Tag: Arsenal

An Ode to a Great Gooner who passed away: GoonerN5/ GN5

TotalArsenal

Dear Bergkampesquers and all those who knew this fine gentleman-Gooner from other blogs,

On 13 May Cyril, better known as GunnerN5 (GN5), sadly passed away.

Cyril had been posting on the blog for many years and his contributions have been immense. He was a prolific Arsenal-researcher and writer, and we have issued many of his posts here on Bergkampesque over the years. GN5 did a number of series of Arsenal posts, many of them also issued on the fine blog ArsenalArsenal. The highlight for me was without any doubt the series about the Arsenal 100-goal scorers posts (20 in total). These were well researched, full of facts and interesting bits, and the passion for Arsenal and football in general shone through in them. Cyril also promoted and then coordinated the football prediction competition over the last few years, and what a lot of fun and banter this has brought to the regulars on Bergkampesque!

GN5 was always keen to help and contribute to the blog, and there was no calculation or self-promotion in any of it. From the start, I wanted this blog to function as a digital pub where likeminded Gooners from the UK and around the world could meet and discuss anything Arsenal, football and anything else enriching our lives. A digital pub only works if it’s cosy with a good atmosphere of respect, banter and support for each other. Cyril for me was the wise, calm and warm older guy at the centre of the pub, always there to greet and crack a joke, always willing to contribute and support others, and with that fiery passion for the Arsenal right till the end. I don’t know anybody who supported Arsenal longer and had more knowledge of the club’s history and achievement than Cyril. Yet, what I truly loved about him was his humbleness and willingness to learn right till the end. He was forever curious and willing to listen to new opinions. Erasmus of Rotterdam once wrote: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, study as if you were to live forever”; for me, Cyril epitomised this. He knew how to enjoy life and not grumble and he was always keen to learn more, allowing a healthy amount of doubt and humility to accompany him right till the end. He was also a family man, speaking warmly about his dear wife, daughter and son whenever he could.

In short, he was a great human being and Gooner and I will miss him dearly. Cyril loved a good wine, so let’s all raise a glass of red to him today.

TotalArsenal.

The post below has been published before, but in one of Cyril’s last emails he asked me to republish it. It is a great post about a great man by a great man.

Denis Bergkamp: 1995-2006.

Denis appeared in 423 games over an 11 year period and scored 120 goals.

Born in Amsterdam, Denis was the fourth of four sons. He was brought up in a working-class suburb; his father who was an electrician played amateur footballer in the lower leagues. He was named in honour of Scottish striker Denis Law but in order to comply with Dutch given name customs, an extra “n” was inserted into his first name, by his father, after it was not accepted by the registrar.

He was spotted by Ajax and was brought up through their famous youth system, joining the club at age 11 and making his professional debut on 14 December 1986. He scored his first senior goal for the club against HFC Haarlem on 22 February 1987 in a match Ajax won 6–0. He went on to make 23 appearances in the 1986–87 season, including a European debut against Malmö FF in the 1986–87 European Cup Winners’ Cup, Ajax won the competition, beating Lokomotive Leipzig 1–0. In later seasons he established himself as a first-team player for Ajax. This culminated in a period of success for the club, which won the Eredivisie title in the 1989–90 season for the first time in five years. Denis scored 29 goals in 36 games the following season and became the joint top goal scorer in the league. Ajax won the 1992 UEFA Cup Final, beating Torino through the away goals ruling. He was the top scorer in the Eredivisie from 1991 to 1993, and was voted Dutch Footballer of the Year in 1992 and 1993. In total, he scored 122 goals in 239 games for his hometown club.

Denis attracted the attention of several European clubs as a result of his performances for Ajax. He was insistent on playing in Italy. as he considered Serie A “the biggest league at the time” and preferred a move to either Juventus or Internazionale, on 16 February 1993, he agreed a £7.1 million move to Internazionale and made his debut against Reggiana on 29 August 1993.  In his first two seasons at Internazionale, the club changed managers twice and Denis had a difficult time, troubled with stress injuries and fatigue from the 1994 World Cup, he only scored five goals in 26 appearances. Off the field, his relationship with the Italian press and fans became uncomfortable. His shy persona and his propensity to go home after matches was interpreted as apathy. Because of his poor performance on the pitch, one Italian publication renamed their award given to the worst performance of the week, L’asino della settimana (Donkey of the Week) to Bergkamp della settimana.

Denis left Internazionale and signed with Arsenal in June 1995 for a transfer fee estimated at £7.5 million. He became manager Bruce Rioch’s first signing at Arsenal and broke the club’s transfer fee record of £2.5 million. On the opening day of the 1995–96 league season, he made his full debut against Middlesbrough. He struggled to adapt to the English game and failed to score in the club’s next six league matches, prompting ridicule by the national press, he ended his first season with 33 appearances and a goal tally of 11.

The appointment of Arsène Wenger as Arsenal manager in September 1996 marked a turning point in his career. Wenger, who had moderate success coaching in France and Japan, recognised his talent and wanted to use him as a fulcrum of the team’s forward play. Both were advocates of a continental style of attacking football, and Denis was happy with Arsene’s decision to impose a strict fitness and health regime. Despite making fewer appearances in the 1996–97 season, he was more influential in the first team, creating 13 assists. The following season he was instrumental in helping Arsenal complete a domestic league and cup double. He became the club’s top scorer with 22 goals and recorded a strike rate of 0.57.  In 1997/8 he was the recipient of the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award, becoming only the second foreign player to be recognised by his fellow professionals as the outstanding performer in English football.

After 3 seasons of finishing second more success finally came in the 2001–02 season. Arsenal regained the league, beating Manchester United at Old Trafford in the penultimate game of the season to complete the club’s second double under Wenger; Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2–0 to win the FA Cup four days prior. Denis played in 33 league matches, setting up 15 goals. After a 3 game red card suspension he made his return against Newcastle United on 3 March 2002. Early in the match, Arsenal midfielder Robert Pirès played a low pass from the left flank to Denis in the edge of the opponent area with his back to goal. Under pressure from his marker Nikos Dabizas, he controlled the ball with one flick and went around the other side before placing the ball precisely into the bottom right-hand corner to score. Arsene described the goal as “unbelievable”, adding “It was not only a magnificent goal but a very important one – I enjoyed it a lot”

Denis reached a personal landmark during the 2002–03 season, scoring his 100th goal for Arsenal against Oxford United in a FA Cup third-round tie. On 20 July 2003, he signed a one-year extension at the club. The 2003–04 season ended on a high point as Arsenal reclaimed the league title, becoming the first English team in more than a century to go through the entire domestic league season unbeaten Champions League over two legs. He committed himself to Arsenal at the end of the season, signing a further extension to his contract.

The team finished fourth in the league in his final season at Arsenal. After much campaigning from Arsenal supporters, the club designated one of its Highbury match day themes, organised to commemorate the stadium’s final season as home of Arsenal, to Dennis Bergkamp. “Bergkamp Day” took place on 15 April 2006 It celebrated his contribution to Arsenal; fans were given commemorative orange ‘DB10’ T-shirts – the colour of his national team, his initials and his squad number. Denis came on as a second-half substitute and set up the winning Pirès goal moments after Nigel Quashie had levelled the score. Fittingly, his 89th-minute goal proved to be his last for Arsenal in competitive football.

He was the focus of the first match at Arsenal’s new ground, the Emirates Stadium. On 22 July 2006, a testimonial was played in his honour at the new stadium as Arsenal played his old club Ajax.

Denis made his international debut for the Netherlands national team against Italy on 26 September 1990. He was selected for Euro 1992, where his national team were the defending champions. Although he impressed, scoring three goals in the tournament, the team lost on penalties to eventual champions Denmark. In the qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, hep scored five goals and was selected for the finals, staged in the United States. He featured in every game for the national team, getting goals against Morocco in the group stages and the Republic of Ireland in the round of 16.

Against Wales in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification on 9 November 1996, he scored his first hat-trick for the national team. The Netherlands finished first in their group and qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, held in France. Denis scored three times in the competition, including a memorable winning goal in the final minute of the quarterfinal against Argentina. He took one touch to control a long 60-yard aerial pass from Frank de Boer, brought the ball down through Argentine defender Roberto Ayala’s legs, and finally finished by firing a volley with the outside of his right foot, past the keeper at a tight angle from the right, he described the goal as his personal favourite in his career.  His international career ended with 37 goals in 77 appearances.

In April of 2007, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame by viewers of BBC’s Football Focus. A year later, he was voted second by Arsenal fans behind Thierry Henry in a list of the 50 Gunners Greatest Players.

This is a summary of his achievements in chronological order:

Dutch Football Talent of the Year (1): 1990

Dutch Footballer of the Year (2): 1991, 1992

Eredivisie Top Scorer (3): 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93

UEFA European Football Championship Top Scorer (1): 1992

UEFA European Football Championship Team of the Tournament (1): 1992

World’s Top Goal Scorer of the Year (1): 1992

UEFA Cup Top Scorer (1): 1994

Premier League Player of the Month (4): August 1997, September 1997, March 2002, February 2004

PFA Team of the Year (1): 1997–98

FWA Footballer of the Year (1): 1997–98

PFA Players’ Player of the Year (1): 1997–98

Premier League Goal of the Season (2): 1997–98, 2001–02

FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (1): 1998

FIFA 100

English Football Hall of Fame

His statue now stands outside Emirates Stadium honouring him as one of Arsenal’s legends.

GunnerN5

Arsenal’s Sweet Russian Dolls of Evolution are Going to Get Citeh Soon Enough

TotalArsenal

What a fab season Arsenal are having. After the painful losses against Fulham and West Ham mid-season, it really looked like this team was not going to be able to fight for the title anymore. Then came sun, sand and Mikel-cuddles in Dubai, and a rejuvenated team fought itself back to the top. Having a good season can happen to any team, but staying near the top is the real sign of progress and excellent management, and Arteta really deserves to be named manager of the season IMHO.

I am quite chilled about winning the League this time round. Arsenal are a bit like Red Bull and Verstappen a few years ago: we are getting stronger every season and we look like an unstoppable force. Man City’s hegemony, just like Mercedes’ did in Formula One a few seasons ago, is about to change; and if we don’t do them this season, we will have an even better chance next season.

I have felt for months that if Arsenal were able to beat both Spuds and Old Toilet’s finest away at the end of the season, we would become champions.

The boys have done the former, and I am so proud of them. Citeh know they have to win twice and we can sit back till Sunday. The pressure is now all on them, and they have it all to lose. It so good that this psychological pressure is not on us but on them.

A Pool win v Villa tonight would help to make the Spuddies wanting to win v Citeh tomorrow. But even if the Spuds don’t help us, which I guess we have to expect, the Hammers can still cause an upset on the last days. They are the sort of team to do something like that now and again.

Arsenal will of course have to beat the Toffees in our final game, and I am certainly not taking anything for granted. It’s just so good that it will go to the wire and that Arsenal have achieved this from within themselves. The latter is the big gain this season and it’s invaluable for the near future, come what may on Sunday.

By TotalArsenal.

Arsenal’s ‘Russian Dolls of Evolution’

Is this the Best Arsenal Side since the Invincibles?

TotalArsenal

A cheeky question to help us while away the time before we resume in earnest at City. It’s always a little unfair to compare teams of different generations but do consider that the Invincible team was ahead of its time.

Size: The Invincibles were big boys who were physically imposing. Our current team have an average height of 6′ 1″, look at our defensive unit: Saliba 6′ 4″ 204 lbs, Gabriel 6′ 3″ 173 lbs, White 6′ 1″ 168 lbs, Kiwior 6′ 2″ 163 lbs, Tomiyasu 6′ 2″ 183 lbs. Add to that Rice at 6′ 1″ 183 lbs, Partey 6′ 1″ 170lbs and Havertz 6′ 4″ 183 lbs and we have some serious tall and powerful players, all of whom know how to use their considerable frames.

Raya is 6 ‘ whereas Lehmann was over 6’ 3″, but Raya has distribution skills better than the German. And Raya isn’t mad. He wouldn’t grab Robbie Keane’s head, and he wouldn’t get sent off in the Stade de France. (Still simmering after all these years).

Arsene Wenger’s early teams from 1996 to the Invincibles were all imposing in terms of size and had a commensurate level of success. His thinking changed as he started to collect talented but smaller players, looking to emulate the Barca model of mobile tiki taka. We saw some magnificent football but were often frustratingly bullied by physically bigger opponents, and our successes were limited to three FA cup wins over the next decade and a half.

Mikel and Edu have 180’ed building a team of warriors which compare well with Arsene’s early teams.

Skill: Look at my composite team below and notice it is all Invincibles down the left and present team down the right. Skill levels, much like physicality seem to improve year by year and have we not been blessed over the years with the likes of Santi, Hleb, Rosicky, Cesc, Wilshere, Ramsey,  Eduardo, Robin, Ozil and Sanchez demonstrating astonishing skills, but has anyone approached the level set by Bergkamp as much as our present pass master, Martin O? He’d be the first name on my bench.

So, if you were tasked to pick a composite team, would it look much like mine?

                Raya

White Saliba Campbell Cole

     Saka Rice Viera Pires

         Bergkamp   Henry

To answer my own question, with a nod to the 2008/9 team, I think this present iteration is the finest Arsenal team since the Invincibles. What do you think?

By Kiwi Stu

A Maverick, A Beast of a CF, Or a Tweak or Two: How to Get Back on Track for Arsenal?

TotalArsenal

“Behind what hills does happiness hide, to lurk and plot its return?“ (From ‘At the Loch of the Green Corrie’ by Andrew Greig).

I cannot deny that the last 10 days or so have been difficult. Losing six points against West Ham and Fulham was not expected and could hurt our challenge for the title. It sucks.

But there is no reason for despair or doing something crazy on the transfer market this January. Every team has had a slump this season, and Arteta and the team just have to work hard to get out of theirs again. One or two tweaks could make a real difference, and so could a clever loan-deal or the purchase of an unexpectedly available gem of a player. One of the arguments for our recent lack of goals is that Arsenal have become predictable; that they have been studied and found out. Teams sit deeper and deeper and play us on the break and hope for set pieces. But surely this is nothing new: we have been playing like this for a couple of years now and our team, like any other top team, gets studied all the time.

My main argument for being less effective in attack is, which will not come as a surprise to regular readers, the departure of Xhaka AND the injury to Timber. The left side is much less effective this season, and it looks like Timber was the one who would move into midfield from defence to support the attacking game from the left as much as possible. Jurrien started the season with an incredible engine and energy, and neither Zinch or Tomi are as effective. On the right we may be experiencing something similar with the loss to injury of Partey.

But there is also an argument for a lack of a maverick in the team: someone who is unpredictable, can move through the lines with the ball quickly and puts fear into the opposition constantly. I think we all agree that Odegaard does all of this but that we may need another midfielder to do the same. Xhaka was certainly not that type of player, and Havertz is a work in progress. The Ode is a joy to watch and he is working his socks of but he just cannot do it all on his own.

So how can Arsenal improve their unpredictability and effectiveness in attack with the currently available squad?

The above team is what I suggest would make a change. Zinch is a liability in defence but the boy can pass and harass the opposition like no other. His energy and drive are great, and any mistakes he makes are likely to be less costly with Declan mopping up behind him. Tomiyasu is a much better defender and he can push up and play next to Declan better than any other available option for the RFB. Oleksandr and Odegaard high up in midfield would form a stronger footballing duo than the current one of Ode and Havertz.

But Zinchenko is not the maverick we are after. In my humble opinion, the biggest maverick we have is Jesus, and we need to give a bit more space and freedom to him to utilize his strongest skills. As a CF he has freedom to roam but this season he seems to be struggling with creating mayhem in and around the box area, and I think he would be much more effective on the left at the moment. Together with the to him well-known Zinchenko, Jesus can reinvigorate the left flank. And boy do we need this.

I do not think Kai is a maverick but there is something Kanu-like about his play: unpredictable, hard-working, weird fox in the box, and a player a team simply needs to have in its midst. He is also better in the air than Jesus and more likely to score the ugly sort of goals. I don’t see the German as a typical CF, and he does not see himself like this either, but he can play with his back towards goal, link up with other attackers and thus create space for shots and runs into the box for the likes of Jesus, Odegaard and Saka. I think Eddie and Marti – for Kai and Jesus – can be good back-up players in this formation. Of course, a fit ESR can be a great backup, if not first choice, for the ‘new Zinchenko’ position.

Now, I will always welcome a new purchase, especially a CF, and we certainly could do with a plan-B CF addition, but a tweak or two could also make a real difference. I like it that our goals can come from anywhere and that we have multiple scorers, and I don’t think introducing a beast of a CF will be a step improvement. We just have to get the left flank working properly again.

The really good thing is that Arteta’s unexpectedly fabulous 22-23 season was not a fluke; and how different it is for Eddie Howe and Erik Ten Hag right now! Every teams has ups and downs, and Arsenal are still a work in progress (just look at the age-profile of the players above!), but (future) champions know how to overcome these (mostly) from within. Trust the squad, trust the process, trust the values of the club, trust the manager to get it right.

Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners!

By TotalArsenal.

Merry Christmas from Bergkampesque. 10 mid-season Observations including a Wish or Two

TotalArsenal

Merry Christmas to you if you are celebrating this most magical time of the year.

The season is almost at the half-way point and for the second time in a row Arsenal are TOTL at Christmas. Last season we did not quite pull through at the end, but there is hope Arsenal now have what it takes to go all the way. What is different this season, and what needs further attention?

  1. The obvious one/ the biggest joy: Rice has added steel to our defence. Did you notice how the last 15 minutes of key games simply belong to Declan? He is good throughout the game but when everybody is starting to get tired, Rice puts the turbo-boosters on. There is something super-human about him, and he becomes a joy to watch when it really matters. People might go to live games to watch a quality striker, but the purists will watch Declan to witness a true artist at work.
  2. Having said that, we do still miss Granit on the left. What a shame it is that we don’t have the trio of Rice, Xhaka and Ode on the pitch this season. I am convinced we would not have lost a single game until now if that had been the case. Martinelli is missing Granit. Saka is missing the quick switch-overs of the Swiss master’s laser-accurate left foot. The Ode is missing his fellow pass-master too. I love Havertz, though. He is just another type of player compares to Granit, and it is taking time to get him embedded into the team. If this will progress further this season, we will have a really good chance to win the league.
  3. Arsenal are much more measured in their efforts, this season. They are constantly saving energy when possible. We need players fit towards the end, and we just cannot afford to play every game as a must win cup-game. That is what we were doing last season and we paid a high price for it at the end. Arteta should really rotate more and dare to give the likes of Rice, Saka, Ode and the CBs more rest-days, but every game is vital and he rather plays the same players but with less intensity.
  4. Calm control at the back is key, and we are this much more than last season. A lot has been made about the technical qualities of both Raya and Ramsdale; and yes, they perform similarly. But Raya is more of an introvert and makes the CBs feel in control. I love Aaron and I hope he will come good, either at Arsenal or somewhere else, but his style is unlikely to survive under Arteta. Can he change it? I don’t think so, and I don’t think he should try and change his style either. Eventually, they will lift him up where he belongs.
  5. We have a full back issue on the left. Timber looked so promising and what a difference he could have made this season, but it was not to be. The left back pushing into midfield and helping Rice and Ode to stabilise things there seems a clear tactical change from last season. Zinchenko is doing his best to fill the new role but I don’t think he can do this at the required level. Tomiyasu is better in that role but he just cannot stay fit for long, it seems.
  6. In summary of some of the above points raised, Arteta needs to get the left side sorted. I would love to see how many goals we concede and produce from the left side of our team; I am pretty convinced the right side is much stronger. 
  7. Can we keep Jesus fit for the remainder of the season? And will he be able to combine the hard work with more (vital) goals going forward? Eddie always does his best and he adds value to the team, but he is no replacement for the type of attacker Jesus is. Not sorting this situation out in January could cost us the title. I don’t believe we need a killer-CF up-front and like the sort of attacker Jesus is – chaos and movement, space and chances for others, works for me - but we do need cover for the injury-prone Brazilian.
  8. We may also need a plan-B in attack. Eddie again does well in this respect but ideally we have something extra.
  9. That brings me to the point of whether Arteta should introduce one of the youngsters: is anybody good enough to be given the go-ahead, fellow BKers? Somebody who realistically would bring something different to our attack?
  10. In summary, we are calmer and better at the back, more balanced in midfield, our left flank needs to click better and our attack could do a little better. A smart move or two in the transfer window and/or by promotion of one or two (ready to rock) youngsters seem needed to put the team in the best possible position to go all the way.

What are your thoughts, wishes, dreams for 2024?

By TotalArsenal.

Just go for it Arsene: Xhaka deep, Ox box to box, Perez, Iwobi, Alexis and Ollie in Attack.

TotalArsenal

Arsenal – Bayern Preview

What can we say about this game? We should be excited to welcome one of Europe’s best teams, currently as well as historically, to the home of football. But we are not. The season held a lot of promise but it has almost all fizzled out, and a big reason for this is the second half humiliating drumming by the Germans a few weeks ago.

We have a more than decent defence and plenty of excellent attackers but Arsene cannot get the midfield right, and this seems a structural problem. Would a fit Cazorla have made all the difference? Should we have kept Jack Wilshere? Would Rambo have turned our season round if he had played without recurring injuries? Who knows. Fact is that we are weakest in our midfield and that is where we are losing the battles with the big teams, and sometimes the smaller teams too. It sucks like a drain.

What is Wenger going to do tonight? Try and avoid further humiliation by defending deep and play on the counter? Attack, attack, attack from the start and go for it? Or a balance between secure and adventurous? Je ne le sais pas. But I reckon Wenger has not much choice in the matter… his midfield options are very, very limited without Santi, Elneny and a surely not fit enough (read too rusty) Rambo. Other than a youngster in the centre of midfield, which is not a good idea, he can only play two out of Coq, Xhaka and Ox. The first two are too similar in terms of wanting to be the anchor of midfield, so it has to be one of the them. That is Xhaka for me. So Xhaka and Ox, our attacking (b)ox to (b)ox for the night, is the duo to go for imo.

The rest is a matter of individual confidence and hunger, and I reckon Wenger will pick the strongest team, even though he knows the game is up for us, and possibly him. The game will still be watched all over the world and pride (and avoiding further humiliation) is at stake.

Predicted Team for tonight:

———Ospina———–

Bellerin – Mustafi – Koz – Nacho

—– Xhaka—————-

————Ox to Ox——-

Perez——Iwobi——-Alexis

——-Giroud————-

Theo or Welbeck could start instead of Perez or Giroud, or come on later to make a difference. Rambo could replace the Ox in second half to put new energy into the midfield.

Let’s go and attack them and just go for it. Entertain the fans and regain some pride, even if it means risking another drumming. Es gibt viel zu tun, packen wir es an.

COYGs

By TotalArsenal.

Giroud and Alexis up-front, Holding and Mustafi CBs, Coq and Xhaka to get new chance: Preview

TotalArsenal

Sutton United v Arsenal – FA Cup fifth round Preview

I am not sure whether to spend many words on this must-win game. Sutton United deserve all the plaudits for getting through to the fifth round by eliminating Leeds United. they will play us at their stadium, the Borough Sports Ground, on their artificial surface and will want to give us a game of course. And what is there to lose for them? These are the sort of games the players and supporters dream of, and even if the former lose handsomely against us, the latter will still see them as heroes. And if they were to manage to beat us tomorrow night, the local hospitals’ midwifes will be in overdrive come November this year. 🙂

Arsenal’s only real enemy are themselves. After that utterly demoralising second half against BM last Wednesday, there is a chance of a lack of focus or appetite for tomorrow’s game. That would of course be unforgivable, so it is quite unlikely that the boys Wenger will select for tomorrow’s game against the U’s will not be really up for it. This is about pride for the shirt as much as anything else. And with a more than doable home tie against Lincoln City next up, there is an additional incentive to play well and make winning the FA Cup a big priority for the remainder of the season.

Wenger finds himself in a difficult and dark corner right now, but he knows that nothing more will bring back the light than winning games again. He also needs to re-balance the team as to get back a better spine and resilience, which should form the basis of a strong run towards the end of the season in both the league and FA Cup. I am not sure he has the players for this right now, but by playing Elneny and Xhaka in the DM-pivot and playing a bit deeper and more compact, we should see a much needed improvement. Well, that is what I would do, but not necessarily against Sutton. Reintroducing Giroud, who luckily cannot be blamed for our recent disasters this time round, seems also a good idea. Welbeck played today so is unlikely to play again tomorrow.

Looking at the training pictures on Arsenal.com, I reckon this could be the line-up:

Iwobi and Alexis are likely to swap positions and fill the space in the hole. Ox (or maybe Theo instead) will also be allowed to move into the hole regularly, and Giroud will become a strong central pivot to create space for the team and connect with fellow attackers as much as possible. As Sutton are likely to park the bus, we also need Ollie’s aerial presence to add variety to our attacking play.

As long as our attackers play with a high tempo, passion and concentration, which means helping out midfield and defence as much as possible, we should create plenty of chances and then the goals will come.

Let’s get behind our team once more. COYRRGs!

By TotalArsenal

 

How to win on Saturday: Alexis and Ozil behind Welbeck-Giroud-Perez

TotalArsenal

Two great guys, but will they still be at Arsenal in 2017?
Alexis and Giroud to run the show?

Last Tuesday’s unexpected setback against the Hornets hurt us, but not as much as it could have done. Virtually all our competitors for the title also dropped points, so in the end not much damage was done. Of course, it was a golden opportunity to close the gap with the league leaders and put more distance between us and our other title rivals, but the team were poor in the first half and then could not make amends in the second half, despite a valiant effort.

Of course this is just what football is like sometimes; how many times have we experienced such a game – in which we lose to the underdog – in our lives?! It is also what makes football exciting, even though it is nasty to be on the losing side. But we Gooners are just so desperate for success that losing a game is always experienced as a catastrophe, and our response is seldom philosophically: we need victims and we want to see changes. And ideally somebody gets sacked. What about using adversity to galvanize the troops: change nothing other than our focus and passion for the next game? That is what good managers do. Show believe in your team and utilise the available energy to get back to winning ways.

Well, Wenger and Bould will not  be feeling great right now, but the last thing they will do is give up, blame some of their players, or totally change their philosophy. As per 17HT’s fine comment yesterday, the real challenge they are facing is sorting out the double DM pivot. Yet most fellow Gooners, here and on other blogs, are desperate to see Giroud benched and us to go back to speed and mobility in attack. I can see where you are coming from but scoring goals is really not anything for the management to worry about right now. We produce many chances and score plenty of goals, much better than last season.

No, the real issue is making us more compact in defence and far more impenetrable from the midfield area. Le Coq and Rambo have not been a successful combo in the DM pivot in recent games, and it looks like Aaron will be out again for a while. Wenger could opt for the Ox but that would be very unwise in my opinion. Playing against a third string Saints is very different from playing the Chavs at the Bridge. The ideal man, and in my opinion the most modern and allround defense-minded midfielder in our squad, Elneny, will unfortunately not be available. Santi would also be pretty ideal but is not available.

Wenger could either go for Ox, or a more robust but less experienced option in Maitland-Niles, or he could opt for moving Debuchy, Gibbs or Monreal into midfield. This would add defensive steel but would deprive us from extra attacking power from midfield.

It would also indicate to the rest of the team and our opponent that we are scared of them. Fact is, we need to win to get our title challenge back on track and reunite the fanbase.

So let’s go for all out attack, I say. Allow Coquelin to sit deep with the CB’s and play 4-1-2-3, which often looks more like 3-4-3, or even 3-2-5. I would like us to attack the Chavs with conviction and not sit back to play them on the break. Only then I reckon we have a good chance to win this six-pointer.

This is the line-up for it:

Yep, Alexis and Ozil behind Giroud to work with and off him and to force the league leaders deep back into their own half. Welbeck and Perez to add fire power and close ball control from the wings and in the box, and press the Chelsea FBs right back where they belong. With Giroud, Alexis, Perez, Ozil and Alexis we have total variety in attacking ability and power, and with Nacho and Bellerin we can offer additional width. Yes we will be vulnerable to counter attacks, but so be it. We have the speed, athleticism and strength in the team to deal with it. But most importantly, we take the game to them and never let them breath until the job is done. We can play like this and what have we got to lose. Let’s play football the Arsenal way.

That’s what I would like to see. What about you?

TotalArsenal.

 

Arsenal are Riding on their Survival Instinct, but Where is their Killer Instinct?

TotalArsenal

(WE MAY STILL WIN THE LEAGUE. SEE HOW).

I can just imagine how, going back about two decades ago when the Arsenal Board conveyed a special meeting on ways to position the club to take the greatest advantage of the nascent global outreach of the Premier League, one smart fellow in the BoD must have come up with a strange name, Arsene Wenger. Arsene who? Equipped with facts and figures, and with a gift of the gab, that smart guy, I imagine, must have swayed the listening Board members from downright scepticism to a bullish mood: they couldn’t wait to see and hear from this great economist who was also managing football on the field. He was, the BoD must have enthused, exactly what the time needed. Football and finance were becoming inseparable and this ‘Arsene Who?’, looked every inch their fused incarnate.

Arsene arrived. The blue print was established. In came Overmars, Vieira, Ljungberg, Henry and others, and in a flash Arsenal football team was winning laurels and rubbing shoulders with the mighty Manchester United. Arsenal, within those few years of Wenger’s appearance on the scene, had attained the critical velocity required to join first class the globalization train with all its commercial benefits. But the BoD, now with the compelling voice of Wenger, also looked around and saw the match day ticket-takings of Europe’s super teams, and knew that with time they would be found out and thrown out. A larger capacity stadium had to be quickly put in place. But that would mean losing the muscle power to bring in the Overmarses, the Vieiras, the Henrys; and so did we start investing in youth, bringing in the Van Persies, the Fabrigases, the Denilsons, the Songs.

That also meant recalibrating our targets. To keep riding on the globalization train, we needed to keep our Champions League appearances going. We redefined our boundaries and in the process reshaped our mentality to being content keeping our heads above the waters of the Europa League and the out-of-Europe competitors. The club lost its juggernaut instinct that created the Invincibles and instead was content to just get by. On the field, we ceased to be a raging fire that consumed everything on its path.

Of course, the idea was that when the new stadium gets going we would again recalibrate our targets upwards and swing back sustainably to the summit of European football. As simple as that, they must have thought, failing to contend fully with the might of something called the force of inertia which force we are now up against. After over 10 years of being content with just keeping head above waters, the BoD has gotten pinned down by this inertia. Psychologically they are finding it difficult switching gears to a new level. The player recruitment policy is head locked by this force. The amount of money to be budgeted on players, existing or as targets, is entangled with this inertia. So, pervading and surreptitious is this force that our coaching crews must be victims also, explaining why our players on the field feel cosy at 0-0 against the opposition, only to wake up when they find themselves trailing with 25 minutes to go as their survival instincts kick in. Gone a long time ago the killer instinct of the Invincibles that smelt blood just at the sight of the prey. We need to become the beast again. Leading 3-0, with the opponent demoralized, is when to get even more ferocious while stinging like a scorpion should not be reserved for only when we are trailing Bournemouth by three goals That’s the difference that makes the champ. The king of the jungle is blessed with plenty of the killer instinct. When it brings down its prey it goes for its jugular. When it gets wounded, reduced to 10 men, it sees its own red and transforms into a wounded lion, a creature of evil omen. It never whimpers.

I can see a ray of hope in this 2016/17 season. The fierce competition of the top six teams is that ray. Dropping out of the top four this season is a spectre that is unrelentingly dwelling with us, so much so, that our survival instinct is all alive driving us forward so fast that we might even breast the tape ahead of all. Crunch time is near. Wenger has already said that every Premier league match remaining is for his team a cup final. I can bet his eyes are fixed on the rear mirror, not straight ahead, a victim still of that powerful force of inertia. Candidly, I don’t mind our winning the championship by default i.e. through a wrong mentality, because the winning of it would provide the impulse that would bring back the killer instinct of our invincible era. Otherwise, it would have become time enough to start talking of a major strategic overhaul in the system that is carefully contrived to unshackle the club from its psychological barrier. We want to ride first class on this amazing EPL transcontinental train. We have tasted it before and nothing else will now do.

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Double Glory Days

By Pony Eye

Kos shows Moss who’s Boss

TotalArsenal

What a bizarre game that was today. Arsenal were totally in control but just lacked that bit of sharpness to get the all important second goal and settle our nerves once and for all… But then, a totally unexpected and uncalled for red card for Granit Xhaka gave the Clarets colour back to their faces; and his rusty replacement, le Coq, clumsily gave away a penalty in extra time to cheaply offer them an opportunity to take a rare, and probably never envisaged, away-point back to Burnley.

They scored the pen, even though Cech, for once, was very close to saving it, and it looked like we dropped two very big points. Fortunately, Koscielny had other ideas and forced a penalty for ourselves from the linesman, who left Moss with no other option then to point towards the penalty spot. With just a few seconds to go Alexis produced the calmest of Panenkas – apologies for the tautology – only to burst into total extacy when he realised his wickedness had been successful. That celebration had me go all emotional, but then I am a romantic. 🙂

I thought the team was set up perfectly for this match with Xhaka and Rambo interchanging vertically constantly and bossing the midfield with ease. There was plenty of movement up-front from Ozil, Giroud, Alexis and Iwobi, and even though Burnley played very disciplined defensively, we made chances on a regular basis and played some fine football in general. Just a shame the attackers were more interested in the colours of their footwear than in their deadly shooting precision, before the game.

The Swiss hothead and Welsh duracell are slowly starting to form a fine duo in the DM pivot, but it is a real shame that they will not be playing together for a while now, after Xhaka switched off for a second to lunge forward with two stretched legs and get a straight red. Other referees would possibly have given a yellow card rather than a red as there was no malicious intention, but Xhaka should know much better by now. He comes with a reputation and Moss, who consulted the linesman to be fair, did not hesitate much before showing Granit the dominant colour of his country’s flag – and for the second time this season. Before his sending off, Xhaka had played some sublime football, dominating the midfield with flair and distributing the ball with clockwork precision. He read the game well and intercepted powerfully a few times, just a shame that he has not picked up yet that his ‘Most Wanted’ picture is on the wall in every referee’s office. Stay calm and strut your stuff, Granit, if you want to succeed in this league. Wenger has a job on his hand to train these sorts of fouls/moments of madness out of him. Maybe he should show him a video of Joey B, who was also briefly on show today…: ‘Do you want to end up like him, Granit?!!’

Mustafi scored our, and his first for the club, goal with a well placed header from an Ozil precision-rocket corner that found its way to the far, unprotected, corner and beyond the outstretched hand of Heaton. It is amazing that he has yet to lose with Arsenal, and we can only wonder what our position in the league would be right now had he not been injured during the two crucial PL away defeats in December. The spirit of Koz and Mustafi – KozMus, owners of space and time – is a joy to watch and vital for winning any silverware this season. With the cool and fearless Cech behind them, and the hard working Gabriel and Nacho working besides them, they are a defence to be proud of and believe in. Having said that, in terms of having width and attacking menace on our right side, Bellerin is the better option as FB and we missed him today.

Koz and Mustafi saved the attackers’ blushes today but I am sure they will be back to scoring ways soon. With Xhaka most likely out for four games, it is now up to Coq and Rambo to form a winning partnership in midfield. Against the Saints they will get a very tough test.

Well done the boys for winning three very big points and moving to second in the table despite all the adversity. They did the Shirt proud today.

By TotalArsenal.