Tag Archives: Premier League

Are things at Arsenal as disastrous as some are making out?

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I always think sometimes it is worthwhile taking a step away from something and looking at it from afar. That way you can often get a better perspective of what you are looking at.

Now Arsenal’s Premier League form – especially away- has been poor in 2017. We are already 16 points behind Manchester City, which is a gap that is too far to bridge. Man City are as short as 1/25 to win the title, Arsenal a massive 150/1.

But then on Sunday, during the Liverpool v Everton game, I got a bit of perspective of the situation we are in.

Arsenal are awful, apparently. The majority of the time during the game against Southampton and after, everyone was slagging us off. Highlighting how bad we are. The poor run we are on. Much of it was justified.

During the Scouse Derby, the commentator said Liverpool have been an irresistible force this season. I dropped this into a WhatsApp group and most people seemed to agree with the commentator. The

Liverpool had been brilliant this season. Their free flowing attacking football was superior to our turgid play that was not bringing us any results.

But then I posted up the league table. The brilliant Liverpool were just a single point ahead of Arsenal, and had only scored 4 more league goals. It bought some perspective to our thinking.

Yes, we are out of the title race, but everyone bar Manchester City is out of the title race.

We sit in 5th place, ahead of another irresistible force in Tottenham. We are just 3 points behind Chelsea. In fact, just 4 points separates Chelsea in 3rd and Spurs in 6th.

I am very much of the opinion that Manchester City are awesome this season. Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs are all fairly average.  And Manchester United sit somewhere in between the two groups.

This was highlighted this weekend by Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all failing to win.

The result against Southampton was a disappointing one, but some perspective needs to be used. We are not as poor as people are making out, likewise Liverpool, Spurs et al are not as good as people are making out.

Whilst we are talking about Liverpool, I have seen the Jurgen Klopp interview from Sunday. He looks a man under pressure.

People go on about him like he is a great manager. That he has transformed Liverpool. But again, if you take a step away and look from afar, what has he actually achieved?

In the two seasons Klopp has been at the club, Liverpool have finished 8th and 4th – the last two seasons of Brendan Rodger, Liverpool finished 2nd and 6th.

On top of this, Klopp is without a trophy in his first 2 seasons. A failure to win a cup this year will make it 3 seasons without a trophy.

How long will the media and Liverpool fans continue to gloss over his failures?

It is a bit like Tottenham. Everyone talking about how great they are, how great Pochettino is. But they have also won nothing.

Meanwhile, look at Arsenal. 3 FA Cups in 4 years and people say Arsene Wenger is not doing a good job.

Now I am not saying he is doing a good job, but he certainly is not doing a poor job. We have perhaps become trophy snobs. The FA Cup no longer deemed good enough. Deemed enough.

But then looking through history, this is the 4th most successful period in Arsenal’s history (1930-37, 1987-1993, 1998-2005). 3 trophies in 4 years.

Things may not feel great at Arsenal at the moment, but we are still in with a chance of winning 3 competitions.

Have a little positivity in your life. It is Christmas after all.

Keenos

 

Where do Arsenal need to strengthen in January?

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We have to be realistic when it comes to the January transfer window.

History shows that not much business is done in January. That sides will not go out and buy 5 it 6 players. Arsenal have notoriously done little business in January, and I do not expect that to change.

I would be surprised if Arsene Wenger signed kore than a single player.

So what should we buy in January?

Central Defender

After 3 clean sheets in a row in the Premier League, Arsenal conceded 3 against Manchester United.

This follows conceding 3 against Manchester City and 4 against Liverpool.

Whilst we got clean sheets against Chelsea and Tottenham, we have conceded 19 goals in the league this season. That is 10 more than Manchester United and Manchester City. It is more goals conceded than bottom of the table Swansea.

We have conceded 25 goals in 23 games in all competitions. A statistic which is simply not good enough.

With Shrokdan Mustafi limping off against Manchester United, he looks set for a spell on the sidelines for the second time this season.

More worrying is Laurent Koscielny.

The senior centre back made key errors against Manchester United and looked off the pace.

At 32, he has been managing a long term Achilles problem, and playing 3 times in a week looked to be a step too far for him. Maybe he is on the wain?

A commanding centre back will take the pressure of Koscielny to play every game, and improve a problematic area of the pitch.

Defensive Midfielder

How long have we needed a commanding defensive midfielder for?

We have not had a world class player in this position since Gilberto Silva left in 2008. And not had a specialist in that position since the first incarnation of Matthieu Flamini at Arsenal.

2 seasons ago we had the straight choice between Granit Xhaka and N’Golo Kante. At the time we picked Xhaka due to his superior passing. It looks like a massive mistake.

Back then, I thought Xhaka was an inspired signing. He had the grit and aggression, but could also play a bit.

In hindsight – and Football is very easy in hindsight – we went for the wrong man.

Xhaka has not settled in the Premier League, and looks slow and ponderous on the ball. Signed for his Ball playing ability, he gives it away too much and has been at fault for many goals due to his poor passing.

He is clearly not suited to the deep lying position in the Premier League and is struggling with the pace.

I imagine in Spain or Italy, where you get more time on the ball, he would shine. He should also potentially play higher up the field, like he did for Borussia Monchengladbach and for Switzerland.

Out poor defensive performance this season is not just down to the defence, but also down to the midfield.

Xhaka does not give the defence enough cover, and his sloppy play has led to many goals conceded. He is not the solution to our defensive midfield problem.

Sanchez / Ozil Replacement

Both will leave us this summer.

Sanchez has been awful recently.

Getting one replacement in January reduces the pressure in the summer and means one player has been at the club, in English Football, for 6 months.

Not much else to say on this one as we all know both need replacing.

So which position do you think we need to strengthen in January?

Keenos

Why never Arsenal?

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During the Huddersfield v Manchester City game, the conversation turned to how brilliant the Manchester City side was.

That with 12 games gone, they have won 11, drawn 1, scoring 42 and conceding just 8. Their goal difference is already +34 and they are 8 points clear at the top. Only an idiot would not say they are not an awesome team.

The conversation soon moved on to Arsenal this season.

Now we all want to compete for league titles. To compete should be a minimum requirement – although I would also argue that to win is a minimum requirement. But with City in such great form, and looking to break all sorts of records (they are on a 21 game unbeaten run in the league, losing just 2 league games this calendar year), would it really be a failure to finish below them?

To a man, we all agreed no. That if City get 90+ points, it would have taken a herculean effort to finish above them. An impossible effort infact.

Since we last won the Premier League – back in 2004 – no side has ever gained more than 90 points and not won the league. 4 times in 13 seasons, sides have breached the 90 point mark and secured the title. You can easily argue that 90+ points guarantees you the title.

Lowering the barrier by a single win – so 87 points, only once  has a team got above 87 points and failed to win the league – Manchester United in 2011/12 when they finished level on points with Manchester City.

Again, you could argue that 87 points will almost guarantee you the title.

In the last 13 seasons, the league has been won by 87+ points 9 times. In each of these seasons, it would have been near impossible, based on recent history, for Arsenal to have gained more points and gone on to win the title.

In those 9 seasons, it would not have been a poor season to finish second. The best team one and, in the majority of the cases, won by a distance. Finishing second would be nothing to be ashamed of in those season, we all agreed.

But then I asked the question; Why never Arsenal? Why do we always sit there and say Well done Manchester City / Chelsea / Manchester United. Great teams, would have been impossible to catch you anyone.

Why can we not expect Arsenal to ever get 87+ points?

It is easy to praise others, to say well done, to agree that finishing above Manchester City if they get 87+ points this season would be impossible.

Just like no-one was ever going to finish above Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the 2004/05 (91 points) and 2005/06 seasons (95 points), or Manchester United in 2012/13 (89 points – won the league by 11) and 2008/09 (90 points).

There have been 4 seasons since we won the league unbeaten in 2004 when the league was won by less than 87 points. So why then could Arsenal not have got 87+ in those seasons?

Why are we sitting around praising other teams mammoth points totals, instead of saying why can we not accrue a massive points total.

In Arsene Wenger’s time at Arsenal, we have breached the magical 87 point mark just twice. In 2001/02 and 2003/04.

Only twice since 2003/04 have we breached the 80 point mark – 2004/05 and 2007/08. No team has won the Premier League with less than 80 points since Manchester United in 1998/99.

Whilst other teams in the last 13 years have gone on to get mammoth points totals which would guarantee them the league, Arsenal have failed to get close.

On 4 occasions in that period, a team has won the league with less than 87 points. Twice sides have won the league with 80/81 points.

Why could Arsenal have not gone on in those seasons to be the side that gets 87 points?

Whilst you should give praise where it is due, and it is not a failure to finish second to a team getting 90+ points, it is a clear failure that Arsenal have not got anywhere near the points total required to be champions in the majority of the seasons since we last won a trophy.

Finishing 2nd to Manchester City this season will not be a failure. Finishing 2nd to Leicester City when they only won 81 points is a failure.

Only twice in those 13 years have we won more points than Leicester did in 2015/16.

So rather than praise a side for breaking records, as the question Why can it not be Arsenal that is breaking the records?

Why never Arsenal?

And we all know the answer…

Keenos