What a day yesterday was! Waiting for 9 years had taken it's toll on every Arsenal fan and i think the win yesterday was so emotional, because losing the final was not really an option. If this team was to ever start winning, it had to start with this FA Cup win. A lot of these players had not been able to cross the finish line for so long, another defeat might have scarred them for good. But they were able to fight through and scrap out a win that is of monumental importance for this club!!
The game itself was an emotional roller coaster. I expected a tough game because no team gets to a Cup final and just lays down without a fight. I also knew, that no matter what, we had to show resolve and win this game. That's the only way to become a winner: fight through adversity and believe that you can WIN! Those guys were finally able to do it. The start was as bad as it gets: 2 goals in 10 minutes both from scrambles in our penalty area. I am sure every Arsenal fan in the stadium was thinking "here we go again"! But Cazorla's goal was the turning point. At 1-2 down, we could still be patient going forward and needed only one more goal to stay in the game. If the score was 0-2 at half time, we would have been in deep trouble.
The second half we started putting Hull under a lot of pressure and it seemed a matter of time before we equalized. There were at least 2 or 3 situation where we should have gotten a penalty and had we lost this game, i am sure there would have been a major outcry against the ref. Luckily, Koscielny equalized and after that, there was only one team on the pitch. Gibbs could have done us all a favor, had he taken his chance in front of goal with 10 minutes or so to go. But i guess our first trophy in 9 years had to be earned the hard way! In extra time we missed a lot of chances with Giroud hitting the bar being the best one, until Ramsey finished the game with a great strike!! It was only fitting he would be the one, winning it for us, considering when healthy he has been our best player all season long! There was one more nervous moment left for everyone in red, when Fabianski decided to come out and try to clear a long through ball, allowing Hull the chance to maybe get to penalties, but the chance was missed and the FA CUP was ours!!!
That is the million dollar question, isn't it? I feel that this win has shown two main things: these players proved that they can win trophies and from here on, the sky is the limit for this team! At the same time, there are holes that have to be plugged in and addressed if we want to get to the next level (winning the Premier League title and the Champions League)!
In my last post i mentioned that i believe Wenger has to go and i wanted him to win the FA Cup as his farewell present! The reality is that the only way we would have let him go is if we did NOT win the FA Cup. Now, it's certain that Arsene will sign a new contract and keep going. I have nothing against him and i have always said that he has done more for this club than anyone else! But if he does not make the right changes this summer, i fear we won't be able to progress much from this year. What do i mean by this:
#1. We NEED a top class Defensive midfielder! I can not stress this enough! Arteta and Flamini are both good players, but they are not good enough to be our main starters. In many games this season, it was clearly visible that Arteta has a tough time keeping up with fast, physical players. He can be our rotation guy, but we need a strong defensive midfielder as a starter, who can keep the balance between attack and defense. The losses to Man City and Liverpool were great examples of us not having that balance and being punished for it. I have been hearing that Javi Martinez from Bayern is not getting along with Guardiola, he might be a perfect fit for us!
#2. Wenger has to have a plan B! One of his biggest weaknesses in my opinion is his refusal to adjust his tactics based on the opponent he is playing. We can not just blindly attack regardless of who we are playing, i love our identity and our style, but there are games where you have to be a bit smarter and set your team in a certain way. The two losses mentioned above come into mind again.
#3. Squad rotation is a must! If we want to challenge for titles on all fronts we need two teams of similar level. That's why keeping Thomas Vermaelen is a must!! The only way he will stay, is if he knows that he will play more than once in a blue moon. Wenger needs to rotate him with Koscielny and Mertesacker, otherwise he will go somewhere where he can play regularly. Against teams with very quick strikers and wingers you can easily pair Koscielny with Vermaelen who are a bit more mobile than Mertesacker.
#4. We need a good replacement for Sagna! With Sagna's departure all but certain, we need to buy another good right back. Jenkinson is a decent player but right now, he is nowhere near the level of Sagna. Bacary has been incredibly consistent in the last few seasons and has been constantly improving his game - i used to make fun of his crossing which used to be awful, but in the past two years even that part of his game had improved. If Micah Richards is healthy and available (and doesn't ask for astronomical salary), he can be a good option for us.
#5. We need a top class striker! Giroud finished the season strong but we need an alternative- someone quicker and shiftier, which will be a different challenge for defenders. Sanogo is similar size to Giroud and is nowhere near ready to be a starter for us. In the games i have seen him play so far, he shows a lot of desire and fight, but is very clumsy with the ball. He had numerous chances against Hull to take some shots at goal, instead he was trying to twist and turn with the ball and kept losing it. He will probably get better with time but we need a top class striker now.
If Wenger can adapt his style a bit and work on the 5 things i mentioned above, he might be still the right man for the job for us. Otherwise the memory of this FA Cup win will quickly fade with the fans, because they want progress. Winning this first trophy in so long, will only increase their appetite and hunger for more. We have a squad that with the right additions, should be able to achieve much more! So now Wenger has to prove that he is able to build on this win and move the club forward!
I am looking forward to this summer and hopefully our management buying the final pieces of our puzzle, so next year we are ready to win more trophies in this very competitive Premier League! C'mon You Gunners!!!
