Morning all.
The base of this post comes from a comment left by Potter on Thursday.
I said on Thursday night that there is a kind of lazy arrogance about the whole squad.. It’s as if they believe that they don’t have to work to prove their superiority and once they go ahead they just revert to playing the ball around.
Unless we get lucky from a corner and Mustafi & co get a header, most of our goals come from a five-a-side type passing movement with the ball slid into the goal. There is no real power in our attacks and when you couple that with a midfield that has no bite or aggression and just wants to play the way it always does you have a team which going forward can match virtually anyone, but if the other team knocks them out of their rhythm, they do not know what to do and eventually panic, lose concentration and we know the rest.
We all know that the standard of the Europa League is not particularly great. It is a competition for the best of the rest and we are in with a shout of winning it but doing so and qualifying for Champions league by the back door will not paper the cracks in the club.
How do we change things to improve ?
Not by buying superstars ,we need workers Ray Parlour , Kevin Richardson, Rakatic, a Robbie Savage in the middle to do the work and allow the others to play. Even Barcelona have these players to supplement their talented players but we don’t. Maybe sorting the middle will help the defence but something needs to be done there too. Once again with the ball coming toward them there is little problem but one of the problems of the zonal marking system is that you are coached to cover your space not react to things outside your zone. Too often we are caught flat footed when the ball rebounds or moves quickly in our box, cite both goals in Moscow, the rebounds from Cech, their forwards were on to the ball to score when our defenders were stood still. It’s the ‘someone elses problem’ syndrome and that needs curing if we are to stop giving away set piece goals. .
Is Cech past it ?
Cech needs replacing but then so does Ospina which means we need something more there. Emiliano Martínez has just had his contract extended until 2022, so there appears to be forward planning but if his loan at Getafe had been more productive he might be ready to step in but as usual he has been used as back up and not played many games. There’s Matt Macey too but he’s not had a great deal of playing time either at any level.
Monreal, Mustafi and Koscielny are reaching the hill if not already going over it. The next transfer window needs to be looking at our defence. Going forward we can look after ourselves but defending has always been Wenger’s Achilles heel. For some reason the list of liabilities he has bought is quite extensive and his record of developing and organising those he already has is poor. Look at Kolasinac, a man who was player of the season in the Bundesliga, joins us and looks like little boy lost in a team with no organisation and sits on the bench. Look at Matthieu Debuchy who since leaving us, has become a defender now tipped for a player of the season award. Silvestre, Squillaci, Djourou, Senderos, Garde, Upson, Vivas, Grondin, Luzhny, Stepanovs, Tavlaridis, Cygan, Vermaelen, Almunia, Santos …
He sure can pick them.
To add to Potter’s view on our defence and goalkeeping situation, the midfield is disjointed too and for all the criticism Granit Xhaka attracts, on Thursday, his absence was clear to see. Elneny did his best, but he was trying to cover every area. He was the creator, the defender, the Mr Do it all and he had to because others were just going through the motions. In any case, other than the Swiss midfielder, and he isn’t the DM we need, no-one really protects our back five. So really, not just our back five, but our defensive as a unit needs seriously addressing in the summer but as already pointed out above, the list of duffers Wenger has signed heavily outweighs the good defensive signings he’s made. In fact the latter could be counted without the need of removing your shoes and socks which in twenty odd years of management really is not very good.
So, as much as we need defensive reinforcements this summer, top class ones at that, I wouldn’t want Arsene Wenger to be the one to choose them, but then I wouldn’t want him coaching them either because his defensive skills are about as good as my computer skills which trust me, aren’t very good!
In fact he’s coaching skills are pretty poor full stop if the football we often play is anything to go by. As is his ability to prepare his team for the challenge they are about to encounter, an opinion which he himself has added weight to after the appalling performance in Moscow just a couple of nights ago. All week we’d been talking about how shock European results had unfolded, they’ll be no room for complacency he assured us:
“We are in a position where I don’t think we are under threat of complacency, it is an important target for us to go as far as possible. (Roma’s comeback) may be a warning for us but let us not go overboard as well. Yes, we have a big job to do but we are in a strong position and it is how we approach the game that will be vital tomorrow.”
Low and behold, what happened next? Yep, you saw it for yourselves. Complacency right in front of your eyes and it nearly cost us a semi-final place in Europa. A fixture against Atlético Madrid which will be much tougher than any two legged affair we’ve encountered so far…
I’m looking forward to it though, a lot. Especially as Diego Costa is ruled out of the first leg with a hamstring injury.
Well, allegedly….
Morning Rico and all. Excellent post that highlights what just about every Arsenal supporter I know believes to be the case. The players have to shoulder some of the responsibility but so does Wenger. We can all see that the path the team are on will only take them so far and our results against the top PL teams largely illustrate this. We are flakey, unprofessional and generally poor. Luckily enough we often have a couple of players who rise above the general dirge to see us through the easier games but I can think of few managers in the top flight, if any, who would tolerate such bad individual performances as we see on such a regular basis. How many games have you watched this season when we were really good? Think about it.
I guess we just have to hope that the owner and board see it that way too because, if not, then get ready for 25,000 tourists at the Emirates until they do. As for the real core support? I think they have been letting the STs go for several years now and they aren’t coming back. Whether that matters or not, you be the judge.
Morning Adam.
If by chance the board/owner don’t see things as we do, next season will not only be an ugly one for Wenger but for them too because there’s only so much blame can be given to Wenger. Anyone who allows him to continue after such a pathetic season, really needs to be out of a job.
If the fans turn on Kroenke and it gets really ugly, he might just sell up..
So true of Thursdays match. Wilshere was awful too slow and always looking for a free kick. Mohamed Elnani impressed me, he ran like Ray Parlour of bygone years. He showed a couple great passes to put the attackers through. I would always have someone in the team that works hard for the full 90 minutes. For me It seems like last chance saloon for Arsene, I really do believe he needs to win the EUFA Trophy. If Arsenal can do that and get into the Champions League at the expense of {SPURS ha ha } then I believe he should be given the choice to continue as manager and get things fixed for next season.
As for those so called supporters who are boycotting the home matches should be ashamed of themselves, A supporter supports during good time and bad times irrespective of what you have pay to watch your team.
Tony, Spurs will be in the CL regardless of whether we win Europa or not. Five teams will go through as they did last year I believe when Utd won in Europa.
Totally disagree re the fans, how else can a message be got across to the board that they, and many other Arsenal fans are sick of Wenger and want change?
This isn’t a knee jerk reaction, it’s years of watching the club decline.
Out of interest, are you a ST holder?
Nice post Rico…
Agree Adam, the club is in the process of alienating a whole generation of hard-core Arsenal fans, fans who’ve seen fallow times before, before English football became so popular worldwide, but was at that time affordable to the average working man.
When I hear criticism of those fans who stay away, I often wonder how much finance the criticisers give up and time, to follow the club?
Try spending a huge part of your income, every week plus the time you waste, following a money making machine who doesn’t give a shit and see how you feel?
When the owner of Arsenal Football Club shows some ambition and an appetite to make a difficult decision or two, then maybe the traditional fans will rediscover their passion for Arsenal, but then aren’t Arsenal just a part of the KSE monolith, an organisation created to enrich an already wealthy old geezer whose first love is basketball?
Just been hitting the send button and nothing happening Rico…
Morning Kev, Potter has to get the credit for this one.
The ‘iproduct posting’ problems is being looked at Kev, I’ll let you know any update..
http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=21450
Thanks Rico, thanks for all the work you do for us…. ?
Pleasure Kev.. 😉
Tony, “Last chance saloon for Arsene” you sound like a typical Arsenal supporter…….no patience, I bet your not even looking forward to Super Sunday.
Who’s playing other than us then Micko? lol
Great post. Summed it all up.
When you look back at the great defence that Wenger inherited, add a midfield of Parlour, Vieirra, and Petit that is what is lacking. We appear very lightweight in the tackling dept and Jack spends more time falling over and hangs onto the ball for too long….
Hopefully, end of season will see a few comings and goings.
Good to see you back Marinello.
The best going we could see is you know who. Then sort the other coming and goings.
Tony. I can’t agree with your last paragraph at all. The club decided that our custom was more importent than our support. That means you pay your money and take your choice. The fact that so many aren’t going, even after paying through the nose, speaks volumes to me. Yet you say they should be ashamed of themselves?
All good Rico.
I reckon Wenger will still be here next season. The Board are extremely weak when it comes to making decisions. If Wenger ever writes a book about his time at Arsenal, I wonder what he would say about the Board…
Hope all well Rico.
While I appreciate that we have not hit the heights we were hoping for this season (and last season too for that matter), I am getting tired of the constant complaining about our team. Let’s just clarify the current state of the club:
1. We are in the semi-finals of a European competition. Everyone seems to be going on about “if we play like we did in Moscow, we certainly won’t beat Atletico”. I have 2 problems with this. Firstly, did anyone watch the first leg, where at times we played some excellent stuff, and scored 4 great goals. As Manchester City have shown, we are at the business end of the season, there must be some tired legs, and we are not going to put in vintage performances on a weekly basis from here til the end of the season. Secondly, did Atletico not lose to Sporting, while we came back from a 2-goal deficit on the same day? People seem to continually shit on our performance (and I do agree we did not play well), forgetting that the team we’ve been drawn against lost to a team who are weaker than CSKA (and let’s not forget the fact they did not have to make the long trip to Russia).
2. That win against CSKA was our 7th in a row. Now I understand the fact that obviously, it is all too little too late, but rather than, once again, shitting on the team not playing up to standard, let’s actually appreciate the fact that we are on a good run of form, despite the fact that we haven’t been at our best. I read recently that Liverpool were voted the noisiest home fans in the league. Crystal Palace and Stoke were in the top 5. This is something I really have an issue with. I will stress again, that obviously we have not had much to cheer about this year. But neither have Crystal Palace. I find it pretty rich that fans (although this is a minority, since I know obviously the majority of fans are not at the game ) will complain about the performance of the team – well what about the performance of the fans? Shouldn’t they be that 12th man that could make teams slightly shit themselves when they come a 60,000 strong Emirates, singing our own, less shitty version of You’ll Never Walk Alone? For all their faults, give the Liverpool fans some credit, because they back their team in ways I wish we could back ours.
3. We also reached the finals of the League Cup, where we were well beaten by a Man City side that has blown away just about everyone in the league this year. So to clarify: we are now in April, still in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season, reached the finals of a cup competition, and are on a 7 game winning streak. I get there have been some major lows this season, but people also start seeing the reasons for at least a tiny bit of optimism. Speaking of optimism, I am actually really looking forward to next season, Champions League or not. Monreal, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Ramsey, Ozil, Auba, Lacazette, Mkhi. We have got a good base of quality players to build the squad around for next season. Elneny and Welbeck, as the CSKA game proved, are very useful squad players to have too. I think Bellerin, although he has been mediocre for some time now, still has something to offer. We have had a good young player come through the system in Maitland-Niles, and in Nelson we have another good prospect.
4. I do agree with the point of there being a shortage of quality defensive signings during Wenger’s tenure. Five come to mind: Sol, Toure, Lauren, Sagna and Koscielny. Which is not a lot. And with that, we are in definite need of a quality centre back, 1 solid central midfielder to partner Xhaka (2 if Wilshere leaves) and a GK too. So really, and I know this seems to be the case every transfer window, but I genuinely do believe we are 3-4 shrewd signings away from an excellent squad. If rumours are to be believed, then Sanllehi and Mislintat are doing things to ensure that these positions are addressed for next season.
So while not all is well, not all is shit either. Let’s get behind our football club for what is left of this season, and hope that better things are to come next year because there are enough reasons for optimism.
I should imagine that he would be in full support of them mainly because of the freedom they have given him in his job. There are many people waiting for the book , not least the hacks in Canary Wharf . Paddy Barclay and John Cross must be holding their breath until the time that they can disect every word and extend their careers by a few years and Adrian Durham will be safe in his talk sport job for ages.
Thanks to those that read and commenteds on my musings and also thanks to Rico for her ammendments that made it look almost professional.
All good here thanks Marinello. Just a busy day in the garden.. 🙂
I hope he’s not here, not sure I’d cope with another season of the dross he’s got us playing..
AW has to watch the match Sporting-Atletico de Madrid.
We have to play identically against Atletico de Madrid.
Hi Rahul, out of interest, what are your reasons for being optimistic? Last season we were awful, this season worse so logic would suggest that under Wenger, next season will be as bad if not worse than the last two.
Champions League? Well apart from the money, what good does it do us? A battering at the first knockout stage is hardly likely to do any good..
Thank you Potter, I wouldn’t go that far though… 😉
Ah, the book. Now that should be interesting…
In fact, by that logic, why not offer him a 5 year contract?
Exactly Adam, or three years even. Two years added to his comments about being in the last year of a contract suggest to me he’s going. But then you know that.. lol
Hi Rico, firstly I’d like to say I have followed your articles for a while and they have been very good reads, but this time I just happen to disagree. As I mentioned before, we have a good core of players in the squad to build on. I think my optimism hinges on a lot of ‘if’s. If Wenger leaves, and we land someone who knows how to get the best out of our players. If we have a transfer window where we sign players in positions that need strengthening. But also there were other distractions for the duration of both this and last season that can’t have helped the team. This season in particular, the Ozil and Sanchez contract situations must have affected us. Sanchez has left, Ozil has committed, so hopefully next season we won’t have those distractions, or players not wanting to play for the club. I think we have also stumbled on a system that brings out the best in both Ramsey and Ozil at the same time, which I don’t think we’ve had since Ozil joined the club. I think, provided we sign the type of midfielder everyone knows we need, Xhaka will have a massive season. Before anyone bashes him – this is a player who we know is talented – we have seen from his Switzerland and Mochengladbach performances that he desperately needs the kind of player next to him who will not leave him isolated (hence why the Xhaka-Ramsey axis never worked) – in the same way that Xabi Alonso always had a discliplined/dominant midfield partner (Vidal at Bayern, Sissoko and Gerrard at Liverpool, Khedira at Real) that allowed him to play his natural game. Lacazette has had a full season to settle, and Aubamayeng has looked like he has already settled – let’s not forget we have not one but two of Europe’s top goalscorers over the last few seasons in our squad, when in previous seasons Giroud was our only option with any sort of quality.
With the Champions League, regardless of when we get knocked out, this is still the top club competition in the world. Top players will still want to play for teams in the Champions League. Is the main reason that people consider winning the Europa League to be crucial for us because it is our only chance of silverware this year, or because it gives us Champions League football for next season? I think a combination of both, but predominantly the latter. I think it was the same for Man Utd last season too – and let’s be honest, they have not exactly set the UCL alight either in recent seasons (either by not being in it, or exiting early).
Thank you Rahul – Had you said one of your ‘ifs’ was Wenger leaving then like you, I’d be very optimistic. ?
I think we have a pretty decent squad, certainly one which should be doing a lot better than it is.
Same goes for the CL football, a different manager and who knows what might happen. My reply to you was simply based on the awful thought of another season of Wenger.
Rahul , I am curious , my first question to you
is about when you got bitten by the Arsenal bug and whether you watch the games live and whether it’s on a screen or in the stadium.
Your facts are irrefutable we are on a winning streak ,but of course as it has been frequently before, it is too late the league season has long gone.
I tend to agree that there is little to fear in a two leg contest with Atletico , it is just as winnable as it is losable and it will give all of us pleasure should we lift the cup at the final. However qualifying for the champions league should not be the be all and end all of our ambition . It should be to win it and anyone that stands on the North Bank week after week knows that we are not equiped to do so . Our home form on paper looks good , we are in 6th place looking over our shoulders at 7th . We have amassed 54 points so far. However 41 have come at home, we can’t even cross ther road with confidence ,13 points away against teams at the bottom of our league doesn’t inspire hope that we will get much out of away trips to the greats of Europe .
You talk about the crowd but accept the fact that it has been dumbned down since the move to the new stadium , whilst it was popular with the club a large proportion of the clubs more fervent support were excluded and forced to go to parts of the ground that they were not happy with and in consequence stopped going. With the price of tickets especially in the upper tier It is now occupied by shall we say upper middle class people that by nature are unlikely to burst into song in public. The lower North Bank behind the goal where traditionally noise was generated has only 11 blocks and approx 7500 seats, it is the same at he clock end but of course one corner about 1/4 is occupied by away fans . So you traditional singing areas are less than 1/4 of the available seats and of course out of these areas the price goes up.. The stadium was built to maximise income not noise.
You have listed 8 players to build around and taking into account the 3 kids that are likely to come forward leaves you well short of a 25 man squad capable of taking on Europe’s best . In the short term we are winning games but in the long term the club needs a lot more than a tweak here and there , a major overhaul is more like it and not just on the pitch.
Key points made there Potter. I didn’t realise that about the clock end.
Said the other day that points might be points but how we get them is surely more important and we’re hardly playing great football at home, and certainly not away from home where the results are possibly more true.
Night guys, enjoy the footie….
Morning.
New post up.