MAY 5, 2012

BY RICHARD OSLEY

IF Arsenal are spending their Thursday nights playing Europa League football next term, they may look back on afternoons like today and curse their unwarranted complacency when tackling threats like Norwich City.

Since beating Manchester City almost a month ago, the Gunners have frittered away a glut of chances to cement a place in the Champions League. They lost to Wigan, drew a blank against Chelsea and toiled against Stoke. Today’s draw against Norwich City, although thrilling to watch, was a missed opportunity too far and Arsene Wenger’s team are no longer in control of whether they play in the elite competition in Europe next year or not. Stupid.

Even if they scrape a fourth place finish, there is a very good chance they would then be displaced if Chelsea are crowned European Champions against Bayern Munich later this month. It’s a helter skelter of a switchabout. In February, Arsenal did not look like they stood a chance of even being in contention and only through the wastefulness of their rivals did they manage to claw themselves back to familiar heights. If you had asked the team whether they would accept having to beat Norwich and West Brom in their final two games to guarantee Champions League football, hands and arms would have been bitten off. As soon as the hard work was done, however, the Gunners took the foot of the gas and are now finding it hard to revive the spirit of their 5-2 derby win of Spurs.

The worst thing about this latest catastrophe is that Arsenal were ahead inside two minutes but instead of going for the jugular as better Wenger sides of the past would naturally do, the current crop allowed Norwich to be ahead by half time. Aaron Ramsey was frighteningly poor. Alex Song not too much cleverer. Least focussed of all seemed keeper Wojciech Szczesny, the cocksure shot stopper who often strides around his penalty like he owns Emirates Stadium. A soft sidefooter from Wes Hoolahan squirmed out of his gloves for an embarrassing leveller to Yossi Benayoun’s earlier curler. Grant Holt bullied his way forward for the second and scored with the help of a deflection off Kieron Gibbs’ boot.

The response was strangely subdued for a team with som much to play for. It was latish in the second half when Robin Van Persie claimed a brace to put Arsenal ahead, first set up by a Song, who found himself in the second half, and then set up by a defensive ricochet. John Ruddy in the Norwich goal had a fine game but was helpless to stop both. That should have been it. But Arsenal’s penchant for the self-destruct button reappeared and after what Wenger said were “five mistakes for one goal” Steve Morison was clear to beat a panicking Szczesny, shorn of his usual confidence possibly by his first period error.

Arsenal had only need to hold out for seven minutes more. For all Norwich’s endeavour and wonderful spirit, this should have been doable. Even back at 3-3, there were chances for Arsenal to make amends. Van Persie clear on goal for a split second saw a shot beaten back by Ruddy. With seconds left, Van Persie appeared to be bundled over by a Norwich defender as a low cross skated across the box. The referee was uninterested in the penalty claims and Arsenal were left to wonder about their own lack of interest throughout the first half.