Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3

So that’s it for another year. Arsenal’s title challenge is over before December, after a comprehensive mauling at the hands of the all-powerful Chelsea.

Where do they go from here? Before the game, Wenger was clear that it was time for the team to deliver. A young team, they are no more. And, in the absence of Robin Van Persie, they failed to deliver in every way.

After the defeats in the FA cup semi final and the 1-4 home defeat in May, this was a chance to lay a marker, to show that the team were good enough to compete over an entire league season, to be competitive up till the end of April. They were founding wanting in every department.

Eduardo’s inability to take a good first touch was only bettered by Andrei Arshavin’s ability to look disinterested and lazy. It was a typical Arsenal performance – plenty of possession in midfield, plenty of nice little touches, but all counting for nothing as they were undone by two, near identical goals.

Why cant the Arsenal defence deal with Drogba? Senderos wasn’t even playing yesterday and the man from Ivory Coast still bullied them.

Why was Alex Song, the only Arsenal player who provided a bit of ‘muscle’ in the centre of the park taken off at half time?

Why does Theo Walcott think the best way to beat a man is too run straight at them, with his head down? Then there is unique ability to delay the final ball untill the last possible moment, so the opportunity goes begging. Admittedly, he provided a spark for 10 minutes, and was at least successful in pining back a marauding Ashley Cole.

Arsenal are the footballing equivalent of the prettiest girl in school – nice to look at but no substance and lacking in the brain area.

Where do they go from here? A Carling cup tie on Wednesday against Man City and a difficult third round tie against West ham in the FA Cup, means the season may well be all ready over. For Wednesday, I would play the strongest team possible – it’ll give them a chance to redeem themselves.

Where does Wenger’s dream of building a team with kids go now? Has the experiment failed? It’s clear they cannot compete with the best. Chelsea were barley out of second gear – they swatted us away like the annoying teenagers we are.

Nevermind – next year they will be another year older – there’s always next year.

ICON: ZINEDINE ZIDANE

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Two Serie A titles, one La Liga championship. One Champions League and two Spanish Super Cups. One World Cup and one European Championship. Even this fine collection of winner’s medals cannot do justice to the icon that is Zinedine Zidane.

World player of the year in 1998, 2000 and 2003, Ballon D’or winner in 1998, the genius of Zidane means he is the only footballer of our generation who can be held in the same regard as the royalty of the modern game – Pele, Maradonna and Cryff.

A number 10 in the purest sense, Zidane would show his class in his swansong, the 2006 World Cup.

The headbutt on Matterazi aside, the ageing, and compared to previous generations,  poor French team were propelled almost single handedly towards the final by Zidane’s ability. Games against Spain and Brazil in particular almost turned into a highlight reel for the man from Marseille all by themselves. Pirouettes, step overs, flicks and feints, Zidane seemed to be showcasing his locker of tricks against the best players in the world all over again.

The 2002 champions league final at Hamden park was where Zidane produced his crowning moment – his greatest piece of individual work. The best player in the world, on the biggest stage, scoring a quite simply spectacular goal.

Roberto Carlos gets down the Leverkusen right and loops the ball over to the edge of the area. Zidane, waiting on the edge, watches the ball like a hawk stalking its prey. The ball seems be in the air for what seems like an eternity.

The man swivels his body on his right foot, and, with his weaker left, sends a crashing volley into the top corner of the net – past the despairing dive of keeper Hans-Jorg Butt. It was a moment of remarkable beauty and elegance in the biggest game in club football.

Born to Algerian parents, Zizou, along with other members of the winning 1998 world cup team such as Marcel Desailly, Patrick Veira and llian Thuram, also come to symbolize France as a multinational country – a country which would look upon as those who emigrated their former colonies with fondness and acceptance – not suspicion and fear.

Tecnically outstanding, the effortless nature of his football appeared to make him almost like a dancer – gliding and swivelling past stretched midfields and the desperate lunges of defenders.

This side of his game though is not to say Zidane couldn’t handle it in the heat of the midfield battle. He was sent off 12 times in his career, including  in the 1998 world cup group stages against Saudi Arabia. This would not be his only impact on the tournament with his two goals in the final setting up the steam rolling of an out of sorts Brazil side. And of course there is the Matterazi headbutting, which somewhat left a sour taste in the mouth, after he became only the fourth player to score in two different world cup finals.

Since his retirement in 2006, Zidane has been appointed as advisor to Real Madrid President Florentino Perez and no doubt teaching his four sons (one of which Enzo, who is named after Zizou’s favourite ever player, Uruguayan  number 10, Enzo Francescoli) the ways to play football properly.

He is the only footballer I know of to have a unique documentary made about him. Zidane: a 21 st century portrait is not your typical warts and all DVD. Using 18 high definition cameras and set to a soundtrack by Scottish art band, Mogwai, the player was recorded for an entire 90 minutes against Villareal. I implore you to watch a master at work.

I will leave the final tribute to the majesty of Zinedine Zidane with a few words taken from the excellent book, The Perfect 10 by Richard Williams.

“Sublime artistry without wasted motion was what made him the perfect player for Real Madrid, an authentic heir to Puskas and Di Stefano, a man whose silhouette became his signature and whose goals carried the mark of the auteur.”

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