Arsenal 2 – 0 West Ham
January 1, 2008
Two first half goals from Eduardo and Adebayor were enough to see the Gunners through as they beat West Ham at the Grove this New Years Day.
Dudu’s goal came just three minutes into the match, and honestly, it never really seemed as though West Ham were going to get back into the match. Ade’s goal in the 19th minute confirmed those suspicions.
Right, that’s about all I can muster at the moment – I’m going back to bed. Happy New Year everyone!
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January 1st, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Way to go Mike
… nice n early this time. Yeah really nothing much to write about at all. Westham never looked like being any kind of threat at all. Stunning finish by Dudu and an impossible angled goal by Ade…Cesc looked much better and coming back into form while MOzart looked much more involved as well. Took the foot off second half and eased to a comfortable win.Good stuff. Let the kids go and play in the FA Cup. Eduardo withdrawn is good as well which means he and Bendtner will travel north to Burnley. When is RVP back? We need him now.
January 1st, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Wonder where Mazza is now :p
Good game, we needed the early goal and eduardo delivered with an awesome finish. hoyte seem rather obvious.
I think eboue had his best game in a while and almunia seemed enough to inspire some confidence. Cesc looked better than recent times, often controlling the tempo of the game and rosciky doing some effective “roaming”, a goal from either of them would have been ideal though.
Couple of questions though
1. Senderos didnt even make the bench, Song instead?
2. Same with Diarra, does that serve as some indicator to their futures?
January 1st, 2008 at 1:48 pm
srry meant hoyte seemed rather ponderous. lack-luster performance from him
January 1st, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I was saying earlier that if we come through the holiday season on top…then we have a definite chance at the title. Going to be an exciting race from now on..and in all probability will come down to the match at Old Trafford…but early days yet…so will just have to take one match at a time
Eduardo was superb on that finish…….finally starting to deliver….just like Wenger said he would. I remember when Henry left and we signed him..i was telling everyone concerned (Read Man U fans) that I much preferred this signing to another big name …and they wouldn’t ever believe me..thought i’d be really envious of the torres’s and tevez’s of this world …hehe …now i’m having the last laugh
)
FA cup action next…Go Gunners!!
January 1st, 2008 at 2:08 pm
did anyone see micah richards and dunne contain pool, it was a display of some high class defending.
January 1st, 2008 at 2:25 pm
yeah, nice to see Cesc getting better. Eduardo’s goal was once again top class. but i was more amazed by Adebayor’s goal, from virtually no angle at all.
the team actually played better the 2nd half than the first half. despite scoring twice the 1st half, we struggled to control the game. it’s rarely as usually Arsenal at home would dicitate the possession. it allowed West Ham to take the game to us and earned some corners, which they were quite dangerous with it. we did have a bit of luck to hold out the lead.
2nd half we controlled the possession much better. when we keep the ball, it’s game over, they didn’t stand a chance.
January 1st, 2008 at 2:38 pm
First half was the mark of a team that’s learned how to win regardless of how we’re playing. Direct and lethal when it matters. The rest of the time – whatever, a bit ho hum.
Second half saw us flickering with signs of traditional Wengerball brilliance without a huge amount of conviction. In a way, this was encouraging too. We only step up when we have to.
We have a nice run of theoretically easy games in the league coming up to build up our momentum, even as Toure and Eboue go to Africa. Eboue is less of a loss. But replacing Toure is going to be crucial – Song? Sendy? Djourou?
Just when I was feeling confident of giving ManUre a real run for their money…
January 1st, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Great result. 10 points from 12 in the festive period- did anyone do better? NO.
Song is off to the ANC. Wenger mentioned it in the post-match interview. Djourou or Senderos to replace Toure with Senderos having the edge near term since he has been with the squad not on loan. That means it is his spot to lose.
I’d like to see Diaby in CM for FA Cup paired with Diarra but Denilson may get the nod with Diaby on the wing. Hopefully the run of Cup matches will allow some unhappy players to get time..
January 1st, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Not a single yellow for our side. Fans of other sides who say the Gunners are aggressive simply do not understand that it is dependent upon the opposition. The Burnley fixture may be different with them throwing everything at us.
A nice way to start the season and a first goal that had to terrify the Hammers.
January 1st, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Arsenal is as well-positioned as it could hope at this stage of the season.
Yes, Toure, Eboue, and (based on GunningSteve’s report) Song are off to the ANC but it could have been worse because Adebayor might have been gone as well.
Also, the schedule is not unkind to Arsenal from now until Feb. 10 and the ANC final. There are 5 EPL games during that span:
1/12–Birmingham (H)
1/19–Fulham (A)
1/29–Newcastle (H)
2/2–Man City (A)
2/11–Blackburn (H)
Even if the Ivory Coast advances to the ANC final, the first three games of that schedule permit Wenger to determine what is his best defensive alignment in Toure’s absence because the last two games (i.e., away at Man City and home for Blackburn) should be more challenging. All in all, one could not hope for much more from the schedule.
Also, it should be noted that the Champions League home game against AC Milan is on February 20th so even if Toure and Eboue are out for the full time period of the ANC, they will have at least a week to acclimatize themselves back into the squad.
Finally, while some might not find this particularly relevant, I was struck how lucky we are to be Arsenal fans when I read on the official website that Arsene Wenger’s New Year’s resolution is the following:
“To give absolutely everything I have, every bit of energy to make this Club successful, and make this team successful, because I feel it’s a pleasure to work with the team and they give absolutely everything as well, so I want to give everything to make this team successful.”
The first half of this season has been great; may the second half be just as much fun.
January 1st, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Way to see Arsenal playing the long ball. I like that we have a different way to play. Some times the long ball works. …
Ade’s goal is just sick and I cant stop watching it. I am trying to see how on earth the ball went it.
Good to start the new years like this …
January 1st, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Indian _Gooner, I saw Dunne and Richards against Pool. That was as good a defensive performance as you will see this season. Torres found out the difference between Man City and Derby. They were outstanding. Reading and Sp**s could use them
Eduardo, the ice cold killer strikes again. He is so lethal in front of goal that it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Incredible.
Another Clichy route 1 ball for a goal from Adebayor. The skill he displays in finishing that goal off was simply sublime. I’ll say it again, that Adebayor is having a Drogba type break out season. Clearly the training pitch has shown that Clichy can deliver the route 1 ball and not Toure.
It’s good to see the Fabregas we know and love is back in control in MF.
Hoyte was like the “Fountain of Youth” for Ljungberg today. But even the water from the fountain can’t cure a bad hamstring. Should we be overly critical of Hoyte’s performance today? I would say no. First half nerves. He was better in the second half.
Where was the team that beat us twice last year and ManU on the weekend. West Ham were not as advertised and we disposed of them with clinical aplomb. Wham, Bam, thank you Madame.
January 1st, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Good all round performance. No real complaints. Eduardo definately looked sharper and took his goal brilliantly.
The team has got the rythm back. Fabregas, Rosicky, and Flamini were giving each other angles and as a result we had options throughout the course of the match.
Eboue played well. Maybe having two up strikers playing helps his game and gives him more players to pass to up-front as well as more space to run into. Our game is better when we keep it simple. 4-4-2 encourages more vertical passes and as we’ve seen in the last few games we are not conceding any more chances than we did with a 4-5-1.
January 1st, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I agree, Mazza, regarding vertical options in 4-4-2. Our counterattack seems faster and more fluent. I think 4-4-2 helps Cesc as well. More options for penetrating through balls and diagonals, fewer square balls that fizzle out or get intercepted for break-aways. The fact that AW is comfortable with 4-4-2, at least against mid-table teams, indicates his growing confidence in the defensive abilities of Flamini and Cesc. In the second half today, WH got no joy whatsoever in midfield. Great to see the team back in balance, with better things to come when RVP finally returns.
While some folks seem concerned about the relatively small number of shots that we’re generating, Arsenal at it’s best has always been about quality finishing. I can remember lots of games that we didn’t create tons of chances, but Henry, Bergkamp, Pires, et al brilliantly converted the few chances that we needed. Eduardo da Silva, welcome to the Premiership!
January 1st, 2008 at 6:54 pm
a bit off topic, but…..anyone know at this early date if the carling cup tie v.s. spurs next week is gonna be televised? i’m a little worried that it doesn’t show up in the arsenalamerica upcoming schedule.
January 1st, 2008 at 8:10 pm
The Spurs Carling Cup tie is live on Setanta in the US.
January 1st, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Today didn’t tell us a lot, West Ham had too many players out. No Solano, Boa Morte, Bowyer, Parker, Dyer, Bellamy. Face it, their team was half what it could have been yet still gave us plenty of first half problems.
In the second half they got tired and didn’t close down the Arsenal midfield at all – they made Fabregas look good, but he wasn’t really.
Arsenal have had a lot of tough fixtures lately and we’ve come through it all very well. I don’t see anything to be scared about in the next 9 Premiership games except the away trip to Man City.
If we can win 7 out of those 9 then the 4 games after that will surely decide whether we will win the title or not Chelsea (Away), Bolton (Away), Liverpool (Home), Man Utd (Away).
The four remaining games after that are all winnable. Those 4 games are everything.
January 1st, 2008 at 10:52 pm
[...] doubled their lead when Emmanuel Adebayor scored from the narrowest of angels to give Arsenal a comfortable 2-0 [...]
January 1st, 2008 at 10:54 pm
[...] doubled their lead when Emmanuel Adebayor scored from the narrowest of angels to give Arsenal a comfortable 2-0 [...]
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 am
I thought Hoyte was very very poor. In the opening 20 min, he was responsible for all three of West Ham’s efforts on goal. He made Ljunberg look good. That’s how bad he was. Not only is he poor defensively, he just cannot play the Arsenal style of quick passing and movement.
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:05 am
I think Ade’s goal was a total fluke. At the speed at which he was running, he surely couldn’t have curled the ball like a Bergkamp.
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:11 am
The key to handling Toure’s absence is to keep scoring lots of goals. We are less likely to keep clean sheets, so as long as we score 2 or more, we should be winning games.
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:35 am
We probably won’t miss Toure as much as you think, we’re talking 2 Carling Cup games (who cares?), possibly 2 FA Cup games (1 away to Burnley) and 4 Premiership games – Birmingham (H), Fulham (A), Newcastle (H), Man City (A). We should be able to cope, as long as it’s not Senderos filling in.
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:44 am
Someone do care (abt the Carling Cup) – our friends Top4 Hotspur. If they beat us to the final, won’t be suprised a scene of an open-bus celebration down the white side of London. The chant “We beat Arsenal to Wembley” would be ringing around at White Hart Lane next season when we play there, and the next next season, the next next next season…..
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:53 am
Connolly’s gone.
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:37 pm
What an amazing transformation Gallas has undergone. Six months back, he was crying out loud for new signings. Now he says that Arsenal don’t need anyone. Ah, the wonders captaincy does to you.
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I never thought I’d enjoy watching a game with a freight train thundering through my head but wonders never cease.
That goal by Ade was amazing because 9 times out of 10 you’d just assume it bounce off the post or skid by the goal mouth all together. When your hot you need luck to and that was one lucky goal.
Nice start to the new year and the next few matches are going to have a little less pressure for the lads so now they can rest a bit.
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:06 pm
yeah, ade’s goal was lucky….only happened because the ball bounced on the floor.
and i agree with danny, i dont think we will miss toure that much. in case you guys havent noticed toure is an utter disaster in the air. the rest of the team is poor in the air but toure is by far the worst. just watch clips of set plays against us….the expression of fright on his face and the way he manages to lose the opponent so easily is quite comical. i am sure that is the reason wenger didnt make him captain. he panics.
not beating him up, he is still generally excellent on ground based plays – just saying he is not exactly invincible. i think song and gallas can hold the fort for a month.
but if wenger were to choose sendy, then all bets are off!
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
song has been picked by cameroon for the african cup, remember, so we’re down to senderos and djourou.
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
So all bets are off then.
Given Djourou’s ignominious exit from Brum – that throw-in was a lulu – and Sendy’s still brittle composure, this is going to be a nail-biter. What is Wenger thinking?
In most cases, his fabled belief in his young guns pays off. But Sendy’s had three years now to show some consistency, and Djourou’s time a Brum didn’t exactly reveal him to be Micah Richards.
Then again, who should we have bought as back-up?
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Wenger has options for CB. Sagna for one if Diarra is back in his good graces. This leads to an all French backline of Diarra, Sagna, Gallas, and Clichy. We’d be even smaller to the back then though.
Gilberto played there last year as well. Hoyte played there in CC if I recall correctly (really not sure). My first choice would be Sagna but Senderos will likely get the nod. The question is not will Senderos make mistakes but rather will they be punished. Toure and Gallas make mistakes too..
In most cases I like our multiple backup choices better than several teams starters.
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:55 pm
A better thought is how well does Sagna play RM? Bring in one of the best CBs and move Toure to RB. Ship Eboue off.. kidding…. kinda
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
To be fair, Toure has committed a few mini-howlers this season, giving away a needless penalty, getting caught napping on the offside trap etc. But Sendy’s seem more exquisitely costly or avoidable – rather like Lehmann’s opening season blunders.
Also his nerviness tends to be contagious among the whole defence. Almunia has lost most of his jitteryness, allowing out back four to find a fairly steady rhythm overall, even when our midfield wasn’t flowing particularly well.
So in many ways this has been a season of mini miracles/breakthroughs. We find our grit. Cesc starts scoring. Flamini is a revelation. Almunia no longer causes major concern. Theo develops a little bit of aggression. Eboue stops playacting (oh wait.)
Maybe this is the year Sendy finally reveals what Wenger sees in him…
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:20 pm
You can tell from Wenger’s comments and the fact that he put Song on the bench against West Ham that he realises Senderos can almost single-handedly derail our title hopes if he plays him for an extended period. I think that realisation has finally dawned on Wenger after several years of Senderos classics. The question is whether Djourou is Senderos mark II, a lithe, more athletic version of Phillipe but a walking catastrophe nevertheless. I think Wenger is starting to enteratin those thoughts as well.
Wenger has improved alot this year. His idiosyncracies, apart from the irritating Gilberto introductions ten minutes from the end, are not as present as years gone by. He’s got most things right. However, the lingering suspicion remains that there is still has enough of the old Wenger in him to decide to place his faith in the two Swiss youngsters. If he does, the chances of conceding goals goes up by 20-25% and a gradual deterioration of our team dynamic will slowly set in. We can get by though if the guys up front stay fit. And as some have said, Toure hasn’t exactly been watertight in the last few games.
The lesser of the two evils is Djourou.
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I can understand the frustration with relying on Senderos and Djourou to replace Toure for the next six weeks. And I too think there was more to Song’s appearance on the West Ham bench than meets the eye. I read on one site that Senderos actually stormed out of the stadium when he found out that Song was on the bench and not him. I too have strong doubts, even fears, regarding Senderos and Djourou as well (I have never been convinced about him; he seems soft and often has the look of a deer in headlights).
Having said the foregoing, I believe Wenger thinks that bringing someone in the transfer window even with the limitations of Senderos and Djourou makes no sense but not for the reasons he has stated publicly, i.e., that what does he do with such player when the ANC ends and what kind of message does that send to the youth in which Wenger so strongly believes. Rather, my view is that Wenger does not think he can buy someone in the transfer window who can simply step in and take over. In other words, there will be a necessary transitionary period and so Wenger would prefer just to gut it out and hope for the best rather than pay large amounts of money and get a player who will inevitably make mistakes during Toure’s absence. Remember, even Vidic looked bad at first when Ferguson got him; it was only after the settling in period that he solidified into the force he is presently.
Finally, I do have to say that the statement “Wenger has improved alot this year” has to be taken with a grain of salt given Wenger’s prior achievements on behalf of Arsenal; I assume that the meaning Mazza intended was that “Wenger has improved alot this year with respect to his substitutions and which players he puts on the field.” Even with that, it should be noted that it was Wenger who decided Thierry Henry made an excellent striker, put Toure at centre back, used Lauren as a full-back, etc. One cannot deny the man has an eye for where to use his talent even if you disagree with his substitutions or tactics.
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Is Song going to the ANC or not?? I remember Wenger clearly saying that he isnt at the end of last month, so what gives?
I really hope he hasnt been called up. I really have no interest in seeing much of Senderos. I will never forget that moment last year in the FA cup when Benni McCarthy didnt even dummy him, yet he fell down flat on the floor – eliminating us from the FA cup singlehandedly.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Yeah, I meant tactics and team selection.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Also, I agree that it’s too late for Wenger to buy anyone now. He has to go with what he’s got. The defence situation should have been sorted out in the summer. Senderos should have probably been shipped out a long time ago but Wenger obviously sees him as able third choicer and somone who doesn’t moan too much.
To be fair to Wenger, it’s hard to find good quality centre backs. Apart from Agger and Vidic there’s not been too many young ones making an impression recently. I was big fan of Ryan Nelson but even he has been ropey to the extreme in the last few months.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:21 am
Fred, I think Song was a late call up to the Cameroon squad for the ANC.
Hardly an earth-shattering loss. Whilst he has shown progress in the few appearances he has made this season, it’s drawing a long predictive bow to assume he would out-perform either Senderos or Djourou.
So far every prediction this season (and pre-season) of doom and gloom has proven totally flawed – yet that won’t stop them being made LOL. Now we’re back on the old Senderos chestnut. Somehow Djourou is being cast in the same vein. Yet Song who used to be a whipping boy is now ‘the answer’.
It is a reasonable bet given our fixtures that we can navigate this ANC afflicted period. Both Senderos and Djourou have reasonable levels of experience for back-ups.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:52 am
kiwi, dont put me in the “doom and gloom” bandwagon….i was never on it. check all my summer posts!
also i am not one to repeatedly harp on senderos EVERY week. i hardly talk about him….infact i have moaned about hleb, toure and rosicky 10 times more than senderos because i have always been of the belief that “to him much is given much is expected”.
however lets face facts here it does not take much to out perform senderos. all i want in a central back is somebody who does not make blunders. he does not have to be superfast. he does not have to be great, i just dont want an UNPREDICTABLE centerback. and unpredictable is exactly what senderos is. his teammates have absolutely no clue when he will get himself into trouble with an airkick so they cant cover for him. that is my main problem with senderos.
and senderos’ bad unpredictability and djorou’s mediocre form is the reason why Song is looking a very, very attractive prospect right now. he wont cause me to panic at least. and that is all i expect from a CB.
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:00 am
actually maybe hoyte can do a job in the center as well!! he played there once in the CL or carlings cup, i cant remember. he wasnt spectacular. but he didnt make any blunders and was generally calm and collected. and he is generally quick and taller than sagna.
so if Song is really going lets try hoyte or sagna in there. or maybe traore? lol.
but am sure wenger will go for either djorou or sendy. if so i hope its djorou.
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:16 am
I would be very surprised if Wenger doesn’t go for Senderos. At least, he will have one practice game in the CC semi-finals vs Spurs.
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:38 am
Fred I wasn’t lumping you in the gloomy bunch, far from it – just I answered your question re Song and then went on to muse over our backup CBs in the same post.
Mazza made a good point re Ryan Nelsen the Blackburn captain and CB – I was thinking the very same thing. He has played well for several seasons but this season he has been off his game, capping it off with a recent own-goal. That doesn’t make him a bad player, just proves that when a CBs game goes off his errors are magnified.
I’m pretty relaxed about Senderos and Djourou doing the job for us.
I haven’t commented on the West Ham game, but what a beautiful goal by Dudu. I haven’t seen as lethal a finisher at Arsenal for some time. Didn’t Wenger say that he would be our secret weapon in the 2nd half of the season? Sometimes he gets things just so right.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:27 am
Wenger says Toure and Eboue are available for the FA Cup game. I would prefer the CB who will replace Toure to start this game and CC semi-final.
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:57 am
I have still to see the list of centre-backs sitting on benches in the Premiership (outside the top four) who are better than Senderos and would jump at the chance to join Arsenal. Who are they? They weren’t there in the summer either.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:04 am
I think Arsenal should go with Djourou – at least he has been playing all season and isn’t a proven retard, and at least he is quick. If Senderos plays, Gallas will have to move to Toure’s position, making the defence even more unbalanced.
Failing that, put Sagna in the middle and Hoyte at right back. Not a big fan of Hoyte, but he did ok there last year when given a run of games.
The situation does not worry me too much as the teams we are playing for the next 6 weeks are all beatable with or without Toure at the back. Man City away is the only really difficult game.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:05 am
PS. Sagna in the middle and Diarra as right back? Please Mr Wenger – you know it makes sense. Give Diarra 6 weeks playing time, he plays for France there after all and this is a player who needs to play.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:10 am
Inside the top 4 as well. Just ask Liverpool fans how they feel about Hyppia.
In fact, it’s fortune enough for a team, even if it’s a top 4 team, to get a solid pair of starting central half, let alone back up. Just take a look how long it took Man Utd to finally properly replaced Jaap Stam.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:21 am
Because of our attacking nature, and highline defending, we are not missing all around defensive skills, the thing we will miss most is Toure’s PACE.
In this sense, put John Terry there, it wouldn’t have made much a difference.
so yes, I agree, an alternative of playing Sagna in the middle may work. He got a great leap as well despite not being the tallest.
Problem is – there is a chance Diarra may get sold in January window. Who knows? Victory through Harmony. If AW would get rid of Henry, he sure hell dares to get rid of anyone who he deem as a bad influence of the dressing room chemistry.
If Diarra stays. Then Diarra at RB, Sagna in the middle makes sense to me.
Alternatively, I’d like to see Hoyte given a chance in the middle and Sagna keeps his RB place.
Hoyte got no game. But he got pace. With the ball at his feet, he’s as quick as Steve Bould. “Without the ball” though, he’s quick enough. And as a central half, he doesn’t need to be quick with the ball on his feet.
Anyway, it’s AW’s decision not to buy a central half in the summer, so he will have to live with whatever decision he made. Yet before that happen, let’s at least give him and whoever he chooses to play in CB a CHANCE.
Personally, I think we will cope the ANC period just fine.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:56 am
Rafa got a lot of stick for playing 4-5-1 at HOME vs Wigan (who hadn’t mustered a single point against the top 4 till date). Steve Bruce has now twice taken a point at Anfield with Brimingham and Wigan.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Why is Wenger planning to play Lehmann on Sunday? Sure, there is the need to rest Almunia, but that’s why Fabianski is on the first team. It really seems that AW is messing with Lehmann now. Best wishes to the guy, but I’d just as soon not see him in goal for us again, FA Cup or not.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
yeah, we should cope without toure. and we can try a number of options….but the ONE option i hope we do not try is Gilberto. his ability to cause panic in our own defense matches senderos tit for tat.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
The most likely scenario is that either Senderos or Djourou slots in for Toure. Wenger is pretty conservative with his defence, so I’d be surprised to see him mix and match. Of the two it’s hard to pick which one will get the nod. Djourou has regular playing time, Senderos has more 1st team experience overall. Both bring a bit of height to the defence.
This is actually a really good time for one of them to get an extended 1st team run. We could well need them later in the season if Gallas or Toure pick up an injury so having a run now won’t hurt, and playing for half a dozen games or so is better than just the occassional 1.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:58 pm
The biggest positive over the festive period for me was Rosicky staying injury free for the longest spell since he’s been at Arsenal. You can see he’s starting to get into the groove again. Turning on a six pence and holding on to the ball instead of passing/flicking first time, every time. If he can stay fit he will soon start winning games for Arsenal, directly and indirectly. Unlike Hleb, he hasn’t got a phobia of the goal when he’s on form.
And this reputation he has for scoring add-on goals is a bit inaccurate. Last season he scored the second decisive goal against Hamburg, the winner against Wigan, the equaliser against Bolton and opener against Man City. He also scored two crackers against Liverpool in the F.A Cup at Anfield.
In light of this, I don’t know why Eduardo seems to keep yearning for Modric. He should be thanking his lucky stars he has players like Hleb and Rosicky playing in his team. Both are superior to Modric who, for me, hasn’t looked that good when I’ve seen him. I would take him as back-up for Hlebicky but he’s not worth the £20 million that Zagreb are valuing him at.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:51 pm
modric is def. not worth 20 million, that is exactly why wenger didnt buy him in the summer anyway.
that said he will light a big FIRE under rosicky’s ass. there is not enough pressure on hleb and rosicky to constantly deliver.
am definitely not a big fan of the duo’s indirectness. their ability to directly win a game is very low when compared to c. ronaldo and even fabregas.
if modric or whoever comes in, and 3 of them have to rotate with eboue or diaby for 2 spots then there will be big time PRESSURE on hleb and rosicky to stop the pussyfooting plays they love most of the time.
competition is always good.
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
“competition is always good.”
Diarra takes note!
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:29 pm
By the end of the season we will have had a better period over which to assess Rosicky. At this stage he hasn’t provided answers when we needed him most. He has looked better when the team is playing better and looked lightweight when we struggled. I’m happy to give him time and observe, given the guys injury interruptions.
The problem is Wenger doesn’t normally carry spare wide players. Think Overmars/Parlour then Pires/Ljungberg. This is a position where he seems to rely upon his first choice men. When he needs a replacement he drafts in a striker (Walcott) or midfielder (Diaby/Denilson even Eboue). So the likelihood is that Rosicky and Hleb will be given grace to develop in their roles.
I see a lot to like in both players, they’re intelligent, but given the importance of their positions in Wengers system we need them to be bigger game influencers – through goals and playmaking (as opposed to continual passing without threat or intent).
Probable outcome? As Mazza noted Rosicky hasn’t got Hleb’s phobia of attacking/shooting so as long as he toughens-up he is likely to make the breakthrough and become another key part in this emerging team.
Hleb looks to have made the adjustment to the EPL, but he is box/shot shy. He may surpise with goals but I’m guessing not. He may always be a 5 or 6 goals a season man. Rosicky may be capable of double that.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Senderos will have his chance to prove us wrong and Wenger right. What most annoys me about Senderos is that he ‘thinks’ he ‘s good and should be playing regularly. He’s been at this 3 years and he’s no better than the man he replaced (Cygan). As sure as death and taxes, Senderos will make horrendous mistakes. As Justin Wilson, the Cajun cook, used to say, “I gua-ron-tee” it. It will be up to the team to provide damage control for whoever replaces Toure against sp**s and beyond. I just hope that our missing Africans don’t impact us more than other teams with missing African players over the next five weeks. Only ManU will be unscathed.
Burnley intend to ‘play’ us on Sunday. “I’m so glad, I’m glad, I’m glad.” I’m confidently cautious about our chances against the ‘mighty’ Burnley. I was surprised to see Wenger announce that he was going with a strong 1st team lineup. It is the FA cup and it is Burnley so I guess we don’t want to take a chance. A loss would be nothing less than a disaster.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:35 pm
The supposed latest on Lehmann:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article3129118.ece
If you really want 1st team football, you really have to step off the pedestal Jens.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Interesting, I looked at the Arsenal results when Senderos started this year. Of the 11 games he has started, we have won 10 and lost 1 (goals; 29 for, 9 against). The loss was with the 2nd string side that lined up against Sevilla.
Doesn’t exactly back up the claims of certain doom & disaster.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:14 pm
kiwi, PLEASE stop this
because a person’s mistakes arent punished doesnt mean he doesnt make them.
he makes all sorts of un-pressured blunders. we know it, you know it, we all know it.
anyway, let us leave the senderos topic and wait and PRAY he does not cost us much in the coming weeks. there is nothing else we can do really.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Its actually no less than the mistakes that Toure or Gallas make…or have made. The number of times Gallas “flick headers” have reached teh opponent this year are quite a bit. Yes he has played well and contributed crucial goals as well for most of the time though….but lets not bother trying to think objectively…lets just rant on about how Senderos cost us.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
hmmm….gallas makes a lot of mistakes, toure looks like a deer in the headlights at ever corner or setpiece we concede. infact even sagna, clichy and the rest ALL make a high number of errors.
however they all have very STRONG redeeming qualities.
the difference between the non-regulars like denilson, diaby and senderos is that they all have redeeming qualities. sometimes they have absolute blinders – which make you want to forgive their other poor play.
u can forgive diaby’s sloppy play every other game because from time to time he plays like an absolute juggernaut. denilson sometimes looks like fabregas.
clichy and sagna sometimes look utterly imperious – which makes you forgive the games they let wingers behind them.
but for senderos, when is he ever imperious??? he never gives us awesome perfomances so that we can put his blunders down just to youth or inconsistency.
January 4th, 2008 at 1:27 am
Luka Modric is not the only left winger in the world. Now that he is such a high profile guy, it is unlikely we will sign him. All along, I wanted a pacy goal scoring left winger. Now, I will be happy with a player who can play left wing and score goals. Does Luka Modric satisfy that requirement? 20 goals in 69 games for Zagreb, but BPL is another league. If Rosicky starts banging in crucial goals, I’ll be more than happy. He is yet to do that this season.
January 4th, 2008 at 4:18 am
It’s unfair to compare Rosicky and Hleb to Pires and Ljunberg. Ljunberg looked good only because Bergkamp made him look good. When Bergy was out, Freddie’s goals dried up. Pires has this uncanny ability to move where the ball was going to be. I’ve played enough football to know that this is a gift that you’re either born with or not. It can’t be taught.
It’s awful difficult for a wide man to score lots of goals. Cristiano Ronaldo scores but many are from dead balls (free kicks and penalties) and he plays more like a striker than a midfielder. This discussion reminds me of that one from the summer where everyone wanted Wenger to just go out and buy this phantom CB with all these fantastic qualities. There appears to be this fallacy that goal-scoring widemen are out there in droves and all we need to do is go pick one off of a tree. Respect the fact that these types of players, just like Pires and Ronaldo, are phenoms in their own right and they simply don’t grow on trees.
January 4th, 2008 at 5:04 am
JD we have this debate every time. Whilst I respect what your saying, bottom line is that champion teams don’t rely only on their 2 strikers for significant amounts of goals. More often than not an attack-minded wide player makes a significant contribution.
January 4th, 2008 at 5:40 am
“What most annoys me about Senderos is that he ‘thinks’ he ’s good and should be playing regularly.”
Where did u read this man? Come on, be fair to the lad. Yes,he may be clumsy. But i never heard Sendeors complained of lack of first team chance, or he thinks he’s too good on the bench that soft of stuffs.
Diarra, Gilberto, Bendtner, Diaby had complained, and moaned about that.
Song, Senderos, Djourou, Hoyte the likes did not.
January 4th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Okay Kiwi. Do you believe the guys that we have are less than attacking? If so then who’s available that you reccomend we bring in? If you can name ten available players that are better than Hleb and Rosicky, then I’m interested in hearing about them.
January 4th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Yup, Pires gotta be one of the cleverest pro I ever seen. i think to a certain extend, without Pires (and Bergkamp), Henry would not be so awesome a player he was at Arsenal.
on the other hand, Henry also raised Pires’ game, and to a certain extend, helped extended Bergkamp’s career.
that generation of Henry-Berkgamp-Vieira-Pires-Ljungberg were the greatest of EPL history, i don’t care how United fans argued about their class of 99. Those 5 players were our true “Fab Five”. Not only blessed with skills and talent, all 5 of them got a great football brain, you don’t get to see it too often. and a team usually only got a couple players like that, let alone FIVE!
of C.Ronaldo, have to admit he’s probably the most completed, all around attacking player in the world at the moment.
we all known about his skills, but this guy got a great heading ability as well. It’s very very rare among those blessed wonderkids.
if anyone watched football for a longer time, it’s not difficult to notice that lot of naturally talented world class attacking players do not have a great header. Particuarly among those midfielders. C.Ronaldo scored quite many goals with his head, for both Portugal and Man Utd. And his headers were not lucky goals, he actually got a good technic with his head.
imagine Henry could head a ball, he could have easily broken the 40 goals a season mark in EPL while he’s here.
January 4th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
@ joshuad: actually ronaldo does NOT score most of his goals from deadballs. the majority are from open play!!!
and i dont think anyone is really comparing them to ljunberg or pires. they are both different players obviously. but they should be more “direct” contributors to the final scoreline than they currently are.
and it is NOT awful difficult for wide men to score!! almost ALL the creative players play wide these days. it doesnt stop them from getting at least around 8 goals. i mean if elano can do it …!!! remember we are not talking of a truck full of goals…..it can also be direct assists. just more something.
anyway, the reason i ask for a winger is to give them more competition AND to give us other options in case of injury. nothing wrong in that is there.
January 4th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=506100&in_page_id=1779
Check it out. Fabregas welcomes our new NO. 23! he probably would provide offer some “competition” to our wide players!
January 4th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
lol. for a minute there i thot u were talking about vela.
its understandable that our players would be quite excited to train with becks…considering that when he was at his peak btw 98 and 02, all our current team were nobodies or teenagers watching on tv.
January 4th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
I didn’t say Ronaldo scores most of his goals from deadballs but those goals do supplement his tally considerably. My point is two-fold; Pires and Ronaldo are phenoms, and there aren’t many players that are better than what we have. You can even use the old stag “Big Club” theory with Inter continually asking about Rosicky or Barcelona’s Hleb interest.
You say it’s not hard to score from wide positions but I’ll never agree. What other wide player is banging in the goal on a regular basis? You have to be a special player to do that. Pires and Ronaldo are special. It also helps that Ronlado doesn’t have the defensive responsibilities that Hleb and Rosicky have.
You’ve repeatedly made your stance known on this issue but the fact remains there aren’t many players available that are better than what we have. The invitation that I sent out to Kiwi goes out to you as well. You don’t have to name ten players but just a few that are available and might be better than what we have as I’m really interested in seeing who they are. Personally, with us being Arsenal, I’d rather give one of our youngsters coming through a chance before going out and spending money on someone that probably won’t work.
January 4th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Cesc look very excited didn’t he?!
January 4th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
BTW, Arsenal.com says Rosicky has 6 goals this season. What other wide player, other than Ronaldo, has more than that? Bentley might but that’s about it.
January 4th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Apart from Messi, Kaka, and Ronaldo at United- and even he is not really a playmaker- Arsenal possess probably the next best playmakers in European fooball in Rosicky and Hleb. Talent-wise anyway. They’ve flattered to deceive a little bit against the big premiership sides at the Emirates but Man United and Chelsea are two of the most well drilled sides in world football. Plus, they make a pre-meditated decision to sit deep as well and soak up pressure against us when we play at home so we have to take that into consideration. Modric, Ribery and any other playmaker/winger would struggle to make hay in those conditions. The good news is that Tomas and Alex turn it on against every other single team in the league and against the big four away from home, when they have more space, so all in all we can’t complain.
The only problem is Hleb’s pathological fear of scoring a goal. Recently I’ve seen the Hleb of last year and he needs to snap out of it and remember August 12th and his pre-season claims that he would try to score more.
It would be easier for him if his teammates had the vision he possesses. I’ve lost count of the amount of times Hleb lays off the ball and makes a great run in an inside channel, only for someone like Diaby or Flamini to play a boring ball towards Clichy or Sagna instead of slipping the ball through. We need to use the full backs as decoys more often instead of actually passing to them. United and Chelsea find us easy to defend against because we mechanically pass to the full backs all the time and never attempt pick out an inside run. People say we never have enough width, I say we use too much width at times and our moves break down with Clichy putting in an aimless cross that gets easily cleared.
January 4th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
You’re talking about goals as if they’re a problem? Think logically, we’re half way through the season and Arsenal are top. They’ve scored 4 more goals than Man Utd and 9 more than Chelsea. In all competitions Arsenal have scored over 10 MORE goals than the “Invincibles” had up until January – and that’s without our top goalscorer Van Persie for 2-3 months.Scoring goals is obviously not a problem – at the moment. Don’t see why it should be in the future either – the team’s only going to get better over the coming months and years, not worse.
January 4th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Maybe Hleb just doesn’t have a very powerful shot and realizes this, which is why he doesn’t shoot much. The few times I’ve seen him really try to strike the ball forcefully, the results have been risible. But with our strikers in good form and with RvP set to return, I don’t see a big problem with this. Hleb knows his role is to orchestrate with beautiful passes and to disrupt defenses with his uncanny dribble; there’s plenty of others to score.
People don’t seem to be talking about Vela in this winger debate. Isn’t he coming back now, isn’t he a winger, and isn’t he supposed to be pretty damn good, if rather untested?
January 4th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
it’s difficult to talk about someone nobody probably really watched him play. If u take away YouTube, the only occassions I saw Vela play was in FM07. If he’s half as good a player in real life, we are going to have a new superstar in making.
but of cos, in the world of FM, they do not take into consideration of how a Mexican kid is going to cope with the physical nature of EPL in reality.
as for his position…. i think nobody really sure neither. but for a kid so young, probably the manager himself doesnt’ even sure where is his best position (e.g. Walcott). They will have plenty time to learn and see which position suits him best.
January 4th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
first and foremost lets stop putting rosicky and hleb together.
rosicky is nowhere near hleb or fabregas!
@ joshoud: well, i cant name that many but a few come to mind that can score more from the wings. elano for one, reyes will definitely outscore the duo even tho he has peanut brain. it is not really about scoring many goals, it can be just 5 goals – as long as they are “important” goals not just added-ons like rosicky ALWAYS scores.
in the end joshuad, i never said we should replace rosicky or hleb i just said we should buy one more creative winger …again, is there anything wrong with having 3 or 4 of them competing for the 2 spots??
next: rosicky has 2 assists and hleb 3.
this is exactly what i am talking about with their indirectness. they probably passed to the person who passed to the person who finally made the assist
January 4th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
@ mazza 76: i think u might be talking about fabregas and hleb NOT rosicky and hleb. because i can not see what rosicky has ever done that puts him close to fabregas or hleb.
when fabregas has an utterly shit day he can make 2 vital and DIRECT assists. that is far more than u can say for hleb or rosicky.
January 4th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
JD you keep avoiding the point. It’s about balance in the team. Any successful team needs to have a variety of goal scoring options, particularly Wengers Arsenal who do not rely upon a defensive mindset. This only becomes an issue when Hleb and Rosicky are fit and both playing – which isn’t often.
As for goalscoring wide players. they are a tradition at Arsenal; Marwood, Limpar, Merson, Pires, Ljungberg, even Reyes & Wiltord played the role. Hardly a rarity.
January 4th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I suppose Fabregas is more of a playmaker than Rosicky but I do think you underrate the Czech. As I pointed out several posts ago, he doesn’t just score add-ons. He’s scored plenty of decisive goals along with the Everton types.
Hleb is better than Rosicky in a game dictator sense but Rosicky bridges the gap a bit because of his directness in terms of shooting. Just remember those goals against Liverpool in the F.A Cup last season. Would Hleb ever dream of scoring those type of goals? Exactly, so although I prefer Hleb overall, Rosicky for me is on a par with Hleb when you evaluate their potential contributions to the team.
Both have mental issues and generally do not make the most their talent. This is what seperates them from the Ronaldo’s and Kaka’s of this world.
January 4th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
anyway, it doesnt really matter….wenger is not gonna buy anybody, its diaby, walcott and eboue till the summer.
January 5th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Mazza, Rosicky scored vital goals last season, but not a single one this season. His only goal of note was the third against Pompey when we were down to 10 men and leading 2-0. Anyway, the main problem with Rosicky is staying fit. If he does, he will score more goals, no doubt about that. But will he stay fit?
As for Hleb, goal scoring is just not in his DNA. So forget it.
Josh, one player who has a good record of scoring goals is Rafael van der Vaart. In fact, he has an excellent record (24 in 55 for Hamburg, 52 in 117 for Ajax, 12 in 50 for Holland). I would love to see him here, but Wenger will never keep 3 high profile wingers in the side.
January 5th, 2008 at 1:51 am
an eboue plus gilberto plus lehmann plus say 5 million for van der vaart deal would be super! LOL. yeah wenger wont do it.
January 5th, 2008 at 3:38 am
Isnt VDV always injured? And either way as you say it WONT happen…selling 3 players + 5 million for an injury prone “central” left winger…nope not great business IMO.
January 5th, 2008 at 6:47 am
If only Walcott was a little better as a winger, we could have hoped that he would grow into an Agbonlahor/Ronaldo kind of player. If Wenger persists with him as a striker, something got to give as he can’t keep 5 strikers happy.
January 5th, 2008 at 7:33 am
we also need to consider whether the club own van der vaart would be interested in Eboue, Gilberto, Lehmann. not saying they are bad players, but every club has their own need and wage structure. it’s not like just big clubs like Arsenal want to give away some players, other clubs would automatically take them.
.
January 5th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Andez you are right, he has not jumped on the Diarra and Lehmann bandwagons.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3005340,00.html. He’s had 3 yrs to seize his opportunity and we are still waiting for him to show us just what he can do. He thinks he has something new to show us. We’ll see.
January 5th, 2008 at 9:48 am
You are a top 4 club. You are playing in the FA cup against ‘lesser’ clubs who have dreams. Dreams which are what life are all about. I feel that there is a certain politically correct largess a top 4 club should have towards its lower division opponents. The management of Liverpool are playing Scrooge this season:
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=535827. They may not be in the top 4 at season’s end.
January 5th, 2008 at 10:12 am
It could be a big opportunity for me to go in there and show what I can do,” Senderos said.
“I believe I’ve already shown what I’m capable of but this could be a big chance to come into the team for a while.
“It would be a good time to come in as well. We are playing great football, winning games, and I’m ready for the challenge.”
Frankly, i can’t see what’s wrong with what he said above? Hardly a statement like u claimed – that “he ‘thinks’ he ’s good and should be playing regularly.” right?
January 5th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Seriously when Gallas was out early this year..he didnt do much wrong did he? Maybe coz he got a run of games? The only game he was awful at was the Sevilla away game and quite frankly I dont know who was good that day. Someone put up a stat that we’ve lost very little with him there – which was countered by a cliched “Winning isn’t everything” statement. Then again when we played great football and didn’t “bottle” it away from home but the results never came….it was another cliched statement.. .”Winning IS everything…it doesn’t matter if you win ugly” .. see a contradiction??? No? Ahh yes … lets just keep slating our “favorite” players now..shall we?
And seriously on hindsight…what’s wrong with that comment?? People are almost gleefully rubbing their hands at getting another chance to “PROVE THEY WERE RIGHT” … funny really… but I guess thats how human psychology works. When something obsesses you so much you hope it’ll happen.. irrespective of whether it’s right or wrong. Then when you’ve calmed down you realise you were wrong and you’ll admit… no wait…forget the “admit” bit…
January 5th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I agree that van der Vart’s a good Bundesliga player that could be available. Hleb and Rosicky also did very well in Germany before coming to Arsenal. He sure as hell wouldn’t be cheap and I’ve heard rumblings about his attitude in the news, which Wenger and his crew would definitely look into before deciding to buy him.
My point is these fabulous wingers out there that can do all these great things for Arsenal better than Rosicky and Hleb are simply figments of imagination. They don’t really exsist. In all this time, we’ve only come up with one name in all of world football that MIGHT be better than what we have that’s available to come in. While I’d like to see competition for places, we also need to respect what Hleb and Rosicky are capable of and they’re not far from being world class players. They may not be the guy finishing off the play or the guy getting the assist but they’re very instrumental in us creating chances.
January 5th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
@ josh, why are u so obsessed with saying NOBODY will do a better job than hleb or rosicky? that is just plain WRONG from any perspective looked at.
look at reyes, the guy is the thickest player ever, yet he covered “more ground”, scored more goals, made more assists and made more tackles than either Hleb or Rosicky. Ofcourse he always also much faster. Does that make Reyes better technically than Hleb or Rosicky? Not really.
what i believe strongly is that it is the wenger “system” that makes our players look good. it is this same “system” that makes our carling cup teams beat stronger teams!
in that sense i believe any young, ambitious player who can control, move and pass will prosper a great deal in those 2 attacking roles – because you are basically given the freedom to do as you please within the system.
but the impression that NOBODY else can do a job there is a complete fallacy. and the impression that they dont need competition is dangerous – not only for their further development but also incase of injury.
January 5th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
i have a strong feeling that faster, more direct but more “brainless” AMs (eg. Reyes, Wiltord, Bentley, or even Walcott) will be far more dangerous to the AC Milan defence than the more subtle, ponderous and indirect methods of our current duo.
I am afraid we will try to play “mind games” with their veteran defenders and end up not testing them enough.
and even if we there is a break thru and hleb is one on one with dida, you can be sure he will PASS to his side! because that is how football is ALLEGEDLY to be played.
January 5th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Just watched Ronaldo score against Villa in the FA Cup. The way he got behind the defender, Pires and Ljunberg would have been proud of it.
Josh, you are being too harsh on Ronaldo. He does get a lot of goals from free kicks and penalties, but not all his goals. His free kick technique is good and it is a gift. Nobody in our side can even curl the ball over the wall (maybe we should take some tips from Beckham while he is around). As for penalties, the very fact that a top side has entrusted their penalty taking responsibility to a wide midfielder says a lot about his goal scoring ability. Would you trust Rosicky or Hleb or even Cesc on a penalty?
January 5th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Come on Fred. You’re putting words in my mouth again. I’ve never said NOBODY will do a better job than Hleb or Rosicky. My whole point is:
1) There aren’t that many players available that we can bring in that are better.
2) Those two players aren’t that bad.
You know as well as anyone on this site that I was a huge fan of Jose Reyes. I really appreciated what he did while he was here and wish he was still at Arsenal, especially with Henry leaving. Imagine how he could have developed. Bentley, Reyes, and Wiltord are in the same category as Kaka, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo; they’re not available to play for Arsenal so I don’t even want to think about them.
The main point is even though Hleb and Rosicky are not as direct as we might like them to be, they’re very good players and I’m happy to have them on our team. If they were bad then yes we need to look elsewhere but they’re actually pretty damn good.
January 5th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
“The main point is even though Hleb and Rosicky are not as direct as we might like them to be, they’re very good players and I’m happy to have them on our team.”
Agree with all that.
January 5th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Could we find players that are more direct than Hleb and Rosicky? Probably. However, could we find players better suited to the style of football Wenger wants to create? The answer is probably no.
Wenger wants a possession game where conceivably any player in the eleven can deliver the decisive act. Direct players often struggle in this system. Look at Reyes. As Fred said, Reyes is statistically on par or maybe slightly better than Hleb and Rosicky but yet we all know he is not on the same planet as them when it comes to receiving a ball under pressure and picking out a teammate. Or any other facet of the game for that matter. So what do you go for? A player who will give the ball away every other time gets the ball, and generally ruin the team momentum, but yet deliver a long pass or screamer of a goal, or choose a player who will keep the ball 90 % of the time, carry the ball 20-30 yards up the pitch and take out three players with one shimmy, but struggle to get into scoring positions and score goals? You can very rarely have both.
On the subject of Van Der Vaart. He is the Dutch Gareth Barry. Nice technique, good shot, but lacks the pace and dynamism to be top notch.
January 5th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
@ josh:
1) am not saying hleb or rosicky are bad players. they are quite good.
2) the player that is brought in to give them competition does NOT have to be better than them. fabregas was not a world beater when he came to the club, but he is now. players become great AT arsenal not before they come here.
i just want some direct creative competition to the rosicky/hleb axis. even someone in the mould of vela and anybody else wenger can think up.
January 5th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Fabregas on Hleb:
“My best teammate is Hleb. Without question. When he plays well, he makes me play better, too. He can improve me.
“When he doesn’t play I need to change my approach. He and I can play together with understanding.”
This is undoubtedly true. Fabregas is a good player but he needs good players around him who are on his wavelength. That’s another reason why players like Hleb are indispensable in the this current Arsenal side.
January 5th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
yup……….nobody doubted that fact. but he plays better with hleb but he can still make his assists without involving hleb. fabregas is certainly more important…but hleb is a close second.
tellingly, there is no mention of rosicky anywhere.
January 6th, 2008 at 6:13 am
I don’t know how this descended into a debate about whether we need another player like Hleb and Rosicky. No thanks. We need a different kind of winger. The qualities needed would be – pace, ability to run with the ball, stretch the opposition defense and score a few goals. Of course, he will have to fit into the Wenger system, but that apart, we don’t need another Hleb and Rosicky. And we don’t need another starter, we need a good backup. In that sense, I thought Walcott had some of the qualities required. If only he could run with the ball and pass a bit better. It could be Vela too, but he will only come good in the ’09 season onwards.