So for our last game of the year we travel to another relegation struggler in Sheffield. They are a robust like Watford in a way…so we should expect that sort of threat.
Sheffield are desperate for points but all we have to do is stop making stupid defensive mistakes. If we cut that out, teams like Sheffield and Watford would have no chance whatsoever.
Adebayor is out. And Djorou will probably be relegated to the bench.
I figure our team will resemble:
Lehmann
Hoyte - Senderos - Toure - Clichy
Hleb - Fabregas - Gilberto - Rosicky
RvP - Baptista
With a bench of: Almunia, Djorou, Flamini, Walcott, Aliadere.
This team is definitely strong enough to take all three points…if we can avoid those stupid schoolboy errors.
Here is wishing for three points to end the year with.
Go Gunners!!!
Happy new year to you all in advance!
64 Responses to “Sheffield United”
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December 28th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
I would rest Toure for this game as his form has been somewhat erratic in recent games. Likely to be too many games he has played. Djourou can step in. And also Cesc who has played too many games. So Flamini can deputise. Gilberto is on a streak now so I think he shud be able to continue. Also Helb shud have a rest for Walcott or Ali to start. Put Toure, Cesc and Helb on the bench in case we need to turn the game around in the 2nd half. Effective team rotation without changing the entire team.
December 28th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
Definitely need to rotate the squad a bit…
but we are not in a position where we can drop points to the likes of Sheffield United…
I’d rather we started with strong line-up, and played some folks for just a half…
I’d rest Toure, but I doubt he’ll miss ANY games.
It will be VERY interesting to see who is in the line-up to start.
If Baptista is NOT starting, then you have to think he won’t be here at season’s end… if he can’t get in the team now, when will he, if ever.
(much like Aliadiare)
Need the points… I think a DETERMINED … STRONG … DISCIPLINED effort will be enough… regardless of who we put out there, because we are much more talented than Sheffield United.
But…
if we don’t come to play, we could play our BEST team and still drop points. Its about effort and concentration on the task at hand.
I like us 2-1
December 29th, 2006 at 12:56 am
Warnock has hinted that he will rest key players in view of Monday’s game against Boro. All the more reason for us not to not win this game.
With Henry and Ade injured, there is good chance of Bap or Ali starting. Walcott may start in place of Hleb or Rosicky. But I doubt Cesc being rested. Without him, we are like a headless chicken.
December 29th, 2006 at 3:02 am
somehow i just dont see sheffield resting players and rolling over for us
i thikn the days when that used to happen (unbeaten season) are long gone
baptista has to start for me…i think a break could do tourre some good
December 29th, 2006 at 3:05 am
Would like to see us get through one game wihtout looking jittery and prone to errors at the back.
I dont think we have looked that way in any game tht gallas hasnt played….need him back and firing on all cylinders desperately.
We’ll get by with 3 points as long as the defence doesnt muck up
December 29th, 2006 at 4:24 am
We can’t go rotation crazy or it will be like we did at Fulham. We need three points from this game. The voluntary change I would make is to start Walcott with Hleb on the bench. If the game allows we should bring in Flamini for Gilberto and Aliadiere for RvP. Kolo needs a break but he’s got to wait until Gallas comes back.
We can do a lot of things but what we must do is be strong in the defense. Some of these guys need playtime but we need to play well and can’t afford to drop a single point in this match.
December 29th, 2006 at 6:31 am
What about resting Cesc and moving Rosicky to play centrally? With Walcott and Hleb on the wings?
With lots of other players out, maybe this is not the right game to try it, but I think Rosicky can play centrally with Gilberto. A bit lightweight maybe, but Rosicky can be ferocious. And doesn’t he play CM for Czech anyway?
When the whole team is fit, it might be worth trying? Also if Baptista starts performing, he might fit well into this system alternating between 2nd striker and 5th midfielder to add beef to the midfield when required.
Agree with Toure being erratic at the moment. When Gallas comes back, I would contemplate moving Toure to RB and having Willy and Senderos/Djourou as the other CB. THis will be an issue in a couple of years time as neither Senderos or Djourou are going to be happy playing back up for too much longer. I think toure is also worth trying as defensive midfielder, altho he would be more vieira than gilberto.
Lastly, I thought senderos did very well when he came on against sheffield, with Djourou having his worst game in ages. Senderos, while error prone, does read the game better making timely interceptions and clearing headers. If he can just cut out silly mistakes, there will be a massive battle for the 3rd choice CB between him and Djourou, who is who much stronger and more athletic.
December 29th, 2006 at 6:53 am
I dont like Sheffield United… specially away.. and under Neil Warnock… who I’m pretty sure will tell them to try n score n shut up shop…we need to score in the first half and ease up in the second half…and hope that Chelsea keep slipping up .. Gallas is pencilled to return for Charlton I think .. and hopefully Titi as well.. RVP has also played too much and Cesc as well… Yeah Toure needs a break .. what about Gilberto?? … can we rest any of them?? NO .. I guess AW will rest a few against Charlton .. but we need the points away… n we need a strong side there.
At home against Charlton maybe ease up a bit and give Theo a start or something..lets c…but we need to kill the game off… and not let it drag till the 85th minute.. that kills us….physically..
1-3 to the Arsenal…
December 29th, 2006 at 10:15 am
I say 2-1 Sheff Utd. Although I’ve just read there’s a virus going round their camp which could put some players out. If that’s true, we could win comfortably.
December 29th, 2006 at 10:30 am
According to Teamtalk.com, Arsenal have a number of key players either missing or not 100% fit for Saturday’s clash with Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. Namely, in addition to the individuals we knew were not going to play tomorrow — i.e., Adebayor (thigh), Eboue (ankle) and longer-term absentees Henry (sciatic nerve), Gallas (thigh) and Ljungberg (hamstring) — three other players are likely unavailable tomorrow: Hleb (shin), Walcott (back) and Djourou (hamstring). Supposedly, Baptista will gets the start despite suffering from a virus. In short, the thin squad available for tomorrow has gotten even thinner. Who knows, we may get to see Aliadiare and Lauren.
December 29th, 2006 at 12:54 pm
Lauren, Song and Denilson will be on the bench. Senderos will start. As I’ve said before we are a fragile squad and our lack of depth is being exposed. Eboue maybe back for Charlton. My main hope is that Adebayor not miss 3 weeks with this injury. How many times will we hear that Walcott isn’t playing because of some injury. Is this seventeen year old fragile or what?
December 29th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
OFF TOPIC:
Rumor has Charlton approaching Arsenal about Stokes for a loan through the end of the season. Ever the gentleman, Wenger says it will be up to the player to decide. I for one would return the gesture Pardew made to Wenger back to him. Make some gesture now Mr. Pardew now that you’ve come begging with your f*****g hat in your hand.
December 29th, 2006 at 1:09 pm
By the way, when does Pardew get his judgement? Wenger accepted the charge and got his fine, but Pardew chose to fight the charge…
December 29th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
My best guess:
Lehmann
Hoyte - Toure - Senderos - Clichy
Rosicky - Gilberto - Fabregas - Flamini
RvP - Baptista
Aliadiere subs in, who goes out depends o?n the state of the game.
Baptista, Hoyte, Flamini, Senderos are enough disruption, Gilberto, Toure, Fabs and RvP can rest after Tuesday.
We're not so fragile a team, it is unreasonable to expect three top class players in every position. If we're fragile, what does that make the lower half of the Priemiership? Our opposition is considering a no-name second eleven because their no-name first eleven is too tired or injured (although I expect to see the first eleven.) We have some injuries, and we have a young team, and at the moment we have a lot of short term injuries and a hectic schedule. The numbers aren't the main problem, it is hard enough to have cohesive play when we bring in numbers 16, 17, 18 o?n the depth chart.
December 29th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
I know I predicted a loss to Blackburn, but I definately think we will lose this one. We have too many players out cannot afford to be without the likes of Hleb and Adebayor as well as that incompetant, Hoyte, playing. Wenger actually seems to get off on having players injured so he can have an excuse play the useless lumps like Alex Song again. Wenger seems to have the memory of a fish. He wins a few games and suddenly forgets all that went on before; like the shambles at Fulham.
We will probably get 2 or 3 really good chances in this game and we are going to have to take every single one to stand a chance of victory. Even Toure is playing like a bag of spanners at the minute. 2-1 Sheffield United.
December 29th, 2006 at 4:29 pm
It’s not that Arsenal lacks depth, it just seems that injuries come in waves for this team. Look how many players are missing - three defenders, two forwards and several midfielders as well. Any team would look thin missing that many key players.
December 29th, 2006 at 5:29 pm
I think it would be a GOOD place for Stokes to play.
He’d be in the PREM… down the road, and we could see what he can do at the top level…
Hell… I think Aliadiare would do quite well there, he might help them stay up.
December 29th, 2006 at 5:30 pm
Not a chance of us LOSING this match.
A draw would be a bad result.
We win.
December 29th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
2-1 to sheffield…thts a bit pessimistic dont u think!
i see it 2-1 to us. gotta go with stag even a draw wud be a bad bad result!
generally ppl who say “i think we will lose” follow it up with a “hope i am wrong” someplace!!!….i dont see tht anywhere in ur comment
December 29th, 2006 at 5:53 pm
i agree…for once it isnt lack of depth…we have adequate depth this season especially at the back and up front.
just serious bad luck!
December 29th, 2006 at 6:17 pm
I hope Wenger tells Pardew to take his request somewhere the sun does not shine. Nothing but a complete spanking of Charlton will do to redress what happened at West Ham and pile the misery on Pardew.
December 29th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
Numbers 16,17, 18 on the depth chart or are those the ages of our starters. Just a joke.
I’m just feeling jittery after our performance against Watford. We have to keep the points flowing. Your lineup looks good. There are 3 rested players in our lineup. Wenger remains undecided on ‘la bestia’s’ position (CF or CM/AMF) in tomorrow’s start. Could we not put too much pressure on the man in this start.
We will have to weather the usual helter-skelter, up tempo, hurley-burley from Sheffield for the first 15 minutes. Hope not to concede the usual early set-piece goal and then dazzle them with our fancy foot work and ‘finishing’. I can see a big game from van Persie tommorrow.
I predict a draw or a win. We are NOT going down 2-1 to Sheffield Wednes…er United.
December 29th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
2-1 Sheffield United: it is not going to happen. Not tommorrow, not next year, not in the next decade, not in the next century, not in the next millenium,and not even when time runs out.
RVP:MOTD.
December 29th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
Ali will never play for Pardew, not after how his loan was handled at West Ham when Pardew was in charge there.
December 29th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
It’s going to be hard to predict with all these players in/out, I suppose anything could happen.
What you can be sure of is that Sheff Utd will dig their pitch up and get right in Arsenal’s faces. If Sheff Utd do win I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised, they’re much better than Watford and Arsenal was a total shambles in that match.
Just can’t see our boys putting together a cohesive performance, Sheff Utd play like a TEAM, Arsenal don’t right now.
December 29th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
With the new wave of injuries, it will be difficult for us to impose our passing play. We may have to rely on individual brilliance to win the game. RvP, Cesc, Rosicky or even Baptista to shine. Why not Gilberto, who has been popping with the goals? I repeat - if we keep a clean sheet, we win.
December 30th, 2006 at 2:17 am
I wouldn’t be surprised if Wenger played 4-5-1.
Gilberto + Flamini, Cesc + Rosicky + Baptista, and RvP.
December 30th, 2006 at 10:54 am
If we keep a clean sheet, we win.
Geeez… thats a real bold prediction.
You could say that about ANY match…
How about, if we keep a clean sheet, we can’t lose.
Thats even better.
December 30th, 2006 at 10:56 am
We’re going to play a 4-5-1 against Sheffield f**king United???
I thought Arsenal were the “alleged” players of the beautiful game?
I’d be SHOCKED.
December 30th, 2006 at 11:46 am
Obviously, we have to see what comes of it… like the RVP case, but…
Adebayor has apparently been arrested for assualting his girlfriend.
Let’s hope this is just false information… because there is absolutely ZERO excuse and there should be ZERO tolerance for assault on a woman…
If he is guilty, he can feck off back to his cave… I don’t care what he can do on the pitch.
December 30th, 2006 at 11:54 am
Off topic… Hooooooley moley, Bocanegra pokes in from McBride's shot! Double USA! 2-2 Fulham-Chelsea… with Mourinho acting the jerk on the touchline just before the goal! And former Arsenal player Volz for the opener for Fulham as well…
December 30th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
They never make it easy on themselves. Toure got toasted. It’s hard to have the weight of the defense on your shoulders and he’s not looked good the last few weeks. Hoyte, Flamini, Senderos do not look like top-flight talent but then again we all (except for maybe Wenger) know that. I think you can get away with Senderos if the rest of the defense is top notch but not with the rag-tag defense Arsenal has now. This is an important game. Arsenal must dig deep. What else is there to say. Arsenal is not an easy team at the moment for the faint-hearted.
December 30th, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Too many lazy players on pitch all at the same time is killing Arsenal’s game. Rosicky isn’t being serious, Baptista is simply lost, Flamini just isn’t good enough and Hoyte I can’t explain. And the bench doesn’t look very helpful. Maybe Cesc…..
the best we might get is a point…
December 30th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
As expected, Arsenal went behind at the half. A lapse of concentration by Toure and a very poor decision by Lehmann to charge up to the top of the box resulting in a goal by Sheffield. Lehmann shud have stayed back to allow Toure to recover. Sendoros was big in defence with his headers - he is attacking the ball rather than waiting for the ball to bounce. A couple of poor touches by RvP and Baptista - otherwise Arsenal could have been one up early on. Gilberto should have scored with his free header but headed downwards and over. Rosicky tried a shot with the outside of his right foot saved by the keeper. The pitch is a disgrace and will not allow Arsenal to pass the ball on the ground - really plays to Sheffield’s advantage. Baptista has been a spectator for the most part and he is not living up to his ‘Beast’ reputation. Unfair to judge him on one game but if he does not step up big time, he will be heading back to Spain. Ali did well with his runs and had a good left shot on goal but his combination play with the others was lacking. This is the type of game that Adebayor would thrive. RvP had a torrid time and the useless ref is not helping much - allowing Morgan to throw a sneaky punch at RvP.
Lets see what Wenger does for the 2nd half. Definitely don’t want to end the year on a losing note to a bunch of punters.
December 30th, 2006 at 2:14 pm
Would you prefer to be shocked with the formation or the result?
December 30th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
As cliched as it may sound, it’s the sad truth.
December 30th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
Where was the heart? Where was the character? What was displayed on the field today by the Gunners was disheartening and disappointing. This was not a team of which any fan could be proud. Julio Baptista is a joke, not a beast. He gets taken off the ball by smaller players constantly. Rosicky looked like crap. There was simply no one that was clutch. I really don’t want to lose my bearings based on one game but this game was not an anomaly. The notion that Wenger does not need to buy during the window is an excuse by Arsenal management to not spend any money. Wenger, Dein and Friszman would be served right if we do not qualify for the Champions League. Wenger could put pressure on management by being candid for once that he does not have the troops. The game today is an accurate reflection of this team’s depth. Mathieu Flamini, Justin Hoyte, Jeremie Aliadiare, Philippe Senderos. These players are not the material with which ManU, Chelsea, and Liverpool stock their benches. I am afraid this season is going to be more painful than last.
December 30th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Arsenal are truly USELESS!!!
We didn’t test Jagielka with a long range shot for 35 MINUTES.
We had close to 10 corners and still couldn’t beat Jagielka.
Yes, Jagielka, an outfield player standing in as a keeper.
PATHETIC!!!
December 30th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Pitch was definitely pathetic & Morgan should've been sent off but Arsenal played pretty poorly as well.
December 30th, 2006 at 2:23 pm
Why did Arsenal lose the game?
1. Too many softies and cuties
2. No creativity without Cesc in the middle
3. Yet another mistake in defence
4. All of the above
December 30th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
It is sad to see big players like RvP and Bap “the Beast” lose the ball so easily.
Wasn’t it a great introduction for Baptista to the English game? Now let’s see if the guy is really deserving of the 17M GBP AW was ready to pay for him.
December 30th, 2006 at 2:28 pm
And proved yet again today.
December 30th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Absolutely poor way to end the year. Considering the amount of possession Arsenal had, a draw would have been a fairer result. Can/should Arsenal play the preferred neat passing football with one-two’s in such a terrible pitch?! Is there a plan B for such a situation? RvP was absent for most of the 2nd half and must have been put off by the incident with Morgan in the first half. I hope the FA does a TV review of the punching incident. Whats wrong with Clichy’s passing and crossing?! Can’t get past the first player even when he has loads of time on the ball. Welcome to the rough and tumble English football Baptista. Will he adapt to the pace and the fact that English refs do not award freekicks easily compared to La Liga ones? Ali was a let down in the 2nd half. Flamini was all over the place but did not make an impact when needed. Gilberto shud have put Arsenal ahead in the first half with a free header. The only player who played ok was Sendoros even though he was beaten twice in the 2nd half. Whats wrong with the first touch of players like RvP, Baptista, Aliadere, Flamini and Hoyte? Why no shots on target to test the standin keeper?
These is the type of game where Adebayors physical presence and Eboue’s runs down the right side could make a difference. Lets see what Arsenal can do to redress the situation at home to Charlton.
December 30th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Of course, we will win at home to Charlton and be title contenders again.
December 30th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
I was anticipating a tough game and it was, with Ade’s physical prescence up front unavailable and a couple players trying to prove their worth on the first team it was expected to be close. It’s not the first time we lost 1-0 away this season, but one thing shocked me is the lack of awareness of the players on the field today. Mourniho once said Wenger plays the same type of football against every opponent, and I think the players are guilty of this today at Bramall Lane.
We were a goal down and had loads of possession but could not penetrate down the centre, and when we do get those rare chances in the box we overplayed. With Jageilka in goal the players should just pile as many shots on net as possible but we didn’t test him at all. Baps poor first touch and his reluctance to shoot the ball on the first time was embrassing - he squandered two scoring chances, one against a stand-in keeper… Maybe Wenger is leaning towards not keep him afterall…
I think JA played alright, he did get a good shot on goal (one of the few shots on target today) but his passing play was poor. Maybe he’ll go in the Jan. window.
The end isn’t here my fellow goons, 3rd place is still achievable as long as you’re not expecting to win the league this year…
December 30th, 2006 at 4:15 pm
Yep, a loss to Sheffield United is not gonna happen, not in a million years. oh, whats that? It appears we LOST to Sheffield tonight.
This game had Fulham repeat written all over it. Same pre-match spiel from Wenger how how much faith he has in his crap reserves and once again he gets proved totally and utterly wrong. Hopefully he will shut up about the league title now.
I’m sick of Wenger’s Arsenal. Bored. I want a change. Tony Adams may be as thick as sh*t but at least he will get players who are not so wired into one sort of game. At least his players will attack the box indiscriminately. Okay, we may not play as pretty football but as I said, I’m bored of us now. Myles Palmer was right after all.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not devaluing anything Wenger has done for Arsenal. I appreciate all he’s done but I think we need a fresh start. This is Wenger’s vision in it’s rawest form and it just doesn’t hold up consistently.
December 30th, 2006 at 4:54 pm
Rubbish Mazza. The only difference between you and me is that although we both thought Arsenal could lose - you really expected them to win, whereas I knew we’d bugger it up. That’s why your so gutted am I’m not - if you had felt like I did you wouldn’t be going through the knee-jerk reaction.
Try to remember, the following players did not start: Gallas, Henry, Hleb, Lauren, Adebayor, Diaby, Ljungberg, Walcott, Eboue, Fabregas. That’s nearly an entire team - and they’re not just names, they’re better players than who was on that pitch tonight.
This season is all about weeding, and if I was Wenger, the first player I’d be waving goodbye to for good is Aliadiere & Hoyte. I’d also get Bendtner back in January because he should be where Aliadiere is.
As for Baptista, give him a break for god sake - he shouldn’t be paying left midfield, especially in a game like that, it’s ridiculous. It was also his first start for Arsenal, what do you expect from him? Everyone else gets 6 months, but Baptista gets 90 minutes, yeah right.
The fact is, the team was ripped to shreds by injuries and the pitch was dog mess. Having said that, we STILL should have played a lot better, but everything about this match was entirely predictable. I watched it dispassionately, waiting for Sheff Utd to score their first goal and watching with faint amusement at Wenger’s kids misplacing every single pass as if they got ?100 per **AYE CARUMBA**(censored) up. I wasn’t the slightest bit angry about the result - it was obvious.
December 30th, 2006 at 5:42 pm
I’ve already gone through that period of dissillusioned detachment when it comes to watcing Arsenal make a **AYE CARUMBA**(censored)-up of these sort of games. I was at that point when we played West Ham away this season and lost. I’ve gone back to being pissed off again. Hence my reaction.
With that pitch, I don’t think we would have won with our first team. The pitch just exposed the flaws we have and magnified them by five. None of our players can control a ball unless it’s played perfectly to feet. For professional footballers that is just pathetic.
Baptista was the best of a bad bunch. At least he tried to do something. I’m thinking more of Hoyte, Flamini and Aliadiere and Wenger’s deluded belief he can stick players anywhere and expect them to perform. Baptista should have been up top from the start.
As for Wenger’s future, I stand by what I said. I’m growing bored of Wenger’s Arsenal. I’m tired of their predictable fragility. And, unlike you, I don’t think a year is going to change anything. These flaws are inherent and embedded.
December 30th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Just read that Arsenal have no money to spend. That changes things slightly. I wish they would just say it publicly so we all know. Okay, Wenger doesn’t want to disrespect the players currently at the club but fans- myself anyway- would be alot more understandable towards Wenger’s plight if we knew his hands were tied.
Also if he stopped blabbering on about the title and the “tremendous quality in the squad”.
December 30th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
Listen mate, Wenger is NEVER going to criticise the team in public. You might get away with it with seasoned pros who have seen it all before, but if you start slagging off Senderos, Hoyte, Clichy or Aliadiere they’ll be ever worse in the next match. They probably read enough slaggings on sites like these without their manager having a go as well.
As for the cash - Arsenal has a ?350m stadium debt. Why would you think Wenger has oceans of cash to spend? He probably has about ?15m in the kitty, which wouldn’t buy much these days. I don’t think we need to buy anyone - except maybe a left winger. We have tons of injuries right now, the team is nowhere near full strength.
December 30th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
Lehmann was the man too far out when the goal was scored, where was he? His fire is there when others make mistakes, where is it when he makes his? It may be reaching but the rest of the cast had their role to play and may have failed but I do think Lehmann deserves some talk here…
December 30th, 2006 at 11:06 pm
Agreed that Arsenal were missing a host of first team players, but Sheffield Utd also didn’t play their first team. For 35 minutes, they had an outfield player in goal and we still couldn’t threaten!!!
Typically, you want a result and a performance. But at the least you expect one. Today there was nothing.
If Wenger knows this team’s limitations and I am sure he does (even if he doesn’t publicly acknowledge it), then irrespective of what some on this site might say, he should just play a defensive 4-5-1 and ensure that we don’t lose. In the process, if we nick one and win, then it’s a bonus. It’s easier to start defensively and then attack than to start offensively, go a goal down and then fight back.
How many games does AW need to realise that
- everyone in the team needs to beef up and handle the physical side of the game
- without Cesc, we are like a headless chicken and he has no backup; same is true for Gilberto but we haven’t faced that situation as yet
- we have absolutely no width and he needs to address it
December 30th, 2006 at 11:13 pm
why does the pitch matter? If the officials deemed it safe enough to play on then is it Arsenal’s excuse that the poor pitch doesn’t allow them to play their passing game along the ground? Even on the perfect pitch like at the Emirates, I would still say our over elaborate passing in the box is what is costing us goal scoring chances this season. At home, we tend to create more chances and knock in a few here and there, but away we don’t create enough chances and those rare chances that we get we over play and miss out.
I do agree, that Wenger’s predictability is starting to expose the team’s weakness more and more. Today, direct football won, in fact i would say that 90% of the time direct football will score you the goals to win you games rather than the “pretty football” that arsenal plays. Arsenal’s pretty style of football requires experience players to be in top form in order to excute, and right now we don’t have the players to do this, so part of the reason we’re playing like crap because these youngsters should be playing direct football but instead they’re trying to “run before they learn to walk”. We conceded so many goals this season from simple, non-threatening plays. I could almost imagine that all the opposition has to do is sky a box high into Arsenal’s penalty area and our defence would get all confused and hesitant in clearing the ball. That’s exactly what Sheffield did today and succeeded.
December 30th, 2006 at 11:58 pm
Mazza and Danny right on the money… both saw us losing to crap team.
I just didn’t see it, not with us unbeaten in 7 matches.
Yes, the pitch was brutal, and that did not help our game at all. We play the ball “on the floor”… and you simply couldn’t do that well with a horrendous playing surface… but the ball was ping-ponging back and forth way too much.
The goal they scored, was their ONLY real threat that I remember. And it was AWFUL play by BOTH TOURE & LEHMANN. What the feck was Lehmann doing anyway? Horrible.
We had a few moments early… and what I find unbelievable is that with a midfielder playing keeper, we never tested him at all.
Baptista was not good. He had a few chances to shoot, and just waited way too long on the ball. He didn’t do anything of note.
RVP didn’t do much except COMPLAIN. Back to that crap where he is complaining to refs and picking up stupid yellow cards?? Play football son, you have the talent to rise above the non-sense.
So Baptista shouldn’t be criticized, because its his “first match” as a starter, but Aliadiere was slated in his??
I think Aliadiere might have been our most effective player today. That is TRULY not saying much… but he made some good runs, and… actually took a shot on goal!!! yaaaaaaaaaaay!
Not good enough. That was the story. The players, the pitch, the effort, the finishing. NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
We should not lose to Sheffield United… regardless of who we put out there, because we have so much more talent than them, its ridiculous.
Can’t figure this team out… and we’ll probably be guessing all year long what we’ll get from them match to match. I hope we get the fit… and healthy… Thierry Henry back… SOON.
We need him.
December 31st, 2006 at 6:34 am
Boys, I’m calling bullshit on Baptista. He’s not good enough. He needs too many touches and his judgement is poor. His decision to force a ball centrally to a guy that’s double-teamed instead of an open Clichy in a wide position led to a predictable loss of possession and Sheffield’s counter/goal. Everyone knows if the penetration isn’t there, you play possession until you can EFFECTIVELY penetrate, not force the ball. He got a lot of guys kicked today making the forced passes to the wrong man. Even if he completed the pass, it was the wrong pass and we lost possession.
Everyone also knows you must play the ball quickly or you’ll get closed down and kicked. That requires vision and his is poor. If you DO NOT have good vision, touch, and fitness you CAN NOT play for Arsenal. His poor judgement and lack of vision and touch got a lot of our guys including himself needlessly kicked today. Aliadiere has good vision, touch, and fitness and has descent pace. I prefer Ali to Baptista. Hopefully, Baptista will make me eat my words but I seriously doubt it.
He’s saying it’s tough to adapt to the league to save face and continue playing in another country. I think he knows in his heart he’s not good enough. I’m not blaming him solely for our loss but his was a significant contribution. I don’t think he’s going to get better but I think Wenger may be foolish enough to sign him.
December 31st, 2006 at 7:21 am
The thing that makes this loss really bad is just like I predicted Chelsea are continuing to drop points. We may be a long way back from United but Chelsea should be a lot closer. I’d much rather finish in second place than any lower. Our pre-season is to valuable and we don’t have time to play CL qualification games. But after the performance yesterday we may be hoping just for the chance to play CL qualification games.
December 31st, 2006 at 8:12 am
Joshuad, just feck off of Baptista’s back. This was only his second start and he was playing left midfield. Put him upfront and you will see what he is capable of. His finishing is better than van Persie’s and Henry’s. He just need games. This reminds me on last year when Adebayor came. All gooners started to blame him for our losses, he was not good enough etc., but look one year later, we just can’t afford to rest him, he is simply a key player in our team. All I can say is be patient, and ‘The Beast’ will come good.
December 31st, 2006 at 10:52 am
Stag, give up about Aliadiere and admit you were wrong. We all thought he could make it at some point and saw some talent in him, but the fact is, he’s not Premiership material and nowhere near Arsenal material! I swear he didn’t even go the near the ball for about 40 minutes in that match yesterday.
And to compare his situation to Baptista, as you should really know with just a little bit of thought is absurd. Alidiare has had plenty of first team games for Arsenal over the years including hundreds in the reserves, and quite a few on loan.
Baptista hasn’t even played more than about 120 minutes and 90 of those were completely out of position!
December 31st, 2006 at 10:56 am
Yeah, give him a break - everybody was slating Adebayor remember, now they’re saying we miss him!
You have to give Baptista a chance - it’s ridiculous criticising him when he’s played just one full game, in an injury-ravaged team on a rain soaked cut up pitch where every pass to him was misplaced. He did have an early chance but he took 2 touches, you can’t do that in the Premiership, he will have to learn that just like everybody else does - no point bashing him.
December 31st, 2006 at 11:58 am
What disappointed me about the game was that I didn’t feel there was any excuse for the loss; ie. the pitch, the ref. or poor decisions, injuries, etc.
Arsenal just went out and were beaten by Sheffield U.
I hate watching the team loose all these matches to lower or lower-mid-table teams.
December 31st, 2006 at 2:37 pm
In retrospect, 0-0 would have been a fairer result. Such was the lack of quality in Sheffield Utd’s game that it required one compound mistake by Toure and Lehmann to let in Sheffield’s only meaningful attack. Yes they had more shots on goal but none of them really threaten Arsenal’s goal. Except for the Fulham game where Fulham outplayed Arsenal, this is very similar to the other defeats this season. Lots of possession, try to thread the ball thru a packed defence, lack of width (and when there is width, the final ball was poor or there was no one to fight for it), over-elaboration on a terrible pitch, sitting on the ground expecting the ref to award a freekick, failure to punish oppositions’ mistakes, etc. I just hope that our players play to the whistle and not expect anything from the ref in England. In CL yes but not in EPL.
I am thinking - shouldn’t Arsenal play a more defensive game against such opponents in away matches? And try to catch them on the break. Just like the winning goal against Watford. With a stronger focus on defence, there is better chance that Arsenal do not concede silly goals and end up having to chase the game.
December 31st, 2006 at 2:48 pm
I’ve only bashed two Arsenal players on Arsenal America’s site in the past three years and that’s Senderos and Baptista. Ironically, I’ve bashed them both in the past three weeks. I always saw potential in Adebayor and Djourou. I don’t see it in Baptista. Wenger seems to like him though. He says he likes Baptista’s work rate and attitude in training. Wenger seems to have already made his mind up about the guy so I guess he’s going to be an Arsenal player.
I hope you guys are right about him but I don’t think he’s good enough to play for Arsenal. I could be wrong as he was slow to progress at Madrid but came on strong in the second half of the season. Let’s hope he does it for us too. It’s different though as he not only has to adapt to different team mates but a different league, language, and way of thinking. I really don’t think it will happen this season for him but I’ve been wrong before. Time always tells.
December 31st, 2006 at 3:11 pm
My wife’s family is here so Vicktor (this Russian guy that I play with) and I got the freedom to sit in the basement and watch Arsenal’s CL wins against Madrid & Juventus, and the Barcelona game today with no distractions. That’s a lot of soccer to watch in one day but I enjoyed it.
After watching that team in Europe last year I wonder why Arsene went with Freddie instead of Jose in the Barcelona game. Reyes against Oleguer, right before the World Cup, against a Spanish team, in the European Cup final, with the whole world watching; are you kidding me? I’m thinking Jose would have ripped Oleguer’s aaasssss worse than he did Cicinho. And can somebody tell me what is wrong with Freddie’s left hand? He’s had it wrapped since the unbeaten season.
Anyway, I’m bored as all of my friends are out and about getting ready to celebrate the new year. I’m on call (hence sober) just in case one of them decides this is a good time to see how many times they can flip their car on the autobahn tonight. It’s my duty to scrape them off the street and fly them to the hospital. Enjoy your New Years Fellow Gooners. I’m going upstairs to play Legos with my boy.
December 31st, 2006 at 3:49 pm
Pitiful, just pitiful. Not in my lifetime would Sheffied United beat Arsenal…Oops! Sheffield’s 2nd stringers made the most of their home ‘field’ advantage and midfield dominance to stifle a clueless Arsenal team. No excuses for who were on the field for us, you play to represent and those players did not represent. Disappointing but not really that unexpected when you recall Fulham and West Ham United.
It is painfully evident that our lack of ‘quality’ depth will prevent us from seriously contending for the title in the future. We need horses for that kind of grind and we’re not even close. We can only hope for one shot cup wins at best.
Wenger’s touchline behavior this season maybe a result of his realization of these facts as well.
Wenger’s coy comments about Baptista’s future recalls the Pires and Bergkamp charades. We knew they were toast but we had to endure the waltz in the press. I admire the way he protects his young team in the press because that’s how coaches should behave. Tony Adams hasn’t even gotten on the coaching bus so don’t be crying out for him as the next ’savior’. Please! He could turn out to be the next Aidy Boothroyd, the champion of long ball football that died a deserved death in the 80’s. Be careful what you wish for.
One game at a time is a fitting cliche for this team. Even with all our regulars back, we will not be a sure thing against teams below the mid-table. We’ve had ample proof of that. We don’t play with the grit of a Chelsea or Manchester United unless we are actually playing them.
Can anyone make a claim as to the value loaning players out? The theory is nice but what have we gotten back in return? Hoyte and Aliadiere. That speaks volumes.
Baptista as a SMF did not work at Real Madrid and it sure will not work here. He does not possess the skill of a Hleb or Rosicky for that role at Arsenal. Nor does Flamini. By the way, were there any Rosicky sightings yesterday? There was a a belated Denilson sighting.
Toure my man, you were shite along with your booy Lehmann who completely left you out to dry. I would have preferred an own-goal because at least you know players are seriously trying to do the right thing.
MOTM: Jagielka!