Wenger Will Buy in January

December 3, 2010

The frothing fury of those who feel personally betrayed by Arsène Wenger’s recent comments on the January transfer window has had me splitting my sides.

You will recall that our leader seemed to categorically rule out taking the AFC wallet out of the club strongroom (where it is permanently protected by Peter Storey and some ‘friends’) to add to our squad this January.

I have seen him referred to as a liar, a fraud, a betrayer, a loser, a geriatric and a Frenchman. Not all of those descriptions are true.

What amuses me is how people continually take at face value the comments of a master tactician whose words are carefully framed to hit the right note for multiple sets of ears (the press, his players, other clubs, agents, his own Board and, lastly, the fans).

If some of these bloggers were writing in Renaissance Italy just imagine the headlines they would come up with:

“Lying Machiavelli Is Such A Fibber.”
“Outrageous! Cesare Borgia Has Gone Back On His Word.”

It has been well publicised that Arsenal have plenty of dosh. The last thing Arsene wants is to tip off the entire weaseldom of European football agents that we are in the market for a centre back or a new defensive midfielder.

When we buy this January – as I believe we will – it will be a bolt from the blue. The press won’t get wind of it until it’s a done deal and neither will we. Remember – Arsene left himself a clear get out if he wants to buy. He said he had no intention of adding to the squad unless he had to cover for injury problems. Well, he already has one serious injury problem (Vermaelen) that demands a solution. And given that if our team was a Mister Man it would be Mister Bump, it’s a racing certainty that we’ll have at least one more serious injury before the end of January. Which will mean he will spend.

Of course that’s no guarantee that we’ll all be thrilled with the purchase. Any new signing is far more likely to be from the Koscielny category of megastardom rather than the Arshavin one. But if we haven’t got at least one new member of the squad by the end of January I will eat my hat*.

RockyLives
*My hat is made of marzipan. It’s crap in the rain.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

January signings …… not necessary

December 2, 2010

Written by peachesgooner

Arsène has already lit the touch paper – ‘I won’t be looking to buy in the January window’.  So, let’s discuss this and think about if we were Arsène Wenger whether we would be thinking of buying in the January transfer window.

We have talked about the lack of depth of our squad for nigh on five years now. We now have a squad where we know that for most positions, we have a really good deputy – excepting injuries – in most positions. If we start shipping out the deputies then surely we’ll be back to square one.

This team has grown up together and we and Arsène have been patiently – too patient with a few players – waiting for this moment when the fine tuning will reap rewards.

Yesterday two bloggers offered different opinions of what should happen with regard to certain players. In order to buy new players we’d need to ship some out and therein lies the problem. Do we move on players that we’ve invested so much time in developing to bring in a new crop of footballers untested in our system?

There is a clutch of players that divide opinion – Almunia,  Diaby, Vela, Clichy, Eboue, Bendtner, Theo; these were all offered as the fall guys.

Rocky offered the following comment in support of some of our much maligned players

Apart from Almunia, who is clearly out of sorts with the club, I wouldn’t flog any of them unless we bought a top notch player and one or more of our lot became surplus to requirements.

Diaby still hints at the possibility of being a top player.

Denilson (not my favourite because of the way he switches off when the opposition have the ball) can still put in a tidy shift.

Clichy and Eboue – keep ’em for the squad as back-up FBs.

Theo – come on – he was tearing sides apart at the start of the season and just hasn’t had a proper run of games since he got injured.

Eastmond – Redders, he’s only 19 and AW clearly sees something in him. Who knows how good he’ll be when he’s 21? I remember people writing off Song when he started getting some first team games but now I keep reading comments about how we’ll be screwed if he gets injured.

Bendy – would keep him also, but only if he’s happy to be a back-up striker.

I don’t see Bendy, Diaby, Eboue, Clichy, Vela, Eastmond, Almunia as being in our ideal first team, but they’re all part of what makes our squad the strongest in the EPL. Just look at what happened to ManUre’s second string last night (and they had Giggs, Fletcher and a couple of other first teamers playing too).

I think we’re back to where we always are as the Transfer Window opproaches, what position needs the back-up, is there a priority that should be addressed? If Song is injured do we have a player that steps into his role effectively? Can Almunia ever again go in goal for us? We have creative mid-fielders to spare but who would you sacrifice in order to bring in someone new?

We have decent choices for most positions:

Fabianski or Szcsesny?

Djourou or Koscielny?

Clichy or Gibbs?

Diaby or Denilson?

Cesc or Nasri?

Arshavin or RvP

Chamakh or Bendtner?

In addition Aaron Ramsey will be returning in the new year and we’ll be able to use Wellington Silva.

The other question we could pose is…. “Is our No.1 choice for that position good enough?”

I don’t think Arsène has any intention of buying in January, and all things taken into consideration, we shouldn’t need to add to the squad.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

A Cup Final Beckons ………….

December 1, 2010

Written by 26may1989

The important bit is that we are through to the League Cup semi-finals and now stand as favourites – it’s no longer a case of a good opportunity to win the trophy, it will now rank as a significant disappointment if we don’t lift the League Cup in March.

As for the quarter-final game against Wigan last night, that can be summarised in a few words: cold, one-sided and cold.

We faced very accommodating opponents, who never seriously got their game going and made life pretty easy for us. It helped that some of their best players, Rodallega, N’Zogbia, Gomez and Diame, weren’t in the starting line-up, and they included players from their ranks like Victor Moses and Ben Watson. In fact, both of those two didn’t do too badly, and Moses was unlucky to suffer a dislocated shoulder in the first half, prompting his replacement by Charles Insomnia, as the very classy Joe Kinnear once described his own player. But overall Wigan were poor on the night, and only had two meaningful attempts at goal all night, one of those coming in second half injury time.

As for our lot, as Wenger promised, a young but experienced side was fielded. Other than van Persie’s inclusion to assist in his recovery from injury, this was a genuine second string side. Wilshere and Koscielny could argue that they are first choice players at the moment, but none of the other starters could argue the same. That is not to downplay the ability of our starting side: the only starter who wasn’t a full international was Koscielny, but these were our back-up players. The formation was interesting, with three would-be strikers (van Persie, Walcott and Vela) playing in the AM roles behind Bendtner. In fact, it played more like a 4-1-4-1 (with Wilshere pushed up) than our usual 4-2-3-1, and with Wigan in such a passive mood, that made sense.

The performance was ok, nothing special, but more than sufficient to get the required result and provide a bit of entertainment along the way. It could easily have been 3, 4 or 5-0, especially given the various one-on-one chances that were missed. Vela was surprisingly culpable – he may not have convinced us that he will make the grade, and there is every chance he will be playing for a new side within a year, but one thing he has always done well is convert efficiently and stylishly when clear on goal. Not last night though. Van Persie carved open the Wigan defence with back heel passes to Vela, not once but twice, but the chances, along with a couple of others, were still missed.

Wilshere had an excellent game, as did the now convincing Johan Djourou, who won just about every header he went for, intercepted well and passed unfussily; he must now be ahead of Koscielny in the CB stakes.  That said, the Frenchman had a decent game as well, including some bursting runs forward.  Gibbs looked jittery at first but settled in and ended up having a good game. Szczesny didn’t have a lot to do but what there was he did well, including one very smart save in the first half. Vela, Bendtner and Walcott had typically mixed performances, but at least they got into good positions, and Walcott’s deliveries from corners were especially good, one of which led to our first goal, when the ball bounced off Wigan defender, Alcaraz, and flew into the net. Vela also got an assist on the evening, sending the ball across from the left wing midway through the second half for Nic Bendtner to bundle the ball home.

Van Persie’s performance was also uneven but overall seemed to be getting more into the groove of things, and clearly suited playing in the AM line well. Looks like it will be a few more games before he can really start hitting decent form though. Nasri and Eastmond came on around the 70 minute mark, and were ok, Nasri expertly rounding the keeper but then missing another of the one-on-one chances we had.

On the negative side, Denilson (a player I generally like) had a dreadful game, making mistake after mistake and giving up possession way too often. In a higher pressure game, that would have cost us. Eboué also played badly, though he is at least coming back from injury. I was annoyed at waiting until the 83rd minute before Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was brought on – how is he meant to prove himself with so few minutes on the pitch, especially when he played most of those few minutes as striker, which is not his best position?

Ratings:

Szczesny 7

Eboué 4

Djourou 8

Koscielny 7

Gibbs 7

Denilson 4

Wilshere 8 (Eastmond 6)

Walcott 6

van Persie 6 (Nasri 6)

Vela 6

Bendtner 6 (Emmanuel-Thomas n/a)

A word about the weather: did I mention it was bloody cold last night? It wasn’t an evening for anyone to enjoy playing football, so some of the disjointed and low-key performances on both sides can perhaps be forgiven a little. The fact there were players from countries like Saudi Arabia, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Brazil and Honduras on the pitch and in the occasional blizzards underlines the point. But the conditions also made it tough to be a spectator yesterday, so a bit of entertainment was essential. Some of that came from younger members of our own number, with three or four making it onto the pitch late in the game for a pretty tame (the less kind would say lame) pitch invasion. Luckily, our own Captain Marvell, the Reverend Emmanuel Eboué, was on hand to do his peace broker bit and save some running for clearly unenthusiastic stewards, who were expected to charge around to quell the high-jinks. I just hope the club isn’t so humourless as to ban the kids in question, who clearly had a great time doing mock goal celebrations in front of the North Bank.

So, all in all, the performance was fine. Obviously it didn’t match what our friends in East London managed against a strong United side (got to love that), but we go into the League Cup semis confidently and with the real prospect of picking up the trophy in March.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

We’re Better Without Cesc

November 29, 2010

If you listen to the excellent Arsenal podcast by actor and comedian Alan Davies, you will know that he regularly refers to our captain as Jesus.

And who would argue?

At times our little Spaniard does indeed seem to be the son of God (yes, that’s right – his dad really is Dennis Bergkamp).

And, at the risk of a little mild blasphemy, the similarities between our midfield Jesus and his Biblical predecessor are many.

Jesus fed the 5,000 with nothing more than five loaves and two fishes; Cesc regularly nourishes the 60,000 with nothing more than five half decent colleagues and (at least) two donkeys.

Jesus walked on water; Cesc pissed on Tottenham.

Jesus sits at the right hand of the father (Dennis); Cesc sits in the right of midfield, (with licence to roam forward when we’re in possession).

Jesus was tempted by Satan. Cesc was tempted by those satanic twunts at the Camp Nou.

But now, just like the Biblical Jesus, Cesc is experiencing a period in the wilderness: his dodgy hamstring won’t clear up; his touch has gone missing; his passing has deteriorated to its worst level since he started playing for Arsenal; his goals have dried up.

Quite frankly, right now we are a better team WITHOUT Cesc Fabregas.

I know this sounds like heresy. It even crossed my mind to attribute the opinion to someone else, then it would just sound like hearsay.

But I have to hold up my hands and admit it’s all my own.

The game at Villa Park showed how we can function perfectly well without our captain. Rosicky, Nasri, Arshavin and Wilshere are all gifted footballers with creativity to spare and they combined well on Saturday.

There was a balance to the team and, crucially, there was not a misfiring piston at the heart of our machine.

When you think about it, our squad is probably better equipped than any in the EPL to cope without its leading creative playmaker.

I don’t believe Cesc’s form has been poor because his head (or heart) is in Barcelona. It’s just that, having played all the way to the World Cup Final and missed pre-season, he has never fully found his stride.

Added to that, his niggly hamstring problem has got into his head (is that a medical first?) to the extent that he is playing in the constant expectation of pulling it again.

At times he has been excellent (Man City away) at others woeful (at home against Newcastle he misplaced 27% of his passes).

You might say that, in that case, we should keep playing him because some of his performances may turn out to be good. But then you run up against the Thierry Henry problem (mentioned by Peaches yesterday): in his later period with us TH14 was so much the superstar of the team that the other players always tried to pass to him, even when there were better options on. This was fine when he was in world-beating form, but as his powers waned it meant we became less effective.

You can see it with the current team: when Cesc is playing he is so much our talisman that they automatically try to give him the ball in the expectation that he is the one who will make something happen.

So when he’s off his game, as he has been lately, most of our play is being channelled through a lame duck.

What some of these other players need is a run of winning games without Cesc, where they learn that they can do it on their own; that Arsenal Football Club would not collapse if he left; and that we (and they) are bigger than any single player. Maybe it was no coincidence that Arshavin had his best game of the season at Villa.

At the moment Cesc is being kept out because of his hamstring, even though the club has acknowledged that the injury is something of a mystery.

Personally, I think the hamstring gave Wenger the excuse he needed to drop his captain.

I hope he keeps Cesc out of the front line for several weeks, to the point where his physical and psychological issues have been well and truly ironed out. About a month would probably allow Cesc to recover fully, so that’s he’s raring to get back in the action.

If he can come back at anything like his best, we will reap the benefits for the second half of the season and, of course, a fit and firing Cesc Fabregas is one of the very best players in all the football world.

A month on the sidelines would bring him back at Christmas. I can’t think of a better time for the second coming of the Messiah.

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Arshavin lifts the November blues

November 28, 2010

Written by peachesgooner

It was hard to imagine that November could get any worse, with two dreadful results behind them the team took to the field for the early kick-off against a struggling Aston Villa. Cesc was not in the squad following further excacerbation of his hamstring injury on Wednesday night against Braga but Arshavin, Nasri, Song and Chamakh returned. Tomas Rosicky was the captain for the day.

The added spice for the commentators came in the form of our very own Robert Pires lining up for Villa. Bobby had been training with the Arsenal squad and expected to go to a lower league side but AW had bigged him up and Houllier had snapped him up. Was this to be another performance undone by a former Gunner? No chance.

The opening 10 minutes were as exciting as any we’ve seen so far this season. Arsenal were rampant and imperious, creating 6 really good chances. We seemed to have our shooting boots on today even though the cob-webs were preventing some clean finishing. Arshavin was playing like a man possessed or at least like the Arshavin we always hoped he would be, finding space for himself, running at players and seeing the pass to set up a shot. Chances come and go for this Arsenal team and there is always the nagging doubt that we’ll have squandered ours and the opposition will get a lucky break.

Arsenal were in total control of the first half with Villa hardly managing to get the ball out of their half of the field. With six minutes left Arshavin picked up a ball just on the half way line and set off on a run, jinked pass a couple of Villa players, found himself the space to shoot and scored. Within a minute it should have been 2-0 as Arshavin put a great ball through to Nasri who rounded the keeper but put his shot just wide of the post. A corner gave Chamakh the chance with a great header that was stopped by Freidel. Another corner swept in by Arshavin was met by Nasri who thumped it through several players and into the back of the net. 2-0 at half-time.

How many of us knew the second half was not going to be so easy?

A defensive mess up allowed Villa to score early in the second half and there we were 2-1 again and looking shaky. Another great collapse in the making ……………. not this week. The combination of Jack, Arsh and Nasri feeding Chamakh and Song putting in a great shift meant that although my heart plummeted when Villa scored I felt we were in good shape to ride a small storm. A great pass from Arshavin to Rosicky put Chamakh in to score our third but of course we had to let Villa score again before Chamakh floated a ball to Jack to head home.

Another great win on the road and we were top of the league for a couple of hours. It doesn’t disguise the fact that this could be a great team that will in all probability be undone by lapses in concentration. We flatter to deceive, we let the opposition back into games and  we undo all our own good work. But it’s only November and the season isn’t over until May.

If anyone  wants to add some player ratings I’ll tuck them on the end.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Bendtner – Man or Mouth?

November 26, 2010

Written by CarlitoII

Nik – “Supernik” to some – Bendtner has caused a ripple in the Arsenal news pond recently by being an outspoken advocate of his own abilities. So what’s new? The man’s ambition is loftier than Peter Crouch’s adams apple and his head seems to swell up on a regular basis as if his brain suffers from an allergic reaction to reporters .

The stir seems to be caused mainly by the fact that, after claiming he would leave the club if not given more first team opportunities, he didn’t make the bench against Everton. Let’s start by analysing what the man actually said.

“I’m extremely disappointed with the lack of minutes on the field.”

Well, Nik. You were injured for the start of the season and Chamakh did a great job leading the line so you’ll have to wait your turn.

“I feel I’ve done everything right in getting back to fitness and I’m in the best shape of my life.”

Then you’ll prove it when you come on as a sub. Play well enough and you’ll be undroppable.

“I feel better than before the injury and at that point I was in the starting XI and close to fulfilling my potential.”

Wenger says that all players say this but his data tells him you need to be eased back in. Any fan can see you still have to work on your first touch!

“When I’m 100 per cent fit, I can’t accept sitting on the bench.”

Right, go on… *handing out just enough rope to hang yourself with*

“I’m 100 per cent good enough for the starting XI in Arsenal. I have the qualities and I’ve been sitting enough on the bench in my career.”

Glad you’re so full of self belief, it’s important in a striker…

“If my manager feels differently that’s fair, and he’s the one choosing the team, but then I disagree.”

Ah Nik, the rashness of youth! You disgree with the best manager Arsenal have ever had? Well ok then, um, we really missed you at Everton…

Whatever happened to letting your performances do the talking? If you’re good enough, you’ll play. Any casual observer can see that, in the main, Chamakh has a better first touch and holds the ball up better than any centre forward since Thierry.. My personal belief is that Nik feels threatened by this, and he is probably right to do so. My question to you all is: would we really miss him if he went?

I love the directness that he can bring when he comes off the bench. I love his “never give in” mentality that brought us memorable last minute goals last season. I’m also superstitious, in that I believe we need a good Scandinavian player to bring home a trophy (Limpar, Jensen, Freddy…) – ok it’s my own superstition that one, but one I cling on to! But he’s not the new TH14 is he, and until he becomes the finished article, it would behove him to keep his head down!

Post Script- I wrote this article before the Totnum game and “SuperNik” has since had his chance at Braga. I missed the game sulking but I gather there may be a few words to be said about his performance- I’ll leave that to you!

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Tippy Tappy football to Nowhere.

November 24, 2010

Written by kelsey

Good morning (or is it????)

Last night was a totally inept display, no passion yet again, no leadership on or off the field, no confidence and quite frankly before half time I lost interest watching the team I support.

Undoubtedly we should have had a penalty, but I doubt it would have changed the game that much, or the performance. It also brings into question how on earth the fifth or was it the sixth official didn’t see Vela brought down.

We will beat the whipping boys Partizan Belgrade and finish runner up, and it says a lot that, everyone will want to draw The Arsenal for the next stage of the competition.

Wenger admitted, and not for the first time that he took a gamble with Cesc, and it back fired big time. He is clearly unfit and appeared to be quite nonchalant in his performance on the pitch. His first attempt with a free kick in a central position was literally a timid lob which hardly reached the keeper. Others were just as bad though Djourou and Gibbs did at least show a resemblance of wanting to actually play, and I must emphasize we were playing an out of form mid table Portuguese side.

My advice to Bendtner is to marry his beloved princess and retire gracefully to some remote castle in deepest Denmark.

There will be in some quarters increasingly loud chants of “Wenger Out” but it will never happen. One has to seriously question where is this ‘mental strength’ that we continually hear about, and why for the umpteenth time, we keep having players on the field who just aren’t fit. He literally is running out of excuses.

He must take the proportion of the blame and though he will argue that we made 7 changes from the Spurs game, it was if anything a worse performance, in fact was it a performance?

Yet again we make life difficult for ourselves from going from the top of the group to the embarressment of having to win the final game to qualify for the knock out stages.

The last goal summed it up for me. Our three players could not dispossess Matheus, he was too strong, determined and quick – if  it had been us scoring we would be waxing lyrical, but actually it felt like a dagger in the heart.

If ever there was a need to buy in January, it has to be NOW, and as a highest priority.

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Posted by kelsey

Braga to test the strength of Arsenal’s squad

November 23, 2010

Further to yesterday’s interesting discussion about squad strength we have an opportunity tonight to evaluate  Mr Wenger’s statement. For tonight the squad players travel to Portugal for a Champions League game which despite not being a win or bust fixture is contextually important, if only to sweeten what has been a difficult week.

Clichy, Van Persie, and Arshavin are not travelling, Fabregas may well be rested to help his ailing hamstring and AW could rest any of the others who have played so many games over the past two weeks. Whichever team is played we are strong. In my opinion Mr Wenger is right in his assertion that this is his strongest squad. In every position we have a quality (and almost always an International) backúp. As Kelsey pointed out, the only position in with a doubtful substitute is in goal and Chesney has all the attributes to become a fine GK.

Tonight we could play the following team and reasonably expect a positive result:

Chesney/almunia

Eboue  JD  Kos  Gibbs

Rosicky Denilson Eastmond Wilshere

Theo Bendtner

This is without the injured and likely starters of Vermaelen, Diaby and  Ramsey.

I wrote in the comments about the absence of Diaby who has become a forgotten man, In my opinion he would start ahead of Wilshere and would certainly have played against Spurs. His loss is considerable as he is developing into a fine player with pace, power, skill and developing awareness (clearly his weak point). His recent performances for France are evidence of his growing influence. I realise that he is not everyone’s cup of tea but I like him!

Braga, despite winning their previous CL game, are in a poor run of form and we know how easliy they were brushed aside at the Grove, but this is a very important game in their season (in financial terms) and Braga will be looking for revenge.

Arsenal have not won in Portugal in 5 attempts and a Braga victory would bring them level with us on 9 points. This is not a game we can afford to take lightly

My team:

Fabianski

Sagna  Squillaci  Koscileny  Gibbs

Song  Denilson  Wilshere  Rosicky

Walcott Bendtner.

Could we be creative enough without Nasri or Fabregas in the starting 11? Perhaps not.

Not much to tell you about Braga which is in the very North of Portugal, except Marie Miriam who won the 1977 Eurovision song contest was born there, and Braga has a Quidditch team!

COYRRG

Written by BigRaddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Strongest Squad Ever? My Arse(nal)

November 22, 2010

Arsene Wenger says this current Arsenal squad is the strongest he’s ever had.

As the dust settles on Saturday’s painful and embarrassing defeat, perhaps it’s time to examine that claim.

It seems important that Arsene referred to his strongest squad, not his strongest team (even he wouldn’t expect us to swallow that Saturday’s bottlers are the best team he’s ever had).

The implication must be that he feels he has more strength in depth than ever before.

Opinion is subjective, and there’s no scientific way of measuring it, but one way of examining strength in depth is to look at the best possible second team that the Arsenal could have put out at certain points during Wenger’s reign.

In 2010/11 I see our strongest second team (assuming everyone is fit) as being this:

Almunia

Eboue   Koscielny   Djourou   Gibbs

Diaby   Wilshere   Rosicky

Walcott   Bendtner   Chamakh

In the Invincibles season of 2003/4 it would have been this:

Taylor

Hoyte   Senderos   Keown   van Bronckhorst

Parlour   Edu   Flamini   Reyes

Kanu   Wiltord

In our Double Year of 2001/2:

Wright

Luzhny   Adams   Upson   van Bronckhorst

Parlour   Grimandi   Edu   Pennant

Kanu   Wiltord

And in our first Wenger Double Year of 1997/98:

Manninger

Grimandi   Upson   Keown   McGowan

Boa Morte   Platt   Garde    Hughes

Wright   Wreh

I believe the current ‘second eleven’ would probably lose to all the others listed. They might have a fighting chance against the 1998 brigade (anyone remember Gavin McGowan?) but I suspect even an ageing Ian Wright would rip Djourou and Koscielny to shreds.

The funny thing is that the current second string probably has more technical ability than any of its predecessors, but it doesn’t have the out-and-out winning mentality of the players from previous years (the likes of Ian Wright, Keown, Parlour, Adams and Edu).

I accept that there are other possible ways of measuring squad strength (for example, if we looked into the ‘leftovers’ – players who don’t even make it into the second elevens – there would probably be more in the 2010 crop with first team experience than in previous years – the likes of Vela, Traore, Eastmond, JET and Lansbury).

However, using my method it seems clear that this is most certainly NOT the best Arsenal squad of the Wenger era.

So why would he say it is?

To understand that you need to be able to decipher Wengerspeak. When we had teams conquering all before them, making opponents feel defeated before they even stepped onto the pitch, you seldom heard Arsene talking about how great his players were or how professional or focused they were.

Instead he has a pattern of making these kind of utterances when his team is not functioning properly. It’s as if he hopes that by saying it, it will become true.

Worst of all are his constant references to our mental strength during periods when, mentally, we have all the strength of Syd Little with ‘flu.

I think he says this stuff because, although he knows the players are not mentally strong, he feels it will act as a motivator if they believe that’s what he thinks.

Well, it’s not working. This current first team has perfected the art of collapsing with all the speed and finality of a cheap Caribbean beach shack in a hurricane.

Saturday’s effort harked back to Wigan away last year, the 4-4 against the Spuds at The Grove a couple of years ago and to our habitual inferiority-complex-ridden displays against Chelsea and Man Utd. At this rate I can see the Spuds joining the ‘big two’ as a team against whom we start feeling we can’t win.

Jermaine Jenas said that when the Bale goal went in the Spud players sensed they could win – and that the Arsenal players sensed they could lose. I’m sure most of us watching felt the same anxiety.

What’s to be done?

Frankly, I don’t have much idea. Arsene must know that he has a team of bottlers, a team incapable of stepping up when the pressure is really on, a team that needs a three goal cushion before it can remotely begin to feel secure. I’m sure he has attempted to tackle the psychological issues that are holding his squad back, but whatever he has done has failed.

Maybe it will take a trophy. The Carling Cup is by far the most realistic prospect for us this year, but if we reach the final I suspect there’s every chance we will choke on the big day, regardless of who we’re playing. It’s what this group of players has learnt to do.

For a mostly foreign team, they have a strangely British quality to them: gallant losers all.

I don’t want Wenger out, but I am slowly coming round to the view held by some that if this talented group of players is to ever make that final step up, we need to buy in two or three proven winners at the very top of their games: a new centre back, a new defensive midfielder and possibly even a world class striker. And in an ideal world they will all be players who bang heads together in the dressing room when their colleagues are not pulling their weight.

I know this is not Championship Manager; money isn’t the solution to everything; and who’s to say the right players are available anyway?

But somehow, from somewhere, we need a massive injection of the winning mentality into the club we love or last weekend’s heartbreak is going to become an all too familiar feeling.

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Redknapp outthinks Wenger …… fact.

November 21, 2010

Written  by kelsey

Having digested the result and read many comments I am left thinking how we lost a game that at half time was literally in the bag and though not at our most fluent we had surpringly  nullified a much hyped up Spurs outfit. Beforehand, I thought  that if we contained Bale and Van der Vaart we should have no trouble in beating Spurs, though much improved, but always likely to concede.

The game plan worked a treat and an early goal from Nasri after yet another howler from Gomes and then a poachers goal from Chamakh after a clever cross from Arshavin just after half an hour, I was foolishly mislead that this could be a huge embarrassment for the tiny tots. How wrong could one be.

We squandered several more chances in that first half and someone needs to tell Chamakh that as he is a striker, a direct shot at goal wouldn’t go amiss. Over 45 minutes it was a team effort and no one had an outstanding game, but as a unit we performed well.

At that moment of time we were top of the league and we waited to see with the Champions league games coming up within a few days, if either manager would be bold enough to make changes or in Arsenal’s case go for the jugular and in Redknapp’s case, alter his game plan,which he did with the introduction of Defoe .

A two goal lead counts for nothing these days, especially with the Arsenal, and I had this gut feeling  that whoever was on the pitch it would need a third goal to finally kill off the Spurs.

Should a title chasing side be in that position ?The answer is an emphatic NO.

Spurs took control more or less from the resumption of play and remember we had the same players on the pitch that had easily contained them in the first half. The second half became a horror show, and Bale walked through the defence to score. Fabregas gave away a stupid penalty and the inevitable happened with Kaboul scoring the winner with minutes left.

It was, not for the first time this season, unbearable to watch, and yet again we got caught on set pieces. There was no leadership on the field, no motivation to press on after half time and the players and the manager must look at themselves this morning and many , many questions need to be asked.

Three home defeats in seven matches is just not acceptable and don’t kid yourselves that we are still in the mix as this is the first time in twelve years that the current leaders have obtained so few points.I don’t care about United,Spurs or Chelsea, I expect my team to perform every time they take the field.

This team has one or two great players, and an abundance of squad players and fewer injuries than at any time for a considerable period, and though all is not lost,  a major overhaul is needed if we are to progress this season. Beforehand I had my doubts,but now they are being slowly confirmed.

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Posted by kelsey

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