…Or Does The Deportivo Result Mean The Start Of Something Big At Highbury?

365 Opinion by Paul 'Gooner' Elliot

FOOTBALL fans, eh? Mere minutes after Arsenal had wrapped up a sensational 5-1 win against the best team in Spain, supporters gathering in a pub in the nearby Holloway Road were already fearing a 4-0 defeat in the second leg, so sending the Gunners spinning out of the UEFA Cup on away goals. The likelihood of Deportivo La Coruna overturning such a heavy deficit appears slim, but the way Arsenal have performed this season, anything is possible.

That said, it really is amazing what one big win can do, especially when decorated by the most audacious goal of the season - a stunning effort from Kanu that had fans laughing so hard they could barely cheer. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Arsenal are looking good in Europe again. The humiliation of watching Barcelona run in four past David Seaman at Wembley in the Champions League in October is all but forgotten.

Some turnaround. The previous European fixture at Highbury was like a practice match. Nantes were rolled over with the minimum of fuss in a quietly effecient 3-0 win, but the muted atmosphere that night suggested that the fans believed Arsenal had no real business being in the UEFA Cup. They had been well beaten in the Champions League and perhaps that should have been the end of European competition for another season. Even Arsenal old boy David O’Leary said as much, to the irritation of some North Bank regulars.

Now it’s different. An emphatic victory over distinguished opponents has got the club and the supporters buzzing again. And if Manchester United won the Champions League in 1999 despite finishing second to Arsenal in the Premiership in the preceding season, why shouldn’t the Gunners enjoy a crack at the UEFA Cup? It’s not the Champions League, but the quality of teams contesting the UEFA Cup - Juventus, Roma, Celta Vigo, Parma, etc - means it is still a prestige competition.

The Deportivo result might yet transform the season in N5. The confidence that comes from such an important victory may rouse a few of the club's under-achieving stars and inspire a belief that there is still plenty to play for in the coming months; to wit, a European trophy and a Champions League place for next season.

Given David Seaman’s indifferent form this season, winning the UEFA Cup may be beyond Arsenal, but with England’s spiritual captain Tony Adams back from injury alongside fellow malingerers Overmars and Bergkamp, the Gunners are once again at full strength. Second place in the Premiership is by no means out of their reach.

A crucial question remains: are we reading too much into one - albeit fantastic - result? At 2-1, before Djahlmina was harshly sent off following Grimandi’s theatrical collapse, Deportivo might have equalized and perhaps gone on to win the game. It was, however, Arsenal’s night. Their luck was typified by the fifth goal, when Dennis Bergkamp’s free kick took such a fortunate deflection that the Dutchman seemed almost embarrassed as he was congratulated by his teammates.

But you don’t beat Deportivo La Coruna on luck alone, especially not when the score is 5-1. Arsenal have achieved some great results this season (most notably the draws at Barcelona, Fiorentina and Manchester United) only to mess up at Wembley in the Champions League and lose Premiership games to the likes of Coventry and Bradford.
Was the Deportivo match another false dawn? We’ll know soon enough.

HAVE YOUR SAY…
Is this the start of something good for Arsenal? Will they go on and win the UEFA Cup? Can they even catch Manchester United in the Premiership? Or is it another false dawn? E-mail your views to