Impotent Arsenal ….. Another Bad Day At The Office

October 25, 2012

Looks like I was wrong again, it seems my early predictions that it would be Arsenal and Man City who vie for the EPL are way off the mark. Embarrassing as that lofty prediction now seems I don’t regret it. As a season ticket holder one of the things that keeps me paying the annual expense is a genuine belief that the good guys could bring the title back to THOF and this preseason was no exception.

I calculated that with the purchases of Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud and the further emergence of The Ox we would have what it takes and so it seemed. For a few weeks the heady smell of silverware polish was in the air; the Liverpool game sent my head spinning but that was short lived as the cold light of day has dawned and the reality of exactly what our team consists of has now come into sharp focus.

It is quite simple, our attack is not potent enough to win the League, it doesn’t function as a unit and it doesn’t have the wherewithal to change. Theo on the right might help, well let’s face it; things up front can’t get much worse.

Unlike the Norwich game, which Wenger claims the team did not take seriously enough, I thought the team selection for Shalke showed exactly how seriously he was taking the game. Ramsey on the right was the key to this for me, the Welshman doesn’t offer much by way of defence but he does offer some, and it was that ability that enabled him to drop back and try to help out against the waves of German attacks.

All went reasonably well in the first half I thought, we were in the game, the BFG was holding things together at the back and there was always the chance that Gervinho might get lucky. But luck is all it was ever going to be; he does not have the talent to be team player and by that I mean he doesn’t have the skill to be able to bring other players into the game; he is so erratic no one knows what he is going to do next, I am not sure he knows himself. A large part of the crowd has turned against him, there were cheers when he went off, not all, but the number is growing and the dissenters are becoming more vocal.

The second half still offered hope even if it was becoming clear to the most blinkered of supporters which was the better team on the pitch. The defence held well and that includes Santos who was up against a very skilful Farfan. Did Shalke score due to his error? No and neither did Norwich, the Brazilian is getting himself back up to match speed and while he is doing so he retains the support of this gooner who can remember how exciting he was before his injury last season.

Shalke finally scored, if the blame has to be pointed at anyone I suppose Vermaelen should catch it; he seemed to nod off for a moment enabling the Germans to get through.

Wenger sent on Gnabry and Arshavin but it was too little too late (pun intended) and for all those who might accidentally rush to elevate our own young German to saviour status, I would point out that it was he who was caught in possession that led to their second goal.

Written by LB

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Posted by LB

Schalke: Speke’s Fighting Spirit

October 24, 2012

Schalke. An enchanting name, like a lover’s whisper on a hot summer night.

To be honest,  I know next to nothing about Schalke and from yesterday’s lack of response it seems none of you do either. Yes, we know that they beat Borussia Dortmund last weekend and that they finished 3rd in the Bundesliga last season ( a season in which we beat their  current Champions) but apart from Huntelaaar , their players, history and town are unknown. So following some research here is a short resume:

Managed by  Huub Stevens, Schalke play their home games in the 62k capacity Veltins Arena (Veltins is a brewer). They have over 100k members. The last time they won the Bundesliga was in Black and White (1957). Schalke have won the UEFA Cup (1997), twice won the Inter-Toto and in 2011 reached the CL semi-Final only to be knocked out by MU, who happily got hammered in the final. They have some fine players including a wunderkid – Draxler, a couple of old Arsenal targets, Metzelder, recently returned from Real Madrid  and Affelay, who is on loan from Barca. A player to watch (should he be fit) is Lewis Holtby, a young MF who has represented Germany at all levels despite having an English father. Schalke  (like BD) have a very fervent support – it is unlikely The Emirates will be quiet tonight.

No, not Chelsea …. Schalke Fans

Reports say that Schalke beat BD by playing on the break – this is not especially good news for Arsenal. That said, they are averaging two goals a game and clearly have attacking intent.

Podolski who knows a thing or two about German football states that Schalke will be our toughest opposition in the group. They rarely lose at home so tonight we must maximize our home advantage.

Arsenal go into the game under pressure to perform. We were pants at Carrow Rd and the team has taken a media battering. They deserved it. I don’t go along with those who say the team lacked effort or passion, what they lacked was team work, cohesion, inspiration and luck. Norwich’s goal was lucky –  a fellow takes a pot shot from 35 yards, the ball swerves unexpectedly, Don Vito is surprised. Holt who should be offside is onside because Santos isn’t concentrating, BFG couldn’t get back because he was doing his job of taking out the defence and we went 1-0 down. Norwich got lucky. But, there was no excuse for the total lack of inspiration in the next 70 minutes and tonight we must see a return to form or the knives will be out.

Let us look at the possible forward combinations. We have a choice of Pod, Gerv and Giroud. Podolski has a minor injury and in ideal circumstances would be rested, but can we go into the game with just OG and The Swerve upfront? We could if we had a potent midfield ….. but we don’t. Could Chamakh make a comeback?  No –  that isn’t a joke! And what of Arshavin who will surely get some pitch time tonight?

Rosicky, Sagna, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Diaby, Szczesny, Gibbs and Koscielny. That is some team and every one is injured. – 9 top players out which  may be part of the reason for Norwich.

My Team:

Which is exactly the same team that started at Norwich. Apart from Coquelin or Arshavin there are few alternatives. There is a possibility that Koscielny will be fit but I wouldn’t start him ahead of TV and BFG.

Enough of football and onto Raddy’s current interest which is those intrepid English explorers. Today’s great man is John Speke seen looking lovely and tidy in a portrait below ….

John Hanning Speke

Speke discovered the source of the Nile which had been a mystery for over 2000 years, he called it Lake Victoria (known by locals as Nyanza Ukerewa). To cross through Central Africa in those days was a major undertaking with over 80% of the explorers dying from illness or attack, it took not only great courage but lots of money – Speke had both. Speke fought in the British Army in India, he explored the Himalayas and even tried to climb Everest. He died in a shooting accident in 1864.

Would a man who was captured by Somalian tribesmen and stabbed several times before freeing himself and his friends go belly-up because of a crap result at Norwich? Would he hell, and neither will The Arsenal.

3 points tonight and we are almost assured a place in the next round. You know it will not be easy, it isn’t the Arsenal Way but ….. Victoria Concordia Crescit

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Great Result. Same Questions.

October 4, 2012

ARSENAL 3 OLYMPIAKOS 1

Arsenal: Mannone, Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Coquelin, Cazorla, Arteta, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho, Podolski.

Subs: Shea, Santos, Djourou, Arshavin, Ramsey, Walcott, Giroud

Olympiakos: Megyeri, Maniatis, Contreras, Manolas, Paulo Machado, Fuster, Holebas, Siovas, Diakite, Greco, Mitroglou. Subs: Carroll, Modesto, Lykogiannis, Ibagaza, Abdoun, Pantelic, Diogo.

London, England.

It is 19:40 GMT, and the Gentleman representing North London Association Football Side, The Arsenal, took to the pitch amid thunderous applause from their loyal supporters.

Torrential rain greeted the visiting side, Olympiakos of Greece, and their merry band of two thousand or so vocal braves.

At 19:45 precisely, the Referee, Svein Oddvar Moen from Norway , blew the whistle and the game was under way.

Mr Wenger did not opt for the more traditional 2-3-5 formation, rather a more contemporary 4-3-3, and opting for a front three of Gerv, Podolski and The Ox.

The Arsenal defence was looking shaken from the start, with errors from Jenkinson, Vermaelen and Vito, on top of presenting the Greeks with a free kick as early as the 4th minute.

The Arsenal found it hard to move up through the gears, with The Greeks getting men quickly behind the ball in numbers, and clearly hunting in packs to try and nullify the creative threat of Santi Cazorla.

Arsenal were focussing their efforts down the right, with great work from Jenkinson who is building a good working relationship with Chamberlain.

An uneventful attacking start from Arsenal was at last punctuated in the11th minute when Santi curled in a fiercely dipping free kick from wide on the left, which found the finger tips of Megyeri to see it over the bar.

It was clear that the big Greek centre forward Mitroglou was going to trouble the Arsenal defence, whereas Gervinho was struggling against the powerful Greek central defenders.

On 28 minutes Koscielny was lucky not to be red carded for a lunging tackle after a charging forward run, however, Arsenal were to have their luckiest escape in the 35th minute after a wonderful piece of work and a cross from Maniatis down the right, could only watch as Contreras missed a sitter, with our central defenders failing to pick up the runner.

Suddenly, Arsenal were finding some space down the Greek left flank, and in the 42 minute great work from Cazorla and Podolski saw the German cut the ball cut back to Arteta who in turn found Gervinho moving across the area, and with one sharp swing of the boot fired back across goal to Megyeri’s right and into the net. 1-0.

Alas, the half was to end in horribly familiar fashion when what should have been a bread and butter cross to defend from Greco, found its way to an unmarked Mitroglou who managed easily to ghost in between Koscielny and Vermaelen and head home. 1-1.

There will be no prizes for guessing what Messrs Allardyce and Carroll will have in mind for the weekend, but it will involve some height. I hope Herr Mertesacker has plenty of Lemsip.

First half written by MickyDidIt89

Second Half

Despite the below par first half showing, we came out for the second period unchanged.

As fans, the best we could hope for was that Bouldie had spent the interval giving them whatever is the bald man’s equivalent of “the hairdryer” (a severe polishing, perhaps?).

Suitably buffed and shiny, the lads managed to go up a gear from the restart. We looked more adventurous going forward and more combative in the middle of the park.

We also seemed to have decided to start channeling our attacks down our left side perhaps, as Terry and Raddy pointed out in comments, because Olympiakos were without their regular right back and were using a converted midfielder instead.

Gibbs, one of the few really good performers from the first half, started becoming even more influential and this, in turn, brought Podolski more into the game. Santi Cazorla was also spending more time on our left, whereas in the first period he had tended to drift right.

Santi showed his gifts again and again, often holding off two or three of the Greeks’ players while showing exquisite footwork and always finding a red shirt at the end of the move.

The pressure began to tell – and it was a shame when the self same Santi squandered the first real chance of the half. Podolski did one of his trademark lose-the-ball-then-get-it-back-through-sheer-physical-strength moves on the left edge of the Olympiakos box. Gervinho got to the base line and managed to cut the ball back to Cazorla, unmarked inside the penalty area. The Spaniard tried to pass it into the bottom left corner but was a couple of yards wide. For all his skills, he needs to add a touch more composure to his shooting.

Coquelin, who had a less than stellar game on the ball but did lots of good work off it, showed his immaturity when giving away a free kick then standing to argue about it while the Greeks broke upfield. Fortunately their attack fizzled out, but on another occasion we could have been punished.

Shortly afterwards we managed to get back in front, thanks to the GervoPod. Gervinho, yet again, got to the goal line and yet again achieved an excellent cutback for Podolski (it’s strange to think that only a couple of weeks ago Gerv was being slaughtered for his lack of end product). The German shot with his left and the ball went into the net through a crowd of defenders and the ‘keeper’s legs. Although the GK might have done better, it just shows that when you shoot on target, good things can happen.

From this point (the 56th minute) the game started to open up. Olympiakos needed to go for it and we needed to try and punish them on the break without being reckless in defence.

Around about now our captain and centre back Thomas Vermaelen clearly misread the score board. Instead of seeing that we were 2-1 up, he clearly thought we were 1-2 down and started charging forward to try and get the equalizer.

Off he went on a barnstorming run northwards into the heart of the Greeks’ back line.

And he might well have had a goal from an Arteta free kick, which was arcing right onto his bonce in the six yard box, with no defenders on him. Unfortunately Koscielny, who had followed his captain upfield, got there first (and in a less favorable position) and headed over from three yards.

Back at our end Mannone had another shaky moment when he fluffed the ball out for an unnecessary corner, then fumbled a catch in the ensuing play. The Italian does plenty right, but somehow fails to fully convince between the sticks.

On 70, Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is still finding some steep gradients on his learning curve – last night included – was replaced by Walcott. There has been much talk lately about Theo and his performances (or lack of them) when he has come on as a sub, but last night I thought he looked sharp, fast and dangerous in a game that suited his strengths (ie, against a side that needed to attack us, leaving room at the back). Certainly I saw no lack of effort from him.

Indeed he almost set up a scoring chance for our most attacking player – yes, Thomas Vemaelen – with a low cross into the six yard box which the Olympiakos ‘keeper did well to gather.

As play resumed from the goal kick, Vermaelen carried on northwards, and was soon on his way up the Holloway Road heading towards Archway, valiantly taking the battle forward.

In the 80th minute Gervinho was replaced by Giroud and Podolski by Ramsey. Within minutes Giroud was unlucky not to get on the score sheet (how many times have we said that?) when a great run and cross from Walcott led to him trying an audacious flick with the outside of his boot, well taken by the goalkeeper. Whatever is being written and said about OG, touches like that show he is not short of confidence.

By this stage Vermaelen was past Watford and heading up the A1, but, thankfully, the rest of the defense – in particular the outstanding Arteta, Gibbs and Jenkinson – were managing to limit Olympiakos’s chances.

Giroud’s pattern of ‘right place, right time, wrong luck’ continued when he was set up by Cazorla after a clever Ramsey back heel. Giroud blasted a goal-bound shot but it cannoned off a defender’s shoulder and went out for a corner.

GOAL: On 88, Vermaelen has fired the ball into an empty net at Villa Park. He looks surprised that none of his team mates is around to celebrate.

Meanwhile back in N5 a fine third goal gave us a scoreline that slightly flattered on the night, truth to tell. A long pass from deep (I can’t remember who it was from) found the head of Giroud in a central position several yards outside the opposition box. Olivier showed exactly what a strong centre forward can do in these situations, holding off the defender and guiding a perfect header into the path of Aaron Ramsey, who was making a fine run from midfield. With only the goalie to beat, Ramsey’s chipped finish was classy and confident. Well done to the young Welshman. It won’t silence his critics, but it might give them food for thought.

Overall, we did well to turn a sluggish first half into a dominant second half showing. The big pluses were the two young full backs, Cazorla, Arteta, Gervinho and, for me, all three substitutes who did a great job when they came on.

The worries? I’m afraid to say that it’s the centre back pairing that causes most concern. The defending for the Olympiakos goal would earn you a bollocking in any Sunday league side; and Vermaelen’s tendency to commit to attack when we are defending a one goal lead is simply mystifying. I can only think he knew he was having a difficult game and wanted to score to try and make amends. He would be far better off making amends by keeping our back line water tight.

Player Ratings

Mannone: Made one very good save in the first half and was well positioned for several other Olympiakos efforts. But also a couple of howlers. Not entirely convincing. 6

Gibbs: Fine game both defensively and in attack. 8

Jenkinson: Getting better and better. How on earth did Arsene spot the potential in this boy? 7.5

Vermaelen: Some of the committed defending we have come to expect from him, but also gave away another unnecessary free kick in a dangerous area and was absent without leave as we were protecting a one goal lead. 5

Koscielny: Probably at fault for the opposition’s goal. Defended pretty well otherwise, but missed a good chance to score in the six yard box. 6

Arteta: Couple of uncharacteristic misplaced balls in the first half, but again worked so, so hard tidying up and keeping possession. 7

Coquelin: Looked rusty (no surprise) but worked hard closing down Olympiakos and breaking up their moves. 6

Cazorla: Struggled to find space in the first half but stepped up a gear in the second. A vital cog in this team. 7.5

Oxlade-Chamberlain: Looked a little out of his depth and, perhaps, unsure of his position. Not an out-and-out wide player, but not quite sure where to position himself when infield. 5

Podolski: Showed his goalscoring knack in a generally quiet performance. 6.5

Gervinho: Another fine game from the Ivorian. Ran at the Greeks all game long, took his goal well and looked dangerous every time he went forward. He’s turning into a real player. MOTM 8.5

Subs
Walcott: Great effort, skill and endeavour from the sometimes maligned winger. Unlucky not to have had a couple of assists. 7

Giroud: I am really impressed with him and just wish he could get a run of starts. Gives us something extra and gets in great positions. Fine assist for Ramsey. 7

Ramsey: Had some “Ramsey moments” including a couple of silly Hollywood passes that turned out to be more Hollyoaks, but also showed what a threat he can be surging from midfield. Excellent finish for his goal. 7

2nd half written by RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Gervinho and Podolski clinical finishing saves our day: match report

September 19, 2012

Montpellier 1 – 2 Arsenal

Firstly I should say I got it totally wrong with regards to the team selection tonight. I was convinced that Arsene would prioritise our game against Man City and would give the likes of Podolski, Cazorla, Gibbs and Gervinho a rest, or start them on the bench. He did the opposite by playing his strongest team from the start and with hindsight, despite the fact that most of the aforementioned players appeared to be very tired in the second half – something I was anticipating – Wenger definitely made the right call tonight.

These are the sort of games that can go either way, but I am convinced had we not played our strongest available team tonight we could have easily lost two or even three points, and even then we had to rely on a large dollop of luck to come away from la douce France with maximum points against a very spirited team. Maybe Arsene learned from Man United’s mistakes last year, when they thought they could cruise through their CL group with weakened teams, and ooh how they paid for it! Lol.

In order to qualify in the Champions League, we normally need to win our three home games and get something out of one or more of our away games. It also really helps to start well in order to gain momentum. We managed just about to do that and we should be happy, but our display in the beautifully named Stade de la Masson was far from convincing, and I think we will need to analyse it further properly over the next few days (I have no time tonight to watch the game a second time, so I am afraid you will have to settle for my initial findings and gut-feelings about the game).

I believe that key to it all was our midfield not functioning properly on the night, and especially Diaby, despite no lack of trying, failed to repeat his phenomenal performance against Liverpool two weeks ago. I guess it did not help that he collected a yellow card in just twenty seconds after kick-off, but Abou looked rusty throughout the game: he struggled at times with keeping possession as well as safeguarding the shape of our midfield. Arteta was our rock once again and as usual he put his body and soul on the line. Cazorla had some strong moments, but especially as the game went on, he seemed to disappear for large periods.

As a trio, though, they lacked shape, calmness and composure: we were unable to dominate play in midfield for large parts of the game, and it almost cost us dearly.

 

First Half

Not totally unexpected, Montpellier started the game without any fear and with a clear game plan. From the first minute, they did not allow us to control the game by passing the ball around as we have become so used to again this season. They started with a high line and were keen not to allow us to build up attacks from the back, or even just to pass the ball around towards the midfield. Very often Montpellier committed two players to attack any of our players who were in possession of the ball, and our usually so effective triangles were constantly broken up.

It also did not help at all that our captain, who has been so good at leading by example this season, made an error of judgement after eight minutes, both in terms of taking an unnecessary risk – there was no need to take on Belhanda there and then – and in the execution of his tackle. Diaby’s yellow card and TV’s foul that led to the penalty, which was put away with ooh-la-la cheekiness of the highest order by Belhanda, somehow set the tone for what turned out to be an uncomfortable evening.

Luckily, we were able to convert our first proper chance to level the match, and it only took us eight minutes since we conceded to do so. A beautiful, smooth move through the centre of midfield which had started with Diaby who passed the ball to Cazorla; the Spaniard then found Giroud at the edge of the box, and the ex-Montpellier player managed to put a very good through-ball in to the unmarked and on-site Podolski. The latter had time to pick his spot and fool the keeper in the process, and he showed his experience when he slotted the ball with apparent ease past Jourdren: 1-1, game on!

This appeared to have bamboozled the CL-inexperienced French team, and Arsenal went for the kill once more only two minutes later. And it was another beautifully worked goal. When the opposition is hunting us down and triangles are being suffocated, the only thing that seems to work sometimes, is taking on a player of the opposition and move into the space behind him. Jack Wilshere did this so well against Barcelona in that famous home CL win two years ago, and in Gervinho we have another player who excels in it (and the Ox is not far behind too).

Gervinho made a quick and smooth move to go past a player of the opposition near the right sideline, after which he passed the ball to Giroud. The latter did not manage to reach the ball but it bounced perfectly of the leg of a Montpellier player into the path of Jenkinson. Incredibly, from the moment Gervinho passed the ball to Giroud he sprinted into the box, as you would expect from a typical fox-in-the-box kind of striker. I think it is fair to say that most of us had not pictured him like that! Jenkinson delivered a razor-sharp cross into the box towards Gervinho who, with only a metre between him and the goalkeeper, stayed calm and finished with deadly accuracy: 1-2 to the Mighty Arsenal and it all looks very promising for us again.

However, after going in front we fail to continue controlling the game, even though we don’t give away much either. They simply keep a lot of their players in our half and make it really difficult for us to find our passing game.

The throughout the game very impressive, Cabella, probably had the best chance in the first half for Montpellier with a well-placed, low shot, after a fine run across our box, that just whizzed past Mannone’s left post.

Second Half

I expected Arsenal to start the game a lot more organised and more capable of holding on to the ball, and to be able to dominate the game again. But we were never able to sustain possession and take control again of the game during the second half, which is a bit worrying.

Just after the restart, Diaby had an unfortunate slip in the box, leaving Cabella with a golden opportunity to equalise, but the 22 year old lacked the composure/experience which is so important at this level, and was demonstrated so incredibly well to him by Gervinho, and especially, Podolski earlier in the game. Although, it is fair to say he was simply unlucky when his lovely, bergkampesque attempt to chip Manone hit the bar rather than the back of the net in the 54th minute. I think we might see more of Cabella in the future.

The same lack of composure was shown by the equally promising talent of Belhanda (also 22 years old) late on in the game: after a rare mistake by Mertesacker in the box – at the end of a fine move by Montpellier – Belhanda was left with space and time to take a first touch and pick his spot – he does not keep his shot low to the ground but shoots right at the arms of Mannone, who does well not to panic and keep hold of it. That could easily have been the deserved equaliser for Montpellier, but luckily we escaped once more.

Other than Diaby’s fantastic, surging run from our own half all the way to the penalty box; where he fed the ball to Cazorla who could have done better with his shot on goal, we had very little to offer in terms of our attacking efforts.

In the end we held out and can now move on to the next game. Suffice to say, Wenger and Bould have some work to do with the team, as we are unlikely to get away with a repeat of tonight performance against Man City on Sunday.

Player ratings:

Mannone: I really liked him tonight, even though he did not have to make many big saves. He was calm and oozed confidence: 7.5.

Jenkinson: Tenacious, solid performance and a great cross for the winner: 7.5.

Mertesacker: Really read the game well and was desperate to keep discipline and order in an increasingly becoming disorganised team: 8.

TV: Silly mistake to give the somewhat harsh penalty away, but recovered well after that and worked well with Mertesacker to just about stay in control in defence: 7.

Gibbs: Less dominant and present this game than in previous games. I felt he left TV too often exposed this game: 6.5.

Arteta: Reads the game as well in midfield as Mertesacker does in defence. Another solid, totally committed performance: 8.

Diaby: As per the Match Report comments; below par / too rusty on the night: 6.

Cazorla: Not his best performance this season, but his class still shone through at times. He seemed to disappear a lot in second half: 6.5.

Podolski: He also seemed to disappear a lot in the second half, but took his goal very well when it really mattered: 7.5

Giroud: Great assist for the all important early equaliser and worked very hard all over the pitch. He did not get great service on the night and will feel frustrated not have come close to scoring a goal against his former team: 7.

Gervinho: Instigated and finished fantastically the second goal. Worked hard to help out midfield and defence and was a joy to watch: 8 and my Man of the Match.

Total Arsenal.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Can Arsenal win at Montpellier’s Carrelet?

September 18, 2012

I love the late summer CL fixtures. Warm nights and the opportunity for fans to watch decent football midweek.

Our first game is challenging – playing the French champions even sans OG will be difficult. A compact ground filled with 33,000 fervent fans awaiting  (what I believe will be) their first CL game.

Montpellier: I have to admit to knowing almost nothing about Montpellier HSC. I have been to the town and didn’t even know they had a club! We all know about their fairy tale La Ligue win last season but beyond that? Mbiwa, the captain is much admired and it is unlikely he will be at the club next summer.  Another player known to English fans is John Utaka who was signed by Portsmouth in 2007 for £7m and given a wage of £80k a week …. yes, you read that correctly! More than Theo is being offered in 2012!! You will not be surprised to read that Utaka was signed by a man who has a Rosie account. Montpellier’s most famous ex -player is Eric Cantona – shame he couldn’t make it in the English game.

The night’s talking point will obviously be the return to Stade de la Mosson of Oliver Giroud. It will be a special night for him and I expect OG to mark it with at least one goal.

Montpellier’s form is poor. They have won just one of five games in La Ligue, the latest resulting in a 3-1 loss away to Reims.

Stade de la Masson. Home of the French Chapions

Arsenal: There are so many possible permutations of the team tonight but I will start at the back and with our ‘keeper. Mannone will play due to an ankle injury to TPIG. It would have been interesting to see which GK would start had TPIG been fit.

The Corporal has been outstanding, an astonishing improvement in one so young and inexperienced. He isn’t the finished article yet but he deserves to keep his place. Centre back is not so simple;  Mertsacker is quality but Koscielny is too good to leave on the bench. I would play Kos tonight and Per on Sunday when it is likely Djeko will start.  Despite Gibbs improvement, I would prefer to see Santos start tonight. He is a better crosser (Gibbs must keep practicing) and OG needs something to feed on.

Midfield is also difficult to predict. My choice would be Coquelin, Cazorla and Arteta..  Diaby’s height will be important on Sunday – no risks should be taken with our fragile Bambi – and Coquelin is an able deputy who performed very well on Saturday. However, Ramsey ‘s vibrant substitute cameos are evidence of a player in good form.

Upfront we finally have options. The Ox is likely to be rested having played 2 Internationals and on Saturday. Assuming Giroud starts, The Gerv will not play centrally, so I expect the team to line up like this:

My Team:

And what a  bench….. O-C, The Gerv, Merts, Gibbs, Shea, Diaby, Ramsey.

Mr Wenger usually likes to get the 2nd round qualification achieved as soon as possible and as such I expect him to play our strongest team despite the difficult fixture on Sunday. For once, playing Tuesday will help us.

I was going to write a “where are they now?” feature for this season, it is on the back-burner at the moment but here is a taster. This gentleman is currently living in sunny Malta and owns a pub….

Fashion can make a fool of Heroes

It is hard to know what to expect of Montpellier, they could be excellent and win the group or be whipping boys. A poor start to the season does not mean that Montpellier are a poor team (AFC 2011) and tonight will be one of the biggest nights in the clubs history, they will be playing in front of a full, expectant stadium and be desperate to start their CL campaign well.  Should be a good game.

COYRRG

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

14 Days that will determine Arsenal’s season

September 13, 2012

The inter-lull – I pronounce it with a strong emphasis on the last syllable, as the Dutch word ‘lul’ is a less flattering description of the male reproductive organ – is once again testing our patience. Like LB said the other day: ‘don’t they realise some people have serious addictions to feed?!’

You could say football is football and just make the most of it, but when you have been dining on caviar and champagne for a few weeks, it is hard to be appreciative about a plate full of dried-out fishcakes and a couple of table spoons of sloppy baked beans on your plate. Qualifying games for international tournaments have become so boring, and the only thing that really gets our attention during the inter-lull, is any news regarding injuries of our star players. This leaves us all in continuous state of being bored and full of angst, and that is not a healthy combination!

But the seemingly endless wait is almost over and we can once again look forward to a five-course meal of the finest cuisine:

15 September: Arsenal v Southampton

18 September: Montpellier v Arsenal

23 September: Man City v Arsenal

26 September: Arsenal v Coventry

29 September: Arsenal v Chelsea

After a promising start to the season – especially our excellent performance against Pool has lifted our spirits – I have a feeling the next five games will determine how we will fare this season. Of course, nothing will be lost or won at the end of this month, but with three of the hardest away games out of the way, and having battled with fellow title/top-4 contenders Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City, we will know a lot more about the readiness to fight for the title of our team.

We are no longer a team made out of mainly young, promising players, but stocked to the rafter with experienced players who have arrived at the summit of their professional careers.  This will be a test for them and we should judge them accordingly – or, as Winston Churchill once put it: “It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required”!

The first game after an inter-lull is never an easy one, as Managers have ample time to assess the fitness of their players and get them all focussed again on the next game. It is usually a big advantage if it is a home rather than an away game. In recent years, I have always felt we are most vulnerable when we have just beaten one of our direct competitors and we are to play a team that we all believe we should beat. So, I am really hoping that Wenger and Bould will get our players down to earth again and make them realise there are no easy-three-pointers in the league. Southampton leak goals for fun but have also scored a lot of goals and this should be another game in which we can assess the strengths of our defence. Let’s hope it is also a game in which we can acctually find the net several times, as some players are desperate for a goal or two

The first game will be a test of our ability to concentrate and be professional, and to take our opportunities if and when they arrive: we only have to think back about our recent home disasters against Wigan and Norwich to know what is at stake.

The second game, against Montpellier, should be a good test for us. I like it that it is an away game which will help us to concentrate from the start and will avoid any risk of underestimating them. It is great to have Giroud in our team who will be able to explain to Wenger and Bould and fellow players the strengths and weaknesses of his former team. Montpellier will either play for a draw – as they are likely to regard a point against us as a good outcome – or they go all guns blazing with the ‘we have nothing to lose’ attitude. A draw would not be a bad result for us, but I reckon Arsene will want all three points as he will want to qualify for the next round as quickly as possible.

The second game will be another test of our ability to concentrate and be professional. It could also be a test of our squad depth as not all players will be able to play three games in eight days so soon after the international break.

The third game will be the second biggest test we’ll get all season (the biggest test will of course be where brave sir robin and his little-boy-inside-him are currently hiding). I reckon MC will be as nervous about this game as we are. I was there when we beat them 3-0, two years ago, and it was one of my favourite Arsenal away games ever – Song’s goal, right in front of the away fans, especially springs to mind! If we can keep a tight defence against them then we can do it against anybody. This will be one of those typical games we will all approach with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. A win would mean a hell of a lot this time, and I reckon it will be one of the best PL games of the season. It might turn out that this game just came too early for our new team, but I still have a good feeling about it.

The third game will be a test of our leadership within the team and our level of unity. We will also know how much every single player is (still) capable to perform at the highest level.

The fourth game will be a good test for our strength in depth. A number of just-outside-the core and wider fringe players will be very keen to show how ready they are for the first team. Although this game holds little significance, I am really looking forward to watching it, so we can see how our young talents have developed over the last 6-12 months. Luckily, the core team will be allowed to rest for a week, which will be a welcome break for them.

The fifth game will be against the Chavs, and it is hard to tell against what sort of team we will play. Will it be an attack-minded outfit or will RdM revert to a park-the-bus approach against the bigger teams? Whatever it is, this is an important game for us and a win would do us a world of good. For once since the start of the season, we have home advantage against a main competitor, and it is our first opportunity to get the home crowd really behind the team.

The fifth game will be another test of our leadership within the team and our level of unity and every single player will be thoroughly examined. I have good feeling about this game as I feel we have a better balance in our team and the recent away thrashing of the Chavs will still be in our and their mind.

Once again, a win would mean a hell of a lot and combined with good results against Southampton and Man City, it might well mean we will be catapulted into favourites for the title. It would not come as a big surprise if this was to happen, but the big question is, would we be able to cope with the added pressure? Recent Arsenal teams have not, but this is a different team with experienced players across the spine, and in all three areas of defence, midfield and attack.

However, we might also fail miserably and struggle with the psychological impacts for the rest of the season.

It is make or break time, and we can all look forward to two weeks of awesome, meaningful football. The wait is almost over!

But what do you think: how will we do in those five remaining September games, and would we be able to cope with the pressure if we are upgraded by the press to direct title contenders at the end of the month?

Over to you!

Total Arsenal.

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Posted by Rasp

Will Arsène ever be able to complete his vision?

September 6, 2012

“Alas”, said the mouse, “the whole world is growing smaller every day. At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into.” “You only need to change your direction,” said the cat, and ate it up.

A Little Fable, by Franz Kafka.

This ‘little fable’ by Kafka has been a favourite of mine ever since I read it for the first time, back in the late eighties. I was introduced to Kafka by the father of one of my housemates during my student years. He was a semi-famous Dutch writer and knew from his son that I was very interested in literature. He handed me a copy of Kafka’s Der Prozess (The Trial) with the words: ‘This will get your brain working’.

I was working as a cleaner in a factory that produced plastic bottles for shampoo etc during the summer holidays, and when I complained to my manager that I had feck all to do, he took me aside and said he knew there was not enough work but they did not want to lose the hours on the contract, and that I should simply try to look busy. For the next few days, I ended up locking myself in the cleaning cupboard reading Kafka’s masterpiece. Anybody who has read The Trial will know that it is a surreal and creepy story, and I could not have wished for a better place to read it than in a dingy cleaning cupboard of a soul-destroying factory in the middle of a colourless industrial estate.

After The Trial, I read more work by Kafka and ‘A little Fable’ always remained at the forefront of my brain. Although Kafka apparently wrote it as just a bit of fun, I feel it is a brilliant anecdote for the cyclical, trial-and-error nature of our lives.

It somehow makes me think about the predicament Arsène Wenger has had to face over the last seven years, and is likely to continue to face for the foreseeable future. The decision to build a new stadium and the unfortunate, simultaneous arrival of the Southern and Northern Oilers, have forced Arsene to ‘change his direction’ a number of times in order to remain competitive and somehow stay firm towards his vision of football for our, and his, beloved Arsenal.

On a number of occasions over the last few years, Arsene had to face the cat that ate him up and spat him out again, telling him every time to change his direction in order to avoid it happening again.

Arsène knew he was entering the final part of his management career and, a visionary as he is, will have foreseen the above mentioned developments and their likely impact on the club and therefore on him, and yet he decided to stay loyal to us – despite strong rumours of a number of overtures by clubs with far superior financial means than Arsenal. For that, I will always remain thankful to him.

Due to a lack of financial means, he invested heavily in bringing through young players. In the meantime, he let go a significant number of experienced (and expensive) players – either by choice or somewhat forced upon him by the club in order to make the books balance. Initially, the departures did not appear to hurt us too much. Vieira was, for example, replaced relatively well by Fabregas, and the departures of Toure and Adebayor to Citeh did not leave large holes for us either.

But Arsène did not have much budget available for quality/experienced player additions, which forced him to field relatively young sides that lacked experience over the last few years.

He built a team around Fabregas and on a number of occasions we came close to winning something. Maybe with a bit more luck, Arsène and Fabregas would have succeeded but it was clear something was missing: experience, strength in depth, cohesion, the right (fighting) spirit; you name it.

Just when Arsène started to get on top of things with his team led by Fabregas, and an improved budget appeared to be made available to him so he could once again add some experienced players, Cesc, Clichy and Nasri all had to be sold, for various reasons. And although he was able to buy a number of experienced new players, it became clear he had to start again and go through another transitional year.

However, after a difficult start, the team started to gel better and better and brave sir robin had the season of his life. We finished third and there is a feeling that with the signing of Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla we could confidently make the final push toward the top-prizes.

But once again our star-players are sold: Song, brave sir robin, and almost Theo – either in order to make the books balance, or to avoid having disgruntled players in our squad whilst losing out on their potential sales value.

Just imagine, we would have been able to keep hold of brave sir robin and Song and added Cazorla and Podolski this summer. We would once again have spent a lot less than the Chavs (1/3) and both manc clubs (1/2) and yet have a team that can compete against anybody.

It just looks like every time Arsène is about to put the final shape of his Russian dolls around his team building work, somebody comes and takes one of the smaller, internal dolls away, forcing him to start again.

As a result, we are in strong danger of being in perpetual transition; of never being able to pick all the fruits of Arsène’s vision and unbelievable hard work.

Early signs, regarding the latest team Arsene has been able to put together are looking promising, though. The new additions have hit the ground running, especially Cazorla and Podolski, and Giroud had a positive impact in the first few games as well. A number of young players are coming through quickly and have claimed, or are competing hard, for first team places. On top of that, the arrival of Steve Bould appears to have given us a better structure and discipline to our defence: an absolute necessity if we are ever to win something again.

The excellent win against Pool offers us real hope of what this team might be capable of. But there remains a feeling of unease for us all.

What will happen when the next summer TW opens again: will we be subject to more transfer shenanigans; will our best players once again leave us? And will Arsène be forced to start building again?

The good news is that Arsène seems to be allowed now to spend the money that comes in from player sales again. Since the summer of 2011, there has been a clear shift by Arsene towards buying experienced, quality players who have either remained below the radar of the oil-sharks or are not deemed good-enough for them. Arsène’s nose for a good player is second to none, whether it is a young talent or an experienced player with additional potential, who would fit perfectly within our team.

It looks like Arsène is now able to foresee future loss of players and subsequently put in effective contingency plans. Our investment in young players is starting to really deliver with the likes of Gibbs, Ramsey, Wilshere, Jenkinson, Diaby, Theo, the Ox and Coquelin all becoming better and better. And there is more to come with the likes of Yenaris, Frimpong, Miquel, Myachi, Eisfeld and Aneke knocking hard on the first squad door.

Add to that, Arsène’s ability to find, and attract, experienced super players like Arteta, Cazorla, Mertesacker, Podolski, Giroud and Koscielny – except for the latter, all bought in the last 12-14 months – and maybe we will become increasingly immune to the annually recurring threat of our best two or three players being bought away from us.

The super overinflated salaries paid by the Oilers, in the UK and abroad, will remain a threat to us which is likely to lead players forcing a move on us again in the future. We cannot compete with them, and neither should we try to.

And I don’t think winning something is going to make much of a difference either. Just look at Dortmund: they keep losing players despite winning a number of trophies in recent years, and having a fantastic stadium and fan base.

But, maybe Arsène has finally found a way to stay away from the claws of the cat. She might scratch us painfully again – just, for one second, imagine TV and Diaby or Szczesny being sold next summer – but Arsene seems to have found a way to heel us quicker now, and to make us stronger every season, against all odds.

It looks like Arsène is finally able to put his vision into practice and hopefully, helped a bit as well by FFP and a quickly improving financial position of the club; we will finally reach the very top again.

We are very lucky that Arsène stayed loyal to our club and let’s hope he’ll stay a lot longer with us to fully complete his vision for Arsenal.

Keep the faith fellow Gooners!

Total Arsenal.

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Posted by Rasp

Let’s get down to the important business ……….

August 31, 2012

So the Champions’ League 2012-13 is upon us. Here’s a bit of info and ill-informed thought on our oppo this time around.

Schalke 04

Stadium: Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen (61,000 capacity). Has a retractable roof.

Manager: Huub Stevens (Dutch, appointed in September 2011)

2011-12 performance: 3rd, but 17 points behind champions Dortmund. Lost 10 games and conceded 44 goals.

The players: Their most significant players are probably Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (“the best box player in the world at the moment” said his manager in April), Jefferson Farfan (good quality right winger) and Christoph Metzelder (experienced though slow defender). The loss of Raúl to Qatari football will be a big loss – he had two excellent years at Schalke, and worked very well with Huntelaar. But the dangerman remains Huntelaar, as confirmed by 48 goals scored in 47 games last season. Control him and we’ll be a long way to dealing with Schalke.

The fans: Club has 100,000 members. Recently departed Raúl said “In each game, how they [the Schalke fans] live for the club, it’s almost like a religion if you want to put it that way. This is really wonderful.” And having gone there in 2001 when we lost 3-1, I can confirm it is a great place to watch football, there is a real passion for football and for their club.

Olympiacos

Stadium: Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus (32,000 capacity).

Manager: Leonardo Jardim (Portuguese)

2011-12 performance: Olympiacos are the reigning champions and are Greece’s most successful club; they have won 14 of the last 16 league titles. (Being a fan of their bitter rivals, Panathinaikos, must be even more annoying than being a Spurs fan.) Last season, they conceded only 17 goals, so they may be pretty effective at the back.

The players: This is a team of veterans. There will be at least one familiar face, in the form of Roy Carroll. The loss of the Greek Super League’s leading scorer, Kevin Mirallas, to Everton will hit Olympiacos hard. But they will look to Rafik Djebbor and experienced Marko Pantelic to make up the difference. Ariel Ibagaza, David Fuster, and Djamel Abdoun will be the principal creative forces.

The fans: They will be intense, as we know all fans from south-eastern Europe are. Their rivalry with Panathinaikos is called the “derby of the eternal enemies”. The derby in February was abandoned due to rioting, which included throwing firebombs and resulted in multiple injuries being suffered by police officers.

Montpellier Hérault SC

Stadium: Stade de la Mosson (capacity 33,000)

Manager: René Girard (French)

2011-12 performance: For the first time, Montpellier were crowned French champions.

Given that they started the season simply wanting to avoid relegation and they were competing with PSG’s money and the experience of Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Lille, that is deeply impressive. They had only finished in the top three once before, more than 20 years ago. They’ve had some great players in the past, like Laurent Blanc, Eric Cantona and Carlos Valderrama, but winning the French title was a genuine shock. Their win was based on excellent home form (they won 16 out of 19 home games). Here’s what Girard said on seeing his players become champions: “It just goes to show that everyone can beat everyone and that money isn’t the be-all and end-all. We’re a club of mates, a club that brings young players through and gives them a chance. At the end of the day, it’s worked out well for us. We played some great football, with a well-balanced team and I’m overwhelmed.” Donchya love it?!

The players: The squad is based on youth, nurtured in-house and recruited from elsewhere – sound familiar? Losing Olivier Giroud to us will hurt, he was joint top scorer in Ligue 1 last year. But they have a bright young creative talent in the form of Younès Belhanda, and will be looking to him to weigh in with goals and assists. His manager has likened Belhanda to Robert Pirès. High praise indeed. They also have former Pompey striker, John Utaka. In defence, Henri Bedimo and (if we, Milan or someone else haven’t signed him) Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa will provide a tough shield to get past.

The fans: After last season, they’ll be euphoric. Beyond that, I can’t say much, but coming from a university town in a pretty part of France, I’m sure they’ll be charming.

*************

So overall, we’d have to say the draw has been pretty kind to us this year. It won’t be completely straightforward (Olympiacos did beat us last year, for example). But this is a group we should feel we can cope with, and enjoy.

Written by 26may1989

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Inside Ashley Cole’s Head

August 6, 2012

Poor old Ashley.

The lad is absolutely obsessed with his former club, Arsenal.

You would think, after six years of rolling in Roubles and scooping up a good haul of trophies, that he would be able to get over it.

But some tic of the psyche, some deeply ingrained weakness of character, means he just can’t let it lie.

A couple of weeks ago, showing what a good winner he is, he was bragging about how many trophies he had won during a period when Arsenal had won nothing.

Yesterday he was at it again, this time boasting about the fact that he had won a Champions League medal and telling Arsenal supporters to “get over it.” (We already had. Who wants to be the worst team ever to have won a Champions League? When we win it I want to do it in style).

Some would say he has every right to respond to the handful of Arsenal supporting Twitter trolls who have sent him abuse.

But doesn’t he realise that every top footballer – indeed just about every figure in the public eye – gets that sort of stuff all the time? Yet the vast majority don’t feel the need to respond in kind with their own name calling. Or at least they realise that to do so would bring them down to the level of the idiot trolls.

But Ashley seems happy among the trolls, perhaps because he has many of the characteristics of a fairy tale villain.

I sometimes wonder what drives Ashley’s obsession with Arsenal. Yes, he left under a cloud after being found guilty of participating in a tapping-up meeting (he was fined £100,000 by the FA for that little indiscretion you may recall, although, of course, in Ashley’s eyes it was not his fault). But that was years ago.

And he gets a lot of stick from the crowd when he returns to Arsenal in a blue shirt. But, really, that’s par for the course in the Premier League. All fans like to boo an old boy they feel let them down. But, unlike Ashley, most “old boys” don’t harbour the same antagonism in reverse. The smart ones cause far more pain to  their erstwhile fans by just ignoring them. Ashley, by contrast, rewards the Arsenal fans and fuels the animosity by constantly acknowledging it and responding to it.

The root of this Arsenal obsession must lie somewhere in Ashley’s psychological make-up.

If we were to go on an expedition inside Ashley’s mind, what might we find? Well, first, I expect we would be astonished by the sense of emptiness. All those wide open spaces where nothing much is really happening. We would probably feel like a mouse in a cathedral.

But gradually we would become aware of the hum of synapses working away somewhere. Moving towards the vibration we would soon see a large, vibrant network of connected neural pathways glowing and pulsing with energy. This, of course, is Ashley’s “Football Brain.” And it’s a good one – at least five times the size of Emmanuel Eboue’s Football Brain for example. This part of Ashley’s head is what has made him arguably the best Left Back in the world in the last 10 years.

Moving past the Football Brain we would pass a number of smaller – but still vibrant – centres of activity. These would relate to things like “sex” and “music” and “flash cars” and “havin’ a larf with JT and the boys.” Although not on the same scale as the Football Brain, these parts of Ashley’s mind make-up are all functioning well.

Then we go further in and… oh dear… what are those small, shrivelled things, barely alive at all? Ah! Of course! Ashley’s morals.

Here we find “Loyalty”, pulsing weakly and showing almost no energy, just the occasional quiver if the aural centres detect any mention of the word “Cheryl”.

Beyond that, and almost completely inert, is “Personal Responsibility”. This is the neural centre that needs to be functioning strongly to prevent a person from, for example, driving at 103mph through a residential street in Kingston, South London, or firing an air gun at a work experience student from five feet away, or admitting that agreeing to secret, illicit meetings might be partly your own fault.

Further on, past Ashley’s morals, the mind is just an ashy wasteland, a void of degeneracy and narcissism… until we spot something throbbing ahead in the distance. What is it? It’s throbbing with an intense red light. It’s small, but so very, very powerful.

Could it be…? Yes, it is. It’s Ashley’s Guilt Centre. And, unlike his Morals, it is very much alive. In fact it’s pouring a special kind of poison into Ashley’s heart and soul.

So at last we have reached our destination. This is why Ashley is still so obsessed with the Greatest Football Club in the World. It’s because he is wracked by guilt. Guilt for the wrongs he did us and the lies he told; guilt for abandoning the one club that’s trying to do things the right way, in order to line his own pockets.

And the problem with this guilt is that it sours the taste of every trophy and medal Ashley has ever won since he left the Arsenal.

Winning things through financial doping no doubt provides some satisfaction, but it is a tainted form of satisfaction. It’s like using cheats in a video game or beating someone at tennis by lying about whether the ball was in or out. Sure, it’s a victory, but it’s not a pure one.

Ashley knows that when Arsenal’s next triumph comes, when we win our next title or our first Champions League trophy, it will be worth more than all the baubles that have been bought for him over the past six years.

I know it makes me less than saintly, but I take some comfort from the fact that, in the small hours of the night as he lies on his water bed listening to the gentle snoring of his latest slapper, unable to sleep, in a bedroom festooned with pictures of himself, poor Ashley can’t get those thoughts out of his head. Those thoughts about the Arsenal and how, deep down, he should never have left.

Am I sinking to Ashley’s level by thinking all this?

Would you have done what Ashley did and take off post haste for the big bucks the moment they’re offered?

Is he any different to Robin van Persie?

Should we help Ashley to cure his obsession by all agreeing to ignore him henceforth?

I would welcome your thoughts.

RockyLives

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Will Arsenal ever become a lean, mean, defending machine again?

July 17, 2012

Over the last few weeks, we have had in-depth discussions about whether we need to strengthen our midfield this summer, as well as how we should fit in our freshly signed strikers, Giroud and Podolski. Clearly, these are areas we can all get very excited about, but the area we have not been talking about for a while is our 49 PL-goals leaking defence.

Incredibly, seven teams conceded fewer goals in the PL than Arsenal last season: Man City, United, Spuds, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Sunderland, and that is simply not good enough if we want to make the next step up towards winning silverware again. Even if we take into account our bad start – conceding 12 goals in two away games against now relegated Blackburn and last season trophy-less Man United – we still managed to ship 37 goals in 36 games.

Next season, Chelsea will undoubtedly fall back on a Mourinho-style Catanaccio football under Di Matteo and I won’t be surprised if they manage to concede less than 20 goals over the entire season. Man City conceded only 29 goals last season, and their neighbours were not far behind with conceding only 33.

In order to compete for the title, I reckon Arsenal should aim to concede 30 goals or (ideally) less next season. Easier said than done, but how are we going to achieve it?

And will Steve Bould help us to finally get the balance right between beautiful football and defensive tight-fistedness?

Many have said we have failed to defend as a team at times, and that our midfield did not give our defence the necessary protection, especially towards the end of the season. We have also discussed in previous posts how the lack of available FB’s for a long period of time, has hurt us a lot (especially in the first few months of 2012).

Arsenal have also suffered significantly from having a lot of enforced changes to its back four during the season, and the long term injury to Per Mertesacker, just as he started to settle in properly, also meant a serious setback at a crucial time of the season. It effectively meant elimination from two cup competitions – the CL and FA cup – in a less than a week.

Arsenal really struggled to continue its rhythm every time we suffered a major injury to the likes of Arteta, Mertesacker, and Sagna. As long as Arsenal was able to keep the same eleven players fit, we were able to reach a level of consistency on a par with our major competitors, resulting in a run of good results. However, as soon as we suffered one or more injuries we started to lose or draw games we really should have won. It just seemed we were not able to adjust quickly enough to these setbacks, and serious doubts were raised about our strength in depth.

During last season, we only had one period of defensive consistency worthy of reaching a target of 30 goals or less conceded in one PL season. Between 21-03-12 and 21-04-12 Arsenal played seven matches in which we kept five clean sheets and only conceded 3 goals, or 0.4 goals per game:

21-3: Eve – Arsenal: 0-1 Clean Sheet, Back four: BS/TV/LK/KG

24-3: Arsenal – Villa: 3-0 Clean Sheet, Back four: BS/TV/JD/KG-AS

31-3: QPR – Arsenal: 2-1 No Clean Sheet, Back four: BS/TV/LK/KG

8-4: Arsenal – Man C: 1-0 Clean Sheet, Back four: BS/TV/LK/KG

11-4: Wolves – Ars: 0-3 Clean Sheet, Back four: BS/TV/JD/AS

16-4: Arsenal – Wig: 1-2 No Clean Sheet, Back four: BS/TV/JD/AS

21-4: Arsenal – Chel: 0-0 Clean Sheet, Back four: BS/TV/LK/KG

Luckily this period came towards the all important end o the PL season, and although we only managed to score 10 goals in those seven games – 1.43 goals per game, which is well below our season average of 1.95 goals per game – we still managed to get 13 points out of 21.

It is fair to say that our defence saved us at this crucial stage.

However, the next three games – against Stoke, Norwich and West Brom – we almost threw it all away again with shocking defensive performances, conceding 2 goals per game on average, which is five times the conceded goals-per-game tally of the previous seven games:

28-4: Stoke – Arsenal: 1-1 No Clean Sheet, Back four: BS/TV/LK/KG

5-5: Arsenal – Norw: 3-3 No Clean Sheet, Back four: BS-FC/TV/LK/KG (Coquelin replaces Sagna early in the game – the latter is out for the season)

13-5: West B – Ars: 2-3 No Clean Sheet, Back four: CJ/TV/LK/AS

We all know that the season-ending injury to Arteta, early on in the game against Wigan, had a detrimental impact on our defensive shape. However, we still managed to do reasonably well in terms of conceding goals in the games against Wigan, Chelsea and Stoke: conceding three goals in three games – one per game – is not totally unacceptable. The subsequent loss of Sagna in the penultimate game, against Norwich, did appear to be too much for us though, as our defence was all over the place in the last two games. I am sure that fatigue had started to play a part and we also lacked the experience to see games out calmly and professionally when it really mattered, and especially the latter is a concern for us.

We got there in the end by the skin of our teeth.

It is hard to pull definitive conclusions from our defensive performances in the last 10 games, but it looks like Arsenal’s back four of Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny and Gibbs were getting their act together towards the end of the season, and we can all draw courage from this.

The back-up defenders Djourou (CB) and Santos (LB) – the latter might argue he actually is our first choice LB – also seemed to have performed well.

Jenkinson was injured for large parts of the season, so it is hard to say whether he is an adequate replacement for Sagna. This could be an area of concern, as I believe Coquelin’s strengths lay in midfield (central or right side), and Djourou struggled in the LB position at times. This puts us at risk, with Sagna still recovering from injury at the moment.

It is absolutely crucial to keep our first choice defenders together for at least a few seasons, and let them fully gel further as a unit. Other than Sagna, none of the back four have been playing a significant number of games for Arsenal. A good back four needs consistency and experience, in order to form a wall that frightens any opposition, and on which a winning team can be build with confidence and longevity.

And of course there is the case of Mertesacker’s return from long term injury. How will he fit into our defence: should he be first choice CB or back-up? Until recently I have been saying he should be our first choice CB, as he has great organisational skills and reads the game very well, which easily compensates for his occasional lack of mobility. But, having looked at the last ten games in a bit more detail, I am now not so sure anymore, as slowly but steadily Koz and Vermaelen have formed a strong, albeit occasionally erratic, partnership.

And what will happen with the promising talents of Miquel and Bartley: are they ready for more first team action?

It also became very clear that Arteta’s defensive support was duly missed as we did not have a suitable, ready-to-rock, like-for-like replacement for him in the system that we played (with Song being asked to help out as much as possible in the creative/attacking areas of midfield play).

Furthermore, I am happy to keep backing Szczesny as our nr1 goal keeper, but will his inexperience cost us next season, and do we have a good back-up in case of injury or suspension? This remains to be an area of doubt/risk.

Let’s hope Steve Bould will be able to help Arsene to add a bit more steal, confidence and consistency to the our defence/ TEAM defensive play/ formation next season, so that we can reduce our goals conceded to below 30, and increase the number of clean sheets significantly. Let’s hope we finally get the balance right between the Bould and the Beautiful next season!

The big, all-encapsulating question remains, though: do we have enough quality – players, tactics, coaching, etc – in our team now to establish the required defensive performances that will lead us to silverware next season?

I think we do, but I cannot say I am 100% certain about it.

Thanks for reading.

Please note: I am by no means an expert in defensive tactics etc, and would like to invite you to share your views and expertise with us today. In the end, that’s what good blogging is all about.

TotAl

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

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