Arsenal 2, Wolves 0 on ESPN2 - Pregame
=== Pre-Match ===
Announcers drive Dr. D to distraction, breathlessly driving us to scrutinize Arsenal for "psychological fallout" the week after what was, mathematically, the greatest collapse in Premier League History.
(Which covers, oh, 18-20 years or something; they simply didn't used to call the first division the "Premier League.") But, still, in 20 years or so nobody had given up a 4-goal lead of any kind, much less 4-0. Nobody. 4-0 is like 40 points up in the NBA.
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It fascinates Dr. D that the English studiously avoid whining about penalty kicks. Newcastle had come back on Arsenal --- > only because the referee gave Newcastle 50% of their four goals on penalties. (And another 25% of the goals came on a miracle slice-shot that the Newcastle player will never repeat in his life).
In the NBA, a penalty kick would be roughly comparable to a ref handing Steve Nash the ball and saying, "okay, this foul shot is worth 12 points" ... and then giving him two of them.
Or, suppose that in the NFL the Packers were up 28-0, and Clay Matthews grabbed a face mask, and the ref gave the Steelers 79 yards. First and goal on the one. .... Twice. A lot easier to come from 28 points down if you're given 14 of them.
But EPL fans are great about acknowledging these fake touchdowns as valid. I honestly don't understand it, but do admire it.
In America, we'd talk about luck and the refs -- as we still are talking about the 2005 Super Bowl refs. In Europe, where the refs are truly corrupt, they don't want to talk about it. They man up and take their medicine, whether fair or not.
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Anyway. The announcers behaved precisely as if Roberto Duran had thrown up his hands and said, "No Mas," quitting the fight last week. Blimey! What will happen in the next fight?
It's not just the announcers. Week long, the talk had been "How will Arsenal shake this off?"
Dr. D never got that. Kobe Bryant doesn't have to "shake off" a bad game when he's going up against a short white guy the next game. The overmatch in talent removes all psychological considerations. An Olympic sprinter doesn't need sports psychology to beat me in a race.
Arsenal wasn't going to have any trouble with Wolverhampton. Or what was I missing?
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Watch! Watch! Watch! Perhaps Arsenal will lose every game the rest of the term?