Tomas Rosicky is a metalhead, but his play exhibited the time signatures of Mozart. We say farewell to Arsenal’s most painful “what ifs” in recent history.
January 2014, the third round of the FA Cup. Arsenal vs Tottenham. With 30 minutes to play, Arsenal have only a one-nil lead to show for their domination. Tottenham, sensing an opportunity, have begun to push for an equaliser. But Tomas Rosicky isn’t having any of that, and we all know how much he loves a goal against this lot. With the rest of Tottenham’s team in Arsenal’s half, the ball is played back to Danny Rose on the halfway line. Rosicky is closing down, without an obvious pass forward, Rose tries to Cruyff-turn his way out of trouble. It doesn’t work. Rosicky wins the ball, putting himself through on goal – only 50 odd yards of pristine grass between him and Hugo Lloris. The rocket-footed Kyle Walker flies back in pursuit, but it doesn’t matter. Four perfect touches take Rosicky into the box, with his body between Walker and the ball. Walker can’t touch him. Rosicky’s eyes dart to Lloris who is quickly out to meet him. The French stopper goes to ground, stretching his 6″2 frame and narrowing the angles. No matter. Rosicky lifts the ball delicately over the prostrate Lloris, sealing the win. It’s an important goal, something that Rosicky is in the habit of scoring, setting Arsenal on course for the club’s first major honours since 2005.
Two years later, on 30th January 2016, Arsenal are into the fourth round of the FA Cup. On the bench, having come back, once more, from another lengthy spell on the sidelines, Rosicky is brought on with twenty minutes left to play. Almost immediately, he starts to struggle with what will turn out to be a serious thigh injury. It is utterly tragic, after all the injuries, operations, treatment rooms, physiotherapy sessions, after it all. And yet he still puts in the hard yards, despite knowing, surely, that he is causing further damage. A ten-year servant of the club, both a gifted footballer and a hard worker, Rosicky should have been an Arsenal legend. And there he is, grimacing and limping around the pitch, all for the shirt. It is excruciating to watch. Even before the extent of the injury is recognised, I know that I am probably watching Rosicky’s last game in an Arsenal shirt. Today, I wonder if Rosicky knew too. Probably.