Something strange happened in north-east England about 3.20pm on Sunday afternoon. It was almost creepy, slightly unnerving and borderline unbelievable.
Arsène Wenger parked the bus.
The French manager, more renowned for his stoic and unwavering commitment to attacking football, decided to shut up shop in his side’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle United.
Responding to Alan Pardew’s decision to shift to a 3-5-2 in the 80th minute, Wenger brought on Carl Jenkinson for Theo Walcott and moved to a 5-3-2, or effectively a 5-4-1.
Tomáš Rosický and Nicklas Bendtner (and earlier Olivier Giroud) were almost exclusively the only players who dared tread past the halfway line for the final 10 minutes as Arsenal closed out the match.
Ultimately Newcastle’s long punts forward to current go-to man Shola Ameobi failed to pay off, leaving the tie settled by a set piece from Giroud.
Arsenal now sit top of the EPL, ahead of Manchester City by a solitary point – who they also lead by five points in the 2013 calendar-year tally.
Could Wenger’s decision to discard his fierce dedication to a passing game, albeit momentarily, be a sign that this Arsenal side is finally ready to end its near 10-year wait for an EPL title?
It can’t be claimed the north London side have never employed such tactics in the past decade but it has surely been a rarity.
The defensive block has been employed once already this season, yet that was in front of a hostile crowd at the Westfalenstadion in the UEFA Champions League last month.
Against a Borussia Dortmund outfit, whose passing and pressing game is superior to Arsenal’s, it was to be expected.
But against a Newcastle side seemingly intent on launching long ball after long ball towards the Gallowgate End?
Is this a sign that Arsene Wenger is actually maturing in his later years?
His insistence on playing attractive football should be applauded and admired, yet there is only a certain amount of pain fans can endure.
Football is about tactics and parking the bus may be ‘anti-football’ to some football purists, yet it is a tactic all the same – and one that requires exceptional organisational skills to pull off.
Not many sides can do it for 90 minutes, here Arsenal only needed to survive 10.
With 2013 over it remains to be seen whether Arsène Wenger and his side can transform their newfound steely resilience into a title win.
Victories against teams in the top four are still paramount, yet if they are to go all the way it is games against sides such as
Newcastle that they need to win – even if it’s ugly.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
With a certain inevitability, Manchester City are suddenly in charge of the Premier League title race. Arsenal and Liverpool both produced lethargic performances under…
Ten goals flew in across the opening two quarterfinals of the Champions League as honours ended all square in Madrid and London. An incredible…
Match 7 2017. Ask any Arsenal fan what their memories were of that day and you'd get anything but a positive response. Leading 1-0…
Over to you, Liverpool. Arsenal and Manchester City have done their bit in the latest chapter of the English Premier League's tight title race,…
Arsenal have launched a pivotal month in their pursuit of silverware by returning to the top of the Premier League table thanks to a…
Frankly, it was a bad look for Hayes. She appears like a grumpy and frustrated manager as her tenure at Chelsea is coming to an end.
