Arsene Wenger was left fuming after Porto scored a goal following an indirect from a back-pass to leave Arsenal 2-1 down after the first leg of the Champions League tie on Wednesday night. But for former ref Graham Poll, writing in the Daily Mail, Martin Hansson was right to give the decision.
Technically, there is nothing wrong with the goal, nor the actions of the referee Martin Hansson. There has clearly been a transgression of law with Sol Campbell’s backpass and, once the referee has awarded the free-kick, the rule is that advantage is immediately given back to the team who have been wronged.
In the spirit of the law, it can be argued that the defending team should be given an opportunity to regroup before the kick is taken, but that responsibility falls to the players.
Fabianski could have held on to the ball or thrown it away – as we see so often – thus risking a yellow card but ensuring that Porto would not be able to take a quick free-kick. As for the role of the Porto players, how many times did we see Thierry Henry take a quick free-kick during his Arsenal days under Arsene Wenger?
Most memorably, in an FA Cup tie against Chelsea – and we didn’t hear his manager complaining then.It could perhaps be argued that Hansson’s positioning prevents Sol Campbell from making an attempt to get back, but that doesn’t make the referee wrong.
West Ham and Chelsea fans will remember a similar situation involving myself in a Premier League match some years ago, when I was standing between the ball and West Ham’s goal, and then stepped aside to allow Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to take a quick free-kick, which flew past David James into the net. Looking back at it, I admit that my positioning could have been better but, in this case, Hansson hasn’t blocked the view of the Arsenal goalkeeper and, by asking for Fabianski to hand the ball back, cannot be accused of taking the Gunners by surprise.
Amy Lawrence in the Guardian, meanwhile, believes all the nous of Arsenal’s Sol Campbell failed to keep his keeper calm.
For Sol Campbell it was all about having the experience to pull his team-mates over the line. That was how that rugged old warrior Martin Keown had put it. Campbell was back at Arsenal to impart words of wisdom, instil an instinct for resilience and be a bit more bloody-minded in times of trouble.
Ever since the 2004 Invincibles were disbanded, the tendency for mental frailty has lurked in Arsène Wenger’s team – temperamentally they are like an English rose, pretty in fine weather but quick to wilt in a storm.
They were on course for a spell of piteous navel gazing after the first of two calamitous errors from Lukasz Fabianski presented Porto with the easiest of leads after 11 minutes. Arsenal peered over the precipice.
Their response after conceding early goals in recent summit meetings with Manchester United and Chelsea did not augur well. Now, in the Champions League, would they cave in again or buck up to pull themselves back into contention?
Campbell delivered what appeared to be a resounding answer. He sauntered up for a set piece and thumped in a joyous header to secure an important away goal.
That is two in two successive Champions League games for the Arsenal defender. The fact that they happen to be four years and a journey through several divisions apart is a story whose meaning perhaps only he can fully appreciate.
It was all going so well. On top of the equaliser the 35-year-old tidied up with all the nous he had accrued over the years. And then the evening tilted, crushingly, all over again as Fabianski imploded once more. The second half was trundling along harmlessly enough when Campbell pushed a pass back to his keeper from close range. Inexplicably Fabianksi picked it up. The balloon of what passes for Arsenal’s defensive confidence deflated.
Concentration popped. Self-pity ruled. Campbell looked at the floor. Fabianski did not know where to look. And Porto looked at the referee, said obrigado and poked an absurd winner into the unguarded net.
In the build-up to this game the word Wenger chose to describe the prospects for Fabianski was “outstanding”. Out of his depth and a standing target for criticism, the Pole endured another catastrophic outing.
Despite the manager’s reluctance to fix problems with fresh signings, this cannot go on. To have one dodgy keeper is unfortunate, to have two is careless.
You might also find this interesting:
February 19th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
How to UEFA/FIFA/EPL ensured that referee do not bet on their own games???