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Journalism of Courage
The warning lights began to flash just over two weeks ago and on Tuesday the fuel propelling Arsenal towards the peak of European soccer and a memorable treble haul of trophies all but ran out.
The 2-1 home defeat by Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final sent a visibly tiring Arsenal crashing out of their second competition in four days and left manager Arsene Wenger wondering whether a season that promised to be the greatest in their history might instead end up being one of their most disappointing.
In little over 80 hours Arsenal’s treble dream of winning the Champions League, the premier league and the FA Cup collapsed. They still have the domestic league title to focus on but even the sanguine Frenchman has doubts about that now.
‘‘I am deeply, deeply disappointed’’, Wenger said last night. ‘‘We are very down and it will be very difficult to lift the players. But they are mentally strong and now this is a big test for us.”
It certainly is. Arsenal face fourth-placed Liverpool in a Premier League match on Friday at Highbury and then travel to fifth-placed Newcastle United on Sunday. Both opponents will be looking for a win to boost their own chances of playing in Europe. Chelsea, meanwhile, are just four points behind them in the title race, albeit having played one match more. If Arsenal slip up against either Liverpool or Newcastle and Chelsea win their next two games, against Middlesbrough at home and Aston Villa away, then Chelsea will take over at the top of the table. (Reuters)
