Gianfranco Zola draws more pleasure from a share of the spoils

Matthew Norman
26 Oct 2009

Two gigantic questions hung over Upton Park when this fixture began, and despite much of the journey being aimless, circuitous and mind-numbingly dreary we arrived at both answers in the end.

Are Arsenal good enough to win the Premier League? No, they are not. Not without adding some reinforced steel to this squad, anyway. And are Gianfranco Zola's West Ham United bad enough to be relegated? By no means. Not, at least, while Carlton Cole maintains such imperious form.

For 75 minutes, until a third hideous goalkeeping error acted as the defibrillator paddles to get the pulse of this flatlining affair beating again, you weren't sure on either front. West Ham worked hard but without any confidence, while sluggish Arsenal were content to coast to the win seemingly guaranteed by the first-half goals gifted, to Robin van Persie and William Gallas, by Robert Green.

The goalkeeper's pitiful judgment on crosses should have him barred, by Act of Parliament, from the English net next summer. I know the alternatives, David James and Ben Foster, inspire the sort of confidence a geriatric would feel if a mischievous relative turned up for Halloween in a Harold Shipman mask, but Green was so poor that Fabio Capello is advised to give the third keeper's spot to Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence or any other once-reliable Englishman - no, Seaman, not you - the right side of 60.

Arsene Wenger hit that milestone last week, of course, and many belated happy returns for that. In all this goodwill, he'll forgive me observing that all yesterday confirmed is that there's no fool like an old fool. How often must he watch Arsenal throw away leads through headless chicken defending before he buys a defender or defensive midfielder, or both, capable of killing off games like this? Yet again, as in the Champions League on Tuesday, the lack of a couple of battle-hardened old salts cost him dear.

For Zola, the cuddliest of Premier League gaffers, justice was ultimately done, because from the start there had been very little between these teams other than Green's howlers - the first on rushing out when he should have stayed on his line, the second when he repeated that trick in reverse.

The opening half was the most lacklustre I've seen all season, largely perhaps because the usually voluble Upton Park crowd never found its voice. Small wonder the atmosphere was sepulchral though, with West Ham marooned in both the bottom three and an unending financial crisis.

For much of the second half, the quietude and passionless play continued to hint at a training session. Arsenal, lacking their usual crispness, relied on Andrey Arshavin for what sporadic creativity there was. West Ham created little, meanwhile, despite the spry efforts of Scott Parker in midfield and the controlled aggression of Carlton Cole.

No more lavish compliment can I pay the latter than that he reminded me strongly of Didier Drogba at his best, and without the nonsense. On this form Cole should be a live contender for Don Fabio's World Cup squad, and it was scant reward for a mighty performance when Vito Mannone's girly flap diverted a harmless free kick on to his head for the goal that turned the game.

Moments later, with Arsenal panicking as they always do when a lead is halved, Parker was tripped after a storming run into the Arsenal box. However, referee Chris Foy preferred to wait and reward a much weaker penalty claim, for Alex Song's innocuous challenge on the rampant Cole, by pointing spotward.

Alessandro Diamanti, a canny substitution by Zola although less so than his introduction of the highly impressive Zavon Hines, converted it adroitly. Natural justice screamed for the West Ham winner that might have come had Parker not been unluckily dismissed, to repay West Ham for doughtily battling on when all seemed lost at 0-2.

Cesc Fabregas, not at his best here, may make a better captain than the dotty Gallas, but Bligh, Birdseye, Pugwash and Sensible would all comfortably vault that hurdle too.

With Manchester United and Liverpool so much weaker than last season, Manchester City not yet the finished article, and Chelsea currently so vulnerable on their travels, this is hardly a strong Premier League. Arsenal are no more than an elder statesman or two away from being deadly serious rivals to Chelsea.

As for West Ham, they have far too much spirit and quality, and far too many weaker sides within reach at the bottom, to fret unduly about demotion. A frantic finale could not disguise that this was a leaden game of football, but if it transfuses the Hammers with the lifeblood of self-belief, as it certainly should, it will be worth more to the lovable Zola than its weight in gold.