Time to push on and silence the remaining critics!
Norwich (H), Dortmund (H), Palace (A), Chavs (H), Pool (H), Dortmund (A), Mancs (A)…. and then we need another inter-lull hahaha…. which we will duly get. 🙂
Arsenal had a fantastic start to the season; and we are not talking any more about THAT home game against the Vile Villains! 😈
And please don’t come on here and tell us we actually got less points from our PL fixtures until now compared to last season. To you I say: OSAAT! One Season at a Time. In the here and now we are ToTL and f*ck the rest.
But for all those doubters out there, and for all those who are waiting like athlete foot to get under our skin again – eagerly anticipating the next lost game as to be able to return to their comfort zone once more – there is hope. 😆
The next seven games will tell us a lot, and although nothing is lost or won at this stage of the season, Arsenal have a fantastic opportunity now to make a real statement of intent, and to knock a few direct competitors temporarily unconscious in the process.
It will by no means be easy, but if we take the OGAAT approach, get a bit lucky with injuries and rotate cleverly, we could be safe and dry in the CL and still be ToTL, or there about, come 10 November.
The sequence of: two home games, one away game, two home games, two away games should suit us very well; although, the last two away games will be very tough indeed: Dortmund and MU away. Why are we always playing the Mancs away in the autumn?
Arsenal are by no means a team that can take it easy against any team and still collect three points. Therefore, the first and last games, against lowly Norwich and mid-table Mancs, are just equally important, and equally hard. Every game needs full focus and passion by all in the team, and what is so nice about the current team is that we can count on this now. We currently have a great core of players who love to make their hands dirty and fight for every ball; and, combined with a good average age and a lot of talent within the team, this is exactly why we have a good chance for silverware this season.
Beating Norwich after an inter-lull proved difficult last season, and once again their manager will have had two weeks with most of the squad to prepare for this one. Arsene, on the other hand, will be praying for his players to return without injuries and not be too tired from the qualifiers and associated travelling.
This is our next PL OGAAT and we should forget about the rest. But playing Palace away, followed by Liverpool at home and Mancs away is just such a mouth-watering prospect; such an opportunity to make a real statement of intent.
These four PL games should tell us a lot more of how we will do this season.
The League Cup game is a nice one to have and I hope both teams will play a ‘second string’ team, so they are evenly matched. Maureen does not like losing, and despite all his bluff of playing his reserve players, I reckon he will put a team on the pitch with the sole aim to beat Arsene and his team. Should be really good game and a win would be sweet.
The double with BD in the CL will probably be the main feast of football during this period of seven scintillating games. It would suit both teams to win at least a game, rather than two draws, and I expect both teams to go for it all guns blazing from the start. We often think the best football is played towards the end of the season, but the two games against Die Gelb-Schwarzen might already turn into the icing on the cake of this season. Whatever you do, don’t miss them!
For once the inter-lull was not too bad as we all felt the team needed a break, and hopefully the cliché of ‘a change is as good as a rest’ will apply for our internationals. But, it is also good to know that the likes of Flamini, Arteta, Szczesny, and probably Gibbs, will have had time to fully rest and motor the team on again come Saturday. And if Pod and Cazorla are also ready to support the troops again, we should have a fantastic first team and bench to make real progress in the next seven games.
Time to rock on and show them all who will be king this season. Bring it on!
What do you reckon fellow Gooners: sink or swim between now and the next inter-lull?
The combination of keeping the squad together, adding steel with the re-signing of the Flame, and adding another footballing dimension with the arrival of the Ozicle, has led to vastly improved football, both in terms of gathering points and, at least occasionally, by playing some very easy on the eye stuff.
After two years of struggling to play anything like Wengerball, we appear to be getting back on the dance floor again. And Arsenal have been doing this with the fine dancers of Podolski, Cazorla, the Ox and Theo not even on the bench in recent weeks. With the imminent return to fitness of at least two of the above mentioned players, the entertainment level/ beauty of our football is likely to increase further. Happy Happy days for us Gooners.
The prospect of Ozil, Jack, Aaron, Santi and Theo playing together properly and fully fit, is simply fantastic. And the likes of Rosicky, Podolski, Ox and Gnabry etc will also add further rhythm and soul to the party.
If that was not enough, Arsene still has a bag of gold coins stuck under his desk, and with Arsenal now looking closer to winning silverware, and with the ‘attraction’ of Ozil in our team, we might well be able to spend it wisely once more during the next transfer window.
As suggested by some BK regulars, it would be interesting to discuss who we feel would both add real value to the team and help us to return to true Viennese Wengerball.
With Ramsey currently shining in the box to box position, and more options available for this position, I don’t see how we can make a huge improvement there.
With Ozil playing in the hole and the likes of Rosicky and Jack able to play there as well, I don’t think we should buy another nr.10 right now. And with Giroud starting to show more and more mastery of the holding striker position, I personally would not want us to buy a replacement for him, although we do need good back up for him.
On the ‘wings’ we have a number of players who can play there effectively, especially in our current formation of 4-2-1-3 (and sometimes, 4-5-1). We have Podolski, Theo, Ox, Gnabry, Santi and one or two others who play there. But none of them bar Gnabry, and to some extent Theo, has all the required skills to play as a more traditional winger. And at times we appear to miss this added dimension to our football.
In my view, if we want to get even closer to proper Wengerball football we need to add a quality winger, so we at least have the option to operate one wing properly (if and when required).
It would be good to hear whether you believe a new, top quality, traditional winger is indeed what we need right now; and if so, who you would like to join us.
And if it is not a winger for you, then tell us which position you would want to strengthen and with whom.
As always, it is just a bit of fun to make us forget the dullness of the inter-lull! 🙂
Frustratingly, I had to travel back from London last night and was not able to watch the game. The only thing I had was my blackberry on which I could read comments on my own site but not respond (for some reason), as well as regular updates on the BBC website.
I could gather from the comments how well we were playing and that made it even harder to only have written words of the good guys’ performances, whilst others were getting the Full Monty at the ground or on TV.
I was able to watch ‘the highlights’ on ITV later on, and although they did not give our game much time, I could gather what a special night it has been at the Home of Football.
I know the footie statisticians focus a lot on goals and assists, but it is about time we start to measure ‘penultimate assists’ as well. The big question for me is: where does a goal originate from: is it the assist maker and/or the one who starts the attack? Ultimately, a goal is a combination of actions on and off the ball and most goals are scored as a result of efforts by a number of players.
Last night, Ozil was praised to heaven for a very, very fine performance in the first half. His goal was simply Bergkampesque and so was his assist for the second one. It is impossible to over-estimate what this German footballing Genius is adding to our team right now, and that at half the money of Bale muhahahaha! 😀
Ramsey’s assist was also Bergkampesque in terms of vision and accuracy, and this guy – the ultimate professional footballer – deserves all the credit he is getting currently.
But last night was also a great demonstration of the importance of our Big Fecking Frenchman: Ollie Giroud. He produced both penultimate assists and without him and his actions both goals would not have happened: it is as simple as that. I have been stressing for quite a while that Ollie is not just a classical nr.9; he is far more important than that to the team. His hold-up play and ability to play with his back to the goal, combined with his energy and his permanent goal threat, is absolutely pivotal to our system of football.
If Giroud had not scored yesterday, he might not have had much recognition for his contributions. Luckily, he did score which is good for him and us, but what matters even more is that he was at the very basis of both our goals last night.
His control and body strength, combined with good touches and pass, allowed Ramsey to penetrate the Napoli defence and have space and time to both spot Ozil and deliver an accurate pass to our nr.11. This was absolute sublime ‘holding forward’ football and without it Ramsey would not have had the time and space to produce his classy assist, and Ozil would not have been put in a good scoring position.
The second goal was another example of Giroud’s wider importance to the team. He was helping out with our pressing game and not just hanging around the box for ‘an opportunity coming his way’. The pressing let to him receiving the ball; he controlled it well, passed it to king of assists and then burst into the box himself. Ozil found him with sublime precision and our big Frenchman was rewarded for all his efforts with a relatively simple ‘blast-in’. Another fine team goal and another fine penultimate assist by OG.
Although his goals and direct assists are very important, his other contributions are just as important to the team. I reckon OG is the sort of striker we will see a lot more of in the future, although they might be hard to find. I reckon Chelsea and to a lesser extent Man City, who have Negredo and Dzeko, are crying out for a holding striker of Giroud’s pedigree, and the same goes for many other teams in the PL and Europe who want to play 4-2-1-3 or 4-5-1.
It might also explain why Dortmund did not allow Lewandowski to leave them this summer, as he is probably the finest holding forward around. The Pole is as pivotal to Dortmund as Giroud is to us, and I predict that not only the former but also the latter will become big transfer targets this summer. Not that we will let him go, no way Jose! 🙂
All ingredients for another feast of Wengerball football this season are here. Ozil and Ramsey, but also Flamini and Mertesacker, and many others deserve all the praise they are getting, and so does our mobile rock up-front, our beacon, our lighthouse, our linchpin, our giant of a holding forward.
Written by: TotalArsenal.
Gerry produced a fine morning comment that should be read by a wider audience, so I have added it to today’s post:
So, the first 15 minutes. None of that cagey stuff I talked about pre-game. Instead, some of the finest, crispest, passing for such a long time I think we were beginning to think that that side of our game had gone? The grab an early goal and defend in numbers was fantastically left behind in this half.
Sagna – the times he slipped the pass along the line where there was barely room was amazing. He was on very good form, and didn’t he enjoy it?
Ramsey – whether playing tight one-twos or playing down the wing, switching play, tackling .. It was all the same. Probably one of his best displays without scoring. Brilliant!
Flamini – how did we ever manage to do so well without him? Right man in the right job, and invariably in the right place. Of all the missing pieces in our team, he has to be one of the best? Drove the play forward at pace when he wasn’t ‘Johnny on the spot’ defending.
Ozil – what can you add that has not been already said? Truth be told, he himself added a whole lot more with this display? His goal alone should be on Walcott’s I-pad on a continuous loop – the timing of his run was immaculate. When Ramsey reached the byline Ozil had only just left his marker about 10 yards inside their half, but running into space. Ramsey is so hot-wired at the moment that he saw the space … the SPACE(note Theo!) and not the fully marked Giro in the box. He then played the perfect ball accordingly. Ozil reached the point where their trajectories would meet and played the simplest of first time shots with his instep into the bottom left hand corner.
That was just the finish it deserved. Others added to it along the way.
Rosicky – I am so disappointed that he has hardly got a mention in a report I read elsewhere, other than to say he ‘tired in the 2nd half’. I am not sure that this display would have been possible without him in the side. True, he did not lay on the perfect assist, or score a sumptuous goal. But what he did, and always does, is drive the play forwards. He passed the ball quickly, whether on the left or right, up front or on the edge of our box. This on his first game back from injury, and the first alongside Ozil. He may get overlooked a star of this game, but don’t think for one minute he did not play his part.
Giroud – I predicted his intelligence would help him connect well with Ozil, and it did in this game. It was Ozil this time that got to the goal line and somehow got the ball through a narrow gap between defenders and keeper for a simple tap in. However, when players are moving around him, his nod downs and quick flicks really do show off his skills to the full. I said early this season that he is like a lighthouse, a beacon from where the team know where they are .. and here it with this illuminating display?
I sought of skipped past Arteta’s contribution as I concentrated on the moves going forwards. He was his usual solid self. I did not see him going forward much in the first half, but Flamini was allowed to because he was there.
Again, not a lot to say about Szcz, Per, or Kos, as they had little to do, but what they did was solid enough.
Gibbs was not used so much in attack, as the right flank was getting most joy. It did not stop him making himself available though, which meant when he was having his one-two’s down the line it opened space for the others in the middle. However, his defending was questioned more than once. There was one occasion in the first half where he was not close enough to Insigne and allowed him a shot on goal, but shot wide. This was something happened, according to the audio, in the 2nd half too. And on each occasion it was down to Gibbs making the ‘right’(imo) decision to not allow the right back a free run in behind, but it is a fine line when trying to cover two players at the same time. If he tracks their wide player coming in, somebody should either take over so he can mark the overlap, or somebody else go wide? Gibbs is quick, but even he cannot be in two places at once? For the most part of the first half Flamini was there, with Rosicky tracking back. In the 2nd half when Wilshere came on for Rosicky it seemed to make the problem worse? Either the two are not communicating well enough, or Wilshere is a tad slow in reading the options?
And that folks is the nearest I can come to the report on performance. The match was decided by AW’s tactics to go all out from the off, so he gets top credit. But the players did all that was asked and then some.
This is why we are more likely to attract top players, whether next January or in the summer, as the video of this game gets spread around. Not only are we a top club, we have the players to match.
Nik produced a very fine post about half a year ago on how Arsenal could beat Bayern in our CL encounters with them. Nik is based in Germany and knows German football really well, and that’s why I asked him to write a background post on our new super-quality signing. He did not hesitate to say yes, and below you will find a very fine post about MO11. Enjoy. 🙂
TotalArsenal.
The Perfect Transfer?
Thanking the Guardian for today’s picture.
Born and raised in Gelsenkirchen, Mesut Özil joined Schalke in summer ‘05 at the age of 16: a move that really kicked off the career of the best number 10 in the world.
Only half a year later he starred in the prestigious indoor tournament ‘Mercedes-Benz Junior Cup’. Schalke won the Cup beating youth sides of Dortmund, Stuttgart, Bremen, Basel and some others along the way. Özil was top scorer and impressed with his footballing intelligence and technical skills. He also was ‘chief actor’ of Aljoscha Pause’s short-film ‘Mesut17’ – only available in German: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utXR5BDU3sQ
In the movie Joachim Löw, Jürgen Klinsmann’s assistant at that time, and Uli Stielike, German U20 coach back then, talk about Germany stepping up their youth-development and the possibility that Mesut Özil could become a part of Germany’s 2010 WC team. Özil himself talks about wanting to play for Germany despite not having acquired the German citizenship yet. Later that season, Özil made his debut for the German U19 and went on to win the U19-Bundesliga.
At the end of the short-movie Özil was asked how he rates his chances of playing in the first team for Schalke. Özil confidently replied ‘by the end of the season, I think I will make it’. It only took seven months before Özil was handed his first Bundesliga match on the opening day of the 2006/07 season, coming on as a substitute after 80 minutes. Özil went on to make 20 appearances for Schalke and 10 for the U19 national team.
Özil started 6 of his 11 games for Schalke in the first half of the 2007/08 season, before Schalke announced they will not give him a new contract. The reason for the decision were long running contract talks with Özil’s father and agent, Mustafa Özil which did not come to any conclusion.
Bremen signed Özil on January, 31st 2008, deadline-day. He made 12 more appearances including 6 starts for Bremen until the end of the season and was able to score his first ever Bundesliga goal.
Objectively, Özil moving to Bremen was the best possible move inside of Germany for him. He was able to learn from the best number 10 in the Bundesliga, Diego. Diego was the heart of Werder Bremen’s great offense and he collected 13 goals and 11 assist in the ‘07/’08, and 12 goals and 6 assist in the 08/09 Bundesliga seasons.
The 08/09 season saw the breakthrough of Mesut Özil.
Collecting 3 goals and 15 assists, scoring the winning goal in the DFB-Cup final and reaching the UEFA-Cup final, saw him become one of the most established young players in Germany. On international level, Özil collected his first senior cap in a friendly against Norway, and he won the U21 Euros, being named the man of the match in the 4-0 final victory over England, where he scored 1 goal and produced assists for 2 of the other 3 goals.
With the departure of Diego, the 09/10 season was perfectly set for Özil to become the key-player for Bremen. He delivered 9 goals and 17 assist and led Bremen to another DFB-Cup final, which they lost to Bayern. Özil made his first competitive game for Germany in the WC qualification against Azerbaijan and has been present ever since. The 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and his move to Real Madrid a month later, saw Özil’s popularity rise on a global scale and his well documented development to being one of the best number 10s in the world (I consider him THE best number 10 in the world).
Strengths:
For me Mesut Özil has two major strengths: 1) His vision. It is absolutely amazing how Özil always picks the right pass at the right time. He sees possibilities, spaces, runs that no other would see and therefore collects all those assists. Every time I see him play I get the feeling that he has a radar in his vision.
2) Technical skills. Özil is one of very view players who could run half an hour with the ball at his feet with another player chasing him, without losing the ball. He has absolutely perfect control of the ball at any time.
Weaknesses:
His biggest and only real weakness to me is his defensive work. Most of the time he gets robbed of the ball or plays a bad pass he is disappointed with himself, and does not track back immediately. Fortunately he doesn’t lose the ball too often.
The perfect transfer?
Over the course of the transfer window I have read what feels like millions of stories, rumors, articles and gossip. My mood went from great we have 70 million to spend to, are we going to spend at all; and I know most of you felt very much alike.
But when I read that we were close to signing Mesut Özil on deadline-day, I went absolutely crazy.
I believe that we could not have made a better signing to strengthen our attack, for the following reasons:
All our front players will profit from Özil’s passing. (Theo in particular);
At times, our possession did not seem to get us anywhere, because we were just playing it from left to right and back again. Özil is the player who will unlock the defence when we play too many square passes;
Wilshire, Ramsey, Ox, Zelalem, and all other young central midfielders, can and will learn a lot from playing with Özil.
He is just 24.
He is a statement of intent from Wenger. (hopefully)
Now, do you agree with me on his strengths and weaknesses, and do you think we could have made a better single transfer this summer?
A few days before last year’s CL final was to be played, Arsene was interviewed by Eurosport about his thoughts on the two finalists: Bayern and Dortmund. When he was asked who he believed would win he said it would be Bayern, and the reason he gave was the larger number of 28/29 year olds in the Bavarian team. This is what he had to say:
“If we analyse rationally, Bayern Munich are Champions League favourites.
First of all, experience weighs in their favour because they have reached three of the last four Champions League finals.
Secondly, they have the edge because they have reached a point of maturity both technically and tactically.
You need players who are 28 or 29 for that. Bastian Schweinsteiger (28) is their natural leader, while Franck Ribery (30), Arjen Robben (29) and Philipp Lahm (29) also play significant roles in the team.”
At the time, I thought that was quite a remarkable thing to say by Arsene; after all, he has been investing heavily in bringing through young/inexperienced players since the move to Ashburton Grove, and the average ages of his teams have repeatedly been low in recent times.
Of course, it makes sense that having a team full of established, quality players at the perfect crossroads between physical health and experience, which I agree with Wenger is around 28/29, is a very good basis for winning a final against a far younger and inexperienced team. And although Dortmund played the better football, it was Bayern’s experience that saw them finish the final as winners.
The interview made me also reflect on our team, and what I find quite remarkable is how the age and experience profile of our first/best possible team has changed significantly over the last few years.
Although still buying and bringing through young/inexperienced players, Arsene has also invested heavily in quality/experienced/’older’ players. It looks like his attempts at evolution have been boosted by systematic purchases of experienced, yet fully to bloom (in most cases) quality players.
I reckon, this would approximately be Arsene’s strongest team if we were to face a top PL or European team and all are fit this season:
If we stretch the ‘ideal age group’ a bit, say from 27 till 30, Arsene would be fielding six players with the perfect balance of health and experience: Sagna, Koz, Mertesacker, Flamini, Cazorla and Giroud. He would also have a number of experienced, yet top-fit, players on the bench: Nacho, Vermaelen, Viviano & Pod, and to some extent Rosicky, who, although a lot older, is still relatively very fit (if not injured 😉 ).
The table below shows how much experience we now have in our squad:
Player
Age
League Games
Internationals
FIFA WC ranking *
Szczesny
23
81
14
Below 30th
Viviano
27
263
6
6th
Sagna
30
268
36
23rd
Koscielny
27
233
12
23rd
BFG
28
278
92
2nd
Gibbs
23
71
2
14th
Nacho
27
220
13
1st
Vermaelen
27
208
43
10th
Flamini
29
213
3
23rd
Arteta
31
376
–
–
Ozil
24 almost 25
206
48
2nd
Rosicky
32 almost 33
298
92
26th
Cazorla
28
295
58
1st
Podolski
28
278
111
2nd
Giroud
26 almost 27
227
21
23rd
Theo
24
204
35
14th
* of the country playing for
As you can see, our best line-up would have a strong core of experienced quality players with good players on the bench to add further to it.
We do of course have a number of players who are still well below the ideal age, but are yet more than good enough to make the first team on a regular basis: Walcott, Ozil, Szczesny, Gibbs, Wilshere, Ramsey; and Ox and Jenkinson – and possibly Bendtner – are not too far away from it either.
This gives us a squad of 20 to 21 players who can all make a decent to very large contribution to this season’s quest for silverware. Some will argue we need more quality squad players, and they might have a point, especially up-front.
But I still believe Wenger has slowly but steadily put a squad together with the right balance between players at the perfect age on the one hand, and younger, yet established quality players on the other hand.
And the good thing is, he has done this gradually, through incremental changes and just a few additions this summer: there is no need for another transitional season. Ozil is so good that he will fit in like a glove and Flamini fitted in from the moment he walked on to the pitch again against the Spuds (although there are some tactical issues he and Wenger will need to address, but that is for another post).
It goes without saying that we need to be a bit lucky with injuries this season, and the first signs have not been promising. But despite the injuries, the team has started the season well, and there appears to be a robustness in the wider squad now which allows us to cope with these a lot better than in previous seasons.
Hopefully, a quality striker will be added in January (why oh why did Arsene not get one this summer….), so we have good strength in depth in all areas; and if Giroud can stay fit and on fire till then, Arsenal have a real chance this year of winning some silverware.
The balance between experienced quality players and up and coming quality players is very good, and with other PL clubs going through transitional phases, this could well be our year. It looks like Wenger has been following his own advice and has been working hard to put together a squad that can compete this year, if not next year, for serious silverware.
Arsenal continue to be linked with all sorts of so called super-quality players, who can hit the ground running, and hopefully, add a different dimension to our team.
We definitely could do with a spark, a bit of magic in our team, a big BOING as Glic would have it – especially in midfield: an AM who can conduct our play, score goals and produce plenty of assists.
Others feel what we really need is a super quality striker who can bag 20+ PL goals next season, and/or make other attackers a lot more effective.
Many feel we can only make real progress if Arsenal buy an AM and ST of the highest quality, and this might well happen this summer.
Most of us expect any additional spark to have to come from outside the club but, as every season has its own surprises, could it be that Wenger is getting one player from the current squad ready to do add that extra dimension, the new spark, the talent that will move us forwards to the next level?
And what if he is banking, or should I say gambling, not on one but two players to do just that?
We might get a back-up CB, PL experienced back-up GK, and hopefully a beast of a DM (with additional football skills) to strengthen the ‘back-seven’: GK, back four and double DM-pivot. This will enable us to remain solid defensively throughout the season. But the spark/extra dimension is likely to come from the (predominantly) attacking four: the AM and three front men – assuming Arsene will continue with our 4-2-1-3 formation. Although, I should add the b2b midfielder will also play a crucial role.
In Pod, Giroud and Cazorla we have players who can do their job really well, and as they are all entering their second season in the PL and are in the very best years of a footballer’s career, more can be expected of them. Maybe, it will be one of them who will bring that bit of extra dimension next season. Cazorla has definitely come a long way in providing it for us last season.
There could be an unexpected semi-spark/dimension from one of the youngsters: Yaya Sanogo, Gnabry, Eisfeld, Ryo, etc. You just never know!
But I am going to go for at least one, if not two, of the super talents of Theo, Ox and Jack. A fully fit Jack will make a tremendous difference this season; Theo is likely to progress further as a winger/striker and might reach that extra-dimension level; but my hard cash is on the Ox.
There is something about the body language of AOC that makes me think he is ready for the big stage. Our number 15 will become twenty years old two days before the start of the new PL season, and I reckon this will be his breakthrough year. There is something about his posture, his facial expressions, and his general demeanour that makes me think he will be the one this season. It is just a gut-feeling, but my gut is feeling good! 🙂
The Ox: ready to add the extra spark next season?
I am still hoping we add some extra-spark from outside this summer, and I am sure we will, but we might (also) get a lot of fun from a guy we have been developing to start firing from all cylinders on the biggest stage: I reckon the Ox has sharpened his horns now and is ready to take on the world.
The Torture Window has once again presented us with a few twists and turns. It looks like we will not get Higuain until RM have signed a marquee striker themselves this summer, and this could take a long time.
Los Blancos are still smarting from losing out on Neymar, and the Brazilian’s stellar performances during that made-up tournament last month, as well as Ronaldo’s comment that he wished Neymar had come to his current employer, will only have rubbed more salt into the wound.
They are under pressure from the fans to add new players to the squad, and there is little chance they will let Higuain go before they have contracted a top quality replacement. With Cavani almost certainly going to the Eifel Tower Oilers, they will struggle to find a player of the required calibre to help them beat Barcelona to the title next season. Their next target is likely to be a man with occasional cannibalistic tendencies, whom Arsenal happen to be interested in as well….or was that a smoke-screen? I certainly hope so…
It is all very tiring and who knows how it all will end this summer. Buying experienced, ready-to-go quality players from the top, and sub-top, European clubs is proving to be very hard.
What is also frustrating is that Arsenal could have been in a very different position right now. If we had only been able to keep hold of our star players over the last seven years and had added on average a new £15m player every year, we would have had a very strong team right now.
Arsene could have focussed this summer in getting an experienced GK as back-up for our young and promising Pole between poles, and buy one or two players to add depth to the squad. Job done!
The 2013-2014 Arsenal Team could have looked like this:
A great mixture of self-developed youth players/Wenger-gems and newly bought, experienced players. The seven added experienced/quality players over the last seven years are Mertesacker, Sagna, Koscielny, Cazorla, Podolski, Arteta and TV, and if we had also kept Song, Clichy and Nasri, and we add the likes of Ramsey, Ox, TV, Rosicky etc, we would have had not just a very strong first team, but a more than decent bench as well.
We all know that the club were not in a position to hold on to most of our top players over the last seven years. However, going forward, we appear to be in a strong position to both keep hold of our top players and add quality every year. All we need is patience…
But there appears to be now a lack of time and patience to allow Wenger to build another top quality team bottom upwards and by adding a few typical Wenger gems; and I believe that even Arsene himself does not have the patience any more, and possibly time, to do so.
So, it is all about adding a number of players who will add quality to the wider squad and Arsene’s first choice eleven, in order for us to properly compete for silverware next season.
Of course I welcome this, but the above first eleven and wider squad show us what sort of team we could have had right now.
Yesterday’s announcement that the 39 year old Ryan Giggs will become a player-coach for MU with immediate effect, made me thinks once again about our need to have and retain experienced winners, who also embody the core values and traditions of the club, at Arsenal.
I know that virtually everybody agrees that Bergkamp should join the coaching staff at Arsenal as soon as possible. We will have to wait and see whether this will happen.
However, there is another legend who would fit the bill perfectly, and like Ryan Giggs, he is still playing: Thierry Henry. Henry is a young chicken compared to Giggs, having only lived for a mere 35 years until now. And our all-time leading scorer with 228 goals has played not that many games less than the fantastic Welshman either (at least with regard to his on-field actions, we can only say that he was a fantastic footballer). Giggs played 1009 matches (including Internationals) and Henry 861.
TH14 has won virtually everything a modern footballer can win. The World Cup, the European Championship, the PL, Ligue 1, La Liga, the CL, and many, many cups and individual awards. He also loves Arsenal and sees the only part that matters in North London as his spiritual football home.
I am a big believer in the master-apprentice model of learning, especially in sports. As Arsenal likes to develop their own talents – often bought at a young age and therefore still totally mouldable – I reckon it is paramount to have a number of (former) masters in all disciplines at the club. Bould is doing a great job in getting the best out of our defenders and defensively minded midfielders at the moment, for example.
At MU they tend to keep hold of their veteran stars, although Van Nistelrooy, Stam and Beckham might tell us differently. However, the likes of Gibbs, Scholes and to a lesser extent Ferdinand are good examples of Masters who can guide, by word AND by action, the club’s youngsters to their full potential.
It saddens me a bit that the club (had to?) let go all our recent heroes, with the exception of the Iceman, although even he was not retained in a coaching capacity. What would Vieira have done for the likes of Ramsey, Frimpong, Wilshere, Coquelin, Diaby and even Arteta? His coaching, whether still as a player or as one of Arsene’s staff, would have been of great value to our promising talents.
Pires and possibly Ljungberg could also have played a great coaching role. All these players have been there and done it, love the club, and would still live and breathe the principles and values of total/Wenger football, as well as what the club stands for. And there are of course more legends who would fit the bill.
It is fantastic to see Freddie back at the club in an ambassadorial role now. And it would be great if we could add either Dennis or Thierry, or ideally both(!), as well.
Dennis would be a great coach and the thought of Bould-Wenger-Bergkamp on the bench would just be awesome. He is qualified and has gained management/coaching experience at one of the greatest clubs in football history, Ajax. Would we find it hard to attract the likes of Higuain, Jovetic etc, if they knew they would be working with the Dutch Master directly? Possibly less so.
But this post is about the simply phenomenal Thierry Henry. Just imagine him working with Ox, Theo, Giroud, Podolski, Cazorla, Gnabry, Eisfeld, and hopefully HIguain and/or Jovetic on a constant, no time-constrains basis: it would be an absolute dream for these players and also for us. The Master would work his socks off to get them to reach their full, very promising potential, and make our club successful again.
It would also be nice that he himself could play now and again (mostly as a substitute), just to show the others how it is done in practice. He is not as fast or athletic as he used to be, but he makes up for this with his technique and experience, and if Giggs can do at 39, then surely Thierry can do it at 35.
Bring him back Arsene; we cannot have too many masters at our great club!
“Alas,” said the mouse, “the whole world is growing smaller every day. At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into.”
“You only need to change your direction,” said the cat, and ate it up.
A Little Fable by Franz Kafka
Like any other Gooner out there, I am excited about the calibre of players we are being linked with at the moment; experienced, hit the ground running, quality players, is what our squad needs right now.
After years of economising and having to let go of the fruits of his hard labour, Arsene finds himself in an incredible lightness of being right now. Ferguson gone, new managers/transitional issues at Chelsea, Man City, Man United and Liverpool, no more need to let our best players go, AND a canon full of gold coins.
In the meantime, football seems to be evolving again. Barcelona’s advanced version of total football appears to have been ‘decoded’. First there was the super-basic ‘park the bus’ approach by the Chavs, which relied mainly on a mega-dosage of luck, and then there was the physical/athletic all-over-the-pitch-we’ll-hunt-you-down-and-not-allow-you-more-than-two-passes approach by the Bavarians. And we have seen a very similar deconstruction of Spain by the rampant Brazilians, just a few days ago. The double-DM pivot with multi-skilled midfielders seems to be the way forward now.
No doubt, though, Total Football will strike back again; but it might take a while.
Ten PL games before the end last season, Wenger and Bould made a conscious decision to go back to basics: more discipline in defence, a change of leadership and making our double-DM pivot prioritise on protecting the back four first and for all.
It did not exactly work a treat, but oh boy was it effective: Arsenal secured 26 out of 30 points from their last 10 PL games, and somehow managed to finish above the Spuddies once again.
It was not Wenger-ball, but industrious, blood, sweat and tears, we WILL survive sort of football; once we were ahead in those fixtures, most of us were just clock watching, hoping we would somehow hold on and take the three points. It was all aimed at finishing in the top-four and it was a great feat, given how low the team had fallen.
Arsene and Bould now have to decide what sort of football they want to play next season, and it will be really interesting to see which direction they’ll choose, as this will determine who will become/remain key players and who will be bought this summer (and not vice versa).
No doubt in my mind that Arsene and Bould will want to return to a (new) form of attractive, attacking Wengerball, with less emphasis on being solid defensively as our first priority.
However, it is unlikely that they will be happy to jeopardize all the good work that was done on being solid at the back during last season. And with Maureen back at the Chavs, a mean defence might be even more important than a highly productive, and competition outscoring, strike-force.
It is also Arsene’s last year under contract and although the club appears very keen to give him an extension, our French maestro might have doubts whether to sign-up to it. Also, Arsene might want to see real progress now, and next season will be absolutely crucial for him.
He needs to choose the right style and formation of football that will give Arsenal the best chance of gunning for silverware. He will have to decide who of his current squad are up for it and where and how they should play. He will need to add quality players who can hit the ground running and fit quickly into the team. He will need to keep the entire squad motivated, despite increased internal competition. He will need to give this team the belief they can win silverware this season and ensure there is plenty of leadership and hunger throughout the team.
Of course, Arsene (and Bould) has already thought about all this and he will now focus on adding new players to his squad who fit with his vision/chosen style of football for next season. From who he will buy (and for which areas), we will know a bit more how we are likely to play next season, and how he will go about to make the last year of his current contract a winning one; maybe even a truly special one.
Maybe this time round, Arsene’s direction, and tactical, on-field choices will outsmart the cat. It is about time he did.
Written by: TotalArsenal.
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Unlike the links with Jovetic, which seem to have disappeared completely now, we continue to be linked with Wayne Rooney. Apparently the club have made an offer for Rooney somewhere in the region of £20m, but I am not sure how much truth there is in this.
There are many Gooners who do not want us to sign Rooney: they say that he is ‘past it now’, does not fit with Arsenal’s values, or would simply cost too much / be on too high wages compared to the rest. When I spoke a Spud mate of mine about the desperate-for-hair Englishman possibly joining Arsenal this summer, he laughed and said ‘I really hope you get him, I really do’.
I have always been a reluctant admirer of Rooney-the-footballer. I like his drive, his physical strength, his technical skills, his football intelligence and, most of all, his winner’s mentality. His diving and occasional indiscipline, although the latter is less of an issue now, go against him, and he also seems to be mainly motivated by earning as much money as possible.
If the latter is really still the case, I don’t want him at Arsenal.
But if he is looking for a new opportunity to leave something behind once more, and become once again a pivotal player in a new team that is going places, Arsenal would be a great team for him right now.
What would be key for me is: he needs to have an intrinsic desire to come to Arsenal and win things with us. I have no doubt that Arsene would be the best judge of this, and if he was to go for Rooney, I am sure the Englishman would join us with the right motivation.
I cannot see it happen myself, as his wage demands are hard to meet; not necessarily financially, but more in terms of wage discrepancy between him and the rest of the squad, and the potential impact on team morale. I also much prefer Fabregas to return to us, or Jovetic to join us this summer.
But let’s say, for the sake of debate, that Arsenal will sort this out somehow; the question is then, what could be the sporting incentives for Rooney to join us?
Rooney would become the pivot of the team, and most likely positioned in the ‘hole-position’. Whether he would work with Giroud, Podolski or Higuain up-front there is little doubt in my mind our attack would become far deadlier. With Theo and Cazorla (or Pod) on the wings he would be able to add another attacking dimension to our play, as he can redistribute the ball and assist as well as he can convert chances himself. Very few other top teams would be able to offer him such a guaranteed, pivotal role.
As per above, Rooney would really enjoy himself in this free role: he would be able to display his full range of skills and, once again, get the recognition he is craving for. If playing proper football in which he can express himself to the full is what he is really after, Arsenal are his best option right now.
The five time PL, and one time CL, winner would be a great mentor to the rest of the team, and especially to our young, British core: Gibbs, Ox, Jack, Rambo, Jenkinson and Theo would all benefit from his experience and guidance on and off the pitch. If Rooney would crave for such a responsibility/role, Arsenal is his team.
One of the additional benefits of the third point is Rooney will be able to be directly part of what is likely going to be the very core of the England national team going forward. In the next few big tournaments, England’s (attacking) core will likely be built around Jack, Ox, Theo and Rooney (with likely gradual bigger roles for Jenkinson and Gibbs as well). It would be of great benefit to Rooney if he can work and play with these players in the same team week in week out. If he really craves for international success with England then moving to Arsenal would be a shrewd thing to do.
The captaincy role is up for grabs at Arsenal. TV5 is very likely not to continue as our captain, and it remains to be seen whether Arteta will remain as central to our team as he was during the last two seasons. If Arsene, and I realise this is a big IF, is convinced Rooney would come to Arsenal with the right mentality/motivation then Rooney would be a good choice for captaining the team.
I have to say, a part of me still feels uncomfortable with the possibility of Rooney joining our beloved Arsenal, but if he would really want to come for the reasons mentioned above, and Arsene would sanction it, I could see it work out really well.
Bergkampesque 