 6-3 at the Etihad – cut deep. This season, the improvement on that front has been marked, and the salve of a couple of wins in Manchester and a draw at Anfield, in mending some heavy wounds, has been significant. To take the next step, they must find a victory or two against a major rival at home. | Addressing their failings in away matches against Premier League powerhouses was the first priority for Wenger this season. Last term those outings hit them with the force of cast iron frying pans in the face. A collection of catastrophes – whacked 6-0 at Stamford Bridge, 5-1 at Anfield, 6-3 at the Etihad – cut deep. This season, the improvement on that front has been marked, and the salve of a couple of wins in Manchester and a draw at Anfield, in mending some heavy wounds, has been significant. To take the next step, they must find a victory or two against a major rival at home. |