Sunderland 0 - 0 Arsenal

It was a limp display from Arsenal as they never found a final product despite their usual dominance of possession.  Alexis looked like the only Gunner who was likely to score, and he almost did on a free kick.  But time and again, I'd be screaming at my TV, "SHOOT!" and someone would make one more little pass six or eight yards out that was blocked or ended in an offsides call.  Sunderland was delighted to get a point, with their games in hand on Norwich, and they were unlucky not to get three.  Mertesacker would have been called for handball by some officials, but Mike Dean of all people didn't blow his whistle.  Van Aanholt hit the angle with a free kick.  And several good chances went begging through a lack of poise or ability from a Sunderland player.  Our best chances were either spurned in favor of an extra pass or blocked or sliced badly.  Mannone made one or two difficult saves, but was not worked sufficiently.  He looked nervous, too.  (Fabianski, Szczesny, and Mannone all start today for top-flight teams.  Our keeper situation was not a problem.)

Ozil did not look at all sharp, but I reserve my harshest criticism for Ramsey.  He allowed Sunderland to steal a throw-in from him that nearly became a goal, and he misplaced several passes.  He overelaborated in attacking positions.  And his defense was once again not sure.  Iwobi blew a couple of our best chances, but he's a young guy and has been playing well.  Giroud was ineffective, and drifted too far wide on a few occasions.  Monreal put in some truly dreadful crosses that could have amounted to something.  Bellerin continued his run of ordinariness.  Alexis was a cut above everyone else on the field, but as soon as he was blocked off on an attack, the threat eased.

We really could have used this.  I expect we'll do better against Norwich, and ought to beat Aston Villa, so it all comes down to the Manchester City game.  Unless they manage to drop some more points (and they're inconsistent enough to do it, especially with their semifinal ECL tie with Real looming), we have to win.  We're level on points, but a daunting 8 worse on goal differential.  Manchester United can also pass us if they're perfect and we lose once.  If Liverpool wins Europa League, the new rules, as best I can figure out, mean that they qualify for Champions' League but do not take away the fourth-place EPL team's slot in the ECL play-in.  If City wins ECL too, it doesn't really matter unless they finish fifth in the EPL.  In that case, the fourth place team is bumped out, because there are a maximum of five ECL slots for any national league.  What all this means is that if we can finish fourth, we get the play-in slot. Say both Manchester clubs and Arsenal win all their games except for a draw between Arsenal and City.  They'd all have the same number of points, but City would be third on GD and Arsenal fourth.  United will be happy with their FA Cup.  If Arsenal lose to City we're in Europa League.  United actually has a reasonably tough run-in, facing Leicester and West Ham, so perfection is not going to be easy.  But the key is that if Arsenal win its last three, which frankly looks unlikely, they have third place.  It's in our hands.

It's not too early to opine that this has been a very disappointing season.  Chief among those poor moments:

• The FA Cup loss to Watford.  Holding the Cup would have been the saving grace.  Exiting like that was an awful slip-up.
• The League Cup ouster at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.  Not only were we embarrassed 3-0 by a lower league side, we had two key players seriously injured.
•  Inexplicably poor performances in 2016 against West Brom away, Swansea and Palace at home, United at Old Trafford, Norwich away, and Sunderland today, among others.  A ridiculous number of points were essentially thrown away to opposition that should have been beaten relatively easily.
• The by turns comical, inspiring, and annoying Champions' League experience.  First Giroud and Ospina put us in a huge hole due to epically stupid acts, then they beat Bayern at home and Olympiacos away to get through to the round of 16, then we lose badly to a Barcelona team that soon showed it was not the equal of last year's.  
• The two Chelsea games may be the most galling.  Poor discipline and a lack of fortitude equal a bad result.  Gah.  We couldn't take a point from those guys this season?  Pathetic.

With all that, we're still in our accustomed position (fourth).  High points are beating league leaders Leicester twice, coming back short-handed to take a point against Tottenham, the aforementioned ECL heroics, and some other things that I don't want to remember because then I'd wonder why we couldn't do more of that good stuff when it counted.

Well.  Three games to go.  Win 'em all, boys.  Simple, right?

Stan Kroenke is probably concentrating his mind and resources on moving the Rams back to LA.  He's not going to suddenly go all Sheik Mansour and buy a couple top class players.  Jack's back!  It's like a new...

Hey, DC United won big last night.  I like what I'm seeing from this team.  I think it'll be a good season.  And Juve is having a season to remember--I'll do a post on that in a couple weeks.  It could be worse--I keep thinking about a Notts County supporter I met in New Zealand.  And speaking of the fourth division, York City is about to be dumped from League Football.  Try finding those games on cable.