Arsenal put on the Harlem Globetrotters Show at Reading

By 1970’s Gooner

It was men against boys; only the other way round if you see what I mean. But it was not like that all the way through. Coppell went for the conservative approach packing his midfield with five men and playing only one man up front.

Arsenal started somewhat lethargically and although they were enjoying 60% of possession they could not find a way round the packed Reading defense.

Yet it could have been very different from as early as the 4th minute when Adebayor put through by Rosicky clean on goal rather casually stroked the ball round Hanemann only to see it hit the outside the right hand post and go out of play.

Reading’s defensive formation was working quite well until the 43rd minute when they won a corner! As on many occasions that is when the defensive team is most vulnerable with the commitment of players in the opposite box opening up space on the other end of the pitch.

Arsenal were in the Reading box in a flash and Hleb was squaring the ball to the on rushing Flamini to score his first goal of the season.

That spelled the end of Reading’s mental resilience. The second half was monopolised by Arsenal adding the second on 52 after a sumptuous passing movement.

First Adebayor passed to Rosicky who gave it to Fabregas who laid it back for Adebayor to score from just inside the box with the minimum of back lift and with the inside of his right boot beyond the despairing Hanemann.

Now it was cruise control and exhibition “Harlem Globetrotters” staff as Reading were reduced to just a spectator part.

The Arsenal players were more interested in putting passes together and keeping the ball for very long spells rather than going for the jugular. Just like a cat plays with a captive mouse whose fate is already beyond doubt!

Hleb got the third on 78 after Oster passed to nobody outside his area. Hleb picked it up went through one player dummied the goalkeeper, dragged the ball back to his right foot and shot into the net off the defender’s stretched leg.

Wenger’s insistence on making double substitutions at the same time rather than spacing them out disrupted the flow again just as they did in Arsenal’s last game against Manchester United.

This gave the impetus for Reading to push forward and as Arsenal relaxed a bit more they managed to score a goal after a header hit the post with Almunia already out of position trying to stop it.

Fabregas got an “intended” yellow card and misses Arsenal’s next game against Wigan at the Emirates.

But Arsenal are top of the League again. Where they belong.


Coppell: "Reading have three different ways of playing against Arsenal". Really?

Lehmann’s clanger hides Wenger’s and Arsenal’s sins

By 1970’s Gooner

Everybody would of course blame “poor” Jens Lehmann for dropping a clanger and gifting Blackburn a very fortuitous equalizer. And it certainly looked that, despite Blackburn’s resurgence in the second half, Arsenal were going to hold out for a very scrappy but morale boosting away win.

But having watched the encounter live I formed the opinion that it need not have turned out such a close and scrappy game.

Arsenal strangely enough were outfought in midfield and could not dictate play as we know they can. The result was that Fabregas was subdued and the supply to the two front men was not as often or as good as it usually is.

There are two major reasons for this.

The first has to do with the fact that due to the physical nature of the opponents, the Arsenal players, in their desire to show to everybody that they can mix it too, forgot how to play football.

Blackburn’s physical approach (especially from that prat Savage) was intended to intimidate them and put them out of their stride.

It did not succeed in intimidating them but it shifted the Arsenal’s players focus and minds away from playing the beautiful game to dishing it out themselves.

This is exactly what happened in the away game at Sparta Prague, a game I also watched live. Except on that occasion Lehmann and the post saved Arsenal.

There is another equally important reason for the loss of midfield control and it has to do with Wenger’s selection to start with Eduardo. This is because Eduardo was returning from injury and had not played in the Premiership yet.

As often happens in football, due to its zero sum characteristic and reliance on team coordination, if one or more of its parts or players is not functioning well the whole of the team suffers.

Giving him his debut in such a tough away fixture was to my mind a gamble. In fact it was a gamble Wenger need not have taken because by doing so he not only weakened the side but had to change a thus far winning formula by switching the formation from 4 4 1 1 to a straight 4 4 2.

In addition, this deprived the midfield area of the extra player it needed on various occasions which would have come from the deeper lying forward. Hleb in other words.

Loss of midfield control deprived Arsenal the usual dominance it enjoys against such teams and resulted in a scrappy and physical game which invariably suited the less technical side.



Blackburn Vs Arsenal. Predictions and betting suggestions


Walcott and Clichy should be the wide players against Blackburn

Walcott and Clichy should be the wide players against Blackburn

By 1970's Gooner

This away fixture at Blackburn is the equivalent of a real fitness test for this young but maturing Arsenal side.

All the football pundits are expecting Arsenal to return to their old ways. Their first away fixture in the North with rain gushing down, a partisan crowd and an opponent prepared to stick it up your nose. This is where titles are won or lost.

And there is some merit in this logic.

Yes they battled hard against a physical Ajax in the Amsterdam tournament but that was a friendly after all;

Yes they came back to beat Fulham at the death; but Fulham surprisingly didn’t park the Fulham Broadway bus in front of them and it was a home game after all, in nice London summerish weather.

Yes they had to man the barricades against an intimidating Sparta and Tomas Repka in Prague which indicated that they are up for the physical type of games; but having watched the game live, Sparta did not produce the quality of football as say Blackburn could pose on Sunday.


So if Wenger’s babes can also pass this test then the football world will really sit up and take notice.

Hell, the players themselves will sit up and take notice!

So if you are Mr Wenger and you realise the enormous up side potential that an away win at Blackburn at this juncture will give to this side how should you approach this game?

I say this because injuries to Eboue, Rosicky, Diaby and Eduardo are likely to deprive the team of key players especially its wings. Without wings no one can fly. And fly is what Arsenal need to do if they are to have a chance of winning this game.

How Wenger decides to replace the loss of Eboue and Rosicky will, more than any other decision he makes for this game, go a long way in deciding its outcome. And there are two reasons for this.

The first is the need to have penetrating wide midfielders as this will be the only way to bypass what is likely to be a congested midfield; made even more congested by Hleb’s insistence to drop deeper than he should. May be on Wenger’s orders.

The second reason is that Blackburn themselves look likely to play with two wingers who like to go forward. The dangerous Pedersen and old boy Bentley. Exploitation of the spaces left behind them may prove their Achilles heel.

One way to (partly) solve the winger’s crisis is to change the formation and play 4 4 2 by bringing Bendtner or Eduardo in to partner RVP. The result will be that Hleb will move to one of the wide midfield positions.

But I don’t think that Wenger will want to change a winning team’s formation. And as he has said, Eduardo will probably be deployed from the bench. Bendtner he considers not yet ready to start.

The only viable solutions available to my mind are to play Clichy as a left sided midfielder with Hoyte brought in at left or right back.

Clichy impressed during pre season when he was tried in this position and also showed, during these first two competitive games, how dangerous he is going forward.

For the other wide midfield position the choice is between Denilson, who is now fit, and Walcott.

Walcott impressed when he came on against Fulham and he will be adding real penetration, an ingredient necessary if Arsenal are to exploit the wide areas.

The rest of the team picks itself.

Hleb is top scorer, Robin needs a Batman and Fabregas is the real captain

Fabregas has added a “Peter Storey” attitude to his vast arsenal of talents

Hleb is top scorer, Robin needs a Batman and Fabregas is the real captain

By 1970's Gooner

There were three very positive aspects to come out of this tough encounter in Prague (apart from the win).

The first was the resilience and character to tough it out against very physical opponents. The second was the midfielders finding their goal scoring touch; at last. And the third was the vast potential that exists in this team when the proper centre forwards return to give it balance and extra scoring potential.

Resilience

This attitude expressed itself in the game against Ajax in Amsterdam for the pre season tournament. We all commented on it but I think we put it at the back of our minds thinking that it was probably a one off.

Or at least we wanted to wait for more games until we were convinced. I am now convinced that this Arsenal team will be no easy push overs this season. And this augurs well for the tricky encounter against Blackburn next Sunday.

What in particular impressed me was Fabregas’s contribution. He has moved on this season up the ladder of what will eventually lead him to world stardom and star status.

This year he is more confident about his scoring ability thus he takes more shots at goal rather than passing the ball; it was usually to Henry last season.

Maybe the latter’s absence has forced him to look at other alternatives.

He has also added steel to his game. His tackle on Tomas Repka was the turning point of the game for me. It forced Repka out of the game and also gave the signal to his team mates that “we will not be intimidated”.

He is the real captain of the team.

The midfielders are finding their goal scoring touch

In the absence of Henry last season, goals were difficult to find especially since the midfielders were not chipping in with their expected contribution.

Well three of the four goals scored so far in have come from midfielders. And the other was a penalty which was not won by a forward player.

The difference this season is of course Hleb’s contribution which is in direct contrast to last year where he was afraid put his boot in and more importantly to shoot. He is in fact top scorer now!

The contribution from the midfielders is more important than one may suppose. This is because of the formation that Arsenal are deploying at the moment.

The lone forward up front is indeed lone and his primary task is first to bring other players in. So if the midfielders don’t score you are in trouble. As we were last year.

The return of a proper centre forward

This team is crying out for a proper centre forward. A tall, strong and physical player who can hold the ball and bring players into the game.

Robin van Persie isn’t that player. He is better deployed behind or next to a strong centre forward and not as a lone striker.

This was very evident last season when Henry was around and now with Bendtner in the friendlies. This is probably the way Wenger intends to deploy RVP when Adebayor returns.

My view on Bendtner’s utilization is that he is indeed ready to do a job for Wenger. As regular visitors to this site are aware.

Lack of support for RVP puts more strain on the midfield and defence as the ball keeps coming back. When this imbalance is corrected this team has the potential to increase its efficiency quite substantially.

And surprise a lot of people.


Bendtner should start every game. It makes more tactical sense

Arsenal look ready to hit the ground running, more so than the others

Strength in depth eases Wenger’s team selection worries for the coming season