Arsenal 1 Auxerre 2: Backlash?... What Backlash?

Last updated : 22 October 2002 By Chris Parry

Unfortunately Thierry Henry's acrobatics couldn't save the day
Auxerre seemingly failed to read the instruction sheets that were handed to them as they got off their coach outside the stadium - you know, the ones that say "succumb to the pace and power inside the first ten minutes, concede a couple, and then try and join in the game after that".

Our team sheet was fairly predictable; Seaman, Lauren, Cygan, Campbell and cole at the back, Freddie, Paddy, Gilberto and Sylvain in midfield with Kanu and Henry up front (Dennis Bergkamp and Martin Keown are still unavailable for selection). Robert Pires was a welcome sight on the bench.

The visitors were expected to suffer the backlash following our away defeat at the weekend - I for one was convinced that we'd give them a good hiding tonight but in fairness to them they were magnificent, in the first half especially. They weren't fazed by playing at Highbury, they must have quickly realised that Arsenal weren't coming out of the starting blocks as fast as they usually do, and boy did they capitalise on the situation.

Kapo scored a fabulous goal on 8 minutes to put them one up - He picked up the ball wide on the ride, nudged it through Paddy's legs (!) then hit a rasping low shot with his left boot that curled into the corner of the net. Seaman was initially unsighted by Pascal Cygan, but no keeper would have kept that shot out.

We were still trying to find some sort of rhythm to our game, and it simply wasn't happening for us. Kanu and Wiltord were both working hard to create the openings, but Henry looked lethargic and didn't look like getting on the end of anything that we could create in dangerous positions. Auxerre were aware of our flat back four, and constantly probed in an effort to unhinge the defence. Sol didn't look comfortable, Indeed Cygan looked like the main man at the back tonight - strange.

Kanu slots home our solitary goal
Unthinkably, Auxerre went 2-0 up after 27 minutes - Boumsong broke through the middle, Cole got his tackle in, but the ball broke loose. Seaman advanced from his line in an attmept to claim it, but Fadiga was just too quick - he got to the ball first and got enough on it to lift it over Dave's head and into the net. This was not looking good - it was Shaktar Donetsk all over again, with no goalscoring hero Keown to win the game for us.

We went in two-nil down at half time - how often can you say that about a game at Highbury? - and frankly at that point we didn't look like doing anything about it. Looking at the situation logically, it was clear that we would come out for the second half and show more purpose - we haven't become a poor team overnight, it's simply a case of finding your rhythm, making those passes count, timing those runs, and in the end it will all come good.

Seven minutes into the second half and it looked as though we were back in the game - Thierry Henry played a lovely ball from the right across the goal and presented Kanu with what was a virtual tap-in. Two one down, thrity-five minutes left to play give or take, and I would still have put money on us winning it at that point - we were playing with more purpose, Vieira and Gilberto were exerting their joint influence on the midfield, and Auxerre were no longer the only team playing football at Highbury tonight.

On fifty-eight minutes, incredibly we came close to going 3-1 down after young Ash mis-kicked on the edge of his own box. Auxerre players seemed to instantly swarm all around him trying to put the ball into the net, but in the end they were thwarted by Seaman, who made a great save to keep them out.

As clock ran down, it always looked as though we might grab the equaliser. We were starting to play with a certain dregree of fluidity, albeit the final ball was sometimes poor, and our set piece play was woeful - why does Thierry Henry take corners anyway? - and why does he always overhit them?

Auxerre celebrate, we get undressed.
On seventy-one minutes, Gilberto made way for the return of Robert Pires. He was given a standing ovation by the Highbury faithful, and no doubt the more fanciful amongst us were scripting a fairytale comeback - could "Le Bob" bag the equaliser? - he certainly came close, but it was beyond even him.

The flamboyant Kolo Toure replaced Lauren, but even he couldn't seem to add any spontaneous energy to the performance. Whilst he was only on the pitch for a quarter of an hour or so, he didn't really get into the game at all.

Eventually Auxerre finished two-one winners, and one has to say that their victory was thoroughly deserved. Meanwhile we have to make sure that losing doesn't become a habit - in just over a week it'll be November after all, and we all know what's prone to happen when we hit the penultimate month of the year don't we?

From my point of view, I'm glad that it was a Champions League game that we lost tonight, and not another Premiership game on the bounce. We'll still qualify from our group by getting another point or so from our last two games, but three more dropped points in the league really would have been a disaster.