Author Archives: keenosafc

Steven Gerrard shows Thierry Henry how its done

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Yesterday Liverpool announced that Steven Gerrard would be returning to the club taking a full time coaching position in their academy.

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The former Liverpool captain only retired from football at the end of November last year, and within a couple of months has already agreed to rejoin his boyhood club as a full time academy coach. As predicted, this has led to a lot of Arsenal fans moaning that so many of our ex-players, so many legends of the club, are not on the coaching field of London Colney or Hale End.

This ignores the fact that the likes of Steve Bould, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires are involved with the club. Lesser known ex-players like Giles Grimandi, Ryan Garry, Danny Karbassiyoon, Steve Gatting, Greg Lincoln, Steve Morrow and Kwame Ampadu also have possessions at the club.

Some people act like we can have hundreds of ex-players of coaches, and they should be coaching at the club, no matter how good a coach they are.

Of course, like anyone, I do wish the likes of Thierry Henry, Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp were at Arsenal. But they have all chosen to take their post-playing career elsewhere.

Martin Keown, Lee Dixon, Ian Wright & Ray Parlour have all decided to take up a career in the media. It is a lot easier earning your money speaking once a week on Match of the Day, a few times a week on Sky Sports, or for a few hours every morning on TalkSport, than working 7 days a week, getting to Arsenal’s training ground at 7am to coach, not leaving till 5pm, and having night games.

Coaching is not easy, it is not well paid. You can get as much money appearing once a week on Match of the Day as you can being a coach at a top club. Less work. Same (or in many cases, more) money.

We do have many players who decided to stay in the game. Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Gilberto & Edu decided to return to their home countries, Holland and Brazil respectively, to ply their trade. And some of the cases, it was also a return to their boyhood clubs that they supported.

Patrick Vieira was offered a big money contract when he retired for Manchester City, moving into an ambassadorial role with the oil-rich club. He is now managing Man City’s sister club in American – New York City, where he has a 40% win percentage.

Then we have Tony Adams. My first Arsenal hero. A 14 year old me in 2000 would have had him down as Arsene Wenger’s replacement at Arsenal. At that age, it did not matter that he might not be a good manager, he was Mr Arsenal. As it turned out, he was an awful manager who took both Wycombe Wanders and Portsmouth backwards. He was last seen in Azebaijan. Being an Arsenal legend does not mean that you should automatically become Arsenal manager.

Finally we come to Thierry Henry, and this is where we compare him to Steven Gerrard.

Henry was offered a job at Arsenal, similar to that which Gerrard has taken up at Liverpool. Involved in the academy, Henry was offered a full time job coaching Arsenal’s Under-18s. He turned it down as he wanted the role to be part time.

The reason behind him only wanting a part time role was purely a monetary one. In 2014, he signed a six-year deal with Sky Sports worth a staggering £4 million a year. £24million. It was impossible for him to work full time for Arsenal and full time for Sky. He was never going to break his Sky contract to take a full time job at Arsenal for a lot less money.

Instead Henry joined Roberto Martinez’s Belgium set up, on a part time deal, which did not affect any of his work with Sky.

Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have also decided to take the big money on offer from Sky than return to coaching – Neville did it for a bit with Valencia but soon returned to the comfy Sky Studio.

Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard has shunned a media career. He could have easily have got a job with Sky Sport. A recently retired legends, an England captain, he could have negotiated himself a deal close to that of Henry’s. But he did not. He loved Liverpool, and clearly wants to coach Liverpool, even if it means harder work and less money then he would get sitting on a TV sofa.

And that is the difference between the two. Gerrard has become part of Liverpool’s academy set up because he loves the club. Henry turned down becoming part of Arsenal’s academy set up because he loves the Sky money.

Keenos

 

Alexis Sanchez, Pep Guardiola, Harry Kane

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Alexis Sanchez

My first thought when I saw Alexis Sanchez’s petulant display after being substituted against Swansea was grow up. 24 hours on, my opinion is still the same.

Yes, I understand the defence some are putting up for him. That no player should like being substituted, and that Sanchez merely showed that he wants to play, and win. But Sanchez’s behaviour showed he needs to understand the game situation a bit more.

On the pitch he is a selfish player. A remarkable individual talent. At the likes of Udinese, and for Chile, he has been able to do what he wants. At Barcelona he had to be a team player, and struggled. At Arsenal he has shown similar behaviour patterns.

He lacks respect for management and seems to be unable to understand decisions mde that ultimately were correct.

I doubt anyone truly thinks Arsene Wenger was incorrect taking Sanchez off at 4-0. And if you do think he was incorrect, this is likely more to do with your anti-Wenger agenda than the actual decision. Had Wenger kept Sanchez on, and he got injured, you would have moaned even more.

It was Sanchez’s overall behaviour that disappointed me throughout the entire situation.

As he came off, fans who had travelled for 4 hours, on the road, on the train, with a replacement rail bus service, sang out his name. At no point did he acknowledge those fans. He then failed to acknowledge Arsene Wenger. Highlighting he has little respect for management.

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He then sat on the bench, with a coat over his head, crying. Man up son.

Sanchez is a world class player. At 28 he is one that many of the youngsters at the club will look up to, try to be like, try to emulate. Some have spoken in the past about how he should be Arsenal captain. But this strop was up there with William Gallas sitting in the centre circle away at Birmingham.

He has a responsibility as a senior member of the playing stuff to set a good example. I wonder what the likes of Ainsley Natiland-Niles and Jeff Adelaide thought. Impressionable young players, sitting on the bench, Sanchez did not even accept their well done’s.

Over at Chelsea, Eden Hazard was taken off with 15 minutes to go, Chelsea were 3-0 up. He shook the hand, or high fived, every player, every member of staff, on the Chelsea bench when coming off. He understood the game situation. Realised the game was one, knew he had done his job for the day. This is how I expect a senior, talented player to act.

Sanchez showed he thinks he is more important than Arsenal. I admire that he wants to play every minute of every game, but as a senior player he should know that the team is bigger than him, that he does not need to play every minute of every game.

If Sanchez’s behaviour was due to him being unhappy at the club, wanting to leave, then he knows where the door is. I support Arsenal, not Sanchez. Players come and go. We have lost bigger and better players than Alexis Sanchez.

It is Arsenal FC, not Sanchez FC.

Pep Guardiola

Has Pep Guardiola been found out in the Premier League?

Yesterday Everton thrashed his Manchester City side 4-0. Guardiola sat there in his dug out, motionless. Helpless. Changing nothing tactically. Making substitutions that made no difference. It was a Wenger-esque performance from the Spaniard.

Guardiola and Wenger are kindred spirits. Managers who believe in a certain way of playing, and will rarely change that way. Both hold the belief that you do not need to prepare for the opposition, that if you play your own game, and play well, you win, no matter what.

At Barcelona, this philosophy worked. But when you had extreme talents like Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, managing is easy. The Barcelona squad was filled with intelligent, talented players. Guardiola just had to sit and watch.

At Bayern Munich it was no different. Guardiola took over a Munich team who had lost just 3 times in all competitions the previous year. A side that won the treble. Scoring 151 goals and conceding just 33. Again, like at Barcelona, he had it easy. In Europe the cracks began to show, however, as his side were knocked out at the Semi-Final stage of the Champions League in each of the 3 seasons.

When Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United, the club fell apart. Ferguson was the genius holding the club together. Barcelona have won 3 of the 4 La Liga’s since Guardiola left, and Bayern sit top of the Bundesliga, having lost just a single game all season. Neither club has gone backwards since Pep left. Proof, perhaps, that Pep had little to do with the success of both clubs.

And now he finds himself in the Premier League, and he looks a broken man. He has previously spoken about struggling mentality at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, in two leagues where there is not a great deal of intensity. I think he is struggling with the competitiveness of the Premier League.

In Germany and Spain, 70% of the sides lie down and die. In the Premier League, every game (unless you are playing Swansea) is ultra-competitive, full blooded. And that is where Guardiola is struggling.

He is struggling to get himself up for a tough game every weekend. Struggling to get his squad up for every game. The fact that he left his squad with just one striker – Sergio Aguero – shows just how much he has underestimated the Premier League.

Last season, Manchester City were 4th, 15 points off top. They currently sit 5th (I am writing this before the Man U v Liverpool game), 10 games off top. Guardiola has not taken City forward.

I honestly think he will leave City in the summer. Managing in the Premier League is too tough a challenge for him. After only ever having success in his career, he will not be able to cope with failure.

He has spoken about how he is already thinking of retiring. He is clearly not enjoying the job he has at City. I think his bottle will go and he will chuck it all in.

Statistics

I love statistics. Always have done, always will. But the statistics have to be relevant. Yesterday I saw a statistic doing the rounds that was just laughable:

Spurs striker (Harry Kane) has reached 62 Prem goals in fewer games than Arsenal legend Thierry Henry

If anyone can tell me why 62 Premier League goals is relevant, please leave an answer in the comments section below.444

It is a statistic for statistics sake. Created to generate hits for the newspaper that produced it. To garner RT’s. Comparing Kane and Henry is laughable. Yes, Kane is showing himself to be a very good striker, but he has no where near the talent of Henry. Even the most die hard Spurs fan would admit that.

At 23, Henry had won the World Cup (where he finished his countries to scorer) and the European Championships. Harry Kane took a free kick that nearly hit the corner flag.

Kane is a good player, but lets see at the end of his career what he has won for Spurs before we compare him to one of the greatest players to have ever played in English football.

Keenos

Dimitri Payet and Arsenal

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With Dimitri Payet on his way out of West Ham, a lot of Arsenal fans have been discussing throughout social media whether the club should target him. A lot are saying he is a no brainer, whilst many think we should stay well clear. Here are some thoughts…

A Short Term Option?

Dimitri Payet is 30 in March. Signing him would be a short term option. A lot of people will point to the fact that Santi Cazorla and Ian Wright came to Arsenal late, but Cazorla joined Arsenal just shy of his 28th birthday, he was more than 2 years younger than Payet.

Likewise Ian Wright – often held up as the proof that players can succeed having made a big move late in their career – was also just 27 when he joined Arsenal.

Getting in a 29 (nearly 30) year old Dimitri Payet would mean Arsenal writing off his transfer fee (as we would unlikely make anything selling him on) and also potentially tying up a lot of wages (4 years at £120,000 is £25,000,000) In a player who in 18 months time might not be the quality player he is now.

Would it be worthwhile tying up that money on a short term option?

Why Would Arsenal Sign Payet?

Payet is a brilliant (but inconsistent) player. There are a good few reasons why it would be worthwhile Arsenal signing him, even if it is just to have him at a high level of performances for the next 18 months:

  • Champions League – He is not Champions League tied. Probably the best player in world football that has not played Champions League football this season. Hence why he has been linked with the likes of Real Madrid and PSG
  • Premier League – Back in 2004, Arsenal signed Jose Antonio Reyes. He performed well for the club for 18 months before going a bit loopy. But in those 18 months, and especially in the first 6 of those, his freshness and ability pushed Arsenal to another level that saw the side go unbeaten. Payet in January could push Arsenal to the Premier League title (or Champions League!)
  • Alexis Sanchez & Mesut Ozil – As it stands, both are in contract dispute. By getting Payet it, Arsenal would then have already signed a short term replacement for one of them were either to leave. Signing Payet now would take the pressure off the summer transfer window. And if both sign? Payet simply makes us stronger
  • Solving the wide issues – With Sanchez playing up top and Walcott injured, Arsenal lack wingers. Hence Iwobi, Oxlade-Chamberlain & Ramsey playing wide in recent weeks. Payet is better than all 3 and even when Walcott returns, Payet would still start

Fitness & Attitude

The two biggest reasons not to sign Dimitri Payet are his fitness and his attitude.

If we are talking about Payet as a short term option, we would expect him to perform for the club immediately. But he looks a little over weight. A lot off the pace. It might take him a few months to get git. At which point 2016/17 is over.

Secondly his attitude with West Ham has been shocking. And this is not a new thing. One of the key reasons he has never made it at a big club previously was due to a poor attitude. It took his exceptional 2015/16 form for Didier Deschamps to over look the poor attitude and give him a regular chance for France.

Arsene Wenger has previously shown an intolerance to players with a poor attitude, Samir Nasri springs to mind. Is the divisions Payet could cause within the squad worth his talent?

Santi Cazorla Comparison

A lot have grouped Payet and Cazorla together. Mainly because they are both diminutive 2 footed playmakers who saw their best performances materialise at a later age. But it is wrong to compare them.

Cazorla saw his performances peak when he played deeper. When you play deeper, you need some sort of defensive awareness, and the willingness to put a foot in occasionally. Cazorla adapted his game and started to do some defensive work. The same can not be expected of Payet.

Payet is more similar to Ozil than Cazorla. Talented playmaker but lazy defensively. Any West Ham fan will tell you that for all his excellence going forward last season, he would not track his full back. Putting him deeper in the middle of the park would leave us exposed as he simple would not provide us with any sort of defensive cover.

Payet is not the same player as Santi Cazorla.

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The New Andrei Arshavin?

If Payet is not a Cazorla clone, what player does he remind me of? The closest I can think of is Andrei Arshavin. In fact, there games are near identical.

At their peak, both are diminutive tricky players who can beat a man for fun, but are not blessed with heaps of pace. They can stick one in the top corner from anywhere on the pitch, but also have a tendency to go missing.

Before we signed Arshavin, I had followed him a bit in Russia. He performed once every 5 games. So it was not a surprise when he came to Arsenal and put in similar inconsistent performances. Arshavin’s career before, during and after Arsenal was inconsistent.

Payet is similar, and it is why, at 29, he has never played for a major club and, prior to joining West Ham, barely had any France caps. He is inconsistent.

For Marseille, he would be phenomenal one week, then go missing the next. West Ham was similar. Even in games, he would do nothing during a game, then curl in a free kick. He was brilliant last season for the Hammers, but he was also very poor in games.

At West Ham you can afford that sort of inconsistency. As a fan of a smaller club you can ignore the games he disappears for. Arsenal can not afford it.

Arshavin was a good signing for Arsenal at the time, he almost single handly got us into the Champions League in his 1st 5 months at the club. Payet could do similar.

 

When it comes to Dimitri Payet, I am firmly on the fence. I think his talent does justify his short term-ness, and Arsenal no longer need to think about sell on fees, but were we not to sign him, I would not exactly be upset as we are not desperately in need for him, and there are plenty of reasons to not recruit him.