All Is Not Lost, But Arsenal Need To Show They Have Some Bottle And Bounce Back

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Once again a season that promised so much for Arsenal teeters on the brink of becoming another missed opportunity to end the club’s near six-year trophy drought.

Two weeks ago Arsene Wenger’s side were fighting on four fronts to land a major trophy but in that time they have lost the League Cup final to Bimingham and this week they were knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona.

It could get even worse if they don’t recover quickly – up next this weekend is Manchester United at Old Trafford in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

While Old Trafford may seem like the worst place to have to go after being thoroughly out-played at the Camp Nou, it represents a great chance for Arsenal to bounce back and prove to their critics they have the steel which they are so often criticised for lacking.

For a few years now the north London club have been labelled as chokers who do not have what it takes when it comes to the crunch of winning trophies.

It is a not something which can be argued about as on numerous occasions the Gunners have fallen short when so close to lifting a trophy. It is not a new phenomenon either.

Arsenal fans have been used to the disappointment over the years as the club, while they have won their fair share of trophies, have lost 10 major finals in 30 years, many of which they were expected to win.

They lost cup finals against so called lesser teams like Ipswich, Luton, Real Zaragoza, Galatasaray and Birmingham to name but a few.

They also fell away in the 2007-08 title race after setting the pace for so long. The Gunners lost their way after a 2-2 draw at St Andrew’s where Eduardo broke his leg in a horrific incident.

Arsenal seemed to lose their heads against Birmingham and it effected them until the end of another trophyless season.

Many of the same criticisms have resurfaced over the past month but so soon after the disappointment against Barcelona they have the opportunity to show they are made of stronger stuff against league leaders Manchester United.

t represents a brilliant chance for Wenger’s side as Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are coming into the game on the back of two disappointing defeats.

If Arsenal could finally turn up and win an important game they could go a long way to putting the wrongs of Birmingham and Barca right. It would mean another trip to Wembley for a semi-final and a building block towards re-building confidence.

It would also place down an interesting marker down for the title race. Manchester United visit the Emirates next month and a win for either side would score an early point in the title race.

Now is the time for the senior players in Wenger’s squad to actually act like senior players and pick up the squad before the trip to Old Trafford.