Wenger frustrated by Arsenal's lack of persuasion

Once more, Arsenal's pre-season programme began in earnest last night under a long, dark shadow from Madrid.

For the past three summers, Arsène Wenger has been trying to shield his captain, Patrick Vieira, from Real Madrid's advances. The Arsenal manager must feel like Jacob grappling with God in his battle of wills with the nine-times European champions.

Superficially, given the silence that has fallen following Madrid's departure on a tour of east Asia, it appears that Wenger has prevailed. It is a false impression.

Vieira sat this match out with a thigh strain that Madrid believe to be an injury of convenience. Wenger has manfully defended Vieira, refusing to countenance the suggestion that the French midfielder will depart Highbury after eight seasons there.

The Arsenal fans still believe in Vieira. Yet the Frenchman sat unmoved when those who had made the trip from London chanted his name. It is the Arsenal captain's impassivity that has led to the story of his expected departure enduring.

"They talk about his possible move to Madrid in the dressing room, but I don't know anything about it and, what's more, I haven't spoken to him about it," said last night's man of the match José Antonio Reyes. "I hope he doesn't leave because he's a fundamental player for us. But if Real Madrid were to be able to sign him, I'm certain they would be 100% correct to do so."

Few pointers as to Vieira's status could be gleaned from the line-up Wenger fielded last night, for if this presages the future, it is a distant one. Anchoring the Arsenal midfield was Cesc Fabregas, a precocious 17-year-old procured from Barcelona in a transfer that was as disputed as that which would take Vieira to the Bernabéu.

Alongside Cesc was Marco Né, a triallist from Arsenal's Belgian feeder club Beveren. Looking around him last night, Vieira will have seen little to encourage him that Arsenal's ambitions on the pitch can be balanced with the £465m commitment to the construction of a 60,000-seat stadium.

The £10m arrival of Reyes last January notwithstanding, this is the second successive summer Arsenal have failed make any significant purchase. The only ray of hope is that Sol Campbell appears ready to pledge his medium-term future to the club.

The pursuit of Ajax's right-back Hatem Trabelsi has fallen through after he failed a medical - though Arsenal are trying to organise a payment- per-match contract for the Tunisia international. Willy Sagnol might yet arrive from Bayern Munich, but there is little to persuade Vieira that the Champions League trophy he covets will be Arsenal's next May.

Wenger's critical post-match comments made it seem that he had hoped the performance in this friendly might do something to convince Vieira to commit to Arsenal, but he was undermined by an insipid display. This was a strong River Plate side, similar to that which reached the Copa Libertadores semi-finals, yet Wenger wanted more.

"We didn't have the power and we didn't have the legs to play well tonight," said Wenger. "We were not at our best. You have not seen the most creative side of our game.

"Ashley Cole, Robert Pires and Kolo Touré will certainly come back for Sunday's match against Ajax. Gilberto Silva and Mathieu Flamini will also certainly start."

Shorn of those stars, and Henry and Campbell, this scratch XI was a shadow of the team that swept all before them last season. Jermaine Pennant escaped his marker to get in a neat little lob, cutting out the onrushing goalkeeper with a centre. But Francis Jeffers, under pressure from Eduardo Tuzzio, failed to convert into the empty net.

Twice Reyes danced a path through the River defence, setting Jeffers up, then Fabregas. Both should have done better.

Daniel Luduena might have done more when he met a Nelson Cuevas's by-line cut-back, but he crashed River Plate's best chance over the bar.

Then Justin Hoyte played a neat one-two with Pennant that ended in a cross for the substitute Dennis Bergkamp, whose header from 20 yards flashed just wide.

River Plate (4-4-2): Costanzo; Gerlo, Nasuti, Tuzzio, J Fernandez; Pereyra (Mendez, 58), Ledsma, Luduena (Sambueza, 58), Zapata; Cuevas (G Fernandez, 76), Lopez (Sand, 83).

Booked: Ledesma.

Arsenal (4-4-2): Almunia; Eboue (Hoyte, 67), Senderos, Cygan, Clichy; Pennant, Né (Flamini, 63), Cesc (Gilberto, 63), Van Persie (Bergkamp, 63); Reyes, Jeffers (Aliadière, 63).

Booked: Clichy.