A disappointing performance at Anfield still has everyone drooling. Plus players ratings

By 1970’s Gooner

It was a disappointing game from Arsenal’s point of view and a disappointing result. Don’t get me wrong. To get an away point at Anfield and to have so much of the play must be considered a good performance and a great result.

And this performance would have convinced those doubting Thomases that this team can grind out results at “hostile” places such as Anfield.

Yet it was a disappointing game because Arsenal were not at their fluent best. They allowed Liverpool’s quick tempo and in your face tactics to crowd them out on many occasions.

Passes were uncharacteristically given away and the below par performance from three of the Arsenal players, Adebayor, Eboue and Rosicky meant that Arsenal’s movement off the ball and persistence could only in the end result in a draw.

It was also a disappointing game because defensive disorganization returned again giving away a goal from a badly managed wall in front of Gerrard’s free kick.

Yet it could have been an away win if on two separate occasions Fabregas and Bendtner had kept their heads in front of a gaping goal with Reina nowhere.


Almunia

Could not be faulted for the goal. There is nothing that a goalkeeper can do when the wall disintegrates in front of him like that. Especially when the ball is hit with such pace. Also made two good saves; one from Gerrard from outside the box and another from Voronin from inside the box. Lehman is a goner. 8

Sagna

Had an average game. Did not do anything wrong but on the other hand he was not that offensively minded. Wenger should have substituted Sagna instead of Clichy (unless he was injured) who was after all more adventurous going forward. 5

Toure

Played well albeit against an ineffective and lone man attack lined up by Benitez. Did well in the air against Crouch when he came on. Ventured forward by the closing stages of the game and added to the threat posed by the rest of the attacking players. 7

Gallas

Made one very important sliding tackle to save an almost certain goal from Gerrard when he burst into the penalty area with Almunia already committed and exposed. However Gallas did not look that comfortable on the ball with a few of his passes going astray. Maybe he needs more games still. 6

Clichy

Like Sagna had an average game. Good at the back defensively but not as effective as per usual when going forward. 6

Fabregas

Man of the match; but not at his top best. He was closely marked and with a very congested midfield found it hard to dictate the game as much as we have been used to so far this season.

He was at fault for conceding the free kick to Alonso on the edge of the area which led to the goal.


He was however the central focus for nearly all the Arsenal moves and he did score the equaliser with an audacious pass into the net which surprised and thus wrong footed Reina. 8 (he usually gets a 9 from me)

Flamini

The usual high powered and full of running performance which is typical of him. Kept his position well and provided once again the cover for Fabregas to play his game. 7

Rosicky

Was not much into the game and found it difficult to make the penetrative runs and passes he is usually known for. Liverpool’s congestion of the midfield helping to put him off his game. Correctly substituted. 4

Hleb

Shone throughout the game. His close control and deft touch was just what the doctor ordered for such a tight and congested middle of the pitch.


His close control between three Liverpool players and his vision to spot Fabregas’ s run for the goal was sublime. 8

Eboue

Had a disappointing game although his performance was better than midweek against Slavia. He was too casual and frivolous in his play loosing possession too often and unnecessarily. He should be dropped for the next game. 3

Adebayor

Was not at the races. Looked out of touch without making his presence felt either in the air or on the ground. His runs were not timed well and often caught offside. Did not contribute at all in the come back. Needs to improve if he is to keep his place in the team. 3

Manchester United will provide the opportunity to put things right.


Arsenal’s movement, Liverpool’s long balls and Adebayor’s hunger

Arsenal’s movement, Liverpool’s long balls and Adebayor’s hunger

By 1970’s Gooner

There are a lot of press columns (and blog postings) written about this intriguing encounter at Anfield where the League’s two remaining unbeaten teams lock horns.

There are also a lot of comparisons being drawn between the two sets of players and the respective styles of football.

There is one attribute however that Arsenal have got in abundance which Liverpool seem to lack. And that is movement off the ball.

There has been wonderment and bewilderment as to how and why Cesc Fabregas can get so much time on the ball and dictate the flow of the game so masterly.

This has been the norm in nearly all the Arsenal games so far; even if the opposing manager had detailed one of his more forceful (hatchet) men to man mark the boy wonder.




And the reason for this of course, beyond the boy’s obvious technique and skills, is that there is so much movement around him from the rest of the Arsenal players.

So much that when he looks up to see where he will next pass the ball he has so many options it almost becomes impossible to stop him.

It is this continuous movement around the pitch that Arsenal do so well, drawing players out of position, exploiting the gaps thus created and eventually tiring the opponents so much that a goal is almost always scored in the last 15 minutes of games.

And above all this is what is very likely to tip the balance in deciding the winner at Anfield today.

To do that of course Arsenal have to be able to defend well especially the inevitable long balls that are likely to be employed by Benitez; especially if Crouch is selected. This is what served Liverpool well the last time they met Arsenal at home winning 4-1.

Arsenal were no that bothered with this tactic during their game against Bolton last time out even if Kevin Davies got at the end of most thumps up the field!

Granted, Anelka was not there to pick up the pieces but the Arsenal defence with Gallas back is now much better at dealing with these kind of tactics. Wenger might however select Diaby in the starting 11 so as to add some height in the team especially at set pieces.

It’s as well to defend well but who can score the goals at the other end? The encouraging aspect for Arsenal this season is of course that the sources for goals have come from the midfielders as well as the forwards.

One forward not in the goals recently is Adebayor.



He has failed to score in the last five games he played. In fact he has not scored since his hat trick against Derby.

There is nothing that spurs a player’s hunger on than competition for places. And with all the praise going to Walcott recently he will want to make a mark today.

He can after all ran the 100 meters faster than him: 11.41 seconds against Theo’s 11.48 !


Arsenal can storm to victory by exploiting Liverpool’s weaknesses

Wenger's dilemma:Who should partner Adebayor against Liverpool?

Arsenal can storm to victory by exploiting Liverpool’s weaknesses

By Eros, Arsenal Analysis resident season ticket holder at the Emirates (North Upper Stand Row Q)

There is this culture brewing in the British media that Arsenal players go down very easily and that Cesc has a nasty streak that he needs to curb.

A specific sky sports commentator even accused Hleb of making a meal of a challenge from behind, since the foul committed “has not put him out of commission for a couple of months” God help us!

However, all football experts seem to blatantly ignore Steve “diving master” Gerard, going to ground at Goodison Park as soon as he saw the white line, well before any tackle was made. He then had the audacity to ask for a red card!

Why am I having a rant about inept refereeing?

I am only mentioning the above as I feel that a similar scenario could occur on Sunday.

Liverpool are likely to add a physical element to their game, fly into every challenge and try and take Arsenal out of their tempo.

Benitez is a good tactician and he knows Arsenal is less effective when Cesc is not controlling the tempo of the game.

The easiest way to get to Cesk is to make him get involved, as Lampard does very well every single time, as well as some Bolton and Blackburn players.

They try and cloud his judgement, make him loose concentration and make rushed decisions.

Other than that I expect Liverpool to stick to the plan they implemented last season with great success humiliating Arsenal 4-1 at Anfield.

Expect a number of long diagonal balls from midfield aimed at the Arsenal fullbacks to Crouch and Kuyt with Torres trying to get at the end of them.

An additional threat Arsenal need to be worried about is Torres’s speed and trickery. Something Liverpool did not have last year and we have not yet faced this season.

Torres likes to drift on the left and make runs in the ‘Henry channel’ with Mascherano and Gerrard feeding balls in to him. Give him space and he can be deadly.

I think with Van Persie out Wenger will be tempted by a 4-5-1 formation with Hleb and Rosicky on the wings and possibly Gilberto, Flamini and Cesc completing the midfield. The only alternative I consider viable is Diaby instead of Gilberto.

Gilberto is fresh as he only played international football over the last few weeks. I also think his experience will be invaluable over the next few games.

He is going to slot into midfield and protect the back four.

His job will be to deny Gerard space to operate and cover the Arsenal full backs when they bomb forward.

He is also going to pick Torres up whenever he falls back in midfield.

Flamini’s task will be to press the ball when coming out of the defence and deny Mascherano the space and time to dictate the tempo of the game.

Offensively Arsenal will try and exploit Liverpool’s weaknesses.

One way is to use Adebayor to pull Carragher out of position. Once they manage that Fabregas, Hleb and Rosicky will have a significant advantage over Hyppia who is the weak link in the Liverpool defence.

They should have significant success with runs from the midfield. Last year Rosicky and Hleb created chaos in the Liverpool backline by cutting inside and using the full backs for width. And if Walcott starts then Hyppia’s problems will be even more exacerbated!

Wenger will look to isolate Finnan, especially if Pennant starts the game – he is not the best defender although improved at tracking back - and have Clichy and Rosicky 2 against 1 on the left hand side.

In this way Carragher will be forced out of position again with space created for the midfielders to run into.

Liverpool are the home side and they will try and force the issue early on and this will suit Arsenal to the ground.

Quick counter attacking football will therefore give Arsenal a great chance to take the lead, make life a lot easier for themselves and silence the crowd.

Liverpool’s best chance is from set pieces not because they cannot score any other way but because Arsenal are sloppy defending them.

We need to be very careful and make sure we limit the times they can deliver the ball from free kicks to an absolute minimum.

This is the first big test for this young team; Arsenal can win only if they stick to what they do best. And that is to play the beautiful game.

Prediction: Arsenal stake a claim to the title with emphatic display.
Away win 0-2


Wenger's dilemma:Who should partner Adebayor against Liverpool?

Wenger’s selection dilemmas coming up for the Liverpool and Manchester United games

Wenger's dilemma:Who should partner Adebayor against Liverpool?

By 1970’s Gooner

Does a football coach select his starting eleven according to who’s on form?

Or according to the system that is the most appropriate for the particular game coming up?

It’s usually a combination of both of course.

And if Robin Van Persie was available tonight we would not have been pondering the question posed in the title or trying to decide the formation.

It would have been 4 4 2 and the team would have almost picked itself. But now we have the new kid on the block.

Theo was spectacular against Slavia Prague and has given Wenger a real selection dilemma. Probably one he invited on himself!

Does he stick with Theo thus continuing with the 4 4 2 formation that he anyway favours or does he decide that 4 3 3 or even 4 4 1 1 would be more appropriate in which case Walcott may not be preferred?

Keeping Walcott on the bench has its merits and would be my choice.

The 4 3 3 system is very flexible as it can of course be deployed as an attacking formation using three forwards.

But at the same time you have three midfielders (Fabregas, Flamini and Gilberto/Diaby) who can, between them, protect the defence when the forwards lose the ball.

It can also be transformed during the game into a more defensive 4 5 1 formation especially if you want to keep the score or contain the game; by the two wingers tacking in to the middle of the pitch.

Additionally by keeping Walcott on the bench Wenger will have the option of utilising the high tempo impact that Theo can provide as a substitute if the team need a goal; just like it proved against Sunderland and Bolton.

If Theo is already on the pitch who can Wenger bring on that can change the game as dramatically as we have witnessed recently?

On the other hand starting with Walcott has its merits.

For a start he is on a high and there is nothing more that adds to the potency of a forward than scoring in the previous game.


But as important is his blistering pace. It could prove to be a very big and telling advantage considering that the Liverpool central defenders, Carragher and especially Hyppia, are not particularly blessed with this attribute.

Placing those balls behind Liverpool’s defence for Walcott to run on would be Fabregas’ brief and one, I am sure, he will excel at fulfilling.

And with the team on such a high after trouncing Slavia 7-0 it may prove too difficult for Wenger to make too many changes.

One he is more likely to make is Rosicky, who likes scoring at Anfield, for Eboue.

Will the other one involve Walcott?

That’s Wenger’s dilemma.

Ed: What do you think? Leave your comment below and cast your vote on the poll we have set up: “Who should partner Adebayor against Liverpool?”

Wenger enters the world of advertising but with a touch of class

We are all Goonerish now!

Wenger’s selection dilemmas coming up for the Liverpool and Manchester United games

By 1970’s Gooner

It is slightly unfortunate that Arsenal are now entering the most important series of games in their calendar without their main striker in Robin Van Persie.

It is a period where this young team will have to show its credentials against the big boys of Liverpool and Manchester United. The latter following an away game in the Champions League to Slavia Prague.

It’s not your first team players that win you trophies but your squad. But just who can adequately replace Van Persie for these games has now assumed major importance following Eduardo’s very disappointing display against Bolton.

He has not yet adapted to the pace, tight marking from behind and in your face type of English football.

He could not hold the ball up front with the result that he couldn't connect with Adebayor nor bring other players into the game. He reminds me of similar performances put in by Adebayor in his first season in this League.

Eduardo was similarly ineffective on the last occasion he was given a start which was against Blackburn away.

All this poses serious selection dilemmas for Wenger who has other options of course.

His first is to play Hleb just behind Adebayor in 4 5 1 formation with Rosicky and Eboue/Walcott as the wide midfield men.

He reverted to this when he made the inspired match winning changes against Bolton. It was also the formation that served him well at the beginning of the season. It served Hleb as well.

The second option is to bring Bendtner on to partner Adebayor in a 4 4 2 formation.

I watched Bendtner perform very well for Denmark in the Euro qualifiers and his direct physical style is at the moment more effective than Eduardo’s ball to feet approach.

The more unexpected but interesting option is to reinstall Gilberto into a three man midfield, in a 4 3 3 formation along Fabregas and Flamini.

Adebayor could then be flanked by Hleb and Rosicky. Fabregas and Flamini pushing forward in support as and when the occasion demands.

Judging by Wenger’s actions in team selection so far he is likely to give Eduardo every chance to prove himself.

He will probably select him for the Champions League game in Prague and give him the chance to show what he can do and hope he can get a goal which will prop up his confidence level.

But these types of games cannot be compared to the pressure of facing the Liverpools and Man Utds of this world.

Arsene Wenger has some serious thinking to do.


Out of the walkway and onto the motorway. Can Eduardo propel Arsenal to the title starting today against Bolton?

Are you English or Goonerish?

Who will win the title? Analysis and Predictions – Part II

By 1970’s Gooner

The bookies, as to be expected, have installed Man Utd as favourites to win the title again followed closely by Chelsea. Liverpool are priced at half of Arsenal’s odds and the rest, especially Spurs, are really nowhere. These are prices quoted at the time of writing this post.

Man Utd 11/8 Stan James
Chelsea 7/4 Sporting Odds
Liverpool 6/1 Betfred
Arsenal 12/1 Blue Square

For those interested Spurs are quoted at 100/1 by Stan James but Ladbrokes fancy them more at 66/1.

Most of the teams have not yet of course completed their annual summer retail therapy. But most of them, especially the top four, have made significant moves. More is still to come but the areas that teams need to strengthen are to me discernible enough.

In this four part series I try to analyse each of the top four’s strengths and weaknesses and based on the state of play so far try to come up with a reasonable prediction as to where they might end up by the end of next season.

Part I covered Arsenal

Liverpool. It’s getting serious.

Liverpool’s strengths during last season were concentrated more in the defensive rather than the creative areas of the team.

But a winning team needs balance. It needs to have enough strength in defence (and in the defensive midfield positions) and at the same time it needs flair, creativeness and at least one but usually two prolific goal scorers.

It was obvious that Liverpool was distinctly lacking in the creative parts of the field and as result faced two major weaknesses.

Not enough penetration from the wide midfield positions especially from left wing and a lack of a prolific goal scorer. There was also an evident lack of continuity, with the large squad being rotated too often.

Not enough penetration from the wide midfield positions

Pennant has improved a lot since joining although the quality of his crosses still needs to improve. But Liverpool’s major weakness in the wide midfield areas was in the left midfield position where Zenden, when fit, was the preferred choice.

In my posting prior to the Champions League Final I expressed major reservations when he was picked in front of Riise as he was not able to neither go past his man nor put decent crosses in ("Rafa’s line up and formation").

Ryan Babel and Benayoun are fine players and they can play on the wing but they are not really out and out wide players.

On the other hand Harry Kewell has only played 48 minutes for the whole of last season. It will take him a very long time to find his feet again and he is very injury prone.

Lack of a prolific goal scorer

Obviously the recruitment of Torres is intended to address the issue of goal scoring. But I am not convinced if Torres will be the only answer.

He is after all only 23 and he has had a relatively indifferent season in La Liga scoring 14 goals in 34 games (a goal scoring ratio at 0.41) which is not really top scoring form.

And having watched him during the World Cup I have to say he didn’t impress me greatly. And the World Cup is a stage where you would have expected him to shine.

In addition he will need to get used to the demands of the Premier League which means he will need time to produce. And, as we have seen last season, time is a very scarce commodity indeed in the Premiership. The merest of slips and you are playing catch up all the time.

Voronin, the other signing in attack, at 28 is more experienced but he has not been that prolific for Bayer Leverkusen scoring 10 goals in 30 games.

Lack of continuity

The constant rotation of the squad did no good in ensuring continuity in the performances of the team. Playing well in one game, scoring a couple of goals and then being dropped for the next one is the best way to demotivate a player.

More importantly the players need to play consecutive games together in order to learn each other’s way of playing and find the time to gel.

This issue doesn’t seem to bother Benitez as his recruitment activity has been as prolific as last season’s.

Just how he will keep all these players happy is beyond me.

What appears certain is that this “problem” will be even more evident this coming season. In fact it could be worse, as most of the recruits will also need time to get used to Premiership football.

But with Benitez’s rotation policy playing time will be at a premium.

So in conclusion if Liverpool recruit well for the left sided midfield position they would have gone a long way to correcting the apparent weaknesses of last season. But it doesn’t look like they will recruit anyone else. Nor would it be sensible to assume that Benitez will abandon his rotation policy.

Therefore, the degree to which they realistically challenge for the title will depend on how Torres not only succeeds in bedding in quickly but more importantly living up to the high expectations placed upon him.


Prediction : A very close fourth place

Transfer Activity:

IN F Torres (A Madrid, £20.2m) L Leiva (Grêmio, £6m), N Mihaylov (Levski Sofia, undisclosed), A Kacaniklic (Helsingborg, undisc), K Nemeth, A Simon (MTK Hungaria, £100,000 each), D Pacheco (Barcelona, £350,000), M Purie (B Dortmund, undisc), M San José (A Bilbao, £270,000), A Voronin (B Leverkusen, free), M Alexandrov (CSKA Sofia, undisc), R Crowther, B Robinson (both Stockport County, undisc), Y Benayoun (West Ham, up to £5m)

OUT C Bellamy (West Ham United, £7.5m), F Sinama Pongolle (R Huelva, £2.7m), D Cissé (Marseilles, £8m), L GarcÍa (A Madrid, £2.7m), R Fowler (released), A Hammill (Southampton, loan), M Gonzalez (Real Betis), B. Zenden (Marseille), G. Antwi (Hartlepool)

Part I covered Arsenal


Ed: You can leave a comment on what you think and also vote on the poll we have set up "who will win the title?"

Who will win the title? Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal. Analysis and Predictions - Part I: Arsenal

By 1970's Gooner

The bookies, as to be expected, have installed Man Utd as favourites to win the title again followed closely by Chelsea. Liverpool are priced at half of Arsenal’s odds and the rest, especially Spurs, are really nowhere. These are prices quoted at the time of writing this post.

Man Utd 11/8 Stan James
Chelsea 13/8 Ladbrokes
Liverpool 6/1 Betfred
Arsenal 12/1 Sporting Odds

For those interested Spurs are quoted at 100/1 by Stan James but Ladbrokes fancy them more at 66/1.

Most of the teams have not yet of course completed their annual summer retail therapy. But most of them, especially the top four, have made significant moves. More is still to come but the areas that teams need to strengthen are to me discernible enough.

In this four part series I try to analyse each of the top four’s strengths and weaknesses and based on the state of play so far try to come up with a reasonable prediction as to where they might end up by the end of next season.

Arsenal against the odds?

There are quite a lot of weaknesses that Arsene Wenger needs to address and rectify if Arsenal are to challenge seriously for honours next season. Many, many more than his closest rivals.

Fortunately they are all correctible as a lot of the changes needed involve a change of attitude or better coaching and organisation on the pitch rather than very radical surgery in the personnel (although they are needed too).

These include ( and take a deep breath) tightening up the defence, adopting the appropriate formation to suit the players at Wenger’s disposal (and I don’t mean 4 4 2), learning how to break up packed defences, killing teams off when on top, winning ugly if need be, buy at least one more quality player and lastly managing the impending takeover bid correctly. Not a lot is it?

For a more detailed analysis of these points check out my earlier postings: What does Arsenal need to do to challenge for next season? (Parts I & II)

Obviously Arsenal’s transfer policy should concentrate on correcting the glaring weaknesses of the past season. And it was very apparent that the team faced a real problem in scoring from open play and seriously lacked width; which affected the balance of the team on the pitch.

There are those who may maintain that with Eduardo’s arrival Arsenal may not need another forward. I beg to disagree.

The most obvious weakness in the forward line up of the current squad is that there is a distinct lack of experience. With Henry gone there are now only two relatively experienced players in Robin Van Persie and Adebayor. They are however only 23 and 22 respectively.

The addition of Eduardo to the squad (aged 24) does not of course do much to increase the average age and one has to allow for the dreaded adjustment period to Premiership football.

Not to mention Bendtner who is 19 and has not yet played in the Premiership! Or even Walcott who theoretically could play as a forward but for now is a wide player and is only 18!

Additionally account has to be taken of injury, suspensions, loss of form and the Africa Cup of Nations. Remember what happened last season when injuries to Henry and Van Persie in particular deprived the team of its two most lethal forwards.

Taking into account that Adebayor will be away at the ANC for about a month then it becomes obvious that the squad will lose serious depth.

Now if a premiership experienced forward with goalscoring ability was recruited (there is talk of Anelka again or someone like Kanute) then it suddenly gives a very attractive outlook on this Arsenal team and becomes an altogether different ball game.

For the wide midfield position, on the face of it, Wenger has two strategic options. Either he recruits a tried and tested winger who would of course have pace, dribbling ability and will not be afraid to shoot.

Or he “promotes from within” by moving Eboue to this position and utilising Bakary Sagna as a right back. Indeed Eboue has performed exceptionally well in the Emirates Cup. The rationality of this option is analysed in my posting “Is Wenger about to abandon his search for a wide midfielder?”

On the positive side of things all the young players have had a really good introduction to the Premiership and I would expect a vast improvement in their maturity and consistency levels. Something that was distinctly lacking last season.

Assuming the weaknesses listed above are addressed adequately, no more first team players are sold on and Wenger and the Board manage to steady the ship then I believe that Arsenal are one player away from being ready to mount a very realistic challenge for the title.

However these are all very brave and “courageous” assumptions as there is a quite a lot that needs to happen for all these conditions to materialise. There are in fact so many variables in Arsenal’s success equation that the probability of any or a combination of them becoming unstable cannot be discounted.

This is not to say that challenging for the title is an impossible task. But if Wenger succeeds then it will indeed be his greatest triumph!

Prediction: With an additional quality signing “surprising a lot of people and challenging for the title”. But as it stands a very close third place.


Transfer activity:

IN Eduardo da Silva (D Zagreb, £8m), L Fabianski (Legia Warsaw, £2m), H Nordveit (FK Haugesund, £2m), Bakary Sagna (Auxerre, initial £6m rising to £8m)

OUT J Aliadiãre (Middlesbrough, £1.5m), T Henry (Barcelona, £16.2m rising to £20.2m), M Poom (Watford, free), A Lupoli (Fiorentina, free), F Muamba (Birmingham City, undisclosed), M Connolly (Colchester, loan), Freddie Ljungberg (West Ham, £3m).

Part II:Liverpool.It's getting serious
Part III:Chelsea come back?
PartIV: Back to back for Manchester United?


Ed: You can leave a comment on what you think and also vote on the poll we have set up "who will win the title?"