Cup Loss Troubles Pale Against Player Conduct
Thursday, January 24th, 2008 by Dina Ely
If losing 5-1 to Tottenham at Tuesday’s Carling Cup semifinal wasn’t troubling enough for Arsenal, the behavior of their players during the match may well be. Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner shared an aggressive moment in which Adebayor head-butted Bendtner. Today Adebayor escaped punishment from the FA, who have have chosen to deal with the matter by sending both players a letter regarding expected conduct.
There is no word yet on how Arsenal will handle the situation, if at all. Adebayor issued an apology on the club’s web site, but pundits are expressing concerns and speculation that if not dealt with properly the blow-up could cost the club either player.
Referee Howard Webb intervened during the match to stop the row from escalating, but by then plenty of anger had been vented between the two players. Whether the confrontation was born from the frustration about Arsenal’s poor play or an off-the-pitch grudge between them remains to be seen. Bendtner was responsible for an Arsenal own goal earlier in the game; no doubt his emotions were roused as it was.
Bendtner was not an innocent party in the altercation; although the worst offense was Adebayor’s head-butt, the younger player did accost the side’s captain William Gallas when he stepped in to separate his feuding teammates. Howard Webb admitted he didn’t see the entire episode and therefore did not impose as harsh a penalty as may have been expected.
The FA reviewed footage of the incident before ruling that no action would be taken against the Togolese striker. The decision came with Webb’s recommendation that the video wasn’t conclusive enough to warrant retrospectively penalizing Adebayor.
Any wider repercussions of Adebayor’s and Bendtner’s behavior remain to be seen. However, Arsenal have more than their performance to dissect; if they are to keep the peace and cohesion in their side, they must consider the current chemistry and address issues that arise between players. The result of letting attitude problems come to a head on the pitch can be the difference between a win or a loss. The root cause of Arsenal’s thrashing at the hands of Tottenham could lie in a lack of cooperation between players. Having just been eclipsed by Manchester United in the EPL, Arsenal cannot afford to give away matches so cheaply.
Source:
ESPN
Spread the Boom:
