Tag Archives: Arsenal

5 good and 5 bad of Arsenals victory over Doncaster

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5 GOOD

  1. We won and are into the next round, where we host Norwich City
  2. 90 minutes for Alexis Sanchez. He should now be fit to start against WBA
  3. 90 minutes for Jack Wilshere. He continues his rehabilitation
  4. Ainsley Maitland-Niles has the pace and strength to be a Premier League player
  5. We kept a clean sheet (I am struggling for 5)

5 BAD

  1. Jack Wilshere tired dramatically in the second half. Not yet ready to start a Premier League game
  2. David Ospina’s kicking was atrocious and put us in danger. Could not get past the halfway line
  3. Way too much space between the defence and midfield
  4. Both Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson made key errors that could have cost goals. Were both playing out of position
  5. Olivier Giroud is not the man for games to expose lesser teams. He puts in the same level performance not matter the opponent

Keenos

League Cup highlights Spurs are still in Arsenal’s shadow

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I remember a few years ago writing a blog about attendances at Arsenal and Spurs. It was basically questioning why Spurs are building such a big stadium.

The blog was about Spurs struggling to fill White Hart Lane for certain games:

The point I was making in the blog was that if Spurs struggle to sell out for every game now, there were only be more empty seats in a bigger stadium.

I then returned to Arsenal. Even for League Cup games at Highbury, we sold out. And since the move to the Emirates, Arsenal’s lowest attendance (before the Doncaster game) is 46,539, against Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup third round way back on the 20th September 2011.

The Doncaster attendance was 44,064. 

So Arsenal get near enough twice as many fans turn up for small games than Spurs, but Spurs are building a stadium bigger than Arsenal? It is all just very odd.

When I wrote the original blog, many Spurs fans pointed out that Arsenal’s Stadium is bigger than White Hart Lane. That Spurs can not get 46,539 into their current stadium so it was an unfair comparison.

This argument was stupid, because whilst I would not expect Spurs to have more fans in the ground than their capacity, the point is they are not filling their current stadium.

The Spurs argument was that if they build a bigger stadium, more fans will turn up for the smaller games. If you build it, they will come.

This completely missed the point that every year over the last half a decade, there have been games where 10,000 tickets have gone unsold. They have been advertised at train stations and in the Evening Standard, yet still tickets were unsold.

A bigger stadium would not magically create more fans. They had an opportunity to take one of the 10,000 unsold tickets, and chose not too. A bigger stadium would just leave more seats empty.

In 2012, 25,030 turned up to watch Spurs play Lazio in the Europa League. That is around 10,000 tickets unsold (maybe a little less with the reduced capacity). If Spurs played in a 60,000 seater stadium, the attendance would still be 25,030, meaning that their would be 34,970 unsold seats.

But if the stadium was bigger, more would turn up the window lickers kept shouting at me.

Well on Tuesday Spurs were playing a League Cup game at Wembley. A 90,000 seater stadium. It was against Barnsley. 23,826 people turned up to watch. That is 61,686 less than what turned up to watch Spurs play Bayer Leverkuson last year in the Champions League.

So they built it, but they did not come.

In comparison, Arsenal’s attendance yesterday for the game against Doncaster was 44,064. Nearly twice as many Arsenal fans turned up for a game in the same competition as Spurs.

Of course, Spurs fans will have their excuses. Like it being at Wembley instead of Tottenham – even though hardly any of their fans actually live in Haringey.

They will point to it being the League Cup, yet Arsenal had more turn up, and are they then saying they only want to go to the big games?

The fact is, their new stadium is a vanity project. They are hoping that by building a bigger stadium ,it will elevate them to a top team, a more popular team, and their fan base will grow.

In reality, you only grow as a club, become more popular, with success. And no matter how big Spurs build their stadium, it will not hide the fact that they have won just a single League Cup in 18 years. No FA Cup in 26 years. No league title in 56 years.

It will be hilarious when Spurs play in their new stadium, whether it be next season or the year after. Their League Cup 3rd round tie against a lower league side will just be a case of déjà vu.

It will not see them sell out. It will not even see them get above 45,000. As history has shown, for these smaller games, Spurs only have around 25,000 who actually want to go.

Spurs will always be in Arsenal’s shadow, no matter how big they build their stadium.

A big new stadium does not make you a big club.

Keenos

Who will start for Arsenal against Doncaster?

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Tonight Arsenal host Doncaster in the Copacabana Cup, or something like that. I think it is title sponsor of the Football League Cup. Which in turn is the re-brand of the League Cup.

As always, Arsenal will use the League Cup as a chance to give youngster a chance, as well as give the senior pro’s a run out. It perhaps shows the strength of Arsenal’s Premier League squad these days in comparison to 10 years ago that the side will probably now have more senior pro’s than youngsters.

There was a time, in the mid 00’s, when the majority of our second string were teenagers, or under 23. These days, nearly everyone in the second XI is a senior international.

It leaves Arsene Wenger with a bit of a conundrum. Does he disregard the senior squad players and give a run out to a load of U23’s, or does he give the proper second string a full 90 minute run out to ensure they are match sharp and ready to come into the first team if needed?

The reality is we will probably see a mix of the two. Half the team will be senior pro’s, the other half youngsters who are looking to step up to the first team squad. A bit like the side that face Koln last week, and that will probably be put out for most of the Europa League games.

The first conundrum will be who plays in goal. Will it be David Ospina, the Columbian international, 2nd choice keeper, first choice cup keeper. Arsenal.com shows just two first choice keepers, so it is only logical that Ospina will start.

However, in the past, Wenger has disregarded the 2nd choice keeper and given the 3rd choice one a run out in the League Cup. If memory serves me right, Emilio Martinez played in the League Cup last year. That might mean a call up for Matt Macey, the 23 year old Englishman who has found himself in the bench in a couple games in 2017.

Against Koln, Wenger opted for Nacho Monreal on the left of the back 3. This was clearly to give him more game time, to get him accustomed to the new position. One which he has actually performed well in. However, I would prefer he was moved to one side for the League Cup game. There is not much he can learn against Doncaster.

Instead of Monreal, let’s see Rob Holding play on the left side of the 3. Inside him Per Mertesacker and on the right Calum Chambers. I really like Chambers, and think he has been unfairly treated at times at Arsenal. I would like to see him get a good run in the side in both the League Cup and Europa League.

At right full back, Arsenal do have a little issue. Mathieu Debuchy surely would have got a run out against Koln, but his pre-match comments saw him promptly dropped. I do not expect him to get a chance in the League Cup either. That means Arsenal either stick with Hector Bellerin, or give one of the youngsters a chance.

Concerned about burn-out, Bellerin will not play (he was a surprise starter against Koln. Clearly a last minute decision). Having played at right wing back pre-season, Reiss Nelson will surely be given his chance to impress.

Whilst Nelson plays much more advanced for the youth team, he will have to accept a bit more of a defensive role in the current set up. Against Doncaster, however, he should not be doing much defending.

His opposing wing back position will be Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

I am a little concerned with the development of Maitland-Niles. He is a talented kid who in the youths played central midfield, then when on loan on the wings. Pre-season he was at centre back, against Koln he played left wing back.

Wenger and the coaching team need to decide on his best position, and play him there. Personally, I think he is a central midfielder, but with senior players in need of match sharpness set to start in the middle of the park, he will find himself out wide for the forceable.

In the middle of the park, Mohamed Elneny will be the senior pro. With Francis Coquelin out, Wenger might be tempted to rest Elneny, as he can not afford more injuries in the middle of the park. On the flip side, Elneny needs the match sharpness. No point not playing him ,then when he is called upon he is match rusty.

Alongside him will hopefully be Jack Wilshere as the no-longer-Arsenal-youngster continues his rehabilitation back into the first team.

Wilshere looked sharp and bright in his cameo against Koln. The more games he plays, the more minutes under his belt, before Christmas, the better position he will be in to fully help the first team as winter hits.

Alex Iwobi would have been a shoe-in for the playmaker position behind the strikers. But having played most of the game against Chelsea, he has earnt himself a rest.

Instead of Iwobi, Alexis Sanchez will surely get a full 90 minutes.

Having missed the first two weeks of the season out injured, Arsenal have taken their time with the Chilean.

He played 15 minutes against Bournemouth, a full 90 minutes against Koln, and 24 minutes against Chelsea. With Arsenal not playing WBA until Monday, a full 90 minutes against Doncaster will prepare him to return to the starting XI for the Premier League 5 days later.

Ahead / alongside Sanchez will be Theo Walcott. He needs some game time, and is struggling to fit in to the new formation. Whilst some will prefer to see the likes of Eddie Nketiah or Joe Willock (or is it Chris still with us?) get a run out. But this is one of those situations where the match sharpness of a senior player is more important than the development of a youngster.

Likewise, up top, Olivier Grioud will surely also start. Like with the Walcott situation, the likes of Nketiah and Akpom might feel a bit miffed that they will not get a run out, but Giroud needs to play. The best Plan B in Europe, making him Plan A in the Europa League and League Cup will ensure he is sharp.

Get the balance of the time right and Arsenal could end up at Wembley. Get it wrong and we could end up in another Sheffield Wednesday away embarrassment.

So my team to face Doncaster:

Ospina

Chambers Mertesacker Holding

Nelson Elneny Wilshere Maitlan-Niles

Sanchez Walcott

Giroud

Keenos