Tag: midfield battle

Is there a better midfield in the PL than Arsenal’s?

TotalArsenal

Arsenal-form

If you think that our goals last season were almost entirely scored by four players – beautifully spread out between them – and three of them have hardly played any football this season, there is every reason to believe we can at least continue – if not improve further – our two goals a game average. Last season we did not score many goals from the mid-mids: Rosicky, Wilshere, Ramsey and Arteta (except for his well taken penalties) seldom or never got the ball over the all important line.

But this season, we finally are getting goals from our central midfielders and this is a great sign of good things to come.  Ramsey has been in red and white hot form, and Jack and Ozil have also scored a few goals already. And yet, the midfield is not fully clicking as we would like them to do; and so there is plenty of scope for further improvement.

With the likes of Rosicky, who unfortunately is less successful in finding the net, Ozil, Ramsey and Wilshere, we have four footballers who can play in various positions and be both finisher and creator whenever they feel like it. The more they will play together the better they will become as an attacking unit, and once they hit top form they will become unplayable.

Add Ox, Pod and Theo to the mix and it becomes even more interesting. The idea that we have three to four footballers who can score goals regularly and pick a defence splitting pass at any moment in the game, is simply fantastic. On Tuesday we saw some fantastic through-balls from Wilshere, Rosicky and Ozil, and it was good to see Jack in fine form again.

Jack in 'the hole' was a big surprise but he looked rusty once again, unfortunately!
Nice fag Jack?! 🙂

Some are wondering what has changed in Jack and the answer is nothing, other than simply hitting form; or maybe his body is finally starting to feel good again. One thing is certain for me: it has nothing, niente, nada, rien, niks, nichts, to do with a change in attitude by ‘Jack the lad’. Being a huge fan of SJW, I have studied his behaviour and persona a bit, and I am convinced he is the total professional who gives his all in every game!

With Jack hitting form now and Theo returning to the first team, there is further opportunity for Ozil to get settled into the team and learn to master the art of being the advanced central midfielder in our 4-2-1-3 formation. This still seems to be a bit of a new challenge for him, especially when we play the stronger teams and we tend to sit back more. But I am sure Wenger will work with him on this, and his fellow midfielders will help out as well.

As you know, I am a big fan of treating every game as a cup match – OGAAT OGAAT! – and we should not look further than the next game against Cardiff. But I am also looking forward tremendously to us playing the Southern and Northern Oilers next month and to see how our midfield holds up against theirs.

If, with a bit of luck, we can keep our team fit for a while, and can play with our strongest midfield and defence and OG is available in those games, I reckon we can beat them both.

If we win those midfield battles, or are at least equal to  the Oilers’ midfields, I reckon we will win the league: December will tell us a lot, imo.

Will that finally shut up ‘those in the know’ – the Hansens, the Shearers and other perfect cures for insomnia – about Arsenal’s chances to win the title? Aah who cares, you should only rate an opinion of someone you rate as a person, and the rest is water of a duck’s arse stuff.

Let’s OGAATly play Cardiff on Saturday and work our socks off for another three points; that will bring us to 31 points and will put pressure on our desperate chasers to stay in touch with us (all playing on Sunday).

pat on the back

Let’s do it for Pat and show him our love and let’s help him beat that bastard called Cancer – Victoria Concordia Crescet! Pat we are thinking of you!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Is it the one or the many that we need? Shakespeare and football

TotalArsenal

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“A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!“ – Shakespeare, from Richard III

This seems to be the battle cry recently about our play, especially after the Mancs episode and any less than brilliant effort of recent. Substitute a “horse” for “the magic guy who links all play and bosses midfield” or just “Cesc” and you about have it summed up… or use “Iniesta” if it suits.. 🙂

Arsenal-v-Barcelona-029[1]

That it comes from Richard III a Shakespeare play with a central theme about the tension between fatalism, and let’s face it we are all Gooners, and free will, makes it the perfect quote to encapsulate our desire for (even?) more and our fatalistic attitude that we are forever short that one magic piece of the puzzle. That it takes place in England, even better!

However, as I have said before, football is a game for anyone who can count to five. Even better, if you explain this later, hold up four fingers to emphasize just how simple a game we are talking here. It is always better to attack with more players than the opposition have, … always.  It’s that simple, or more succinctly, it is better to play 3 v 2 than 2 v 2 or 2 v 3. Obvious, no? So, how to get from there to our current “issues” such as they might be?

The main thing is that on attack, the motion is fluid and players have to make themselves available to stretch defenses and create numbers. Simple as that. If you are continually playing “uphill” into (larger, pressing) numbers you are one long ball away from the opposite. This is guaranteed to be true because unless the ref has failed to count accurately both sides have the same number on the field. Want more evidence, Ozil, game 1 for Arsenal, long ball to Ozil on to Giroud, goal… From uphill against numbers to 2 v 1 and goal…

Football is a simple game! Don’t believe me? Try Da Vinci, he was Italian so you know he was probably into football:

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”

which of course matches our prejudices about Arsenal football! J

So, what’s gone wrong? I don’t think we lack a single guy, but offense is a team or unit game. Not one player, but all working to create numbers where it matters. In particular:

Defending third: The extra player added is almost always a defender coming up just a little. This is where Sagna, Gibbs and even BFG excel.

Middle third: this is where it all happens, and where the football pundits always look to say “see XYZ wasn’t into the game today, or was taken out of today’s game”. But, in reality, it’s the added player that makes it all easy. Usually, an outside back coming forward or overlapping, or a striker coming back. Witness OG on goal #1 I believe vs Napoli, coming back to about 40m from goal and on the side line, to flick on Ramsey and then Ozil and .. history! OG was the extra player there even though Ramsey had the ball and was unmarked for a moment. He made it 2 v 1 and we were away.

In other games it has been other players.

Attacking third: Well you rarely get numbers there if you didn’t already have them so it’s about creative motion, like TR pulling defenders to allow others to score, or about OG isolating himself 1 v 1 for a cross with the defender blocked out (witness Spurs goal!)

Overall, it’s about the extra man and the effort made to get there to provide the impetus and numbers to take out defending players and create opportunities.

Thus, link up play, that drive that some feel we are missing, isn’t one player, it’s the unit. The unit is not fully succeeding to get the most out of what it has as component parts.

So, why is that? Some reasons might include two F-words (no, not those Cockie!):

  • Fatigue: we are a bit thin with the (love this but forget where I read it) “injury sniper” targeting us most frequently this year. OG, AR, Ozil are all a bit over played. Santi is underplayed and coming back into form as is JW
  • Familiarity: Santi is new to Ozil, as is most of the team. Same will hold true as Theo, Ox, Poldi come back. Gelling takes time and we need be patient, especially as Ozil has at least one bit of magic each game, and is patient enough to be the guy who “runs away” to create space.

And that’s it. The main issue with wishing for “the one” the “focus of all our attention” is that it’s bad, single minded football. For evidence I point you towards two cases in point:

  1. Arsenal with RvP and without: With him, all balls went one place. We were predictable, defendable and beatable. Without, we were better, maybe not in placing last year, but better as a team. Now, even more so!
  2. RM vs Barca: Both are galactic teams. But one is a galactic team with a titanic striker (CR 7), ie RM. The other is a titanic team with a galactic striker (Messi), or Barca. Is it any coincidence that the slightly more team focused unit has edged solidly ahead in recent years? I think not myself.

Further, for those doubt witness last years champions league finalists. Both BM and BD had excellent teams who happened to be made of top stars, not vice versa really. Especially, BM as BD were a bit thinner in squad and thus in my mind fortunate with the injury gods, and would that we were so! J

Thus, for the Mancs game, I put it to a bit of fatigue. The fatigue means the last step doesn’t get made, the last effort doesn’t get put in, and thus the last bounce of the ball doesn’t go your way. We are thin and will rectify that shortly. One hopes. But, I don’t think we lost so much as didn’t have that last step.

In general, one plays with the team or hand one is dealt. We have a great team. Iniesta would make us different but not improve us. We need to find the right combinations and effort to get numbers with those we do have. When we do that right on defense and transition (as I have written on), and on attack with the extra players coming forward, we are unstoppable. If we lack anything it is the confidence in our own ability to make it so. Or to quote the bard, about the team and the fans perhaps:

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” From Measure for Measuire.

I.e. if we lack anything it is resolve, which I think is growing every game despite any apparent setbacks, and perhaps explains slower starts first time around against “big names” like BD and the Mancs (but not Spurs or Liverpool, so how about that! J ).

And thus endeth my rant. Attack, like defense, like football is a game played by, and won or lost by, teams, not individuals. Some may play better or worse, but if one is marked or pressed out, others should be there to take it all forward with impact. In fact, focus on one, like Ozil, should make it easier for others!

We need to see more of this and I think we will as we gel further and players out injured come back into play.

Thus, to end, as I started, with the Bard… but modified because football **IS** poetry, really:

To want a single star, or not to want such: that is the question:

Whether ’tis nobler to seek singular stars or simply seek crass numbers

‘Gainst the slings and arrows of outrageous competitors

Or to take arms against a sea of pundits, agents and second guessers…

 

And that is your question.. I think we play beautiful football and increasingly with resolve. We don’t need the right star, we need to be a bit better rested, which may require some reinforcements in January, and to gel even more than we have, and to go into the biggest games with a touch less anxiety and a bit more “tude” from the get go. We have already shown we can play beautifully and create the numbers that signal victory, next comes even more consistency.

Or to be more simple. We don’t need another Fabregas or Iniesta or anyone else. We already have the stars and perhaps the whole squad, we just need to get the numbers!

Or even more simply, football is a simple sport and religion with many small intangibles. Like any religion, we simple folk are always striving to explain the various “slings and arrows of fortune” with simplistic answers like “if only we had player Q” all would be solved, or “it’s player Y’s fault”. But, really, so much is simplicity of numbers, and the inevitable complexity of creating them versus an active opponent seeking to do the same!

What do you think? Do we need to replace parts, or get the current parts better?

 

Will the threat of Theo’s speed and ability to create numbers make Ozil even more unstoppable, or really speaking, make him less able to be targeted?

 

Who are the best of those out injured to complement or augment our midfield to be the “multiple threats from everywhere” that it is (and has already shown it can be)?

 

Written by: jgc

Do Arsenal have any DMs left: The Options. Chelsea – Man City: best result?

TotalArsenal

312304_heroa

With Flamini probably out for a few weeks and Arteta at least suspended for one game, the question we are all asking is: who should we play in our double-DM pivot against the Chavs?

Although the League Cup does not really matter too much, I still would like us to put out a team with the full intention of winning it. We don’t know whether Maureen will take this game serious – as in fielding his strongest team – but we can be assured he does not want to be beaten by us either; and with a strong squad he should not find it too difficult to field a team that has a good chance of doing so.

Wenger will want to rest a few players, though, and I expect the likes of Mertesacker, Sagna, Gibbs, Ramsey, Ozil and Giroud to get a well-earned rest on Tuesday.

The starting eleven for the encounter with the Chavs is likely to be: Fabianski, Jenkinson, TV, Kozzer, Nacho, Rosicky, Gnabry, Cazorla and Bendtner – as all these players really need a(nother) game; but what is not so clear, is who is going to play in the double-DM pivot come Tuesday.

I have a feeling Jack will start in this game, and he might even play in the deepest of the two DM-pivot roles: the Flamini or Arteta position, if you want. Jack can actually defend very well and his positioning and anticipation skills are good too (especially, if taking into account his young age). But he is still a bit frail and will need to put his body on the line if we are to beat the Chavs, and it remains to be seen if he can do that for 90 minutes.

So, it would be good to add some proper steel next to Jack in the DM-pivot and the question is who that should be. I would say, Frimpong is a strong option, but then I don’t know how fit he his and whether Wenger still has plans for him. It looks like he is not going to make it at Arsenal, but I could be wrong. Frimmers would definitely add steel but the combination of a lack of games and proneness to get himself booked is not great right now.

Then there is the very promising, Chelmsford born, Isaac Hayden. I have not seen enough of him to decide whether he would make a good DM partner for Jack on Tuesday, but I welcome your views.

We also have the Leytonstone born, multi-skilled, Nico Yennaris, who really could do with a game and who really impressed me during a Norwich-Arsenal Reserves games I watched a year ago.

We could also chose for more experience in the middle and put Ramsey or Rosicky next to Jack, and if Jack is not fit enough to start, I would also not be surprised if Ramsey and Rosicky will start both in the DM-pivot against the Chavs. But Ramsey could do with a break and Rosicky is needed in the hole…. Not easy at all.

Finally, Arsene could do something left-field and put Nacho, Sagna or TV in midfield for this one….. Nacho would mean Gibbs needs to play another game, but that should be fine as he missed out on playing in the England games. TV would mean playing BFG as a CB, which is not ideal as he did play in Germany’s International games…. And Sagna could do with a break for the same reasons….

Really hard to say what Wenger will go for but still good to see we still have a few options for the DM-pivot on Tuesday.

Southern Oilers v Northern Oilers: ideal result?

Today’s game between the Oil-drugged clubs should be watched by Gooners with interest. Whoever wins this one will come out of it with a strong belief they are the bee’s knees this season, and whoever loses will suffer a setback. A draw would not be too bad for either and would probably help us in terms of having a mini-gap with both teams before we go into a couple of more challenging games.

In one way,  I want a draw but I would love to see the Chavs properly beaten today. I still feel they are our main competitors for the title this season, and we could really do with a morale deflating result today. Citeh are likely to continue dropping ‘easy’ points in away game this season, and I feel we have a good chance of beaten them in our direct encounters with them.

But what do you think: who should play in the double DM-pivot and what is the best outcome in today’s battle of the Oilers?

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Reintroduction of Arteta has disrupted the squad

TotalArsenal

gun__1373969704_arteta_idt

Now let me begin by saying that I like Arteta and he is a good player. The game against West Brom was a difficult one by all measures. I still think it is a game we could have won had we had taken them as seriously as we did Napoli, especially in the first 15 minutes. We were in complete control but looked like we were toying with them, rather than trying to score, unlike against the Italians. Anyway, credit to the team for winning the point in the end.

We have been playing very well, up until we met with the baggies. So what changed? In my opinion, it is the fact that Wenger has forced Arteta back into the team, without really looking at the balance. Against Napoli, we needed a double pivot to neutralize the threat posed by Hamsik, and it worked perfectly. Against WBA however, forcing Arteta alongside Flamini had a number of negative effects. First of all, it meant that Ramsey and Wilshere were pushed out wide. Wilshere had a shitter of a first half and it is only until he was brought back in the middle that we began to feel his presence.

As for Ramsey, we know he’s played wide before. However it has its downsides. Firstly, on the wing his movement is somewhat limited, and more so when playing in front of Jenkinson. This is because Jenko always bombs forward so Ramsey had to do a lot of covering work which in the end shackled him. Secondly, his influence and energy in the middle of the park which (dare I say) has been one of the main reasons we have dominated games, was sorely missed. You see Arteta is very good at reading the game and calm it down from deep, but lately it seems that’s all he’s good at. Do you know that against WBA he attempted only one forward pass in the opposition’s half, which was intercepted? All he does in pass sideways.

Arteta is no where near as good at dispossessing players as Ramsey and Flamini are. That’s what has made that partnership so good. Flamini will sit in front of the back four and Ramsey will support him when needed but then bomb forward and cause havoc on the other end. Ramsey also presses the ball very high (to great effect) which helps us win possession in very dangerous places. Both Flamini and Ramsey have a tenacity that neutralizes physical opponents. Yesterday you saw how we were bullied in the middle. Let’s not forget Ramsey’s goal threat is neutralized when he’s played out wide. Given his form, had he been played where he’s supposed to, he could and probably would have won us the game.

Second of all, bringing in Arteta gave Flamini the license to roam forward and this gave Sessegnon the space he needed to really terrorize us, which he did. When Ramsey and Flamini play together, they both know that Flamini protects the back and Ramsey moves forward. And because of Ramsey’s incredible engine, it works even when we are under pressure. Arteta just sits deep. This meant that Ozil was largely isolated and was therefore crowded out and neutralized. This made West Brom’s defending very easy. With Wilshere and Ramsey out wide, Mulumbu just needed to take Ozil out and they had a handle on us.

Flamini was the one (of the defensive two) going forward and let’s be honest, he’s no Ramsey. He had a few shots on goal which he hit straight at the keeper. Ramsey would have done much better. Even putting all this logic aside, if there’s a player who this season has earned the right to play where he feels most comfortable, it’s Aaron Ramsey. This game was very similar to the one we played against Marseille, except in that one Ramsey was played through the middle and won us the game.

To conclude, I will reiterate that I have nothing against Arteta. The thing is with the form of our three central midfielders (Flamini, Ramsey and Ozil) it is unfortunate but he is the one to lose his place, at least for now. I feel that we showed great character to salvage a point. That said, this is a game that could have gone either way and that shouldn’t be the case. If West Brom were better goal scorers, we could have lost. There’s a saying that goes ”if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. The team is anything but broke so changing one of its fundamental elements will only disrupt a flow that has been steadily building over the past few weeks.

On the plus side, Spurs were humiliated yesterday. COYG!!!!

 

Written by: Marcus.

Who was Wenger’s best signing in 2013? The curious case of Flamini

TotalArsenal

Kaboom is a new writer and English is not his first language. I have made some changes to make the article flow a bit better, but other than that I left it as it is. BK is an inclusive blog and we like it when bloggers from all over the world share their views and write for us.  I would like to ask you to focus purely on the content of Kaboom’s very fine post and respect that English is not his mother tongue.

Many thanks,

TotalArsenal. 

The return of the UMF - Ultimate Midfield Force
The return of the UMF – Ultimate Midfield Force

Ramsey. Giroud: the players on fire.  Santi. Mikel -lego hair- arteta still to come back. Players that continue their last season’s good form. Per and Kos with new found belief at back. Who can exclude the Öne and Önly, Özil? Arsenal are currently top of the table, most points accumulated and most goals scored team at the moment. And the table never lies!

However, in my humble opinion, the player who brought sparks/life to the spineless team has to be no other but Matthew Flamini.

The self-exiled for 4 years from the greatest club on earth has returned. All is forgiven. The sole survivor of the famous back 5 ( Lehmann, Eboue, Campbell & Toure) that inspired the heroic run that conceded only 1 goal all the way to champions league final ( only lost to 2 dodgy offside goals).

Rumours has it that he was close to be sent on loan to Birmingham but Wenger’s last minutes change of heart meant he stayed at the home of football. Everything else was history. His performance was so good AW had to leave former Brazil captain Gilberto on the bench.

Time and time again we saw endless running, tackling, arriving late at 18 yards box and having a pop at goal. Typical defensive midfielder. Along with Cesc, Hleb and Ro-sick-y, they formed the formidable midfield line-up that almost won the league. Unfortunately the agent got into his head and convinced him that a better future lay away from the great Arsenal. He left us like he left Marseille. That reminds me of what my old man always tells me. Do not pick a girl who left another man for you: one day she will do the same to you. Sadly, it was so true. AW failed to convince him on a new contract for the variance of GBP 5k (sounds familiar huh?), and he left Arsenal for Ac Milan.

It didn’t work out for either parties for past 4,5 years. Arsenal continued to struggle to find a proper DM (Dont.Ever.Mention. Song! He is a joke) and Flamini can’t even get any game time for the team. Due to stubbornness/principle of AW against signing ex-players, time and time the quality of Flamini had been overlooked.

Since then, Henry, Campbell and even Lehmann had returned on temp basis, and perhaps it softened AW’s principle of signing ex-players. Flamini rejoined the club after a successful trial. I read a report somewhere that he chose to park his super car at the visitors car park and walked thru the long corridor to the training area. To most people it may sounds like common courtesy but it has to be a huge huge humble pie (in-your-face) for Flamini. Well, it is really a minor gesture which is not worth mentioning but I have heard of far worse parking ethics of footballers. I believe that shows his willingness to earn the trust again to be part of the team and the will to be successful again.

Compared to the rest or marquee players, Flamini never has the chance to out shine anyone. He cant provides 2,3 assists per games, let alone goals. He can’t nutmeg opponents. He cant string 3,4 barca-likes passes with his teammates. However his roles of  tracking players all over field, covering every inches of the pitch, stamping authority, kicking players and doing ugly jobs are second to none.

Jack’s early withdrawal against tot-scum-spur had proven to be a real blessing in disguise. Flamini was everywhere. Tackling, kicking, shouting at defenders, organizing the defence. His performance against Stoke City has to be the best individual defensive work in years! And that’s really what Arsenal were lacking of for the past few seasons  Ramsey and Özil might be taking the limelight now, but Flamini is the real unsung hero for the team at the moment.

I guess the real dilemma for AW is how to blend in Flamini with existing rich selection of midfielders. Can AW afford to drop Ramsey? What to do about Arteta returning? Is he going to bench Jack? How about Ro-sick-y, Chambo and Diaby(if he ever gets fit again)?

It’s going to be a long season but so far I am extremely glad to see the return of Flamini. I do hope that he will play a major role in our quest for the first EPL title since forever. For me, he is already the signing of the season.

Written by: Kaboom

Finally Arsenal have their own Van Bommel: what a difference he’ll make!

TotalArsenal
The Flame returned!
The Flame returned!

If Ozil can provide the absolute icing on the cake of the current Arsenal team, it will be Mathieu Flamini who can give us the much needed robustness, passion and never say die attitude the Gunners have often lacked in recent seasons. Flamini is the UMF: the ultimate midfield force.

Flamini is not the best DM in the world; far from it; but neither was Van Bommel, and yet he brought something to every team he played for that was invaluable: hunger, passion, aggression, presence!, leadership, believe! In a nutshell: a winner’s attitude. A Dutch friend of mine summarised it perfectly recently: ‘Van Bommel wins you things’. The hard as nails former PSV, Bayern, Barcelona, Milan player won eight league titles (at least one with each club) and once the CL, and a lot of this was down to his deep desire to win for his team – whoever he plays for – AND his ability to influence others to follow his lead.

Flamini has been in the shadow of Van Bommel, Ambrosini and Gattuso at Milan in recent years, and this will have frustrated him no end. During his last three seasons, Flamini only managed an average of 14 League games for Milan, although injury had a big part to play in this as well. The good thing is that Mathieu has been able to learn from the masters of DM (dark) arts, and not having played so much in recent years should mean there is plenty left in the 29 year old. We just have to hope he will stay fit and not suffer another bad (knee) injury.

I like Flamini, always have. When he came on against the brand new Spuds team, he brought something old fashioned to our team from the moment he ran on to the pitch. It brought tears of joy to see him directing his colleagues, waving his arms like a nutter and sticking his Gallic chest out, bursting with pride. Here is a player who left and was given an unexpected chance to come back, to make amends, and a last opportunity to become an immortal Gunner; and it is clear he will do anything in his power to make his second stint at Arsenal a successful, and unforgettable one.

As the Germans say: ohne worte!
As the Germans say: ohne worte!

I made a prediction this week:

IF Flamini can stay fit for most of the season, he will make as much, if not more, difference to the team as/than Ozil will.

Here are the reasons why:

  1. Flamini knows how to tackle and how to win aerial battles (despite his lack of great height at 1.78 meters), and he also knows how to get under the skin of opponents. As jgc likes to put it: he brings that bit of Adamsesque mongrel to the team. He loves to put his foot in but seldom does he cross the line. This is a skill we have been missing, and if and when we play the more physical/robust teams, our very own UMF will make a great difference this season;
  2. Mathieu will protect the likes of Ramsey, Wilshere and Ozil better than anybody else. The way Jack has been targeted and having to fend for himself against the thugs of Villa and against Fenerbahce recently – something he is very good at doing btw – without getting much support from his team mates, is unacceptable. With Flamini on the team this is very likely to change. Like Van Bommel, Flamini knows how to protect his colleagues and how to boss a midfield. His Presence! and street wisdom will see to that! I predict a huge difference in this area;
  3. Flamini will protect the defence with incredible zeal: he will bring passion AND focus to our defensive midfield play. He is not as good a reader of the game as Arteta, but he knows how to guard a defence behind him and he will scare opponents with his tackling ability;
  4. Leadership – he might not become our captain but the Flame is an extrovert and born leader: he just cannot help himself – he needs to lead and he needs to make himself heard. This is something we have been missing in the team, as many of our midfielders are less vocal and focus more on the technical/tactical aspects of the game. Flamini will be a great support to Wilshere, who is also a born leader but needs to develop further in the next few years;
  5. Because of his natural DM skills and focus, he will allow us to have a more committed box to box midfielder in the team: this is great news for the likes of Ramsey, Ox and Wilshere, who will be able to go forward without having to worry constantly for leaving the defence exposed.

Despite my optimism that Flamini will make a big difference this season, I am not (yet) entirely sure whether Wenger will give his fellow countryman a pivotal role this season. My gut feeling tells me Wenger’s plans to play Flamini occasionally rather than making him a first team choice. If everybody is fit, his double DM pivot is likely to be occupied by two out of Arteta, Ramsey and Wilshere; the likes of Flamini, Ox and Rosicky could become second/third choice for the DM positions (although they might be used elsewhere as well). Wenger likes his ‘DMs’ to be multi-skilled, all-round midfielders who can play football as well, and it remains to be seen whether he regards Flamini’s skill set as good enough for a constant first team role.

But I reckon Flamini will work incredibly hard and show his worth to the team once more, both in terms of technical/defensive skills as well as his ability to lead and drive the team, that within no time he will become a regular first-teamer.

And what a difference he can make to Arsenal this season; let’s enjoy the Flamini ride. 🙂

Written by: TotalArsenal.

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AR16 – An ode to a player who turned groans into cheers

TotalArsenal

ramsey top

Each time an article is written about Ramsey, the first few paragraphs ALWAYS touch on his horrifying injury… but I’m not here to tell you what we all already know… I’ll point out why I believe the young Welshman has A LOT to offer to our squad, and that he is, and can continue be, a core player in our squad, not only now but for years to come.

First, let me say that I’m a BIG fan of our young Welshman, and as such I feel compelled to defend him for as long as I can. This is a player whose trajectory was once well ahead of compatriot Gareth Bale (after all, he was appointed captain of Wales), and he looked to be a potential replacement for Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal. After overcoming his brutal mutilation there was no question he would require some time to recover some pace, and whilst his intrinsic quality was still very visible, some of the spark had gone.

As with Eduardo earlier, many feared we might have lost a player for good. We all know of his subsequent loan deals and his not so spectacular return to the Grove… a few good games marred by games where everyone wanted his head, and until the dying embers of last season, his contribution and place on the team had been seriously questioned.

Now to the REAL purpose of writing this post. What Rambo brings to our squad…

I won’t look past what we all witnessed last season, more so, the last few games of the previous campaign. It would be hard to argue that Ramsey’s burst of success seemed to perfectly coincide with the sides’ massive improvement and Wenger’s commitment to really go for Champions League football once again. Ramsey’s commitment to his box-to-box role throughout the latter months of the season was about as valuable as any other player’s contribution to the side. Taking nothing away from him, he did benefit MASSIVELY playing alongside our Lego haired Spaniard… Arteta is a feisty tackler and intelligent with his positioning, while he retains that ability to play reliable passes towards attacking players.

Knowing that he is tasked with shielding our back-4, Arteta rarely ventures forward and as a result, Ramsey greatly benefited from Arteta’s discipline. With Arteta acting as the defensive shield and with astute passing, Ramsey was afforded greater freedom playing more of a box-to-box role, helping out in midfield and storming forward into attack. Ramsey was essentially the player that connected everyone else. With Arteta sitting deep, Santi drifting inside from the left wing, Rozy hustling about in attack, and Theo and either Giroud or iPod providing incision and goal-scoring threat, Ramsey did a bit of everything. He passed, tackled, pressed and he was essentially the ‘glue’ in the team.

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To know how good a player really is, it’s only fair to compare him to the very best in the same position…using some reliable stats I stumbled upon, I compare Rambo to some of the best central players in the game (Javi Martinez, Lars Bender and Arturo Vidal) and 2 players currently linked to The Arsenal (Maxime Gonalons and Étienne Capoue):

Pass completion

Aaron Ramsey – 88.6%
Maxime Gonalons – 87.8%
Arturo Vidal – 87.4%
J. Martinez – 87.5%
Étienne Capoue – 80.7%
Lars Bender – 79.8%

Average passes made

Maxime Gonalons – 64.5
Étienne Capoue – 65.2
Arturo Vidal – 54.3
Aaron Ramsey – 52.1
Lars Bender – 45
J. Martinez – 41.2

Key passes

Arturo Vidal – 2
Aaron Ramsey – 1.2
Lars Bender – 1
Étienne Capoue – 0.8
Maxime Gonalons – 0.2
J. Martinez – 0.4

Tackling success

Aaron Ramsey – 91%
J. Martinez – 82%
Lars Bender – 82%
Maxime Gonalons – 80%
Étienne Capoue – 78%
Arturo Vidal – 70%

Interceptions

Maxime Gonalons – 3.1
Étienne Capoue – 2.6
Lars Bender – 2.5
J. Martinez – 2
Arturo Vidal – 1.4
Aaron Ramsey – 1.2

Assists

Arturo Vidal – 7
Lars Bender – 5
J. Martinez – 3
Étienne Capoue – 3
Aaron Ramsey – 2
Maxime Gonalons – 0
Looking at the above stats its clear to see how EXCELLENT Rambo was…yet some still dismiss him as a liability with only what can be regarded as ignorant criticism… take a look at those stats again…HE WAS THAT GOOD!!!!!

One criticism he often gets is that he misplaces a lot of passes but with Arteta doing the ‘safe passing’ he is tasked with playing intricate through balls in the final third, hence the misplaced passes, but in time his passing should improve.

Another thing I behold is his partnership with Jack… I think a real boon for Ramsey at the moment is the return of Jack who naturally creates space and movement around him. Ramsey compliments him very well and I think they are the long term central midfield pivot for Arsenal. There was a time when Ramsey and Wilshere looked almost identical on the pitch and now hopefully those days are returning. I recall how they ran the show during the manure match, where Rambo would go on to win the match for us, and most recently, the West Ham match last season where Rambo sat deep as Jack played the b2b role… I noticed how they took turns to attack and sit deep in turns and it was telepathic stuff… long may it continue!

One man who deserves credit is Arsene for not only sticking by him but being brave enough to play him out wide knowing all too well the impact it would have on his game. Wenger has said players with a future in the centre should experience playing on the wing because they have to play in half the space so they learn to use it better. Playing on the wing has not been a fail, it has done wonders for Ramsey’s career; he’s learned to use space better and quickened up his game, he takes less touches and he doesn’t get caught in possession anymore .

Wenger’s handling of Ramsey must be one of the best piece of man management I’ve ever seen; he kept faith in him and kept him in the team which has been great for Ramsey’s confidence, and playing him on the wing has hugely benefited his game. Credit to Rambo for keeping his head down and playing wherever he’s asked  …” At the beginning of the season I was moving all over the pitch, playing left-wing, right-wing, right back. I was asked to do a job in many positions, which I’m happy to do for the team. If the manager wants me to play there, I’m not going to say no.”…If only Theo could take a leaf from Rambo’s book…

As the season drew to an end he began to win back support with grit, hard work and determination. Groans from the stands turned to cheers once again.

His all-action role caught the eye, and he was voted Arsenal’s player of the month for April. All credit to him for not allowing himself to drift away and credit to Arsenal for sticking by him. What delights me is that the boo-boys have silenced and realized that Rambo is as important as any other player in the squad. He may not thread a pass like Cesc did, or dribble like Wilshere does, but he has all the attributes to make a phenomenal link between the defensive side of midfield, and attack. His all-round ability and his all-round playing style lend him to this versatility and his physical style means he can succeed. He no longer lingers on the ball as much anymore either and his new found energy and assertive aggression are there for all to see. If he gives the ball away, he wants to win it back. He never hides. I hope he can keep up this level of improvement and finally put ALL the doubters to bed.

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The one area he must improve upon is his goal scoring. He only scored two goals all season – in stoppage time against Olympiakos back in early October and the 4th goal against Wigan. Though he did enjoy an encouraging season in central midfield, there’s an obvious area to improve upon for next season.

Like Arsene always says, a player really starts to come into his own at 23 so we can be sure to see a much improved player. He has the mentality, the fight and the ability and this Gooner will support him every step of the way.

Written by: Kenyan Gooner.

Special thanks to TA for encouraging me to write this post.

If Ramsey, Wilshere, Rosicky and Arteta score 20 PL goals Arsenal will win the league

TotalArsenal

El Zorro

No need to worry about defence or attack, the key area in need of progress lays in midfield!

It is only early days, but those first two friendlies are showing us we might be okay with scoring goals this season. I have argued in a recent post it is quite likely that Giroud, Podolski and Theo will score significantly more goals next season. The first two have now settled in the PL and are entering their very best years, and our young English winger/striker is getting better and more productive every season.

If Cazorla can equal his PL goal scoring tally of last season, then between the four of him, Pod, Giroud and Theo they could score in excess of 60 goals next season (compared to 48 last season). I am going to make a statement by saying we will be fine up-front next season and there is no need to buy a superstar striker.

If we can get a top, top established striker who is PASSIONATE to come and join Arsenal this season then let’s go for him. But I don’t get the feeling Higuain, Rooney or Suarez have Arsenal on top of their wish lists, and if so, I don’t want them; they can sod off.

However, we DO need back up: one or two players who can come off the bench, or start the occasional game, and can hit the ground running. A  Michu, Demba Ba or Benteke would do fine for us.

I am also happy with our defence now, although I would welcome a fourth CB as, unfortunately, Miquel does not look ready yet.

The key really lays in midfield. We have fantastic footballers, and if one day they all manage to be fit, we’ll have one of the best midfields in the country.

I have little doubt that Arsene will continue with his double-DM pivot of Arteta and Ramsey.  I really want us to buy a ‘beast’/classical DM who can play a bit of footie too, and this might still happen, but it is more likely we will get somebody who can be back up to the Spaniard and Welshman.

With Le Coq out on loan, Diaby out injured and Frimpong’s future uncertain we are light in this area. Wilshere can play in the double-DM pivot, but other than him, Arsenal have no quality defence-minded midfielders available. Unless, of course, Arsene will move Vermaelen or Sagna in midfield if and when required.

But let’s say we will be a bit lucky with injuries next season and even see one of the youngsters step up from time to time; let’s say we will be fine in midfield from a defensive point of view so we can focus on another key requirement for our midfield.

The bigger question is who is going to score goals from midfield next season?

If we take out Arteta’s penalty goals, Wilshere, Ramsey, Rosicky and Arteta scored less than 5 PL goals between them last season! Luckily, Cazorla scored plenty – 12 PL goals in total – but he was often deployed more as an attacker than a midfielder.

We need more goals from our central midfielders and it is hard to tell whether we’ll see progress next season.

Arteta and Rosicky are not getting any younger and the former is deployed too deep to get himself in scoring positions often enough, whilst the latter lacks consistency in terms of finishing chances.

Will we get more goals from Wilshere and Ramsey next season? Well, if they are going to make it at Arsenal, we will need to see goals from both of them more regularly now.

I reckon, if Arteta, Rosicky, Ramsey and Wilshere (and maybe Diaby in the second part of the season, and Eisfeld if given a proper chance now) can score twenty goals between them, Arsenal will win the PL next season.

Our defence and attack will continue and further improve from last season’s performances; I have little doubt about that.

But will our midfield be able to deliver 20 PL goals without us buying one or two experienced, quality mid-twenties midfield players who can hit the ground running and score goals regularly?

That my Gooner friends, is the question I am putting to you tonight!  🙂

Written by Total Arsenal.

Please note, I am considering Ox as an attacker rather than a central midfielder, but this could change next season.

 

 

Why not Wanyama?

TotalArsenal

wanyama

The curious case of Arsenal’s transfer business.

With endless links to so many players, one would have expected Arsenal to have made significant moves by now. However, whether it is our manager, board or opposing clubs, transfer activity has been prolonged, excruciating and despondent.

Arsenal fans around the world have called for Arsene to upgrade the defensive midfield position. It’s a position of clear weakness in which we have forced players like Arteta and Ramsey to shift in to. Both have performed well in the role, but each lack the ability to truly make the position their own; it appears that both are needed on the pitch to compensate for the lack of a true DM, and thus hinder the necessary support further up the field in order to unleash the creativity and true attacking, Arsenal football.

Victor Wanyama has been a long-time reported Arsenal transfer target, with Arsene himself speaking to Celtic months ago about a possible purchase of the player. Arsenal legend, Perry Groves, and current Gooner, Aaron Ramsey, have both supported the interest in the player, urging Arsene to bring him to the Emirates.

Arsenal recently announced a sponsorship agreement with Imperial Bank, which will see co-branded debit cards made available in Kenya and Uganda. Not only does the possible transfer of Wanyama to Arsenal make sense from a business perspective, but also from a fan base sense, as many Kenyans are big supporters of the player and such a move would undoubtedly attract more interest in the club as well. All three of club, player and fans could benefit from such a deal, especially if Wanyama can bring stability to our revolving door of DMs and add to the spine of our team, for years to come.

Southampton recently had a £12 million bid accepted by Celtic, but Wanyama blocked the transfer in hopes of moving to a club that will be competing for trophies and play in the Champions League. One has to wonder why at £12 million, Arsene has not made a move for the powerfully built Kenyan. The price is pretty close to market value and, at 22 years of age, Wanyama’s best days are still ahead of him.

So why has Arsene not bid for Wanyama? Is he not good enough for Arsenal? Or is Arsene waiting for a bigger fish, like Fellaini, or one of the Benders to fill the void? Or is our interest in purchasing a DM simply a smokescreen?

Unfortunately, I do not have the answer to these questions, as only Arsene and the Arsenal management team know. However, I would like to hear your input on why you believe Arsene has not bid for Wanyama and whether you think we may register a bid later on in the transfer window.

Written by: Highbury Harmony

How will Szczesny, Giroud and Arteta respond to Cesar, Higuain and Fellaini?

TotalArsenal

arteta2

I read last night’s article in The Guardian, summarising our transfer window activities until now, with some interest.

Here is the link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/01/arsenal-lars-bender-bayer-leverkusen

The Guardian seems to have a close relationship with the club’s media department, or certain insiders at the club, as in general, they do well with regards to predicting transfer movements from and to Arsenal. Therefore, it does not come as a big surprise to me that ‘Arsenal.com media watch’ decided to link-up with the article today.

It is basically a positive article, and although there are no direct quotes from anybody in the know at Arsenal, there is good reason for encouragement regarding our transfer activities this summer.

In summary, the article tells us that:

  1. Arsene wants to strengthen his spine with a striker, central midfielder and experienced goalkeeper;
  2. Higuain is set to join for £22k up-front;
  3. The club is close to signing Júlio César for about £1.5m;
  4. Our bid for Lars Bender was rejected as  Leverkusen do not want to sell anymore players this summer;
  5. We are interested in Fellaini and Dortmund’s Gündogan, but as the former’s £24m release clause (if sold to a CL club) expires in mid-August, the club appears to be playing a waiting game…;
  6. Mannone has been sold to Sunderland for £2m (and Djourou has been loaned out for another 12 months – this time to Hamburg).

If at the end of the TW we will have signed a DM, a top striker and an experienced GK, and one or more very promising youngsters, I think it would be fair to say that most of us Gooners would be very pleased, providing that none of our key players is sold in the meantime.

But with these new arrivals, there comes the potential downside of disgruntled players.

How will Szczesny respond to the arrival of Cesar? The Brazilian stopper will only want to join us if he is to be our first choice GK, as he will want to ensure he stays fit and active, so he can remain the nation’s nr.1. Will Wojciech fight for his place and be patient enough, or see the writing on the wall and ask for a transfer….. And would that mean Fabianski stays and becomes our nr.2 GK?

How will Giroud respond to the arrival of a top class striker? I think he is a fighter and in some ways it might help him – less pressure to make us forget Van Judas on his own, for example; but will he accept sitting on the bench a lot? After all, he is at an age in which he needs to play a lot, especially if he wants to play for France in Brazil next summer…

How will the arrival of Fellaini, or another quality DM(type player) this summer, affect our current midfielders? What will it mean for the not-getting-any-younger Arteta, and/or our promising youngsters Ramsey and Wilshere?

What do you say, fine fellow Gooners?

Written by: TotalArsenal.