COMMENT: So, according to Arsene Wenger, Arsenal lost on Saturday because of Diego Costa.
Oh no, hang on. It was Mike Dean who was to blame. Wait a minute, wait a minute. It was actually Michel Platini and giving up on FFP...
You get the drift. Last week, we saw the true colours of Wenger's Arsenal. His shadow squad was humiliated in Croatia by Dinamo Zagreb. Then his 'refreshed' front-liners were out-fought and out-thought by Diego Costa and Chelsea.
Diego Costa doesn't do selfies. He doesn't take silly photos of his abs. He doesn't lobby management about a teeth whitening service. What he does do is fight, scrap and draw every ounce of potential God has given him. That Wenger singled him out after his team blew this game - the sort of game that decides titles - should be worn as a badge of honour.
The Spain striker isn't a Wenger player. He isn't pretty. He isn't polite. He doesn't do tippy tappy. He's a Jose Mourinho player. A warrior. A fighter. A leader. Everything that Wenger's players aren't.
Yeah, he's a panto villain. So what? Not all of us are fans of pretty triangles and interceptions rather than bone-on-bone tackling. If you're lucky enough to see Chelsea in the flesh, you're not there just to watch the Blues' football. You want to see Mourinho prowling the touchline - and a chirpy Diego Costa getting on the wick of his marker. It's all part of the spectacle.
Today, he'll be hammered by certain sections of the media. And what will infuriate these pundits is that Diego Costa, like his manager, simply won't care. The idea that Chelsea's centre-forward is going to meekly bend the knee, duff his cap and apologise for the way he plays is ridiculous.
As he said going into Saturday, nothing has been given to Diego Costa, "I've had to fight for everything I have". And that's how he plays. The determination - the desperation - to win flows out of every pore of his body. Wenger used to be the same. He'd adapt. He'd reshape. He'd find players that could help him win.
Now, the Frenchman waits for big brother (UEFA) to bring down laws to help him win his way. Rather than compete, he wants Financial Fair Play to drag back those clubs that dare show more ambition. And when this doesn't happen, rather than find a solution, he throws his hands up and moans.
Just as he did with Diego Costa. The Blues striker didn't behave as Wenger wanted. He refused to play 'nice', to rollover and play to Wenger's standards. So, according to the Gunners manager, he should've seen red. Even though the striker did not commit a foul over the course of the game.
Diego Costa's antics can work both ways. Rio Ferdinand, the former Manchester United defender, described him as a "liability", which is a stretch. But playing on the edge, as Diego Costa did on Saturday, can backfire. Problem was, Arsenal had no-one on the pitch willing to take him on. Gabriel at least tried, but then lost his head with that silly kick in front of Dean. Madness. And the result of mental disintegration at the hands of Diego Costa.
Forget the Maccabi Tel Aviv result. Chelsea were there for the taking on Saturday. The team was on its knees. The manager was wobbling. Victory for Arsenal would've seen Chelsea drop into the bottom three. It was all set up for Wenger and Arsenal to really twist the knife.
It was a game to decide the title. Yet, when Dean blew the final whistle, it was the visitors left devastated. Three points lost. Two players suspended. And a direct rival back amongst the winners. Following the midweek defeat in Zagreb, all the old suspicions about Wenger and Arsenal are raising their head again.
Josip Pivaric, the Dinamo Zagreb defender, talked about coach Zoran Mamic demanding they "play fanatically" against Arsenal. Could you ever describe Arsenal's style of play as 'fanatical'?
Victory at the Bridge was just another one of those backs-to-the-wall triumphs modern Chelsea have become renowned for. Think Mourinho's masterclass at Liverpool two years ago. But it goes beyond the Special One. The Champions League year, beating Barcelona along the way and then Bayern Munich on their own turf. It's in the club's DNA.
Arsenal? Wenger? Please, Gooners, if you can recall any game where you've shown the same type of fighting spirit, help us all out and list them below - because nothing springs to mind.
And that's the difference between the two managers and the two clubs. Whatever is put in front of Mourinho and Chelsea, they will find a way to overcome it. For Wenger and Arsenal, as we stand today, they're still waiting for a hand from Platini, UEFA, Dean... whoever, to 'even things out', as they see it.
INJURY TIME
It's a bit rich of Arsene Wenger to blame defeat at Chelsea on Diego Costa remaining on pitch. Particularly when you consider how Arsenal were helped by the wrongful dismissal of Aleksandar Mitrovic for their win at Newcastle United last month.
Rather than the Serb, with all the publicity raging about his gung-ho style, diving into Francis Coquelin, if the roles had been reversed, can you really see Andre Marriner giving the Arsenal man a straight red? Would he have even been booked?
Arsenal scraped a 1-0 win at St James' Park, only because Marriner wanted to send a message. Mitrovic went into the game with his card marked. Marriner knew about his 'previous' and was ready to act. Another player, another team and the challenge would've resulted in a ticking off and no more. But Mitrovic was a different story and Arsenal were happy to take advantage.
