This sort of a post is probably best left to the end of the season, but a performance such as the one last night against Juventus invites comment.
There are many factors that go into a successful team. Talented individuals are part of it, but they must all fit and play together. Throughout this season just about every player in the squad has come in for criticism. While no player is immune to criticism, there is a difference between a bad player and a player playing badly. At times many of our players have underperformed. Meaning they didn’t perform up to their capabilities. But clearly we have also seen these same players have outstanding performances. So, what has been the cause of this inconsistency? I would point to two things: continuity and confidence.
Through injury and departure the complexion of this Arsenal squad was in question for much of the season. The loss of Vieira and Edu, the introduction of Hleb, Eboue, Diaby, Adebayor and even RvP and Reyes along with injuries to Cole, Clichy, Freddie, Lauren and Sol meant that it was difficult for players to get a rhythm. At the top level, things like that matter. There isn’t that much difference between winning and losing in the Prem and if you are not “on” you can be beaten.
When you don’t feel right you are not confident and soon a vicious cycle starts that is difficult to extricate yourself from. But that is a far cry from having bad players. I truly feel you would be hard pressed to find a player in the senior squad who is not legitimately talented. Flamini is a good player - not international quality, but a good, hard working player. Senderos is talented, as is Eboue, Cesc, Reyes and Gilberto. They have proven that with continuity and confidence they are a match for any team.
Arsene Wenger, with very few exceptions, has managed to get players who can play football. Getting 20 pieces to fit is very challenging, especially when those pieces are not always available. Or when you have to put pieces in the wrong place. But you simply can’t say he has bought poor players.
Not once, but twice he has fashioned sides that have not just won trophies, but have achieved historic levels of winning. Two Double winning sides. An undefeated Premiership side. Multiple FA Cup and title winning sides. That’s not luck or a fluke, that is pure footballing genius. The type of genius that does not suddenly disappear. The type of genius that separates Arsenal from Aston Villa, Newcastle or Spurs. I think it is fair to say that had Wenger gone to any of those teams he would have achieved similar success, and had Arsenal not secured his services they would be where those clubs are today. It hasn’t been said around here much recently, but Arsene Knows.
This Arsenal side is by no means perfect. Holes and flaws do exist, most notably the inability to finish off lesser opponents in the EPL. But as the recent display against Charlton showed, they are improving in this area. Clearly belief is high in the dressing room. They completely dismantled Juventus. Eight EPL matches remain, as many as four Champions League games as well. Twelve matches is a lot of football, and the side seems to be peaking at just the right time, which is good because it could take as many as 10, 11 or even 12 wins for the team to achieve its goals.
Believe.
20 Responses to “From Staring Into The Abyss to Reaching For Unknown Glory”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
March 29th, 2006 at 7:21 am
Victoria Concordia Crescit
I still think that says it all.
March 29th, 2006 at 7:28 am
Quite right Rick - Arsene Knows!!
I have said it all along that Arsenal will be fine all season long - why - simply because AW has earned our trust and respect over the years of success and he has also said over the years he believes that one day he will win the CL with Arsenal perhaps this is the year who knows….
Take a minute to applaud AW. I would say that this is his 3rd team that he is creating and I believe this will be the best one yet. These kids are growing up together through every game through every season now and to come - hell they are brothers to be honest and AW their father figure…
Nothing gave me greater satisfaction than to see AW celebrating the goals when Arsenal scored…
You talk about Henry as a genius - yes he is - but there is no greater genius than AW who has not only changed history for Arsenal over the last 10 years but has won trophies playing the greatest brand of football ever seen in UK perhaps even Europe…football as Pele called it - the beautiful game and how Arsenal play it…
Arsene knows!!!
March 29th, 2006 at 7:39 am
So does this website agree the vote at the start of the year when the felt AW was at fault and was doing a bad job is no longer valid or are there still AW haters, saying that we were wrong to get rid of PV4 and Edu.
March 29th, 2006 at 8:08 am
As I said at the start - every new team needs TIME to gell. Espeically a team like us who play flowing passing football. u need a great deal of understanding between each player.
This side is very much a new side, with many new players, and youth team graduates. To expect them to jump out flying from the off would be unrealistic.
To be frank, I’m a bit suprised how quickly this side has gelled together. It’s faster than I thought. As mentioned before, we are not a side playing gung-ho long pass football. We play short passing game, for a group of new players to becoming a mightly passing machine in such a short period of time is quite amazing.
March 29th, 2006 at 8:42 am
Gabrielle Marcotti was one of those idiots, like David Platt and Tony Adams, who were elevating Juventus to mythical status before the game and claiming Emerson was the best all-round midfielder in the world. But even he, soaking up the atmosphere before last nights game, expressed doubts about his previous assertions. “This is highbury, special things happen here,” he said. How right he was.
On a personal level, last night was glorious vindication for what I have been saying on this site and to anyone with hearing for the last two or three years. I know I was a bit of **AYE CARUMBA**(censored) for saying Wenger should go, but look through my posts and I always stated that Arsenal would never win, or look like, winning the european cup with Vieira in midfield. Everyone chuckled and derided such a statement, but I would like to think last night proved my point.
Ad nauseum I argued that Gilberto Silva and Vieira were too similar, playing in parallel lines. In europe, I argued, we need a central thrust, a joie de vive though the middle. When Fabregas came along I identified him as the man to take arsenal to the next level, a man to give us the central pivot that we so lacked in the final third.
I looked at Juve and myself and Joshuad were both confident we could nail this team that can only thrive only in the comfort zone of serie A. When they face a class team, with pace, they cannot cope. For the problems I explained with the Gilberto/Vieira partnership, the same was the case with Vieira and Emerson. I knew those two would just sit there and do sweet F.A. Too SIMILAR.
Without Vieira suffocating our midfield with his negativity and penchant for miscontrolling passes and destabilising our rythm, our team is taut and tight while fluid. What a performance.
March 29th, 2006 at 9:30 am
Let me just reiterate… what an amazing performance last night. FANTASTIC.
We have done this in the CL WITHOUT Sol, Ash & Lauren at the back… which makes it even more amazing at that.
Eboue Senderos AND especially Matty Flamini deserve some serious kudos.
It has taken some time for this all to come around. It appears the ship is righted and going full steam ahead, and thats truly remarkable seeing that we have LOST 10 GAMES in the league already.
I guess Wenger is NOT a TACTICAL IDIOT. I have never said he was or thought it… some have. I still feel he has made some mistakes this year, and his “patience” in the kids gave us no chance in the league… but its forced them to grow in leaps and bounds on the big stage of Europe.
Great Stuff Arsenal… lets finish off Juve and worry about the Semi’s later!
Gotta continue the solid run of football in the league as well… what better than beating out the Totts for that last spot!
March 29th, 2006 at 9:39 am
Stag, I didn’t see Vieira or Emerson swat the little boy like a fly yesterday, did you? I think Fabregas proved yesterday that I was right that we needed a new face-lift in midfield in europe. Look at Vieira yesterday, see my point? He cannot read a game, doesn’t know when to attack or defend. He plays the game by ear and hopes for the best. I’m also surprised how little he runs now. He seems physically SHOT. By comparison, Fabregas doesn’t seem althletic, yet shuffles around the pitch all night long.
Juventus midfield world-class? Try overrated to the extreme.
March 29th, 2006 at 10:15 am
I don’t want to rake up the Vieira debate all over again, but I have a simple question. If Gilberto and Vieira were too similar, then why did Vieira have to go, why not Gilberto? Between the two, I think Vieira is still better. Was it because Vieira fetched 14m while Gilberto wouldn’t even come close? Was it because Vieira can’t adapt to a more defensive role, but Gilberto can? I always thought that the Vieira + Fabregas combo was the best.
March 29th, 2006 at 10:24 am
Well, what can I say Mazza.
Our performance as a team… Cesc’s performance along with Gilberto and Pires in the middle… completely shut down the Juventus midfield.
The GROUP in midfield were relentless. Cesc was very very good… and Vieira & Emerson did very little. They didn’t show up, and a lot of that had to do with the Arsenal, as opposed to their abilities. Vieira can read a game, lets not get silly. He is quite capable of attacking AND defending. He stole a few balls off our players… he’s not inept.
Juventus are not over-rated. You don’t lose 1 match all year in Serie A with an average team.
That makes no sense.
WE OVERWHELMED THEM. We were just better than they were last night. We wanted it more. We outplayed and outhustled the stars of Juventus. We were outstanding. Cesc was outstanding. So were Eboue Pires and Kolo … they ALL played well and as a team.
I give US credit more than degrading Vieira and Juventus. I think we came to play and we were just that much better. They were a beaten and frustrated team at the end.
LONG MAY IT LAST.
March 29th, 2006 at 10:48 am
That image of Henry running with his arms extended and that funny expression on his face after his goal (which was posted here yesterday) says it all. Today like a Cheshire cat or that image of Henry, I still have a smile from ear to ear.
For my years of being, an Arsenal fan that game yesterday was one of the sweetest victories for me. Earlier during the summer of 2005, I was out getting my new kit when I overheard these two teenagers talking with some certainty about the quality of Juve and how they would win it all this year, while looking at a Juve jersey. I asked them if they were Juve fans to which they answered, ?No, I support Panathonikos.? the one said, while the other supported ManUre. For most of this season, all I could here in faint whispers was the two kids talking about Juve. Then Arsenal drew Juve in the CL and those whispers became bellowing screams.
Yesterday put that shrill scream to rest and all is right with the world this morning.
I?ve got a smile from ear to ear that I will carry all the way to the match with Aston Villa on the weekend.
I?ve always had faith in the Boss even if I haven?t always understood his vision. I?ve said here before that as a fan I have little power to make change at Highbury, other than to withhold my cash in buying that aforementioned kit for example. I made a choice to stand by Wenger because of what he has done for this team in his ten-year tenure as the boss. Not a blind faith, that?s why I come here to read and participate. Today those lads and boss seemed to vindicate that faith for me. Seeing is indeed believing and today I am a firm believer, they beat Juve and did it with Arsenal Class.
I can?t think of anything more to say other than: thank you making that belief into a tangible reality in winning the first half of this tie; now on to the second leg with all the converts in tow. Wenger truly is worthy of the moniker ?The Professor?.
Go you gunners!
March 29th, 2006 at 10:53 am
It was great to see the hardwork and Team play yesterday. Half-way through the year, the player I most felt didn’t belong was Flamini. But that guy worked (or continues to work) his socks off. He did what he was supposed to. A team needs different kinds of players. 11 Henry’s can’t win a game. And Flamini is cleaning up as he is required to. I think this role has suited him better than midfield. And at times, you could tell Flamini really wanted to go forward and if he starts doing that more, his confidence will increase even more.
I am glad Eboue brought back all the confidence he showed during the African Cup of Nations. When I watched Ivory Coast play, Toure and Eboue stood out. They were not afraid to get stuck in. And Toure continues to be amazing. He and Lehmann have been two real stars this year.
Never did I imagine that Pires could make a tackle. But what a tackle and that on PV of all people. Hleb gets better and better. A workhorse with tons of skill.
Very impressed and pleased!!! Juventus were lucky to not have lost by more.
Cesc provided the kind of service Henry desires and thrives on. Cesc and Henry are two stars the team has. Barca has Messi and Ronaldinho..Hmmm…Henry has no reason to leave (I hope
March 29th, 2006 at 11:27 am
Stag, if we can win the big ear cup or finishing 4th, that fact that we didn’t do well in the league will become rather irelevant. ‘Cos let’s face it, no team got a chance against this $$$$$ side at the moment.
It’s kinda like a give and take sceniro. If we didn’t bring in the kids we probably would finish second in the league. While at the same time the kids would not get the chance to develop the same pace as now. With the veteran players will be getting one year older.
Now, think about that, if we can beat Real, Juve, that means we are already up there with the best in Europe. All that we are playing a young side. Unlike Liverpool. They did win it last season, but u r not sure how much further this current Liverpool side could improve. And let’s face it, their current 3rd place standing in the league had a lot to do with our early struggling than the fact they been playing much better.
Our current side though, God knows how much better they will become in 2 or 3 years’ time.
Personally, i feel very positive towards our future. i frankly believe we’ll have a better team than both Man U and Liverpool comes next season. Both of them , like us, kinda in a transition period as well. But they don’t really have that many raw talent waiting to be polished into stars.
March 29th, 2006 at 11:35 am
yeah after yesterday’s game, I feel positive as well. Especially about Cesc.
In an interview with UEFA mag a month ago, Cesc said he wants to work on improving his physical side of the game. If he and Diaby can do that, then we can maybe handle the thugs of Bolton and Blackburn better. I really feel if we can handle the physical aspects, then this team will be fine. If Arsenal don’t get kicked or have their space taken away, then everything’s great. But the team has to improve in playing limited space games.
And if they all work together, then we know what the end result will be. Madrid can vouch that as well.
March 29th, 2006 at 12:23 pm
Thank you Andez, i have been with this idea all season…let the youth flourish and greatness is possible…
March 29th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
On paper, you would think Vieira/Fabregas would be the best but in reality it would not work. Primarily because Fabregas needs passive player next to him that will do the defensive work and just give him the ball- give him the floor so to speak to weave his passing patterns and be the playmaker. Vieira’s ego would not let him play such a restricted role. He would want to be the all-round midfielder still and that would conflict with Fabregas.
Also you have to take into consideration that Vieira is physically SHOT. He cannot consistently close down for the 90 minutes anymore. One half he is running round dominating the game, the next he is barely able to lift his legs. He is just a very average player at the moment.
March 29th, 2006 at 12:54 pm
Up the Arse…
http://static.flickr.com/53/119519979_6c1b87f943_o.jpg
March 29th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
For me, this team started to come together in the back and the discovered joie de vivre spread forward like wildfire.
It began around Sol’s meltdown and the home loss to the Hammers, perhaps the lowest of the low this season. Due to plenty of well-discussed reasons–injuries, the Africa Nation’s cup, youth, and so on–AW was left juggling the back for most of the year. When Sol went mental, Senderos was able to secure his position and get regular football. It also coincided nicely with Toure’s return shortly thereafter, a return that Kolo has quickly taken to top form, so by the end of February the back men are finally together, trusting one another.
And then you throw in the other two men. Eboue has been the prize addition to the starting back. Emmanuel’s regular play came around the same time as the January transfer window and at that the time, I was thinking it would be the addition of Diaby that would make the biggest difference in the club. Our centre had looked so anemic and lifeless, but now I realize the middle men played so poor because they had been run ragged without support from a world-class back four. Eboue has adapted so quickly to the team and topflight play that I really don’t think Lauren will be able to dislodge him. And Flamini. What can you say about the sacrifice and desire of this man to take on a new position and embrace it so completely? Who knows if he remains there (I think he should), but he has led by example and developed from a role midfielder who might come in late to a man that should see regular football.
Behind the all is Jens–I wouldn’t trade him for the world. He has been the most consistent man on the squad all year and now that his four are together, we see the remarkable achievement and records that our German can accumulate.
Sure we dropped some games with these four at the back, but they were notably on the road–Liverpool and Blackburn–and they were 1-0 affairs that still held signs that a solid back team was finally in place. And the 1-0 win at Real, which came between those losses, was a more important result than anything else.
There was a new confidence. It was needed to spread forward and it did.
Just as the back came together, its new foundation cemented and strong, men like Hleb, Freddie and Cesc have taken their games up another level. Hleb’s answer came from confidence and familiarity; Freddie’s was relief from injury, the leadership he showed against Real; and Cesc’s was the confidence in knowing that AW wanted and needed the game to flow through and around him while Gilberto holds and does what Gilberto needs to do with four steady men behind him. The middies have looked just superb the last several weeks.
And that, of course, leads to Henry. While we see it on occasion, no longer is TH14 “required” to come back deep to get touches on the ball. He is able to get wide and let the midfielders build something. This allows him to release into space where he can create or take an angle on goal. It has been pure a pure joy to watch–he seems to be having fun again and perhaps that might be the most important piece of the future Arsenal if all of the recent joy, belief and success lead Henry to committing his future to the club once and for all.
March 29th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
That picture sums up Paddy’s (and the Old Lady’s) evening quite nicely.
March 30th, 2006 at 2:21 am
Good points about Vieira. But I still don’t feel that Gilberto is the best defensive player around. I feel that somehow this guy is just not able to stand up on his own. He looks good when playing along side Vieira, but not without him. He looks good when the defence is stable and not conceding, but not otherwise. How many times have we said that the team played badly, but Gilberto played well? I can’t remember a single occasion. Is it the player or the role he performs?
March 30th, 2006 at 9:19 am
I don’t think anyone ever hated Arsene Wenger - so don’t be so stupid.
He has still made wretched mistakes this year of that there is little doubt.
Do you really think Wenger PLANNED to beat Real Madrid & Juventus at the start of the season by playing Eboue, Toure, Senderos & Flamini at the back?
Of course not, he’s had a bit of luck. The lack of experience has forced Wenger to try a formation he never would have employed otherwise, particularly as it was pretty much a disaster in the FA Cup final against Man Utd.
He’s been forecd to play 5 in midfield because he sold Vieria and Edu and the team was not coping very well, as we all know.
Thankfully, we have underestimated the resilience of the kids and the speed at which they have adapted, but Wenger could not have seen that either, although kudos to him for giving them that psychological belief.