The F.A Cup first round is always a dodgy day… teams pick up magical super powers from their morning bowl of pasta, goalkeepers grow 3 feet taller and poor players become greats… all for a day!
Today, Plymouth played with all the flair and skill of Hull, Stoke and Sunderland combined… they defended resolutely and they attacked sparingly (Still managing the customary goal we gift all away teams at the Emirates). Plymouth done their 9000 buoyant fans proud… and to be honest, it wasn’t an enjoyable first half for most of the home support. I was hoping to see a show of exciting, fast paced, free flowing football that would warm my numb feet in the artic conditions… well, for the first half I was sadly disappointed.
Arsenal kept possession reasonably well, but we still lacked that killer pass that was so prevalent last year. I can’t criticise too much because the midfield were pretty new to each other. Diaby and Rambo started in the middle, Nasri and Eboue started out wide. To be honest, it took me quite a while to work out exactly what formation we were playing… Eboue was almost playing in a free role… I am sure Arsene didn’t give him that role… but then again, you never can be sure when it comes to Arsene and his favourites. The only position Eboue hasn’t played in thus far, is up front… and today, he certainly ticked that position off his list of ‘to play’ with his usual ineptitude.
Fabianski looked like a 8 year who had just enjoyed his first can of red bull… he tore off his line at ever opportunity, he didn’t let a single ball come into the box with out a challenge and he rarely paused for a second when it came to distributing. You know what though? I really like him… he is probably the first young keeper since Manninger to make any sort of impact on the first team, and if he continues to play with conviction and positivity, I think he could become quite a keeper.
Arsenal’s second half started much brighter. Plymouth went close before the ball went up the home end for a corner. Nasri whipped a perfect cross into the box for a fiery RvP to power a header high into the back of the net. It was an easy goal, but Robin deserved it after his hard working performance.
It wasn’t long before Arsenal doubled their lead. Eboue laid off RvP who jinked past his defender firing across the box for Nikki Lime boots to finish. Nik seemed pretty pleased with himself (I didn’t realise he didn’t score the goal until I got home), and I think only Rambo went over to celebrate with him.
Nik seems about as popular as George Bush in an Iraqi press conference of late… I think if I had a pair of pink boots, I’d have thrown them at him yesterday. He was pretty woeful for the most part. I want to like him, but he summed up his work ethic late in the second half when a miss cued pass was fired at the Plymouth right back… instead of Nik chasing it down and anticipating the mistake… he just stood there… the defender made a mistake and let it go over his head…and Nik still didn’t chase it! CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HAVE A WORD!
Plymouth did manage to claim one back… a simple ball was fired into the box… no one closed the finisher down and he powered the ball past Fabianski. Shocking defending against a largely poor team… but we’ve all become a bit numb to stuff like that at the Grove. Whispers of a Spurs like come back sounded out throughout our block… but I was pretty sure we had too much in the locker for that to happen.
Arsenal turned on the style and started to make things happen. The passing, the movement and the belief flooded back into the team… we started to dish out a pounding. Finally the third came… RvP was played in delightfully by Nasri, he latched onto the ball first then dinked it over the keeper who got a touch on it, as the ball came down, RvP let rip from six yards and scored off the underside of the bar.
Vela and Jack came on in the second half to excitable cheers. Both put in a good performance and showed why they are so highly rated. I wish that I had asked Santa for an experience oven this Christmas. I’d put Rambo, Wilshere and Vela in there and set the timer to 3 years… how many of our problems would be solved if I’d just asked for the damn oven?
Anyway, the whistle went, we all left a little bit warmer and a little bit happier… bring on Bolton.
Player Ratings:
Fabianski: I think he needs to slow things down a bit and take a few seconds. Some of his distribution was weak and that wasn’t down to ability, it was down to rushing his play. His overall game though is pretty good. He dominates his area like Almunia should do… he comes out for every cross, he lets the other players know where he is and he takes ultimate responsibility for what goes on in his area. He is also a pretty handy shot stopper. I don’t want to get too excited about him… but I really think he has all the ingredients to become an Arsenal great. 7
Gibbs: He came on for Silvestre in the first half and I thought he put in a great performance considering his age. His defending lets him down on occasions, but I can remember two left backs before him that had the same problems when they were learning their trade. What Gibbs has over Clichy is his final ball… he is a lot more composed in the final third than Clichy and I would suspect he would probably contribute more to the teams goal tally if given a run long term. Clichy is the master though… and Gibbs has a long way to go if he wants to emulate his colleague (I’m keeping ‘em crossed though!). 7
Gallas: Well, conceding a sloppy goal against Plymouth doesn’t get you an 8 in my ratings scheme. I thought he played ok though… he bombed forward on a few occasions and mostly dealt with all Plymouth had to offer. 7
JD: A good come back game from the giant Swiss lad. He is looking to add a bit of nastiness to his game, and I’d agree that is what he needs to do. I can imagine that if JD was an activist, he’d be one of those Ghandi ‘lets link hands’ non-violent protesters… he needs to be more like a May Day rioter… like Chiellini is. He played well today though. 7
Sagna: Your normal bone crunching performance from one of Arsenal’s consistent performers this season. 7
Nasri: Two assists and two different positions. Out wide on the left, he put in a good performance… his quick feet baffle opposition players and his fast passing reminds you of Hleb sometimes. Arsene moved him into the hole in the second half and to be honest, I think he looked pretty good there. I know one of the Grovers suggested that long term, Arsene might consider him there… and it looks like maybe the coach is thinking along the same lines. A good performance today… but we need a few more on a more consistent basis if we are to make any progress in the second half of the year. 8
Rambo: I looked at the team sheet and saw Rambo and Diaby in the middle and I thought… this could be tough, but I prefer to see those two in the middle than I do seeing Denilson or Song. It took a while for the young Welshman to settle in but when he did, he was great. He has a spark about his play so many of the others don’t. Everyone is comfortable giving him the ball, and it is clear why… he will usually return it to a member of his own team, and if he doesn’t it is because he is letting rip with a screamer. A great performance from a 17 year old boy… and a definite selection headache for Wenger. 8
Diaby: Finally he has started taking his defensive duties seriously. It wasn’t vintage Diaby, but it was enough today. He was playing in an alien position (His own), and he was playing with a new partner who is vastly inexperienced. Diaby needs to concentrate on getting the ball from out of his feet quickly and he needs to make more of a nuisance of himself in the final third. He has bags of ability and it will be a real shame if we don’t see him fulfill it at the club. 6.5
Eboue: Right midfield, striker or free role? I wasn’t quite sure what Eboue was doing today… I’m not sure he was either? He played ok, he tried to get involved with all our attacking play and he helped start the move for Nik’s goal (I know…). The shame of Eboue for me is that he has all the ingredients to be a top player… he has skill, he has pace and he has stamina. Application and a set position seem to be missing though… 6.5
Nik: AAaaaarrrrrggggggghhhhhhh! He is so frustrating to watch. I know there is talent their… but I don’t know if he has the right mentality to make it? He seems to be the only player I can recall who thrives on team mates disliking him? Nik didn’t really do much today… he played a lot of 5 yard passes, made a few attempts at silly flicks and he bagged a goal (Oh wait, he pretended to!). He was so ineffective today that he ended up playing out wide on the right towards the end… where he looked ok. I just don’t know what to think of him anymore… proof is in the performance… and Nik ain’t been performing. 6
RvP: I can’t help but love this guy… even when he is infuriating you, he is doing it because he cares. Today he played with drive and passion… he wanted every pass and if it looked like he wasn’t going to get it, he’d throw his body in the way. His two goals were well taken and well deserved. I want him to start showing some consistency, because we are going to need him to start firing on a more regular basis in the second half of the season. He needs to justify his superstar contract and cement his name amongst the European elite of strikers. 9
Subs:
Vela: Caused problems for Plymouth and really livened up proceedings for the last quarter of the game. I hope he gets more pitch time in the coming months because he definitely gives us a different dimension attacking wise. 6
Jack: A fan favourite and a 8 year contract… at 17! It doesn’t get much better than that does it? He came on, jinked past a few Plymouth players and looked right at home. It’s a shame he is so small at the moment… you know, he isn’t as developed as Rooney was at 16… but I still think we’ll find out something about Wayne in a few years. I mean, he was clearly born in a cave… there is no way to prove his date of birth… he’s probably 32. Sorry… Jack Wilshere…. brilliant! 6
Conclusion:
I didn’t mention the seating situation today… but I did notice it… huge blocks of empty seats throughout the ground. Worrying times… which I will cover in greater detail on Tuesday.
Game wise… well, it was poor in the first half, but be thankful you’re not a Chav or one of those new breed of Man Chavvy’s. They’re waking up a little embarrassed this morning (Especially all the one off plastic Chav’s making their way up from Southend selfishly crowding out my train)!
I really enjoyed the second half, I thought we played like the Arsenal of old… I know it was Plymouth, but if we can build on that in the Premiership… we could start seeing our results improve. I think it is apparent that certain personnel don’t allow our game to flow like it did in the second half… Rambo allows our game to flow as does Diaby (when he plays well)… but Rambo is a too young and Diaby will probably be dropped for Denilson or Song. So I guess we have to hope Arsene has something up his sleeve this transfer window.
The latest rumour has it Arsenal are lining up Rosina on loan… nicknamed Rosinaldo… a flairy, pacey Italian winger who can play on either flank or centrally. We certainly need a wide man… and this looks like the sort of random signing would pull. We’ve also been linked with Upson via a swap deal for Nik B… oh, and we’re after Stephen Ireland of Man City… plus, Theo feels he is not being taken seriously. Well Theo, get fit and start peforming my friend. Being English doesn’t entitle you to a sixty grand a week contract.
Enjoy your Sunday Grovers!
P.S. Just a quick shout out to the Highbury Spy for plugging Le Grove in this months Gooner fanzine!
Pedro-Dont get me wrong, i think the same about slapping women, but it doesnt mean that they never deserve one…
theo and vela wont stay at arsenal unles they start gettin played upfront,these aint kids who wenger can mould,they are internationals who should be used properly
That’s the thing about Clichy. For all his energy and enthusiasm, I don’t think he’s in the same class as a Winterburn or cole. He really has f-all end product for anything.
Sagna crosses like he’s got a stomach cramp just at the moment of follow through.
hangeland is not available according to fulham
Bergkamp… having poor options in front of you as a full back inhibits your ability to attack. If you know you may not get it back… are you going to risk bombing forward? That 80 yard run back 4 times a game cane be hard… and can leave your team exposed.
According to Hodgson, who I watched in a press conference yesterday… he is.
Nasri is effin quality! Come on! |Should I add him to the list too then?
Cannot understand anyione slating lil Samir???
van needs to be a bit more creative at times,i got no doubt about his talent, but sometimes he needs to just pass,the simple ball
Since Nasri has join AFC, he’s been a exceptional contribution to the squad, period…
Right, Sagna’s on the ex-Arsenal player list too!
pedro, we dont need an out and out winger,
i agree with that, rosicky aint a winger but he can play wide cos he has the attributes,
denilson, eboue, and theo dont
theo has the pace but he runs into dead end, hes a better option used up front. defenders wont be able to handle him
that dont stop clichy from flyin forward,and he had rosicky infront of him who tracked back,and other players,we cant keep defending clichy because he is the only player who runs like his life depends on it
Angry… sure, when he has settled in he’ll be great. His performances have certainly started to improve.
he is a pro,and his strong point is gettin forward with no final ball of any quality,sometimes its comical him an nasri 5 yards apart passing back an forthnext to the oposition penalty area,u crossi,no u,u,no,next thing u know the whole team is back to defend and ade has gone from space to offside
we so need a wingerrrrrrrrrrr. someone who is probably left footed but very comfortable with both feet. full of tricks. always willing to stretch opposition defence.
clichy hasnt been all that this season, he works his sox off and we all love him for it and we cant knock him for it but if he didnt have the energy he would just be as bad as song eboue and bendtner, hes been poor this season beyond beleif
I’ve been following Nasri’s career since the start, why do you think OM was in the CL this season. I really dont see him play for any other team but ours!! You have no idea how happy i was when he join AFC, that made my summer!!!
And he was voted (by OM fans) as the player of the year!!! Try to satisfy OM fans, they’re a pain in the ass!
clichy and sagna are very good defenders but for a team that depends on full backs getting forward to provide width their delivery can surely improve. it needs to improve or several more good moves would be wasted by their awful final ball
ade is a big fucking beast,he jumps head and shoulders above defenders,surely it aing that hard to fire a ball there or there abouts above the penalty spot for him,like villa away and fuham and other occasions last season, thats plan B,but instead he has to go wide to cross himself coz the rest are unproffesional with a ball
clichy is definantly not a good defender
nasris going to be quality, but not out wide, he needs to play in the centre, out wide he goes missing
how many central players can we have though??
gallas kolo and clichey hate defendin,this is a problem
Clichy’s made some high profile fuck ups for sure. In fact his mistakes always seem to lead to goals. But shit happens! To say he’d be average if he didnt run around like a headless chicken or because his final ball aint up to much is bull fuckin shit!
Look, we have all agreed who the players we hate are and therefore will slate ad infinitum, so can we please get back on track?
Ta
Has anyone got tickets to the emirates cup this summer?? Or does anyone know whos going to be playing in it?
thats our problem too bergy, we dont have any real defenders , we have FB’s who play wing and CBs who play midfeild and striker(gallas)
as soon as we give away the ball we are in trouble, if we want to keep the system we need the right players and we obviusly dont have them.
good defenders have not made 5 big time mistakes by christmas that have all been punished,against villa he might as well have walked the ball in,he too advice from lee dixon for that header
Ok guys… who is an amazing final ball master in the Prem who is a left back?
I’ve looked through the names… and I don’t get where you are all coming from.
Ashley Cole 0 assists 0 goals
Arbeloa 1 assist 1 goals
Clichy 0 assists 1 goals
Young 0 assits 1 goals
Evra 1 assist 0 goals
I’m just wondering where these amazing left backs with superb final balls are playing… because they don’t play for the top 5 clubs?
thats another problem bergy, too many players for the same position and not enough players for others.
leads to square pegs in round holes
we have about 10 midfeilders on our books and none of them are DM,s or widemen.
JonJon… Sagna and Clichy were voted into the Prems all star 11 last year… of course they can defend!
They are both superb players and I think the criticism levelled at them is unfair.
gallas is a utility player,preferably a left back,chelsea won fuck all with him at centre back,france also, theres no legacy of being a full back legend,gallas wants lasting respect as a big centre half but cant play there,he dunno how,he defends against agbonlahor like he is peter crouch an vice versa
Pedro;
How dare you use facts and stats to proove a point!
No fair!
pedro,dont u think a pro should be able to deliever a decent ball 25 yards?? same as van,his freekicks are the worst in the world,and our corners,why dont we just cross the ball like the second half yesterday,why do we need 6 touches usually to cross from a corner?
Fuckin hell!
Now Ive heard it all!
Gallas aint a CB? Was shit at Chavski? Shit dam!
… and on the Lee Dixon and Winterburn point… lets get real here. They were part of the same back four that helped us to 10th, 12th and 5th in the Prem.
Pedro you cant judge this by assists. It doesnt look good when a full back sends in a cross w/o checking who is available for it after a good build up move. That is what clichy and Sagna do over and over again. U can probably make an 8min youtube video with Aimless crosses sent in by that pair. Keep an eye on it from now on if u havent noticed it already.
The most productive left back is probably Lahm. I heard that he was valued at 5m. Surely that is a load of bollocks. I wouldnt mind having him but would he start instead of either fullback?
I with Pedro on this one, Clichy is being called as one of the best CB in the EPL, possibly the world. Finaly he got called up as a French International, and that is hard because France have so many great LB…
gallas was so hot that he played mostly left back,was never first choice for any position at chelsea when they got serious
So, back to the list. Probably easier and quicker to list who we are actually gonna keep;
Cesc
Right thats me, seeya!
Bergkamp… he is a left back who helps add something to our attack… whether that is pulling players out wide, playing a pass back into the middle or delivering a pin point cross… it’s all a bonus with a left back.
His job is to defend and I think he predominantly does a good job of that.
pedro im not saying they are to blame for our defensive problems although clichy has made some stinkers this year
sagna and clichy are great players and deserved what they achieved last season, but when they bomb forward like wingers all the time it doesnt work unless we keep the ball
they are left exposed, it aint their fault, it aint the system, its the midfeild,
last year we had hleb rosicky flamini cesc and we worked the midfield like a dream, clichy and sagnas game was to the max
now we have denilson eboue song and we cant keep the ball for more than 5 passes, we pass from side to side and backwards and the FB’s are always caught out of pos.
until we sort out the mid clichy and sagna wont be the players they were last season.
cesc an sagna and clichy lol,and ram & jack
but they should still be able to cross a ball like a proffesional JonJon
gallas aint no CB hes a FB who cant be bothered running, thats why chelsea fell out with him, hes a utility man who can play anywhere along the back 4, but the main defender he aint.
wait pedro,u said delivering a pin point cross,kep it real man,gael clichy could cross into an empty box,even if the stadium was empty and he was the only player on the pitch,thats his major let down,thats why the ball comes back at us so quick,we dont use it well
of corse bergy
sagnas crossing last season was immence, pinpoint, this season hes been a joke, but i think its down to confidence IMO same with clichy, the doubts are there and the demons are in the squad and its showing, the weaker players are dragging our better players down big time,
too many passengers, cancels out the quality
i wouldnt swap clichy,but ashley was better going forward,he had much more purpose on the ball,and he defended like an adult,gael just seems to have bad concentration from time to time,all too often he is seeing off a box of kleenex for a great defender though
So what are you saying bergkanp, cause what i understood from all your ranting is that we need to change the whole team, you dont like Sagna, Clichy, Gallas, probably Silverstre, Denilson, Nasri, Song… But you also say give Bentner a chance, WTF man?
Bergkamp… when I go to games, I watch every player intently for my player reviews… I must say I have never noticed our attacks breaking down with any sort of frequency… becuase of a bad Clichy cross.
I know what im talking about ive noticed this since last season. Of recent i cant remember what game it was Sagna crossed the ball after playing a 1-2 with Ade guess who was in the box? Nasri. VP wasnt even in the 18yard. it was just Nasri up against 4 defenders and the ball still went behind the whole lot for a throwin.
maybe if the performers performed the weaker players might show some talent though,they must have some,i dont care what the blogs say,these players are given their stamp of approval by people who know JonJon
franchise,u just noticed this??
pedro,
when youve made a good attacking move and clichy crosses it into the crowd as the fimal ball, surely thats an attack breaking down, the same way ade gets caught offside,the same with our midfield passing it from side to side. its a negative way to end a promising move
clichy gets 4 or 5 crossing oprtunitys a game,how many get in the box?? usually none pedro, i watch the exact same players week in week out,gibbs hit some peaches yesterday and no one was in the area
clichys crossing is unproffesional
Bergkamp was shit coz he couldnt fly to away European games! Pussy!
Henry was a moody twat who choked in big games!
JonJon, I just can’t believe that in a team with so many major problems… we are seriously talking about the full backs crossing ability as one of them.
It’s so so minor in the grand scheme of things.
i understand that there are untouchables amongst the fans,clichy is one,but he does everything right but the final ball,its sad,clichy has potential to be a feared defender,imagine that,but he cant deliver and i dont believe he practices,he cant surely
Arsene doesnt believe in wingers. If he has the chance he plays 4 Central Midfielders across the midfield and the full backs provide the width. Having full backs that cant deliver good crosses or pull backs would see several chances wasted. Im not saying we dispose of them, no never, i just think they need to improve their final ball.
Tony Adams couldnt trap a dead water buffalo!
Bergkamp… so Clichy should start crossing peaches into an empty box?
pedro,well lets talk about mistakes then,its gallas and clichy the main culprits
Pedro;
You are sooooo effin right there mate!
It is doing my head in!
pedro, your just cuttin off your nose to spite your face,you cant see a bad word said about your clichy??
doesnt it go to all teams, that they all need to improve in the final 3rd. Really!
but when your big players are doing twice the job as they should be doing surely they cant peform the way they should.
we have 5 quality players in our team at the most, the rest are still learning, the mistakes they make are causing the whole team to suffer.
they cant do it all by themselves
cesc needs an engine to play next to who can win the ball and keep it, he needs players in font of him to make runs and pass it to
we have nobody who can win the ball and we have nobody who wants to make the run and its making cesc look half the player we no he is.
he cant do it by himself.
Bergkamp… you just said Gibbs crossed some great balls into the box… but no one was there?
That is cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Just thought I’d finally pop on and say top post today Pedro – Mary
I have watched bosingwa afew times this season. His composure and fluidity when attacking and his ability to pick his teammates with crosses and pull backs is amazing. Defensively he is suspect i think Sagna is better defensively but no where near him offensively. A clone of both players would be ideal. Its not as if we are solid defensively Chelsea are still more solid so what advantage do we have with full backs that are suspect in defence and poor in attack?
Cheers Mary, I hope all is well with you!
bergkamp;
You’ve not really got the hang of this supporting lark have you fella?
Character assasination wasnt in the small print you know!
il list every player and tell you his probelm almunia- stuck on his line,dont command the area, crazy distribution……..gallas dont like defending…..toure million problems…….. sagna nothing to complain about could cross the ball better …clichy-makes too many mistakes,but thats ok coz he is an attacking player,but he cant cross the ball so maybe he should either fix the crosses or try cut down the mistakes….. denilson-not good enough and might never be………song crap …….. diaby is a tampax and an inconsistent one, cesc injured and has no GOOD partner, van could play for the team a bit more espacially without the ball and hit the target more often with easier chances,ade he is greedy and misses the goal too often,if we can solve these problems will do the treble
Dont get me wrong guys im not calling for their heads im just saying things as they are.
Bosingwa’s been pretty shite since teams found him out inni9t?
ade wasnt playin yesterday pedro,i thought u watch the games?,the target man wasnt even on the pitch
What is this crap that we always need someone to cover cesc forward runs? when is gets dispossessed we say ‘oh to bad’, when it happens to Nasri everybody points the finger, what the hell is this bullshit??
if weve got an emtpy box why do we keep trying to cross???
I’m good Pedro thanks, Not seeing Song in midfield in the last few matches has helped
I like Nasri in that more central creative role
it might be empty because everyone knows the cross will not go in the box,when we have crossed it ade has done pretty well for us
Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City are battling it out to sign St Etienne striker Bafetimbi Gomis for £9.5m. Gomis, 23, has been told he can leave in January and is desperate to show he can compete against the best defenders in England. Arsene Wenger knows a great deal about the prolific forward and is keen to add more firepower to his squad.
David Moyes and Mark Hughes are also tracking the progress of the prolific forward who was chosen ahead of David Trezeguet in the France squad for Euro 2008 last summer.
St Etienne chairman Bernard Caiazzo admits the club are keeping all their options open when the transfer window re-opens.
Caiazzo said: “A number of clubs have shown interest and got in touch with us, but nothing has been decided.”
All our problems (although I wouldnt mind a new GK!) can be pinpointed to the fact the midfield wasnt added to in the summer adequately.
This slating of 99% of the team/squad just really fucks me off and is such a negative waste of time that now I need to take my pills and go lie down in a darkened room with a damp flannel on my head!
I bid you goodnight….Night!
Sorry Bergkamp… so if the target man wasn’t playing… why was Gibbs whipping balls into the box? RvP is just as good with his head as Ade… and Nik ain’t too bad either.
If neither of those are target men… it begs the question why Gibbs was crossing the ball into an empty box?
Pat- Gomis is shit, i was watching him yesterday, he is crap!! I have no idea how he got selected to the French 11,
i think proffesional guys should be able to hit a certain area with a ball from any range or angle,its like a set play,ade out jumps defenders so just put them high in the box,and wenger tell him get in the fuckin box ,that will leed to goals,midfielders need to fioloow into the box to get rebounds or loose balls ,thats our failure in an attacking sense
we dont need to cross, we cross out of desparation cos theres no other option available.
sometimes pedro u just take a chance,defenders still had problems even with no one in the box,they led to corners,watch the games mate
spot on bergkamp. last season Ade had quite a few goals from crosses. The one against Newcastle comes to mind!
Trezeget was not selected for the Euro 2008! He fell out with Dominec (that shit) I like Trez but he’s dead…
ades up there by himself or sometimes hanging around on the pen box and the rest are stood on the haf way line.
JonJon good crosses leed to goals, when u see tevez scorin with his head it wasnt coz he is great in the air,defenders cant just clear good crosses
van put a decent ball into the box and its an own goal
IN : Stekelenberg, Hangeland, Toulalan, Gourcuff, Pogrebnynak.
Keep: JD, Cesc, Ramsey, Nasri, Theo, Vela, Wilshere, Sagna —everyone else is expendable and easily replaced.
ras def
whos dead??
Mary, it pleased me yesterday as well… let’s hope Wenger busts out that cheque book and starts signing some players pronto!
Bergkamp… strikers don’t think like that. If there is a chance you can get onto the end of something, you power into the box.
Players don’t stop running when Eboue has the ball just because he managed 1 assist last year… the make the run, and pray for a good ball.
Anyway, it’s been fun! Good night all!
side to side passing is out of fashion, theres a time to shoot or deliver,thats our weakest thing
metaphoriclly dead… dead to football at least.
lol pedro eboue is our best crosser of a ball
What i believe is that we dont pay enough attention to the small details in training? Crossing, defending set pieces, pressing teams when defending etc. Its no shock that we look so lost at times in games.
i agree with u bergy,
but weve never got anyone in the box except for ade(sometimes)
even if we do get a perfect cross in, theres four defenders and a GK waiting for it unthreatened.
all our players are stood 30 yards away
Ashley Young’s cross against Hull was top notch. Own goal
Stu, no way we’re getting Gourcuff or Toulalan.
RVP should be on the “keep” list
practice,while van practices his free kicks,gael can practice his crosses,and ade can practice anything,denilson can practice 3 point turns,practice is the key to savin our season
most of them should be on the keep list, we need to add to this team
id only sell players we dont need like bendtner.
Please do not sign Gomis, Wenger!!!!!!!! Get quality!!
ade couldnt jump,what did he do?? he went home tied a ball to his ceiling and withiing a month was headering the ball at 10ft,thats above the cross bar, rossicky and hleb were firing balls high,now gael needs to practice for the team,he can make a difference,im not arguing i believe gael must have watched a replay of his crosses at somepoint
3 point turns
LMAO
song can practice football and LJW can practice shaving
JJ if Arsene’s previous sides especially the invincibles varied their play crosses, pull backs, thru balls, 1-2s etc we would have won more titles. ManU are quite unpredictable in attack cos they vary their play. U remeber the way the tore us apart in the FA cup. We were playing a high defensive line and they just kept lobbing the ball behind the defense. We need crosses along with the rest JJ
what comment are you refering to franchise, im lost.
U said we dont need crosses or im i mistaken?
watch next time u see denilson,players run in quick when he is turning to get the ball,running up or divin in on cesc is disrespect for talent,gerrard tried it and got brushed and sat on the grass, denilson is a different story,ok he aint cesc but his turns are breaking health and safety regulations and he does them in crowded midfield
haha i was being sarcastic mate
of corse we need crosses, what i was saying was theres no point in crossing when the ball goes into the crowd 60% of the time and the other 40% theres no body in there but ade
your right though we need to vary our options, we dont have enough, thats why i said we cross out of desperation.
id love to see a pull back from the by line sometimes but we always go for the wrong option.
all of our players need to improve,its new year,no point getting stale,improvement all round,were not asking for too much,they owe it to wenger because he is taking the stick when they havent done themselfs any favours either
i beleive most of the players will improve bergy, this season is a learning curve for some of them, but some of them wont make it and we are seeing that already.
its just shyt after 25 passes we cross over the bar or into the first defender who is in no mans land, theres room to improve,i aint sayin sign a new player,this is an easy to correct problem,but it is a problem
Van Persie has done enough improvement already. Injury wise. lol
Ade’s wages has improved
hi guys what is going on?
Good result in the cup and Cardiff away, I am sure Rambo is up for that.
Bergkamp, have you got any good words to say about our players?
I think a few of our players are improving, and there seems to be a new shape to the team.
We need the “good run” we have been missing this season.
gallas hair style has improved.
so has denilsons english,
everyones a winner
mark c iv got a lot of good to say,but at the end of the day there is things all these players and the management could do to improve our chances,includin many simple things like chasin the ball till the final whistle,or aiming it for a man in a simular jersie
van improved,but it was still too cold for him to warm up in the second half against portsmouth lol
i dont think bergkamp is critisisng the players, hes normally the 1st one to defend them, we are just saying theres problem areas in the team that need working on.
hey bergy check out whats on BBC 2 at 10pm
LMAO
like most others i think neither Arsene or any one of the other 30 coaching staff are incapable of solving our defensive frailties. he needs help. Swallow ur pride boss and get a defensive coach. Even our U-18 side are letting in goals for fun.
gael clichy needs to work on his crossing and forget 2008,that wasnt his year,not that it was ours in any way, denilson needs to take his oportunity to cover cesc because i cant see two summers with no activity,theres no mercy for the weak this year surely, theo needs to play like he is in the games more often, song needs to prove people wrong
* nor
Bergkamp – players are humans, and they will make mistakes.
All of the players are very talented, they need confidence to play to their potential, and deal with the pressures during a game.
Passes can go astray, we need to win games, win by any means, win – dirty.
No player can be perfect for 90 mins.
lmaooooo KINKY BOOTS
lol JJ. Kinky pinky!
when keown worked on the defence we went on a run of conceeding no goals in the CL that made senderbramble look good.
im with you on that franchise we need a def coach
Mark C u have never heard of Zanetti at Inter then. There is this belief in Milan that he has never made a mistake in his Inter career. lol
mark c.our opponants seem to do better in the 90th than us,why? the players need to ask themselfs what missed oportunitys do or start defending till the final whistle like their lifes depend on it
Vela improved his english
Zanetti is a true legend. He is te definition of consistency and in amazing condition for his age.
are capable i meant but it seems u understood me JJ
hes that bad hes even got his on show on BBC2
not worth BBC1′s time i presume.
they can only build their own confidence,if they practice it will pay off,we dont give them confidence,you cant give a beaten man belief,its up to himself
training is training,i want practice
we dont need to defend until the final whistle, we just need to keep the ball and not fuck about doing tricks and flicks and long balls to no one.
what if the beaten man likes it bergy.
iv been beaten loads of times and i still have the belief il get beaten again
lol
zanetti, maldini, del piero are legends.
anyone watching celeb BB
ive just turned it on and that midget dude from austin powers is on, i thought it was LJW at first.
arsene mentioned that we practiced defending delaps throwin. how did they score both goals? he started an 11 that incl Pinkie and Song and i think not to sure Diaby for height reasons. we still conceded two goals from throwins and the line up was so poor to create anything offensively.
jon lol u dont have to face the behind closed door wenger,what u see on match of the day aint what is presented in the changing room, imagine sam allardyce going crazy,thats wenger after they throw it away,and i got that from a great source who has been on the end of it after some of our biggest defeats last season
I wish we had someone with a heart like Rooney. DId you see him against Southampton today??
home boy got it so wrong that day
Franchise, it goes to show Wengers tactical ability. His idea of tactics was to play the tallest team possible. Rafa just didnt give them any throws. Thats tactics.
franchised,they practiced not giving away throw ins,rather concede corners instead,almunia could have took 2 steps off his line an claimed boththere was kolo and a forward,they were the only players in the 6 yard box where the throwins went
see but guys like kolo they panick,he was getting swung by shirt like a cat in a pillow case, if almunia went for the ball he would have either got it or a freekick every time