Tag: togetherness

Arsenal 2 – 0 West Brom: eight positives to take from today’s game

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Jack-Wilshere_20121001184001453_660_320

Today’s performance against West Brom was a significant improvement from what we have seen in recent Arsenal games. Lady Luck helped Arsenal on the way with a harsh first penalty being awarded in our favour, but there can be little doubt that the good guys deserved their win today.

It looked like our core players had benefited from not having played mid-week, as they all appeared to be both fitter and more focussed during our game against the Baggies.

The big negative for me today was our inability to take some of the excellent chances which came our way – other than the two well-taken penalties by the impressive Arteta, of course. We also were not able to get the best use out of Giroud, although the Frenchman himself was partly to blame for this.

But, other than those two ‘areas for improvement’, I thought our encounter with the Baggies offered strong signs of Arsenal making progress, and I would like to highlight eight positives from our game today:

  1. MA8: I thought Arteta had one of his best games this season; at least for the first seventy minutes or so. He tired towards the end and made a few mistakes that could have cost us on another day, but before that he was the solid anchor in our team. His positioning was spot on and he also won many one to one battles; he had great drive and timing, and really imposed himself on the game. Mikel also managed to be more direct against West Brom and his passing was often full of attacking intent.
  2. Jack Wilshere took the game by the scruff of the neck today. Not Cazorla or Rosicky turned out to be the conductor of our team today, but Jack, the beanstalk climbing, giant-killer was the one who led the team on the pitch against West Brom. There is still room for improvement for Jack – his final ball needs to improve a bit further and he missed a very good chance today – but his ability to give our team shape and purpose is incredibly important for us at the moment. Jack was simply fantastic today.
  3. Our wingers were disciplined in keeping their shape and stick to their tasks. Ox played a lot better than he did on Tuesday, and hopefully he can build on his performance against the Baggies to regain his best form. Gervinho might have missed a few chances, but his overall play – especially his running with and without the ball – is so important for our team. His ability to take on defenders and get the ball into the box, simply means Arsenal have an added dimension; we are less predictable. If Gervais could just add a bit of sharpness to his game and gain more upper-body strength, he would be far better able to pick the fruits of all his hard work.
  4. Our full backs were great today. Both Sagna and Gibbs really found the perfect balance between solid defending and supporting our attack against WBA, and I really hope the former signs a new contract and the latter can stay fit for a while. In our 4-3-3 system they are immensely important, and we are lucky to have two very good full backs at Arsenal.
  5. Our centre backs, as well as our back-four as a whole, looked more in control and coordinated than I have seen them in a while. How many times did they manage to get the Baggies in an offsite position today? It all resulted in a well-deserved clean sheet.
  6. As a team we pressed so much better than in recent games, and we were also able to win a lot of the one to one battles today, which is an improvement from recent games. WBA were never allowed to get into the game and this was mainly the result of our improved pressing and ability to dominate midfield.
  7. The whole team did not only have a better shape and gelled a lot better; it also showed real passion and fight. Players stood up for themselves and each other today, and it was a joy to behold.
  8. Despite our injuries, we were able to bring on three strong substitutes who were all able to contribute in us seeing the game through till the end. It is good to know that we will have an almost full squad available for the tough – and oh so crucial for gaining momentum – December and January fixtures.

Next up in the PL are away games against Reading and Wigan. There are no easy games in the PL for Arsenal this season, but with a strong squad, and a good possibility that the above mentioned eight positives can be repeated again in fixtures this month, Arsenal should be able to make further progress in the table. However, it will be key to further integrate Giroud into the team and provide him with quality service; and as team we need to score more in the PL by taking our chances better than we do currently.

Still a work in progress and another set-back cannot be ruled out, but we can take plenty of encouragement from today’s strong team performance.

Total Arsenal.

Five reasons why an Arsenal rebirth might be around the corner

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There are two corners Arsenal need to turn: the much needed short-term one, and the more strategic long-term one. This post is not about the latter, but only about whether Arsenal can get back to winning ways imminently.

In many ways, the start of the season has been bizarre:

  • How is it possible that we conceded 16 goals in the PL and MU 21, and yet they are 15 points better off than us?
  • How is it possible that we conceded only six goals in eight away games, yet only won two games, whilst MU conceded twelve but won six games on their journeys?
  • How is it possible that our four top-scorers in all competitions have scored only one less than MU’s four top-scorers, five more than Chelsea and four more than MC, and we are still trailing all three in the league?
  • Arsenal have scored 45 goals in all competitions; MU 50; Chelsea 55, and MC 40, and yet we are well behind all of them in the league.

Initially, I thought it was to do with our goal-scoring record in the Premier League this season. It has not been great, especially in away games, but we scored one goal less than Chelsea and are yet five points behind them; and four goals less than MC and we are an eye-watering twelve points behind them.

It is hard to come to any definite conclusion based on the above mentioned facts, but what they do tell me is that we are a team that needs to find a better balance between scoring goals and keeping a tight defence; that our team has not settled down yet and is still looking for its shape and rhythm.

Is it too easy to say; it is the price Arsenal have to pay for letting once again two (possible three) star players go and having to incorporate three attack-minded players into our team? Maybe it is, but we are where we are, and I am at this moment in time, much more interested in what can be done to properly kick-start the season, so Arsenal can get the balance right and start winning games again.

Five reasons why an Arsenal rebirth might be just around the corner:

  1. The core team is almost injury-free and I am sure it will not take long before they will start to gel better and find their rhythm: Szczesny, Sagna, Mert, Koz, TV, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla, Giroud, Rosicky, Theo and Podolski, can together turn the season round for us. Most of these players had a well-needed rest during the week and hopefully they used the time to talk to each other about how they can improve as a team. There are some very smart people in our core team and I am sure once they can click together, we will see a significant improvement in our entire team.
  2. Arsene has tried different formations and players in certain positions to see what works best during the last few weeks. Games came thick and fast and a combination of international breaks and fatigue of some of our core players, has not helped Arsene in finding the right balance. But he is a very experienced manager and has always been able to find a winning formational formula, and a way of getting the best out of the squad. I am confident we will see a far better purpose and shape to our football in the next few weeks.
  3. We need to win a couple of games and then be a bit lucky with keeping our very best players fit. Success in football is a lot to do with psychology, and a couple of wins would undoubtedly do wonders for our team. As Arsenal are still going through a transition, we appear to be extra vulnerable to injuries of key players and suffer disproportionately from squad rotations. This should improve during the season, but if we can win a few games, and the two above mentioned reasons hold up as well, Arsenal can go on a much needed winning run. It would do wonders to this season’s team; no doubt about that.
  4. Wilshere and Rosicky are the young and more mature club players who, with their skills as well as their hearts and leadership skills, are fully able to give our team its much needed identity and drive. Fingers crossed our little Mozart will last most if not all of the remaining season. Wilshere and Rosicky are very likely to become to on-field leaders we have been missing so much recently.
  5. The January transfer window. The Theo situation will surely be sorted one way or another in January and hopefully Arsenal will be sensible enough to add a couple of quality players. We could do with an experienced goalkeeper and LB, but even more importantly we need to add a beast of a DM and a quality and dedicated right winger.

For me, the above is not wishful thinking and there is every reason to believe the season will still come good. But then I am a glass-half-full sort of person.

However, I am less confident than I have been in previous seasons that Arsenal can turn the season round again. It is now time for Arsene and the boys to show us what they are capable off and lead us back to winning ways.

Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners!!!

Total Arsenal.

An Arsenal side with a fighting spirit will always get my support

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 Are Arsenal doomed? Bollix to that!

Change of formation – cannot fly without wings – (almost) solid performance by our defence – ability to fight.

I only saw the game last night on a fuzzy stream that broke up a few times, which makes it difficult to analyse the game tactically. It is incredible that Gooners based outside the UK can watch our games on their TV-sets while we have to make do with streaming. But, it is what it is, and I was definitely able to get a general picture of our performance last night.

Change of formation to 4-4-2 only partly paid off.

We basically played 4-4-2 with Giroud and Theo up-front, and Ramsey – Arteta – Wilshere – Santi in midfield. This came as a big surprise and initially Arsene was rewarded handsomely for his willingness to adapt. Theo’s slightly fortuitous goal in the first minute was a direct result of Everton not being tactically prepared for our change of formation.

I can see why Arsene started with four in midfield: we needed the extra man in order not to be overrun. But even then, Everton were a force in midfield and their tactics to never let us settle on the ball worked well for them – as it did when other opponents followed the same strategy against us recently.

During the entire game we were seldom or never able to dictate the game or maintain our shape for long. Everton’s pressing and ability to hold on to the ball and pass it round was impressive, and in general better than Arsenal’s. The question that will remain unanswered is whether it would have been better to have started with our 4-2-1-3 system. We had the players for it and it is what they were getting used to, but I guess Arsene felt he needed to do something different in order to gain new impetus this season. It will be interesting to see whether the new formation will be a one-off or not.

It was also obvious that we were not used to playing in this formation, as we lacked the normal intuitive understanding and football automatisms which Everton, on the other hand, had in abundance last night. The result of all of this was that Everton were able to force mistakes on us, and luckily it only cost us once. Fellaini pounced on an enforced mistake by a number of Arsenal players to pass-shoot the ball past our goalkeeper.

We cannot fly without wings.

The 4-4-2 formation saw Wilshere play a lot deeper than usual and he did a good job defensively. However, because of this we were less dominant in the attacking part of midfield as Wilshere and Arteta often sat too deep, and Cazorla had to occupy one of the wings (Ramsey and Cazorla swapped occasionally). Theo and Giroud tried hard to cover the space and make the best of it, but it did not really work out for us.

Just like in the Villa game, we did not use our wings to the best ability. Theo was missed on the right and Ramsey and Gibbs did not get much out of our left wing. With a striker like Giroud in the centre of our attack, this is a real shame. We either use Giroud in a 4-3-3 system with proper wing play, or we go back to the early-Chamakh era of 4-5-1; with Giroud alone on top and five multi-disciplined midfielders behind him, who can play off the Frenchman. Last night, our formation made Giroud look mostly ineffectual in our 4-4-2 formation.

I hope last night’s formation was a one-off tactical adjustment by Arsene, and that we go back to 4-3-3 on Saturday. As per my previous post, we need Theo to play as a dedicated winger right now, and replace him adequately ASAP, if he does not want to play there anymore.

(Almost) solid performance by our defence.

Our defence held out really well last night and dealt with the pressure put on them more than adequately. They could have done better with Fellaini’s equaliser – they should have learned from Bale’s goal 10 days ago – but there was good coordination between them and they fought like lions for each other. Conceding only one goal in two tricky away fixtures is a sign of progress in defence.

Ability to fight.

As I could not make out individual shirt numbers on the stream and the picture was too fuzzy to recognise our players every time, I am not in a position to review individual players. What I can say though is that everybody worked their socks off last night and was up for the fight for 90+ minutes. The game was played by both teams like it was a cup-final, and it takes a lot to keep believing and fighting for a win in a hostile away environment.

And as an Arsenal supporter this will always be the most important thing for me: a team that works hard and fights for 90 minutes will ALWAYS get my support, regardless of the technical and tactical insufficiencies on display.

We are only five points away from third place, and we can get there in the next few weeks. That’s what we have to fight for now, and our team showed last night it can and will fight for it; and that’s why they will continue to get my full support.

 

Total Arsenal.

No time for self-pity: Arsenal’s bigger picture is full of positives!

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“We cannot allow ourselves to indulge in sadness and melancholy’, Andrey Arshavin.

Although I was as disappointed and deflated as anybody after our torturous performance against Aston Villa, I have been shocked by the raw negativity about our beloved team, and the lack of perspective, across most of the Arsenal blog-world since Saturday night’s game. Arsenal played poorly and it was incredibly disappointing that we looked once again toothless, disjointed and jaded.

But let’s put things in some perspective here.

After the  almost utterly pointless ‘inter-lull’ two weeks ago, Arsenal had to bounce back from a disappointing home draw against Fulham the weekend before, by getting as much as possible out of three games in seven days: Spuds at home, Montpellier at home in the CL, and Aston Villa away. If you had asked me beforehand would you sign now for two wins and a draw and you can choose which games will be wins and which one will be a draw, I would have severed your arm off. Who wouldn’t?

Of course, we had the victories against the Spuds and Montpellier in the bag and Aston Villa were there for the taking; and that is why we ended up so disappointed. But in the end, it was just a bad day at the office. Arsenal are once again in transition, and these sort of games will occasionally happen, whether we like it or not.

However, if we look back at our performances in all competitions over the last 3, 5 and even 10 games, and compare Arsenal to our direct English competitors for silverware this season, we will find that we have done relatively well recently.

Performances over last three games (last played game first):

  1. Arsenal: D-W-W
  2. Man Utd: W-L-L
  3. Chelsea: D-L-L
  4. ManCity: D-D-W

Arsenal performed better than our direct rivals.

Performances over last five games (last played game first):

  1. Arsenal: D-W-W-D-D
  2. Man Utd: W-L-L-W-W
  3. Chelsea: D-L-L-D-W
  4. ManCity: D-D-W-W-D

We were equal to all our direct competitors and better than the Chavs:

Performances over last ten games (last played game first):

  1. Arsenal: D-W-W-D-D-L-W-W-L-L
  2. Man Utd: W-L-L-W-W-W-L-W-W-W
  3. Chelsea: D-L-L-D-W-D-W-L-L-W
  4. ManCity: D-D-W-W-D-D-W-L-W-W

Over the last ten games, Arsenal performed better than the Chavs, but worse than the Manchester clubs.

So, our short to mid term form-guides in all competitions, compared to our direct competitors for silverware, are good; and our long term form guide is not dreadful. As supporters we  should take note of this.

Let’s forget about our position in the league for a bit and just focus on how the team has been performing recently. The season is still very long, and any team that can start a winning run will have a chance to finish high in the league: and Arsenal are no exception.

If we look forward, from now till the start of 2013, then we can see a sequence of games which should allow us to start a winning run: Everton (a), Swansea (h), West Brom (h), Reading (a), Wigan (a), West Ham (h), Newcastle (h). In between these PL games, the first team players can be allowed a couple of midweek breaks when we play Olympiacos in the CL, and Bradford in the League Cup.

Arsenal’s recent form has been ok and can match that of our competitors, and the next seven PL games are very suitable for Arsenal in terms of starting a winning run. With key players having returned to full fitness, or in the process of it, the season can kick-start properly for Arsenal over the next 35 days.

Third place is there for the taking and who knows what can happen next this season.

Keep the faith fellow Gooners!!

Total Arsenal.

Aus Erfahrung Gut: Podolski and BFG were Arsenal’s first soldiers on Saturday

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Prior to the North-London Derby (NLD), I posted a blog on how to prepare the troops to go into battle against the Spuds. Having witnessed the unfocussed and disjointed performance by Arsenal against Manchester United only a few weeks ago, I had some doubt with regards to our ability to prepare mentally for the NLD; also taking into account that many of our players had not or hardly played in one.

However, I was totally proven wrong as the team fought like lions all over the pitch.

The attendance of King Henry and a few other great ex-players, combined with the wonderful, joined-up singing of Gooners throughout the stadium at the start of the match, will no doubt have helped tremendously in getting the team totally fired up. But, it was great to see our players playing with fire in their bellies and celebrating our goals like they were not just our players, but also supporters of our beloved club.

The Spuds had prepared well for this game, and hoped that by taking the game to us they would have the upper hand. They were winning the battle in midfield in the first 15 minutes or so, albeit with making fouls every time one of our midfielders received the ball in a bit of space. But, fair enough, the Spuds won more one to one battles than Arsenal did in the beginning, and their 1-0 lead was not totally undeserved.

However, from the moment Arsenal conceded that goal, our heads did not go down but everybody lifted their energy levels and a collective determination to turn it round became clearly visible.

I was especially pleased with the fighting spirit and sheer determination to win this game by our two German Giant Gunners. The expression on the Big F**king Germans face; when he scored the equaliser with a fierce yet well-placed header, totally reflected how we all felt. There was so much Tony Adams in that expression as well!

The same can be said about our other German warrior: Podolski. His corner-flag celebration for the all important second goal, with which he was symbolically putting a marker down for the rest of the game, was just awesome.

Mertesacker had made a mistake – the sort of mistake he will make more often as it is his Achilles Heel – but his determination to make up for it paid off; and more importantly, it set the example for the rest of the team. For me, the BFG has everything to be our captain: vision, hunger, leadership skills, organisational skills, and Arsenal in his blood.

Elliot, a fellow, passionate Gooner I know, who went to the Schalke 04 away game two weeks ago, told me how the BFG came to the away section straight after the game and all the away supporters sang the ‘We have a Big F**king German’ song to him. He was apparently really enjoying it, and I find it rather ironic he would do so whilst being surrounded by many tens of thousands Germans and in his country of birth.

Podolski always works his socks off, despite not feeling overly comfortable in his current position in our formation. He helped out Vermaelen on many occasion and never gave up fighting. His goal was accompanied by an element of fortune, but that is the way it often goes with those who work hard and never give up; and in that respect the Pod’s goal was a well deserved reward. His goal and subsequent full-hearted celebration moved the team and the fans into a happy delirium.

Both, Mertesacker and Podolski played a major part in turning the game round for us; and we are lucky to have two such talented and hard working Germans in our team. Being a Dutchman, I never thought I would say this! LOL. 😛

Total Arsenal.

Spurs thrashing huge bonus, but now it’s back to reality!

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With three games in seven days – Montpellier at home, Aston Villa and Everton away – coming up, Arsenal cannot afford to indulge too long in the sweetest of aftertastes from our glorious trashing of the Spuds.

Derbies stand on their own: they are performed outside of time and are hardly affected by recent form or future prospects. They are all about the here and now: you cannot get more carpe diem in football than during a Derby.

We will always enter this sort of games with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. The rewards of a win are so high and the pain of a loss goes bone-deep; and it all lingers on for a long time.

However, Arsenal cannot get carried away with our fine trashing of the Spuds. Without any doubt, it has lifted the spirit of the players and improved the togetherness within the team significantly, but all can be easily undone again with a rubbish performance against Montpellier on Wednesday.

Arsenal are often prone to a collective underperformance in the games that follow a comprehensive and well-lauded win; especially when the next opponent is regarded as ‘inferior’. This is exactly the risk we run against last season’s French champions in two days from now.

Montpellier cannot qualify for the CL anymore and they have only a small chance to qualify for the UEFA league, and they could approach this game in two ways. They could field a weakened team with the aim of ‘damage limitation’, or they could approach the game with a ‘nothing to lose’ attitude – similar to the way they went about in our first encounter.

Montpellier are a good team, who currently simply lack the experience and the associated confidence of playing in the Champions League. A more established CL team would not have allowed us to get away with our disorganised, messy, second half performance against them in September.

When they come to the Emirates, they are likely to play with wings of freedom: expectations are low, the stadium is fantastic, the spot light is on them, and the night is young. I expect Montpellier to go out there and give a very good performance, and Arsenal need to be fully focussed to get all three points from this game. If we take this game for granted, we’ll end up with a blooded nose; just like Schalke did against the French champions.

As per my previous blog, there are still areas of concern that need addressing when we play a better side than Spurs on Wednesday: the solidity and cooperation of our defence, and the protection of our back-four from midfield. I am particularly concerned about Arteta and Wilshere’s ability to shield our defence effectively; especially towards the latter stages of the game.

For different reasons they seem to tire towards the end, and it leaves our defence vulnerable; especially in the area in front of the D. Let’s see how Arsene is going to resolve this. Coquelin offers fresh legs and plenty of ability, but lacks the experience to play in such an important role and in such an important game for us; so I guess it is Arteta and Wilshere to start again in the ‘2’ of our 4-2-1-3 (4-3-3).

I also expect no other changes to our starting eleven against Spuds, as this is simply a must win for Arsenal; and why change a winning team?

But the game on Wednesday is not so much about the technical/tactical qualities of the players on the field – it is all about playing with focus and bags of energy and simply treating it like a must win cup-final, or if you want; a do or die derby.

The team now has to quickly forget about our glorious victory on Saturday, and get back to reality: not winning against Montpellier would have very dire consequences, and instantly turn our well-deserved feelings of euphoria once more into despair and anger.

Total Arsenal.

Arsenal v Tottenham Full Pre-view: A Little Déjà Vu!

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Intro:

Let’s set the tone early on shall we:

This game feels eerily familiar to last season’s match against Tottenham. We were down in the dumps; besieged – just like we are now. We responded then, and we will take action now. If we do not, the players are not worthy of wearing the Arsenal crest. The game at Old Trafford was a letdown, as was Fulham, but it’s now time to atone for our sins and get this season up and running again.

Missing in Action:

Arsenal: Diaby (thigh), Rosicky (tendon), Gibbs (thigh). All are not back and won’t be ready to play in this fixture. But hey what’s new? These three are regularly out, and never come back when scheduled. I don’t know whether Arsene says it’s to get our hopes up, or they have in fact had set backs, but it happens far too often. When was the last time you can remember an Arsenal player coming back on schedule? Gervinho (ankle) is due back next week, but if I factor in the humidity and wind resistance, and X that by player softness, and  + Arsene/medical team lying  through their teeth…he should be back just in time for the African Cup of Nations.

Walcott (muscle), Szczesny (ankle), and Ox (hip) face fitness tests.

Tottenham:  Dembele, Kaboul, Parker, and Assou-Ekotto are out. Walker, Lennon, and Defoe face fitness tests. I expect Walker will find it tough to get up for this one, but the other two are likely to play some part. Tottenham will be hoping Defoe is fit otherwise they are left with the goalless Adebayor up front.

Predicted Line-up:

A lot has been said this week about Arsene trying a different approach by using a 5-3-2 formation. However, I don’t buy into it: it will be business as usual this week with a 4-3-3 set-up. Although I would like to see something different and perhaps some different tactics thrown in the mix, I just don’t see it happening.

Jack slots back into the line-up this week having served a one match ban for a reckless albeit deserving  tackle on Evra (whose a boy now Evra? huh? huh? huh?). I’d like to see Giroud continue up front because if Gallas is playing he is going to give him all sort of difficulties.

Walcott should continue where he left off last season against the spuds. Podolski could do with a rest having played midweek for Germany, but he won’t be. I’d really like to see Eisfeld, Arshavin, Gnabry, or Ox take his place because without Walker they could create all sorts of problems, and Podolski, while brilliant, won’t expose them for pace. Hopefully Szczesny returns in goal for this one. It’s his time to shine again!

Previous Encounters:

Before our previous encounter we were 10 points adrift from Tottenham on the table and, had just been smashed by AC Milan, and beaten by Sunderland. A power shift in North London was being mooted by the media. Power Shift? Heavens to Betsy; no way is that happening anytime soon! The game got under way and before we knew it the score line read 0-2, thanks largely to a very fluky deflection over Szczesny’s head, and a Bale dive.

Luckily we turned it around because at that very moment Arsenal fans and blogs were going into a state of meltdown, and if it continued any further we would have experienced an Internet Chernobyl. Sagna got us back into the game with an emphatic header (the way he attacked the ball with fearless intent was thrilling), followed by a goal by Rosicky (rumblings around the club suggest he still exists. I’m not so sure, I hear he only visits during contract time), and a brace from Theo. The score ending up 4-2*. The win catapulted us into some good form while sending Tottenham into a nose dive. Happy days!

The highlights can be seen here (brilliant passionate commentary)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcj_00LQzBI

* all traces of RVP have been stricken from the record.

Form Guide: Arsenal: DDLWW             Tottenham: LWLLW

We find ourselves going through a bit of a rough patch, whilst Tottenham have been inconsistent thus far. They do however possess the best away record in the league at the moment winning 3 of 5. AVB is struggling to win over the Spud faithful, but a win at the Emirates to go along with their win at Old Trafford will certainly get them chanting his name. I don’t know about you but this fixture doesn’t feel the same without the Wheeler Dealer at the helm of Tottenham. I did loathe him, but he was always good for a laugh, and I loved seeing him go into ‘twitch’ mode when his team were losing.

One to Watch:

*Temporary* Arsenal speedster Theo Walcott. Devoid of recognised fullbacks at Tottenham, Walcott has a real chance to smash this game wide open. Last season’s demolition saw him play a game of two halves, first half he was non-existent and copped it from a few supporters, second half he finished off with a brace. Theo likes a big game and undoubtedly will be up and about for this one also.

Young up and coming CB Steven Caulker is our opposition watch this week. At 20 years of age he looks like a real find for Tottenham. He really matured out on loan for Swansea last season; it’s a path I’d like to see followed by our young Spanish CB Miquel to speed up his development. Caulker scored midweek for England, and has scored twice recently for Tottenham, so he ought to be watched during set pieces as he brings an aerial threat with him.

Key-Match up:

Sanga vs Bale

Bale, the most overrated winger in football, today, lines up against perhaps the best RB in football; Bacary Sagna.

Two games against Inter Milan, alongside a few great games against lower opposition, do not make you a superstar! Well at least I think so anyway. Yes he is super quick, but what does he do that is any better than Theo? Nothing! Most teams tend to double up on Bale (the sort of player for which Arsene would play Eboue on the wing, in front of Sagna; in an effort to quell his influence), but with Assou-Ekotto out, Sagna should bomb forward as often as possible in an effort to make Bale track back (something he does not do well). Arsenal have a similar situation with Podolski when he plays without Gibbs; he is not as influential without a quality defender behind him. Yes Bale is quick, but so is Sagna. Not a problem here: Sagna will stop him quite easily.

Pre-Match Finger:

This week’s finger goes to Zlatan Ibrahimovic! It was a wonderful goal no question, I’m just jealous it wasn’t an Arsenal player who did it! The audacity needed to try something like that let alone the skill, technique, and power needed to pull it off just amazes me. Ibra you are a great player but I still hate your guts for diving against us last season and playing a part in kicking us out of the Champions League…also get a haircut!

Pre-Match pat on the back:

This week it goes to young Corporal Jenks yet again. This time, for signing a new long term deal with us (yes I know long term deals mean nothing, just look at Fabregas etc). He has ‘Arsenal DNA’ and as young Jack said “would run through a wall for Arsenal, he loves the club that much”. Too bad others at the club don’t share/show that sort of passion presently.

Frimpong also deserves a mention for showing just how much he loves the club. Reports midweek suggested he would be sold in January, but he quickly tweeted that the stories were wide of the mark. He is likely to close a loan deal for the remainder of the season with either Ipswich (Mike McCarthy is now there manager, previously of Wolves) or Wolves (having spent a brief period there before his suffering a horrible knee injury). It’s what he needs to develop greater positional nous and experience; at the moment he is a touch too gung ho in his approach, and tends to chase the ball too often. His reaction to the loan was very mature, and he stated he wants to improve so that when he returns to the club he loves (Arsenal), he can fight for a position.

Jenks, Wilshere, and Yennaris…loyalty still exists!!!

Prediction:

I’m predicting a comfortable 2-0 victory. The game will start ferociously but after scoring early we will (need to for our confidence) control the game; scoring the second one in the second half, on the break as they push numbers forward. Time to jump start our season again and this is the right game to do it! The Arsenal fans will no doubt make the place shake, just like they did last time.

Good luck, be safe, enjoy the game whenever you are, and give as much sh*t as you possibly can to any Spud supporters you come across. WE are the pride of London, and YOU are forever in our shadows!

Grow a Mo for Movember

Written by: Oz  Gunner.

How Arsene should prepare the troops for the Spuds game

TotalArsenal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Total Arsenal.

Nobody wants to play on the wing: Arsene should switch to 4-5-1!

TotalArsenal

Gervinho is injured and will soon depart for the ACN, Theo does not want to sign a new contract until he is promised he will be played centrally, Podolski wants to play centrally as well, and Ryo is on loan at Wigan. Arshavin is no longer in Arsene’s plans and prefers to play centrally too, as does The Ox.

Nobody is passionate about playing on the wing except Gervinho and youngster Gnabry, and yet we play a 4-3-3 system in which good, classical wing-play is essential for it to succeed.

I have not totally given up on our 4-3-3 system, but without adequate wing-play and our midfield regularly being overrun by the opposition, I reckon it is the major reason why Arsenal look so shapeless, and are unable to dominate games as much as we used to do.

Just like during big parts of last season, Arsenal are currently no longer looking like the Arsenal we became so used to over the years. Gone are the times of total dominance in midfield and control of the game, and of creating a large number of chances in a single game. Our defence, midfield and attack work like individual units, and we are struggling to play as a whole team: a cohesive group of players who know what is expected of them, and what to expect of the others.

Ever since Chamakh was replaced by the then fit again van Judas, back in January 2011, Arsenal have played in the current 4-4-3 4-3-3 system. Arsenal have never managed to get above the 2.0 goals per game average, whilst the traitorous Dutchman was our main striker.

During the first half of the 2010-2011 season, Arsenal knew how to dominate games and we scored about 2.4 goals per game. We played 4-5-1 with Chamakh as our ‘holding striker’. Often playing with his back towards the opposition’s goal; he would shield the ball well, and allow the midfielders to bounce the ball of him in order to come closer to the goal and have enough time to pick a deadly pass, or attempt to score themselves.

I was convinced that Arsene would go back to our previous 4-5-1 system after the traitor was sold. With Giroud, Arsene has bought a better version of Chamakh, and with an overabundance of capable midfielders, it seemed logical to me he would revert back to this highly successful formation.

As 4-3-3 is not working, I would love it if Arsene reverted back to 4-5-1. We could play Giroud alone up-front – I am sure he would love that – but we also have the Pod who could play in such a system.

In midfield: Jack, Arteta and Cazorla are automatic first choices in the centre of the 5, whilst on the edges Arsene could play the likes of Santos, Coquelin, Ox, Podolski, Theo, Ramsey, and Rosicky and Diaby (if they ever get fit again!). On top of that, we have talents like Gnabry and Eisfeld coming through quickly and they would have a better chance to fit into a 4-5-1 system than in the current, tactically demanding, 4-3-3 system.

It would allow us to start dominating games once more, and with that, find our identity again.

Our defence would benefit massively as they would get a lot more protection from the solid midfield in front of them; whilst the wing-backs can enjoy themselves again with surging forward runs and effective wing-play – Gibbs, Sagna and Jenkinson are ideal for this.

As a team we would score more and the goals would be shared between the forward(s) and midfielders; making us less dependent on the strikers, as is the case in the current 4-3-3 system.

It would not take much for Arsene and Steve to restructure the team into a 4-5-1 formation, and I am pretty sure it would suit the current squad of players really well.

Total Arsenal.

Did Wilshere set the team an example last Saturday?

TotalArsenal

Many have argued over the last few days that Wilshere’s red card, last Saturday, was a result of fatigue/ lacking match fitness, and/or that Wenger was to blame for not substituting him earlier. No doubt, he was suffering from rustiness, and Evra overreacted of course for Jack’s second yellow card, but I fully understand why Arsene did not want to substitute one of his very few extroverted warriors on the pitch at Old Toilet.

I have stated on more than one occasion that I reckon our current players do not suffer from a lack of attitude or hunger to win. We have a good bunch of players who work hard and want to succeed, but confidence is low at the moment, as a result of our system not working properly and a few players lacking top form.

Everybody is trying hard to get better, and although this is vitally important; it is not enough. I feel at times we are being too introverted, too quiet, and too nice to our opponents on the pitch.

Without doubt there are new language barriers to be overcome, and as Arsenal are fitting in new players, it takes time for them to gain the confidence again to shout at each other, to openly motivate each other, to come out of their individual shells and command their area of the pitch. A lack of success currently does not help either.

Surely, we will improve in these areas, but we also need a bit more healthy aggression and extravert leadership on the pitch.

At the moment, we have too many players who are just focussing on their own performance; on their own role and responsibilities, and however understandable this is, we need more open leadership all over the pitch.

Arteta, Mertesacker, Jenkinson, Gibbs, and to a certain extent Ramsey and Sagna are by nature more extravert, and therefore communicate more loudly with their fellow players. Szczesny has this too and Mannone is growing in confidence and is becoming clearly more vociferous. Vermaelen, as a player, was good at this too, but as a captain he is struggling both in leading the team and performing his own CB duties to the required levels at the moment.

Against MU we really lacked extravert leadership and more than just a bit of healthy aggression.

Prior to the game on Saturday, Arsenal had collected a meagre six yellow cards and no red cards in nine PL games. I don’t want us to become a nasty team, but getting less than one yellow card per game is telling us something about our levels of aggression at the moment.

As it stands, MU have collected 100% more yellow cards than Arsenal: 18 to 9. We have the one red card now and the Mancs have not collected a red card yet, but that should not come as a surprise… Chelsea have collected 14 yellow cards and two red cards, the Spuds 13Y/1R, Everton 19Y/1R and Liverpool 14Y/2R, and only Fulham, Man City and a few bottom of the league clubs have shown similar levels of disciplinary prowess; or should that be lack of aggression?! For me, it is the latter: we need more bite in this team. Only Arteta has collected more than one yellow card in the PL this season!!

Wilshere sensed this on Saturday and was determined to change it, and just for that I love him.

He will become 21 in January ‘13, but having missed out well over a year through injury, he is effectively only 19; in terms of football experience. Yet, he is simply born with extravert leadership skills and with a hunger to fight and win every time. And he is a definite Arsenal and England captain for the future for me.

He showed the others that sometimes you have to put your foot in, to do more than just your tactical/technical job, and to fight for the pride of the shirt and your own, personal honour. He is clearly also a very good footballer and as a result he will quickly gain the respect of the senior players in the squad again.

With a bit of luck they will follow his lead more and more, and the team will find a healthier balance between good tactical and technical football – which in itself needs further improvement – and playing with the right level of aggression and leadership on the pitch.

I am sure Wenger is sensing this too and, like all of us, he will be praying that JW10 will remain fit for the rest of the season.

Total Arsenal.