Tag Archives: hector bellerin

10 reasons Arsenal beat Chelsea

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1) The Scoreline – Arsenal scored 3 goals, Chelsea did not score. Pretty simple really.

2) The midfield battle – Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla dominated the first part of the game. Coquelin playing high up the pitch, pressing, Cazorla having the freedom of the park. When Coquelin got injured, Arsenal were able to replace him with Granit Xhaka. Not since being able to replace Gilberto with Edu have we had such a class midfielder on the pitch. And Xhaka continued where Coquelin left off. Destroying the Chelsea midfield. And winning the battle against N’golo Kante.

3) Mesut Ozil – Often criticised for not stepping up in the big games, Ozil showed why he is a world class player. They way he turned Kante on the edge of the Arsenal box, ran the length of the pitch, leaving Kante in his dust, and then got to the far post to volley it in was magnificent.

https://youtu.be/VhAJuB-lABA

4) Alexis Sanchez – When we signed Sanchez, their was talk that he would be a striker at Arsenal. Recently Arsene Wenger was quoted as saying that Sanchez could be a mix of Suarez and Aguero. Many scoffed, saw it as reasoning behind Wenger not buying a striker. But this is a player, remember, who plays upfront on his own for his country, and led them to victory in the last 2 Copa America. His pace and power upfront is a threat. And with 47 goals goals in 100 games, he certainly knows how to find the back of the net.

5) Theo Walcott – Over the summer, most wanted him out, I wanted him out, but yesterday he put in a performance that we have not seen for years. In 2012/13 Walcott was excellent. 21 goals and countless more assists. He looked like he had finally arrived. Then he had 3 years of injury and uselessness. This season he seems to have turned it around again. Yesterday was his 3rd goal of the season. As a comparison, Joel Campbell has 3 league goals in his Arsenal career. If Walcott keeps it going, it will be testament to both his change in attitude and Arsene Wenger’s man management skills.

6) Hector Bellerin – Is there a better right back in world football at the moment? He had Eden Hazard in his pocket. He can defend and attack. And can start 20 meters behind an opponent, catch him up and win the ball easily with space to spare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87Tqu0ybaVA

7) Arsene Wenger – A lot will say that yesterday was partly to do with Antonio Conte getting his tactics wrong, but let’s give Wenger some credit, he got his tactics spot on. From playing Sanchez up top, encouraging him to drop deep pulling David Luiz out of place, Coquelin’s high press, Bellerin pushing tight on Hazard and Cazorla playing deepest of the midfield giving him the time and space to dictate the game. Even Wenger’s subs worked out. Xhaka, whilst forced, showed strength on the bench. Gibbs tightened the left hand side, and Olivier Giroud gave us a target man upfront and extra height at corners. Wenger got it right.

8) John Terry – You need a leader at the back. In recent seasons Arsenal have struggled without Per Mertesacker. Man U have not found one since Rio Ferdinand retired. Man City with Kompany look leaderless. And Chelsea showed without John Terry that they are clueless at the back. Sanchez’s goal came from a Gary Cahill mistake. And Ozil’s was by both Cahill and Luiz going towards Sanchez leaving Ozil free at the far post. Without Terry, they did not have someone who could direct play.

9) Calm Costa – Not exactly Diego Costa being calm, but more the Arsenal centre backs being calm around Costa. Koscielny and Mustafa look a partnership already. Both won the ball, cleanly, off Costa, but went in hard enough to leave him on the floor moaning. towards the end of the game, Koscielny once more left Costa in a heap, Costa reacted running half the length of the pitch to confront both the ref, than Koscielny. The Frenchman laughed it off, Costa got booked. It was an uncompromising performance by Arsenal’s new centre back partnership. And a captains performance by Koscielny.

10) Selfies – Finally, Rio Ferdinand “slammed” Arsenal for a post match selfie. Yet a year ago, he said Roy Keane was “out of touch”

Up the Arse

Keenos
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Goodbye Mathieu Debuchy

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So news is currently breaking that Mathieu Debuchy is on his way out of the club on loan for the rest of the season. It is currently destination unknown, but it should not come as a surprise to anyone.

Signed in the summer of 2014, Arsenal looked to have got a solid replacement for Bacary Sagna. Premier League experience, and keeping Sagna out of the French national team at the time, a £12million deal with Newcastle went through very quickly.

18 months on and he finds himself on the bench at Arsenal and with just 45 minutes of international since the 2014 World Cup, his career has spiralled down hill quickly. The cruel would say he has been one of Arsene Wenger’s biggest flops.

However, it is not as easy as to just label him a flop. There is a very curious, very unique, set of circumstances which account for the Frenchman’s demise.

When he was signed in July 2016, he was already 28 (he turned 29 11 days after signing, so some would argue he was already 29). He was clearly signed as a short term replacement for Sagna.

At the club already, we already had 2 right backs. Hector Bellerin and Carl Jenkinson. Both talented, yet both unproven.

Bellerin was just 19 and had just returned from a fruitful, yet short, loan spell at Watford. He had just 1 Arsenal appearance to his name as an extra time substitute on the League Cup.

Jenkinson meanwhile was 3 years Bellerin’s senior at 22, but there were plenty of question marks over him.  He had not really built on his early promise having signed out of nowhere from Charlton at 19, and his performances in the previous 2 years could be described as average, at best.

So we have one talented young right back without a Premier League game to his name. And another who’s ceiling was (and still is?) a 2nd choice right back at the club.

Sagna at the time was a perfect foil for these two. At 31, he only had a couple of years left at the highest level. Just long enough to make a decision on the future of Bellerin and Jenkinson. But he jumped ship to Manchester City.

That left Arsenal in a conundrum. Do they take a point on the unproven (Bellerin), rely on the questionable (Jenkinson) or make a move in the transfer market. The latter was always the best option.

It was then a case of what to go for. Some for long term, that would kill any potential chance of Bellerin or Jenkinson (both home grown remember) of breaking through into the first team. Or someone like Sagna, towards the end of his career, who could do a job for 2/3 years as other players developed. We plucked for the latter (again).

And in Debuchy, we found the perfect signing. An attacking full back, 28/29 years old, been playing in the Premier League for 18 months for Newcastle, and France’s first choice right back. He ticked all the right boxes.

Signing Debuchy allowed us to send either Bellerin or Jenkinson on loan to another Premier League club to continue their development, whilst keeping the other as Debuchy’s understudy in case of injury. Jenkinson packed his bags and it left Arsenal with a clear number 1 and 2. Debuch yas first choice. Bellerin as 2nd choice.

At this stage it looked like Jenkinson’s Arsenal career was over. Especially with Southampton right back Calum Chambers joining the club. Jenkinson would be 23 over the next season. And if Debuchy stays for the expected 2/3 seasons, he will be 25/26. Would he really go on 3 loan deals? To then return as back up? Unlikely. Unless anything exceptional happened, Jenkinson would be sold in 2015/16, and Bellerin likely loaned out for the same season with Chambers providing the cover for Debuchy at right back.

But the exceptional did happen.

After a decent enough start to his Arsenal career – only slightly tarnished by a sending off for two cautions against Besiktas, it was looking good. The plan was coming together. With Chambers putting in solid performances at centre back, it meant that Arsenal could look at loaning out Bellerin for the 2nd half of the season. Then disaster.

Debuchy was stretchered off (and administered oxygen) against Manchester City in mid-September having done his ankle ligaments. Ruled out for 3 months.mathieu-debuchy-arsenal-football_3207474

Given first chance was Spanish youngster Bellerin, who came in for Borussia Dortmund and was hopelessly out of place. He looked young, he looked scared, he was a deer in headlights. He was clearly not ready.

Discarded after 1 game, Calum Chambers was given the chance after the International break, where he had made his debut for England. Chambers looked. Bellerin was given a second chance in the next game as Chambers was moved inside for the League Cup game against Southampton.

It would be nearly a month until we saw Bellerin back in an Arsenal shirt when an injury to Koscielny forced Arsenal to push the impressive Chambers inside for a game against Sunderland. It was just the one game though as for the next few games, Arsenal went with Chambers right back, and Nacho Monreal at centre back (incidentally, it was this run at centre back for Monreal which caused him to jump ahead of Gibbs at left back, making his Arsenal career).

Then the Arsenal injury curse negligence hit again. This time Monreal out. 6th December 2014. Bellerin started again, with Chambers once more moving inside. Bellerin was substituted at half time, 3-0 down, Chambers sent off with 12 minutes to go.

At this time, Arsenal fans are looking at when Debuchy is back. Glad that the club did not rely on the young talented players. Wondering why we loaned out Jenkinson, who was on form for West Ham.

With Chambers suspended, in came Bellerin again. And this time, looked a lot more assured. Coupled with further injury problems in the middle and at left back, it saw Bellerin have a 4 game run in the team, even once Debuchy was fit again. With the Frenchman deputising at centre back and left back.

Arsenal were finally back to their first choice defence of Debuchy Mertesacker Koscileny Monreal in a game against Stoke in early January. After 13 minutes, the exceptional happened again. Debuchy was pushed when in the air and already off the pitch, landed heavy, and once more hard to be stretchered off. Another 3 months out, this time with a dislocated shoulder.debuchy12

Rather than return to Chambers, Arsenal gave Bellerin another run out in the side. He had grown since that start against Dortmund and put in an assured performance in a crucial game away against Manchester City, following this up by scoring his first Arsenal goal against Aston Villa.

By the time Debuchy returned to fitness with just a few weeks to go till the end of the season, Bellerin had made the right back position his own. An attempt to blood Debuchy back in during the Reading game in the FA Cup (in preparation for the end of season run in) failed as he looked off the pace. He was clearly being rushed back. Bellerin returned for the final 7 games of the season, picking up an FA Cup winners medal in the process.

The actions of the club over the summer of 2015 perhaps showed where Debuchy’s future lied. After an impressive spell at West Ham, a £10million deal for Jenkinson was reportedly on the table. Had Arsenal accepted this, it would have shown Debuchy was first choice again. After all, he was an experienced international, and surely not hang around as 2nd choice at Arsenal, especially with a home Euro’s coming up where he would likely make the squad, hopefully start.

Jenkinson was once again loaned out, which caused speculation about Debuchy’s future to begin. Would he start the season as 1st choice? Does Bellerin deserve to be dropped? Would Debuchy be sold?

West Ham at home, first game of the season, Debuchy started. Arsenal lost. Whilst the defeat was certainly not the Frenchman’s fault, he was the fall guy, and Bellerin was bought back in having performed well the week previous in the Community Shield against Chelsea.

Debuchy would only be seen against fleetingly. When Wenger decided to shuffle the squad in the Champions League or League Cup. Each time he looked well off the pace. Not fully fit. Struggling for match sharpness.

So here we have it. A French international, bought for the short term, getting an injury which, due to many other circumstances in the pot, led to Bellerin getting a few chances, and finally taking one.

Who could have expected Debuchy’s long term lay off?

Who could have expected Bellerin would finally take the chance with both hands?

It was going to take an exceptional set of circumstances to see Debuchy end up in his current situation. But the stars aligned (for Bellerin) and the worst case scenario happened for Debuchy.

With Jenkinson on loan at West Ham (where he is struggling), he would have been sitting over Christmas, pondering his future. The Arsenal door looked shut, and a move out of the club in the summer likely.

At 30 (31 this summer), his career coming to an end, and with that home Euro’s looming, it should not be a surprise to anyone that he is looking to move in January. He knows he does not have a future at Arsenal. He does not even have a present.

People who call Debuchy a flop are wrong. He is the victim of circumstances that conspired against him. Whilst his 22 game Arsenal career will not live long in the memory, it would be unfair to put him at right back in a ‘Worst Arsenal XI’.

Good luck Mathieu, and I hope you regain your France place for the Euro’s.

Keenos

Wenger’s tactics, Hector Bellerin & Back to the Future

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Tactics

One of the biggest criticism’s over the last decade or so about Arsene Wenger is his tactics and in game management:

  1. He does not consider the opposition enough when setting out his team
  2. He does not have a Plan B
  3. His substitutions are predictable

Last night, and over the last few games, he is possibly turning a corner.

On the first point, he has always been of the opinion that if he sets his team up to play how he wants them to play, and they play to his game plan and to the best of their capabilities, the team will win, no matter who the opposition are or how they set up. It is arrogant.

It means we do not expose other teams weaknesses, and are not prepared for their strengths. And time and again we have lost due to clear under preparation.

But last night was different. There was a clear game plan different from normal. Let Munich have the ball, and hit them on the break with our pass. Rope a dope. It was like watching us play under Graham in the early 90s.

It take’s some luck. Giving the opponents a lot of time on the ball means they will create chances. You need to hope your keeper is on form, and if one gets away, it go’s the right side of the post. And then up the other end, you need to take your chances, and get some luck going your way.

And we had that last night. For a striker in such great form, Lewandowski should have buried that late chance. But great work from Koscielny and a great save by Cech kept it at 1-0. On another day, Munich would have had an early penalty (Sanchez hand ball) and Koscielny would have clattered into the back of Lewandowski giving away a second penalty and a red card.

Up the other end of the field, Walcott had a great shot saved, and then our first goal had a massive element of luck to it as Neuer repeated Petr Cech’s error earlier in the season against West Ham by coming out for a ball and getting no where near. 2 World Class keepers doing an identical error. Shows we are human.

Essentially, Wenger got his tactics spot on yesterday. As he did against Manchester United. Hopefully he continues to look at the opposition when deciding his game plan, rather than resorting to type and wrapping himself up in the arrogant egotistical bubble he has been in for 10 years.

As for substitutions and having a Plan B, Olivier Giroud is quickly becoming Arsenal’s Super Sub.

Olivier Giroud was never bought to be Arsenal’s number one striker. He was always signed to be Plan B. Back up originally to Robin van Persie, he found himself leading the line. It should have just been for a season, but Arsenal’s failure to capture Higuain or Suarez meant he was up top for a second season.

Alexis Sanchez was bought in, originally, to do the same role he does for Chile. Striker.  It did not work, and for the 3rd season in a row, Olivier Giroud was our 1st choice striker. Then this season again, a failure to land Benzema left Wenger relying on the big man again. Until he decided to staqrt Theo Walcott upfront.

What that mean is Giroud began to do what he was bought for. An impact sub.

At 6 4 and strong as an ox (not the Ox, who for me is the most overatted player in England), he causes problems when he comes on against turned defences. He is able to bully them. Win every ball, and provide a great outlet. His lack of pace is not as exposed as much, playing up against two centre backs who have spent 65 minutes chasing Walcott. He is a great asset to have.

Whether it is to close out the game, or to chase the game, bringing on someone like Giroud in the last 25 minutes is a game changer. It is nice to finally have a Plan B.

Hector Bellerin

https://twitter.com/KeenosAFC/status/650987705753583617

What a star he is becoming. Way back in 2013 he first came onto my radar as someone who could make the step up from talented kid to potential first choice right back. Since then, he has come on leaps and bounds and has now established himself as not only Arsenal’s best right back, but the best right back in the league.

It is little more than a year on from his full debut against Borussia Dortmund where he looked shaky and out of place, to say the least. Last night he was the best full back on the pitch.

Yes, Douglas Costa gave him a few problems and did made him look a fool once, but that happens when you are playing up against someone with a bag of tricks. The importance is that after he does you once, you do not let him do you again. And for most of the game, Bellerin had Costa in his pocket. So much so that Costa swapped wings in the second half.

This season, with us playing Ramsey at right wing, Bellerin has had a big task on his hands. Both defending and basically being our right winger. And he has done well.

The last few seconds of yesterday’s game sums up his season. His ability to get forward at pace, beat the opposing full back, and put in a good cross is an asset to have. He did it against Watford as well. He is a talent.

I jokingly said that yesterday showed his naivety. In the last few minutes, winning 1-0, our right back is bombing forward and putting a cross in, rather than either sitting back so we don’t get exposed, or running for the corner. Obviously I was jesting (and got some abuse), what he did yesterday was class. To have that pace left at the end of the game and energy to get his head up and play the ball shows his brilliance. Just remember though, if he does it again, plays a poor cross, and the opponents go up the other end of the field and score, do not criticise Bellerin. You can not celebrate yesterdays brilliance then moan if it go’s wrong.

Hector Bellerin is secure as Arsenal’s first choice right back. Debuchy will leave this summer. If he continues in his current form, he will be starting for Spain at Euro 2016.

Looking in my crystal ball

So we are back in with a chance of Champions League qualification. Just 1 point off second, we are back in the game. So looking in my crystal, this is what will happen:

Arsenal will travel to Munich, and lose. Meanwhile, Olympiakos, having stolen a victory in Zagreb, will do the double by winning at home.

Bayern Munich 9
Olympiakos 9
Dynamo Zagreb 3
Arsenal 3

Up next for Arsenal is a home match against Zagreb. Surely we will not see a repeat of Olympiakos. 3 points to The Arsenal. Bayern Munich host the Greeks. A win for the German’s see them qualify, and get top, with a game to go. They will go all out for the win. And get it.

Bayern Munich 12
Olympiakos 9
Arsenal 6
Dynamo Zagreb 3

So that brings us to the last round of games. Arsenal away to Olympiakos. Winner takes all…

One thing is for sure, the club were struggling to shift tickets for the Dynamo Zagreb game before yesterday. I bet the sell out ASAP.

Keenos