Morning Gooners,
I watched the England game last night and it was like watching Arsenal.
Where Arsene Wenger, at every chance he gets tries to tell us that the team have the commitment, team spirit and talent, and all we lack is confidence. Well watching England I could see Roy Hodgson saying the complete same things about his team.
Truth is both sides lack the same thing, they lack what all successful teams have in abundance and that’s being able to play with one another. Successful teams make time on the ball, they work for one another stand shoulder to shoulder, have the desire to fight for everything and above all, the ability to pass the ball to a team mate.
England and Arsenal have won nothing for a good few years now and judging by England’s performance last night and Arsenal form this season, it looks as though it will be some time before they do.
Roy Hodgson said after the game that we held them well in the first half but they made a few changes at half time and came out a different team. Where we had control in the first half we lost it in the second.
When managers come out with things like that, I have to scratch my head and wonder why didn’t he make changes to nullify that new threat from the opposition?
I am no manager but even I could see that Milner and Wellbeck were well below par, but Hodgson did exactly what Wenger does, he leaves the side as it is until after the seventy minute mark before he contemplates a change.
Why though, when you can see players who are not performing, why keep them on the pitch and wait until we concede a goal before making any change? It makes little sense.
I can remember the times when both teams showed proper commitment and tackling was allowed, where certain players made their names through being tough nuts. Men who would do what it took to get that ball, and after he won it he would distribute it to a team mate, then support him as he went forward. Last night I saw players backing off, they would let attackers take a ball forward while they backed off to the edge of their box. At one time, 3 England players tried to block a shot that should have been taken care of 15 yards before the shot came in. England were guilty of marking spaces for corners and free kicks too, just the same as Arsenal and when the ball is delivered, they all wait for someone else to deal with it.
England were guilty of allowing a 1.0 lead to be levelled because of bad defending and goalkeepers don’t help when they parry shots straight back into the danger area – why not get hold of the ball and stop the attack. That’s another error we have witnessed our keeper make this season.
Both Arsenal and England have talented players, but on the field they struggle to play as a team, even with half the Manchester United team on the pitch at some stage in the second half, things didn’t improve. In fact you’d have thought they’d never trained together, let alone played in the same team each week.
I have taken to believe that modern day training comes from the same book and players are coached the same way. Coaches instil in the players certain drills and make them train parrot fashion as all the players seem to perform the same ways. Now and again certain players do their own things, sometimes they work but when they don’t I suspect their managers tear them off a strip after the game.
Modern day football has become boring.
Watching the football be played across the back four over and over again and then back to the keeper, only to start again becomes tedious and both teams were guilty of venturing slowly up the field only to turn round and pass it all the way back to the goalkeeper.
Many people say that the best foot-balling side in the world, Barcelona, are boring to watch, as they to tend to pass the ball around in triangles. They to pass back and play it across the back four but they have quality in their team, players who can burst into action and make things happen. Players who can change the game with just a brilliant piece of skill.
Teams like England and Arsenal and others I must add, tend to play predictable football. Meanwhile, I sit and watch and get more and more frustrated by the predictable game played and I struggle to understand how managers persevere with this kind of football, surely they must get fed up watching it?
As for Stevan Jovetic, on last nights showing, is he worth the £25 million he’s reported to be valued at?
Written by Steve Palmer.
Very interesting read Steve.
I can’t agree or disagree as i never saw the game of which you speak.
Has anyone else got a decent opinion of Jovetic based on other performances, or is he over rated?
25 million…fair enough, but the other big clubs aren’t being mentioned, so Steve may be spot on.
Good morning everyone.
Morning all, I stopped watching England long ago. It’s bad enough watching us most of the time.
Morning all,
That England team is all the too predictable. They look like a long ball team , and at times it was like watching Stoke City.
Where was the world class in that performance. Don’t get me wrong Montenegro didn’t play brilliant football, but on paper, they only boast 3/4 players of premier league quality, and whilst many will disagree,
I don’t think £25 m for Jovetic is worth it. We would be better off raiding QPR for Samba, Remy and Hoilett for £25m.
It’s the coaching down to a T.English clubs lack that brilliance, and every now and then they get a Wilshere/ Gazza type of player who has a swagger and flamboyance so Un-English , if there is such a word. They often get restricted by their coaches, and attract media circus. So we had a Beckham, Italy had and still have a Pirlo. My point is THey are coached into get it out to the full backs-hoof up to your no9, He holds up the ball or tries a brave header. So anti football. What they do well, is defend, though last nights defending for the equalizer made Arsenals defence look like world beaters.
As a youth coach we are encouraged by the FA to teach Under 11’s the English way of the game. Certain drills , certain skills because its the right way.We even get CD’s on it. Like a school Curriculum. One key flaw here, our counterparts globally have learnt that at under 7, and up to 16 are developing and having fun.Our kids are bored sh1tless and are regimented they are not alloowed to naturally express themselves on a pitch and too much focus is stressed on the result. Win at all costs 1-0 hoof ball header. Shouting swearing and as a parent you think wtf? Why would you want your kid exposed to that. All dads become England managers and Typical Mike Bassett.
Then you look at the Spanish kids , who joyfully kick a ball about in 5 vs 5 games in the street. Then at 20 playing for some Rayo vallecano, then you see a Michu pop up and we think, why haven’t we got players like that.
I’m sorry but James Milner is not the standard we need to be on a equal footing here.
When we get happy players on the pith freely expressing their ideas and trying new tricks , managers researching new styles ideas, we won’t see any change.
Nearly men living in the sixties, as the FA is just that.
From U7-U16.
jovetic looked far more dangerous in the second half. having said that, it would apear he was playing role not too dissimilar to santi’, and if i had to choose between the 2 jovetic doesnt come close.
Their have been some reports comparing him to rvp. to them i say. leave the drugs alone!!!
jovetic is a young and intelligent player he has all d ability as a stricker and it will be a great addition to arsenal squad
It sounds like you’re depressed. Simples, if you don’t like watching England or Arsenal do something else. And indeed, you’re no football manager. Not a sportsman of any sorts by the looks of what you’re writing.
Morning all.
Good read Sp.
I too got bored with watching England, so much so I switched off.
Re Jovetic, I truly believed he would batter such a weak defence as England had but he looked lively.
£25 million is a lot of money, but it’s the price of a goal scorer I guess, and he’s doing that for his club.
I just think the amount is crazy…
Hi Rico,
Wouldnt a Cavani or Falcao be a better option? As forJovetic, I actually like the look of Isco, who is probably cheaper.Not to be confused with that dud XIsco lol
How can u assess a player with only one match…d whole team didn’t play well in d first half,even d well known Vucinic…buh he played well in the second half. So if u also assess Messi in d first leg against AC Milan,u’ll say he isn’t good
Is that really necessary John, do you not believe in being free to express one’s views?
Hi George, for sure they would, much better and they both have a far better scoring ration don’t they?
Isco would be great, he soon form his old partnership with Santi..
Morning all,
A good post SP… I like the comparison between England and Arsenal… but it is a bit unfair to say both teams are the same….
At least with Arsenal Gerv tries a step-over and it does not come off whilst with England, its like did we really invert the beautiful game… lol
On Jovetic… he is a no.10 not a striker/poacher so it depends on what you are looking for… but as I prefer another of Dev’s favourite player in Pastore…
We could spend those money better elsewhere and he is going to Milan or Juve according to italian newspapaers.
George, love your post about coaching, but bringing it up has fired me up!!
I have just been to a meeting where the coaches of our junior sides have been told our clubs “professional coach” is taking over the coaching drills of all junior sides……we are merely there to ensure our kids are doing the drills as per his instructions.
This guy is one of the most highly credentialed coaches in Australia-ok, it is only Oz, right, but still!!
Anyway, for the first week, our kids are to spend the entire 45 minute session kicking the ball OUT OF THEIR HANDS to each other.
The second week will be spent doing 45 minutes of kicking the ball between two cones.
The third week….well, passing, controlling then returning the pass between two players.
We have just gone back 2-3 years because the club has brought in an “expert”.
Rant over.
Morning all gunnersphere,
Good post Sp, I wouldn’t compare that performance to arsenal like but rather stoke like performance Zzzzzzzzz
If truly it’s £25m that is being pedal about for Jovetic, I think I will pass. I class him b/w £17m/£20m player. Wenger knows best and I believe and he will get us a top top top striker in the summer.
If we are to raid Malaga again then I would prefer Camacho … he is the one doing all the dirty work in midfield for the likes of Isco to do their best impression of Gerv….
Watch that name… he will be the hottest player come the transfer window…
I prefer Eliseu to Isco. A Portugese winger with less frustrating tricks… and as he is not as well known he will come a good 5 to 1oM cheaper than Isco- Joe Cole
Kos made Varane look very good last night for France… Kos is a special player but he needs to become vocal to be considered great…
Emma do you know why Capoue did not feature? Cabaye and Matuidi formed the defensive duo…
What do you think of Valbuena? If he was not shorter than SC19 I would say he is what we need as our new winger/ no.10 next season…
Shorter than Santi?
Be serious Ginge 🙂
Surely Steve, You will not judge Jovetic with last night’s game. He played for a less than average Montenegro side. Even Rooney was average. Carzola was average against finland too. The problem for Jovetic last night was that he and Vucinic played too far apart from each other especially in the first half but he worked his socks off. Watching Monreal last night showed me how much of a bargain we got from Malaga. That guy oozes class and he will keep Gibbs on his toes.
🙂 emma re Stoke.
Tbh, I don’t think that we have passed the ball backwards as much of late and I really hope we don’t on Saturday, give Reading a sniff and they could hurt us.
Out of the blocks quickly and a couple of early goals I hope…
Guys, it was me who added that last bit about Jovetic so blame me. But please read it carefully.
It’s a question about last nights performance only, nothing more and nothing less.
Hi Scott, I got you there… he is 1.67m according to wiki whilst SC19 is 1.65m….
Hi Joy… I agree with your comment but I think as Rico said is he really worth £25M plus £100k a week?
Personally, I do not think he has improved much since he left Partizan but it can be argued he is playing for Fiorentina so…
u cant compare arsenal with england . arsenal play what they know i min beatiful football. jovetic is good but we need another quality player because there is no different between him and ramsy
My fave player at malaga now…
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/champions/eliseu-tercer-gol-anderlecht-malaga/1542877/
Who knows exactly how Jovetic would be at Arsenal, but that is part of the fun.
Santi is a giant, Ginge!!
tsgh – Capoue was not even considered for a call up. Since Sissoko left in Jan he has suffered a dip in form. In the last league match he was sub after 60 odd minutes. Looks like his heart is no longer there. Definitely set for a move in the summer.
Vabuena was approached 2 seasons ago but turned the move down. I doubt if he will be leaving marseille.
Kos was a rock yesterday for France. He cleared everything that came his way and I love when he matched Navas pace for pace and kept him quiet. Jallet was the fall guy in the defence, sagna/debuchy were really missed and spain capitalized on that
Scott you know AW can improve anyone… 😉
What i like is that Stevan has height….
Thanks Emma… I know he’s performances have not been great especially since he is playing as CAM now…
I never expected Deschamp to play Podga over him though or even M.Sissoko…
his performance… even
I thought Jallet was a winger?
Emma- I didn’t realise that Capoue was Toulouse’s top scorer with 4 goals… they are really struggling… I guess that is why they did not want him to leave last January…
my bad 2nd highest scorer I should have said…
Ginge, i am hoping you were right a few months back when you thought Capoue may be a done deal coming to us in the summer.
When Koscielny is at his absolute best, is there a better CB in the world?
Tsgh- He played as a DM in the last match but got sub.
sorry last post met for tsgh
Scott, and we have to sign him yet 😉
tsgh – I believe Capoue asking price will drop considerably this summer. He doesn’t look too happy being around in Tolouse longer than this season
Fingers crossed Rico.
Hey Scott you are the one who defends AW on here… 😀
I strongly believe we have an agreement with the player but the club is a different issue…
He turned down PSG and Seville so ….
Indeed Scott..
Who do you think we have an agreement with Ts, Capoue?
prefer any striker to no striker
On signings if the Amorebieta deal is revisited then it makes me wonder if we will buy a DM if TV5 stays… I know Djourou and Squid will be leaving but…
Emma I hope so too… I think he wants to play for Arsenal and at 25 he is at the perfect age for a dynamic DM…
Capoue… Rico…
AW does not normally make last minute signings without a prior ‘agreement’ with the player…
Vela on Arsenal-“Arsenal are a big team who gave me the opportunity to play in Europe,” he told EFE.
“I will always remember that, but I didn’t have the opportunities that I felt I deserved.
“I am very happy here [at Real Sociedad] and would like to stay here.”
He has forgotten how he put on so much weight at one point he made Santos look like a poster boy for CK…
Someone on here, has been writing for Arsenal.com 😀
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/the-adoration-and-failure-of-petrovic
Rumour: Galatasaray ready £12m offer for Arsenal forward Gervinho http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/387393/Galatasaray-ready-12m-offer-for-Arsenal-forward-Gervinho?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-football-news+%28Daily+Express+%3A%3A+Football+Feed%29
http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/RNGS/2013/MAR/ARSENAL.jpg
Rico will be happy if that news is true Emma…
Gun. That’s what Chamakh, Nik and Park were, plus a few before them. I strongly disagree, we need a quality striker…
Fingers crossed then Ts, really hope you are right… Would be a great start to a summer of signings..
I like your midday comment emma 😉
You know me too well Ts…
rico 😆
Hello Rico and all.
Interesting write up and i agree about the modern football. But I will not go as far as comparing Arsenal with England. They are not the same really , considering that fact that Arsenal is only represented by 2 players and the others are form other teams.
England is just poor simple and the have lost their style if they had any.
Watching Italy and Brazil gives delight, Brazil passed , dribbled, scored and performed few tricks but Italy we all know they are always disciplined. They stuck to their games and converted the few chances they had. That’s Italy for you and they have not changed.
Arsenal & England may be similar in the fact that they both don’t have very good players at the moment.
Rooney scores because he is selected and there, Wellbeck is overrated, Lampard looses his strides when the game doesn’t click ,
Ashley young doesn’t show up in big games, Gerard has simply lost his brilliance and the others are just squad members.Mean but true.
Another thing that doesn’t help England is that they always have easy qualifications which doesn’t really help to accurately judge their ability.
https://twitter.com/m_christenson/status/316883281079586817
more good news…
SD – A player like Cleverley shouldn’t be playing for England. Just b/s u play for manure doesn’t give him a yardstick to be selected for England. All what I see is just a simple passing with no additional quality. Hodgson even worsen the situation bringing in Young for cleverley who is another player that shouldn’t have being given a call up. If he(cleverley) cannot step up when he plays against a minnow team like Montenegro then imagine playing against the big guns.England need more arsenal players in the squad than manure. I don’t know what Glen Johnson offers to the team or is it James Milner. MOTM was Joe Hart’s after his performance in the 2nd half to keep England in the game. That says a lot about a team when the keeper is the MOTM against a montenegro side
Arsenal have good players but our issue is the act of defending 🙂
Emma but Aw should have paid £20M for Young instead of buying Ox… some use to say… 😉
tsgh – 🙂
Ox should have played in the hole yesterday instead of Cleverley or Young. He is far more creative, good vision and passing range with a rocket on his right foot
Afternoon all, had an early finish, sorry i have left it all to you Rico 🙂 I see i may have rattled a few cages, criticise Arsenal at your peril eh, Lets face it Gooners all the wishing that our players are top quality is Laughable, you know as well as me that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. 8 years of spending nothing and selling your best players leaves you with exactly what we have, no trophies and hardly any players that anybody else wants. I say i’m bored watching two bit players that can’t even pass let alone shoot defend or keep goal and you have a dig at me. Many may find this team exciting all i can say is that you must be young and used to seeing this dross. Fast attacking play with players busting a gut to get into the box acrobatic players, playing without a backward pass, direct play, seeing goalkeepers diving full length and managing to catch the ball. This was not just for the best keepers around all keepers used to do it, One player can handle a ball in every team why can’t ours catch. Don’t tell me its the ball and it moves in the air, most balls that players receive is in the air and they can still see it, and some even trap it Yippee.
as well as a good dribbler
😀 Emma
Hi SP1…
Hello Adam, sorry, I was busy with the housework…
I don’t care about how many Manc players that are in the England squad.
I want our players, fit for Arsenal…
If Jovetic is the man we are after, then i’m glad he wasn’t MotM. Otherwise his price would go up.
I remember George Graham stating how pleased he was that Sweden had a poor 1990 World Cup.
A certain Swedish winger was particularily ordinary in Sweden’s 3 group games.
George then went out and signed this Swedish winger from Cremonese for a bargain £1 million (still serious money at the time)…
And Anders Limper then took the English league by storm.
Afternoon to you too Sp, and no probs 😉
Hi SD, I think England needs the oldies to retire and the younger players to come through..
Hi Kev. Ditto, as long as our players are fit and healthy for the run in. That’s all that matters now…
allezkev – ditto
Me too Rico.
A very interesting post…
Arsenal’s Return to Tactical Pragmatism and the Importance of Abou Diaby
Following defeat in the North London Derby, it was clear that a change in tactics and personnel was required if this Arsenal team were going to stand any chance of achieving a top 4 finish. Gone are the complacent ‘keeper and overzealous centre half. In their place is a new-look, authoritative Lukasz Fabianski and a resurgent Laurent Koscielny.
A more significant change, however, was the dispensation of the high line. Playing a high line is absolutely fine if the players ahead of your high line are able to effectively press and apply pressure on the ball higher up the pitch, but Arsenal’s midfield failed to do this at Tottenham. Consequently, Sigurdsson and Parker were made to look like creative geniuses, which even the most ardent Spurs fan would have to concede that they most certainly are not. The flaws of Arsenal’s midfield further exposed a back 5 that, in itself, had many deficiencies.
Abou Diaby of Arsenal
Abou Diaby of Arsenal (Wikimedia Commons)
In addition to the changes in personnel in the back 5, Arsenal have made a more significant change: their system. The flexible but open system that Arsenal were playing between Walcott’s restoration to the starting XI and defeat on derby day has been shelved, in favour of the rigid formation that served them so well in August and September. This formation is a 4-2-1-3 in possession, but a pragmatic and secure 4-4-1-1 when defending.
In the two games since the formation’s return, Arsenal have come away with two victories, scoring four goals while conceding none. Add this to the games against Sunderland, Stoke, Liverpool, Man City, and Montpellier, and it leaves Arsenal with a fairly tidy record of 4 wins, 3 draws, 0 defeats, with 9 goals for and 3 against. While Arsenal cannot afford as many draws in their run-in, the defensive solidity solves half of the problem that plagued the Gunners between October and February.
The personnel changes in the back 5 are well documented, but the change in the middle is just as significant. Jack Wilshere is a supremely talented footballer with massive potential. However, there are still aspects of his game that he needs to improve. Given Wilshere’s current skill-set and the requirements of Arsenal’s formation, he is very much a square peg and there isn’t really a place for him in the starting XI. That withstanding, Arsenal won’t be using this tactic for 90 minutes in all of their remaining games, and Wilshere will certainly have a role to play, be it off the bench or from the start against a weak opponent who has neither the inclination nor capacity to play through Arsenal’s midfield, rendering 2 deep midfielders overly cautious and unnecessary, as was the case in the Blackburn game.
Diaby is an asset to this Arsenal squad when playing this safety first, counter-attacking style. Games against Reading, Norwich and QPR who perhaps lack the capacity and inclination to play through you, would render Diaby somewhat redundant. Therefore, it would be safe to play a fundamentally imbalanced midfield in these fixtures, starting Wilshere alongside Arteta. Nevertheless, Diaby certainly has a bigger role to play in Arsenal’s run-in than many would think.
Diaby can be an asset on the ball when attacking and off the ball when defending. At his best, Diaby’s game when on the ball is about quickly transitioning the play and leading the charge on the counter. He is something of an instinctive player. Give him time on the ball and he’ll over-think things and probably make a poor decision. If his offensive role is simplified and he is instructed to run at the opposition, gain territory, then play a simple, accurate pass to a more potent teammate, he will excel. Less is sometimes more.
Whereas the best example of what Diaby offers offensively occurred at Anfield, the best examples of what he offers defensively occurred at the Stadium of Light and to a lesser extent at the Liberty Stadium yesterday. For all Wilshere’s virtues, his exuberance leads him to charge off up the pitch, leaving Mikel Arteta and the back four badly exposed. Diaby is more disciplined with his positioning. He knows where to stand. He is a big reason why Arsenal escaped Sunderland with all 3 points and a clean sheet intact. Barring a 5 minute spell in Swansea in the first half where every single one of the Arsenal back 7 looked uncomfortable, Diaby did a good job alongside Arteta and contributed to a defensive effort that restricted a usually fluent Swansea side to just 2 shots on target. For the most part, Diaby and Arteta effectively minimized the amount of space between the lines and helped Arsenal keep the play in front of them. Swansea only managed to connect with two through balls and were either shepherded into wide areas, or restricted to speculative pot-shots from range. In short, Arsenal were able to effectively execute one of the facets of the ‘How to stop Arsenal’ blueprint.
Despite his defensive work and its importance to the team and the victory, Diaby drew the ire of some of the Arsenal fans. Even his biggest advocates have to admit that he is an incredibly frustrating player to watch. Against Swansea, he demonstrated flashes of brilliance and flashes of tactical pragmatism, reminding people why he is so highly rated by Wenger, Deschamps, Blanc, and Domenech. However, these flashes were punctuated by the typical brainless errors that have plagued the lanky Frenchman throughout his injury-ravaged career.
With Diaby, you have to acknowledge that you’re going to get both the good and the bad. This usually comes in a 70:30 split. However, the 30% of the bad often comes in key areas, during key phases of the game, and for many observers, this completely negates the 70% of the good that he offers, and they dismiss his value to the team.
Although I’ve highlighted his worth to the team, Diaby’s shortcomings are plain to see. Diaby’s deficiencies are both mental and physical. His brain seems to require an uninterrupted run of games for it to warm up and operate at the requisite level for him to be a force. Unfortunately, his body seldom allows him to put together a run of games. He’s had 36 separate injuries since his ankle was shattered by Dan Smith in 2006.
As a result of his perpetual rustiness, Diaby is often ponderous on the ball and sometimes appears to be disengaged and lackadaisical off it, as demonstrated against Swansea by the amount of times he was caught ballwatching and failing to move 5 yards to take up a position whereby he offered a simple out-ball for the man on the ball.
To summarize, Diaby has his flaws, but he also brings something to the table that nobody else at Arsenal is able to. There are some players at other clubs who are better equipped to carry out the job that Diaby is currently doing at Arsenal, and Arsenal should strive to acquire one of these players, but as they can’t do that until the summer, Diaby is the best they’ve got to fill this important dual role until May.
Read more at http://soccerwithoutlimits.com/arsenals-return-to-tactical-pragmatism-and-the-importance-of-abou-diaby/21345/#ebRHdk9P4bMljUkt.99
Btw, another golden nugget of a post from Sir Steven.
Afternoon Ricolicious, Lady Emma, Adamski, Gingerio, Georgios and other esteemed Gooners…
Roll on Saturday, I can hardly wait….
Hi Kev… you are feeling very multi-national today…
Gingerio…??- hey it is too similar to Gervinho for my liking… 😀
Don’t get me wrong, just because you spend 25 .30 mil on a player doesn’t mean he’s going to set the world on fire, But for years now i have seen the many links to Arsenal of all the Hazards and Jovetics Knowing full well they won’t be starting for us next season. I watch all these so called greats go to all the teams around us, I watch their artistry every week and sometimes wonder what they could have been like with us but instead i see guys i have never seen, never heard of and nine times out of ten never want to see again. Most of these cheap buys we can’t offload, lets face it if you cant get a game for Arsenal who else wants them.. England’s game last night . i listened to the commentator when he said fantastic reflex save from Hart as it went straight to one of theirs. Fantastic saves are when keepers give nothing away no corners, which normally means his grabbed that ball and stopped the attack and that is what a keeper is there for.
😛 Adam..
Sp, we Afc fans wouldn’t know that about a £25M player 😉
Another interesting data from EPLindex… I am surprised by some of the stats…
http://www.eplindex.com/epl-news/27127/arsenal-2-aston-villa-1-indepth-match-summary-stats.html
SP1… talking about goalie saves how many times have commentators said our goalies are useless when Hart and the so called better goalie make the same errors…
I would offer Diaby a 20 year deal at £150 k a week.
The season so far…
http://cdn.eplindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Top-Players-So-Far.png
And double the season ticket prices.
So would I Adam, as long as it was with another club…
I have noticed an increased cynicism creeping into your posts Rico.
Very true Ginge, Hope your well mate,
Thank you AK 🙂
next gen squad for the Italy trip…
Squad in full:
Deyan Iliev
Joshua Vickers
Martin Angha
Sead Hajrovic
Thomas Eisfeld
Nico Yennaris
Zak Ansah
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Hector Bellerin
Serge Gnabry
Jack Jebb
Kyle Ebecilio
Alex Iwobi
Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill
Chuba Akpom
Alfred Mugabo
Isaac Hayden
Kristoffer Olsson
Please don’t suggest that to Kroenke Adam.
Off out with the woofa.. Back in a bit..
It was him that first mentioned it to me Rico.
Just off out to clear my head.
Me Adam, not at all… 😉
Arsenal Ladies leading 4-1 on aggregate against scicilian side Torres! At least they are still fighting for silverware in the Champions League? Semi final next? Hurrah for a successful team!
Hello again all…
I missed that today Wavy, naughty me and unlike me 🙁
I guess the difference of Fabianski and Schezney is that I noticed that Fabianski used his position to shout constantly at the defenders to remind them about their positioning so the defenders where always in line and aware.
Remember when Fabianski use to to be mute ?
He is matured now and one of the senior heads so I guess the guys respects him.
Where as there has been rumors that guys are not happy with Shezney’s corkyness especially of the pitch , maybe(only guessing) he wasn’t using wisdom when shouting orders to Metzerker and Vamelean , this are international player with quite a few caps.
Shezney needs to be more humble in my opinion and Wenger got it right by dropping him but I think he still has a lot to offer Arsenal.
In the mean time , should QPR get relegated Arsenal must buy Julio Cesar without hesitation.
🙁 🙁 🙁
http://www.arsenal.com/rockyseven
I wouldn’t mind Cesar SD, we certainly need a better keeper and in any case, two will be gone in the summer….
oh no…. Santos wants to stay in Brazil after his loan… 😉
http://www.sambafoot.com/en/news/44846_arsenal_full-back_andre_santos_hoping_for_gremio_stay.html?
KJ should like this…
http://blog.emiratesstadium.info/archives/28175?
Mornng all.
Steve, i will disagree with you on one point you made earlier….the modern day ball does float around in flight and causes every keeper in the world dramas.
Our backs never seem to get back often enough and be on the spot for when a shot is parried which leads to a tap in goal.
Barely a full length diving save is made these days resulting in a clean grab by any keeper anywhere.
Joe Hart makes just as many errors from long shots as Szczesny and is rated the best keeper in the PL.
I raised this point the other day.
You never see 30 yard shots nowadays that go gun barrel straight and beat a leeper through sheer power…..well, very, very rarely.
The long shots these days are few and far between and they all do the same thing in the air…..float about.
I still think Szczesny does pick the flight later than most and honestly think he could have an eyesight problem though.
Sorry mate, but these balls are a keepers worst enemy.
Hi Scott…
I totally agree with you on the ball but Scez’s distribution is atrocious to say the least… 😉
come on Rico… get married to Cesar so that he can stay in the uk and solve our goalie issues… 😀
😆 Ts… Morning Scott
I’m off to eat….
Taken your comments in about the ball moving in the air, but still keep my opinion. If a goalkeeper can get his hands to the ball he can just as easily catch it. Its my opinion that if a goalkeeper dives to save one way and the ball should go the other then the keeper has guessed wrong. Keepers who parry still have no excuses sorry Scott don’t agree on this one, but i think you knew that 🙂
Agreed Ginge.
He is still young though.
How are you Rico Cesar??
Is it official yet or is the paperwork still going through?
Of course, if my fave fires up, an annulment could be sought and you may well be the new Mrs Fabianski 🙂
In all seriousness, Fabianski has a decent run of games to prove himself.
He does seem to have a new steely resolve, but admittedly, he has not been under a lot of pressure as yet.
If he can get us to the the end of the season with no keeping major errors, then we may well be set between the posts.
It is entirely in his own hands, pardon the pun!
Haha Steve.
I will back down a little in that Szczesny does often parry it straight back towards the middle of the field…..that IS a flaw in his technique.
No keepers are making those full length diving saves though Steve….at least give me that 🙂
😆 Scott. He’s far too young for me…..
You have a fair point there Scott 🙂
I don’t know if its me but don’t we excuse lots of mistakes made by our keepers just because we don’t have anyone better. Both Czezesney and Fabianski even Manoney just wasn’t up to scratch for a team such as Arsenal. Suppporters like me and you look at all the players linked with us and hope that one or two of those links may make his way to us. You may have seen the guy play you may like his movement and admire the way he handles himself, Players like that have made their selves known by their actions. Looking at our keepers i have to say i have not seen a great deal that inspires me to them. But perhaps with keepers like Jennings Seaman, and Wilson i have seen quality.
Fabianski and Mannone are gonners in the summer Sp…
And good, they can take any others with them too. It’s about time our club signed a proper goal keeper, one who will save us points, not give them away…
here here Ricolicious 🙂
Adam is the officiating registrar…
Line up here in an orderly queue.
Steve, i reiterate my opinion that no keepers handle the long shot cleanly though…..they are all going towards the parry, imo.
The old leather balls flew straight and true when struck cleanly.
The cleanest strike i have seen over the last few years was Artetas free kick last season….it never moved an inch in the air and showed just how cleanly it was struck.
More and more we see keepers half going one way and ending up stranded as the ball changes course.
Anyway, we probably are a little soft on our guys, but maybe you are a little harsh 🙂
Good debating point though.
🙂 Sp…
Ts, you stop that right now 😉
Rico, i reckon we should at least see how Fabs goes til the end of the season.
Look at the so called best keepers in the world a few years back.
Nearly every one of them has had their ability questioned over the last year or so.
Have they all lost their ability at the same time, or is there another reason, something making keepers worldwide look silly?
I’m at the front Adam.
I’m not sure parrying isn’t the prob with keepers – it’s the direction they send the ball in. Last night for instance, Hart’s hands were just straight so the ball went straight back into the danger area.
Change the shape/direction of the hands and the ball will go into a safer area, wouldn’t it? 😉
Ginge, I see no Jon Toral in that Next Gen squad…
Shame…
Did you go to the CSKA game???
I think we will though Scott, but I’m not sure that will be enough to convince either the club or player to extend Fabianski’s contract.
Unless of course, he plays so so well in the remaining fixtures he’s offered a new contract AND assured of the number one spot…
But I just don’t see the latter happening….
Yeah, Fabianski keeps 9 clean sheets and then joins Man City on a Bosman… 🙁
Evening Rico and crew…
Big Next Gen game tomorrow…
Wish I could watch it… 🙁
Okay, here comes some work… Lata
Have a little faith Rico…Fabianski, IF he has his head right, is as good as any keeper in the PL.
Big if, but so far, so good.
Kev, wouldn’t we all get the shits if that happened?
Those at the front get special treatment Rico. 🙂
And those down under, Adam 🙂
Back to work…later guys.
Bring on game day….
Hi Kev, it’s Friday isn’t it that the Nextgen play, 4pm and it’s on euro sport…
You can come and watch it with me – but i have to record it as have to go see the inlaws 🙁
It’s not about me needing to have faith though Scott, Fabianski has little in himself, and if he was going to be a great keeper, surely by now he’d not be second choice behind Ches?
But I don’t think he has what it takes with us now…..
I’m at the back Adam 😉
😀 Rico…
Hi Ak, I couldn’t buddy… I was hoping to at least catch the 2nd half but…it took forever to travel from Heathrow to Islington Monday evening unfortunately…
I was in Amsterdam over the weekend…
Toral has been missing recently…
That’s me done folks. Off to press ‘play’ on the planner and watch Masterchef…
You all take care and catch up sometime tomorrow…
Night Kev, Adam, Ts, Scott and anyone else who is reading…
🙂
Gerv player of the year next season then he is off to join… Marca his 2nd fave team he says… lol
Ak… a cabbie I took on Monday said he lives in Tonbridge and supports Arsenal, and he said he has spotted the Taranis flying over the M25 at night… for a minute I thought it must be you but he said he is a vegan so…. lol
Night Rico… too much Eastenders…
night all…
Rico, if I didn’t have to work, i’d be knocking on your door at 3.55pm, with some cans of Fosters and a bottle of Cava.
And we could shout and yell at the TV, whilst the Kids thrash Chelski.
As it is, I will have to rely on Lady Emma to give me a running report…
Fosters wouldn’t get you in Kev 😉
Morning all..
Oops, missed the Cava ….
Off for a bit now, new post will be up around 9.30, catch up later…
its on espn…. coverage starts at 2/3 ot sure of the time…….works been brutal lately…..barely have time for toilet brakes…..
should be worth watching. if you havent got espn try circfree tv. the streams arent too bad.