LG's Arsenal Blog for erudite analysis, clear opinion and the odd amusing aside about Arsenal Football Club

How many more will it take?

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:38:16 +0000

As it happens I'm not about to go off on one and castigate Stoke or any of their players apart from saying that lack of intent is no excuse, and on a football pitch as anywhere else in life you need to be responsible for your actions. And that means accept whatever consequences there are. Shawcross does have previous and having broken two opponents legs by the age of 22 says something about the way he plays. He has to consider that as he alone is responsible for his actions and consider whether he wants a repeat with another career-threatening injury for an opponent or whether he should moderate his style of play somewhat.

As a balance to some of the hysteria being vented by Gooners, let's remember why Nasri wasn't able to play at the start of the season. And that was due to another Arsenal player. So it happens. It's convenient to think that it's because it's Arsenal, but it's not quite that simple. But it does tend to happen more to talented and technically-gifted players more. It's as well that Rooney is built like a brick outhouse or I'm sure he'd be injured more than he is.

However it has happened three times in four years in competitive games for Arsenal players. Yes other player's do get legs broken, but not as often as Arsenal players do. That's a fact. So when Arsenal's opponents cross the white line does a red haze fall? I'm not so sure that it's purely to do with it being Arsenal. I think it's as much a symptom of the deeper malaise that grips the English game.

Now I am proud of being English, born in a country that is as dogged as it is and has in it's psyche the 'Bulldog Spirit'. Historically it's got us through a lot of difficult times when we've needed to dig in and ignore the odds. It's a national characteristic that could as easily be assigned to Brits, but since this is about football, I'll focus on England. Trouble is this trait no longer works to our advantage in footb ..

Lukasz-Aid, talented players are not enough

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:39:21 +0000

It's all very well for Arsène to say this or that players is immensely talented, but as our latest Euro-trip so clearly points, talent is not enough.

It would be easy to focus on Fabianski, but truth be told his 'schoolboy' errors are far from the only one's which have lost us points or games this season. I'm not someone who reacts to a bad individual performance by claiming the player is rubbish, etc. With a few exceptions our players are very talented, and you just have to watch them play (between errors) to realise that. But obviously having a squad of gifted players is still leaving us short of the sort of results we should be achieving.

Is it team ethic, attitude or merely down to the frightening number of injuries we have continued to pick up? If only someone could make a watertight case for it being one of them. Trouble is, inevitably it's probably a mixture of them, with a dash of peculiar tactics thrown in.

I'm not suggesting we start engaging in faux camaraderie and group hugs to bolster our team ethic. If it ain't meant, it won't work. But when you put it together with what looks an awful lot like fear (or at least trepidation) at times, you start to wonder whether there just isn't the belief that this team will prevail. I know Cesc among others has said we can't use the 'Age' card any more. I'm not so sure. Apart from some of the older players, I'm still sometimes reminded of schoolyard games where the smaller and younger guys pull back from tackles with the big guys because they've been intimidated verbally or physically very early in the game. I can't imagine that the players think it's appropriate to not get stuck in, but psychologically there seem to be lines they won't cross. I do wonder whether there is the spectre of two bad ankle breaks to Arsenal players in recent years is just niggling at their sub-conscious.

So anyways, say we have a bunch of young, mostly physically immature playe ..

Always look on the bright side of life..

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:10:18 +0000

Sure it's easy to say now, but who would have been whistling along Monday morning?

It really is bonkers how a bunch of guys kicking a carefully crafted and ridiculously expensive ball around can have such a profound effect on ordinary life. But only when your particular bunch of guys gets the ball in the net more than someone else's bunch of guys is it a positive effect. Otherwise there is deathly quiet, interrupted only by the occasional quiet sobbing. Or is that just me? Going into last nights game against Liverpool I had either unknowingly taken some happy substance or I was firmly convinced all would be well for no good reason. Well yeah it did take quite a long time until all was well, but what the hey. The life/football balance is now in equilibrium again.

Once more Diaby showed that he is if not the Prince of Darkness, then at least the Prince of when it gets darker just before it gets really dark. It's been much discussed, but he does seem to have an extra something the later the kickoff gets. No matter whether that's actually true, it's now an urban myth so it'll be on Wikipeadia shortly and will then become fact.

It seems blindingly obvious, but having someone who is allowed to go on the bigger rides in theme parks upfront seems to work a tad better than not. Funny how we got ourselves in the situation where Bendtner was our Great Hope considering he wouldn't top many Gooners polls as the most effective striker we have ever had. But he made a nuisance of himself and that's what we lacked, so good on him.

Something was also lacking in the aftermath of the game. Anyone notice the deafening silence in the media that greeted Prince Charming's antics all over the shop? Whilst not expecting an Eduardo-esque outpouring, you might have thought that Gerrard's attempts at 'gaining an advantage' merited that odd mention. Serves Bendtner right that he's a Dane is what I say. The penalty embargo is still in ..

Not the end of the world, just feels like it

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:44:57 +0000

I try and maintain a sense of perspective when it comes to football, it is after all a game. Trouble is, when it comes to the Arsenal, all sense flees. This is not going to be a reasoned post, this comes from the heart. You have been warned.

I have been quiet today. I was the most quiet, for the longest time, after losing the CL final. I don't rage, I don't call for Arsène to be sacked, I am just quiet. It's not a nice quiet, it's an empty sort of quiet. It's about being deeply disappointed with your team. A team you know are a good team, a team you told everyone who would listen, and some who didn't particularly want to, were a good team who would win stuff this season. And then they go and play crap. So I have been quiet today.

Truth is that United out-Arsenaled Arsenal. Anyone remember when the worst thing you could do against Arsenal was to win a corner? Because if you lost the ball we would be down the other end with the ball in the back of the net before you could say 'we oughta get back boys'. That's what we used to do. Now we put Stuart Little up front (thanks Alan), a player who rarely manages to concentrate for more than a quarter of the game and expect him to out jump whatever non vertically-challenged player is put in his way. Not really a great shock he didn't win too many headers. Having said that, neither does the mythical RvP to be fair. He just looks like he might be able to. I know it's not about headers really, it's about presence. Arshavin is dangerous running at defenders, if he's leading the line he needs to not run at defenders until other players catch up with him. Or he scores on his own. Unfortunately he managed to do neither.

I digress. Arsène has already said we didn't play too well. Hard to disagree. What was amazing is that so many players didn't play well. Some were more culpable than others and we all know who they were, but it felt like they hadn't gotten over last years 1-3 or the loss a ..

Why all the injuries? Isn't it obvious?

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:33:06 +0000

You only have to watch our games against lesser opposition, ie just about everyone, to see how we pick up so many injuries.

It's not as obvious at first maybe, but the skill with which Bolton managed to foul our players both on and off the ball suggests they could be quite good if they put as much effort into actually playing football. Let's face it, when you have kicked and barged your opponents and it still hasn't worked, then kneeling on their neck and pulling their hair is the obvious next step.

Fortunately not only did Arsenal not retaliate (Rosicky apart), but it didn't put us off playing our game. Some of the passing and movement was a joy to behold. I thought playing Eduardo in the centre was always a better option than Arshavin, and I think this game proved it. OK, Eddy didn't score himself, but along with two assists, he made a right nuisance of himself and kept their defence busy leaving room for others to run into spaces.

Cesc was Cesc and is continuing to show just what a talent he is. World-class is overused, but it fits in this case. If he can avoid the cloggers for the rest of the season, he can lift some silverware by the end. Not only does he find space where there is none, play others in when he has no right to be able to, but the whole team lift their game when he is playing. We are not as some have suggested simply a one-man team, but we lose a lot when he doesn't play.

As for others, I thought Diaby again played well, a little more subdued than he has been, but mostly pretty tidy, and seems to be enjoying his football and importantly has learnt to tackle. I'm glad Clichy is back, Traore is a decent enough player, but his positioning at times is woeful. Hopefully something that can be learnt though. Arshavin looked best when he was running at defenders and it seems to me that his movement doesn't always work with others, but when it does, it's pretty damn good. In that regard I though ..

Why is Sol a better option than Senderos?

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:35:53 +0000

So Sol reckons it's sorted apart from a few technicalities, he's an Arsenal player again.

Leaving aside the coming off at half time against West Ham irony, what makes us think he is a good option as back up, better than Senderos for instance? For his faults, I still like Senderos, he has put in some outstanding performances for us, for those with short memories. But he will probably always be remembered for being consistently very much second best to Drogba. Seem to remember our current centre backs didn't exactly cover themselves in glory on that point either, and let's face it, you get a very big number if you add up all those who have also come up short against Drogba.

So is Sol likely to be any different? Well he's a big guy, and if he's managed to get back to fitness, he's hard to get around. I can't begin to believe that Arsène would contemplate him if he wasn't up to the mark. Le Prof may be well short of profligate when spending money, but he wants to win something this year and having a geriatric in the back line, albeit sparingly, will hardly help in that regard. You have to think that Arsène has concluded he can do a job for us when asked.

Of course for the conspiracy types amongst you, there could be a couple of other issues to do with our current centre forward problem. Who's the only Arsenal player to score a goal for Arsenal in the Champions League final? I'm just saying... Of course if we don't spend anything on a centre back, then obviously we can spend more on a centre forward. David Villa anyone?

And with a snap of the fingers we are back in the land of reality. I really hope Arsène hasn't decided to wait to see whether Bendtner will be fit any time soon as he seems to have entered the two to three week twilight zone all our players have to traverse before they eventually become fit again. However it appears we have/are signing another attacking midfielder Samuel Galindo. I'm willing to be pro ..

How's squad depth looking now?

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:15:13 +0000

If you read some reports, we barely made it past West Ham to win the dubious privilege of playing Stoke away in the next round (thanks for that). Must of been watching a different game to me.

Mind you since I watched the game on the TV, there was a sense of deja vu as the last time I had been to West Ham it had seemed like watching a game in someone's front room. I guess they've added corporate boxes for all the second hand car salesmen since, so the Boleyn Ground probably seems a tad bigger now. In my extended family it was always a straight choice between the Hammers and Arsenal, so I might get a bit of grief from the Dark Side. Not going to mention Sir Trevor tripping over and winning the Cup for them.

Yes we didn't play too well in the first half, largely I think because the two players who did turn up in midfield, viz Ramsey and Song, had to do all the work for Merida and Wilshere who didn't. I know there has been much talk in the past of Merida being the natural successor to Cesc, but I don't think so. And now apparently he's signed for Atletico or someone and will be returning home. I don't like to see gifted players leave, but we can't keep all of the midfielders we have happy, even if we traditionally lose half of them, well the same two at least, to injury on a regular basis.

I thought Wilshere looked out of his depth, although Arsene may have a point and he may have been trying too hard to impress. Something that should change with growing maturity. Having read the 'Young, Gifted and Jack' article recently in the Sunday Times, he looks to be grounded so hopefully a loan spell should help form him a little. I say hopefully because if he doesn't go on loan it means we have another midfielder crocked and we can't afford to let another body out of the squad.

Obviously the whole thing changed around with Diaby and Nasri coming on as it took a lot of the pressure off Ramsay whic ..

Was Nasri good to be bad?

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:53:59 +0000

You won't find a lot of Gooners unhappy with Arsenal playing the beautiful game. Change the question to a matter of grit and 'getting stuck in' and the percentage will drop for sure.

So does Samir Nasri's action point to the current team getting more aggressive or more petulant. I have to make it clear that if he receives a ban for his stamp/rake whatever, then it will be justified. Doesn't matter that Garcia made a mountain of it, he shouldn't have done it. But that's not what I am concerned with, it was the reactions of the rest of the Arsenal team. OK to be honest much of it was a bit 'handbags at dawn', but the point is that apart from Smiling Billy, they were all there together. Whether this was as a result of the dressing down at halftime last weekend or just the simple fact that Hull had been out to niggle and had done that pretty well is hard to say. May even had some echoes from last season. Either way it's safe to say we don't really get on as clubs.

And that is completely OK in my opinion. When you get a love-in between two clubs with such different viewpoints on how to play the game will be when footy gets not worth watching. If they want, Hull can try to upset our game, there's nothing in the rules to say they can't, even if some as Manuel put it "can't play football". But if they deploy such tactics, there has to be a cost. Were Hull to try their brand of play against another of the more physical sides, they would expect to get it back. I don't think anyone outside of Arsenal expects that to happen at the Emirates. The fact that it did does not fill me with pride, but it does make me hope that we actually learnt something from the Chelsea game and won't get rolled over so easily in future. Be nice if we kept it legal though.

As for the mysterious penalty, not only was there nothing that merited that decision in the first place, but why the heck were three players doing all going for the re ..

Is Eboue a legend yet?

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:12:20 +0000

So the enigma that is Emmanuel Eboué has come out and apologised to Gooners for the current state of the team(s). I'm sorry, I just can't help but like the guy now, but I'm not sure what that says about the rest of the team.

Apart from tripping over the occasional blade of grass, at least he puts in a shift when he gets to play. Yes I'm aware it may be a none too subtle ploy to get a game, but judge for yourself.

'This week was very, very difficult for us because we lost two games, one against Chelsea and then Manchester City,' Eboué said. 'Now we try to forget those two games and try to win on Saturday against Stoke.

'Personally I just want to say sorry to the fans for both games. It wasn't easy for us but I promise we will give our best and show on Saturday that we can win because we know it will be good for the fans.

'They buy tickets to support us and then we don't win the games. We are sorry and we will try our best on Saturday.'

Now that's what I like to hear. None of this it was all very equal, we were unlucky, the universe wasn't in the correct alignment. We have lost the last three games, we haven't scored during that time and someone should be damn upset about it.

It's an over-used phrase, but it's all about the next game. It's irrelevant whom it is against, it's a game we have to win, and if we are finding winning hard, then we have to try harder. Up the work rate, think more about where the ball is going, try to (gasp) read the game so we get possession. It's all pretty rudimentary stuff, and whilst there are indeed some extenuating circumstances, if the reason we can't score is because one player is injured, then something is very wrong indeed. We have highly skilled and technically gifted players and whatever happens during the game, they should be able to find answers for it.

One player who won't be trying their utmost is Theo ..

Game over or just a blip

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:46:27 +0000

Losing to Sunderland was a little surprising, losing to Chelsea at the Emirates is getting too damn close to being a habit. Of course it means that we now have to beat them at Stamford Bridge for the plot to play out like last season.

What are the chances? Well frankly who the heck knows. If you want to be Nostradamus then go ahead, but this team is playing with my mind big time. It is astonishingly clear that we have talent in abundance, despite some of the predictable "X is not good enough to play for Arsenal" and should be shot/sold/rendered into glue (delete where applicable) being published. What I do agree with is that we seemingly have a bunch of Mini Me's with not a lot to differentiate them. I have not been of the opinion that this is necessarily a problem. But having seen us being well beaten at home for the second season running, it is abundantly clear that what we don't have is the beating of Chelsea, at least not without a big guy making a pest of himself up front to take the pressure off the midfield.

You could argue, and Drogba himself is quoted as saying, that the first goal was fortunate to have found the net, it could have gone virtually anywhere. However if you attack the ball and give it a go, then if you're in form like he is, you'll at least have a chance of scoring. Whether Arsene is right in that Drogba didn't do much else but score (not that I personally see that as a problem, mind), if you ain't there, you definitely won't score. Maybe something we might point out to our attackers. Were we denied an honest goal? Six of one, half dozen of the other really. If it had been up the other end I would have been incensed and ready to write to my Member of Parliament at the unfairness had it been given.

So let's try for some mitigating factors. The second goal, like the first, could have gone anywhere, Vermaelen did well to keep it down. Unfortunately. What other excuses can we drag up? Well ..