Enchanting Arsenal’s Role-Playing Relives Total Football

A few weeks ago, I felt I had made some astute observations, and upon realising this,  came to light with several pleasing issues I wish to transpire to my fellow readers.

Adjust yourself to two Saturdays ago when Arsenal traveled to Bolton for a league fixture; apologies for the delay but what follows is what I had written after the game: 

I came back from my local pub after watching the Bolton-Arsenal game a happy man.

You see, I had dreaded how this game might turn out.

With Arsenal’s abysmal history in the north-west, I had feared another boxing match from the area where Amir Khan hails.  

Thankfully, it was Arsenal who floated like a butterfly all over the pitch. And with the introduction of lightning-fast Walcott at the later stages of the game, they stung like a bee.

Having played Bolton’s neighbours Blackburn at Ewood Park (another ‘boxing ring’ for us) a week ago and ripping them apart (4-0), I had hoped Arsenal would be taking their magic spell with them across to the Reebok today.

And they did. 

The pace and tempo of Arsenal’s passing engulfed the two teams apart, to such an extent Bolton couldn’t see the other side. Intricate connections between players showcased why Arsenal were now sitting comfortably on top of the league tonight.

There was something different about this Arsenal side today. The desire was burning and evident; energetic enthusiasm was spread across the team and the vibe eventually dispelled Bolton in a performance I had never expected to see in Arsenal’s No. 1 bogey ground.

This team wasn’t strong as last year’s by comparison. Without the departed Hleb, and with Rosicky and Nasri injured, the left side was seriously flawed. Robin van Persie and the red-hot Theo Walcott were left on the bench making way for Bendtner to have another encouraging start.  

This led me to think that in hindsight, we had a weaker team today.

There was an air of Total Football in the sense that there were players playing ‘out of position’ throughout the match; as the game wore on, and after substitutions, I noticed the Arsenal players being played in different unfamiliar positions.

Allow me to venture my observations. 

Bar Eboue, Arsenal had a congested midfield of central midfield players.  

Alexandre Song (now a 21-year-old Cameroon international), whom I have high hopes and one that I see as a natural successor to Gilberto, played centre-midfield along with Cesc Fabregas. 

The right midfield slot was given to the ever-improving Denilson, who had risen in his role as Flamini’s ‘heir’, for want of a better word, in the previous games as partner to Spaniard Fabregas in the centre.

Denilson is

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