Tag Archives: Arsène Wenger

Why didn’t Wenger strenthen our defencive side ?

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Arsenal in big games eh? “If we could snatch a draw it is a good result” I’m sick of hearing draw is a good result because we are playing away to a big team in the League or in a Champions league match even before the match has started. Tell you what, draw is a good result, when you are in the last 10 mins of a game and losing 1-0 or 2-1 from that moment onwards anything you get out of the game is a good result. For The Arsenal of 10 years back, win was the only option no matter which team was playing against you.

After the Man City and the BVB games, yet again it was highlighted that the squad lacks a solid defensive structure and not one player in the center of midfield is aware of their defensive responsibilities in case the opponents are waiting for counter attack. The same mistakes are repeated in game after game and season after season which are underlined by pundits, journalist and even neutrals and to which the manager remain completely phlegmatic and distant from overturning the approach of Arsenal towards so called ‘big games’.

On Sky sports Monday Night Football, Gary Neville highlighted Arsenal will NOT win the league. To support his argument he said the players are naïve, they lack power, experience and steel in midfield, there was no defensive plan set-up to protect the lead at 2-1 and that leaves them vulnerable to attacks. When you are leading 2-1 and there were 10-12 mins to go against a big team you don’t take risk, you keep hold of the ball and put on a defender!!! Right, we don’t have any CB!!! After Debuchy’s injury Chambers was on the pitch leaving no further CB option further highlighting the sheer negligence and stubbornness of the manager. Similarly, BBC MOTD also pin-pointed to Arsenal’s jeopardy at the back and in defensive midfield from last season and continuing to be repeated yet again against Man-City.

Personally I can’t stand Jose Mourinho, but on Saturday after Chelsea’s match against Swansea City when talking transfers he was spot on, said he identified needs before season ends, target players, go and get them. How often have we (Arsenal) ‘identify needs’ or ‘target a player’ and get him?

It was 2012 when Robin Van Persie was sold to ManUtd, 5 transfer windows to find a striker and when questioned about not signing a striker Wenger gives his usual statement “we have Sanogo, Walcott who can play as a striker, Podolski can play up front, Campbell can play there” OR his verdict that Arsenal are only looking for a ‘TOP TOP class player’ and those player are not available in the market. Enough with the excuses Arsene!!! And finally when we buy a striker in last 8 hours on deadline day who was never on the radar and was only available because ManUtd signed Falcao, again highlighting that there is/was no planning or a strategy in place when it comes to buying a player and Arsene had no intention of buying anyone if Welbeck was not available.

For the case of Defensive Midfield (DM), last summer (2013) we had to sign a player (Flamini) who was training to get fit with us. Now our DM is a player (Arteta) who is converted and made to play that role in the team, typical make do Arsene Wenger methodology. He still refuses to pay for a player (DM) and fails to address the gaps in the team which the team is desperately calling out for. We’ve team full of tap dancers/cheerleaders we needed a conductor. Misplaced ire to get angry at Arteta, not his fault Wenger didn’t sign better in the summer, or that he isn’t a natural holding midfielder. After watching the Man City and BVB games twice its Deja vu, if you don’t address the problems ergo….. Once again paying for shambolic transfer strategy. That issue lies with manager.

AW after the defeat to BVB: “They were very strong in midfield, stronger than us, I agree”. Yes Arsene they were strong in midfield because you and you alone failed address the one position this team craved for, and why do you have to agree now!!! Weren’t those heavy defeats to Chelsea, Liverpool enough to accept the need for a DM and that a Defensive Mid should be priority number 1 for the summer window? Baffling……Puzzling…….Shambolic….

Written by Sidd

10 reasons why we will beat Man City + my starting 11

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1) For the first time since 1947 we’ve had an international break that we have more fit players after than before. Arteta and Gibbs set to be in the squad today.

2) Our number 1 keeper Chesney, quietly getting on with things this season, he could go onto be an all time great for us.

3) Debuchy, I’m really impressed with him, not just his engine or his pace, or his crossing it’s his positional sense in covering the CB’s. Definitely an improvement on the fella City will have on the bench.

4) Yes the Community Shield is an overblown friendly, but still we made them look average that day even when they pulled on the bigger players

5) Man City lost to Stoke.

6) Danny Welbeck should start today and with him and Sanchez we will finally have some direct pace running at teams

7) The last time Man City lost 2 games back to back was in Oct 2010, one of those games was against us *sky sports*

8) This 12.45pm kick off times just for TV is a joke, I used to understand it in the dark past when it was used for games with a high risk of trouble, but 12.45pm just for TV and still charge £65 upwards for the pleasure, well count me out. *Rant over*

9) Man City have a couple of key players out, we have a couple coming in, this is the season we finally start beating the top 3 clubs again.

10) Wenger knows, well he should know by now, the key to these big games is a decent start, keeping our shape and keeping the ball. We get past the first 10-15mins and settle down today then Man City are there for the taking.

My Starting 11 – Chesney, Deb, Kos, BFG, Gibbs, Flamini, Jack, Ozil, Sanchez, Ox, Welbeck

 

 

 

 

 

Moving to the The Emirates – Are we any better off?

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highbury4

Since leaving Highbury in 2006 under the promise of becoming a European Super-club, it seems to me that the height of our expectations is to be also-rans.

Here we are 8 years after our move & what benefits have there been other than false hope?

* We’ve genuinely competed for the title 2 years at most, to come unstuck in the latter part of the season (08 & 14)

* 1x FA Cup win in May

* 1x semi final appearance in the CL

I’d suggest that’s not exactly the record of a ‘Super-Club’

According to reports, we’ve accumulated near on £100m in this period which could be made available for player transfers. Yes we’ve spent a fair bit this summer but are they along with the likes of Giroud, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Monreal, Cazorla etc not similar to what we would have bought at Highbury?

There’s not much monetary difference between those players & what we paid for the likes of Pires, Hleb & Overmars in relative terms

Yes I accept that Sanchez & Ozil are the exception to the rule but we also constantly spent what was considered big money at the time on Henry, Reyes & Wiltord for example.

I don’t want to get into the exact names of ‘who we should have bought this summer’ debate as we’ll all have different opinions. I’m also not criticising who we have brought in as there is no doubt that all of them will be an asset to our squad but they are all like for like position wise with what’s left the club.

According to the club website we now have 6 defenders to choose from for a 50+ game season. How long will it be until we hear ‘Mertesacker is jaded’ after he played right until the end of the World Cup?

Here lies the problem, there should have been more than the 5 we brought in. We have a lopsided squad, top heavy with creative midfielders. If you & I can identify the areas as weaknesses, why can’t the Hierarchy at our club? The excuse of no money or players not available just doesn’t wash anymore.

As it stands, the only benefit of our move to Emirates Stadium I can see is amassing a huge figure in the Bank. Of course that isn’t a benefit to the ordinary fan if it’s not being invested in the team or used to reduce ticket prices. Only the Shareholders will see benefits with their stock value increasing on a daily basis.

I’m not sure that’s what I signed up for when we moved from our beloved Highbury.

We’ve seen match tickets hit £100+ per game mark & cheapest season tickets now up to over £1000 per year & they’re only going one way. Thousand’s of loyal fans priced out for what exactly?

I hope The Arsenal win the quadruple this year (as I do every other year) but realistically at this stage we are looking at scraping 4th & hoping for another Cup win.

Should that be where we are after all the promises when we moved?

 

Written by an Admin from http://www.facebook.com/shewore