Tag Archives: Arsenal

Who should start in the FA Cup Final – Case for the defence

2 Replies

In the second part of our lead up to the FA Cup Final, we look today at the defence, having covered who should play in goal yesterday (Click here for the result of the poll).

If at the beginning of the season, we’d have said our 1st choice defence was Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny & Monreal, you all would have said we were speaking a load of old codswallop.

Fast forward 9 months and it seems that is the case. Injury to Debuchy gave Bellerin his chance, which he took with both hands, and improved week on week, whilst at left back, Monreal has kept his place due to his own form, rather than anything that Gibbs has done wrong. However, it is not clean cut. In the semi-final, Arsene Wenger gave the chance to both Debuchy & Gibbs.

And deciding on the full backs is not the only head for Arsene Wenger.

With Aston Villa likely to play on the break, and with the pace and power of Benteke and Agbonlahor, it might also be favourable to play Gabriel and Koscielny at the back.

So who do you want to play in defence in the cup final?

Keenos

Who should start in the FA Cup Final – Case for the goalkeeper

1 Reply

This week, in a series of blogs, we are going to look at who should make up the starting 11 for this Saturdays FA Cup final against Aston Villa. Starting from the back, today we make the case for the goalkeepers.

David Ospina

I have never been a fan of rotating goalkeepers for cup competitions. Fair enough ,the League Cup when you rotate the whole team, but the FA Cup is more prestigious. You should play your strongest side. And that means your strongest goal keeper. So based on that, David Ospina should really start, he is number one at the moment.

He has come in for some criticism recently. Clearly at fault for WBA’s consolation goal at the weekend, he also had to shoulder some blame for Swansea’s winner a few weeks previous. A shot he could have saved. And this is perhaps my issues with him. He rarely makes a save he has no right to make.

With a Premier League high save percentage of 80.7%, he is clearly a safe pair of hands. He will not lose you a game, but I also do not feel he will win you a game. He makes saves you should make, but rarely pulls off one which he has no right to make.

Wojciech Szczesny

When the 3rd round of the FA Cup kicked off. Szczesny was not in goal. He has only just had THAT game against Southampton, where he was in far from smoking hot form. Ospina played the 3rd round of the FA Cup, and has not looked back ,leaving Szczesny on the bench watching on.

I felt for Szczesny last season, performing well in the league, but watching on from the bench as compatriot and soon to leave Lukasz Fabianski was between the sticks against Hull City in the final. Whilst Szczesny got a winners medal, I am sure every time he looks at it he feels he did not really earn it.

Whilst I think you should play your best goalkeeper, after last season’s decision to start Fabianski, it would now be very, very harsh to drop Szczesny for the final, even if he has barely played for 5 months.

Szczesny is the polar opposite to Ospina. He makes errors. Let’s in shots that he really should save. But then pulls of World Class stops. He wins games. Keeps us in games. He saves shots that he really has no right to save

So who would start for you in the FA Cup Final?

Keenos

Tomas Rosicky’s contract – Cazorla off, Cech in?

4 Replies

So this morning Arsenal have extended Tomas Rosicky’s contract by a further year, taking the 34 year old attacking midfielders Arsenal career into a 10th year. And I am sitting here wondering “What’s the point?” For me, there seems to be no logic to it.

An injury hit career at Arsenal, a wonderful talent who has just not been on the pitch enough to express himself. When signed in 2006, I was excited. The man to replace Robert Pires. He was, for me, one of the top attacking midfielders in the world. As good as Kaka, with the two of them shining at the 2006 World Cup. And then the injuries began, and never really ended.

Over the last few years, he has put in some good cameos. Strung a few performances together where he has reminded us of his talent, got his new contact, and then broken down again.

This season, he has been even more of a bit part players. He has played just 567 Premier League minutes. At £3,500,000 a year, that works out at £6,172 a minute. And with squad restrictions, in both the Premier League and Champions League, resigning Rosicky, even at a lower wage, is illogical. He takes up salary and a squad place that could go to someone else who would see more pitch time.

The only logical reason is that Rosicky signing ties in with two potential transfer moves this summer.

Santi Cazorla was heavily linked to a return to Spain last summer. Rumours of being home sick. And with Atletico having a bit of money to spend, having just won the league, it looked a good fit. He remained at Arsenal. The rumours could return this year, and it would not be surprising to see him leave, with him being used as a very small make weight in a deal for Antoine Griezmann. That would leave us 1 player short in central attacking midfield, and free up the space for Rosicky to play a bit more.

Could Rosicky signing his new deal mean Cazorla is off?

On the other hand, it could link in with a player coming in. Petr Cech.

Cech and Rosicky are close friends. They socialise together, they party together. A year between them, they grew up. Born just 56 miles apart, they grew up in the Czech youth teams together, and have been key players for their country over the year. They are captain and vice captain of their country.

Whilst Cech is still a world class goal keeper and one we are certainly interested in, Rosicky is certainly not a world class midfielder. But if keeping Rosicky means that Cech joins, it is a great deal. I am sure Cech was one of the first Rosicky would be phoning today letting him know he is staying…

“Hi Petr, its Tommy, got some great news, I am staying at Arsenal”

“That is great news Tommy, I am so happy for you”

“So you coming to join me then”

If keeping Tomas means that Petr signs, I am more than happy with that.

Keenos

clock plain ribbon

She Wore badgepins and ribbon from the shop (click image)