Daily Bits and Bobs

Going overboard with Perez. Koscielny full of praise for one man…

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

A few youtube videos watched, perhaps thrown in with checking wiki for stats, a re-run or two of a couple of Deportivo matches and the whole world, well, the internet is going bonkers over the new boy Lucas Perez. Poor chap, not only will he be reading in the newspapers/blogs about how he will play, where he will play and when but even Sky Sports, ESPN and other media outlets seem to have an opinion too. I’ll admit, I’ve never seen him in action and I haven’t a clue how his career will go at Arsenal.

Comparisons are being made to Ian Wright, probably only because he’s signed at a similar age, others compare him to Vardy, why I don’t know but I suspect that’s purely based on Arsene Wenger trying to sign the Englishman earlier in the summer, or maybe it’s because Perez has a bit of pace and apparently, isn’t afraid to run at defenders.

Talk about lumping pressure on a player, just leave the bloke alone I say and let him settle in England first. Give him a few games, see what he’s like and then either get excited, or have concerns…. Same with Shkodran Mustafi, let’s give them time and not put so much pressure on them from the off.

Saying that, Laurent Koscielny is full of praise for his new defensive team-mate Rob Holding:

I think he has the quality to play for Arsenal. If he signed for us it is because he has all the qualities of a defender to play for Arsenal. He is young, but he is at the age where you need the experience and you need to play and focus on your job.

I think Rob did well [against Leicester]. He is still young but you can see during the game he was focused on his job and technically he is good with the ball and defensively he is strong. It was easy for me to play with him on the pitch. For centre backs it is very important to communicate well and we did. It was good for his first game.

He wants to give all of himself on the pitch but sometimes you need to be calmer, be focused on you position and on the pitch with your team-mates. Maybe I can give him this experience during the season.

The good old communication thing is something Arsenal have lacked for a long time now. That together with real leadership qualities on the pitch.

Back when Arsene Wenger took over as manager, it was easy for him because he inherited a back five who not only had been playing together for a long time, but all were English so there were no communication problems in defence. Same with Lehmann, Lauren and Toure who could all speak English as they worked together with Cole and Campbell. All of course knew their job too and performed to a very high level week in week out because they were quality, top quality players.

Since then though it’s all been a bit mix, match and make do. Well, certainly when it comes to the goalkeeping situation and signing players like Squillaci, Silvestre etc and who can forget Nelson Vivas, Oleg Luzhny, Igors Stepanovs, Stathis Tavlaridis.

Vermaelen was very good but once he’d played at left-back, he was never the same again. Gallas was good too, although I’d have much rather he’d stayed at Chelsea and Cole had stayed at Arsenal.

But in came Mertesacker, and together with Laurent Koscielny they sort of steadied the ship and although the big fella gets slower each season, he’s a reader of the game. Shame his body doesn’t react as quick as his brain… Monreal is solid at left-back and Bellerin, well he’s good but there’s plenty of room for improvement. Petr Cech is perhaps the best goalkeeper Arsene Wenger has ever signed, at last!

Now of course we have Mustafi and Holding, both who will hopefully prove to be super signings and Perez too who maybe, just maybe, make the number 9 shirt good again.

Anyway, enough of my rambling but my point is, finally we have a defence which looks like it could be very good, a midfield which appears strong with the addition of Xhaka and an attacking unit which at last has an alternative option to playing a big man up front on his own..

We are yet to see if everyone gels but one thing is for sure, on paper this squad looks the best it has for a good few years now…

Roll on the weekend so we can all see if it works…..

rico

40 thoughts on “Going overboard with Perez. Koscielny full of praise for one man…”

  1. Le Coq Monster says:

    Thanks Rico !………………..cant wait for the Soton game, seems like an age since Watford …………..hate international football, waiting for an England trophy makes you understand how frustrating it must be for Spud fans waiting for a title ! 😀
    I expect nothing but the destruction of Soton…………. anything less wont be considered a war crime !

  2. kelsey says:

    Morning Rico and Cockie.

    We can’t go overboard on Perez just yet but I am pretty sure that last’s year low level of goals scored,the least since 2002, will be addressed this season.

    I think Mustafi is far more important and that he gets a good run and understanding with Kos though when Pers is back I hope we don’t interchange too much for the vital games.

    I have said it many times that a very good team is based on a solid defence with very few changes during the season.

    We were carved open by Liverpool and in the second half against Watford, and that is our achilles heel, as we have a manager intent on all out attacking most of the time.

    A mixture of both would be good and also the inability to put a game to bed when leading comfortably,has to be addressed IMO but here I worry as I a not sure regardless who we have playing that Wenger will change our predictability in so many games.

    A lot of theories is that he will use Perez as he would have Vardy, but I prefer to wait and see..

  8. rico says:

    Nikki B has joined Forest then…….

    Kelsey, you and me both, judge them when they have played a few games for Arsenal, not by value, wikki, youtube etc etc…..

  9. allezkev says:

    Notice how the Mark Halsey story had just disappeared…

    Not a peep in the Sun, it’s all about Eddie Howe, a nice deflection there…

    As for the other bog rolls known as the British Press – zilch…

    What a shock, what a surprise, how predictable…

  11. Dublingunner says:

    Ye Xhaka sent off, and Giroud missed a sitter, bodes well.
    Afternoon, well said Rico, re post, I rate Mustafi, I think he,ll be a mainstay in the German Side for the foreseeable, I,m still on the fence with Lucas, can,t help thinking it was the fact, we,d run out of Options and Time, that it was a risk Wenger and Walsh for that matter were pushed into, Hope I,m wrong, but fear for one good season, he,s had, playing for a very ordinary side, then to be thrust into a side that will no doubt, expect good things from him, immediately, might just be to much pressure for the guy,

    Another thing we need to do is to keep our foot on the pedal, a big big achilles heel this past few seasons is our inability to finish the damn teams off, City United, Chelsea go 2 or 3 up, you know the game is over, finito, A come back against our lads is inevitable, so frustrating for the fans every season to watch the side collapse when we should,ve been home and dry, I think until that changes we can not expect to win the Title.

    Here,s wishing the lads a good season ahead, but the tiny monsters in my head, can just feel we are in for more of the same shit, we have come to expect. under this manager.

  12. frednerk says:

    Afternoon All
    Looks like Eddie then,with Arsene upstairs?
    Control freak Arsene could get his own way.

    Anyway…Looks like we have a player at last
    who will get stuck in.
    Winners are bred not made,bookings/sendings
    are part of the of this type of player.
    Centre midfield.. Not for pretty boys or poser’s
    Most teams train to play with ten,
    did you see italy the other night.
    Lets hope he learns to be a bit more selective
    when chasing lost balls.
    But we have been after a little nastiness for years
    So lets get behind The Granite X and hope the
    bent Ref’s get the OK from Halsey’s mob.

  13. Obi says:

    Hello All:
    Perez is a very good footballer. And at his age, 27 I think, stage flight would not be an issue. He’s has been a big game performer. I have watched him play a lot… not utube lol. I said it before whennwe got him that if AW gives him a chance and don’t treat him like Campbell, he will be the starting CF and not Giroud, nothing against Giroud, but Perez is that much better.

  14. Obi says:

    Re Kos assessment on Holding, its right on point. The kids focus is excellent, which is the reason I believe he is so much better than Stone. When you watch Stone it looks like he has a problem concentrating.

  15. rico says:

    Afternoon all..

    Dublin, i’m not convinced Perez was a late/panic signing and that’s only because the player said Wenger hs been tracking him since his playing days in Greece….

    Well Obi, at least you’ve watched him so your opinion is good to hear. 🙂

  21. allezkev says:

    Since the arrival of the ‘Greatest striker in the history of football’ at the City Ground, Nottingham, I am really looking forward to the League Cup tie in a week or so…

  31. Wavy says:

    He well still have the no 52 shirt but it won’t be for earning £52,000 per week but, Forest, being the mighty club that they are may pay him£5,200per week! And I’m not convinced he’s worth that, but at least he can his shirt number!
    Score? Unlikely, he only managed to score goals for Brum and a few for Denmark. Mind you I remember his missing a shed load for us! Barn door? He’d miss….by a country mile!

  40. potter says:

    Shocking waste of talent our Nik. Two up front with Lupoli and it worked really well. But then it all went wrong . Lupoli went and Nik got shunted all over the pitch , he never got a settled position or an extended run.

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