Hey guys.
we have all been talking about the need for new signings. The one thing I believe we have forgotten about is team chemisry. We have several very important players who have not been here very long. Diaby and Rosicky in midfield Gallas at the back along with Adebayor and Walcott up front. Several others have not been in the first team very long (i.e. clichy,Hotye & others).
We saw Manchester United finish first in the league last year with a core line up that has been together for more than a few years. Chelsea were the same the year before. Spurs keep rotating players in and out so ofen they never seem to gel into a cohesive unit. Nobody can deny they are talented enough to challenge for a CL spot and even the league in recent years.
The Arsenal obviously have enough talent in the starting eleven to compete with the other big teams. I think the team just needs enough games together to become the title challenging team we all hope for. Age is a factor, yes but with the likes of Gallas, Gilberto, Toure, Rosicky and Lehmann we have enough experienced players who have been around the block. Plus the likes of Cesc, RVP, Eboue and Hleb can’t really be described as kids any more. They have proven their worth.
Sometimes it just takes a while for everyone on the pitch to figure out their teammates playing style and positioning.
Thats my thoughts. What about all of you?
95 Responses to “What about team chemistry?”
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July 9th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Chemistry certainly plays a big part in winning teams. But this will be nullified if fundamental flaws like inability to defend setpieces and to convert chances to goals are not resolved. I don’t see any aerial power being added to our central defence. With Henry gone, there goes a source of 15-20 goals a season striker. Eduardo will take at least half to one full season to find his feet in the EPL. When the African cup comes along, we will lose 3 critical first team players with inexperienced cover. I do not see this problem afflicting ManUre, Chel$ki and Pool. I think Arsenal will punch above their weight this season if we can finish 4th.
July 9th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Good point with depth. I have talked about that on a prev. post. And i completely forgot about ACoN. I am not saying we should stand pat.
July 10th, 2007 at 1:01 am
That’s true. I like to believe that in time things will work out. How long will it take? I don’t know. But I think we have key players on the squad with a great amount of experience that can help out the new players.
July 10th, 2007 at 1:23 am
I’ll say this: If Arsenal is concerned about chemistry, I’d say that the club should seriously consider celebrating the anniversary of Gallas’ last second transfer to North London by selling him, or giving him away for someone who WANTS to play for them…
Read this a moment ago on ESPNSoccernet:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=444392&cc=5739
I’m not real keen on dissent in the ranks. Especially from a guy that barely did anything last season. Didn’t come to play or third, eh? Well, work on staying healthy, and pull your weight. I’m sure none of the youngsters are playing for third either… and I’d bet they would all agree that they aren’t playing to placate the ego of an overrated transfer either.
Send this pompous crybaby to whomever will take him. Send him to Auxerre. Maybe his own countrymen will put up with his incessant complaining.
July 10th, 2007 at 1:25 am
…and what I forgot to add (I thought I did, but apparently thoughts don’t magically appear on the screen) was, send him to Auxerre for Bakari Sagna.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:56 am
I really hope Sagna can play centre-back as well, he seems to be primarily a full back.
Not sure about the Martins rumour, even Newcastle aren’t enthralled with his first touch.
July 10th, 2007 at 7:10 am
Chemistry’s essential. It’s what we had during the 2002-2004 seasons. When you have a winner you should only make changes that will enhance the club chemistry. I wrote a post the other day about how Everton had a team that finished fourth in the league and brought in a bunch of big name players. These new players disrupted the club chemistry. As a result Everton lost their CL and UEFA Cup qualification matches, and by Christmas they were in a relegation dogfight.
It’s also why I’ve never been big on signing big names. With these names comes a huge ego (Gallas) and you run a huge risk of destabalizing the club chemistry and team spirit. Big names don’t always guarantee success. Chemistry and team spirit always give you a chance.
July 10th, 2007 at 7:15 am
DannyT, who cares what the Newcastle guys think? They’re a bunch of idiots. After only one season in England, Martins is their best player. With the crap service they provide, he still managed to get a boat load of goals. You can’t take what they say seriously.
July 10th, 2007 at 7:28 am
I don’t understand why we need Sagna. We have two RBs and one LB. Are we spending 7M on a backup LB who is actually an RB? I doubt he can play CB; he is
5′ 9″. I’d much prefer we keep Flamini as backup FB and spend the money on a proper CB.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Remember Wet Sham last year as well. Two big signings and nearly relagated.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:32 am
yeah, i dont really understand the sagna thing….or is wenger thinking of playing Hoyte as CB? (he has played there a number of times, and he started in that position).
or probably, wenger wants eboue and hleb to fight for one spot, RM. that might help because hoyte and most probably bakary are better defenders.
am not convinced about martins either….except he can play left wing!!!
July 10th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Wishful thought of the day:
We make a 25 million bid or a 20 million plus Senderos package for Ledley King….and hope Spurs accept. Yeah that is a lot of money…and King might not be worth up to that….but that is a premium for buying from your most hated rivals really.
And to be honest, I think Arsenal should pay up to 40 million if need be if it means sealing off the defense for good. A King-Toure axis would seal up that defense for 5 years at least.
We can then sell Gallas’ massive ass for about 10 million to wherever.
IF we then bring in Sagna (moving Eboue to RM) and bring in a cheap young leftwinger from wherever, we would have just a deficit of 20 million pounds.
yeah, yeah, i know, i know………………..
July 10th, 2007 at 9:24 am
King is a great defender, even Henry has said that King is the best defender he has faced with but the problem with him is he is injury prone. He missed 2/3 from the last season, maybe more, and has been injured before that.
Great defender but a great risk too
July 10th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Martin Jol is a crowd pleaser, I don’t think he will ever have the nerve to sell King to Arsenal under any circumstance.
Besides, it’s not good having an ex-Spurs player in our team. ‘Cos fans tend to pick on them easier than other Arsenal players. Sol Campbell, despite helping us winning some major trophies, never truly won over the Gooners.
Though it may not be realistic, fans do value “loyality”. They hate it when one of their own joining their rivals, likewise, deep inside they don’t respect the players joining them from their rivals easily. U noe it’s kinda like those bit*h, you knew when they r easy come, they will be easy go too.
July 10th, 2007 at 11:00 am
I agree that we need another center back. But I am going to go out on a huge limb here and say it probably won’t be Ledley King. In regards to post # 9, I don’t think Sagna is being brought in to be a backup left back. Clichy is the starter at left back for certain. I think Eboue will be asked to play more on the right flank, which is his more natural position. I am not comfortable with Justin Hoyte manning the right back spot full time. He will be decent cover. However, I think Sagna will start at right back. And he may step in at center back when Toure and Eboue are at the ACN. If Wenger were to buy another central defender, it will be someone who is young or from a lesser league. That player will have to be content being a second choice center back for at least a season or two (unless Gallas is shipped off) And it will be more cost effective. Maybe AW has his eye on another eastern european player for this hole.
July 10th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Remember that Sagna can also cover left back, where we basically only have Clichy. I know we have Traore too, but he’s a bit young to count on.
July 10th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Brendan,
Though some of us (including me) like Ledley, I don’t think that any of us really expect Ledley to come to us…..
July 10th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
I understand. I didn’t want that to come off as harsh. I also like Ledley. In fact, I think if he was healthy and played all last year, Spurs might have finished above us. However, the post about us getting him (and I understand about wishful thinking) sounded a bit Stag like and his droning on about Tevez. Thats all. We all know that we will never sign players like that. For better or for worse. In my opinion though, it is for better. I would be interested to hear some ideas as to which center backs might be available and fit the mold of the Arsene buy. I am mostly out of ideas.
July 10th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Brendan,
I am with you…..I have been asking this group for some time who that person (a strong CB) might be and we really haven’t had any bright ideas. People talk of Micah Richards and Curtis Davies, but that’s basically it….
I am very interested to see what AW will do with Sagna (if he comes)……I don’t see Sagna as a CB. may be I am wrong…..May be he can fill in during times of need, but he is not a Rio/Adams/Campbell type.
July 10th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
dude….nobody was going on and on about ledley. it was called “wishful thought of the day”.
there are simply no great and available CBs out there presently….that is why we would probably have no choice but to keep the loudmouth gallas.
July 10th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Please my fellow USA Gunners, why has no one mentioned Djourou or Senderos?
Djourou has all of the natural qualities and abilities to be the next Sol Campbell. He is tall, quick, excellent header, reads the game well and with a full season under his belt last year is ready to step into the foray with a splash.
Sendoros, although being ponderous at times is an excellent backup especially when playing against forwards with extreme pace, agility and strength such as Drogba. Please remember his contribution 2 seasons ago in the CL.
Sagna is here as insurance and also to provide flexibility along the back 4, especially with the loss of Toure and Eboue to the ANC for 4 to 6 weeks.
I am not quite certain of the exact numbers but I know that goals conceded last year was less than the previous two years. Our problems last year was as follows:
1. We scored far less goals than previous years due too poor finishing.
2. We were continually juggling our squad in the defensive and attacking areas due to injuries which created instability.
3. The squad was adjusting to all the new players, especially those with limited playing time the previous season.
4. Lack of Goal scoring from the midfield.
5. Numerous soft injuries such as groin and hamstring pulls in training.
The questions which remain this season based on us staying relatively injury free are:
1. Will a striker like Dudu be able to convert more of the missed opportunities? Based on his record at both the Club and International level this would seem like a no brainer.
2. Having had a full season and this pre-season together will the team be able to be on the same page? In all probability, yes.
The two more intriguing questions remaining are whether our training staff have recognized and tried to address soft injuries and will Hlieb, Rosicky, Fab and the rest of the midfield contribute more goals ala Pires and Ljungberg in their prime?
Only time will tell.
We may not win it all this year, but we certainly have a fantastic foundation, fiscally and talent wise for the next 5 to 7 years. Cheer up Gunners we still play the most attractive football in the WORLD!!!!!!!!!
July 10th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
errr michael, senderos cant handle drogba….even in his dreams!
that aside, i am in general agreement with your comment.
July 10th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
As far as the Gallas comments are concerned (post 4); it’s funny that his thoughts on Wenger’s transfer strategy strangely mirror those of many Arsenal supporters. Some of who have posted the very same thoughts on these boards. Now he’s being outed as a crybaby and a bad teammate. Funny that no one here is being labeled a bad fan for expressing questions with the head man.
July 10th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Gallas may want to leave…
July 10th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Re No 22 Fred.
ERRRRR Fred, my bad. I meant to to say EXCEPT and not ESPECIALLY.
Drogba too him to cleaners many times last year. Remember, a slip of the pen is no fault of the writer. (LOL)
July 10th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Considering modern football is littered with dozens of strikers with extreme pace, agility and strength - that IS the modern footballer, that surely renders Senderos completely useless.
He was a bad joke last year and at his age should be showing a lot more of the potential invested in him. Unfortunately I think Senderos simply doesn’t have the mental attributes to play for a team like Arsenal, he might be ok in a back 5 with extra protection from those around him, but remove that and he’s completely exposed and unable to cope.
He is a complete liability and no better than Stepanovs or Cygan. He would probably flourish for a mid-table team where nothing much is expected of him.
July 10th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
I agree with the Danny T on the Senderos comments. I am not sure it is worth keeping him around when he will only be useful against Derby, Sunderland, Birmingham and Fulham. I hope that I am wrong. But it just doesn’t seem like that is going to be the case. I think the Champions League run in 05/06 was a bit of smoke and mirrors. We didn’t have the strongest of groups that year. Also, Juve and Real Madrid were playing terribly around the time we played them. And Villareal was never that dangerous a squad once Riquelme was shut down by Gilberto. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed every second of it. But I don’t think it proved anything about our defence. In fact, I think it gives a lot of false hope in regards to Sendy. Maybe he will make a big stride this year. He is still fairly young. I just don’t see it.
As for Djourou, I had heard a lot of talk about him being loaned to Birmingham. Perhaps that has cooled now that Gallas is unsettled. But I wouldn’t mind seeing him get a full year of starts at the Prem level so that he can continue to develop. If he stays, I think he would not be that useful to us at this juncture.
July 10th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I also agree with the assessment on Senderos…..he is a back up for us at best. He may improve but not to the extent we require of him.
Djourou has never really impressed me so far; may I am being a bit harsh, and he is young and learning his craft……..or may be it’s those sleepy looking eyes that doesn’t inspire confidence. May be a full season will make him better…..who knows
July 10th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
The trouble is he will never improve because he’ll never play that many games. When he does come in it will be for someone who is injured, which could be months - then the pressure is immediately on him and he seems unable to cope with that. Dhjorou is surely in front of him now, or should be - so it seems a hopeless situation for Senderos.
During the Champions League run he performed well, but that was largely because of a system that Wenger was forced into employing due to injuries. Wenger very rarely plays 5-4-1 and Senderos has always looked very poor in 4-4-2. To me there’s no point having him around, nothing against him but he’s had his chance and proved he’s not up to it. Why wait 8 years for him to leave like Aliadiere, when you can tell after 3 he isn’t good enough?
July 10th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
I thought Wenger is looking at some young lad by young i think he was 23 from Norway or Nederla… one of those scadanavian countries (excuse errors in spelling) as a CB?
July 10th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Senderos is a big man who needs a run of games to get into flow, get his body coordination working, it’s difficult for him if he has to come in every here and there, or in the last 15 minutes.
But i agree the way things going, it seems he’s unlikely to get a start, let alone a run of games.
I think it’s best to send him on-loan. First, for him to regain his confidence. Second, it’ll give AW a chance to re-access how good he really is without risking our own result.
July 10th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
It sounds as if Freddie is on his way to Fiorentina. As much as I love what he has done for the club, I feel this is another shrewd move by AW. Get a few $’s now while you still can. And it takes his huge wage off the books. Also, all reports are that Sagna is in London getting his medical done. It could be two good pieces of business in one day for the Gunners.
July 10th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
With Djourou, I believe we have a fantastic young player. We only have four CB’s so there’s no way he’s going on loan.
As for Senderos, there’s nothing to reassess. Arsenal play with a very high backline, meaning the CB’s have to be fast, quick, and agile. Senderos is none of these. You don’t need to send him out on loan to figure that out. He’s cover.
As for Sagna, we’ve got Eboue, Hoyte, Gilbert, and if necessary Flamini and even Walcott. For 6.5 million, he’s not coming to be the backup. Arsenal didn’t pay that much for all of the other defenders put together. But Arsene just gave Eboue a contract extension a couple of months ago. I don’t understand it either, boys.
As for Freddie, he’s been an Arsenal servant a long time and I think he loves the club and life in London. But Hleb has made that spot his own. And there is no way Eboue is going to play there in front of Hleb. Our Belarusian is a better dribbler, better passer, more disciplined, more creative, and more dynamic than Eboue. Hleb makes people look stupid every week. He’s a better midfielder than Eboue, period. Hleb’s only problem is his shooting and he often tries these extremely difficult passes. Eboue has only one move; when you reach, he pushes the ball down the line. Truly, a one-trick pony for a midfielder.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I disagree, Hleb needs to be pushed and the team needs more competition. At the moment I would rather see Eboue play right midfield with Sagna as right back than Eboue at right back and Hleb right wing. At the moment option 1 looks defensively (and maybe even offensively) stronger as option two is not really working in either position. Hleb plays well in 1 in 4 games and Eboue can’t defend.
It’s about time so-called star players started performing, and if they don’t they should sit on the bench. Arsenal needs this competitiveness because the squad has been too weak for too long. Some times last season the bench was a joke, with Almunia, Aliadiere, Hoyte, Song and some other numpty sitting there, it was about as threatening as a pork pie. Now I want to see a bench with Hleb, Djourou, Diaby/Denilson, Eduardo/Walcott and Fabianski - much stronger, a bench that can change a game with players on it desperate to come on and make an impact.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
I’d like to add that playing Eboue as a right midfielder would give the team more width. It’s a myth to say you need a dribbler on the wing, look at Beckham, never dribbled past anyone, but his crossing is exemplary and Eboue’s crossing is also very good. With Henry gone we now have players like Adebayor and Eduardo who are supposedly good in the air and should be able to start converting some crosses. No more hanging around outside the box trying to pass through teams, now maybe we can mix it up a bit and stretch the opposition. Anything that will give Arsenal more options has to be a good thing. Surely this is Wenger’s plan, otherwise why buy Sagna? At home we don’t need Gilberto, maybe Fabregas can play in his position and Hleb or Rosicky can play centrally.
Hopefully Sagna can play centre-back too, as cover. All Arsenal needs is a left winger or an additional striker, as I read Eduardo can play out wide left.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
If the Freddie news is true, then well we are closer to a complete change of squad from 2004.
The key players gone from that team : Lauren, Campbell,Cole, Keown, Pires, Edu, Vieira, Parlour, Henry, Wiltord, Kanu, Bergkamp…and now Ljungberg?
Atleast we still have Lehmann, Toure & Silva from that team…But three very long years…
When Wenger started, he inherited a solid defensive backbone. And when that was gone, it didn’t matter much because he had implemented an offensive masterpiece which made up for some of those defensive lapses…but now, this will be a real test.
Gallas will go mental.
July 10th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Joshuad, if we sell Senderos, how much we will get in return? If I were AW, sending him on loan can’t possibly doing us any harm:
1. Yes, we are a side like to push our back line up, but when u have a strong, tall central half that would give u extra option. If Senderos is as bad as some of us may believe, he couldn’t possibly be one of our back 4 helped us to a record-breaking clean sheet run in CL two years ago.
Maybe some would call it luck or whatever. I still can’t believe a back 4 could keep a clean sheet against Juve, Real Madrid the likes through sheer luck.
And he’s one of the Swiss defence that did not concede a single goal in the World Cup as well. If it’s “luck” again, he must be one of the luckiest guys in the world.
2. If we really have to sell him, sending him out on loan at least would put him in the shopping window. Who knows? Perhaps his style fit other mid-table side and he put up some great performance, then all a sudden his value goes up? Just like Anthony Stokes. He didn’t play a single game for us, yet somehow we managed to sell him for 2 mil, because of his on-loan performance.
Anyway, I wouldn’t rule Senderos all out yet. I would rule out players like Justin Hoyte who I can’t see him to improve much beyond his current level. But Senderos, this guy does have an upside - his power in the air, his aggressiveness.
July 10th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Liverpool have got Benayoun for 4 million..I never saw him play much last year but did his form dip that much from 2 years ago that they got him for this cheap?
July 10th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
I’m not saying we should sell Senderos but he’s only good enough to be a squad player. There is nothing to assess with speed. You’re either fast or slow.
As for the clean sheets, it was the 4-5-1 system we played that year. He did well in that system but it’s not typical for Arsenal to play that formation. As for the World Cup, the clean sheets was an illusion. If you watch those games he was typical Senderos and he was lucky not to get a red card in one game and not to be penalised for a foul in the box against Togo. That is luck.
Benayoun is still a very good player. Four million is a bargain for him. Arsene Wenger is an admirer and I thought he would go after Benayoun last summer. But West Ham should have pimped Liverpool just like Ajax are trying to. Babel suddenly went from being worth 6 million to 13.5 million. Why, because those clowns at Liverpool just overpaid for a striker that they didn’t really need so how much will they pay for a wide man they do need? The same thing happened to Manure when they “needed” to sign Rio Ferdinand and Leeds had bills to pay. It’s called pimpin’.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Benayoun is a great player….excellent touch, excellent movement off the ball and intelligent. There were some reports of Arsene looking at him last year. I think it’s a smart buy for the Reds. He won’t be a starter though, barring injuries.
Andez, Senderos is neither powerful in the air, nor aggressive. He is breakfast AND lunch for the likes of Drogba. I suppose we can keep him as back up in case of injuries…but he worries me. It’s funny that not too long ago a lot of us (including me) were advocating Sendy when he was competing with Cygan…..but that’s a different story.
I would love to see Eboue as a Right Winger. He will give us a whole new dimension (and width as has been mentioned). Hleb has great ball control but not a very accurate passer, holds the ball too long and can’t/doesn’t shoot (especially with left foot), and makes poor decisions. In my opinion, he should be on the bench; but that’s just me.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Andez, if you need, I’ve got all of Switzerland’s games on DVD’s from last years World Cup. I’ll send you a copy of either game and if after watching any of those games you tell me that they kept clean sheets because of Senderos’ outstanding defensive performances then I’ll tell you you’re a good liar or you’re smoking crack. I just watched the Togo game about a month ago and he was the typical Senderos that we all know and love.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Very funny Josh…
July 10th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Biggun, I’ve dogged Senderos for a long time. I actually compared their performances from two seasons ago and said that Cygan was the better player. No one agreed with me even until today. He was not responsible for us losing a single game that season and we kept a bunch of clean sheets with him in the side. He even played out of position and kept Cristiano Ronaldo in check at Old Trafford for 90 minutes.
Could you imagine what would happen if we had to put Senderos on Ronaldo? Boys and girls, can you say skull-drug? Can you use the word skull-drug in a sentence? I can; Ronaldo would have “skull-drug” little Cindy all over any field anywhere in the world on any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Skull-drug!
If we hadn’t gotten Gallas, Cygan would have been an Arsenal player last year. But Cygan’s time was up and I’m glad we got Gallas.
July 10th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Baptista just scored another goal. WTF!
July 10th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Re: Baptista just scored another goal.
I saw Brazil’s 6 - 0 win over Chile in Copa America and not only did Baptista score but he played a whale of a game.
My sentiments!!! WTF?
July 10th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Re Benayoun:
“Benayoun, Israel’s national captain, moved to Upton Park from Racing Santander in a £2.5m deal in 2005.”
This was from a BBC report and if it’s true it means the 4 Million is an upgrade. The link is below
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/6289760.stm
July 10th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
If Ljunberg is moving on, the need for another winger (irrespective of whether Eboue moves there) increases.
Sagna cannot be a good CB in England. He is 5′ 9″. Some people are saying that at 5′ 11″, Richards is not good enough. How can Sagna be?
It’s fair to say that the Eduardo euphoria is over. We are looking for more signings and with pre-season starting, I am starting to get worried.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:44 am
Eboue lost the plot last year big-time. I can’t recall seeing a player go from looking incredibly promising & making an immediate impact to being an utter headcase in such a short time.
Wouldn’t surprise me that Wenger has deep reservations about Eboue’s mental stability but he is not going to publicise it. Sagna may well be a starter in Wenger’s mind and Eboue has a lot to prove….otherwise he will go.
As stated Eboue is the best crosser at the club, he made a number of goals with excellent pinpoint crosses that defences simply couldn’t combat. Is he a wide right midfielder…let’s see.
July 11th, 2007 at 1:05 am
I’ve been away for a week.
I see ManU are after Tevez….I had commented Tevez looked to me to be a ManU player….the only issue being the small matter of Mr Rooney. It may be a case similar to Henry and Reyes….2 players trying to command the same space and role in the team.
If they can get over the contractual complications and sign him it may work in our favour and breed unhappiness in the ManU camp.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:12 am
sagna aint a bad thing….as it moves eboue up to mid and lights a fire hleb`s lazy ass. now we do need a left winger. seriously!!! because walcott cant play there….he is very rightfooted and he really isnt the cutting in type of player.
our present team:
GK: Lehmann, Fabianski, Almunia
LB: Clichy, Flamini
CB: Toure, Gallas, Senderos, Djorou
RB: Sagna, Hoyte
LM: Rosicky, ???
CM: Fabregas, Gilberto, Diaby, Denilson, Song
RM: Hleb, Eboue
ST: Van Persie, Eduardo, Adebayor, Bendtner, Walcott
We now really, really need a leftwinger OR a very speedy leftback.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:24 am
I know what your saying Fred about being light out wide. But that hasn’t worried Wenger in the past. During the recent glory days Pires and Ljungberg pretty much had a mortgage on the wide spots and the backup was often Parlour, Wiltord, Kanu etc. Not really a true wide player amongst them. I can remember a ‘front four’ of Henry, Bergkamp, Wiltord and Kanu being rolled out!!
If Rosicky and Hleb are the new double-act it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Wenger sees the wide positions filled and not needing any genuine specialist additions.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:57 am
A quick point about Sagna…firstly he isnt yet signed though he is close to being signed. Lauren wasnt the tallest guy in the world but he was mighty effective at what he did. He used to hopefully run down the right wing but was pretty much zilch creating stuff.Very very solid defender though.I see this not as a RB replacement more a “Lauren” replacement. AW if you look at the entire team changing over 3 years has tried to buy players which are similar to the unbeaten season..obviously you cannot find like for like…but balance wise I believe thats what he is trying.
I’m sick of Gallas…seriously…he’s moaned and moaned and moaned all the time. He is quality …ofcourse….and there are too few CB’s who are as good as him but I’d rather play Sendy if Galllas is going to keep moaning all the time. You cannot be 100% focussed(I’m not buying into the players are professionals argument) if your attention is diverted. So I’d love it if Gallas shut up and led from the front but if he’s not then he better be gone. Oh and what has Cesc said that people are upset about and drawing comparisons to Gallas??? Its nowhere close to what Gallas has said.IMO obviously.
July 11th, 2007 at 6:07 am
As far as wide players, who was the last out-and-out typical winger that Wenger bought? I can’t remember if it was Lauren or Jermaine Pennant. Point is that Wenger doesn’t like those guys. He likes wide guys that like to cut in ala RvP, TH14, JAR, Hleb, etc. These guys played wide in their previous clubs but always liked to cut in. Or Wenger takes central players ala Pires and Rosicky and playes them in wide positions. But wide guys that like to play wide, who was the last one? People expecting that signing, it’s probably not going to happen.
If Tevez signs for Manu there is no way thats a good thing for Arsenal. With he and Rooney, they have two guys that can really play soccer. Remember people said foolishness about Dwight Yorke when he joined Manu saying that he was there to replace Andy Cole and they could not play together and blah-blah-blah. But that’s not what happened. The two combined for nearly 60 goals in a single season. That’s crazy! When you have that kind of strike force you win things like trebles.
Will Ferguson find the same success with Rooney and Tevez? Time will tell but when you consider the fact that he’s won more EPL titles than all the other managers in EPL history put together including Sir Wenger then you’ve got say that he knows what he’s doing.
July 11th, 2007 at 8:41 am
Can someone confrim Sagna’s height? I realize it is not the end all, as to whether or not he is good in the air. But I keep reading 5′ 9″ in this space. I have seen him listed as much taller in other places.
http://www.eatsleepsport.com/news_details.aspx?story_id=1&l_id=1&c=England&t_id=1&lg=Premiership
July 11th, 2007 at 8:59 am
“Andez, if you need, I’ve got all of Switzerland’s games on DVD’s from last years World Cup. I’ll send you a copy of either game and if after watching any of those games you tell me that they kept clean sheets because of Senderos’ outstanding defensive performances then I’ll tell you you’re a good liar or you’re smoking crack. I just watched the Togo game about a month ago and he was the typical Senderos that we all know and love”
.What has it do with my suggestion to send him out on loan then?
July 11th, 2007 at 9:05 am
BTW, Joshuad, I don’t have those copy with me, but if u want, u can go ebay and see whether u could get hold of some of Tony Adams’ early career video clip, then probably u would realize there aren’t any much difference a young Adams from the young Senderos right now.
i am defending Senderos simply because that’s what I did with Adams as well. After he was destroyed by van Basten…. after that outrageous own-goal he scored against Man U and being labelled as “Donkey”…. after the critics been calling him clumsy and slow…. after the West Ham fans throwing carrots towards Tony…. I never stopped believing in Tony Adams.
So I will give Senderos more chances before writting him off.
July 11th, 2007 at 9:08 am
joshoad…i dont think anyone wants an “out-and-out” winger……we are just looking for a left-footed wide player who is very, very fast. and who is a competent crosser of the ball. whether he likes to cut in or out is not really a bother. we are basically looking for a c. ronaldo, reyes style of player.
we need their speed cos Rosicky and Hleb are not lightning fast.
July 11th, 2007 at 9:14 am
ok guys, no point arguing further abt senderos….i think this is his break or make season. he better start doing something to make up for allowing mccarthy kick us out of the FA cup this last season.
July 11th, 2007 at 9:46 am
Off Topic:
Justin Hoyte an English U21, played more than 30 games for Arsenal last season might go for 2 million. Some unknown English player in Div1 goes for 6 million. Owen Har. goes for 40 million …. Bent goes for more than Henry cost Barca … We all accepted that English players are expensive, then we should make money from them. I would not Sell Hoyte for less than 6 or 7 millions pounds.
We saw players like Bently, Pennant, Upson, .. all go for cheap. WHY ???
July 11th, 2007 at 10:20 am
This website says Bakary Sagna is 5′ 9″.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakary_Sagna
July 11th, 2007 at 10:44 am
£6 or £7m for Hoyte?? That’s hilarious. I’d say £3m max., he’s a typical Englishman - technically and mentally inferior. I applaud Wenger for getting rid of him now rather than leaving him out all season until his value drops to £250k. He has to go now.
July 11th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Who cares how tall Sagna is? Cole was (er.. still is) 5′8.
I highly doubt they will ask him to play CB. I’d say that it’s most likely he’ll play on the right side.
July 11th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Danny…isnt a complete generalization about English “players”. I assume you’re talking football only. Bit harsh IMO the language ur using about Hoyte. Really he isnt as crap as ur making him out to be…maybe not a top draw defender but he did improve as the season went on..you got to give him that.
As for the 5 year contract Eduardo had a 10 year contract rumoredly…doesnt count for anything.
July 11th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Sagna’s height came up as some people were wondering if he can play CB. Since he cannot, it must be time up for Hoyte or Eboue and, of course, Gilbert.
I do not believe that Eboue will play right midfield. He has some skills, but he will be looking to dive all the time and he cannot control the ball the way Hleb does. He is a good option once in a while. Not as a regular.
July 11th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Hoyte improved a little, but he shouldn’t be playing regularly for a club of Arsenal’s stature. If you have any real ambition you need top class players in every position - and top class back up.
July 11th, 2007 at 11:16 am
“I applaud Wenger for getting rid of him now rather than leaving him out all season until his value drops to £250k. He has to go now.”
Errr, dannyt, where exactly did you see that Hoyte is being transfered???
He isnt going anywhere. Wenger surely isnt going to buy another Englishman so there seriously isnt a chance of him being sold.
July 11th, 2007 at 11:20 am
ps: hoyte is a very decent second choice RB.
Name the second choice RBs at Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs.
Now compare to Hoyte.
Hoyte is decent. Definitely not great. But he is a backup material. There are no “great” backups really….the only people who happily sit on the bench are youngsters and those who know they are not that brilliant…so I see no point moaning about Hoyte.
July 11th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Dunno, someone on here said he’s going for £2m and I read some stories on the Internet, for what they’re worth. My definition of decent is obviously different to yours - would Hoyte get signed by any top team in Europe for any reason? I very much doubt it, so why should we he play for Arsenal?
July 11th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Well, Babel’s signed for Liverpool. That’s another one down.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Where’d you see a confirmation? None of the following have reported on it: BBC, LFC, EPL, ESPN…
July 11th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Sky has reported that he’s agreed personal terms and passed a medical. All that’s left is the transfer fee.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Sorry, just looked there… the only thing confirmed is that they are close. It looks like they’ve agreed on Benayoun’s fee… but nothing confirming Babel’s signing.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Now… I did read there that AFC is on the brink of signing Yoan Gouffran, a 21-year old striker from Caen.
No idea who he is, but Chelsea and Valencia have both been interested in him, so I guess he must be somewhat hype-worthy.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
dannyt, errrr….will O’shea, Chris Eagles, Geremi, that backup RB from Spurs and that random clown from Liverpool get signed by any top teams in Europe for any reason????? The answer is no as well. So I dont get your point. He is just filler material. All top clubs have them.
most teams dont have a proper backup RB or LB….apart from say Chelsea at LB.
and remember as recently as 2005 we didnt need a backup for either RB or LB…because back then we were like most teams with a just a “reasonable” amount of injuries.
The fullback positions are the lowest prioty when it comes to quality depth. followed by wide midfield. Quality depth is mainly a priority for the central positions….as it is from these positions that matches and championships are decided.
With that in mind, Flamini and Hoyte are filler material and decent enough as backup material.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Andez, understand I’m not writing off Senderos. I’m saying he lacks certain fundamental qualities to play CB for today’s Arsenal. In other words he’s too slow. Think, how many slow defenders do Arsenal have?
I didn’t see Tony Adams when he was younger so there’s no way I’m going to argue something I know nothing about but I did see Adams fifteen years ago and even then he was faster than Senderos is now. But Tony Adams from ten years ago would struggle to get into the Arsenal side today because of tactics we currently employ. That’s just the way it is.
Sending Senderos out on loan isn’t going to help him run faster. Pace is one of those things that you either have it or you don’t. Senderos don’t. Sure he could enhance his quickness and agility but unless Arsenal changes tactics to cater to his weakness he’ll find it tough to play effectively for Arsenal. He could possibly go on to be a stud in another system. I’ve been wrong before and I truly hope he proves me wrong again but I seriously doubt it.
I’ve talked bad about Senderos enough over the past two years and I’m done. We’ll let time tell about him. Time always tells the truth.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Here’s some you-tube clips on Gouffran… hopefully I pasted these right.
I particularly like the goal against Strasbourg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7W02wDCmzQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnxcGKK5R7s&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDivbB7LYeI&mode=related&search=
July 11th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
If this Gouffran thing is true I would be quite happy. He is a cracking talent. Leftwinger and striker. He can play Pires position as backup for Rosicky. Not bad at all.
I hope we sign him before the week ends so that our only problem will be central defense and the bigmouthed gallas.
July 11th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
This guy can shot & score.
July 11th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
*shoot-mistake
July 11th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
ryecatcher, I saw the Babel info on the TV on Sky Sports News.
July 11th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
The Sun is reporting that Sagna is a Gunner for 6 million (GBP)…
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2007310809,00.html
I will say, however, that I trust the Sun for news about as much as I trust some yutz standing at the corner of State and Washington with a sandwich board declaring the end of the world is upon us….
July 11th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Well, if all of these reported Arsenal signings do happen, and being that the subject of the article was team chemistry, I’d say that Wenger is working at making it a matter of “chimie d’équipe”… It would put the tally of Frogs on the squad at 7 (if you’re including Armand Traore)
July 11th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
rye, what are u talking about…
we got only: clichy, traore, sagna, gallas, diaby thats five.
July 11th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
You are forgetting Flamini… and if you’ve been following, Gouffran is reportedly near signing from Caen.
July 11th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Fred, add to that list Flamini and Gouffran and that’s 7.
July 11th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Reports also say that if we sign Gouffran he’ll be loaned back to Caen for the 07-08 season…
July 11th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Come on you Gooners, join us in the Fantasy Premier League competition.
Here are the league name and the code you need to join in our Private League:
League Name: Arsenal America
Access Code (to join the private league): 15843-5346
Of course, it’s on the official Premier League website.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
“Pace is either something you have or you don’t.”
That is actually incorrect. You can owrk on speed just like you can any other skill. Not saying specifically in Senderos’ case but speed is generally generated from fast fiber thigh muscles which you can build up & train to become stronger & react faster. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve seen & played American football with guys who went from 4.9s to 4.6s in the 40 in a little over a year, which included myself.
Any strength & conditioning coach or coordinator will tell you you can build speed just like everything else.
Now, you are correct, Josh in the sense that you won’t go from turtle to hare but you will be able to become a faster turtle than the others & in sports where speed & conditioning training really comes in handy is that you can actually create a much quicker 1st step which couple with a good reading of whatever game can negate a speed difference. I.e. how slower basketball players can defend guys much faster than them b/c they are just as quick or quicker than the fast guys. Another example would be me playing centerfield in baseball in highschool even though I was the “slowest” in foot speed of all the outfielders on our team. I had a quick 1st step & could read the ball off the bat much better. Playing defense in any sport is similar.
Speed = foot speed in a straight line
Quickness = ability to change direction or accelerate from a stop.
Again not saying that Senderos has this, just saying that I don’t agree in your thought that you either have it or you don’t, speed or any ability (except for creativity), all abilities can be worked except for creativity b/c this generally happens in instantaneous moments of inspiration whether it be divinely or chemically inspired…
July 11th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Curt, I concur that Senderos can improve his speed but not enough to matter so I didn’t mention it. It’s not his fault and he can’t change his DNA ie. if he’s a turtle he can’t become a hare. And, unfortunately, the fastest turtle is never going to be as fast as even the slowest hare.
Sol Campbell is an example of a slow hare. Actually, Sol wasn’t that slow but he was exceptionally quick which made him very effective. It’s why I mentioned in my post quickness and agility as they can help players compensate for a lack of pace.
The concept of keeping a high line with fast defenders is when the opposition breaks, the striker has to go as fast as he can or risk getting closed down by fast CB’s. Because he’s running so fast, he’s leaving teamates behind ie. isolating himself with no help. The CB’s require pace to ensure the attacker continues forward and quickness to ensure the attacker cannot cut back and get teamates involved in the play. Generally they have to take a shot before they get closed down and running at full speed. With a keeper like Lehmann, that means an easy save. This is the tactic that Arsenal often employs and Senderos lacks the ability required to carry it out.
The downside to this tactic is Jens Lehmann frequently comes off his line at the wrong time. I won’t go into it but if you take away the set plays and crosses, nearly all of the goals Arsenal conceed are down to Lehmann being beaten from distance because he’s off of his line. He’s a phenomenal shot stopper but how often has he been beaten from distance?
July 11th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
I agree that acceleration can be slightly improved through a variety of exercise regimes, but the effect is fairly minimal - a lot of it, particularly top speed is down to genetics. There are different body types, like enodmorph, ectomorph etc., if you ever did weight training you would know for example that some people have to work twice as hard to make gains despite doing exactly the same exercise routines as others. People have different muscle mass, limb development, distribution of body fat, none of which can be significantly altered.
Creativity is an interesting one, bit of a grey area, but the longer you play football the more experience you gain, the more you play with your head - this should result in playing more efficiently and intelligently thus creating more for the team. I would say natural skill (don’t think that’s the same as creativity) is something that is near impossible to coach - that speed of thought, instinctual ability to perform off the cuff. That’s what really separates the goods from the greats, and it’s largely a combination of accentuated mental attributes.
July 12th, 2007 at 4:51 am
yeah, its amazing how often lehmann gets beat from distance….right from 2003 up till now. he concedes a sh-tload of goals from distance, its incredible.
we will need players like him and toure to be “mature” this season.
July 12th, 2007 at 11:18 am
I am going to revise my goal scoring prediction in an earlier thread, after just (attempting to) submit an article on youth. I was guilty of thinking that the kids of Arsenal couldn’t produce goals. But I think if we express our belief that they can…they just rise to the challenge.
Okay - my (newfound?) hopeful predictions for the league (forgive my spelling):
RvP - 18 goals
Adebayor - 12 goals (limited due to ANC)
Da Silva - 10 goals
Bendtner - 2 goals
Walcott - 4 goals
Fabregas - 8 goals
Gilberto - 6 goals
Hleb - 4 goals
Rosicky - 7 goals
Diaby - 4 goals
Toure - 3 goals
Gallas - 5 goals
Denilson - 2 goals
85 goals. That’s a lot, no? But if we are less injured, I think it is possible, even if improbable. A 25 goal improvement makes a difference, as the champions ManU scored 84 last season in the EPL.
July 12th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Complete nonsense. Arsenal scored 10-15 more goals the season after they went unbeaten and yet finished 12pts behind Chelsea that year. A solid defence and consistency is more important than goals, Arsenal could score less goals than last year and still win the league.
July 12th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I have often talked about the need for defence here on the site - especially from set pieces. I entirely agree with you, DannyT. But I think we can score a lot more as well. I like the idea of balance — strong defence and more clinical finishing. Defence will make or break your chances, and yet it seems to me that in the EPL, being able to score often brings a level of intimidation that will cause teams to retreat into a defensive position. That threat makes a strong defence able to come forward some and trigger the Arsenal counter-attacks and give us more options in the way we press the action on the pitch. Am I way off in my thinking?
July 12th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Thoroughly agree BoLiles, our defense is more than adequate if we score enough goals to put the other team under constant defensive pressure. Previously, other teams could not play their defense high against us due to the flawless counter attacks led by Henry, Pires, Ljundberg and Bergkamp.
Here’s hoping that RVP, Dudu, Ade and Walcott can supply us with the necessary firepower to emulate our previous successes.