Wenger’s inadequacies expose Arsenal

By 1970’s Gooner

I am disgusted. I feel sick.

Arsene Wenger made four fatal mistakes against Utd today and the result was one of the most insipid and overall poor performances during his reign at Arsenal.

Firstly

Everyone was telling Arsene Wenger that Santos was a serious liability. It was so obvious for God’s sake. But no he is so stubborn. The first choice left back is out so the second choice has to play. My arse. The second choice is totally useless Mr Wenger come to terms with it. You made a dud buy.

Time and time again he was too weak to stop Valencia or Rafael. Their first goal came from his bad positioning and of course Vermaelen’s poor clearance. And it was by bad luck and Mannone’s heroics that we kept the score low.

Secondly

Ramsey is a poor player on the wing Mr Wenger. Face it. The boy is not ready yet for such games. He neither helped Sagna out nor did he go forward. He was useless. Totally useless. How come Wenger does not see that is beyond me.

Thirdly

Giroud is not a Premiership player. He is a joke Mr Wenger. He could not hold the ball up, couldn’t head it nor did he create anything.You bought another dud there mate. Face it. Playing with 9 men usually results in defeat don’t you think?

Fourthly

Ferguson subbed Cleverly. Wenger did not sub Wilshere and of course he got a red.

Maybe the difference between the two teams were the managers.

Drop this player for the Man Utd game Mr Wenger

By 1970’s Gooner

Sir Alec Ferguson seems to have been very astute with his tactics and formation in recent games. And even if the defence seems to be shipping in goals they end up winning the games that matter.

Take their league game at Chelsea for example. Many thought that the formation will be the diamond so well employed in the Champions League games and against Newcastle where a 3 0 away win was easily achieved.

But no, Ferguson reverted to the winger system with Ashley Young and Valencia running the Chelsea full backs rugged.

Valencia in particular aided by the right back Rafael created all sorts of problems on the right side contributing directly the first two goals of the game. The constant danger on that side meant that Ashley Cole was either restricted in his forward forays or more importantly when he did venture forward he was caught out of position.

So you can imagine how worried I became when the news came out today that Gibbs was unavailable for this Suturday's game at Old Trafford. Can you imagine what damage United can potentially achieve down that flank with Santos as our left back?

The guy cannot defend properly. He is either out of position because he has ventured forward (as all Brazilian defenders tend to do – Kafu, Roberto Carlos) or when he is in position he tends to commit himself too early rather than staying with the player.

I am worried. Really worried.

Arsene Wenger should, in my opinion, take the brave decision and drop Santos for this game in favour of either Koscienly or even Jenkinson. They are right footed but I am sure they will do a more than an adequate job.

The other area that Ferguson will try to negate will be to repeat Chelsea’s man to man marking of Cazorla during the encounter with Chelsea at the Emirates. Ramires did succeed in marking Santi very closely during that home defeat and as a result his distribution and overall effectiveness suffered.

Fletcher may be utilised for this purpose and he has the credentials to do it well. He has done it in the past against Arsenal and I am sure he will be up for it on Saturday. I just hope Fergie may not select him as he played midweek at Chelsea.

In this case Rooney will become the key man. He is likely to drop into midfield when Arsenal have possession making their formation a 4 5 1, restricting spaces for Arsenal’s midfielders to create.

The outcome of the game will rest on Arsenal’s ability to contain United’s attacking flair especially cutting the supply line to RVP form the wings (especially the left). If this is achieved Arsenal will find the net against a united defence which has been shipping goals lately.


Question: Which Premier League team has the best defensive record this season?

Long it may continue, but will it?

Arsenal vs Coventry video highlights

By 1970's Gooner

There are many of you who couldn't attend the match against Coventry.

Here are the highlights.

Szczeny out for four weeks

By 1970's Gooner

Wojciech Szczeny has got into injury mode just like his compatriot Fabianski. 

He missed the first two games of the season with a rib injury, came back for the game against Southampton and dropped a clanger handing them their only goal. A mistake for which his rib injury was probably a contributing factor.

Now it seems that his has picked up an ankle and foot injury and is out for at least four weeks. Fabianski is also out for an indefinite period due to an injury picked up in training on international duty for Poland which hands Vito Mannone an excellent chance to stake his claim as Arsenal's number one.

However it leaves Arsenal rather dangerously short in case Vito suffers an injury with young Argentinean keeper Damian Martinez continuing as his understudy.

We all wanted to play the number 9 when kids too Theo

By 1970's Gooner

Don’t get me wrong. I have promoted the idea of Theo being given a chance to prove himself in the middle of Arsenal’s attack just before the season started when it was obvious that RVP was departing for pastures new.

I still think that Theo should be given his chance as he has the qualities to succeed in this position. He is of course fast (thus he can get behind the opposing defence just like Ljumberg and Nicolas Anelka used to). He has shown that he can finish and I think with more exposure in this role he could get goals. He is a much better finisher than Gervinho in my opinion and at the moment much better than Giroud!


Arsene Wenger must have his own reasons why he has decided to opt for Gervinho rather than Wallcot and one of them may have to do with his maturity and decision making.

So AW may want to give him more exposure on the flanks before bringing him in the middle as he has done with others in the past. Fabregas and Diaby were first exposed on the wing for a few seasons before he was convinced to trust them by playing them in the middle where the responsibilities are far greater. He did the same with RVP although his injuries may have played a part in this.

Where Theo has got it wrong is in his attitude. Instead of signing a new deal and putting his head down trying to prove AW wrong he has decided to force the issue by not only demanding more money than his current contract but like a spoilt child wanting reassurances that he will be Arsenal’s centre forward!

Since when did Arsenal’s football players dictate in which position they play?

Theo Walcott looks to have overestimated his current abilities. He has not been near the consistent level of performances that he needs to put in so that he can convince Wenger to trust Arsenal’s goal scoring duties to him. Maybe in a year or so, but not now.

And Arsenal have made a mistake in not forcing Theo to either sign up or get out. Now the club has tactically lost a major bargaining position which will ultimately result, in the case where Walcott is moved on, in a reduced transfer fee of at least a few million pounds.

And if Wenger insists in not playing him until he signs up then Walcott will get frustrated and want out anyway, most probably at the end of his contract, in which case Arsenal will get nothing!

Theo too should have known better but to demand that he plays in the middle.

It reminds me when we were kids and we all wanted to play the number 9 (and nobody played in goal).


http://arsenalanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-striker-and-formation-for-wenger.html

Arsenal’s Next Gen have to learn to play like a team

By 1970’s Gooner

I watched the whole of Arsenal’s Next Gen game away to Olympiakos. Arsenal’s players were more technically gifted and more accomplished player for player when compared to the Greeks. You could see the skills flowing through them.

However they were a bunch of individual players that looked to have been put together in a hastily fashion in order to compete in this version of the youth Champions League.

They looked like a team that didn’t know each other which meant that passes were more often than not going astray or being intercepted by the opposition. More significantly the players were playing more individually than as a unit.

There were occasions when Akpom playing up front and Jeffrey on the right wing were guilty of not passing the ball in the area for a better placed colleague. Instead they were choosing to go through on their own. Kids staff really…

But Olympiakos were not guilty of this type of play. They were more compact knowing each other’s movement and playing as a much more cohesive unit. And even though their first goal was off side they scored it because their winger passed it beautifully across the area to the unmarked forward.

For some unfathomable reason the officials were Greek!

The Arsenal players that stood out for me were Ebecilio (central midfielder in the Diaby mould and style) and the central defender Hajrovic.

Yennaris was played out of position in central midfield and was generally ineffective, Gnarby, who is tipped to be upgraded to the first team squad should Walcott leave, did not impress either. 

Lets hope Terry Burton gets his act together for the next game. 

Player analysis and ratings Vs Liverpool

 

By 1970’s Gooner

Mannone

I like Vito. He is brave, has a massive built which fills the goal and is a good shot stopper. He showed all these qualities today and made good saves late in the game. He needs to improve his approach to the high balls which troubled him today on two occasions. His loan spell at Hull helped him a lot. 7

Jenkinson

I felt that in the first half he along with Mertersacker and Giroud were our weakest links. Young Sterling was having the better of him and also his distribution across the Arsenal back line instead of passing it forward gave the opponents some early possession in unwanted areas. Improved in the second half and looked assured from then on. He seems to stay back when we go forward and I think it is a planned move making sure that we are not exposed when we attack by having both full backs bombing forward as well as two of our three midfielders supporting the attack, as we used to do the season before. Bould’s influence? All I can say is why did we wait so many years to appoint Bouldy to the first team coaching staff? 6

Gibbs

Unlike Jenkinson he has the license to go forward and he is improving with every game. He was caught out of position on occasion but Podolski’s excellent defensive display helped him out masking his weakness in this area. He needs to guide his crosses onto Giroud’s head. More work is needed on the training ground in correcting this. 6

Mertesacker

Looked uneasy against Suarez getting a yellow card when the Liverpool player slipped past him early on. But overall he played well using his experienced head to position himself correctly cutting out the through passes. He does look clumsy though when facing players with a low centre of gravity. 6

Vermaelen

He is a real captain. Strong, decisive and a leader. Got to a lot of high balls from the many corners that Liverpool swung in. Defending balls from dead ball situations is another improvement in Arsenal’s defensive display. Reacted well when Mannone spilled a shot late in the game to get there first and clear away. 7

Diaby

A magnificent display from Arsenal’s best player on the pitch. He was immense, doing everything, winning the ball, going forward, making incisive passes and when needed to slow the game down passing early and simply. He is Arsenal’s best transfer this season and he cost nothing. May he keep out of injury…. 9

Cazorla

He had a brilliant game. Never wasted a pass, kept the ball well and capped a fantastic performance by a goal he richly deserved. He is not like Fabregas, he is a different type of playmaker who uses his skill to make telling passes and more importantly is always looking to score. 8

Podolski

An all round excellent display capped by a beautiful goal he helped create himself. He received the ball from defence passed it to Cazorla and run on to receive the return pass and slot it across Reina in the back of the net. I am impressed though by his defensive abilities. An excellent signing who after this psychologically boosting display will now improve by leaps and bounds. 8

Arteta

Carried his defensive duties with diligence and maturity. Covered back, especially for Gibbs when he went forward. Never put a foot wrong the whole game. 8

The Ox

He is a far better player than Walcott. Wenger should have let Walcott go as this boy has the lot. Dribbling, tackling, tracking back. Above all he is a fighter. His presence offers a much better balance to the Arsenal shape than Walcott who is better than the Ox only in the speeds stakes. And that is not good enough. 7

Giroud

He lacks pace. He is obviously a box player and a good header of the ball. So Wenger needs to get the rest of the Arsenal players to play up to his strenths. Missed another sitter today (he should have passed it to Gibbs who was in a far better position to score). Once he gets that goal however he will improve. 5

This is the last straw

By 1970's Gooner

Walcott is refusing to sign a new contract. This is the last straw. It’s spreading around the Emirates like the plague. Any player on Arsenal’s books who has or believes he has some star quality wants out.

The fact is that Arsenal are now perceived (by its players) to be a selling club and indeed this is so. So an Arsenal player who thinks he is somebody does one of two things.

He either jumps at the opportunity of going to a more successful and less stingy in terms of salary, club way before his contract ends (eg Song) or refuses to sign a contract extension and lets his contract run down to the final year (as RVP did and as Walcott intends to do).

This is inevitable in my mind and is a direct result of the football model that AFC has decided to follow. This model is based on sound financial principles of running the club as a business and not necessarily as a club in the hunt for trophies. The latter is always sacrificed for the former.

And running the club as a business means that profit is of paramount importance. It could have been that the present shareholders invested their money elsewhere, in a different sector altogether. Their ultimate aim would still be the same: making a profit and eventually selling the shares at a premium.

That’s why Stan Kroenke has been allowed buy shares in Arsenal and not Usmanov. Stan is there to realise a hefty profit down the line IRRESPECTIVE whether Arsenal win anything during that time or not.Usmanov on the other hand would throw money in the club with the aim of winning trophies but dilute the value of the shares in the process. And this is anathema to the present shareholders.

The move to the Emirates and the hefty borrowing placed upon the shoulders of the club falls directly in line with this philosophy. A stadium much bigger than Highbury with a 60,000 capacity crowd paying highly expensive ticket prices is creating substantial revenue and operational profits. Add in the profits being made on the transfers of players and you have a very lucrative business proposition.

Once the loans have been paid off these operational profits will no longer be used up to pay off the Banks. Net profits will shoot upwards and seriously bulge the net worth of the club and the value of the shares, which will rise to astronomic proportions.

That’s when the shareholders will sell.

But this is not due for another 10 years!

In the meantime the whole model is made viable by the genius of one man: Arsene Wenger. He makes it possible by doing two things.

Firstly he finds and buys gems, has the extraordinary ability to turn them into star players and when they grow disillusioned with the lack of success he sells them off at a huge profit (thus helping to create the resources to make up the loan installments).

And secondly he manages to get us into the Champions League year after year creating more profits but also importantly keeping us, the supporters, reasonably interested to keep filling up the stadium.

The trouble is what will happen when Wenger for any reason is not there any more. Or he fails to get us into the CL. He is human after all.

Cazorla’s signing and RVP’s possible rethink places a strong Arsenal in the title challenge

By 1970’s Gooner

Don’t get me wrong Cazorla is a major signing for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. It sends out the message that Arsenal and Wenger mean business this season. And this is for two reasons.

Firstly, the total transfer outlay so far is about 40m, and still counting. This is far more than any other season in the last seven barren years.

Secondly all the transfers involve players who are far more mature both in terms of age and experience in difficult competitive leagues. Podolski is 27 and a Germany international, Giroud is 25 and a France international and Cazorla 27 and a Spain international.

They are all quality players and worthy of first team selection. And they are all added to a squad who as yet has not lost anyone of note. If RVP does eventually leave this summer then the three new comers do add up to a net addition to an already strong squad.

Consider the squad as it stands now:

Goalkeepers: Szczęsny, Fabianski, Mannone

Right Backs: Sagna, Jenkinson, , Koscienly (if needed), Coquelin, Yennaris

Left Backs: Gibbs, Santos, (we are rather short of cover here if both get injured)

Central Defenders: Vermaelen, Koscienly, Mertesacker, Djourou

Central Midfilders: Song, Diaby, Arteta, Rosicky, Ramsey, Coquelin, Frimpong, Wilshere,

Wide Midfielders: Walcott, Gervinho, Podolski, Arshavin, The Ox, Cazorla

Strikers: RVP (if he stays), Giroud, Chamakh, Bendtner (if he stays)

It seems that if RVP leaves the strikers position would prove to be an area where we may me short. Chamakh is not up to it and Bendtner wants out which leaves us with only Giroud.

Nevertheless the squad is far far stronger than in recent years.

And I boldly can predict that IF RVP has  a rethink and stays then we can  lift the title this coming season…..

Malaga issue official statement

By 1970’s Gooner

Malaga has just released a statement with regard to their financial reality. This is the full statement:

"Malaga Football Club has begun a process of internal restructuring within the organization to adapt to the standards of financial fair play, in order to ensure self-sufficiency and sustainability. This process, which does not mean it has rejected any kind of investment by the current owners, will involve some changes to the current Club organizational entity that will strengthen the future ".

This is a direct admission that the club has to clear huge debts by the end of the month or face relegation to Spain's second tier, the loss of their UEFA licence and Champions League expulsion.

And changes have already began to take place. Antonio Fernandez has today been invited to leave his post as athletic director, who will now be Alfonso Serrano.

Meanwhile, Pellegrini their coach is meeting this afternoon with the theoretical new strongman Quatari Moayat Shatat who is replacing Ghubn Abdulla, who seems to have disappeared from the map. Pellegrini will make a decision after the meeting whether to continue or not.

Besides selling Cazorla to Arsenal, Malaga will try to sell to players who can attract the most transfer fees: Monreal, Isco, Toulalan, Joachim and Rondon.

In the mean time Cazorla has been sighted at a Spanish airport before flying in to London for his medical.