兵器庫 4 Wigan 0: Thomas Vermaelen strikes twice to get Gunners 支援する to winning ways

By Patrick Collins for The Mail on Sunday Updated: 01:22 BST, 20 September 2009

On a drowsy afternoon at the 首長国s, two vastly different football teams went through their predictable paces. 兵器庫 明らかにする／漏らすd most of their old, familiar shortcomings, yet still （機の）カム home in a yawning canter.

Wigan 論証するd why theirs will be a long and painfully unrewarding season. So mundane was the fare, so predictable the 結果, that even the 兵器庫 fans were 軍隊／機動隊ing away before the の近くに, content with the goals and the points if not the 業績／成果. Indeed, the only person with 推論する／理由 to remember 訴訟／進行s was 兵器庫's ベルギー centre-支援する Thomas Vermaelen, who 追加するd two goals to the European goal he 得点する／非難する／２０d on Wednesday.

Kneesy does it: 兵器庫's Emmanuel Eboue celebrates after 得点する／非難する／２０ing

The 経営者／支配人s always tell us that goals are goals, and they really don't mind where they come from, and Arsene Wenger did not disappoint last night. But, given 圧倒的な 領土の advantage and 所有／入手, the 兵器庫 経営者／支配人 might have 推定する／予想するd a good 取引，協定 more from his attacking 軍隊s.

Instead, he was given a reprise of 古代の faults, with his players 試みる／企てるing to 得点する／非難する／２０ the perfect goal. It was not until 15 seconds from the end of normal time, when Cesc Fabregas knocked in Nicklas Bendtner's driven cross from a couple of yards that 兵器庫's 死刑執行 adequately matched the planning which に先行するd it.

飛行機で行くing leap: Vermaelen outjumps the Wigan rearguard to give 兵器庫 the lead

Wenger made some small 試みる／企てる to 保存する his status as north London's 居住（者） curmudgeon by complaining about the number of fouls Wigan gave away. But his heart wasn't in it, since the contest had been so patently unequal.

Yet if 兵器庫 could leave us 比較して underwhelmed にもかかわらず 得点する／非難する／２０ing four goals, what does that say of Wigan? The answer is all too obvious. Their 経営者／支配人, Roberto Martinez, was commendably candid.

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He 自白するd that his team had been overawed, that they needed to acquire that touch of arrogance which would 許す them to compete. In fact, they needed a good 取引，協定 more than arrogance, for they defended ineptly, attacked without 有罪の判決 and gave not a hint that they 所有するd either the wit or the organisation to 交渉する the 危険，危なくするs which を待つ them.

Even their 現体制支持者／忠臣s seem filled with foreboding. There was the merest spattering of Wigan fans in their allotted corner of the stadium.

It was a 思い出の品 that a 後退，不況 is biting, match tickets are expensive and people tend to think twice before travelling the length of the country ーするために watch their team receive a 決まりきった仕事 乱打するing. Somewhere in that little clump of data, there lurks a lesson for the 首相 League. You may be sure that they will not learn it.

Martinez 認める his 味方する were a 失望. 'We were very poor,' he said. 'That was not our style at all. We did not get anywhere 近づく the 兵器庫 players in the first half. Our starting position was wrong and there was a 欠如（する） of belief. We are not 普通は a 防御の 味方する, but we had a slow start and that was the 推論する／理由 for our 業績／成果. I cannot not take any 肯定的なs from the 業績／成果 - or the 欠如（する） of it.'

Blue and white 塀で囲む: Cesc Fabregas sees his 解放する／自由な kick deflected

There was little enough for Wigan to celebrate. For the 開始 25 minutes, 兵器庫 went to work slickly and unproductively. They then 地位，任命するd the simplest of goals. From a Fabregas corner, Vermaelen jumped highest and met the header with 意図. He seemed genuinely surprised by the 結果.

For his 同僚s, it was a 事例／患者 of watching the half-chances pass by. Emmanuel Eboue, コマドリ 先頭 Persie, the beavering Eduardo, all squandered 適切な時期s to bury Wigan beyond 解任する. So much so, that they went in only a goal to the good, leaving Wigan 範囲 for dreams.

But even the dreams were （判決などを）下すd unrealistic five minutes into the second half, when Vermaelen 得点する／非難する／２０d again. Bringing the ball out of defence, he played a short pass to Eboue, received the return and swept it beyond Chris Kirkland.

Having started 貧しく, Wigan grew far worse. In 59 minutes, Hugo Rodallega was 許すd 解放する／自由な run on goal after Alex Song had been caught in 所有／入手. The chance was listlessly frittered, then 兵器庫 新たにするd their attack at temperate pace, Eduardo struck a cross against the base of a 地位，任命する but was 許すd to gather the 回復する in a （人が）群がるd box. His 発射 took a 決定的な 回復する off Eboue, and 兵器庫 were far beyond 追跡.

There was a suggestion that Eboue had celebrated in 前線 of the Wigan fans. In truth, he would have done 井戸／弁護士席 to find them. So there was time for Fabregas to devour the cross for the fourth. But there was no time for illusion to take root. 兵器庫 had been no better than they needed to be. Poor Wigan had been a 広大な／多数の／重要な 取引，協定 worse.