Jack is back – Bacary was never away – Mannone saves our day – Wingers rescue us

TotalArsenal

Image

Arsenal – QPR: Five conclusions after a much needed win

Jack made a big difference

How great was it to hear a collective cheer from the fans when Jack had his first touches of the ball?! He made a great difference from the start: our team had shape and purpose again. It was just so good to see him move through the middle, picking out through-balls and combining with other midfielders to make things happen in the centre of the park. He makes it look so simple, and yet what he adds to the team is invaluable.

As soon as he came off, we lost a bit of our shape, and that tells us all how important he/the lynchpin role is in our 4-3-3 system.

Santi was far more effective today then in recent games. Cazorla played a lot closer to Giroud today as Wilshere’s skills and vision allowed him to stay higher up the pitch during most of the game, and that’s where he can be most effective. I love the fact that Santi always tries to shoot, but let us hope he will improve on his accuracy!

Bacary was awesome and great to see him back

The Corporal has done a great job at RB for us, and we are very lucky to have two very good RB’s in our team. Bacary is one of my favourite Arsenal defenders and to see him back; full of purpose and super strong, is just fantastic. He is such a safe pair of hands in defence and he gave great support to Ramsey and others on the right wing today, with a few peaches of crosses that could easily have led to an assist today. It just looked like he had never been away: what a beast of a player!

Podholeski needs a rest and some maintenance

The combination of Podolski – Giroud – Ramsey; as a false right winger/extra midfielder, does not work. We lack depth, speed and become predictable in our 4-3-3. I can see scope for 4-4-2 with both Pod and Giroud up-front, but then we need to give them far better service into the box from the wings. I can also see Giroud being very effective in 4-5-1, but in 4-3-3 we need to play with at least one proper winger, if not two in order to get the best out of OG.

The Pod is a great signing, but he is struggling on the left wing at the moment, and could do with a rest. I really hope Gervinho’s injury is nothing serious, because we need him on the left wing in the next few games.

Mannone saved our day

We almost gave it away at the end, as we were not able to play the game out. QPR obviously changed tact as soon as they got behind, and it almost paid off for them, but our young Italian stallion was focussed and ready when it most mattered, and he made a few fantastic interventions late on.

The wingers gave us a much needed extra-dimension in attack

What a difference the late substitutions made. Theo and Gervinho/Arshavin brought an extra dimension and totally ruffled the QPR game plan. I will say it again: if we play Giroud in a 4-3-3 system we need to have wingers in our team; who can get into the box and to the by-line, and who cross the ball to our big target man. Giroud clearly revels in this role, and Santi loves to benefit from the scraps that fall to him as well.

Please Arsene, can you play Gervinho – OG – Theo against MU, with Santi behind OG, and Jack and Mikel behind Santi?!

All in all, a hard fought win and thoroughly deserved.

Some credit is due to QPR though: they played with discipline and purpose and made it really difficult for us until we brought our wingers on, and with a bit more luck they could have gained a point today.

Ooooh Arsenal, we love you!!

Total Arsenal.

91 thoughts on “Jack is back – Bacary was never away – Mannone saves our day – Wingers rescue us”

  • Hi everyone,
    my take on the game. It was a laboured performance, and we made it harder than it should have been. Great to see Wilshere back, and he was my man-of-the-match. Good to see Sagna back too (though a bit unlucky on Jenks), and he definitely helped solidify a nervous back-line. Santos had a better game, but mainly because he was rarely challenged.
    QPR’s game-plan was clearly to frustrate Arsenal, and they may have got away with it had Mbia not recklessly kicked out, leaving the Ref no option but to show him the red card. As it was, it took a scruffy goal from an originally off-side Arteta, and even then we almost gifted them a point – twice in the space of a few minutes! Granero really should have scored when one-on-one with Mannone, but screwed his shot wide, and Mackie just ran straight through the heart of the Arsenal defence, but Mannone stood up well and made a crucial save.
    Our set-peices were poor, particularly the free-kicks, and again our lack of cutting-edge was exposed with Arsenal’s persistence at trying to thread balls through gaps that weren’t really there. Julio Cesar did keep QPR in the game with a couple of fine saves, but over-all, Arsenal today got away with a very nervous 1-0 win and are currently up to fourth. Job done.

  • Excellent Post , TA, 🙂

    It had all the feel of the Norwich game for much of the time. Tremendous possession and neat passing (mostly) but totally ineffective if one was to be candid.

  • Good summary, Herb, 🙂

    You are quite right, at the end of the day, we needed that rush of blood to the head from Mbia because before that we never looked like scoring.

    You mentioned the couple of chances QPR had near the end, and they could have scored and rained on our parade.

  • TA,

    The Gerv was not on long enough to properly assess, but I am afraid I thought he looked totally at sea for those few minutes. Sorry to disagree.

    Theo made a particularly good cross which was wasted, but we saw nothing of his pace and overall we lack spark somehow.

    We really need to get someone special upfront — I know it is unlikely to happen.

  • Herb,

    I have thought about some of your comments and although I have a slightly more upbeat view than yours, I still think you have a point.

    If I had my way I would utilize our cash resources slightly differently to AW.

    Look, he spent £11m on Gervinho, and £12m for Giroud (approximately). They are both O.K. but that’s all, they are not top drawer. I would have preferred to put the money (and salaries) together and to have bought one really good CF such as Llorente.
    Less quantity, more quality.

    Does that sort of rationalization chime with you? There’s more! 🙂

  • MU away next! I haven’t forgotten the ‘Capital One’ cup game with Reading (apparently Durham from TalkSPORT is going and is sitting with the Arsenal fans), but surely most first-team players will get a week’s rest before we go to OT.
    I’m grateful for the three points, but it hasn’t really answered the bigger questions and put our minds at ease.

  • We are not necessarily disagreeing Redders. The fact that we started to play with wingers made the big difference in my opinion, and Arshavin took over well from the unfortunate Gervinho.

    I know you don’t rate him highly, but he puts pressure on defences as soon as he has the ball and that shook QPR up, and Theo did the same, although his crosses weren’t all great.

    If we play the same formation against MU on Saturday as we did during the last 20 minutes, except Jack for Aaron in midfield, we will be a far better team and I would not be worried about goals.

    Btw, now that Song is no longer playing alongside Arteta, we can see better some of the limitations of the Spaniard. But then I guess he must be tired after 3 games in seven days.

  • Of course, TA, and I am delighted, both about that position and the three points we won! 🙂

    It’s just that I cannot blind myself to the last three performances which all felt much the same, (altho as you point out we won this one) but with Manure next up, in the EPL, another performance like those could have a much different result.

    I did not feel the world was coming to an end after the losses to Norwich and Schalke, but neither do I feel ecstatic about a somewhat fortuitous win today.

    I am neither Herb nor TerryM in that respect — happier to stay in the middle! 🙂

  • We definitely have not been without luck tonight; agreed, Rouge. We also need to improve further, but that was to be expected. Jack made a real difference though.

  • TA,

    You are a naughty boy — I kept refreshing the last Post screen — before your tardy New Post message came up, and now I have to go, just as the debate is warming up!!! 🙂 🙂

    I bet the three Marx Brothers, Glic, Terry and VCC will be back on soon! 🙂

  • Final comment — Jack looked superb, and will only get better.

    In fairness to Mannone who gets some stick, he pulled off a couple of great saves near the end. One of their shots appeared to go in, but Man One got a glove to it and it went behind for a corner. very good! 🙂

    Got to go. See you all tomorrow.

  • I don’t think the wingers changed or contributed much, Total, Mbia’s sending-off won us that game.
    Hi Redders, hope you’re okay. I hate being negative and down on Arsenal, but some of the hierarchy make some truly horrendous decisions that we have absolutely no say on but are forced to suffer when it inevitably goes wrong. If you’re charged with trying to entertain and satisfy hundreds of thousands of people, you better be damn good at making those choices, and you definitely need to get more right than you get wrong. Sadly that isn’t the case at Arsenal, and we suffer more than most.
    When Mr Wenger was gushing with admiration last summer (2011), for Karim Benzema, I presumed it was because he was preparing an offer, and bringing a recognised world-class partner up-front to partner RVP. Silly me. Then to announce at the AGM on Thursday that RVP was sold for ‘footballing reasons’ just doesn’t add up.
    We do not have a very exciting brand, and there were plenty of empty seats at the Emirates today, which will only magnify if the over-all strategy of the club doesn’t change.

  • Sorry I missed you, RA, and for being naughty! 🙂 Although, naughty is nice 😉

    Hi Herb 🙂

    There we have disagree: the sending off made no difference in my view, but the wingers brought in an extra dimension: they became an outlet, stretched the game and helped us to up the tempo.

  • We must have watched different games, Total. 11 v 11 we weren’t going to score, 11 v 10 in our favour, we scraped a goal from a player who was off-side. And if the introduction of our wingers improved us that significantly how come QPR had two gilt-edged opportunities to score near the end – their best two chances of the game?

  • Let me ask you this, Total. Do you think the majority of share-holders at the AGM on Thursday, think like you do, that we’re a club going places, or think like me, that we’re a stale boring brand run by cowards?

  • Cazorla had, for example, two great shooting opportunities and we could have scored a ‘normal’ goal with a bit more luck – but a goal is a goal and Arteta wanted it more than their defenders, Herb.

    Not sure about the last bit. After the goal we created more chances and the wingers played an important role in that. They had good chances because our defending lacked organisation and our interventions were not good enough. The wingers only played a minor, if any, role in that in my opinion.

  • Sorry Herb, I am a happy fan tonight, and I know there are many other happy fans tonight. You are entitled to your views and you are free to express your dissatisfaction with the board/management on BK, but I am not going to engage with you on that again tonight. 🙂

  • By a bit more luck, you mean if Cazorla had better composure instead of wildly blazing over the bar.. Wingers or no wingers, it is the responsibility of the whole team to defend as well as attack. You are incredibly forgiving of under-performing players.

  • good sum up TA, cheers.

    Was I watching a different game to everyone else? The man of the match performance goes to Julio Cesar. Yes he didn’t hold onto a few at the start but if he didn’t continue the ‘goalkeeper curse vs Arsenal’, and if we were a bit more composed in front of goal we would have won it a hell of a lot easier.

    I’m not sure how on earth they got two great chances at the end though. The first one was a delightful cross but where were our defenders? Mackie? how does he get through 3 players? two of them were scared to lay a tackle just in case they gave away a penalty. At that level you should be confident enough in your tackling. Then again with the shocking officiating i suppose I’d do the same.

    It was a laboring performance but that’s all we needed! baby steps to get our confidence back. Boy is it great to see Jacky Boy back, what a bloody player! it’s as though he never left!

    As you’ve mentioned all week Podolski is wasted out wide! It was working okay with Gibbs because gibbs was playing great, but with santos he has to track back far to often!

    I’m not sure where all these calls for Llorente have come from. In the last four seasons for Bilbao he has scored 14, 14, 18, 17 (he does score well in the Europa league football…if that counts) Considering Bilbao wanted something ridiculous like 30 million plus I’d definitely pass! He seems to be one of those players that played a few times for Spain and then Bang…want! want! want!

    If we are going to go and spend a large some of money (I’d love Falcao but man city or Chelsea will have to spend 50million to get him) it has to be Robert Lewandoski!

    He’d fit into our system beautifully (he is used to it at BD), he scored 30 in 47 appearances in his breakout season last year! He is a poacher, sets up goals, and is great in the air. Plus he is only 24.

    But that is just me being greedy! Play Pod through the middle an we will see a great striker in action. He scored 18 in 29 last season for Koln…Koln…and they are crap. 4 in 9 for us. Just because he plays wide for Germany (because he is that good that he can play there + you can’t not have him in the team) does not mean he has to for us Arsene! BSR wasn’t a main striker, Arsene made him into one…the rest is history. Podolski is a striker…he plays out on the left! It’s Arshavin all over again

  • Morning all you BKers, 🙂

    No sign of the Terrible Threesome — still recovering from a knees up after the game.

    That Terry is the ring leader – obviously – he has hollow telescopes — Glic and VCC had no chance! 🙂

  • Goog call, Oz, 🙂

    I certainly would not say no to Lewandowski either.

    Your comments about the game, particularly regarding Jack and Cesar are spot on!

  • Great comment Oz, and we are fully on the same wavelength! 🙂

    Morning Redders and other fine Gooners 🙂

    I am off to Lancashire for an overnight stop and then upwards and onwards to Scotland. Hope to issue a post in the evening.

  • Hi all
    It was great for VCC to meet me yesterday, just for him to see what a handsome bastard really looks like ! hahaha
    Unlike him, his boy was handsome, so tell me VCC, where did you steal him from ?. hahaha
    Stretche`s new teeth looked great, they were so shiny, I could see my gorgous reflection in them !.
    We played well and got the deserved outcome. As I think I said in my last comment, I wanted two speedy wingers and some midfield invention, well at least I got the midfield I wanted !. Jack is that ” Super Quality” player I yearn for !, like I said on AA, he is a £40m player and can see Stetche`s worry that if he continues his rise to the top, he could bring in our biggest transfer fee yet. The Arsenal board must be purring with excitement on how much money we may make on him, unlike us supporters who clap at his silky skills, they rub their hands together instead in anticipation of what we will make on him !.
    Talking of purring, I came home with a litter of cats after the game, thanks to Santos giving me f**king kittens every time he had the ball !. Yes, he has skill, but he`s no defender, just a liabillity imo. Good result in the end . If results go our way today, we could still be 4th.
    Up the Arse. 🙂

  • Good Afternoon

    Very nice to meet VCC & Son. He was a perfect gentelman and showed his Arsenal class by presenting both myself and Cornwall Arsenal CD,s as gifts. His son, who seems a lovely lad, thankfuly looks nothing like him. hahaha.

    Cornwalls son is also a good lad, and like last time spent most of the time clocking his dad to make sure he didnt embaress him.hahaha. Cornwalls hair also looked more suspicious than mine. I think he is trying to recreate his Charlie Nick look from the eighties.hahaha.

    We struggled for width yesterday. I cant understand why Arsene chose to go with Pod and Ramsey wide at home to QPR. Our lack of pace made it quite comfortable for Rangers and it was only when Theo and Gerv were introduced that the natiure of the game changed.

    i fancied a 1-0 anyway. It was always going to be tough with the week weve just had, so ime very grateful for the points.

    One last thing. Jack Wilshere is the most splendid player since Alex James. This guy is just born to play football and has an unbeliavable future ahead of him.

  • Stretch
    How can you say my Barnet looked more suspicious than yours !, you told me it was made from the same finest beaver hair as yours, when you sold it to me !. hahaha
    Your right about me embarassing my son, you should see how he cringes when I go out to talk to his mates when they come around ! hahaha
    Yes, thank you VCC for the CD. Hope you and somebody else`s son enjoyed the game ! hahaha

  • Good to see the Threesome are back safely.

    I was always told a threesome does you good. I was told right!! 🙂

    Great vid, Glicster. 🙂

  • Hi everyone,
    I’m glad to hear you all had a good time yesterday, and you brought us a slight change in fortunes.
    Redders – I typed out two consecutive responses to your question yesterday, and for some reason, they disappeared. It was either pressing the space bar, or NewsNow refreshing, and I got annoyed. Then the original re-appeared, so I was able to put it back up. I wish I knew more about computers.

  • GLiC 13:26. It was indeed a pleasure to meet Terry and your good self at the Tavern. As you rightly say, time goes so fast when your enjoying yourself. As we don’t get up to see the mighty Arsenal that often we try and cram as much as possible into our day and night.

    My Wife says our Son looks like her, that’s where he gets his looks from, so she says. As you say being an UMF he couldn’t possibly be mine. I think I will have a DNA test done.

  • Hi Redders, Herb and VCC
    I would love a penthouse with view of THOF on that new development their doing. I parachute into the ground !. It took me 4 hours non stop to get to Bethnal Green for some Pie&Mash and 4 1/2 to get back home from the Ems, which wasn`t too bad, if it wasn`t for the traffic in London , I could do it in 3 1/2 hours.
    I was doing a vid today about the Tavern and game, but something has gone wrong with it and it seems to be stuck and i cant type anymore words to be spoken. Hopefuly it fixes itself as I have 1 1/2 minutes saved on it !.

  • Hi Red Arse….it was indeed a pure pleasure to meet Terry and GLiC. Terry is a nice guy, but don’t tell the other goon but he is such an ugly mother.

  • Herb,

    I will backtrack and find your comment. I might have to get back to you tomorrow tho’ as I have visitors.
    (Just snuck out for a few minutes) 🙂

  • Be carefull with them DNA tests VCC. You could end up with some weird results, like you could be your wifes brother, making you, your sons uncle or you could be your wifes dad, making your wife and son, brother and sister !. Saying that, that would make you like my F**king Cornish neighbours !. Confusing isn`t it !. hahaha

  • Redders, when are you gona be able to come to a game? Let me know in advance and i will make sure i get you a ticket. Besides, i need you there to stop Cornwall and VCC fighting for the mirror.hahaha

  • Damn, Glic, sshhh, you are far too clever for me. The little bald headed git who insists i must wear a bib to eat my soup with a fork is a forking nuisance.

    Reminds me of someone you hangout with!! 🙂

  • Terry,

    Progress is slow, but looking better. I have a couple of hospital appointments next week so I should know more this time next week!! 🙂

    It would be worth the ticket price to meet you three!

  • By the way, the great TA is travelling to Lancaster in case you missed that – on his way with his family to Mull — so he is not abandoning us!!!:-)

  • Yes , Get better soon Redders. I`d love to, not just meet at the Tavern, but get a few seats together at a game, you could sit between me and `scope and if you were uncormfortable, you could always lay on that old sack VCC !. hahaha

  • Right then, if I’m in charge, I’ll be back in a while as I’m gunna download some luscious voluptuous naked women. The Essex type, not them interbred Cornwall ites.

  • hahaha, i do like an essex bird, but i wouldnt say no to a cornish interbreeder either. hahaha

  • So whats wrong with bearded Cornish women ?, dont you want something to grab hold off !. Down girl, down girl !. hahaha

  • Hi Herb
    I read one of your comments the other day. Did Wenger actually say at a meeting ( was it AGM ? ) that RVP was sold for footballing reasons ?. If so, I`d love to know what footballing reasons ?. I have not changed my mind, that it was a mistake to let him go , it seriously hampers our onslaught for a 4th spot trophy !.

  • In the wake of retrospectively punishing Glitter and Savile (though not a lot you can do to a dead man), does anyone think Celtic should be stripped of their European Cup?

  • Herb???. I appreciate a good Pedo joke as any man, but what have Celtic got do with it? Did they fix it for any one?, Did Glitter recruit them into his Gang? Now then, now then, whats the answer Herb?

  • Cant understand that Herb, what footbaling reason would there be ?. Did he say ?

    Also, what did Celtic do Herb ?. Anything to do with Catholic priests ?.

  • Terry,
    back in the 1960’s and 1970’s paedophile activity was rife at Celtic boys club, which was covered up by Jock Stein and the rest of the Celtic hierarchy.

  • Now then, now then, hows about that boys and girls ( pointing to you know what ), uncle jim`ll stick it in you and you and you !.

  • I always liked Rangers better than Celtic. Didn`t Rangers help us out once, when we were struggling many years ago ?. We gave them some Arsenal shares didn`t we as a thank you ?.

  • They should combine that Glitter song with Jims, sure to be a number 1.

    Due you wana be in my gang, my gang, my gang, due wana be in my gang, oh yeahhh, coz if you do, Jim will fix if for you, and you, and you, for a night with Jim and Glitter, for you and you, and you.

  • We owe our very survival to Rangers, GliC. We almost folded, but Rangers bought a couple of shares to keep us going. Herbert Chapman and Bill Struth (Rangers manager at the time of Chapman’s reign) were good friends, and as a gesture of good-will to thank Rangers, Chapman presented Struth/Rangers with 16 shares, which Craig White sold last year to Alisher Usmanov for £240,000

  • About 25 years ago i knew a bloke who lived in the same town as Jim. he told me Jim was a right nasty piece of work, like a realy evil Godfather who ruled the whole town. He owned the only club in the area, and when he didnt like someone he would have them bought down to the basement and have them fixed.

    He aslo had the local old bill in his pocket and if you ever tried to fix him he would fix it for them to fix you. He never ever mentioned that Jim was a Pedo though. I wish he was still alive so someone could fix it that he got his just rewards. Hanging from the testicles would be about right.

  • Herb
    Do you think we/Arsenal should have gave a little helping hand to Rangers , when they were in trouble ?.

  • I would`ve hung him by his testicles and shoved cillit bang up his arse and let a load of women loose on him with baseball bats !.

  • No Herb. It wasnt as though Glitter was there star player or Jim was there manager was it. It is very shameful for the clubs history though.

  • I think it would have been a classy thing to do by helping them out..

    I cant answer that question Herb, too much to take in. What do you think ?

  • Just before rangers went into liquidation the owner sold the Arsenal shares to lace his own pocket, There are some very bad owners of football clubs these days. Clubs should be owned by the supporters.

    Are you sure about all of this Herb? or is it here say. To be honest its the first ive ever heard of it.

  • Fair enough Herb. If it is without doubt they should have it stripped……and given to us. hahaha

    Hi TA, Are you up North somewere?

  • Terry,
    if you look up ‘If you know their history – Celtic’s shame’ it will tell you all you need to know. Jim Torbett, who was running their boys club was later jailed for two and a half years.

  • Glic/Terry,

    Rangers chairman Craig Whyte has sold off a historic shareholding in Arsenal to Alisher Usmanov, the Uzbek-born billionaire who owns almost 30 per cent of the Premier League club, severing a link that dates back more than a century.

    The tiny but symbolic stake stemmed from support offered by the Glasgow club to Arsenal when they fell on hard times early in the 20th century.

    Rangers purchased two shares in Woolwich Arsenal, as the club were known then, to assist the London club in 1910. Around 20 years later Arsenal recognised the kindness of the Glasgow giants by giving them a further 14 shares, establishing a close relationship between the two clubs.

    Rangers are now facing their own financial crisis, having gone into administration last week over unpaid taxes and with a potentially ruinous second tax bill hanging over them.
    Usmanov bought the 16 shares last year through the market, a source close to the businessman said on Wednesday. The Daily Record report that the deal was worth around £230,000.

  • Herb,

    I am sorry but your comments smack of sectarianism, and that is bad enough up in Scotland, and it does not belong on an English footie blog because it will cause offence to some.

    Religious discrimination (applying to any religion – christian or muslim etc) could cause TA some problems if another blogger complained — so please do not pursue that line.

  • Because of that Redders, I shall make Rangers my soft spot club for their help in our hard times and because they hate Celtic like we hate the Spuds, then I shall hate Celtic paedo`s aswell !.
    Why dont we lend them some of our players again like we did with Bartley ?. They can have Chamakh, Squilacci, Santos, mind you , they may not thank us for that crap !. hahaha

  • Herb,

    Just for balance.

    The Celtic Boys Club was founded in 1966. First based in Maryhill, the club was independent from Celtic FC , but links started to strengthen as the Boys Club was allowed to use the training facilities at Barrowfield training complex on London Road.

    John Higgins, a Celtic scout, recognised the benefits of the club and a semi-formal agreement was made where the Under 16 side would act as a nursery for Celtic scouts to find players with potential to play for Celtic FC, although players from the Boys club are under no obligation to sign for Celtic FC.

    Jim Torbett

    In 1996, former Celtic Boys Club player Alan Brazil revealed that when he was 13 years old he had been sexually abused by the club manager, Jim Torbett.

    The allegations were heard at the Glasgow Sheriff Court, where Torbett was found guilty of shameless and indecent conduct with three juvenile players between October 1967 and March 1974.

    Torbett was given a prison sentence of 30 months.

    Rangers fans have since alleged that Celtic manager Jock Stein attempted to cover up the scandal, by chanting “Big Jock Knew”.

    Alan Brazil stated unequivocally in 2009 that Jock Stein was not involved.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *