There is a saying which goes “There is no such thing as a sure thing.” Not even a team that just sacked its manager last week, was crushed 7-0 by Chelsea on the weekend, and is sitting in the lower reached of the Championship can be taken for granted. Only the Arsenal players who figured this evening know for sure if they actually took Ipswich Town for granted. Regardless of the mindset, it is clear that this group of players just did not collectively show up for an important match…
Not for the first time this season either….
We started the night just 120 minutes away from possibly our first cup final since the 2006 Carling Cup loss to Chelsea, so nobody should have been in any doubt regarding the stakes. With a weekend league fixture against West Ham, rotation was inevitable, but Arsene named a stronger side than he did against Leeds in the FA Cup on Saturday – a side that should have been good enough to take care of business here in the first leg, and at least give us a lead going home.
But we flopped spectacularly and now have it all to do in the second leg.
No chance that we will be able to rest some players then unless of course, the Carling Cup is not really a priority. Arsene has been saying all the right things about wanting to win this cup and this is certainly the easiest chance to win a cup that we have had in the past few years, so I think the desire is there.
Even with the changes and there were five to the side that struggled against Leeds on Saturday, our collective inability to raise our game this evening is mystifying…Or is it?
Sagna served the second match of his suspension, our current first choice CB partnership of Djourou and Kos started, and Cesc, Jack and Theo all started. Szczesny, Eboue, Gibbs, Denilson and Arshavin rounded out our starting eleven.
There were very few if any highlights for us Arsenal supporters.
We started briskly, and Nik earned us an eighth minute free kick about 30 yards out. Cesc sent it into the left side but Arshavin shot wastefully wide.
Ipswich slowly began to assert themselves and Edwards went close on 15 minutes. We dominated possession, but seemed unsure of what to do with it so we retreated into the predictable shell of pass, pass, pass, something we have seen all too often and something that usually gets us nowhere.
Ipswich had a very good spell between 30 and 40 minutes in, where Norris had a great chance to give them the lead, but couldn’t connect cleanly with Wickham’s fine cross from point-blank range. The first half finished goalless, and we looked poor, insipid, and in dire need of a spark.
Arsene predictably did not change anything for the start of the second half and we started that quickly but this time we lost the momentum very quickly and with ten minutes gone Ipswich were fully on top and creating chances. With an hour gone, a Peters ball over the top put Priskin clean through but he hesitated, allowing Djourou to recover and clear the ball over our bar for a corner.
At this point, we were under pressure, and unable to keep the ball. A few minutes later, another ball over the top caused panic but Szczesny was able to smother. Arsene finally made a change on 70 minutes, bringing Song and Chamakh on for Jack and Bendtner, respectively. That sparked a brief improvement, as Theo and Gibbs both had attempts on goal, both sending them wide.
On 76 minutes, our defining moment arrived, as a Gibbs cross found Cesc unmarked at point-blank range and somehow (with aid of this thigh) he sent the ball over the bar when it looked easier to score. Predictably, Ipswich scored barely a minute later. Priskin latched on to another long ball {appearing offside as it was played} this time he made no mistake with a smart finish.
Arsene immediately brought Vela on for Arshavin, and we took a few shots on goal but never really tested Fulop. The few shots we did get on target (Chamakh, Theo) were fairly comfortable saves for him. A minute from time, another long clearance sent Edwards away, but Szczesny was able to save.
Four minutes of stoppage time brought no response from us and we finished a pitiful effort with a 1-0 deficit to bring home. This tie was reminiscent to the Braga tie in so many ways, a lot riding on the result, a large portion of our first team rested, a negative, uninspired performance from those who did start and a controversial incident (cast-iron penalty not given in Braga versus offside goal this evening) against us, which will allow those who want to gloss over the effort and performance with the “we didn’t get a break” excuse to do so.
In both matches we came up very very small when we needed a big performance and result.
As bad as we were this evening, due credit must go to Ipswich. They were significantly the better side and other than Cesc’s bad miss, they were much closer to making it 2-0 than we were to scoring one for ourselves. For a team beaten so thoroughly last time out in a relegation dogfight, they had a right go at us and were the better side in just about every area.
They will bring a 1-0 lead to the Emirates in a couple of weeks and will also bring a dilemma. They got themselves into this position by playing positive and putting pressure on us. They had nothing to lose, they went for it and won this leg. But the situation has changed, now they do have something to lose.
Do they go to the Emirates looking to hold this lead, or go looking to attack and kill the tie off? For us, the task is straightforward, score, score early and score plenty. For Ipswich, it is not necessarily that simple.
Once again, we failed to show. I can shrug off bad performances and bad results, but these are becoming a trend. For this result, read Braga 2-0 Arsenal. Or Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Arsenal. Or Man United 1-0 Arsenal. The season is only halfway complete, and we have already had several of these dysfunctional, non-threatening, insipid losses. Worryingly, most of them have come in matches where we have had something at stake – CL knockout round qualification, Carling Cup Semi-Final, top of the table clash. Pressure situations where we have wilted. We have excelled in some high pressure matches 3-1 Chelsea comes immediately to mind but I think we have wilted far more than excelled. A less-then-full strength side has contributed to the poor performances but we have had our share of bad performances by strong sides in all three home league losses and the away fixtures at Chelsea/United.
It is becoming apparent as I see it, that there is a significant drop-off between our starting eleven and our squad members. For whatever reason, we just cannot seem to play the high-tempo, incisive football we showed against Chelsea and (sometimes) Man City, with so many changes to the side. I think part of our problem is that many of our squad players are in roles they are not necessarily suited for – I do not think Denilson is a particularly good defensive midfielder.
I think Nik Bendtner is better as target man than out wide. But that does not excuse the indifferent efforts I saw from both of them – and many others – this evening. Arshavin is another I thought had a poor game – he took a couple of shots on goal, but was wasteful with the ball, and didn’t create anything.
Quite possibly the worst player on the pitch this evening was our own Captain. Nothing he did seemed to work, he looked low on energy, short on ideas, and just didn’t look up for this one. The team’s collective performance tends to support the premise that as goes Cesc, so goes our team. He pulled us back from the brink against Leeds with that penalty, and has saved our bacon on more than one occasion, so if anyone deserves a pass for a stinker it’s him. Surely someone could have stepped up when it became apparent (and this was pretty early) he didn’t have it tonight? Nobody did, unfortunately…Samir has also pulled our chestnuts out of the fire this season, so I rue not having him at least on the bench this evening…
All is not lost as we have the second leg at home, a chance to overturn this deficit and book our spot in the final. Despite the scoreline and paucity of our effort, I think we are still favorites to progress.
But it is no longer as straightforward as it should be. Ipswich will come to the Emirates with not only a lead but also belief.
By flopping so badly this evening, we have also put ourselves in the position of having to play our first-choice eleven in the second leg. Fixtures are piling up and there will not be that many opportunities for rotation which is why two consecutive poor performances by our second team have only exacerbated the problem.
We now have to deal with a completely unneeded replay at Leeds, and will now need to field a full strength side in the second leg of this tie – if we could have won comfortably tonight, Arsene probably would have been able to go with a largely second team, backed by a strong bench, for the second leg. Now, we cannot really afford to take a chance with this collective group of second choice players. I am sure a few will feature, but several others will not.
This leads to the question about the composition of our second team. We have a few players who have given us absolutely nothing, and a few others who cannot even get a look in. I would argue that Arsene should at least consider changing the makeup of our bench, if Nik Bendtner cannot be bothered to give us anything in his two starting opportunities, do we even need him on our bench?
Could Jay-Emmanuel Thomas give us less than Nik has? If Carlos Vela cannot get more than five minutes after we have already gone behind, does this not suggest Arsene has little confidence in him? And if this is the case, then why is he in the first team?
There are no easy answers to this and I am not saying Arsene should drum these players out, I am saying that he should look harder at the players currently on our bench and at least consider replacing some in the squad. I think there are issues with attitude and application that are undermining the squad as a whole. I think there are also issues with our tactical inflexibility; and an inability to adapt to changing situations, and counter adjustments opposition sides make…Those are discussions for another day.
As disappointed as I am with this, there is nothing else for me to do but look ahead to the West Ham weekend match, and the second leg here. Changes, if any, are not mine to make. So I shall get this off my chest and carry on supporting our team. At this point, I am more hopeful than confident that we can retrieve this situation. A few good performances and wins in the next few matches should restore confidence for me and the players.
All is certainly not lost. Arsene looked pretty pissed off, and I am sure the players are hurting, whether these are enough to get them to turn it around is open to debate. I imagine we will hear the “we are all desperately disappointed” and “we will put this right in the second leg” comments from our players – but we have heard it too many times already this season.
Our players are the ones that keep putting us in these situations, they are the only one who can turn this around.
The question is, will they?
Written by Oliver
morning – thanks you oliver for the post, another top one….
that has to up there with one of worst performances in a long while….
Time to cast adrift the deadwood in this squad and there is a lot of it. I am a Wenger supporter but even I am starting to lose patience with him.
there is no real competition in this squad. Wenger keeps saying he will not buy so the players who are there know they are safe.
Spend the money Wenger.
I’m not surprised Cesc was off last night, just look at how the players around him played, i think cesc’s game went downhill rather than start poorly…
Song should have started…..
it is time we stopped playing Wenger’s babies and actually bought in some top class talent.
When Cesc goes (and it really looks like he is going)the team will go further downhill and then we will find it even harder to get top class players in.
Act now.
Off track a minute, just read that Ryo Miyaichi has been refused a work permit…
GOOD WRITE UO OLIVER,
but painful to read, for all you fans who believe this insane resting player theory is the right way, you are insane i keep saying tell the players their tired and they believe their tired,they play 90 minutes and have three days rest how much recovery time do these well paid stars need not one of them raised a sweat i would flog them not sell them flog them
Not surprised Rico, only Man Utd don’t have to worry about work permits.
easy answer buy british
The Ipswich side are better than ours, buy some of them, thats about our price range
Each day, especially after each game we are left talking about players who are just not good enough…
Why on earth can Wenger not see it – Priskin was very good for them yet look at our big centre forward, he was hopeless….. and as for Arshavin, well I really hope these Italian rumours are true, he has no interest and no desire in him…
I’d much rather we see JET, Afobe, Chuks and Lansbury now get their chance….
Hi Steve….
Priskin for one and I would think about Leeds Bruce too….
He wants to forget all these foreigners buy a bulldog
I agree with you there Rico. I have said for ages Nik B is not premiership standard, he struts around like he is the best player but if he looked at the work the best players put in…
Agree there Steve
I’ve never rated him either Will and he’s got worse imho…
Both Nik B and Denilson need to be got rid of, nether add anything to the side but both take money.
Nik B wouldn’t get in that Ipswich side…
Any truth in the Upsom rumours?
‘The are only 10 players in the world we can’t afford’
Upson not upsom!!
too right he wouldn’t colin…
add AA Will..
wenger won’t comment about upson colin, thats a worry…
Hi KT…
Vela to bolton and cahill to us, but as usual he’ll fck about all of the window….it’s getting very boring!
What is your get shot of lost?
Nik B
Denilson
Arshavin
Squil
Almunia
Can’t really add anyone to that…buy atop drawer c.b, cover for song and a striker that stays fit for most of the season,with 20+ goals….
Interesting article:
http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/moneygame.pdf
I’d keep sqilli Will, just wouldn’t play him with kos…
He is not good enough and he is “killing” one of the youth.
😆 i only mean until the end of the season, after that lets see Bartley and Miquel get their chance, especially in the domestic cups……
Trouble is our deadwood seems to start at the top of the tree !
Morning everyone!
We were humiliated last night! Priskins goal was a yard offside, but that does not excuse our performance.. I was furious! Instead of going to bed, as the danish time is 1 hour ahead of the english, i was convinced we would do much better.. and what did I get? an even worse performance.. we were 2-3 players from our best starting 11, so that’s not good enough.. What now Wenger? 🙁
Sell Denilson, Bendtner and Eboue! I used to be an AKB, but certanly not anymore!
has wenger issued an apology yet???
i havent had the guts to go on fb yet
theres 3 mancs and 2 spuds ready to slaughter me and its all wengers fault..
i want an apology
morning DK, sadly it wil be same old same old wenger…
steve, you are not far wrong…
i don’t know what he says to these players to get them motivated, but then you can’t make a diamond out of an old stone….
morning jj, he blames fatigue…..
Never be an AKB DK, too often he proves he doesn’t know as much as some like to think….
yeah rico i know.. I lost faith in him some while ago.. If he had as much faith in Vela as Denilson, Vela would be world class now! :/
And Denilson will NEVER be a world beater! Why is the man so stubborn? Just admit that project youth has failed mr. Wenger, and move on! The Carling Cup, as sad as it seems, is our biggest chance of silverware this season! if we lose out to Ipswich, i’ll start supporting the spuds or something… I am of course joking.. but I will be dissapointed! I guess the board don’t care about silverware, as long as he is making profits for the club 🙁
fucking fatigue??
half those lads havent played 10 games between them this season what the hells he on about??
its obvious more than ever that this squad needs a shakeup
eboue needs to go replace by vander veil
denilson needs to go repalce by melo
aa needs to go (although it bothers me to say it, but he does) replace by hazzard
nikki needs to go and replace by lukaku
shake it up…improve the squad players
breaking news
coyle is talking to sky about cahill and vela
**************************************
no talks with anyclub about cahill
wengers waitng til end of month to decide on vela
🙁
last minute larry at it again….
Guys forget about cahill, wenger won’t buy him unless he can get him for £1,2M
i don’t like the upson rumours…..
upson is a terrible option, why buy squil and kos when he could of lifted a proven cb for the same wedge….2 for 1 theory?
by the sounds of it Coyle would rather he move in the summer….
numbers colin, wenger buys in numbers rather than quality…. look at our midfielders…
jj, i’d take your proposed player changes… in a flash..
buy cheap buy twice!!!!
I haven’t read the post yet but i am very sure it is worth a read , so i will do that later.
But men those Arsenal players do know how to make life difficult for someone.
Wao , Ipswich.
Well i have discovered Wenger’s weakness eventually(Apart from not buying the obvious CB and goal keeper when needed)
Wenger has no idea how to Mix his players in relation to fixtures.
Why play Fabregas when he played just 3 days ago, why play Gibbs,Walcott Arshavin , they all played 3days ago.
They all looked seriously unfit and tired he should have used NAsri who had a rest at leeds and Rosicki who hasn’t really played too many games and Denilson to as DM .
Vela should have played with Charmack really and mix the rest with our Real Carling cup team(Youth Team)i am sure they could have beaten Ipswich.
Now we are in trouble because we now have to take second leg seriously and that is definitely going to affect selection for some PL games .
morning all…thanks again for fielding the comments rico…morning after and it does not feel any better – that was awful in every respect. i have no confidence arsene will do anything to address this, these same players will still line up at elland road, and perhaps in the second leg of this tie.
perhaps this is who we really are…
Hi SD and oliver…
Top review again oliver…..
‘ perhaps this is who we really are…’
Yes it is and we have to get used to it as nothing will change……
not with arsene here. even if we thrash ipswich in the second leg – and there are no guarantees of that – and win the carling cup, the bitter taste of these performances won’t go away. we have some long-standing, unaddressed problems in our squad and set up…
you asked last night if we thought players are getting fed up with wenger, i don’t know the answer but if some players are fed up with missing out they should be stepping up and proving themselves…
however, i don’t think some have it in them to do that….
maybe some of them are fed up with seeing the likes of denilson – who i think is both lazy and shoehorned into a role he is unsuited for – as the first name chosen for the second, when he gives us virtually nothing at all.
i don’t think team selections are made on form and merit – i think our squad players know this, and i think it is causing problems. perhaps many of our players no longer have confidence in how they are being told to play. certainly we are not difficult to figure out – ipswich did with little trouble – and we don’t adapt to anything the opposition does…
is it really that difficult to believe that many of our players have lost faith with arsene? maybe they have, maybe they haven’t…but i think there is evidence that indicates this is possible.
i think you are not far off the mark oliver, we get fed up with seeing denilson, nikki and AA all play with such little effort and finese, wenger needs to be more ruthless and start playing the likes of JET, Lansbury etc who are all desperate to prove their worth, they would give far more than some of our current lazy good for nothing crop!
The reflections come from her in the wake of some of my own. Today I wonder if we really have a team to be a candidate to win something? A team that you can not take on the winner in games against teams from secondary level, irrespective of the players who play, it becomes an ordinary team, a team of “days, ” fragile and accessible. In yesterday’s game, we could have been 2-0 after the first (it was offside?) and it seemed to me that our goalkeeper grabbed a ball out of the area … (would have been sacked). In addition to a central defender (again suffer because of bad positioning goals of defense and tactics used repeatedly and has successfully used by most successful teams), would suffice? WH’s next. I’ll leave the commentary of the League for another opportunity.
Wenger needs to stop thinking he is their dad and start being a manager again….
Hi JM, we have forgot to mention the handall by chesney… very sloppy and he was lucky to get away with it….
On the showing against Leeds and Ipswich, we will win nothing again this season and i don’t blame cecs for wanting out…..
And AFC.com…. what do they say…
‘Meet the club photographer’ WTH is that about?
We want to meet the new centre half…!!
joaquim, you make a good point about szczesny – he clearly handled outside the area, and could well have been sent off…i am also not buying arsene’s nonsense about “tired” players – i thought his squad rotating was intended to prevent this? and i was unaware – until arsene enlightened me – that we were the only side with a punishing holiday fixture programme…
when he comes out with stuff like this, it only serves to reinforce the perception that there is no accountability for non-performance at arsenal, and that arsene will have the players’ backs, no matter what. i am not calling for him to publicly throw certain players under the bus – we can see who is not putting in effort, or does not really care – but don’t insult us with tiredness garbage either. if this is really a problem, then surely it shows our squad it too small…and who is responsible for that?
wenger is just burying his head in the sand – these are fit, healthy footballers paid very good money – they cannot be tired, they are just bloomin lazy and a few are actually Championship players at most…..
on that note, i’m off in the rain for a long walk….
Rico. don’t you mean waiting to meet the two new centre halves…? Whats the chances with mr egomaniac… Absolutely zero !! Wonder if the club will reimburse the Arsenal fans that paid good money to watch that utter shit last night… Again not a chance…!.
Hope your all well…! 😉
Oliver, Wenger trains the players picks the players supposedly motivates them so is the one responsible for them not being good enough, we have a big enough squad it just has far to many mediocre players in it and ones who would show passion and fight get overlooked for yard dogs like Denilson, Bendner and Booie, add Arshavin and Vela to that list as two players who look like shadows of what they can do and you have big problems !!. Someone said this team close to greatness well think again cos we miles away..!
morning wath – agree, it all starts and ends with arsene. lazy and uninspired performances are becoming the norm from some of our squad players. yet they stay in the squad. if you were pushing for a squad berth, saw one of these players continually give nothing when playing, yet saw said player named in the squad again and again, how would you feel?
i also do not think we are close to greatness – i am concerned our good performances have been illusions and efforts such as last night are more indicative of who we really are…
I would imagine Ramsey sitting watching that poop last night thinking I was better than a few of them with a broken leg how come I’m sitting here having to watch this…?.
Uninspired as they are pampered and wrapped in cotton wool by a manager who is so stuck in his ways even Ipswich knew what to expect from us, sad…!. As you say the odd decent result isn’t the norm it’s the exception and his usual crap about being good enough and not needing players is an insult to all of us who pay his wages. The fatigue comment is the latest in a string of very very embarrassing excuses and quite frankly make himself and the club look like total idiots.
Guys, as I said earlier on, the players are in a comfort zone. Wenger was stupid saying he is not going to buy anyone. he basically tells the players their jobs are safe and that is crazy.
He should be saying, we are always on the look-out for top class talent and if anyone comes available, we will move for them.
Half of these players are not of the standard needed but know that they are safe, crazy.
yeah, it’s not a good feeling right now. i usually recover fairly quickly from losses and rotten performances, but not this one. we are halfway to comepletely messing up a golden opportunity…and we have had too many similar peformances this season to believe last night was an aberration.
once we got past wigan – another poor effort and performance, by the way, it was set up so nicely for us. no chelsea, no united, no spuddies. just a championship team and two second-tier premership sides – all opposition we should feel confident facing. now, who knows what will happpen in two weeks. we allowed ipswich to get some belief, so don’t kid yourself that we will just brush them aside in the second leg. it won’t be that simple…
will, that is in line with the huge contracts they get. the meaning as i understand, is to tie them at the club and, if they move on, ensure they have resale value. but if we are not careful about how we apply this policy, it can also have the effect of sapping motivation and desire. if denilson – i have cited him on more than one occasion this morning, but i assure you it is nothing personal – is on big wages with a set-in-stone squad berth despite never really impressing or accomplishing much in his career, why should he need to put the extra work in? what incentive does he have to give everything he has every time he steps on to the pitch? he is already well compensated and will stay in the first team squad regardless…i see complacency and a lack of intitiative among our squad – a direct consequence, i feel, of giving unproven players too much too soon.
Nasri left wing with the ability to come in, Theo on the right with with license to come in and a midfield three of Cecs, Jack and Rambo.
Simples.
Spot on Oliver, to much too soon no ambition and at 18 they have “made it” merely by cementing a 5yr deal for 30k a week, no first team games nothing yet they can sit relax and enjoy the spoils of money, where is the carrot to get them to push on? there isn’t one..!
Will, 4-4-2 is the way to go stop all this 4-3-3 crap cos we can’t play it without wingers and we don’t have proper wingers its an excuse to actually line up 4-5-1…!
We don’t have the players for 4-4-2. Would you be happy with Theo and AA having to defend?
That is what I was trying to say Oliver but you said it better.
it comes from the top – from a manager philosophy that playing “our style” football and being “true to our values” are the most important things. arsene has outright said these things (not in exactly the same words) on occasion.
this also leads to a disconnect between arsene and many of the supporters. so many of us see trophies and success as the end product, the ultimate goal. arsene sees our style of play and entertainment value as the reason for our existence. many of us see winning trophies as validation of who we are; arsene sees our values and playing style as the validation. his goals and aims are not the same as many of ours. i count myself as one who feels the result is the most important thing, that we play to win things, that is our ultimate goal. arsene and a fair amount of supporters see the style and values as the most important things…and i think at the end of the day these differing values and goals lead to a disconnect between arsene and some supporters. i think it also explains much of his playing philosophies and squad policies.
Spot on Will we don’t have the players for 4-4-2 but we also don’t have for 4-3-3 either but 4-3-3 covers our deficiences better than 4-4-2 would hence thats why Wenger makes it out as if its an attacking system but in truth it hurts us just as much as we don’t have the players for that, AA is a player to play behind the front man not a left wingers arse not is Theo a winger and Nasri wasted out wide, to many players to similar.
Thing is Oliver we don’t play Wengerball anymore at all and our style of play is very much over hyped a lot of the time. All part of his idea that square pegs fit round holes…!
and when we have results like last night, how can anyone be happy? a supporter like myself, who emphasizes wins and losses, rues the dropped points and possible elimination from a cup competition. a supporter who thinks style and values are most important, surely cannot be happy with the display and collective attitude the team showed last night. unless, of course, said supporter is willing to accept that arsene is infallible and nothing bad ever happens at our club…to be fair, these type supporters do exist in our ranks, as well.
square pegs in round holes is certainly a phrase we are all fully accustomed to…i think we simply have too many of a similar style player: smaller, quicker, good passing ability, unable to deliver quality crosses, lacking a true finisher’s instinct. yes, many of them are interchangeable, but by emphasizing the utility and similar qualities (as part of our “philosophy”) the things we lack (true wingers, a goal-poaching finisher, true defensive midfield cover for song) ultimately are ignored.
we are easy to counter against because we have one style of player and play in only one way…
I woould be happy with Jack and Rambo in the centre, both can put their foot in. The reason I said Nasri on teh left is so he can cut in like Pires used to and Clichy or Gibbs can hug the touchline.
Anyone that thinks Wenger is beyond reproach is an idiot but also just because we question him also doesnt mean I want him sacked but also means he’s prone to mistakes and also has said far to much rubbish this season and needs to become a manager againa dn not a director at Deloitte…! Open his eyes and see that the players he’s had faith in have actually let him down and he needs to buy to fix the problems, will he…? will he heck which just makes it even more irritating and frustrating and we all know his retort will be I tried to get a new centre half but its fine we have cover and we have Song, oh nice one Wenger and who replaces Song mr genius..?
ramsey has been on the bench for the last two matches, has not seen a minute of action…surely he could not have done worse than some that have started these last two matches. if he is not ready yet – and he played for forest, so i don’t see why he wouldn’t be (ready) – then he shouldn’t be on the bench.
wath, i am not calling for arsene’s sacking either, far from it. if we go, i think so many of these players will have to follow him out the door. in effect, we would be blowing this up and truly having to start over.
however, i do think we are approaching a tipping point. either we win a trophy or drop out of the top four – i think one or the other (possibly but unlikely both) will happen this or next season.
our beautiful football is becoming somewhat of a myth. we are certainly capable of producing great, mesmerizing performances, but is it not evident that such performances are becoming increasingly rare? and that we are now starting to be characterized by endless, sideways passing, lack of initiative to shoot at goal, low off-the-ball workrates, and defensive vulnerabilities? when that becomes our identity, then what?
Will, I’d be tempted with Song in the middle with either Cesc, Nasri or Rambo, Jack left midfield as he can do a “brady” and yep I’d go along with Nas on the right sometimes as he has the quality, any of those 4 in midfield all graft all get stuck in and all are quality, then you have the option of RVP up front with AA behind or Theo and Chamakh thrown in as well, the rest ain’t worth a place in a sunday league team..! Least then a few of the young ones coming through can push for a place in the 1st 11 or 18…!
wath, i see our second team as one of our biggest current problems. so many of them just don’t seem able to raise their games. i am starting to feel some of them don’t care all that much, as well. i argued that arsene needs to examine who he has in the squad and replace those who give us nothing. i am not confident he will do it, but i think this is a good place to start.
where is our impact sub? last couple of matches they were cesc and song. something is seriously wrong when we have to bring them on to changes games in which they should be resting.
I hear you Oliver but part of me wishes he would go and take a load with him, what if a new man came in brought back all the loanees and said right here’s the shirt, show me you want it, show me you deserve to wear it and if you don’t then best find yourself a new club…. Something like this needs to be said to a fair few…!
I think what your saying Oliver is what I said to you earlier, the squad is large in size very short on quality, so many earnign large salaries with very little to prove on long contracts, replace them with a kid looking to prove himself but then they go and get 5 yr deals and the cycle continues or will it with a lot more English kids coming through..?. Where is the passion to pull on that red shirt and run through a brick wall cos you wanna win or more to the point because you don’t want to lose..??
well, the warning signs have been here virtually all season. i go back to our actual performances on the pitch – last night was far from a one-off and our advertised style of play is being seen less and less frequently. that indicates – as i see – that we are headed in the wrong direction wrt playing squad and tactics.
I know we were hampered by the stadium but what does it say about us as a team that we are hoping we get a top class player from the youth team.
True Talk WATH!
What is the point of sending Ramsey on loan to get fit and he only played 3games and he is back at Arsenal and hasn’t played a single game.
I would think it is games like yesterday that you use to make unfit players fit.
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Well Wenger might back his players in the public eye but i am sure he will let his players know in the dressing room.
Concerning this players i think Wenger’s last five selection without playing most of them(e.g Ebue, AA, Charmack, Bendtner, Rosicki ) has made this player feel dejected and feel like a second teamer. This might have affected their level of commitment and unfortunately having two poor performances will not improve their opportunities either.
Wenger needs to get very clever with the rotation, he should do it in a way as not to make some players feel left out.
Wenger should remember that this players are spoilt pre-Madonnas who needs to be pampered . As a fan if pampering will make AA , Vela Bendtner start doing what the know how to do best (Lightning Shots, Good ball control and headers, Smart flicking goals respectfully, then pampering it is so we can at least win Carling Cup.
What it means Will is that we have a manager who preches prudent spending BUT who won’t even spend what we have available…!. Anyone would think the way he goes on we want the club in 100million debt due to players purchases, what we are merely saying is spend the 50million thats in the bank stop penny pinching and put the quality on the pitch rather than cash in the bank yet if he buys he seems to think thats his project youth failed and he’s wrong so I think his ego won’t allow him to spend..!.
i hate to use this team but the players of Man Utd know, if they don’t perform, they are sold and someone else is brought in. We don’t have that fear in the players so they can just go through the motions.
morning sd…i am not so sure arsene will have a private go at any of the players. he should – several of them (eboue, nik, denilson, arshavin) were a disgrace to the shirt last night. i have seen nothing from arsene, however, to suggest to me that he will do anything. accurate or not, he gives the impression he tolerates these types of performances and “efforts”
i think the players are pampered – and it does not appear to be working. i am not saying he needs to publicly embarrass anyone, but some tough love and harsh reality is surely the way to go here.
wath, that his how arsene spins these things. when he gets questioned about the lack of quality and experience investment in the squad, he covers by suggesting that spending on such players will upset the balance, that we will not get value for money, that competition will actually hurt the existing players. too many accept these words at face value without examining the fallacies in these arguments – but this is how he justifies and covers his reluctance to invest.
Sd. certain players always need a hug or to be pampered but not 11 of them and even then the pampered ones also need a rocket up their arses from time to time, if you don’t perform as work you get sacked this lot get 50k a week and we’re told the poor little mites are tired…. Do me a favour…!
As you say Oliver far to many fall for his bull…. Noone wants us in debt to buy players we can’t afford but we can most certainly afford players with 50million in the bank it would just upset the apple cart for him to admit he needs to buy…!
Gotta shoot will try pop on lata…!
Hi stranger, just as i pop back, WATH goes 🙁
When was the last time we played beautiful football at a constant level?
For me, 2004. Now it is tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, tippy tap, lose ball.
Well i think we should take it easy now,
We beat Chelsea, gave MAn city a scare and beat Birmingham City we are still there guys and Wenger needed to play this guys , they were getting rusty on the bench.
NOw if he can get a good mix right we should beat West Ham comfortably.BUt i am afraid that West Ham will suddenly fancy their chances.
By the way Opson will not be allowed to leave West Ham but he might leave in the summer.
Let us Chillax , Fabregas and Walcott needs a rest and please tell Wenger to never Rest Chamach again.
It’s boring tippy tap too but i cannot see it changing under Arsene Wenger….
SD, West Ham have seen how to beat us, kick it over the top.
I agree Rico, there is no dynamics to our play. Everyone wants the ball to feet. No one will do a Bobby, Freddie or Thierry and run forward off the ball.
we put in 2 performances against the chelski and citeh and you start to believe that we are getting closer to the finished article….then leeds and ipswich, so frustrating! and wenger can try and rectify it during the window but won’t….
The City performance didn’t mmake me believe. I know I keep going on about them but do you think that City team would have been able to keep out Paddy, Denis, Thierry, Freddie and Pires?
Will, we are so predictable, we made it easy for City to do what they came to do, and sadly I think ipswich and Leeds will be able to do the same – we all keep saying and its true, we need a plan b to beat the bus…
Like ive said before, i couldnt care less if this means hoof the ball and take the direct route to goal, let chamakh or Theo be on the end of that ball…
Well done Will!
That was how we use to play, Henry running like flash on the left and Freddie Lumberg on the right and Bobby waiting in the centre for that killer pass from Pires or Viera.
This use to send Defenders crazy because they wouldn’t know who to attack , Henry usually gets the ball anyways because he has already ran past everybody just chilling waiting for the ball he will eventually score.
Gone are those days and this present set has almost made us forget with their dreamy passes.
I need to get me some old Arsenal DVDs man. Maybe Wenger need to play some old DVDs for this players.
I am talking just 2000 – 2004 not that old even.
colin, city didn’t convince me either if just reiterated what i just wrote….
SD – i think we need to swap Theo around, if wenger won’t play him as a striker, why not try him on the left, let him try and emulate the player who’s number is on his back…..
We play a game that is too slow and allows teams to “park the bus” and then just hoof it behind our defenders knowing the panic it will cause.
No point in playing those dvd’s to this current crop, the ones who can already do it, do – the rest will never be able to…..
the arsenal team you’re talking about would have this league sewn up by now….
I agree Colin, we would have walked this league.
WAO! What happened to WENGER ?
SD Whats happened??
Oh, you mean why has he become Ebenezer…. 🙂
hiya rico…plenty of frustration and emotion here, all warranted. now i see cesc’s comments about a “long ball or rugby kick”. while the media is certainly hyping up the rugby angle to generate headlines, this smacks of sour grapes, helps nothing, and makes our captain look like a spoiled, whining baby. ipswich were the better side last night, they fully deserved to win. the long ball unhinged our defence time and time again – why wouldn’t ipswich stick to it? why did we not try anything to stop/counter it? but we are morally superior because we prefer to play the ball on the ground? is that how it works?
He really has a problem now.
No i meant that he has changed so much.
chamack is good with his head,therefore a non tippy-tappy outlet…mix it up a bit? he has been behind bendtner last few games…why? he p1sses all over bendtner!!
hey oliver – i can understand why so many of us are frustrated/angry too and comments like that from cesc are way out of order…
were ipswich dirty? No
did they really play the long ball? no
Did they win? Yes
Did we lose? Yes….
Like your post said, ipswich played better than us and deserved their lead going into the next leg – and i’ll tell you now, we will struggle to break them down again, UNLESS wenger plays the same side that faced chelsea…..
And now everyone knows how to beat us.
good debate. i left all my comments on early doors 😉
GK – Chesney Fabianski
RB – Sagna/Eboue
CH’s – TV/Kos/UPSON JD/Bartley/Miguel
LB’s – Clichy/Gibbs/Cruise
Creative – Cesc/Ramsey/Lansbury/Nasri/Jack/Chuks
Defensive – Song/Frimpong/Eastmond/Randall
2nd strikers – AA/RvP
CF’s – Theo/Afobe Chamakh/JET
their defender delaney is already sayting they will park the bus in the second leg. i am not entirely sure that jewell will want to do that, but they are halfway to the final, so it is difficult to see any scenario where they don’t try to keep it tight and frustrate us. and we are definitely susceptible to frustration when things do not go right for us.
no disrespect to ipswich, but there is no way we should be in this situation right now. if we cannot turn this around in the second leg, we will have squandered a massive opportunity…we will hear more and more about how these players cannot go the distance, and it will bode poorly for our form and confidence for the reminder of the season…
Darn it, sorry kelsey, i meant to bring your comment over, I’ll go get it now 🙁
kelsey says:
January 13, 2011 at 7:28 am (
Morning all.
Good morning.
Where to start ? Firstly a limp excuse from Wenger that we have to many games in succession .That was a diabolical team performance,and I stress the word team.When you follow Arsenal fervently as many of us do,one can usually predict the way the game will most probably pan out after only 10 minutes,as was the case tonight and on several other occasions recently.
Where was the urgency and motivation to win the game and secure a place in a final, even if it is only the C.C..Ipswich stifled our game as did Leeds and City.Passes went astray, there was no fluidity in any moves of note and when it gets to the point that one can’t even be bothered to watch the dross from the team i have supported for many a year,one has to accept that we have real problems within the squad,and that includes our captain who is partly just going through the motions.there is an arrogance running through the team and at the same time one senses a couldn’t care less attitude if we win or not.No point in picking out individuals performances,they were all pretty poor and WestHam, Leeds and even Ipswich is the return leg,will not be losing any sleep having to play us.A disappointing night would be an under statement.
Good players don’t suddenly turn into bad ones but there are noticeable exceptions who just simply aren’t of Arsenal standard.I hope this gets through to you Mr.Wenger.Barcelona must be quacking in their boots.
Sorry if this should have waited until the new post goes up,but i had to get it off my chest.
kelsey says:
January 13, 2011 at 7:36 am
I have been as polite as possible 🙂
Love to see the player ratings from someone as for me not one player rose above a 6 going down to 1(just for turning up ) 😉
kelsey, how many would you give just 1 out of 10 ….
Cesc has made us and him look classless. Or in other words, Tottenham.
will, agreed. his comments bring shame upon our club, the position of captain, and cesc himself. if he is still seething, the first thing he should do is look in the mirror. if he cannot do that, don’t make any public comments, stay off twitter, do whatever he needs to do to keep himself from dragging our club down to this level…
Hands up, who, every time the ball was hoofed over shouted “Don’t let it bounce”?
Will, oliver, spot on, my thoughts on that are for tomorrow…..
for now, i’m off for the day…
WATH, hope you pop back soon, we have all missed you 😉
Night all and thanks for another good day here in the House…
eboue,denilson and arshavin all get 1 out of 10 for different reasons.
goodnight all.
morning….
new post up