Spurs hasn’t! Some suggested they would be a title contender this season after their 20 million GBP spending spree in the summer, sure, title contender for the Championship (old Division One) next season more likely! And Jermaine Jenas, what a great goal-mouth clearance from him… for Liverpool! Sorry, can’t help!
Our win over Sheffield United showed one thing - it’s better off for Henry to drift wide left rather than staying in the central.
The thing with Henry is - his presence alone would often attract 2 or 3 defenders’ attention. For him to stand in the middle of the box, and his tendency for standing still rather than making run, somehow it made the penalty box even more congested.
By drifting wide, his markers would follow. It would create more space for his teammates to attack down the central.
Anyway, this was a very crucial victory against Sheffield United. Had we failed to build on the momentum from our victory over Man Utd and dropped points against Sheff. Utd at home, all our good work from the Man Utd game would have been undone. Secondly, now we finally broke the home game hoodoo, it would give the team’s confidence a hugh boost.
57 Responses to “Arsenal is back!”
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September 24th, 2006 at 11:06 am
It’s only 2 wins. I’ll have more belief after our next 3 games (Charlton, Watford, Reading) which we should win. Then will come Everton and Andy Johnson who is on a tear and will be a stern test for our CBs.
You’re right, once Henry went wide it was all over but the shouting. Now that his match fitness is improving, he is starting to run at defenders with more malice.
Arsenal demonstrated a new variety in their attack play. I especially like the CBs (Toure and Djourou) making attacking runs. There was less elaborate passing play and more willingness to shoot. We still need someone to step up and replace the goals of Pires and Ljungberg. Will that someone be Baptista? Goalscoring is especially a concern when we have to rotate players for injuries and tournanments.
Ljungberg by his industry, still remains a useful player.
Sheffield United are to be applauded for going with their usual 3 at the back on the road.
Berbatov, Spurs 10 mil signing had a minor groin injury and sat out briefly. Jol admitted pushing to get him back in the side early and now his groin is worse. When Arsene sits you for an injury, you don’t come back until you’re perfect. Another reason to appreciate what we have in Wenger.
September 24th, 2006 at 11:22 am
I am reminded that the higher you climb up a ladder the further you fall, so I won’t gloat too much.
Yes, this morning looking at 4 points from 6 games it sucks to be a Sp*rs fan. But if you measure it against their last 10 games it’s even worse. As for me, after the diarrhea debacle last year, it seems to me the only run of form they’ve had this year is straight to the BOG / John / Toilet. Funny really.
Arsenal have a great team, I think it will gel sooner than later and we still have a good chance to compete with Chel$ki for the premiership.
September 24th, 2006 at 11:27 am
It is still unclear to me how Wenger wants to deploy Baptista. He seems somewhat lost whenever he came on. I thought Wenger was going to get him to play defensive midfield as cover for Gilberto but in the games he has played so far, he adopted an advance position on the field. No question he is strong on the ball and runs well with it at speed. Pack quite a shot as well. Very direct player. I think the issue is his positioning and how he combines with the other players. Rosicky seems to have settle down very quickly and getting used to the pace of the EPL.
September 24th, 2006 at 11:46 am
I am stressed on the “mental blocks” we have broken. First, we failed to beat United and Chelsea last season. Secondly, the home field hoodoo.
Football is very much a mind game. Mental strength plays a hugh part. Victory gives u confidence, and confidence boost more victories. Like last season, we didn’t really start playing well until we beat Real Madrid away. From then on, we looked like a different team.
I feel yesterday’s victory is very very crucial. When opposition parking a bus inside their penalty box, the club name on their club crests become rather irrelevant. It’s equally difficult to break them down regardless if they were a top table side or bottom table strugglers.
Sheff Utd’s defensive approach just as effective as Boro and Villa. The difference is - this time around, we held our nerve and managed to break them down. The FEAR FACTOR is gone, at least that’s what i believe.
I do not fear a strong attacking side. Teams like Everton, if they come to Emirate and decide to attack, that would suit us even better. In open play, we do not fear anyone.
This season, the title probably would go back to the Stamford Bridge again, but I believe we will give them a good fight.
Judging from the season so far, included the CL matches, all we lack was a bit of cutting edge in front of goal. Otherwise, we passed the ball well. And in ALL the matches so far, the INITATIVE belonged to us. We have dictated the tempo, control the possessions. A team play like that can’t possible be doing badly. Now all we need is to put the ball into the net more often. Then we will be fine.
September 24th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Breaking the mental barriers was critical. First win at Emirates, first win against an ultra defensive team, first win against ManU in 4 years, first Henry goal from open play, etc. These are very important building blocks. I won’t say that we are back on top, but we are back in the reckoning. One thing I would still like to see is coming from behind to win (not in a dead rubber like the Zagreb game). That’s the ultimate in mental strength.
The next few games are crucial. We should be able to win against Porto, Charlton, Watford, Moscow (home and away), Reading, Everton and West Ham. That’s a lot of games, so maybe there will be an odd draw, atmost two, in there. But no defeats. Then we’ll be truly back.
September 24th, 2006 at 2:22 pm
Agree. There is nothing more exciting than watching our team pull off a come-from-behind victory!
September 24th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
The next games ARE important. You all seem to think we will roll over Reading…..I believe they will provide the stearnest of challenges for us in the next few weeks (aside from Porto)…..they play with purpose and are very organized….I am caustiously optimistic for 3 points against them but don't write them off just because they are new comers to the EPL this season…It'll be a great tussle.
September 24th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
New question, when is Walcott ever going to play for Arsenal? Adebayor, Henry, Baptista & Van Persie are all in front of him, so at the moment it seems like a bit of a waste of ?12m, because every game is deemed important so I can’t see any circumstance in which Wenger would play him except for Carling Cup.
The boy can’t even get on the bench now Baptista has arrived, and in a few months the press will no doubt jump on that and accuse Wenger of ruining England’s next bright young talent.
I am not criticising Wenger, just looking at the situation objectively and wondering how he will ever get in the team, short term or long term?
September 24th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Danny, great question….not sure of the answer, but remember the season is long and we will be hopefully involved in several fronts particularly after February (Premiership, CL, and FA)….I can see AW using Theo in the early stages of the FA cup, and the latter stages of our campaign to let him have a go at weary defenders and give him some experience. Also, if we incur an injury or two then he should be ready to step in……just guessing though…I do think it's important to get Baptista ready to fight week in and week out though.
September 24th, 2006 at 6:37 pm
I would promote Walcott and shove Van Persie or Adebayor to the back of the queue. Bring back Ade for the away day 4-5-1. Van Persie is never going to be consistent. Walcott has a shoulder injury at the moment, apparently…
By the way, on the subject of the spuds, I bet that yank soccer writer who was debating on which club to support during the summer regrets choosing those muppets.
And we can thank Man United for seriously affecting Tottenham’s start to the season because Carrick was 80% the reason they had a decent campaign last time round. At the same time I can’t see Carrick re-producing his spurs form for them. Great deal all round.
On yesterday’s game, Baptista I must say looks a class player and knows exactly when to pass and run with ball. I hate that pitch, for some reason the area and goal look so narrow on TV and to compound this the team’s play actually bares this out. There’s just no room to pass it around in there.
The pitch also looks too slow and plumpy, a bit like Stamford Bridge last season. I hate watching Arsenal at home now and we don’t really look like being able to change it. Away games will be where all the pretty football is this season.
September 24th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
walcott is not a full striker, he can also play left or right midfield as he did for our first 2 premiership games. infact he is a direct replacement for reyes as he is one of our four wide midfielders. rosicky replaced pires and walcott replaced reyes!!! so he is not directly contesting with the forwards per se. even though he can comfortably play there as well.
also he is very young, he is still 17. and wenger has said he will like to protect him and make sure he doesnt get any major injuries before he is 19. this seems sensible ‘cos he seems to get injured quite often! he needs to gain strength. so i think he will be put in cotton wool for a year or two. he will probably not make the euro 2008 england squad but he should be there in 2010! luckily for us, he seems like a very stable and patient lad.
i’m guessing he will appear in about 10 premiership games this season, plus all our league cup and FA cup matches … plus reserve games as well. thats not so bad.
in the medium and longterm he surely has a place!
September 24th, 2006 at 7:56 pm
and also dont forget that baptista actually plays more in the midfield for us!
and wenger has also said (on arsenal.com) that walcott’s best position is on the left hand side upfront in a 4-3-3…so if/when he deploys such a formation there could be 4 or 5 forwards for 3 spots which guarrantees games for every one.
September 24th, 2006 at 10:40 pm
We’re back.
Yes, ummmm… sure.
A bit premature I’d say.
About the same as writing off Spurz, or anyone else.
Good wins over United and … United.
But the next batch of games against teams we are “supposed” to beat… this is where it will be determined if we are a contender or pretender or somewhere in between.
It is likely we are going to see teams playing just like Sheffield Utd. did… if we score the first goal, fantastic… if we struggle to break them down, it will be the same old story.
WALCOTT.
Frankly, I don’t give a rats ass if and when he is playing, IF WE ARE WINNING. Its about winning games… and starting to get some consistency going. He will get some games, in the Carling Cup and FA Cup, and will come on as a sub sometimes. There will be injuries and suspensions and all that jazz. He will get his games.
If we are winning matches and playing well, I don’t care if he plays or not. Its not about Walcott playing. The media can squeal all the want. Don’t care.
JUST WIN BABY.
September 25th, 2006 at 1:18 am
Let’s not forget that Walcott is just 17!! He will not do a Fabregas this season. He is not meant to. Wenger will treat him with kid gloves because we have other options. But he will certainly play games. The Carling Cup and FA Cup are there. One thing is for sure, Wenger won’t care what the media has to say about this.
I hope Wenger doesn’t push Baptista wide in a 4-4-2. That will be wasting his strengths. He should play on top of the midfield or as a half striker. Already Rosicky is adapting to wide role. Baptista should stick to the middle.
September 25th, 2006 at 1:26 am
I would say that the player of the season so far is Gallas. Not from an individually brilliant kind of way, but simply from what he has brought to the team. He has slotted straight into the defence wherever required. His presence has helped Djourou tremendously because he doesn’t have to worry about Hoyte anymore. Since his debut, we have conceded one goal in three games against Boro. That should give the team a lot of confidence. And he has chipped in with a vital goal.
September 25th, 2006 at 1:30 am
Maybe it is because I am a relative newcomer to being a supporter of the Gunners, or because I have never lived in England, but I could give a sh*t about Spurs. The focus is on improving game by game, which we are doing. I agree with another post that the next three are crucual 9 points to be won. The Valley will not be a walk in the park, and Reading thinks they belong (which they just very well might). Wishing harm on Tottenham is just boring - I know it’s a big derby, and THE traditional rivalry, but we’ve got better things to worry about.
September 25th, 2006 at 4:24 am
since u are selfconfessed newcomer to the club, i?ll teach u!
as an arsenal fan u celebrate arsenal victories and GLOAT at sp-rs losses. thats how it goes one doesnt even question it
when u eventually attend an arsenal game and sample the atmosphere and feel the clear and distinct disdain for our wacky neighbors then u will understand fully. better still if u are lucky enough to attend a sp-rs derby…that will be your baptism of fire. it was for me.
September 25th, 2006 at 4:31 am
what the heck, i hereby WRITE OFF spurs!!!!
they are useless, clueless and shall remain under us!!!
afterall just a few weeks ago u were totally writing us off…saying “we have NO chance” … so why tell us not to gloat off spurs when u were writing off arsenal just 2 weeks ago.
i mean we are fans, if we dont gloat about spurs misfortune what else would we be doing after talking about our own team?
September 25th, 2006 at 4:42 am
Spurs are not worth bothering about, Arsenal are much stronger now and Tottenham blew their ‘once in a decade’ chance of finishing higher than us last season.
September 25th, 2006 at 7:11 am
Stag, you just don’t get it do u? We are Arsenal fans, we are SUPPOSED to write off Spurs! What’s wrong with that?!
I remember long time ago, in a League Cup semi final at White Hart Lane, by half time Spurs were leading us by two goals, and guess what they did next?… During the half time break, their public announcer actually announced through the stadium speaker to their fans on HOW TO GET TICKETS TO WEMBLEY…. Talking about PREMATURE writting off! The game hadn’t even finished, and they already told their fans how to get tickets to the final, like they had already beaten us…. In the end, their fans never needed to bother, ‘cos we came back and levelled the score and lead to a replay. And we beat them again coming from behind in the replay.
So you get it? You really don’t need to be nice to our rivals. You are supposed to give them sticks. ‘Cos let me assure u one thing - should thing go the other way around, u think they would be so kind to us?
September 25th, 2006 at 8:45 am
one game at a time.
September 25th, 2006 at 8:59 am
I don’t write off teams 6 matches into a season.
Its that simple.
I don’t think that many Spurz fans are reading our site.
I don’t read Tott’num sites.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:23 am
stag! u wrote US off after TWO matches …
September 25th, 2006 at 9:46 am
haha…so true
September 25th, 2006 at 11:10 am
Fred, get to F&**.
Do me a favor and don’t comment in my discussions.
I don’t need your feedback… I don’t value your input and opinon.
September 25th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
hahaha
dont crack man! afterall i?m not posing a physical threat to you.
its a public forum, so i am simply pointing and rubbishing the BULLSHIT statements u make! if u dont want people pointing out your negative and mostly contradictory comments then dont write STUPID comments.
u say we shouldnt write off sp-rs after 6 games…and i point out that YOU wrote us off after 2 games. FACT! the comments are still there. u can NOT deny this?! or can you?! nope, i guessed so! always make comments that u can defend!
and for the record: i DO value your opinion! its usually negative and mood-killing, so in a weird sort of way u inspire me to be POSITIVE. and that is a good thing!
September 25th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
And yet you are allowed to pop off during anyone else’s discussion? It’s a two way street.
September 25th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Henry’s effectiveness was the main gripe I had about him being captain. I wrote last year that Thierry being captain would mean he’s trying to be more of an organizer on the field. Strikers should never be captain as they’re a weird breed and need to be focused solely on scoring goals. Organizing the team on the field should be left to a midfielder or defender. I also wrote that there are very few teams that have ever won anything with a striker as a captain. If they were captains they were merely figureheads (ala Maradona) and someone else actually led the team and kept them organized.
Henry being captain has made him less dynamic and we lose his ability to spread defenses as he looks to stay more central. We’ve still found ways to win but it’s looks awfully dificult to score goals since he’s been captain. Our quality is plain to see but we no longer look like “scoring, scoring Arsenal”.
September 25th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
Wenger learned his lesson after forcing Vieira back too soon with that same injury. Of course Wenger won’t do it; anymore.
September 25th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
You guys were talking that same smack about Reading when we played them in the Carling Cup last year because they were on that unbeaten run. I told you guys we’d beat them down and we did just that with our reserves.
I’m not underestimating them but it’s about match-ups and they simply don’t match up against us well. They’ve added a few smart players for this season but the difference in quality will show. They were lucky to get a penalty against Man United and lucky to score that penalty. I’m predicting we’ll be handing Reading another solid beating.
September 25th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
It’s going to be a while. He’s simply too young. We played Fabregas so young because we didn’t have a choice. We lost everybody that was in front of him. Same with Djourou and Senderos. Rosicky will need a break or may pick up a knock. He’ll get his chance under those circumstances but to be the starter when everyone’s fit; not gonna happen this year unless Wenger wants to rest someone.
September 25th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
maradona was an attacking midfielder so u point still holds regardless.
September 25th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
Henry is not fully match fit or at his peak, yet he scored, set up a goal and was responsible for Sheff Utd’s own goal on Saturday too. What more do you want?
The players want Henry on the pitch, it gives them hope and confidence. Whilst I don’t agree with him glaring at certain players, it’s a double-edged coin, because he also ensures they will concentrate on their job and not get sloppy.
I don’t think Henry will ever be a problem, the problem at the moment is a lot of very good players getting used to eachothers style of play in unfamiliar surroundings. They have to do this whilst being expected to win the Champions League or challenge for the Premiership, which brings a lot of added pressure.
The fluency will come, I’m sure - just needs a litte time. This is definitely the best and biggest squad I have ever seen at Arsenal. I believe this is down to the addition of Gallas and Baptista (who will hopefully come good), plus young players like Djorou coming through and actually making a real difference.
September 25th, 2006 at 6:37 pm
i agree with u on this….but i think what he was trying to say is that the captaincy might be taking some dynamism and freedom from him. i dont think anybody can doubt henry’s ability - he is our TOP player.
and for sure this must be one of our biggest squads under wenger. and by the time diaby, senderos, clichy and lauren come back quite a number of players won’t even get ass time on the bench. with a promising reserves and some interesting youngsters like bendtner and gilbert on loan the future is looking quite bright.
so the depth is there, the technical ability is there, now for the cohesion.
September 25th, 2006 at 6:48 pm
after watching the bolton /portsmouth game, i’m beginning to think that of all the pretenders to the top 4 spots, bolton are the most dangerous.
last season they had a string of injuries at the wrong time, this season if they are luckier who knows what they can do. they play a rugged, “ugly”, smash and grab…but its not only against arsenal it works….it ruffles quite a lot of feathers.
September 25th, 2006 at 7:21 pm
I think being captain affected Thierry for a short period, but to be honest I don’t think it’s restricting him now - I mean the Wigan game at the end of the season when we had to win to make the Champions League, he stepped up and buried a hatrick when we most needed him, leading by example every inch. In the Champions league too he was class, and even in the final he looked on fire before Lehmann’s sending off complicated things.
September 25th, 2006 at 7:25 pm
I don’t think Anelka will want to be there very long though. You get the impression he prefers a more cultured game, rather than playing as a lone striker chasing 50 yard balls hoofed over his head every 5 minutes.
Bolton worked like dogs, as they always do, but technically they were miserable - almost embarrassing to English football. But then I watch a lot of Spanish football, so I tend to view Bolton with sheer incredulity - there’s nothing to admire about them.
September 25th, 2006 at 8:40 pm
sure there is absolutely nothing to admire about them, but in a league like englands where the refs allow them to proceed as they please, they are a danger.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
Walcott has cetainly brought energy when he has come onto the pitch. I see him playing as a winger, not an out and out striker. I am not sure what Wenger’s plans are for him. His initial contract IS ONLY TWO YEARS! There are some other stipulations to extend his stay of which I have not read any specifics. I am sure Wenger would not pay up to 12 mil for him and then let him walk when he is 19.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:44 pm
In what way(s) are our neighbours wacky? Other than the close proximity of the two teams/neighborhoods, and “tradition”, what is this all about?
September 26th, 2006 at 2:39 am
Boys, the point is that you need your strikers focused exclusively on scoring/creating goals. That’s all. Henry being captain has slightly taken an edge from his game and Arsenal’s. Sure the team want him on the pitch as he’s World Class but someone else should be captain. He should only have to focus on terrorizing defenses and scoring goals. Arsenal were much more dangerous when he (and Anelka) was free to do just that.
Can you count on one hand how many teams have won any kind of championship where their captain was a striker? (don’t say Madrid because Raul was only co-captain.) You’d have to go back pretty far to fill up one hand. Even Alan Shearer, as good as he was, would have been even more dangerous if he could just be a striker and not captain like when he was at Blackburn.
September 26th, 2006 at 5:35 am
I think Henry is doing fine as a captain. His style is different. Unlike a defender or midfielder, he may not rally the team as effectively. But he leads by example. Eg., Wigan in 2006, Liverpool in 2004, etc.
When he played with Bergkamp, Pires and Cole, they knew each other so well. Everything ran like a well oiled machine. Anyone new had to adjust to Henry’s style. Now the players are very different. To some extent, it is Henry who has to adjust to Gallas, Cesc, Rosicky, Hleb, etc. It will take time but things will fall into place.
September 26th, 2006 at 5:50 am
I definitely agree with u on this one Fred. I too feel Bolton is the most dangerous team among all the pretenders. ‘Cos when we watch Spurs, Newcastle, Portsmouth the likes, they don’t have a particular playing “style or method”. Basically they just bought a bunch of players, put them together and see how it turn out. They are neither the short passing side like us, nor a long ball gung ho type like Bolton.
Everton, Villa play with a lot of heart and team effort.
But Botlon, like him or hate him, Big Sam did create a brand of football of his own - the old fashioned Wimbledon type of gung ho, physical game. And he bought smartly, apart from the bulldog Englishmen, he also added a few quality, over-the-hill yesterday’s stars with a point to prove, with a cut-cost price as well.
Their football is by no mean attractive, but EFFECTIVE.
With Bolton, you know what you will expect when playing them, they are hard nuts to crack. Yet with the rest of the pretenders, it depends on their form and luck, one season they would finish in the top table, then next season they may be a relegation zone battlers. In short, u never have an idea how they would end up.
September 26th, 2006 at 5:59 am
I know what you are saying Joshuad.
A striker would never be my pick for captain.
In saying that, Henry has huge standing and is making a good go of the role.
I wish him well….
Another test of our progress coming up…another win would be very nice, more CL points, build the momentum in the season, build the confidence.
Success is based on runs, and we need to start getting them going again.
We did so in the later part of last season…this season has been a slow start.
But the squads got a real nice look about it.
Funny how adding Gallas and Baptista has turned us from looking ‘light’ to looking sound with good options.
Could it be that the addition of 2 players at the 11th (and 59 min) hour, that Wenger probably thought he had little chance in getting, might actually swing this season big time…..?
September 26th, 2006 at 6:23 am
“Funny how adding Gallas and Baptista has turned us from looking ‘light’ to looking sound with good options.”
I was thinking of the same. We didn’t add two players, we replaced two, yet we look stronger. How? I think the key is versatility. Gallas can play anywhere in the defence. Baptista can play midfield or attack. With Reyes, our central midfield was lacking. With Cole, our central defence was lacking. Now we are well stocked in all areas.
It may very well prove to be decisive.
September 26th, 2006 at 6:28 am
i?m sorry man, i dont have time (or will) to explain arsenal?s history (find a website that details this).
all i can say is: read up on our rivalry with spurs or better still attend a derby with sp-rs or any arsenal match at all. when u are with thousands of other arsenal fans at a match u will fully understand it. there is no way i can explain a passion to you.
also american sport teams have nothing close to the derby scenarios in britain or europe. in the states teams are just franchises that can be bought or moved from city to city at any time depending on the economics. in europe, teams are part of the community fabric for probably upto 130 years and running.
September 26th, 2006 at 6:55 am
It’s funny how our game has completely changed this season. No more Va Va Voom Arsenal. I can’t remember a single quick counter attack this season. That’s why we are struggling to score early. We managed to score in the first half only against Hamburg. That’s once in eight games. A startling statistic!!! Hope we can change it starting tonight.
September 26th, 2006 at 6:58 am
Also shows how much of a difference experienced and established players can make. If we had replaced Reyes and Cole with two youngsters, we wouldn’t have looked so strong.
September 26th, 2006 at 7:35 am
In order to COUNTER-attack, you need the opponents to ATTACK at the first place!
September 26th, 2006 at 7:58 am
Precisely, and there was half a dozen counter attacks in the Man Utd game.
The question of captainship is overblown. If Henry was not captain all the players would still expect him to run the show and he would still glare at players who sold him a bad pass.
Henry looks the same player to me as before, except he needs to reach his peak. Th e problem with the team is a lot of new players needing to mould - if you could see that is the reason fluency is not there then you wouldn’t pin it on Henry being captain.
September 26th, 2006 at 9:12 am
The days of Va Va Voom are over as long as Fabregas is in the side. He’s a very good player but lacks pace and plays slowly. If he’s involved everything slows down. Bergkamp, with his vision, only needed one touch to deliver a cross-field pass that would expose defenses. As soon as Vieira would make a tackle, everyone in a red shirt would break because he was looking to initiate the break with his very next touch. He did this because the opposition was just in possession and aren’t prepared to defend but are looking to score. Fabregas takes a lot of touches. It’s not bad but it is what it is.
Because the build-up is so slow, teams have the opportunity to get back behind the ball. We can still counter but if Fabregas is involved then it’s not likely. Because it’s not as likely, the team doesn’t look to break as quickly as they once did. Before, everyone always expected a quick counter after a tackle. It just doesn’t happen anymore and I think that’s the reason why.
It’s obvious that Wenger worked on crosses and heading in training the last week with the quality balls coming in from Toure, Eboue, and Gallas, as well as the headers on target by Ljunberg and Henry. He will need to address the quick counter in training if he wants the team to do that again.
September 26th, 2006 at 9:41 am
Joshuad, that’s unfair to Cesc IMO.
First, as i already pointed out, there haven’t been too many opening space in our first few matches. When teams play ultra defensive and stay in their box, how to launch a quick passing counter attack? Naturally Cesc would have to hold on to the ball and look for opening.
Secondly, the majority of this current side have only played together for one or two seasons, the understanding between them to match the class 2004 takes time. Remember Pires, Henry once said they knew instinctly where their teammates will run to before they even made a pass? Those soft of understanding can’t possibly happen overnight.
Thirdly, unlike Bergkamp, Cesc is not just a playmaker of our side. When we play 442, he needs to track back as well. The extra responsibility consumed a lot of his energy. It’s much more difficult for a player to track back, help winning the ball back, then immediately start joining the attack like in Cesc’s case, than Bergkamp as a deep dropping striker and just pass the ball when his teammates won it back for him.
Therefore his game is much effective when we play 451, he has more freedom and energy to concentrate on making the creative pass.
Lastly, and most signifiantly IMO, is Henry has been running less and less these days. To effectively launch a counter attack, you need your attacking players made run to create space for either themselves or their teammates. When your striker does not move, there are far less space to make a quick passing to.
Pass and Move, Pass and Move, for the players standing still and exchange pass is much less effective than players moving around and exchange pass.
September 26th, 2006 at 9:43 am
That’s exactly the point I was making about Henry having to adapt to the new players as opposed to the other way round before.
September 26th, 2006 at 9:56 am
@ joshoad:
actually fabregas is not at all to blame for our seeming lack of the counter. fabregas plays more like riquelme than vieira, he holds the ball, uses it well, no rushing and then tries to do something but he can just as well give a quick one-touch pass if he feels like.
u will notice that wenger since 2004 has been trying to fill his team with technical players and trying to adopt a more “european” style of play.
this european style is quite “slow”. if u watch non-british games u will immediately notice this.
a few years ago, our midfield was filled with pragmatists and non-technical players like pires, ljunberg, vieira and edu. gilberto was our only “european” style player then. today ALL our midfielders are “european-style” (apart from maybe baptista and flamini). hleb, rosicky and fabregas are all EXCELLENT passers of the ball. u will also notice that the man wenger wanted to get in 2004 to replace vieira was - carrick! and carrick is by far the most “european” style english player around. he likes to hold the ball, slow it down, pick his pass. the fact that wenger even looked at him means that it was a longterm and though out plan to CHANGE our style of play!
when there is a break in oppositions play, our widemen rosicky and hleb dont go bombing down the way pires and ljunberg used to do. this is because pires and ljunberg are RECEIVERS of the ball, while hleb, rosicky and cesc are GIVERS of the ball. and that is where a balance needs to be found. they need to acquire more scoring responsibility.
but after all this, u will notice that in the Man U game when they came to attack us we had quite a high number of counterattacks in that game. so it isnt like we are now clueless at counterattacking.
the trick now is for them to learn how to counter effectively against smaller teams that dont attack us first and that put almost all their men into the box all the time. but surely it isnt fabregas?s fault nor rosicky or hlebs?. the change in our style of play has been a longterm goal of wenger. it has found almost instant success in europe, but now it needs to crack the premiership consistently.
as all the players get used to each other i am quite sure they will get there soon.
September 26th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
Try to remember Fabregas is 19 and playing in the middle of the park, you shouldn’t expect consistent perfection from him just yet.
Look at Carrick, he’s not even as good as Fabregas and he’s six years older and just been sold for ?17m! I wonder how good Fabregas will be with another 7 years experience behind him.
September 26th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
Guys, once again we’re not reading what I said. I haven’t blamed Fabregas for anything. I’ve simply stated one of the reasons we don’t have that quick counter anymore. I never said Fabregas’ style of play is bad or he’s wrong for anything. In fact I said his play is good but it is what it is; slow. He holds the ball and takes a lot of touches.
For fast-break counters to work, teams have to be caught in an attacking posture. In order to do that defending teams must look to release the ball quickly after winning it. Fabregas rarely does that and it’s not bad but it’s different from what we’re used to seeing at Arsenal. By virtue of the fact that he holds the ball for so long, teams have time to get back behind the ball and assume a defensive posture; which means no counter.
September 26th, 2006 at 10:29 pm
I appreciate your willingness to reply. I do agree that you have to live it to understand it. I also think that Americans who gravitate to the sport and to the Premiership, and finally to a particular team, have to grow into it, because, as you rightly point out, this is a community/neighborhood thing. That is what is so appealing to me about the Prem, especially the London teams - the sense that these are essentially neighborhoods playing. I could imagine the neighborhood of my youth having a 100-year old team playing another 100-year old team from the neighborhood 3 miles away. It would be a war every time out, and we would hate each other with passion and we would gloat over the others’ failures. And our season’s success might even depend more on how we fared with each other rather than the leag or a cup. Therefore, I will have to grow into the Arsenal rivalries and their main derby in may own way and more importantly from my own experiences (attendance at a Spurs-Arsenal game would be a giant leap I’m sure). Give me some time, and maybe it will happen. Who knows? And thanks for welcoming me. I love the Arsenal.