Initial afterthoughts from the Arsenal v Galatasaray CL game.
It was all going swimmingly well. Four nil to the good guys and Ozil, Santi, Alexis, and especially Welbeck, were having a field day. And then Szczesny spoiled it all with a rush to the head…. Well, that was my first reaction…
The first goal: great joint attacking by Alexis and Welbeck, with superb running both with and without the ball, and a quick and decisive finish by the young Englishman. The second goal: all about perseverance and strength and keeping a cool head…..bad defending no doubt, but Danny took his chance and had a lot to do to finish it.
The third goal: made by Ozil and coolly finished by Alexis. They gave us so much space and our players were very happy with this gift of gifts. Still Alexis had to do a lot but he showed once again how calm and deadly he is in the box. 3-0, game over… surely.
Second half sees Galatasaray take the initiative and they even manage to put some pressure on us. But pressure up-front means space at the back and once again we benefit well from this, supported by some fine defending and keeping it tight in front of our ‘D’. Ox had made a fine run from his own half all the way into the box, but just let himself down by opting for the wrong pass. But moments later he does find Welbeck with a measured through-ball into the box from just outside of it, and Welbeck produces his first Arsenal hat-trick with a controlled finish. The boy is ecstatic and feels the love from the crowd. A lovely moment for player and fans.
4-0! Are we going to give these Turks an enormous hiding all the way back to formerly named Constantinople?
Aaaah, well… Wojciech has been getting a bit bored in this game and a fine through-ball makes it into the box to Yilmaz. The Pole senses the danger and decides to come out and thwart the attacker (good), but his timing is very bad and he gives away a pen; and even worse, he has to go off with a straight red… And the penalty goes in, and the Turks have a new lease of life it seems…
I am thinking what a diff. This game was in the bag and now we have to dig deep to play with ten men, risking fatigue and injury to key players, thanks to WS’s fine mess.
But the players fight for each other and find a good cohesion whilst defending collectively.
There is a great spirit and determination not to concede again, even though the Turks are pressing hard. Ospina is now fully in his element and makes a number of class saves without losing his concentration once. And I am starting to think, this second half is just what the doctor ordered, just what we need before we go to the Bridge and meet one of our modern day arch enemies. This is the perfect preparation to deal with potential Chavs pressure once we have scored against them and our backs are against the oily wall.
So thank you, Wojciech: for your kind sacrifice to the team; for providing us with the perfect confidence booster and great all-round preparation for this weekend’s crunch game; for allowing Ospina to show us what a good goalie he is; and for making Arsene’s 18th work anniversary an unforgettable one! 🙂
Very little time to write a preview, and what is there to say anyway?
Cannot wait to see mini-hulk in action again!
It is a must-win game, and what happened on Saturday and what will happen on Sunday is totally irrelevant. We had a bad start in Dortmund and were outclassed. But they still have to come to the home of football in the penultimate game of the group. Before that happens, we will play Galatasaray at home and Anderlecht home and away. We can get nine points out of those three games which should get us in a strong position to qualify for the next group; and maybe even win it.
I don’t know much about the current Galatasaray club or their players. UEFA.com have the following likely line- up for Galatasaray: Muslera; Semih, Melo, Chedjou; Tarık, Selçuk, Sneijder, Dzemaili, Alex Telles; Burak, Olcan. I know Melo a bit, and Schneider quite well. The latter is a fading force, but in a free role he is always capable to do something special. He is actually quite a lazy and limited player, but the few strengths he has are of the highest calibre. He is brilliant at set-pieces, corners as well as free-kicks and we should be wary not to give too many of the latter away. He also has an eye for a quick pass and has a great shot. Other than that he is rubbish! 🙂
Maybe other bloggers who are a bit more familiar with Turkish football can fill us in….
I think we will play a similar team to the one we finished with on Saturday. Furthermore, I reckon Arsene will want these players to come through well and uninjured, so they can take on the Chavs as well. As others have mentioned, we need some consistency now and the team more or less picks itself.
My predicted Line-Up sees Alexis start on the left and Ospina getting a chance in goal. The latter is a gut-feeling, as I believe Wenger will slowly ease Ospina into direct competition with Bond’s favourite villain. Alexis is needed for his goals AND fitness/willingness to work his chilli-peppered nuts off. At the moment, and judging on last season’s goal per game ratio, we do not have many regular goal scorers in the team with Ramsey, Theo and OG out, so Alexis has to be a must. No doubt we will also see Pod play a part in this game, especially if we have not scored (enough) after seventy minutes or so.
Jack appears to be fit, so I reckon he will play as per the importance of this game. He is likely to sit back a bit more in 4-2-1-3 line-up, although we will surely ‘officially’ start again with 4-1-4-1. Ozil in the hole, Alexis and Ox (or very possibly Santi) on the wings and Danny-boy to lead the line.
Arteta, no nicer and more professional guy around, but is it time to bench our captain?
Let’s be honest now, I am not sure there is a side in the Premier League that would have withstood the battering we took last night? There are several who would have had more success on the counter attack than we did, including our next opponents Aston Villa. But hats off to Dortmund: Klopp had them up and ready. Every player was on board with what had to be done, and they were fit enough to carry it off.
From an Arsenal perspective, disappointing doesn’t cover it. Part of that problem lies with our high expectation for this season, and some results have given plenty a reason to believe it was in their grasp. The easy win in the Community Shield, taken at face value, it might. The truth was a little different? The resurgence of Wilshere and the 4-1-4-1 formation in the previous game against Man City gave hope of a similar line-up to do the business against a far better opponent.
Again the reality revealed flaws. The few opportunities that people saw of Bellerin pre-season, agreed with Arsene Wenger that he was ready for the step up? This was confirmed on the vote ‘Who will make the most impact this season’ (from the academy), and 62% had made Bellerin the clear winner ahead of Akpom. Regulars of this site will know I have been longing for Bellerin to have some game time, as I am a great fan, but my vote went with the 2% realists who see more coming from Isaac Hayden than young Hector. To me, he is a natural born winger who can tackle. That does not make him a right back, no matter how much Arsene wants it. He will always commit to whatever was asked of him, as he did last night, and if he is asked to go in again, he will not hesitate. But without any premier league minutes under his belt, it was asking a lot … but he will learn from it, not shirk from it.
I am beginning to think that both Per Mertersacker and Ozil are still mentally adjusting to life in the league, and only their experience is getting them through games. Such a contrast to the confident decision making that we saw last season, that is barely recognisable now?
Here again, the expectation level from our new signings, which certainly has had its bright moments; but to gel as a team, the cracks start to appear, and the optimism quickly fades away?
How to take positives out of a game when only one player came out unblemished by error, is difficult. But history tells us that Arsenal do bounce back. The Villa shock result last season is a good example. This was certainly a wake up call in every department. Not an easy fix this time, without assistance from our manager?
Most of our problems stem from poor decision making, under extreme pressure it has to be said, but it is not a good enough excuse. We know who they are, and the stats back this up.
Bellerin we can give some leeway to for the above reasons, and despite being up against it, he made second highest passes behind Wilshere, and 13 of the 19 in the final third.
Szczesny has no such leeway when dillydallying over a clearance that could have cost us another goal, as he is a repeat offender! He did of course pull off some superb stops which saved us from real embarrassment.
Mertersacker, normally the safest of player to play out of defence, but time and again passes were being intercepted. He did make several headed clearances, but also was caught up-field, and no matter how hard he tried, the lack of pace to get back was revealed to all? We were chasing the game in the second half, to be fair, but why were so many bodies committed to attack with seconds to go before half-time? Poor judgement call again, by somebody?
Koscielny really put a defensive shift, and if it wasn’t for the misplaced passes, he could have taken MOTM in a canter. There were just too many of those, but he comes away in credit overall?
Gibbs was probably the pick of players playing to their form. 2 from 2 in tackles, and made a great run into the box to lay on a guilt edge chance for Welbeck, who just hasn’t got that edge of an instinctive striker (at the moment) to take a half yard step back so the ball would fall to his feet. Instead he got tangled up in trying to adjust and missed the opportunity. Gibbs had another opportunity in the box, but that too was not to be. He made 6 interceptions too, so he at least is near the top of his game. However, he was involved in the attack down the left, just before half time that led to the first Dortmund goal. Quick as he is, from that deep he arrived just too late to be in a position to tackle Immobile.
Wilshere was left trailing in that breakaway, and allowed that multi cup winning (NOT! ex manager) Souness in the studio to moan at him for not making the effort. Ignoring the fact that Wilshere is not a Gibbs or a Bellerin, having only a short burst of pace, not a 35 yard lung buster? He did have the highest number of passes, in a game of low figures, at 49, but only 1 successful one in their box? He did win 5 of his 6 tackles which showed his battling qualities against overwhelming odds, but it was a far cry of the promise of the previous game? He started to show his brittle side towards the end, and got a needless yellow card for a stupid foul. On a bad night, he was one among many who failed to live up to expectation.
Arteta? If I am kind, I would say he almost matched expectation, in that he was the wrong choice, (if there was a choice?) in the wrong position, weakly supported by the wrong players .. and that goes partly towards my expectation of him being too slow, and he failed to reach that level. It is almost like he has aged 3 years since the end of last season, and he is now looking like a player well on the way down. But to be fair to him, he should never have been put in the game of high speed tackling? The 20% pass failure rate for that position says it all?
Ramsey, for a player who often hits the 100 mark for pass completion, but a lowly 39 tells you how far below his best he is? Going forward he did set up a chance for Welbeck, but a single positive in a game of this magnitude is what he is struggling with?
Ozil, what can I say? Our main creative midfielder only had 23 passes, and only 3 in the final 3rd???
We are not going to win many games with that kind of service? He tried both wings, ran deep on Bellerin’s side, got booked for a none-tackle, but totally ineffective in anywhere it mattered.
‘Houston, we have a problem’ …
Alexis, industrious? hard working? These are the words we have come accustomed to associate with our super hero. 6 successful dribbles out of 9 sounds great too. Poor first touch does not gel so well? He was dispossessed 5 times, and several passes/touches led to turnovers, and crucially this would be at a time when we were attacking, and thus vulnerable to a counter. Part of this is probably down to the gelling process with team mates, and that has not had time to work through? But maybe there is a little clarity appearing in the rose tint department? He has got to get on the same wavelength or his talents will be wasted too?
Welbeck, sods law he will be second behind Ozil for the biggest criticism, but again, he can be given some leeway. If Arsene had any doubts about signing him, it is probably because he requires a different service to OG, and they may unlearn all they have been doing for the last two seasons? He is not OG, and he probably never will be? However, confidence can do wonders for a striker. He came into the side full of it, but that near miss against Man City probably took the edge off it. Here again, he had a chance to put one in at the far post, but body angle, or not twisting the foot back enough, made this attempt squirm wider than the other. These things will come.
Where is Thierry Henry when you want him, because he is just the player to help him in this department? He will come good, but in games like this, the pressure for every attempt to succeed is immense.
Subs:
Cazorla, should have made a difference if it was Ozil that was failing? I have to say, he was on 5 or 10 minutes before I remembered he was a sub. He was never going to save the day because the game had gone by then.
Ox looked lively from the off, and forced a corner almost immediately. But like Santi, the good ship Arsenal had already taken on board too much water, and its movement was sluggish.
Podolski came on with only ten minutes left, and got one driving run into the box, but the keeper was out quickly and it spilled out for a goal kick.
So that was my view on individual performances. Now for the collective?
Formation: Was this to blame?
While they notionally lined up in a 4-1-4-1, it never remained that way. For pretty much the first 30 minutes we were compressed into a 4-5-1 defensive position, with only Welbeck high. The flurry of early corners, and hasty clearances that led to yet another loss of possession, it was more all hands to the pump, rather than a clearly thought out plan. So that part cannot be put down to the formation?
Going forwards, when we started to get a foothold in the game, for the most part it broke down as we crossed the halfway line. However, following a very good build up, a missed chance which resulted in a throw in to us in the final third, we had 8 or 9 of our players in their half? Only Koscielny and Szczesny at one point in ours. So when we lost possession, and Immobile set off, Kos was about 5 yards ahead of him, Mertersacker had just crossed the halfway line about the same distance back but nearer our right-hand touchline, and Gibbs, who was guarding our left flank just inside their half. He had a good 10 yards to make up. Wilshere also joined the chase, but barely caught up with Mertersacker. The climax came when Immobile reached the box and it looked like Kos had it covered. Gibbs was right on his heels by now, and if the striker had run to the byline he could have got his tackle in. As luck would have it, a bit of a bobble off Immobile’s knee that took it away from Gibbs position, but the striker used that to get ahead of Kos to score.
A real sickener on the stroke of half time, but you have to wonder at the thinking of so many bodies involved in the attack. If Gibbs, who had been involved in the early part of the attack had dropped back inside our half, Kos might have been that bit deeper? Who knows?
The second half started how the first finished. Immobile chipped a great ball on to Aubamayang, who split the two CBs, and Szczesny came out and slipped at the vital moment. PEA also nearly went down himself, but just kept his feet to slip the ball into the net before Kos had a chance to recover.
From then on we did not look that threatening,… only threatened.
Szczesny came out to make a flying header with the full knowledge the collision with PEA was unlikely that he would be the damaged party, but once he had launched himself into the header, there were no brakes in mid air.
Kos also nearly did himself a mischief, colliding with a goal post in an attempt to avert yet another goal. Only the usual 65 minute subs did lift our attack somewhat, but we continued to look vulnerable. In fact, Mik the prick, having got himself booked in the opening few minutes for a blatant dive, seemed to be so intent scoring, it screwed him up completely. There was one breakaway where they were three on two… our two CB’s … he chose to shoot, high and handsome. Like I said, what a prick!
There are so few positives coming out of the game, except the one from history. Is this the giant kick up the backside that shakes this mental lethargy out of their system?
We have to hope so, but what is baffling is that so many had a poor game?
Perhaps it is simple case of trying too hard. Certainly with Ramsey we have seen it all before. He was even doing those heel flicks again?? Wilshere cannot lift the team on his own. Alexis too needs to settle more. Mert needs to get his calm, dependable head back on. Ozil needs a quiet corner somewhere and completely regroup. Arteta really needs to face up to life on the bench, especially after January? Will Walcott return bring a shape to our attack, when he returns? Will Chambers hold down the RB slot, and not get moved sideways for a crisis CB role? Will somebody give Hayden a run out before he is called into full time action?
Questions.Questions.Questions.
The only ones who can prove some of the answers will be out on Saturday against Gabby and his gang of thugs….
The reality of our form looks pretty bleak, but we have a few fresh bodies to throw into the mix, so like last season’s blip, our season starts now.
Last night’s defeat against Dortmund was a painful one: we were ‘out-systemed’ by Klopp and throughout the ninety minutes we had no answer to it. The Germans played with a great tempo and gang-pressed our players continuously: outnumbering them around the ball almost constantly. We were unable to build our attacks from the back and pass the ball round in midfield, and we also could not thump it forwards towards a holding striker. They played in concentrated units of three/four/five players around the ball, whereas we stuck to our positions and spaces a lot more. The crowd whipped the home players up and we looked stunned and apathetic from the start.
I really think our players were up for this though, but we just could not handle Dortmund’s system of football, the high tempo and pressing football. It was embarrassing but it might provide the team with some valuable lessons: ‘Oh the sweet uses of adversity’ as Shakespeare once said.
The responses by fellow Gooners have been varied, yet predictable: some want to change the formation and some the players, and there is merit in all of it. We all have our hobby horses, and especially when we lose we like to get them out of the stable. My head buzzes with thoughts like:
For 4-1-4-1 we do not have the right DM: so why play this formation?
Why did we not buy a proper, footballing DM this summer?
What has happened to BFG and Koz’s fine partnership?
Should we adjust our system to get the best out of Welbeck?
Am I mad and almost everybody sane by disagreeing about Ozil’s ‘best position’?
Why has Wenger changed from 4-2-1-3 to 4-1-4-1, and why did it work okay against the Nothern Oilers and not against Dortmund?
Etc, Etc.
Like many others, I have some reservations about Wenger’s approach to our football at the moment – formations, style of play, player purchases, etc – but we should be careful with jumping to conclusions. It is early season and the preparations for the new season were short, due to many international players returning late and CL qualification needing to be secured against a tough opponent. We did qualify but drew one or two games too many, and now we have been outplayed/out-thought by a rampant German team.
Dortmund are capable of this, as the money-no-object team in Madrid will testify. Many regard the self-adoring one as a great manager, but also he had no answer to the Deutsche Welle two seasons ago. Sometimes you just have to hold your hand up and say: we were second best and well done to the opponent. Key is to not make too much of it and move on, especially so early on in the season. It is a defeat we can afford after all.
In football, and life in general, you can always respond to a disappointment or set-back in three ways: do nothing, make changes, reinforce your belief in the road you have chosen. We are all fantasy football managers who can instantly suggest what Wenger needs to change in order for Arsenal to become a trophy-winning side. We can have these opinions and utter them without a care in the world.
But Arsene is the manager and he has an entirely different weight on his shoulders than us arm-chair managers. When he lay there on the beach in Brazil a few months ago, he day-dreamed of winning silverware with 4-1-4-1 and he got Sanchez and Welbeck, Debuchy and Chambers to make it happen. Let’s give him a chance to see this new formation and style of football through, and not jump to conclusions yet.
Dortmund are without Reus, Gundogan, Hummels, Kirch, Sahin and Blaszczykowski, so we could be thinking we are in with a decent chance to put the Germans to the sword tonight. But Klopp does not rely too much on the quality of his players as he drills all of his squad players into one or more positions, all based around a well-defined system and style of play. That is what I like about madman Klopp, and why he remains a strong candidate to replace AW one day in the future.
Regardless of who will play for Dortmund, they will give us a game all right. The passionate Schwarzgelben supporters – the Signal Iduna Park holds over 81000 spectators – will fire their team on; and despite the injuries they will be up for this, building further on the confidence gained during their recent successes in the CL (reaching the final only two seasons ago).
We will need to be at our very best to get a result tonight, and with injuries ourselves, especially in defence, we are vulnerable. Monreal did not travel, Debuchy is a long term injury worry (today we shall find out more, apparently), Gibbs has only just returned (always a risk of getting injured again straight away) and our multi-functional replacement defender Chambers is only fifty-fifty, as he is suffering from tonsillitis.
Young Hector Bellerin smells an opportunity here, and it would be great for him if he gets a start. We all know he has phenomenal speed and close ball control and is great going forward: the question is whether he can defend well enough at this level. The BFG will mentor him and together they can profit and compensate from each others strengths and weaknesses…. but it is a big game to try this out. If Chambers is fit, I reckon he will get the green light for the RW position, but with the potential of fatigue or injury (knock on wood) of our defenders during the game, there is a big chance we will see Bellerin taking part at some point in tonight’s encounter.
The rest of the defence picks itself, and it is no time to experiment with a new goalie, I reckon. So back-five of: Szczesny – Chambers – BFG – Koz – Gibbs.
In midfield, we probably see Arteta being played behind the ‘four horsemen’: Ozil, Ramsey, Wilshere, Alexis. I reckon, Arsene will be keen to let these four ferocious midfielders play together again, after they were able to dominate play so well for long spells against the Northern Oilers on Saturday. There is a chance Wenger will spring a surprise with giving Diaby a start in this one, and if he is fit enough to do so, who would complain about that? The 4-1-4-1 would suit him very well (as Scottishgunner pointed out as well in the last post).
I am also quiet sure Welbeck will get another start. He had a promising game on Saturday, and away from the home crowd and the sky-high immediate expectations, he can ease a bit and add real value to the team – which isn’t just about goals and assists…
So, my predicted line up for tonight is:
My preferred line up is not very different. I want to see more of 4-1-4-1 now I have seen its potential against MC, but would love us to play either Diaby (if fit) or Chambers in the DM role, with Bellerin at RB.
Really looking forward to tonight’s game: two proper clubs, with fabulous managers, playing proper football at the highest level. This is why we love football. Let the battle commence!
With thanks to the best paper in the country, The Guardian, for the picture.
Football is back, and although it might not be ideal to play Besiktas so soon after our battle against Palace, I cannot help but really look forward to our encounter in Istanbul. And although we won on Saturday, we all want to wash away the taste of a laboured and under-par performance with a committed, passionate, and above all winning, performance tomorrow night.
Rather than go safe and sit back to invite pressure, I hope we start with full throttle and go on the attack from the first whistle. My dream line up for the Besiktas game – rather than the predicted one as I never get these right anymore – is a 4-5-1 formation with real speed and thrust whilst also having some solid support for the back four.
I would like to see Flamini replace Gibbs for this game. We will play with Chambers again, or maybe even Miquel, and so we can do with the extra experience and calm of our French terrier. The rest of our defence picks itself right now, although I would not mind to see Bellerin getting a chance on the right wing tomorrow.
In midfield I would play Diaby if he is fit. He has travelled so he must be fine again. Diaby and Ramsey should be the deeper laying midfielders, but they are also very good in the transition and going forward. In the hole it is Sanchez for me, with OG in front of him. And on the wings, like many others have said in the past 48 hours, I would like thrust, speed and hunger and both Ox and Campbell have plenty of this.
My Dream Team:
I would also be very happy to see Rosicky start instead of Campbell: Sanchez could move to the left and Rosa could play in the hole… but I would really like to see Campbell play again at some point at least tomorrow.
What it is your favourite line up for tomorrow’s game?
Let’s go for the jugular and attack from the start.
We are The Arsenal – COYG!!!
Written by: TotalArsenal.
Final Note:
We hold two competitions on Bergkampesque: Fantasy Football and a Predictions League and all are free to join – the more the merrier! 🙂
Tomorrow night, in the futuristic, brand new Allianz Arena, Arsenal will play a ‘nothing to lose’ Champions League game against the reigning European Champions. Anything can happen tomorrow: from a drab goalless draw, to 120 minutes of spectacular football followed by a nail-biting penalty shootout; from a glorious aggregate win over Die Lederhosen to a very heavy defeat. I cannot predict the outcome but have no doubt that Wenger will field his strongest team, with a strategy to win whilst playing football as it should be played.
I predict a big big night for AOC
So, no parking of the London double bus as the London Oilers once did, but also no kamikaze approach. Getting the balance right is key and Bayern might not give us much chance to play our game anyway; as, especially under Guardiola, they like to dominate teams and suck the lifeblood out of them. They will want to do the same to Arsenal but let’s pump some lead into them instead.
So let’s cut to the chase: how should we line up to give ourselves the best possible chance?
Four things are vital:
Solid approach to defending as a team: especially the two players in the DM pivot and our mid-wingers are key and need to be picked with defending duties and qualities in mind;
Possession of the ball will be key and we need players who can pass and hold on to the ball in confined spaces as good as possible;
We need players who are able to add thrust and speed to our attack; especially our midfielders need to possess these skills;
We need leadership and composure and, of course, passion.
Gibbs is not available and neither is Nacho, and realistically, we have two options: Vermaelen or Sagna (Jenkinson to be our left back). I have a feeling Wenger will go for Vermaelen this time as he will need Sagna on the left to keep Ribery quiet. Vermaelen needs support though, and we will play either Cazorla or Rosicky as our mid-left. I have a feeling it will be Rosicky.
FlamTeta in the DM pivot again? Yes, I reckon that would make sense. The area in front of our D will be most important for keeping it tight and both Arteta and Flamini will have to give their all to keep the Bayern midfielders away from our box, and also not allow them to shoot from just outside it as much as possible (often our Achilles’ heel against Bayern)…..they also will have to support the full backs and will simply be tested to the max. We could play Ox or Rosicky next to Flamini (or Arteta) but I reckon we need both of the Frenchman and Spaniard’s experience to fully protect our back-four.
Then the most exciting area: ‘the front four’. What is Wenger going to do? Sanogo is injured, so we should expect Giroud to start, but…… Wenger might go for speed up-front, as BM will play with a high-line and Giroud might not be as effective as he usually is in the centre of attack, as he lacks the speed to really worry them. But, he might be very important for our ability to hold on to the ball and get our midfielders involved in our attacks…
Wenger might suprise us once again with an alternative attacker…maybe Ox, or even Gnabry? I am going to go with Giroud, just marginally. He scored at Bayern last season and looked sharp and refreshed against Everton, but it is his hold-up play and ability to bring the midfielders into play which will add so much value to the team.
If we do not opt for speed and thrust in our CF, we will need to have it in our midfielders; especially as our normal ‘wingers’ – the full backs – will not be able to go forward a lot in this game. Ozil is a given, and, in current form, Ox is as well. It was two years and five days ago when AOC played the best game of his career – against Milan at home – and let’s hope he can produce a similarly dynamic and inspiring performance.
But who to complete the (attacking) midfield: Cazorla, Rosicky, or even Pod? As said earlier, I reckon it might be Rosicky as he adds so much drive and energy as well as good control of the ball in tight spaces. But Cazorla played well on Saturday and starting to hit fine form and also scores a lot more than the Czech….
The slightly conservative predicted Wenger line-up is:
But I reckon he will do something a bit more daring, as to be able to play his very best players and find a good balance between solidity and attacking prowess.
So maybe, he will go for this more adventurous line-up (with one of Flamini and Arteta):
We will have to wait and see, but I reckon both line-ups have their merits and will provide plenty of leadership, composure and passion to the team.
Arsenal – Bayern Afterthoughts and reflections by Marcus.
It’s been a mighty long time since I wrote a post here and I do agree it is unacceptable so I am going to break my silence. There are very many talking points that emanate from Wednesday night’s game, so I will tackle them one by one.
I must start by expressing my growing pride at being a Gooner. Wednesday night was a show of strength, togetherness, grit and unrelenting determination, even in defeat. Special praise must go the team as a whole. In the first 30-35 minutes before the red card, Bayern were shown that they were playing the Arsenal and not their usual German opponents whom they brush aside. This team has personalities such as Mertesacker, Koscielny, Flamini, Sagna and even the Ox, who are willing to lead the team in the face of adversity. Those 5 players must have passed out once they got home given the effort they put in. Add Szczesny and Ramsey to that list and we have title winning characters in our ranks. We pressed them and ran them ragged in the moments leading to the red card (which is my next talking point), something Bayern are not accustomed to. I strongly believe that had Szczeny just been booked, we’d have won that game.
Then there is the sending off. I feel it was extremely harsh. First of all, when the ball left kroos’ foot, it was a 50-50 ball between Robben and Szczesny. It was only Robben’s pace and awareness that gave him the advantage in that circumstance. Then there is the fact that if you watch the footage again, you see that the moment Szczesny realized Robben would get there first, he tried to back out of the challenged and that is why the contact made was minimal. If he had any malicious intent, he would have completely flattened Robben given the circumstance. This is by no means a criticism of the referee because the rules are clear. However, unless it is a two footed lunge with the studs showing, the fundamental rule when issuing a red card is intent, especially in one on one situations involving a keeper; and there was none. That is why Szczesny wasn’t sent off against Villa in the opening game and against spurs in the 2011-12 season. That is a rule that must be amended.
My third point to note has to be Yaya Sanogo. I must say that nobody expected him to start ahead of Giroud AND Poldi. I have watched him play in the last two games and he reminds me a bit of Adebayor. The way he moves and plays. I like what I see from him so far. The funny thing about his inclusion is, before the game my brother asked me to name the team I would pick and it was identical to the one that started; except, when he asked who I’d start upfront, I told him: ”anyone but Giroud”. I’d like to see how clinical he is, so I hope he gets more chances to play.
Then there’s is (obviously) Mesut Ozil. At the risk of sounding bitter he was utter rubbish last night. I mean penalties are generally 50-50 but for someone who has a world class reputation and has played for two of the best teams in the world – three if you count Germany – his penalty technique is wanting. But even aside from that, you miss a penalty in a game of that magnitude and go on to put in such a disinterested performance to the point where two of your team mates (Wilshere and Flamini) have to rebuke you? In a game of such importance? Unacceptable.
Maybe he needs to be dropped against Sunderland to show him that you have to earn the right to put on the red and white whether you cost 2 billion quid or came as a free transfer.
Then there’s something I have felt Wenger fails at since I started supporting Arsenal back in 2001 as an 11 year old, tactical substitutions. When Szczesny was sent off, he took of Cazorla: our most in form player at the moment, leaving Ozil on the pitch. Many say that Santi isn’t the best defensively, but you know what? Ozil is far worse. I have never once seen Ozil dispossess an opponent. Not once since he joined us. At least Santi puts in the effort when needed. Then he went on and took off the Ox still leaving Ozil on. Wenger has done this countless times most infamously in 2006 when he took off Pires which swung the tide against us.
To conclude, I have to say based on what I saw yesterday, this isn’t over yet. Not by a mile. I mean sure, beating Bayern by 2 goals is going to be a tough height to scale but did we not do it last year? I believe in this team so much that I don’t have that feeling of defeat most people have, because I know we can pull it off. It is going to take every piece of strength, determination and belief we have but we can do it. For now let’s look to bouncing back and securing 3 points against Sunderland.
We knew we only had a small chance to go through against Bayern, so we cannot be too upset for losing 2-0 on the night. We also knew that we needed to be disciplined and concentrate for 95 minutes, if we wanted something out of this game. We also knew we needed to have a go at Bayern and take our game to them – not be overwhelmed but have some believe in our own strengths.
Well, the latter we did and had, and therefore I am feeling reasonably good about our performance last night. We gave them a fright and created a number of scoring opportunities, and we should have taken one of them. We did not and in top football you get punished for this sooner or later.
Sanogo made things happen and brings new energy/impetus to the team. Giroud might have finished better but there is no guarantee for this, and I doubt he would have been able to bring the surprise/X-factor of Sanogo’s team sheet inclusion and performance. I love this guy already and you can see there is real potential in him.
The first half was very good, even though we struggled a bit getting over the deception of not taking our opportunities early on: especially Ozil’s missed penalty hit us hard. But I liked our discipline and organisation and our bite when we went forward. Both Ox and Sanogo were impressive and Jack was linking up play brilliantly.
But then, as Neuer was protecting his team with his tremendous focus and skills, one moment of youthful inexperience by our stopper turns the game on its head, and our faith is decided. A brilliant ball over the top, a clever run by Robben, a pumped up Pole rushing out to scare him off…. and then running into him. A penalty and a red card. Game over.
The pen gets missed but the real punishment is us having to play 50 minutes with ten men against Bayerlona. We fought like lions but the areas in front of the D and left back were surrendered too frequently. A brilliant banana-curved shot in the top corner by the Ramsey-like Kroos proved too much for us. All was not lost as a small loss could be overcome in Germany.
They had more chances but somehow we survived and the team deserves praise for this. But we wanted a goal ourselves and when we won a rare free-kick in Bayern’s half, Jack spotted the run of Koz and decided to play it quickly. Koz did not reach it and Bayern scored from the ensuing ‘counter-attack’: 2-0.
There were a lot more positives from this game than negatives, and I feel the team knows that if they had scored early and/or the keeper had kept cool the result might well have been different. We are not mature enough for this though, and we can only hope that lessons will be learned by our players.
And when we go to Munich, we will have nothing to lose and play with our hearts on our sleeves. Score early and it might become a fantastic night for us. Remember Inter at the San Siro? 🙂
As the Dutch say, the bal is rond – the ball is round: everything is possible!
Santi had one of his best games ever in Munich, but will he start today?
Duke Senior: ‘Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.’
By Shakespeare.
‘Ieder nadeel heb zijn voordeel’ (Every disadvantage has its advantage)
By Johan Cruijff.
Whilst Bayern have to come to terms with their current unbearable lightness of being, Arsenal have actually been facing some severe adversity.
The big loss against Pool was a huge shock to the system and put our feet firmly back on the ground. Subsequently, Arsenal played more compact and disciplined against the Mancs, but our ‘safety first’ approach led to not enough chances to get all three points from the game. It was progress nevertheless. And then came the Pool FA cup game and further progress was made: a solid and disciplined performance saw us edge through to the last eight and give the Dippers one on the nose. Sweet indeed.
Today, we are hoping for one more step forward from those last three games. Only if we are at our very best tonight (and the referee does not spoil it) can we get a result against Bayern. We need to be disciplined throughout the team and concentrate for 90+ minutes. You only have to look at the Martin Demichelis incident yesterday to realise that the previous sentence, despite stating the bleeding obvious, is never truer than in a CL game.
Guardiola does not want us to have the ball tonight, as he believes we can hurt them if we do. The idea that this true gentleman – the antithesis of Maureen in almost everything – is combining the best of Bayern and Barca into something even better than its parts – Bayerlona – is very scary. I have not watched Bayern a lot this season, but we can expect a physically strong team with an even better ability to pass the ball round and not give it to us.
Key to our survival is therefore to hold onto the ball when we have it and impose our own game on them. This is something we have not been good at recently, especially against the top teams who have pressed us high up the pitch. We also need to protect our ‘D’ with a solid wall and our CB’s and ‘DMs’ have had some very good games to practice on this recently (this was one of our weaknesses in our last home encounter against BM).
There is no Ribery and no Shaqiri, but Schweinsteiger is back after an injury and they are pretty spoiled for choice in midfield. Muller, Robben, Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Martinez etc are all fantastic footballers who will press our midfielders hard.
It is also key to start both compact/disciplined and with a high tempo, not allowing them to settle easily and, at least now and again, force our game on them. This will not be easy, but our recent games against Pool and the Mancs have been very good practice sessions, and as such we actually hold an advantage to Bayern who have not had a challenging game for a while now.
So how will we line up?
This is a question of choosing for compactness (4-5-1) or speed/counter-attacking football (4-3-3). The Back-Five is very likely to be Sz, Sa, Me, Ko, Gi and the double DM is likely to be manned by Flam and Jack; and Ozil and Giroud are also likely to start. This leaves us with the ‘mid-wings’. In one way, I would like us to start with Ox AND Gnabry and really take the game to them. Just go out there and enjoy ourselves… But that would leave the likes of Cazorla, Podolski and Rosicky out and we need their experience and maturity….
Therefore, I expect Wenger to go half way with one of either Gnabry and Ox and one of Cazorla, Podolski and Rosicky. Rosicky offers both compactness and decent speed, but he seldom scores (or even assists). Pod scores when he wants but does not offer the compactness and required stamina for a game of this stature. Santi likes a free role and is great support for OG and Ozil, but not so much for his full back…. Not an easy choice for Arsene to make.
With Ox in scintillating form, I expect him to play ahead of Gnabry tonight. He could offer the X-factor tonight, but he will need to play with full discipline and composure throughout the game, and let’s hope he learned from his lucky escape on Sunday…
So, here is my predicted (and preferred) line up for tonight’s super clash:
It could be Rosicky for Ox, Santi, or even Jack, but I reckon this will be close to our starting eleven. Will it be enough to beat Bayern? Aber sicher, jawohl mein Herr! 🙂
I have a good feeling about this game and Flamini is right that we have momentum again. Let’s hope that our recent adversity will have strengthened the team’s resolve and desire to finally claim a big CL scalp once more. Now that would be sweeter than sweet!
COME ON YOU RIP ROARING GUNNERS!
Time to pull down those Lederhosen and show them who is top Arse! 🙂
Bergkampesque 