Arsenal must learn to scuffle

English FA Premiership: If Arsenal retain the title it will be the most uncharacteristic of their triumphs under Arsene Wenger. The 2-2 draw with Manchester United has not ended their hopes of taking the Premiership, but it was the clinching piece of evidence that there will not be the faintest resemblance to the Double-winning feats of 1998 and last season.

Then the team hurtled towards the finishing line with the frictionless exhilaration of a bobsleigh. This time it is all looking a bit sticky. Five years ago they put together 10 consecutive Premiership victories to confirm themselves as champions. Twelve months ago they were rounding off the league season with 13 straight wins. At present, on the other hand, they have accumulated five points from their four most recent fixtures.

Arsenal, in Wenger's time, are not accustomed to edging towards honours. Alex Ferguson, United's spin doctor as much as their manager, realises that and, while a share of the points was useful to him, he was also preying on Highbury anxieties when he took to the field at full-time.

Wenger's side must rediscover some of their old slickness and confidence, but they will also have to scuffle through patches of their remaining five league fixtures. Middlesbrough, whose only defeat at the Riverside was a freak 5-2 defeat by Aston Villa, will certainly engage with Arsenal tomorrow, and the visitors need to break that grip before they can play freely.

Although there are strong characters in the squad, the team does not take naturally to these scraps. On Wednesday Sol Campbell became the 49th player to be sent off during Wenger's seven-year tenure, but that statistic has always been paradoxical. The offences owe a great deal to ill-judgment and loss of temper, because Arsenal are certainly not a vicious team.

The tranquillity that is the default position in the manager's personality is geared towards easing the team into a rhythm and, as the Doubles of 1998 and 2002 show, Arsenal are devastating when they hit that groove. In 2003, however, they have been jolted out of that serenity.

Few supporters would revive the "1-0 to the Arsenal" chant these days, because any lead tends to be liable to readjustment. Since sharing the points at Liverpool on January 29th, they have been ahead in seven matches, in all competitions, that they then failed to win. They were trapped in that syndrome again on Wednesday.

It took a deflection and a linesman's mistake to let Thierry Henry score twice after the interval, but Arsenal could not accept the good luck that was pressed into their hands. Within a minute United were level.

The visitors' equaliser smacked of Arsenal frailty and there has to be self-reproach in any back four that permits Ryan Giggs to score unchallenged with a header. Lauren should probably take the rap, but there has been a range of culprits over the course of the season.

Arsenal, by common consent, are short several defenders who would make them more secure. Campbell has the credentials but now he is virtually sure to be torn from the ranks for the FA Cup final and the last three league matches. Although he is not a vindictive defender, his decision to sweep back his right arm to fend off Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was rash.

An appeal by Arsenal would be unlikely to persuade the authorities to overrule their official.

The centre-half will be unable to offer much further service and Wenger cannot be certain when the captain Patrick Vieira will recover from his knee injury. Any reduction in leadership skills is alarming for a club that has lost its way too often already. Only once in the Premiership, at West Brom, have Wenger's team come from behind to take full points this season. It is a trick that United have pulled off in five matches.

Arsenal, of course, do have merits of their own. If they were really wobbling their way through the programme they would not have outscored the Old Trafford side, with one game fewer played, to create a near-tie for first place. The concern for Wenger must lie in the phasing of their season.

A win makes the same contribution to the points total whether it is made in August or May, but that is not how it feels. The momentum is with United and it would be only human of Arsenal to torment themselves by regretting that they squandered their supremacy.

It will take a mighty effort to resist such corrosive thoughts. Ferguson exults in the prospect of United becoming champions after being written off, but the title would now be quite some feat for Wenger as well.