How Arsene should prepare the troops for the Spuds game

TotalArsenal

Despite rumours of Arsene changing from our current 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 formation, I am absolutely sure that Arsenal will line up as usual against the Spuds on Saturday. I would love it if we changed formation, though.

As I have written recently; 4-5-1 would be ideal for us. Not the formation, as that in itself does not mean anything, but the playing philosophy that comes with it. In my opinion, this would suit us so much better than the current wing-play addictive 4-3-3 (see also previous posts).

So, for now the formation seems to be a given, and I am also going to say that we have a good squad of players available for Saturday. What is far more important is that Arsene gets this team both to gel together better and to be mentally totally up for the task.

Mertesacker, Podolski, Jenkinson, Giroud, Koz, Wilshere will all be coming back today, so Wenger has less than 48 hours now to get all his players fully focussed and motivated to be ready for battle against the Spuds. We all know that if Arsenal start with the same belief and focus as we did against the Mancs, we will be in big trouble.

Now, many will argue the players should not need to be motivated for this one; this is the North-London derby for feck sake, so go out there and work your arses off like no tomorrow!

But, many players in our first team squad have not, or hardly, played in a North-London derby before, and although they will understand the concept of heated derby encounters; they do not necessarily understand what is exactly at stake on Saturday, when the Spuds visit the home of football.

If we are not fully up for the battle, we are not going to end up victoriously: the management have it all to do to get the team fully focussed before Saturday morning.

How should Wenger and Bould prepare them for battle in the next 48 hours? How would you go about?

For what it is worth, I tell you what I would do:

  1. I would tell Vermaelen privately he is no longer going to be the captain;
  2. I would tell Mertesacker he is our new captain;
  3. I would replace Mannone with Szczesny and Vermaelen with Gibbs – the rest picks itself;
  4. I would have a one-to-one with Walcott and tell him ‘to give his all or else’ on Saturday;
  5. I would ask Bould, Parlour, Dixon and whoever else is available to each talk for half an hour about what the NLD means to Arsenal supporters, and what it meant to them as players;
  6. I would then show them a video about the battles we had with them over the decades;
  7. I would ask a dozen long in the teeth LOCAL supporters to explain what winning and losing to the Spuds means to them; to let them share their experiences with the players;
  8. I would then show a summary of Jack Wilshere’s performance against the Mancs of two weeks ago, and tell everybody there and then that they all have to follow his example;
  9. I would then finish with Arsene explaining to them what a win would mean to him; and what will happen to them if they let him down on Saturday.

I would then let them go to their individual rooms and stay there till the following morning, after which steps one to nine would be repeated again.

That’s what I would do, but I am sure others will have better ideas of how to get our team ready to fight with everything they have got on Saturday.

Total Arsenal.

55 thoughts on “How Arsene should prepare the troops for the Spuds game”

  • Total….I do not agree about the squad not or hardly playing in a NLD. Jenks,Gibbs,Wilshere,Walcott,Sagna,szezney,Vermaelen,arteta,rosicky(if fit) that’s over half the first team available this w/e. only leaves Mert,caz,Pod,Giroud. Of those four Pod seems a Gooner, giroud looks a fighter. So all in all I think we should be alright with motivation.

    I also have a big problem with this “they have been away on international duty, so we haven’t had time to work together”. Bullshit……what has Wenger been doing all season? He works with the players day in day out.

    I put my side up several days back for this one off game versus the Spurs.

    Szezney
    Sagna. Mert. Kos. Gibbs

    Jenks. Arteta. Wilshere. Cazorla. Walcott.

    Giroud.

    Subs….
    Podolski
    Ox
    Vermaelen
    Eisfeld
    Coq
    Rosicky

  • VCC: Bullshit yourself! 😈 😀

    The average between the team is not more than 2 or 3 NLDs. Compare that with the early Wenger years, or even better, before that.

    So do you think Wenger has had much time to prepare his team this week? Of course you are right in saying that Wenger has had all season with them, but surely you agree with me that it is far from ideal that so many players have been away since Sunday?

  • Damn It, I didn`t look to see a new post, so I`ve got to write it all out again ! hahaha

    Lucky I tripple checked, my length was out by 150mm….sorry Total…6inches ! hahaha.

    Right lets look at Redders post on AA. Right anti-brain frazzle glasses on….check. Nuclear Dictionary….check and Carol Vorderman…..chick…..babe…..f**k Redders, he can wait two minutes !…………………………………………………………………………………………See Carol, thats how I came up with the mathematical answer of 69 !.

    Now Carol, give me a continent………….”Australia”…………….mmmm down under again !
    Now give me a vowel…………………..” I vowel to love you thy handsome bastard and have foursomes with your mirror “…………………….it`s the final countdown !

    Right off to read Redders .

  • Good post again TA..
    I begin to like you more and more.. especially when you write about Vermaelen thisway.. hehe.. LOL..

    If Gibbs is back it will be an advantage for us.. No Verm or Santos in LB.
    Szscesney is also return.. hope he will soon fit to the team and give an extraordinary perform.. specially for set play.. cause Spurs only can score with that kind of playing..

    Spurs will miss Lennon, Defoe, Dembele, Walker and they also already missed Parker and Ekotto.. And thanks AVB for not playing Lloris..

    I don’t think Wenger will change the formation.. 4-3-3 will play..
    And please bring Eisfeld in for Cozorla instead of Ramsey..

    @VCC..
    Here is my prediction about all the games this week..
    Only Arsenal, City and West ham win.. All the rest will end draw.. hehehe..

  • Hey Henry – is it still raining in Indonesia? 😥

    I still don’t know whether Cazorla travelled or not, but to risk that pivotal role with Eisbaby, I am not sure….it is a big game, but maybe we should be brave! 🙂

    Re your prediction, I reckon VCC will ask you to chose two games you believe will end up in a draw (for his spreadsheet).

  • I just read on Ashburton G that Cazorla has indeed travelled but stayed on the bench for the entire game. So he should play – and he is simply too small to get jet-legged! 😛

  • Where is Prince Poldi, formerly known as RurP? If you are still reading leave us a comment and why not join VCC’s football league thingy? 🙂

  • Henrychan. …..I have your three wins on spreadsheet, but I MUST have only TWO more selected predictions. I understand you think they will all draw but you must select only two more for the points system. Does that make sense?

  • Raining a little bit..

    If I must to pick two games only than I prefer Fulham and MU draw.. hehe..

  • Can’t disagree with any of that TA!

    Get down to London Colney and ask to be admitted urgently to the players’ area. Then you can tell them why they have to win on Saturday.

  • Hi Rocky 🙂

    You or VCC would be far better qualified. I could do it really well for games against the Mancs or the Chavs, but in ‘all my time’ as a Gooner we have always been superior to the mashable Spuds – I have never felt the pain for long enough, if you know what I mean. 🙂

  • Hi Rock Star 🙂

    Yes , Jenks on the left would be quite interesting ( I think Herb first had this idea ! ) , if not, substitute for Ox.

    Right off on treadmill for 45 mins and will have a look at Totals post later !.

  • Really, great Post, TA, particularly your plan of action!! 🙂

    Your professional background is coming to the fore there and I think you are spot on with every check point on your list.

    As you know, I have retreated into my shell a bit because I have lost confidence with what is going on at Arsenal and see us doing well to get a draw and one point, and if we l*se, it will only be one point lost (in my head) and not three!! — Weird, I know, but this is the least confident I have felt in Arsenal since Arsene became coach!! 😦

  • Hi Rocky……do you fancy joining our predictions league. Select any 5 fixtures, 1 point for correct prediction…..ie home win, away win, draw.

    Just for fun.

  • You right to be weary Redders. The Mancs debacle is only two weeks old, and the question remains whether we have learned from it and have improved since then.

    I like UMF’s positvity though¬ 🙂

  • On the other hand TA, if Arsene changes our tactical set up, that would change my mind set too!

    Come on Arsene, you know it makes sense. Look at what TA is suggesting, above!! 😆

  • Evening small explosions from the rectum. 🙂

    Fine post Total

    I like the idea of gooners explaining to the players what this game means to us, so hopefully Jenks will fill the new boys in .
    An alternative way of getting a result would be too kidnap all the Spuds players Mother-in-Laws !. The Spuds would then be told in a no uncertain way that unless they lose, their MiL`s would be released !.

  • I have been looking for Glic on his treadmill all over the net, but just could not find him. However, I did find one of his many nephews: Gooner Lost in Kuwait (GLIK): 😛

  • 1 UMF
    I just about managed to get to the dining table for a Beef Stew ! mmmmmm
    A little rest now before some Weight Training. I might be 56, but I have the body of a 16 year old Soviet gymnast !. hahahaha

    Be quiete, Olga, you cant come out of the cupboard until I`ve finnished my weights !. Vludddyvostock !.

  • Total, did you look at some of the other ones after that one ?. Theres one called. ” Top10 Treadmill Fails” !. peed myself !. hahaha

  • Thanks TA, I can imagine you in that dressing room now wearing nothing but riding boots,a thong, armed with a riding crop giving out a damn good thashing. hahahaha, sorry TA, i realy need to get out more.

    you know what i would say to them, nothing. As you said in your post, if they cant motivate themselves for this then they truly should not be wearing the shirt.

    Mind you, if after i said nothing and they let us down, then i would be waiting for them in the dressing room, wearing nothing but riding boots, a thong, and armed with a riding crop, and would then proceed to give them the biggest thrashing of there lives. hahahahaha

  • Just before I go, you might have spotted the logo of NewsNow at the top right corner of the site! 🙂

    I received an email earlier today from NN telling me: ‘Bergkampesque has been accepted for membership of the NewsNow Publisher Network’.

    This is truly fantastic news, as the site will get up to eight to ten times more exposure than currently is the case. Hopefully this means many more new bloggers will join us over the next few months and the site will grow from strength to strength.

    I would like to thank all of you who have been reading BK since it started about 2 months ago, and especially those who contributed daily with fantastic comments. And a very special thanks goes to both Redders and Oz who have given me, in more than one way, moral and practical support – the latter through writing top quality posts.

    I will hopefully hear tomorrow weather I have followed all NN instructions correctly, and the next post should go live on NN any time soon.

    Cheers fellow Bkers! 🙂

  • Good Morning TA, and congratulations! 🙂

    This is the third site where I have witnessed this early acceptance by NewsNow, and each has been because the quality of the site has made that decision easy for them! 🙂

  • Thanks, again, TA, but I was concerned that type of Post might have excluded a number of bloggers so is only worth doing once every couple of years!!!! 🙂

  • Morning all,

    Great post TA, all good points, i’d stick with Verm a little while longer though. There’s a great captain in there, he just has to find his way!

    Congratulations TA, it truly is a great blog with a lot of great regulars. No thanks needed, I’m happy to help, we are the ones who should be giving thanks. Newsnow won’t know what hit it with this rag tag bunch

  • off to read Redders post with dictionary in Tow. If I don’t return it’s because I passed out and woke up in a state of flux or purgatory

  • Hi RA, it is impossible to please everybody all the time but nothing wrong with getting the brain-box working properly now and again. I have had very little time to read all the comments to your post properly, but will do once things settle down a bit. 🙂

    Hi Oz, I think there is a brilliant first soldier in there but not sure about a captain. But we might have different views on what a captain should be/ we might be looking at different attributes. 🙂

  • Morning All……..Had a smashing diner party last night. My Paella went down a treat.

    Off to day classes now. Got a test this morning. Its just like being back at school. At 62 I should have my slippers on huddled up to the fire.

    Anyone know of a good masseur for GLiC. He must be aching this morning after all that digging.

    ROCKY, where’s your predictions???????????? Hurry it starts tomorrow.

    Latterz.

    Ava G8 day, hablo pronto Amigos.

  • Fantastic news Total, thoroughly deserved after all my intelligent comments ! hahaha

    Out for some digging. 😦

  • TA, I thought you said that it takes a minimum of 6 months to get NewsNowed?

    I ma realy chuffed for you. The quality of your work is obviously appreciated by the powers that be.

    Now that your gona get big you may require a moderator. I select myself for the job. I have relevant experience, i once acted as gaurdian to my daughters friends 18th b’day party whilst the girls parents were away for the night. The parents chose me especialy for my fit and proper standing within the local community.

    it was great. i helped them consume copious amounts of alcohol and instructed them on the best techniques to roll a spliff. Two boys tried to have a fight over the Ganga so i showed them how its done by hitting one of them on the head with my beer can.

    As the night wore on, i encouraged all the lads to make moves on the girls. They done great but i got a bit jealous so beat one of the lads up and tried to grope the girl, even though i was old enough to be her father.

    Cant remember to much after that except when the girls parants came back the house was a tip, i was sprawled out on the couch in my y fronts and there was a hugh hole on the carpet were i had accidently dropped my spliff and caused a mini fire. hahahaha

Leave a Reply

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