SINCE 2008 it has been the Premier League's acid test. Avoid defeat at the Britannia and you have what it takes to be champions.
 |
| Arsene Wenger's Arsenal face a tough trip to Stoke on Sunday on the back of their 3-3 Liverpool draw |
On Sunday, it is table-topping Arsenal's turn to face Trial by Potter. Manchester City have already failed, Leicester and Tottenham escaped with draws.
The trouble is, Arsene Wenger's side usually lose. Indeed, since Stoke first made their bruising presence felt in the Premier League, the only time the Gunners have emerged from the Potteries with a win came in 2010 when the London club were fired up with a desire for revenge having already been dumped out of the FA Cup at the Britannia.
They were also only facing 10 men that day after Ryan Shawcross was sent off for breaking Aaron Ramsey's leg an incident that further scars memories of an unhappy venue for Wenger.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes admitted his fans love to rile the Frenchman, and he can expect more of it tomorrow. And the truth is his players have never been man enough to stand up to the peculiar challenges of the open-cornered windswept stadium just off the A50.
And that ability to win ugly is what marks out true champions. Only Manchester City have won the title since Stoke arrived in the top flight without taking all three points from the Britannia - for United and Chelsea it has been a rite of passage.
Finally, though, Wenger believes his side are ready.
"I hope we have a good result and I will call you on Sunday night to make sure the statistics are updated!" Wenger vowed when I pointed out the statistical significance of avoiding defeat at the Britannia.
Arsenal have notched eight wins out of eight against Stoke at the Emirates so clearly they have been good enough but over the years, he used to come up with all sorts of excuses for Arsenal's near-perennial failures.
At last yesterday he was honest: until now his side have simply not been grown up enough.
"First of all, when we had a very young team we had a style that was maybe a little bit rough for us and we could not always cope with it," he said.
"Last year we went to Stoke with a very young defence - Hector Bellerin, Calum Chambers, Emiliano Martinez in goal - and at the start of the game we got caught.
"At the Emirates we are at home and our game is easier to play. But over the years they had a very efficient, traditional English style which nobody liked to play against and at home it is as well a very windy stadium.
"And let's not forget for years they had that narrow pitch where every throw-in beyond halfway was a corner when Rory Delap played."
He pronounces the name "D-Lap", like some sort of unsavoury gangsta rapper whose antics an aesthete like Wenger has little time for.
But just as during those title-winning years of more than a decade ago, Wenger has a bit of "street" in his own team again - a battle-hardened spine with enough Premier League savvy to look after the team. These days that is just the basic requirement against a Stoke team that also has style and pace in the armoury.
"Petr Cech is 33, Per Mertesacker 31, Laurent Koscielny 30, Nacho Monreal 29... Before we did not have that level of experience and that helps a little bit," the Arsenal manager said.
"The squad feels stronger. It is always a test, Stoke, and our record goes against us. But it is interesting as well because it is also a mental test to show we have moved forward and that we can deal with what Stoke offer.
"We have stabilised the results and got some consistency and the biggest challenge was to win the big games. That makes you feel stronger when you are fighting for the Premier League title. We have beaten United and City recently so we can do very well."
While Stoke fans will do all they can to ensure Arsenal do not do well, Hughes does believe Wenger has answered his critics by leading his side to the top of the table.
"From recollection, he was in a down period last time he came here and they were down 3-0 pretty quickly," said Hughes.
"People at clubs who appoint managers just have to be patient. You have to be resolute with your convictions and back your man.
"That's what Arsenal have done for many years and this year it's a good season for them. They're in a better place than they were the last time we met at the Britannia so that makes it more of a challenge for us.
"Maybe it's a message for people who were a bit quick to criticise - you should back your man."
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus