Given the choice of players in the Premier League there are few that I would swap for our boys when they are on form, and that is the point of this post …. when they are on form.
What is the difference between Arsenal and Man IOU? It is not the talent of the players, nor is it application, no, it is Consistency. Being brutally honest, MU are a pedestrian team with two fantastic forwards who when they are off-form cause the entire team to struggle, how would it be if the rest of the team played as patchily for a season? And yet that is what Mr Wenger has to put up with week in week out.
We have perhaps two consistent players – very few of our players perform at their top level week after week, Sometimes they are coming back from injury, other times they are carrying an existing injury, but nonetheless we struggle for a constant high level performance from anyone.
It wasn’t always thus. You knew when PV, TA, Keown , Dixon, Bould, Parlour, Nutty, Seaman, Gilberto etc took to the field what type of performance to expect, they without fail delivered .
Let’s take today’s team. Cesc and Vermaelen are certainly reliable performers, yet both are/have been injured and thus give no consistent platform to the team, which any side with Champion pretensions needs. To win the PL a team has to have at least 6 players playing at the top of their game, they need to be reliable, the go-to players when the side is struggling. Which current players carry that responsibility?
A couple of seasons ago we could look to the full backs to give regular dependable performances but even the stalwart Sagna has been poor on occasion, and as to Clichy – one never knows whether he will be brilliant or cost us a goal.
Arshavin is inconsistency incarnate. A wonderful player on his day, which is my exact point. I realise that flair players are less likely to be consistent but Arshavin is at the peak of his considerable powers and ought to be great every time he steps over the white line
Song would have been my most likely candidate to become a stand up guy, but this season he is all over the shop. One week solid and accurate, the next cannot find a red shirt. The same can be said for Diaby, a super talent who has yet to put 3 decent performances together in a row. Rosicky is another who can flatter to deceive, he can play superb passes that offer others tap-ins. and then goes missing for 45 minutes
Theo? He had a fine start to the season and we can but hope. The form of our new centre backs has wavered – of the two; Squillaci appears to be the more reliable though to be fair they will take time to settle into the PL. The same can be said for Chamakh who has been good and sometimes very good.
There is no need to discuss the goalkeeping situation.
I have left the two consistent performers to last. Nasri and Wilshere. Both have given top notch performances every game they have played. To me Nasri has carried the inventiveness of the team in the absence of Cesc, his driving play in the dreadful team game versus WBA was testament to his desire to give of his best. He is going to be an integral player at THOF for many seasons. And as to JW. What is there to say that hasn’t been said already? What a prospect.
The difference between us and Chelsea or Man Utd is that they have players who consistently play well. Fletcher rarely has a bad game, nor do Vidic, Giggs, Ferdinand, Park, Scholes, Van de Saar, Carrick or Neville (of whom, IMO only Vidic & VdS would get in a top form AFC). With such a platform they can allow capricious performances from Nani, Rooney and Berbs. Chelsea have consistency throughout their side (and is probably why they got rid of Joe Cole) which is why they are Champions. Of course it is simplistic to suggest that the only differences between our sides is purely consistency, we have been subjected to an awful raft of injuries to highly important members of the team, we do not compete at a financial level and on the whole we have been unlucky (I would like to see the stats of which team hits the woodwork the most). But sending out a dependable team is essential to our prospects and the old excuse of youthful inexperience is no longer valid.
So what does Mr. Wenger do about it? How does he make young but now experienced players play at the top of their game week after week? Well, he is the manager and gets paid handsomely to supply the answers; I on the other hand have no idea ….
Arsenal News 24/7
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Morning all.
Sorry I couldn’t join in yesterday.
A thought provoking post RA and having read all the comments,I don’t really think there is a fooproof argument one way or another with regards to the stature of our players.
No one has mentioned the size of the pitch,as Highbury was the bare minumum required and now we have the complete contrast with a pitch which is near maximum allowable.
I accept that the players have changed since we last won a trophy,but the style of play is still basically wengerball,and is it more than a coincidence that more or less when we moved stadiums the personel changed(TH14 had his last year in our opening season) and an adjustment time to playing at home was initially negated.
One might argue that close ball control or tippy tappy football is easier on a bigger pitch,but as we have seen that is not always the case.
IMO it is not size or strength, it is not being able to have a real plan B or C when the occasion arises.
Statistically we have had more serious injuries in the last 5 years than the previous 5,because players are generally more nimble, the game is getting faster but at the same time we seem to purchase far too many players who cannot sustain a decent run of games before getting injured again.
How often have we seen players come into the game,even for a cameo role who aren’t fully fit, only to agregate an on going injury.
The coaching and medical staff have to take a fair amount of blame for this,and this is an area that should be looked into more than it is at the moment.
Apologies to BR, i was asked to submit this again.
Contrary to popular belief, all the players you’ve mentioned have had absolute shockers. International break, no subject matter- fair enough.
I can’t really disagree with you BR.Theo has bulked up as has Vela,but IMO Carlos does not figure in AW’s long term plans, otherwise he would play him more.
Consistency is the key, as we never know,regardless of preceeding results,which team will turn up on the day.
The motivation has to come mainly from the players themselves,and it isn’t always apparent.
most of your other points i covered earlier,not knowing you were posting today.
Kelsey,
I missed your contribution yesterday. 🙂
I have not seen your article before and I really like the concept of comparing quality with consistency.
Asmo, above says all the players you mention have had shockers. Well thanks Asmo, you mean they are human beings? Just as it is a human trait to nitpick.
I think what you were driving at Kelsey, is that no matter how skilful players are, without consistency in performance they will not achieve their full potential.
Consistency has to be measured over a period of time which allows for an individual’s occasional lapse, but it the team’s consistency which can carry the day.
I love the way you write, Kelsey, just like chatting to a proper supporter in the pub, the way it should be. 🙂
Kelsey,
I am slightly confused by your references to BR. Where he am? 🙂
“You knew when PV, TA, Keown , Dixon, Bould, Parlour, Nutty, Seaman, Gilberto etc took to the field what type of performance to expect, they without fail delivered.”
Are you sure about that? I remember several poor performances from all those players and many more. In fact, there is not a player in the game who can deliver first-class performances in every game, without fail. That’s not just impossible, it’s ridiculous.
The difference between us and Chelsea/ManU is not consistency – it’s power, mentality and experience. Chelsea and ManU are not more skillful than us, but they are more powerful. They are both more experienced and both teams have a winning mentality. We don’t. Simples.
Our team don’t know how to win titles and our manager has forgotten how to win titles.
Soop,
All our views are subjective, therefore it would be odd if we all agreed about everything.
I happen to agree with your views on what the differences are between us and Manure/Chavs.
BR
I not only congratulate you, I salute you, for coming up with such an excellent read eleven days into the International break.
Morning RA,
the reference to BR was that i posted the above earlier today and peaches asked me if I wanted to repost it again oonce the new post was up.Therefore the ref. to Br was sorry about barging into his post.
With regards to consistency, as pointed out the players are human and anyone can have a bad game for a number of reasons,but one should expect that the majority on the field show a motivation and consistency every time they play.
Forget Chelsea for the moment.Re run the WBA game.They made us look quite ordinary for a good 35 minutes, all our players were off key, passes going astray and they outplayed us in pure football terms.
That leads me onto the next phase.We need an Adams type character out there to drive them on, and I don’t see one.
Thanks London.
Please note. I am not saying consistency is the ONLY factor, just a very important one.
And as to our great players of old having poor games – of course they did, but over a long Arsenal career they were extremely reliable.
One of the striking differences between us and United & Chelsea is that almost every player in our team is selected for what they bring to the side going forward. We like defenders who can pass out of the back, defensive midfielders who don’t just play to stop the opponent but to claim the ball and start attacks and midfielders and forwards who are all exceptionally good technically.
United in particular have always had players who do the basics right and therefore provide a platform for the more skiulful players. The likes of Neville, Fletcher, O’Shea, Brown etc would get nowhere near our squad on ability but the do a valualbe job for them.
Having said that, I’d prefer to maintain the style we play with rather than adding an extra layer of caution. I think Wenger’s style will come good eventually and the success will be all the sweeter because we stuck to our guns.
Good read! An accurate assessment in my view and I hope Wenger can find the solution!
Kelsey, I feel that TV will be that Adams character- at least I hope so! Anyone know how much longer he’s out?
Another reason for our capricious defending is the lack of this ….
Gotcha Kelsey.
There is clearly a missing inspirational leader in our team, such as TA was, I agree.
And though I hate to mention it, Manure also had a brilliant, snarly, intolerant captain in Keane. His team mates performed or they got an earful, whoever they were. I disliked the guy but credit where it’s due.
We need someone like Tony or Keane, but Arsene simply says “there are 11 captains out there on the pitch”, or words to that effect.
It is a very altruistic attitude, but I simply cannot agree. Cesc leads very well, by example, but he is not going to bite someone’s head off, when necessary, and experience tells me that is sometimes unavoidable to get the performance required. That is what helps generate consistency. Good old fear of humiliation!
Morning, clever post Raddy.
I suppose consistency comes with experience and from an unbroken run of games – a luxury our players seldom get when injury intervenes.
The International breaks often seem to upset our momentum, and we never know what to expect when players come back from the WC or EC.
Soop,
When you mean powerful do you mean physically powerful ?? I agree with mentality.. maybe experience but powerful ?? Blackburn are powerful..
Have to agree with the post though.. Consistency is key.. And when I say consistency not 100% but at least if 75% of the time our guys put in an thier best performance.. we would be AWSM..
BR,
The penny has finally dropped. Sorry! 🙂
My compliment and support of Kelsey’s article, after Asmo’s comment, should have been addressed to you.
The sentiment I mentioned above, about chatting to a proper supporter in a Pub, still holds true. But then you know I like your style. 🙂
Sorry too, Kelsey, if I embarrassed you. 😦
I’m going to go and lay down now, and allow my miniscule brain to recover. 🙂
Bops,
I thought I could help you out with your understanding of the meaning of powerful, as Soop may have gone.
Synonyms, of which there are many, include; stalwart, controlling, dynamic, robust, supreme, vigorous. Substitute any of them and Soops meaning becomes clear. Hope that helps! 🙂
RA. I am delighted you enjoy my writing style. I love AA because this is like a pub discussion (as is Goonerholic!!). No offence given or taken. just some banter ….
I’ll have a pint of Wadsworth please ( a lunchtime tipple as opposed to the fine wines & spirits of the evening)
Just read that Capello was considering putting Wilshere on around the 70 minute mark but was concerned about the physicality……..you lost an opportunity there Fabio, our boy has no problem with the physical side and that game was crying out for some midfield creativity; Barry was like a donkey: no pace, no creativity, no defence, no goal threat, in fact, not much of anything; now Wilshere, on the other hand, would have added every single one of those attributes to the game.
BR,
All we need now is Kelsey and what a delight a pie, pint and a chat in the pub would be!
In truth, there are so many like minded, interesting and articulate bloggers on this site. Especially Frothing who appears to have gone on his holidays. 🙂
I would love to meet everyone down the pub. Perhaps we could form MADS. i.e. Mutual Admiration Debating Society! 🙂
Hear, hear London.
to all those attributes, you can add robust tackler. As I mentioned yesterday, young Jack can put it about with the best of them!
When Drogba made an appearance for Chelsea reserves, at Barnett, a couple of seasons ago, I am sure it was Jack I saw skittle him, much to his annoyance. He is a tough little so and so. 🙂
Going back to my “pitch size”. suprising figures on old ground vs new. In our last 4 seasons at highbury we had the most points in the league at home with 185 – Losing only 5 games in 4 seasons. In our 4 seasons at emirates we are 3rd in league in home points 24 points behind utd and a point ahead of liverpool for 4th. In these last 4 seasons we have lost 6 games but more draws. Lastly 06-07 & 08-09 were the worst two seasons for home points in the last 8 years & 02-03 & 03-04 were the two thought some figures might help & thanks to premierleague.com for these stats.
In defence of bops, I’m sure he understands the meaning of ‘powerful’, but was suggesting that teams that are powerful with little else to offer (Blackburn) are not a winning model.
Its all about balnce in terms of strength (power) ability, stamina, experience and leadership.
We happy some delightful drinking venues by the beach over here.You are all most welcome.
I kid you not, several people are sun bathing as I speak. 🙂
Just trying to be helpful Rasp! No defence needed?
So was I 😛
Interesting times at pool and manure. I wonder if the disagreement between Rooney and SAF will give them the excuse they need to raise money to service their debt by selling him.
Also, if pool are bought by an American sports promotion company it may give us an insight at what life could be like if Kroenke were to take control of Arsenal.
Morning all
Good read Raddy and how unusual for one of us to pose a problem to Arsène and not have the solution ready for him. The bigger question would be does Arsène think there is any science involved in searching for better consistency? Can he do anything about it?
I’m a woman and I don’t know so that says it all 😆
metamusil is the answer.
oh hello, peaches.
This Metamucil? …. ‘Metamucil is a bulk-producing laxative and fiber supplement’
Both good points Rasp – we know from the Beckham history that SAF does not like a player that has too much press – clearly the Becks good press is much better that Shreks appalling record.
Its still not cut and dried at Liverpool as Hicks got an injunction from a court in Texas I heard this morning. Anyway Jamie Carragher said that Liverpools bad form has nothing to do with whats been happening behind the scenes – they’re just not very good 😀
it gives consistency,rasp.(I bet you looked that up)
you know me :).
Just spoke with dandan.he sends his regards but is not on the net.
Hello kelsey – how are you, where you been, haven’t spoken to you for ages 😉
Whats Metamucil – that sounds disgusting – ‘bulk-producing laxative’???????????????????????
Hahahahahahahahahaha – fell for that one 😛 😛 😛
The court injunction is political blackmail,as it implies it could have an effect on RSB’s interests in The States.
morning again,peaches.
Hi kelsey 🙂
Apparently Metamucil keeps you regular peaches!
RSB are really stuck in the middle aren’t they – they must dread the outcome ….. so near yet so far from getting their money
Some people know the strangest things ……. 🙂
Trust me, I’m a doctor 😉
In all reality,liverpool are being sold on the cheap and that’s why lim has jumped in as well.
Hicks and gillett stand to lose 140 million of their own money,but it should teach all clubs(including our own) not to get involved with people who don’t have sufficent funds, don’t understand the product, i.e. football, come out with lies about what they are going to do for the club, i.e. new stadium etc.etc.
Every time another Premiership side gets snapped up by a foreign investor I get a little more insecure about our future.
kelsey,
I’m a complete ignoramus when it comes to company law and the financial stuff. To the laymen it would seem ludicrous that someone can buy a multimillion pound football club with borrowed money and then just saddle them with the debt, but also that the club they ‘own’ can then be sold against their wishes? Obviously ownership does not constitute ownership?
The swiss rambler would be the best to ask, Rasp.
Nevertheless when football is descibed as a business, it appears to have it’s own rules.
This liverppol saga may well set a precedent for the future.
Rasp,
Buying a football club, with someone else’s money, is akin to you buying your house, with someone else’s money, i.e. a mortgage, which is charged on the house.
The reason Gillette/Hicks are in trouble is that they could not find alternative funding to that given by RBS.
AS a condition of not “pulling the plug” last year, Hicks/Gillette agreed to appoint an “independent”. i.e. bank appointed Chairman who they could not sack without RBS approval, who in turn appointed directors who they could not sack.
The Board of Directors then agreed to sell the club to Henry, in order to pay back RBS’s loan + interest, thus protecting the club and its shareholders, who in effect gave tacit approval last year.
I do not know anymore than you do, but that is what I believe is the legal situation, in my opinion, based on experience! 🙂
Thanks Red Arse,
I’m slightly less ignorant now 🙂 It still seems morally wrong, but since when did morals play a part in business – eh?
I am thinking of reinstating ‘Rant Friday’ tomorrow = a chance for bloggers to get something off their chest however petty it may seem. I would welcome a short paragraph from anyone (old or new to the site) who has a gripe about any aspect of Football/Arsenal – pro or anti.
Rasp,
It’s like putting wild cats in a sack. They are all as bad as each other.
Hicks and Gillette thought they would make a financial killing out of it, RBS thought they would earn premium interest returns, and the latest bunch, Henry and Lim think they can make a financial killing out of it and …. hey ho, the merry go round goes … round.
The result; Hicks and Gillette have had their financial fingers seriously burned, and RBS are unlikely to get the interest they are due. Ahh! 🙂
Rasp,
Would that include rants against supercilious bloggers who have “arse” somewhere in their name tag? If so, I will beat a hasty retreat! 🙂
Good read BR. I particularly liked the last paragraph, which (as Peaches alluded to earlier) sort of sums up this site: lots of intelligent opinion but no messianic “I know it all” posturing (FIL gets a free pass on this one).
And you’re spot on about the consistency of Nutty, Dixon, Keown, Vieira et al. Of course they all had individual bad games at times, but how anyone can suggest they were not more consistent across a season than Song, Diaby, Eboue, Clichy, Denilson, Sagna is beyond me.
Hi Rocky, you old Messiah, you! 🙂
Hi RA. Don’t know about Messiah. Feel more like Methuselah today. (Late night – went to a Nick Lowe concert).
I suppose we can’t turn the clock back on football finances, but it’s a shame to see great institutions being damaged by speculators.
We’ve just signed Messiah for £30m according to the Daily Mail.
Another bloody promising youngster, eh Rasp? I’ve heard he’s just a very naughty boy.
Just a very naughty boy? — Did someone call me? 🙂
Rocky,
Was that “Drains” Lowe. If so, I have heard one or two of his records, but he is not someone I know much about, to be honest.
Hope you enjoyed the show anyway, thats the important thing!
Hi rocky,
Did you see the wonderful pictures of Ramsey back in full training?
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/aaron-ramsey-in-training-exclusive-pictures
Drrains Lowe – I like it. He was part of the Stiff Records thing in the late 70s and collaborated a lot with Elvis Costello – had a few hits (I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass, So It Goes, Cruel To Be Kind, American Squirm, What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding etc). Bit of a nostalgia trip really, but he was good.
Rasp – I’m already getting excited about a MF that includes Cesc, Ramsey and Wilshere.
A winning mentality starts with the manager. When he said at the end of last season “third place is a trophy” he was telling the players that was good enough. He’d like more, but that is good enough. And that’s what we see with how much they put into performances (or not, e.g. WBA).
How about driving them on, telling them it’s not good enough, at all? Got to be worth a try, the mollycoddling isn’t breaking us through the glass ceiling is it.
Any truth in the rumour that when and if the Yanks take over they want to re name the club to Hub cap Stealers…
Kelsey: 🙂
I heard they want to re-name them the Unpaid Bills. Or the Dustbin Raiders.
Hi Jekyll,
I’m looking forward to reading AW’s memoirs one day – we might actually get to know what really went on behind the scenes in those years when we were paying for the Emirates etc. I suspect a lot of what Arsène says is for the ‘greater good’ and calculated to benefit the club in ways that are not immediately apparent.
Rasp,
I suspect that is wishful thinking. I don’t think Arsene would ever reveal confidential info.
He has a default elliptical speech mode even when discussing fairly straightforward footballing matters.
Ferguson, on the other hand, either defaults to “speech transmit only”, or to rhetorical questions in response to questions he has no intention of answering.
Often of the nonsensical Father Brown-esque, “how much oil could a gumboil boil, if a gumboil could boil oil?” 🙂
You are probably right Red Arse. We may be able to judge AW more accurately when his successor takes over and we see what he can do within the club’s constraints.
One thing is for sure, he won’t want to end his reign with 9 years and no trophies. I bet he’d give his right arm to lift the CL trophy – maybe not his right arm because he couldn’t lift it then!
Hey Big Raddy, this is a master piece. I totaly agreed. Most of our top players are more familiar with d Doctors than they are with our Coaches
Rasp, 🙂
BTW,
I did G.K. Chesterton a disservice with my “gumboil” quip. Father Brown was the epitome of rationality when solving murders, but the books did have a number of non sequiturs within the textual red herrings. 🙂
“My father used to wear slippers, both on the same foot” or “he hit me so hard, officer, that his legs fell off!
Red Arse,
please please don’t take this the wrong way.
You have a way with words, many i have never heard of and have to look up the meaning,therefore your user name should be more upmarket (If you get my drift.)
There is definitely another side of AW that we don’t see,and excuse me to those who have heard this story before.
Laurent bought a holiday villa in my road some years ago and I met him by chance as i knew the estate agent involved.
He told me he was really happy at Arsenal and went in for training one morning and AW asked him to step into his office.He told laurent that portsmouth had made a bid for him and that it was a done deal and if he wanted first team football he was going there,and he had no choice.
AS i sat next to him,i believed what he said.So AW can be quite ruthless.
You hit the nail squarely on its head there Mr Radders.
Whilst I accept the fine margins within which our slick football by definition will operate. I sometimes despair at Arsene’s willingness to allow non performers to stay on the pitch.
Often they remain out there long after the blind mans dog has started barking for player X to be subbed, as it is clear even to the dog and its owner that player X is having ‘one of those days’.
A couple of half time subs should set the right tone, and enegender more efort from those who appear to be coasting.
At the risk of it almost becomng a mantra I repeat: AdeNuff CL Semi Final, Legs 1 and 2, total of around 160mins played by a man who might have got 65mins out of me. 45mins in the first leg and 20mins when the chasing (really?) the game in the 2nd.
Kelsey,
I ain’t takin it d rong way bruv! 🙂 (I find that v. hard to type.) 🙂
Any suggestions for a new name?
To be candid, I type as fast as my fingers let me, so what comes out is the way I speak, sadly. (probably why I have been chucked off a couple of sites (well not literally), I suspect it’s because peeps think I’m being sarky, when I’m not, and don’t realise I am being flippant, when I am!
Also, when I crack a joke, I am often met with a baffled silence. I can imagine bloggers thinking, “is he stupid?” or “is he having a laugh?” When I was being neither.
Sorry if I offend Kelsey, it’s not deliberate. 😦
Red Arse,
no offence taken.Blimey you can be more sensitive than rasp sometimes 🙂
What is red arse in french ? i think a french name would suit you.
Kelsey,
You are awful, but I like you! 🙂 Like Rasp? Wash your mouth out! He is respectable! 🙂
The French don’t have an exact translation but, “àne rouge”, or “rouge derriere” maybe?
I think I might stick with Red Arse, abbreviated on most sites to RA. 🙂
Derriere Rouge
Puce Posterior
Burgundy Bottom
Ferruginous Fanny (using the American meaning of fanny, of course!)
Scarlet Seat
Personally I’d stick with Red Arse. It has bottom…
Rocky, 🙂
On second thoughts, Kelsey, how about “The Scarlet Pimple”? known affectionately to his confidantes as “Red Pimp”. 🙂
Didn’t the Scarlet Pimpernel spend his time harrassing Frenchmen?
Sounds perfect!
Joan of Arc….enal.
The scarlet pimple sounds like an advert for “Embarrasing Bodies” but I like it.
Better than the short form of Red Richard 😉
Mes Amis/Amies,
Ainsi, il est de moi au revoir et il est de revoir mon cull rouge!
(It is goodbye from me, and it’s goodbye from my red ass!)
Kelsey, I will try and improve my vocabulary on the morrow! 🙂
A touch of the Two Ronnies there RA:
“It’s goodnight from me.”
“And it’s goodnight from him.”
Red Arse is developing a character of his own Rocky. I am becoming schizophrenic! 🙂
On the one hand it’s me, on the other it’s red ass, and then on the other hand it’s …….. damn that’s three hands. —– That nice Rasp will be telling me I am hypo, again! 🙂
Really, good night guys. (If you are out there Radders, it’s the Semillon Blanc tonite! 🙂 Cheers!
You lucky boy RA.
I am on the Dolcetto which they were selling off at our local supermarket (fools) for only €5 a bottle – that is less than €1 a glass !
Interesting to see Cesc is not available for Brum and highly unlikely for Shaktar. RvP is out for at least 3 more weeks, probably longer.
What do the medical do – use elastoplast and a magic sponge??
Night Redders
I have three minutes to blog today, so…
Great read Big Raddy. Naturally, I have the solution, but no time to explain. I also know why we did not win the league last season, but must go now.
Hope to join in tomorrow.
You tease Micky!
PT Micky 😉
Surprisingly I have the answer to eternal youth. It is …. Oh No, the wife is calling …..
Just when someone has all the answers they disappear 🙂
Evening all, anyone got a post for tomorrow? 😦
I am sure everybody has long since gone to bed and I am writing pointless words to myself but I will write them anyway… I hate myself for thinking it let alone writing it but before kickoff in the chelsea game I didnt give us a chance in hell of winning. They have a proper side with a proper football mentality. They are balanced as were we when AW inherited the side, I am not a Wenger hater and in no way write this as a slur on him and indeed I admire the man for what he has achieved but nor am I blinkered to the fact that most of his achievements came with GGs defensive base and Arsenes true skill was prolonging the life of that defence. When they departed we had a great team still but over the years it has been decimated, mostly due to financial constraint but also due to ignorance. With the attacking ability we have in the side we dont need for our defenders to be bombing forward neglecting their role and these lads have played as defenders all their careers yet now they are crap at it ? Is it really a coincidence that both Clichy and Sagna started off fantastically well and looked like inspired signings before gradually paling into fairly average full-backs. How long before Gibbs follows the same path ? Its not individual failings its tactical failings and AW has to hold his hands up and realise that balance makes a winning side. Dont get me wrong because I love Arsenal with all my heart and want us to win every game but we have better players yet perform worse. Why ? Organisation, tactics and variation. Sadly our manager has become so concerned with style and attacking flair that winning has been made a secondary concern and as such the mentality of the players has been one-dimensional and predictable. I dont want to see AW replaced but would love for him to stop believing the hype and start thinking about winning games. In Sagna Kos TV and Clichy with Song in front we have a better defensive line than the chavs and the mancs but only if they are allowed to do their job and let the others get on with the flair bit. Alrite rant over.
Barum, you’re not talking to yourself– I agree with nearly all of what you say and pretty much summed up the Chavski game as you did, both in your pre-match and post match feelings. I said as much about the balance of the side in my post the Tuesday after the game.
I believe Wenger could really benefit from a genuine number two who he could bounce ideas off of rather than a “yes man” as I feel Pat Rice is(sorry Peachy).
Morning all, new post …….
chary – why are you apologising to me? Even not knowing what Pat Rice’s job is we could all probably do it better 😉
bg – I’m going to move your comment onto todays post as your rant will sit very nicely there 😛
Whilst accepting much of what Barum wrote, it must be pointed out that our loss at SB was due to us not taking our chances.
As has been written when Chelsea scored it was all over which points towards a lack of incisive attacking. The Alex goal was unstoppable and had little to do with defensive laxity.
However the lack of defensive organisation was the root cause of the WHA game. And I agree entirely about the need for an effective no. 2.
Furthermore AW didn’t inherit the Invincible’s defence, apart from homegrown Ashley, he signed each and every one.
But I am nitpicking, we clearly need better tactical and organisational awareness from our DM’s and defence.
Its one of those funny things – everyone at the Gunners wants to get the glory by scoring goals, even while playing in a defensive position. Song seems to have come unstuck when he scored that brilliant goal, now he thinks he is Pele – someone needs to bring him back and get him back into his proper role of the defensive shield, winning the ball and distribution to the creative players.
What I am leaning towards is that he has been “allowed” to start roaming forward like he has been which is more worrying than a player straying from the plan – like everyone seems to be saying is that we have not got our tactical balance right, everyone can see that the gunners pour forward, lose the ball and we get caught on the counter. Both fullbacks are getting caught too far off the pitch putting the centerbacks under pressure / or getting skinned by their wide players. Both Sagna / Clichy need to pick their moment that they go forward rather than disappearing up the field all the time.
I would like to see more tactical variation as opposition teams are finding it far too predictable. Fullbacks staying at home a bit more would lock down the defence a bit more and give the centerbacks more support, and hit the opposition on the counter for a change. We really need Walcott back to give us more pace for those quick counter attacks.
Agree against Chelski we didnt take our chances but the first goal was definately down to letting Cole waltz down our right, and was horrified to see how easily Clichy let Anelka come inside on another occasion which we were lucky didnt result in a goal. We were unlucky not to have a couple of goals but were also lucky not to go down 4-5 nil!
Injury situation needs to improve as that will help push places and get towards getting our best possible 11 out – when was the last time that we had RVP & Cesc on the park vs one of the other top teams?
Hmm – no Kozzer for the Birmingham game or Sagna, I guess Djouru and Ebuoe are in for this one?
Funny how after the Chelski game there hasnt been as much said in the past about the keepers? Fab has actually been pretty decent between the sticks in his latest spell.
Anyway up the Gunners – lets get Walcott back on the horse with a hatrick!!! Really looking forward to see his pace back on the pitch to put some fear back into our opponents…
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