The top English teams began each season optimistically looking at five targets:
Winning the European Champions League
Winning the Premiership
Winning the FA Cup
Winning the Carling Cup
Qualifying for the next European Champions League
Well, it’s only March, and for Arsenal the first four are already down the tubes. But arguably the last objective is financially the most important, and is also critical to attracting and retaining the best players. Despite all our troubles this season, we’re still well positioned for that.
Using baseball parlance, the “magic number” of EPL points which Arsenal must gain or Bolton must lose, is 22. (That assumes we hold on to our huge Goal Difference advantage). Bolton has some tough away games - Man U, Chelsea, and sandwiched between those the big six-pointer at The Emirates on April 14. Potentially that’s 12 of the 22 points right there, leaving only 10 more from all of the other games.
So, unless we fold spectacularly, I think we’re in. If Arsene solves a few very obvious problems, 2007-2008 might even be a good season! We don’t have a lot of cash to throw around, but we have accumulated a remarkable number of fine young players, who can’t all be regular first-teamers here. Decision time I think, to raise some money this summer to spend on plugging one or two key holes with experience.
5 Responses to “Putting Things Into Perspective”
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March 9th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Yeah, we’re in - we have some difficult games coming up but should easily be able to scrape up enough points to make 4th - I don’t think Bolton or especially Portsmouth are even capable of closing the gap.
I’m not looking forward much to the rest of the season, I think we’ll drop more points in this difficult run and Wenger will attract more criticism. But I hope the likes of Denilson, Diaby and Baptista will play week in week out from now on ready for next season.
I am still very optimistic about the club’s long-term future despite everything. Football is 50% talent and 50% psychology. The talent is there in bucket loads, the psychology will come as the players play more together and build a bigger and stronger team spirit.
The minute this group have REAL belief they can win things, they will explode and not even Chelsea’s money will able to stop them. It’s just a matter of when, and next season might be too early still.
March 9th, 2007 at 10:17 am
“If Arsene solves a few very obvious problems …”
IF.
March 9th, 2007 at 10:48 am
It certainly isn’t a time to panic. We have been without our top two attacking players for quite some time. RvP and Henry. I am counting Henry as he has been a shell of himself this year. Remove Drogba & Robben from Chelsea or Ronaldo & Rooney from ManU and they would be having the same results we are.
All I am reading about are panic buys. Eric Abidal? What the hell do need him for? Gael Clichy has been one of our most consistent performers this year, and personally my favorite player to watch.
W/o naming names, I would like to see some more width added to the squad. Rosicky is amazing. Hleb, when good is great but I wouldn’t mind having someone else to challenge him for a starting spot. I wouldn’t mind seeing Aliadiere get a run on the outside as I don’t think he has the makings a great striker but he has pace; maybe he has the vision as well.
The middle of the park is all I set in my opinion; Cesc, Diaby, Denilson, Gilberto are all good by me; plus hopefully we bring back Muamba, who I personally really would like to see in the Cups next year for Arsenal.
Up front, I have to think TH14 isn’t going out like this. I think a long year of toiling up front alone for both Arsenal and France took its toll this year. He still has some gas in his tank and will be back next year as the force we know. RvP is top class. Adebayor has made huge strides this year. Baptista, I am not so sold on. His touch is for **AYE CARUMBA**(censored). That being said, so was Drogba’s his first year or so, but I don’t know if I want to blow a huge chunk of our kitty on him. And then we have Bendtner, whom I am excited to get back as well. He seems to have that predatory instinct in the box. Whether he can play the Arsenal game remains to be seen.
Backline - I loved Kolo at RB. Sell the flopping Eboue. He’s an embarrasment. He can go play in Spain or Italy where that crap will be appreciated. This is where they should make a big money buy. Give me a back four of Toure, Gallas, Clichy and a player with the same qualities as Vidic and I would be in heaven.
While this year has been a dissapointment, it’s no different than ManU’s season last year. A couple of keen buys and we’ll be back to doing what we do best. Hoisting trophies. The future is bright.
March 9th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
“So, unless we fold spectacularly, I think we’re in…”
Well, we did exit 3 cup competitions in 11 days, so don’t be so sure we don’t continue to the trend in the EPL.
I’ve said this in other posts before, and I’ll say again. The problem with our squad isn’t about the imbalance of young talents vs. established veteran players, nor about not having enough English players with grit/passion to get stuck in against less talented physical teams. I would even say that to an extent, our injuries to Henry or RVP (amongst other 1st team members) is not the reason we do not win games.
I’m not saying Wenger’s system of play will not work, I’m just saying that his system relies too much on EVERYONE on the pitch being fit and on form. Look at Chelsea - the only player in form is drogba and Cech, and at ManU it’s Ronaldo and VDS. The rest of the players on their squad are doing decent, and some even doing poorly. Even if these top players for Chelsea and ManU were injured, I stil say they would not lose games like we did. The reason we lose is because that we have too many players of the same type, the type that plays fancy football a la Wenger’s mould that fits is visision of beautiful, perfect football. We can’t attack or defend set-pieces, we can’t shoot on target other than weak effort straight at the keeper. What happend as it seems is that our squad, both young and old, are too infactuated with playing beautiful that the had forgotten to the the most basic things.
What Wenger needs to do is go back to step one and get the basics down pat. Don’t try to run before you know how to walk.
March 9th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
If we cant make it fourth this year it’ll be a failure. If we do make it it’s not a failure..no way. Disappointing…Yes…Failure NO.
I think we’ve grown..quite a bit. The emergence of Clichy at LB , Cesc’s tackling , RVP’s goals , Diaby’s presence and a few others as well are great things to take away from this season.
I think AW psyched himself out of the CL this season. So many times we talk about losing the battle before it begins. I think AW was thinking too much against PSV instead of keeping it simple. Koeman psyched him out with his tactics. AW put pretty much all his offense out at the start. If he had to play Gilberto at CB Diaby needed to be there in the middle..not Denilson.Anyway thats gone so lets drop it.
Titi out .. RVP out 4 the rest of the season…which has been absolutely injury ravaged from start to end which is why its still a credit that we finish in the top 4 without ever having anything settled anytime.
If Ali , Ade n The Beast dont stand up and be counted now we might well need lasagna to save our season again. I dont know if AW should sell Freddie.He appears to have lost it..definitely offensively atleast.Effort wise still up there..but goals wise nope.
I’d really like AW to give Ali a go wide left when Mozart isnt playing instead of Freddie and see how he goes. If he sucks there as well he might as well sell him to Boro or some French club.
Overall no wholesale changes needed at all. Keep a settled back four for the remainder. Let Eboue,Kolo,Gallas n Clichy play 11 games together if they are all injury free. This will improve our horrendous clean sheet record quite a bit.
If Jens is going buy a top goalie who’s tall and as aggressive on corners n set pieces like Jens.I dont know who…Boruc or Gordon or even Gomes maybe.
Overall gutted that we didnt make it thru the CL but there was too much chopping n changing for my liking. Hope next season is better. There’s not too much wrong.. a couple of wins and we’ll be fine.