Morning all.
First up, a big well done to Europe in the Ryder Cup, they absolutely battered the Americans and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Nothing quite like spanking the Yanks!
We need more goals don’t we, many more goals. It’s all well and good talking after a game about how we had 70% or more possession but goals win football matches, not keep ball.
After Jack Wilshere scored against Manchester City, his first since January he said:
Naturally I want to go forward more. In Arsenal’s formation it’s nice to play forward and in the England one it’s different. I’m happy to play either way.
I want to score more goals and my goalscoring record hasn’t been good enough. In the formation we play I should be scoring more goals. We play with one holding and two going forward and I’m the one who gets forward.
That hasn’t quite happened yet.
On Saturday, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain nabbed our equaliser and guess what, yep, he wants to score more goals:
I’d like to [score more but] it’s easier said than done. I told my dad before the game that the law of average said I’d missed enough chances so surely it was time to score.
I’m really happy to get off the mark but it’s something I want to improve on.
It’s something I feel I have the potential to do better so I’ll be working on that but it’s important that I do my other role in the team too defensively and trying to create for others.
It’s nice to get a goal today and it’s contributed to a good point but I will be trying to get more.
Not too many years ago, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires were always popping up in the area at the right time and would often contribute with goals, in fact between them, they scored 134!
Where are our midfield contributions, where are the goals from the two front wide men? In fact are our goals full stop?
As Oxlade-Chamberlain says, we as a team should be scoring a lot more goals than we do and it’s not as if we don’t have the quality of players is it?
And don’t get me started on corners and free kicks. Wenger has said this about set-pieces:
It’s a concern, we have lots of room for improvement and we need to do that quickly.
This issue is hardly something new is it, over the last 4/5 years we could probably count the amount of goals scored on one hand as we really are poor and why we keep lumping the ball into the area in hope it finds one of our under tall players I don’t know. If Mertesacker can’t get his head on one of them, it’s unlikely anyone else will.
Why not try something different?
Now that would be novel…
The Sun newspaper claims Aaron Ramsey will be out for six weeks! Let’s hope not eh….
That’s it for today, have a good one all…
Morning, good report rico. Interesting how many goals those midfielders got!
Thanks Andrew..
We need someone to step up like Ramsey did last season. Santi is another who should be scoring more imo..
Don’t you just love how sporting golfers are, there respect and honesty? They even call penalty’s on themselves should a ball move. Imagine footballers telling linesman they got the last touch. In fact they tell linesman lies practically every throw. Why do we allow it. If every player blatently cheating was reviewed on video and suspended for claiming a touch and lying, we could eradicate it immediately. And as for shirt tugging at corners, its pathetic the look of innocence as players say ‘what me, I had my hands in the air’. Lyers and cheats, nice to watch nicer sportsmen for the weekend.
Do I dare suggest we are missing Oliver Giroud?
Tin hat being reached for right now…. lol
Couldn’t agree more Andrew. Mind you, when OC tried to own up re that handball against Chelsea, he wasn’t believed…
Perhaps the ref thought Gibbs would be a greater loss for us..
I could never understand why the ref didn’t believe him or at least consult, rather than be a right plonker. I was away at the time so never saw what the press said? Surely you would take a players word on something like this, because had he lied, he could have been given an extra five match ban for bringing game into disrepute.. But then lies and cheating are accepted as part of the game I suppose!
It should never have been a sending off in the first place as the shot was going wide…
Santi would score more if he played more. A player who’s on the bench more than I’d like. You would like to think he will get his chance now
Good point Nickie.. lol
Santi & Rosicky will surely play more now, as hopefully will OC..
I have long thought that the lack of goals from our wide players is due to the much fabled short pitch training we do . The players are encouraged to pass the ball rather than shoot and we see this paralleled in our play . From the stands behind the goal , often a gap appears and you can see a shot is on but the player tries to thread a pass through the eye of a needle and the chance goes. Against Spurs the two efforts from Chambers were refreshing but I dare say he might well receive a whisper about chancing his arm from 30 yards when at least 3 or four passes were potentially available. If he and others were to adopt this practice more often managers that study our play would have to tell their defenders to close the space between the shooter and the goal and in doing so create space for the passes which our manager so obviously preaches. It might actually result in more goals for us and isn’t that the purpose of the game.
Good point Potter,
The pre-game training is always the same aswell, no variation what so ever. Chambers strikers the ball well, would have loved that to fly in for him and us. For all the attacking talent we have there is a huge lack of penetration, it’s not clicking.
I suppose Wenger ‘will’ have to rotate now…
Strange how two players who were rested in midweek, suffer muscle strains?!
Are we cursed?
Is it preparation?
Should the injury problem have been addressed years ago??
Why is it Chelsea don’t suffer these same problems?
I fear that Sunday will seem like a rabbit trying to stop a freight train….We are the rabbit
Good comment Potter, totally agree re Chambers, loved seeing him take the bull by the horns.
You are right though, he’ll have the same words whispered which Rosicky did so many seasons ago..
Crazy!
Kev, my own theory is it’s dietary… Too much protein and not enough carbs, bulk food to keep them strong…
They should eat more Linda McCartney burgers. That’d sort ’em out.
had more than a dozen corners on sat can covert any with the injury mounting i would settle 4 a draw on sunday
Want to score more goals? How about get a world class striker! Henry and RvP were world class and they scored for fun against anyone. We dont have a player like that.
Want to score more goals from midfield? Buy midfielders that also score goals. Fabregas is one such player, Lampard another example and is still doing it. In 2009/10 Fabregas scored 19 for us himself!
Now, if we had both Costa and Fabregas in our side right now, do you think we would be asking ourselves who is going to score the goals?
Sanchez was an outstanding purchase because although he isnt always going to be an out and out striker, he will score a lot also from other positions. This cannot be underestimated. All players should be able to shoot and score with confidence when they put themselves in good attacking positions. Otherwise, it should be seen as a weakness and something to develop. Or pass on the player.
But we have who we have right now Roger, and they should be able to score more goals…
Yes, we have who we have now Rico.
But the logic does not follow that they should be able to score more goals.
They try, but what we have is not necessarily what we need to score goals.
I would rather the strikers from City, Chelsea, Utd … all ahead of Giroud/Welbeck/Sanogo. Fact.
I’m not I agree Roger, I am convinced we’d score more, a lot more if players starting shooting more instead of having to play the boring AW way. Adam pointed out after the game on Saturday, OC gets the equaliser and then he was barely involved in the play..
There is something stopping this team and I don’t think it’s the players…
And, I’m sure there are plenty of players all over the leagues that we would prefer to have playing for Arsenal than some of whom we have but right now we can’t have them.
Guess I am just keeping things real, and sadly, reality is, we have the players we have and just with different guidance/tactics, they could do a whole lot better… imo
I guess I disagree then Rico. To me, we have a lot of quality and I like our tactics for large parts of the game, which we controlled (Im rarely talking about our defending in this case). But we missed the attacking precision, the player beating players, the sharp shot, the short backlift, the half chances on target, the opportunities that are created intuitively. This has very little to do with Wengers tactics, this is creating a chance as a circumstance presents itself, in the flash of an eye and making things happen. Welbeck is ok, but he is not going to do that like Henry or RvP did for us. Or like Suarez last year, or Aguero or… [add top player here].
Tactically, we tried the wings, we tried the centre, we moved the ball across the field… so at least we mixed it up against Spurs and we not too predictable. But tell me then, practically what would you have changed with Wengers tactics on Sat? I dont mean personnel – I mean tactics.
The main one is playing Ozil central Roger, against such an average Spurs side, he may just have done to them what he did against Villa..
And what have they worked on for corners, is it his plan for the players to just hoof the ball to no-one in the box? We don’t have too much height, so why not do something different, play the ball out on the ground for someone to unleash a shot might work every once in a while but as said before, we have to pass our way through, around and in the penalty area all the time….
I would play Ozil through the centre too personally. On the other hand, Ozil played very well again I thought. But aside from this, if we are mostly talking about Ozil left or centre, why doesnt everyone just say this, instead of decrying all of Wengers tactics.
I mean, I decry his tactics defensively against the big teams, and I decry his transfer strategy), but against Spurs, I saw a lack of finishing quality and natural goal scoring instinct, rather than a failure of tactics.
he has no idea what’s going wrong on set pieces and defending in general, no idea why there are so many injuries – Considering how long these same issues have plagued the club he’s not very good this guy is he really
Personally I hate short corners (except for once in a while as a surprise). Whip it in there Beckhamesque and cause havoc. Ozil and Sanchez were floating in these dollys that give the keeper and defence time to attack the ball. This is not tactics. This should be bread and butter for professional players at this level. Hope Wenger makes them a sandwich.
Roger, I have been saying it, most here have and ever since Ozil signed…
Oz, I thought AW was talking about our set-pieces, not the ones we defend, although we are pretty poor with both…
Good Afternoon Rico and All. NIce Post Rico.
But what really caught my eyes was your comment.
“There is something stopping this team and I don’t think it’s the players…”
Conspiracy Theory?? or some thing else?
I’ve meant to say the same thing but have no proof to back it up. But think of it, why wouldn’t AW buy players that we need to make us winnable again like the first time? The players are out there and he knows very well that this squad is thin and can’t compete in all front, yet he refused to add bodies on the team. Is the money not there so ‘HE’ make do or being told not to spend but keep what he has?
I really don’t see how we’re going to win the EPL or UEFA League with this squad? I begin to lost faith in AW when he refused to complement Ozil with a world class Striker in that same very obvious transfer window.
I blame SK.
Nice post rico.
Wonder what lack of preparation and tactics we can expect this weekend?
Never been less confident of getting something from a game.
Roger, I didn’t really mean short corners, just a ball along the ground to a player outside the box who shoots… Not every time of course but try something different…
Rico 1:36, saying what exactly, (im missing the context)
Afternoon Ng/Lewis, thanks…
I blame AW and SK, one for being so lacklustre in the TW and the other for allowing it to go on…
Lewis, so you don’t think AW will be going through all his plans with the players as we type…. lol
Short corners..
Point is Roger in Wenger’s world possession of the ball is his holy grail and his tactics reflect it . This is why post match he purrs about the 70 odd % where we controlled the game. Against Spurs it was our downfall . Mertesacker could have played that ball anywhere on the pitch but had he played it long it would be a 50/50 chance of losing it. Instead as instructed he plays a 10 yard pass to Flamini who is facing his goal then,miscontrols and gives the ball away. At the other end we build up with short passing moves and allow the defence to drop back and form a barrier for us to get through. By it’s very nature a shot on goal speculative or not has a greater percentage chance of losing the ball and so the players are encouraged to find a pass before they take the option to shoot . The delay in doing so is why chances go and we end up often having the ball on the edge of the penalty area and some 5 passes later are back in our own half.. We are easy to defend against as I am afraid Mourinho will prove yet again this weekend. Football is a game of guile and movement we have the guile but do not move quick enough and I don’t just mean sprint speed . The constant passing is slower than a 20 yard pass to a man running into a gap. So many times I have seen players blessed with pace make a run and have to stop and go back onside because the ball was played inside on a safety first basis rather than risk a harder pass. The last player that used to look for those type of passes was Cesc. Ozil could do it if the Ox, Sanchez and Welbeck were allowed to take the chance and speculate which of course is well known to be the way to accumulate.
Hey Potter, we did control the game, we did have enough possession, we had enough chances, we should have had more chances, and we shouldve had more shots on target. But sorry, we didnt score more goals because we dont have the kinds of players who know how to instinctively shoot (sanchez excepted). The buildup to attacks was fine to get into promising areas, then the magic needs to happen from the creative players and powerful attackers. Costa wouldve just busted in there. Henry in his day wouldve glided in. RvP wouldve ghosted in with his timing and instant strikes. There is little wrong with general buildup play in my view. It is simply about clinical shooting and chance making – and that is little about tactics – that is natural and is quality. I dont believe at all Wenger tells player NOT to shoot. I do agree I want more shots when half chances present themselves, but many have pretty poor shooting skills – Wilshire, Ozil, Rosicky have a pretty average strike, Chamberlain, Cazorla not so much better… Sanchez -awesome. Welbeck? Improvements needed.
Second, Its nonsense to think Wenger ‘instructs’ senior players like Merts to play dodgy passes to Flamini. It was a bad pass, it was bad control. It was a players mistake, not the managers.
I do agree to speed up the passing
And I am worried about our defensive strategy (and defensive player availability) against Chelsea. Ill be amazed if we win.
The instruction is not to play a bad pass but to keep the ball , on a fair day with a better recipient it would not have happened but it did. As far as our players shooting is concerned all of them know where the goal is , all of them took shots when they came through but now look for the pass.That’s a tactical decision that comes from the top.
Thats doubtful Potter. Wilshere, Rosicky, Chamberlain – none have ever scored more than 3 in a season. Ozil, scores very few (only once 9 for Real). Santi’s best scoring season was with Arsenal. Welbeck never scored 10 in a season… So no, they are not natural goalscorers (or are still developing), thats the main reason we dont score enough goals!
They all have the ability to shoot in their armoury , were they encouraged to do so they might just surprise us all.
Potter. Did you say yesterday that you thought two heavy defeats in our next two games might see Wenger leave?
Hi all,
Dreading Chelsea.
We could get something against the Turks at home, but Chelsea away will murder us.
The lack of physical strength, and speed of moving the ball makes us to predictable. We have too many players not performing to the best of their ability. Watching us labour vs Everton and Leicester was painful. The scum could have beaten us and we were lucky their finishing is as bad as ours. If you look at our goal, Welbeck missed the ball altogether and landed on his arse which presented the Ox with a smash n grab.
Flamini and Arteta slow us down anyhow. If i was the boss Id play a very negative side against Chelsea to keep the score respectable.
Chez
Bellerin Mert Kos Gibbs
chambers flamini (neither going pass halfway line)
Sanchez(being greedy and going for glory on his own) Diaby(staying central breaking play hoof ball) Le Coq (kicking it out into the stands every opportunity)
Welbeck (goalhanging)
This way a 2-3 nil defeat is easier than the 6 they put past us. The thought of Cesc cuting us open and Costa getting put clean with just flamster to stop him…scares the sh out of me.
We will be lucky to score. Sanchez or maybe a countrer attack on 70 by welbeck.
This is not a game for Ozil cazorla or rosicky(he’d get sent off here)
Evening all…
Adam/Potter, bring on two defeats then….
Rico. Be careful what you wish for. 🙂
🙂 Adam – someone here told us that yesterday…
Rico. Things will no doubt run their natural course. 🙂
I dread to think what state we will be in by then Adam….
However, we will have plenty of money in the bank…. 😉
Kev and I had one of those “What if” chats on the phone earlier Rico.
Adam, “what if” Arsene was to do one?….I hope
Evening BT. That was the essence of our chat actually.
Evening Adam, i suspected as much…
http://www.livesoccertv.com/news/11634/ … don-derby/
Interesting debate beginning to take off . I know that many in block 10 were convinced that it was in.
Potter We saw that. It was in front of us and it really looked over but we thought that the technology was infallible so guessed it was an optical illusion. Blimey.
Evening Bt..
I thought it was in too…. Mind you, SS’s said it wasn’t…
As did we Adam , maybe Hawkeye is not able to reset itself quickly enough after it has taken the first shot.
Potter. Surely it must be a continuous spooling recording?
If they only went by the GLT on the first shot /save then they would say so. Have they got lazy too and totally rely on Hawkeye ? . In the past they would have shown a myriad of different angles but on this occasion it was totally ignored.
Adam I don’t know , not my field of expertise but those pictures certainly raise an eyebrow or two.
I agree.
Evening Rico,Potter, certainly raises a few questions regarding reliability. Surely they have the ability to review all the relevant material, but would they have honesty to admit it was wrong?…
I was watching the game on TV and certainly thought it was in….was waiting for the whistle to come for the goal but never did. How about they admit the mistake and we go from + on the weekend?:)
Sorry, nipped off to get the hens in bed and nab a bit of dinner – cheese on toast tonight, bit of a rush… 😉
I’m off guys, catch up tomorrow…
Night all…
Night Rico……
Arsenal u19s v Galatasaray u19s, live and free on Arsenal Player October 1st
K.O. 2pm U.K. Time…
Just seen a story suggesting Kosser out of Wednesdays match…
Morning all.
We blame Merts and Flamini for the conceded goal.
Look at a replay.
Gibbs was slowly jogging back.
Kozzer never pressured the player who laid the final pass even though he should have.
Not one player at fault, but 4, and how anyone could blame tactics for that is beyond me.
World class striker me we won 3 or 4-1.
Tactics were fine, finishing let us down and that was absolutely obvious, so please, blame Wengers tactics when they are the actual reason.
Blame Wenger for not signing a WC striker and that would at least be relevant here.
As for the “no goal”, it was a goal in real time, and a goal when we saw the still shot later.
There were no television replays at all shown of the second or two after the initial save when the ball did actually clear the line.
Funny that.
Another one?
I will post tomorrow somethng
First, Galatasary. Then Chelsea. Our season can be decide in 3 days in early October.
Tomorrow, I think Pardew will be sacking…
yes, my question was not when the goalkeeper defended, but then when defended against the post (?) if this time has not passed the line.
And this stage, they not show.
So called arsenal fans want arsenal to lose the next 2 games just because they are deluded in believing that its enough for Wenger to be sacked.
An arsenal fan may hate Wenger but they don’t want arsenal to lose.
Scott am I wrong to get so angry when I see Arsenal fans hope we lose on the off chance Wenger would be sacked.
Joe, no true fan ever wants us to lose mate.
I wouldn’t waste my time stressing over muppets like that.
JM, I have seen a replay of the game and various highlight packages, and not once does the film roll on after the Initial save.
Scott the sickening thing is Rico did it at @5.15
Scott I watched it on Arsenal iplayer was able to stop it when it is quite clear the ball had crossed the line.
Before things get out of hand ,all I said was that there were rumours flying around that should we lose both games badly he might walk . At no point did I suggest that it was a scenario that I favoured. I may and in fact do believe that Wenger has run his course but I only ever want to see the team on the pitch win matches.
That out of the way :- I am not fully in favour of the passing game as you may suspect , I think too much emphasis is put on possession and I believe that it gets in the way of our attacking flair players. I want to see them have the shackles taken off and allowed to use their natural abilities and I want to see a system created to utilise the best of both ways ,and most of all I want to see The Arsenal be as successful as possible. My point about Tottenham’s goal was not that Mertesecker and Flamini were to blame per se but the system of playing out from the back was at fault . Szczesney should have played it long .
Gjoe, rico was one of Arsene’s staunches supporters this summer, truth is Arsene Wenger can’t even do a good impression of Arsene Wenger anymore and to bite the hand that feeds you when others knock you daily on your views is pretty stupid imo !!! still each to their own.
As for Arsene, he’s unsackable, end of……………
Micko and potter I don’t care if people want Wenger out as Micko says that people can have stupid views.
But what really gets me going is when arsenal fans? Want arsenal to lose just so leads to the hope Wenger gets the sack.
GJoe, you are right, Rico did suggest such a sickening thing at 5.15…
Tbh, I really do not know how any ‘real’ Afsenal fan, such as yourself, can stomach such an attitude or view.
In fact, if you are true to your staunch support of Arsene Wenger, how on earth could you ever consider coming onto to such a simply disgusting blog as Highbury House again.
Therefore, I don’t expect to see you on here again (who could blame you) and I’ll bid you a fond farewell….
Bye….
Scott, do you remember the way Arsenal played when you saw that shambles at Stamford Bridge last season….
You was there, despite the buzz you got from seeing Arsenal in the flesh, didn’t it cross your mind at the time, that the misgivings of many on here, actually had some substance?!!!
6-0 mate, 6 fucking 0….
It wasn’t a one off was it mate, it keeps on happening and fuck all seems to be done about it on the training field.
Doesn’t that concern you mate, because it fucking concerns me….
If Arsenal lose this weekend Scott, we’ll be 9 points behind Chelsea, and it’ll be early October…
Why aren’t the defensive deficiencies sorted out?
Why are we still waiting for a proper def-mid after some 6 years?
Why wasn’t Vermaelen replaced?
Why have we gone into another season with a squad that is clearly not strong enough and lacks depth?
Why do we have millions in the bank and are struggling to pick a squad for Galatasaray?
Why is the atmosphere at the Emirates like the long lingering death of a favourite relative?
Bit harsh on Gjoe though Kev, and the answer to your questions to Scott all come back to a complacency that runs through the board room to the dressing room. If you can convince the supporters that 4th place is your yardstick , why should the players strive for anything more.
So Kev I have to conform to the view that its a good thing that Arsenal lose so that Wenger will get the sack but the fack I don’t.
Now as this is rico’s site she can block me from posting if she wants.
As the are many posters on this site who hold the view that it is strange that someone that calls them salves Arsenal fans but still want their team to lose.
By the way Kev if we do lose the next two games I hope you enjoy the results and wheather I post on this site won’t be up to you. It’s Rico’s but if it is good bye to you to.
By the way I see your trying convince Scott that your view that it is good thing thatArsenal should lose is the only view that any one should have good luck with that.
Fact is I don’t
Potter thanks
Maybe Rico’s comment was tongue in cheek? Just a thought….
Just as calling someone’s view stupid is moronic….
Rose tinted all the way!
Morning Rico, Lee, Kev and all. Obviously Rico’s comment was made tongue-in-cheek. We have a bit of banter on here, everyone knows that. So calling her words “sickening” is way, way out of order.
It’s the spelling, grammar and punctuation that get to me. 🙂
Oh dear, did I miss popping a 😉 after one of my comments…
I won’t lose any sleep over it though..
Morning Adam, Lee and all….
Morning Rico. 🙂
Football is full of surprises, and one huge surprise is Chelsea v Arsenal. Arsenal will beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and hey guys don’t laugh this off…. I’ve already put my money on it.
Lovely mild morning Adam. Just been out to feed and clean the hens, it’s lovely out there…
kene. It would be nice if that happened.
I admire your confidence Kene, I’d take 1-1 right now….
Me too Rico. I just walked into the garden to clear my head and the Sun is gently doing its thing, bathing me in a golden glow. For a moment I thought I looked like the God Apollo but Mrs Adam didn’t agree. 🙂
Hammersmith Apollo………
I have a feeling it will, Adam. Last season Man U fans fought and clawed out Moyes and what has become of them? Wenger is not daft, he will change tactics against Chelsea.
Lee. 🙂
🙂 Adam but I think Lee is perhaps closer to the real image … lol
Cruel once again Rico? 🙂
I must stop being so rotten Adam… lol
Where I am concerned I don’t think you can Rico. 🙂
I don’t know what you mean Adam lol
Morning All…
Morning Rico, Lee, Adam, Kene et al…
Rico, you little tinker, upsetting everyone with your outrageous views.
Even Potter was having a go, I thought for a moment that he was gonna ‘offer me out’.. 😉
Kev. We all know you are just a naturally disruptive kinda guy. 🙂
Morning Kev, I have been called that before on more than one occasion.. 😉
Someone called me a Toad once.
A posh girl it was.
I where my tag of Toad with immense pride Adam. 🙂
I just wish that I had the sapphire mince pies to go with it…
Can’t think who that would have been Adam….. The posh bit threw me… lol
Wear 🙄
Lata
Ah the sapphire minces! Us girls can only dream…….
Never been a fighter Kev , I wouldn’t even offer to hold a coat :- Pistols at dawn ? only if I can get the alarm to work..
Arsenal F.C fan or Arsene Wenger fan that’s the question.
I always had Potter down a lover not a fighter…..bit like brudder Adam!
What exactly is a ‘fan’ anyway?
Brudder. I was once described in a magazine gossip column as an “itinerant lover” which I thought was rather accurate at the time.
A machine for producing airflow, often for cooling
A Bollywood film starring Shahrukh Khan?
Not everyone get’s the toad label you know… 😉
Only one answer Lee…
Hope Sporting Lisbon set a beast onto Costa… lol
You should feel honoured to have that handle Adam.
I am Lee. The magazine in question was What Moron Monthly.
Not “Dickhead Weekly?”
That’s the problem Kane.Wenger is daft,he won’t change tactics against chelshit
Nine in defence and one hoof ball to Welbeck to nick a 1-0 Sukky… 😉
Lee/Adam, surely it would have to be a daily paper to keep up? 😉
New post up now….