Arsenal v. ManU

A great win for the Gunners despite the best efforts of another incompetent ref who received advice and guidance throughout the match from the ManU #10.

Arsene must read CBP! How many men did we get in the box for our goal?

Have seen headlines post-match that suggest Arsene now feels that he doesn't need to spend in the summer! Hopefully he is just being mischievous with the media. A good performance when essentially the pressure is off can't mask the difficiencies with regard to mental strength that have been apparent all too much this season. Arsene is continually talking up the spirit of the side but I think it is just that - like in politics, if you repeat something enough if becomes accepted even if untrue.

So a good result but still much room for improvement. Theo started brightly (again) but then lapsed into making those runs that see him hide behind defenders so he can't receive the ball. His movement off the ball in the lead up to the goal was first-class, however, as he created space for RvP - seem to remember him doing a similar thing in a previous match against ManU when he created space for Samir. Work rate off the ball from both Theo and Samir was poor especially the latter's non-tracking of Fabio that led to ManU's best (only?) chance in the first-half. There seems to be some kind of zone of responsibility thing here - midfielders track their man back to a certain point and then seem to assume that a defender will pick them up irrespective of whether that defender is already marking a player or not. 

Schalke 04 v. ManU

I watched the ManU game last night from the perspective of a compare and contrast with the Arsenal style of play post Sunday’s debacle at Bolton. Admittedly Schalke 04 were pretty poor  though Neuer had an outstanding game – it seems he’s committed to leaving Schalke at the end of the season so we will see ManU or Bayern splashing the cash to gain his services.

My thoughts on ManU:

• Strong central defence around VdS, Rio and Vidic (though not really tested last night).
• Pacy full-backs who are better getting forward than defending.
• Central midfield without a recognised enforcer although, as Souness pointed out, the modern game is less about crunching tackles than positioning and intercepting. Carrick stayed relatively deep providing a Gilberto-like wall in front of the back four.
• Pacy wide-men who are willing to take the opposition on.
• Pacy front two who show strength on the ball with a willingness to take the opposition on and commit players.
• Break from defence, especially after defending corners, with pace.
• Not afraid to play the long ball either from defence or cross-field.
• Get bodies in the box.
• Great movement and inter-changing from the front two and wide players.
• Disciplined defence and high work-rate from the front –six when not in possession.
• Confidence and belief.
• Confidence and belief.
• Confidence and belief.

The biggest differences for me are the tempo of the game, the movement and willingness to take risks by playing the longer ball. In my opinion, there’s not a lot of difference on paper between the ManU first XI and ours, though their strength in depth is greater.

The problem for Arsenal is that, unless the approach changes, bringing in new players and outing a few won’t make a whole lot of difference. The new players will be inculcated in the Arsenal way and any proclivity to get in the box or shoot will quickly disappear.

Bolton v. Arsenal

Random thoughts on Bolton away:

• Why wasn’t Davies booked for that tackle on Song?
• How does Davies, a big strong English centre-forward, draw so many fouls by falling over at the slightest contact when he has his back to goal?
• Why was Theo taken off with Bolton visibly on their last legs?

The team looked as if they had no desire, as if all the fight has been drained from them.

Reasonable Balti pie - a bit small and chicken was small cubes but quite acceptable overall.

3-1 and we f**ked it up (again)

Not much to say really. The inability to hang onto a lead is now totally expected!
Theo started brightly and took his goal with aplomb but, as the game wore on, he was increasingly making those runs where he hides behind a defender so is not available for a pass thereby absolving himself of any attacking responsibility. This, together with a less than committed work rate when we didn't have the ball meant he had the 'best seat in the house' - you can't get closer to the action than that.
In the second half, Fab4 gave the impression of being a) tired, b) injured or c) couldn't be bothered - perhaps all three. His work on the ball was ok-ish though his tendency to dwell and slow the tempo plus some misplaced passes meant it was not one of his better games. His work rate off the ball and his desire to regain possession were poor.
At 3-3 there was only going to be one winner, luckily Spurs didn't score again.
So nothing really changes - lots of possession, few chances, Hlebitis (the proclivity to pass in and around the penalty box rather than shoot), no leadership, substitutions by numbers (of which Bendtner for Walcott with B52 playing wide right is the most egregious).
All in all a fairly negative post but the problems with the team have been apparent for some time now.

Blackpool away - The Tangerine Army!

Fortitude!

Just watched the match recorded from Football First. Some random thoughts:

• Tony Gale is probably the most uninformative and uninteresting commentator in the universe after Mark Lawrenson.
• The b(l)ogosphere has been laying into Denilson and Sagna. Denilson showed both the best and worst sides of his game, i.e., keeping the ball moving though it is very much in the mold of Ray 'The Crab' Wilkins/not being able to make a tackle. The team did improve significantly after he went off at half-time. Sagna, I thought, was strong throughout. Clichy seemed to forget that the idea is to pass to a team mate rather than give the ball away which he did almost every time he went forward. Crossing was poor. He lost possession immediately prior to the 'hit and hope' that resulted in their second.
• Tony Gale is probably the most uninformative and uninteresting commentator in the universe after Mark Lawrenson.
• What was Manuel doing? Inexplicable! Not only does he come rushing out for no reason, he then pushes Squillaci as he tries to get back at Odemwingie.
• Tony Gale is probably the most uninformative and uninteresting commentator in the universe after Mark Lawrenson.
• Stuart Attwell confirms how incompetent he is. Jerome Thomas should have been off for the tackle on Sagna in the first 5 minutes - studs up, over the top - no questions it's a red. But it seems there is a informal ruling that allows Sagna to be clattered in the first 5 - witness Pienaar at Goodison. And then the trip in the box on Sagna in injury time - unbelievable - well not really but compare that with Dowd's decision in favour of the Barcodes and you wonder if there's a conspiracy any consistency.
• Tony Gale is probably the most uninformative and uninteresting commentator in the universe after Mark Lawrenson.
• So a good fight back after a poor first half in which Arsenal dominated possession but created very little.
• Bored with Tony Gale now.
• Great strike by AA but he is woefully inconsistent. Needs to play more centrally. His talent is wasted out wide as he doesn't really have blistering pace.
• What about Eboue?

Mental strength

No, not about the team, it's the fans. Didn't go to Albion but followed the game on arsenal.com's web text service from half-time. Watched the goals on the web in the evening and have recorded Football First for my delectation later today. For what I can gather it was a game of uneven halves if that is possible/plausible, whatever! Arsenal didn't play for 70 mins, Manuel proves everybody right and then the team kicks in for 20 mins and could have won. Will post an update once I watched FF which I think will demand oodles of fortitude.

However, I do note that the world and his wife, in particular the 'red-tops', are jumping on the 'Arsenal - lack of mental strength' bandwagon'. Read my post from 15th November 2010!

And now one for the future! Why is AW content to keep Eboue on the bench? He continues to juggle the lookalikies (I know that's rhyming slang but not in this context) and seems to forget that when Theo was playing he provided a different dimension to the 'identikit brothers'. Why not play Eboue wide right - he's got pace, skill, can run with the ball at speed and provide additional defensive support. Not as good as Theo in front of goal but then Theo himself is not the most composed in this area. Remember where you read it first.

Finally - Bendtner to the Bundesliga (as per last week's NoW or Sunday Peeps) - predicted that 4 weeks ago - ask Rob!