We are past the half way mark (played 22/38 games) and the team has exceeded all expectations thus far. The league is within our potential but, as we have seen, potential is nothing without substance.Therefore the question to be asked is do we have the substance to maintain our form into the second half of the season? There is no doubt we have seen an improvement this year and can only presume that this year’s challenge will only be improved upon in years to come. This will require keeping our current crop of indispensables, shedding the dead-wood, nurturing the ‘potential’ and adding where necessary.The following indicators will offer a general idea of where we are:
Character: we are noticeably stronger in this trait..players like Flamini, Adebayor, Clichy, Gallas, Toure, Sagna and Fabregas all have leadership qualities. I think these players possess the attitude that is required of ‘winners’. the pre- and post-match huddles are also a sign of togetherness and unity which distinguishes us from others. Wenger’s constant(if not boring) allusions to this aspect of our game is indicative of its importance in a title-winning side…see the Invincibles season.
Technique: we have always been superior in this area to most teams in the Prem but it seems with the influx of foreigners that the others are playing ‘catch up’. I no longer feel that we are superior in this regard. Man Utd are particularly strong with their S.American imports. I think this area can only be improved by signing top quality. It would only require a couple over the next couple of seasons. Our replacements have flattered to deceive in terms of technique…the following players(while young and relatively experienced) do not imbue me with confidence… Denilson, Walcott, Traore, Senderos, Randall, Hoyte and even Diaby.
Wenger may need to change his policy of ‘nuturing’ players and start buying ‘immediate’ talent…God knows it’s about time
Belief: another one of Wenger’s favourite words.he ‘believes’ there is the ‘belief’ in this group of players that they have the what is necessary to win. I’m not so certain. United look formidable in this regard..they have winners and the look of champions down their spine. We on the other hand look fallable. There is no way they would have surrendered so meekly against Middlesbrough. Chelsea are also firm believers of their quality. I think they will push us hard in the coming weeks.
Belief should not be mistaken for arrogance or cockiness. No doubt there has always been an arrogance to Wenger’s team… Fabregas epitomises this and I dont like some of his antics, as well as the obvious…Eboue.
The arrogance of Ade I do like. He mixes graft with self-confidence. Take note Fabregas, Eboue, Diaby et al.
To conclude I think we are not quite there yet in the Premiership. I do think we could do well in the Champions League(I have a little wager on it in fact). Man United are favourites and Chelsea will push us. But there is cause for optimism. We are a much improved team on last year but we are not a finished article. Hopefully (I have massive faith) Wenger will realise this and seek to change a few things.
29 Responses to “Are we there yet?”
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January 17th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Well said,
I’m in total agreement with you. When the current season started I would have been happy with 4th place in the League and semi-final runs in the Cups. Although we have maintained a good pace I have always feared that we are just not quite good enough especially in comparison to Manu and Chelsea.
We have a great team, play an excellent brand of football but lack that star who can individually break a game open in the mold of Henry and Bergkamp. Outside of Eduardo we really do not have any clinical finishers in the mold of Pires and Lundberg.
Can you image if we had someone like Torres, Ronaldo, Ronaldihno, Etoo, Kaka up front coupled with another good central defender and maybe a first class goalkeeper like Czech. This sounds like a pipe dream but we could easily afford to add one or two impact stars while waiting for some of our youngsters to come of age.
Knowing Wenger as I do, this will not happen. The traits, honesty, loyalty, fiscal responsibility, faith in his players, which make him such a great manager are the same traits which will prevent him from going that route. We are still looking to add youngsters with great potential such as Dimitrov, Mputu, Dentinho, Freeman and Arshavin rather than proven stars who would have immediate impact. I will not even try to second guess Arsene, but when is enough , enough. We have so many young, unfinished products that we are going to have a logjam with many moving on to other teams to get playing time and Arsenal will never be able to really reap the full benefits from all of these players.
Having said my piece, I’ll always be a gunner and wish them all the best for the coming year.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I think Arsenal are going to fall a tad short of winning the title, it will obviously be a lot closer than last year, but I honestly think we’ll finish third behind Chelsea.
For me, Arsenal over-achieved in the first part of the season, then reached a plateaux which revealed their true level, which is better than last season but lacking the consistency to win the title.
I don’t think we score enough goals from midfield, it’s all down to one player - Fabregas. How can you rely on a 20 year old to carry the team? It’s unfair and unrealistic.
Adebayor is a good player, but we need 25-30 goals from him and that’s too much of a stretch, whilst Eduardo needs a full season behind him before being able to cope with this sort of pressure.
Our away form is also wretched at the moment and has to improve immediately and permanently. I feel Flamini is wilting, Gilberto is a disaster, Eboue is tedious and Rosicky picks up too many injuries. Diaby doesn’t play enough and Denilson and Walcott are too young and lacking maturity. It sounds doom and gloom, but I don’t see how anyone can disagree with these statements. There’s a lot of positives too, we have a great team, but all of these minor problems combined collectively make winning the title a fantasy for me rather than a reality.
At the very least we need Van Persie back and fit for the rest of the season, or we have no chance, the team is beginning to wilt without the additional firepower he brings.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
As for the champions league, our form has to improve rapidly to have any chance of beating AC Milan. I will only genuinely believe we can win the competition if we get past them. I would love that but my natural instinct is “no”.
I think you need to employ clever tactics to beat a team like AC Milan, and with Wenger there’s no chance of that. He will try and steamroller them with pace and power, but I think you need to be cleverer than that. AC Milan are old, but not THAT old. Kaka would destroy Arsenal if one of the centre-backs is missing.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Well, we aren’t getting VanPersie back and fit for the rest of the season!
He is one of those oft-injured players. I don’t believe we can count on him being healthy for very long. Thats a shame, because he can often change a game. (even off the bench)
I think injuries may play a part in where we wind up this season… in any and all competitions… but I believe its already been a pretty successsful season in many respects. It would be nice & gratifying to win a trophy… not sure which is most likely.
Win the league… possible… but we’ll need some luck along the way. All the others are cup competitions and we’ll need good form and some bounces their as well.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
What’s really frustrating about RVP is that he often seems to hurt himself during practice. We don’t even get the benefit we did last year, when he at least hurt himself after scoring.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
I take that back. This is still the knock he picked up against Sp*rs during the CC.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Prediction for league: 3rd
Prediction for Champions League: Eliminated by AC Milan
Premiership:
Manchester United and Chelsea are better teams than Arsenal at this point. They also have stronger squads. Mourinho may have left Chelsea but the spirit and cajones he installed into that squad remain as strong as ever. I don’t think United are as good as Chelsea but they have rock solid central defensive pairing and an unstoppable scoring machine masquerading as a playmaker. In a league where you mostly play cowering, wilting-under-pressure dross, that should be enough to see them hold off Chelsea.
Arsenal would have had a solid season, an improvement on last year, but nevertheless the sense of disappointment will be tangible. A greater improvement next year is not given. Football changes quickly. Fabregas may start to harbor hopes of pulling on a white shirt, especially if Wenger continues to be unable to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to our younger players. When you get an opportunity to win a title and a team doesn’t take it, especially a young impressionable team like this, then the mental scars may carry over to next season and with it hamper any hopes of consolidation and progression. Hopefully though the players will use this season as a positive learning experience and not be too hard on themselves. I’m thinking of Fabregas here, who seems to want to win everything right away.
Champions League:
Nothing much to say here. If Arsenal really turn up in the first leg then we could put a whupping on Milan and hang on in the 2nd leg. Realistically though, the first leg will be a draw or a narrow victory for either side. The return leg will be a procession. Arsenal will be drawn into a game of cat and mouse and lose. Milan are probably the smartest team in world football, especially when it comes to knockout competition. I’ve seen so many teams go to the San Siro in recent years and leave dazed, bloodied and confused. If Arsenal avoid such a fate then it would be a great achievment. Probably our greatest ever in europe.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
“I need to play. I really want to think about myself, about those who appreciate me, who want to see me a little more on the pitch.” Diarra, speaking in the French media, added: “The people at Portsmouth know I will not spend my life at this club. “If I shine, if a really big club wants me, I know already that everything will go well.
He isn’t even in the door at Portsmouth and he wants to leave. At least it took him from August to October before he wanted to leave Arsenal. He is a good player and while some believe he will be a great player, like another young Frenchman who left Arsenal around the same age, he has a lot to learn upstairs.
I don’t think that he will ever fulfill his potential. Looking around at similar players who left Arsenal, you get the feeling that they could have been more if they had stayed. Yes Anelka won a European Cup but would we have heard of Henry if he had stayed. Cole will never be captain of Chelsea but he could have been Arsenal’s leader. Bentley and Pennant could have done so much more if they had stayed and will always have that “what might have been” question surrounding them. The common thread running through all of them is that they believed that they were being short-changed in some way by the club. Subsequent events suggest Wenger was right in all cases. My guess is that he will be right about Diarra and as always profited out of the situation!!!
January 17th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Mazza, you make some good points and some interesting predictions. You may be a bit hasty. The next couple of league games will tell us a lot about our mental resilience, the next two cup games will tell us even more about our squad depth. I am not afraid to change my mind but for the moment and the next few weeks I can still optimistically look forward to us challenging for the title to the end and with a bit of luck winning.
As for the Champions League, will Van Persie be back? Will Milan have a full squad? In a cup competition injuries, suspensions and referees can play a big part. Let us wait and see.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Diarra needed to go. Wenger could not allow even the appearance that he was bullied into playing Diarra ahead of Gilberto, much less Flamini. Even if Diarra becomes Makelele, Wenger still made the right choice because unless Wenger played Diarra ahead of Flamini immediately or gave Diarra ironclad assurances that he would be the starter next year, Diarra would have increased the frequency and tone of his negative statements. I think Wenger would have needed to believe Diarra was the second coming of either Essien or Vieira before he would have given in to Diarra. I don’t believe Diarra is that kind of player even though I personally witnessed a compelling performance by Diarra as a holding midfielder in the 3 to 2 Carling Cup victory in Blackburn last month. Diarra may become the next great holding midfielder but I don’t think Wenger cares. That’s not the kind of player for which he’ll bend or break his principles.
As for predictions going forward, nothing in Arsenal’s performance since the first half in the Aston Villa game suggests we have reason to expect more than what Mazza and DannyT are predicting. But you never know . . . and if magic happens, then Wenger once again will have the last laugh. And I would love to see that.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
You know, I am reminded of a young Ajax team that defeated an experienced AC Milan team for the 1995 champions league (also beating them twice at the group stage), with 18yr old Kanu and Kluivert going up against a world class defence that was made up of Baresi, Costacurta and Maldini. The Ajax midfield was young too, anchored by 18 yrd old Seeadorf, and 21yr old Davids. I believe youth and skill can triumph over experience. I believe in this Arsenal team and I think we will win the league or Champions league or even both why not. Its not far fetched
January 17th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Can Wenger’s medical staff get a thigh muscle injury diagnosed and properly treated for once. There was the trial and tribulation of Gallas last season. RVP will be out 2 more wks when “pigs fly”. They should send him to Brazil where they correctly diagnosed Ronaldo’s injury after AC Milan admitted they got the diagnosis wrong. Rosicky had to get the correct treatment for his recurrent groin injuries in Germany. How come Henry now seems to be chugging along despite his degenerative back condition. I think Arsenal has the money to improve their medical staff because at present, it looks shaky.
January 17th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
way to go groovehouse.
True we’ve over achieved and perhaps that why a lot of the fans want to be realitistic before reality dawns
but I’ll say there’s hope that this season will produce more than a marked improvement (read trophy… FA, EPL or even CL). And for that faint hint of hope I’m willing to be unrealistic and dream on!
I may be proven wrong when its all said and done (come may) but I believe in this team… and like groovehouse I think we’ll win something (note that I’ m not including Carling cup even though I’ll take that too).
January 17th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
ctpa, u make a good point…the arsenal medical team seems to be lacking in diagnosis or treatment…but they shouldnt be ashamed to send out a player for specialist treatment….or to call someone in. all the big clubs do it.
January 17th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
as for predictions i think we have a 30 percent chance of winning the league and 70 percent coming in second…..so basically i am predicting second just like i did at the beginning of the season. i think we will prevail over chelsea for second.
if we bring in a nippy winger and RvP comes back then i will be very optimistic about winning the league.
as for the CL, i think we will beat Milan. and after we beat Milan everybody that predicted our loss will start talking about milan are “past-it”. LOL.
its the smaller teams in the CL that i really fear…like the villareals and the PSVs.
January 18th, 2008 at 1:04 am
I would like us to concentrate on the league more than the CL. I don’t want us to end up like Liverpool, constantly challenging for the Cup but never in sight of the league. Also, doing better in the league will give more confidence to the youngsters than a CL run, in my opinion.
January 18th, 2008 at 1:07 am
Sometime, I had said that we should stop relying on RvP being fit for one whole season and start planning for games without him. Looks that it is going to happen after all. At least, we have Eduardo to slot in. Pity we can’t say the same when Rosicky gets injured.
January 18th, 2008 at 2:26 am
I read a story somewhere weeks ago that predicted RvP would not play for Arsenal again this year. Amazing that it might actually be true. A virus can linger for months.
I also say 3rd in the Premier League; 2nd would be a major accomplishment; 1st would be a miracle (ManU can score at will it seems). At this point, 4th would be a real major bummer.
I saw Milan play last week and the whole time I was thinking that February was going to be men against boys - I just can’t see us getting past them.
The most interesting development in the rest of the Prem season might be Newcastle with the hiring of Keegan. Higher than mid-table, I doubt it, but they will start playing some better looking football for sure. And with their defeat of Stoke, we’ve got ‘em next in the FA Cup. Also, how long will Man City stay in the top 4? Liverpool is so unpredictable that perhaps the sky blues is your 4th team.
January 18th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Folks, don’t lose hope of the title. ManU look fantastic but I said that twice before and they did lose to Bolton and West Ham. The key is for us to regain our old form. It’s not easy after setting such high standards in the first half to keep it going for the whole season. We do lack quality backup in certain areas and injuries to RvP and others doesn’t help. For me, the keys to the rest of the season are the three players that make the spine of the team
1. Gallas: Needs to be fit and hold the defense together while Toure is away.
2. Fabregas: Needs to start ticking again and score some goals. Not like 6 in 7 games, but 1 in 4/5 will do. He is our only hope for goals from the midfield.
3. Ade: It’s Eduardo who is more capable of scoring goals, but Ade needs to stretch the opposition defense in a way that only he can do in the Arsenal side. If Eduardo + Ade combo clicks, there is still hope.
January 18th, 2008 at 3:14 am
so because milan thrashed a mediocre team that they should thrash with their eyes closed at home and because we drew our last match, suddenly you have everybody coming out the woodwork to predict our doom against milan. LOL.
apart from mazza, who was pessimistic from the start, u lot must be rather reactionary. will you flip your opinion if we smashed fulham 6-0 and milan lost this weekend?
it is this same sort of reactionary sentiment that saw almost everybody wrongly predict our doom in the summer - even though we created far more chances and one-on-ones than any other team last season.
look, as long as fabregas and hleb are on that pitch we will “do something” because the duo will be amped up to prove themselves in the CL. kaka and seedorf have won the thing so many times their motivation level cant be as high as that of our key players.
the key though will be how we line up.
January 18th, 2008 at 3:20 am
@ 2: aha, i remember “moaning” about where the goals will come from in the past, and u always said its ridiculous to be moaning about that when we are leading the league on goals scored. now you are finally on the same page!
not enough goals from midfield is a big problem for anybody with league ambitions.
January 18th, 2008 at 4:45 am
As fans of Arsenal Football Club, when our team is level on points at the top of the table, still nobody dares to stick his neck out and predicting a title victory for our own club?
Arsenal WILL WIN it.
Being unrealistic? Getting carried away? Yes, I probably am. Bite me.
The thing is - we are almost half way there. Shame that I m not living in UK and can’t be cheering up the team at the stadium in their title charge. So i guess the only thing i could do, as an Arsenal fan, is to BELIEVE in them.
So what if eventually I am proven wrong. Better than putting my faith into our rivals, the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea. I would feel ashamed of myself if I tip them for the title and eventually proven right.
January 18th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Well said Andez ….I for one agree with you.
People seem to be going from one extreme to another with each passing game. Let’s take it one game at a time rather than predicting how things are going to go for the remainder of the season. Not even the best football pundit is going to be able to accurately predict hwo things will stand at the end of the season. As a lot of people have said before…football is a funny game…that’s the beauty of it.
True Man Utd have been playing really well of late ( i hate to say it :D)….but the way discussions are going around here…it looks like our level of play has been atrocious. But hey, we’re level on points on the top after the halfway point of the season.
True we have our areas of weaknesses…but i’m never going to bet against arsenal against any team in the world until the final whistle is blown. Call it blind faith if you will..but that’s the way I have always supported the team.
I still remember an argument I had with a staunch Man Utd supporter at the beginning of the season when they had just signed Tevez and we had Eduardo….he was constantly saying that I must be really envious of Man Utd cause they signed Tevez and we had an unknown in Eduardo. I kept telling him that when Eduardo starts banging the goals in ..it’s going to give me a much bigger high than seeing a already established star like Tevez score. He refused to believe me..but come the second half of the season….he’s seeing what i was talking about
I think the problem with a lot of people on this site is..they want the best of both worlds….from seeing youngsters develop as well as established stars in the team….In my opinion you can choose one…because having both at the same time is going to be impossible. Take a look at the team’s development when Henry was in the team…and the development when he left……take a look when a somewhat well known “star” like Diarra was brought in the team and the problems he’s already caused…..I can see what Wenger is hoping to achieve and I’m willing to back him to the hilt….because at some of time this team is going to be the best in the world..it’s not a question of “will” ..but a question of “when”. If not this year (which i’m still hopeful for)…it’s a definite next year….I’m willing to put my neck on the line with that one.
and lastly…probably on a more wishful note…i’m seeing a strong parallel to the season when Man Utd ended Arsenal’s unbeaten run and won the title…..i feel this time the opposite will happen..and it will be Wenger’s boys who will halt the Utd march at OT …it’s probably going to be the deciding point of the season
Cheers,
Wayne
January 18th, 2008 at 6:48 am
@21: I changed my mind, and could easily change it again. Football changes, nothing is fixed. As I said in another thread, if you’re going to use everything a person says as a stick to beat them with then it shouldn’t be difficult to start trawling through your posts and make you look a mug. But really, who can be bothered?
January 18th, 2008 at 6:52 am
@23..Correction in my previous post regarding the parallel i drew..it was chelsea who won the title that year….more like us halting United’s run and winning the title
….certainly wouldn’t want to see us halting Man Utd’s run..only to see Chelsea walk away with the title 
Cheers
January 18th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Chelsea have shown a lot of resilience, no doubt. I didn’t expect them to collapse after Mourinho left, but I expected them to suffer a lot more with all the injuries they’ve been having. It’s all down to that rock solid defence, protected by Essien and Makalele. Carvalho is an outstanding defender, and Alex has been a giant - he is the sort of back up Arsenal need.
Chelsea play like an Italian team, very hard to break down, but not afraid to attack if they feel the opposition has a major weakness. They will play football if they need to.
Going forward they will struggle to score goals, but when Drogba is back if they have the guts to revert to 4-4-2 I can seem them beating anybody. Not sure if Drogba and Anelka really fits, but a frightening prospect nevertheless.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:25 am
@ 25: am not criticizing you for changing your mind….i just noted it.
and that is why one shouldnt blast other people’s opinion as “ridiculous”…because they might just agree with it in time.
January 18th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Wenger admits a mistake was made when he let van Persie play. Can somebody get this right. I may go ‘postal’ like Gallas did last season. At least van Persie is off to Holland for ‘real’ medical attention and rehab.
January 19th, 2008 at 9:48 am
we are level on points with the league leaders…
we have scored the 2nd highest goals…
we have 3 top quality strikers fully fit and in form in Adebayor, Eduardo and Bendtner ( whom I’ve started liking a lot , and cud be very useful in a super sub role) , who failed to score in just one-off game… in which walcott was invisible…
our midfield has gone through that slump in form , like every time wud over a course of the season , without losing many points,
we are no longer bullied in the park, even robbie’s savageNESS was tamed by both our senior and youth team….
our fullbacks fit in so well to the overall functioning….
and even our GK transition has been rather smooth…
we have hardly been defeated…
even our set piece defending and attacking is better than that 3-4 yrs ago..
we’ve made handsome money in the transfer mkt…
wenger is making unusually large no. of comments.. showing how mentally relaxed he is… because he knows that his troops are ready for the battles ahead…
guys… even manU lost less than a fortnight after that hugely imp but unconvincing win against liverpool… give some space …
please dont mention fab’s age… for genuises… age dosen’t matter… and it’s time that the world acknowledges he is one…
lastly… we r gonna win the league…( CL is highly unpredictable… (that Ajax comparision seems realistic n very inspiring.. … ))