Tuesday, December 27, 2011
A Lack of Options and Outstanding Goalkeeping Hold Arsenal to Fifth
So we miss out on fourth for the time being and a potential record-breaking tally for Van Persie seems to be out of sight as well. Poor finishing, a typically fantastic performance from an opposition 'keeper and ineffective substitutions contributed to a frustrating day at the Emirates as Arsenal couldn't find the solution to break down Wolves' stout resistance.
Even with a man sent-off, Wolves seldom looked more than marginally stretched. The loss of Walcott just before the game was costly as we lacked width and pace down the wings. Also the lack of proper fullbacks in the side was again found out as Vermalaen and Djourou lacked the offensive mindset of a Santos or Sagna to overlap and whip in dangerous crosses. Djourou played very well actually but his big, burly frame left him technically inefficient when trying to force the play down the wings as he took hefty touches and on one occasion he even kicked the ball out of play as he searched for Gervinho on the wing who was charging at the Wolves' defence.
Up front it was a day to forget for Van Persie as his legs simply refused to do what his mind was telling them. The seemingly impending record clearly compromised his normally cool and efficient decision-making as at certain times during the game he couldn't decide whether to go for goal or play in a team-mate. One particular incident that stands out in the mind is when he was bearing down on Wolves' penalty area in the first half. Alex Song had managed to keep up with him and was free on the inside. Van Persie simply had to roll the ball across the box as Song had a clear shot and a chance to put his team two-nil up and out of sight. Instead the Dutchman took the ball even further out wide to the left as he tried to line up his own shot but ended up being fouled by Johnson. It proved to be costly as six minutes later Wolves equalised.
If Gervinho's goal could be described as a wonderful, counter-attacking move of exceptional quality and class with Rosicky and Benayoun playing clever passes to release the Ivorian who coolly stepped past Hennessey to slot home, then Wolves' goal could be described as one of the most loathsome you are likely see at the Emirates.
A Wolves' corner was cleared as far as Hunt on the edge of the box. Rosicky went to challenge and missed man and ball completely. Hunt took a shot that was going well-wide of the goal but it took a wicked deflection and flew straight to Fletcher who was standing alone seven yards out. The Scot showed quick reactions as he redirected the ball to the far corner of Szczesny's goal. The young Pole was well beaten as Wolves had their equaliser and something to hold onto for the rest of the game.
In the second half Arsenal turned up the tempo and really went for Wolves albeit without the composure necessary to pull the Wolves players out of position consistently. We were too rushed in our play and then at times to slow to release the ball. Quite a paradox but the balance in the team's offensive manoeuvres just wasn't there. The team's decision-making faltered with Van Persie's. Indeed it would be fair to say that on a day when the Dutchman wasn't having the luck or the composure needed in front of goal, the team was short on players who could be the difference between three points and one.
Saying that though, there were chances to win the game too. Mertesacker and Vermaelen had efforts well saved from the excellent Hennessey but as regards penetration from midfield, we had none. Arteta and Rosicky couldn't be faulted for their effort but they never looked like scoring. Rosicky in particularly had a few good chances but his finishing was sub-standard. Ramsey came on and failed to have an impact.
Wenger's other two substitutions were a disaster. While Arshavin had plenty of possession and tried to no considerable effect, Chamakh was abysmal. The only memorable incident he was involved in was when Van Persie headbutted him while going for a corner. After that it was as if the team was playing with ten men for all the good he did as Arsenal's chances of claiming fourth faded and Wolves claimed a precious point in their battle against relegation. And with Park yet to play in the Premier League, the need for another striker to rotate with Van Persie is becoming increasingly apparent. Chamakh, our back-up to Van Persie, has scored one goal this season to contrast with the Dutchman's 20. And while it must be difficult to play second-fiddle to a man on such form, it is still an appalling record for any striker.
And it may sound like the pleading of a simple-minded fan but Wenger needs to act in January to address this chasm of quality between his frontman options. In contrast, the teams ahead of Arsenal in the league have a plethora of choices. Chelsea have the experienced goal-machine Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres (despite his form there can be no doubting his incredible underlying quality) and the ever-improving Daniel Sturridge. Tottenham have Adebayor, Jermaine Defoe, Rafael Van Der Vaart and Pavlyuchenko who all score goals. The Russian, who is fourth choice at White Hart Lane, scored the winner against Sunderland the other week. Arsenal don't even have a recognised fourth choice striker. Then when you look at the two Manchester teams, their options are on a totally different planet to ours. Aguero, Ballotelli and Edin Dzeko make up a strike-force worth €100 million for Man City while Man United have the almost ever-present Wayne Rooney to lead their line with the youthful and potentially brilliant Welbeck and Hernandez to play with him. Berbatov, who scored a hat-trick in their match yesterday, can barely get a game in the United side.
To sum up we have nothing like those options and are only Van Persie sustaining an injury, or losing form, away from a meltdown upfront for the team. The rumours of Thierry Henry returning are encouraging but that would only be to March as the MLS season kicks off again then. Arsenal and Wenger need something more permanent. For now though, the team has another big game coming up at the weekend against QPR and the team's attention must refocus to that.
Wolves - A Win For Fourth
The Dutchman is just two goals from equalling Alan Shearer's record of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year and with two matches to go and with the form Van Persie is in at the moment, it would be hard to bet against him reaching and possibly exceeding that tally.
Wolves are in poor form at the moment. I follow Mick McCarthy's team because of the Irish connection and I'm really surprised about their struggles. Matt Jarvis, Stephen Hunt, Steven Fletcher and of course Kevin Doyle are very good attacking players. Jarvis and Hunt are tricky wingers and will provide a good supply to any forward over the course of a season. And I think Fletcher and Doyle complement each other very well, they both work hard and they both run the flanks very well to stretch defences. The only problem I can see with them is that they don't score enough so that's something that they'll need to improve on if the team is to escape a relegation scrap.
Arsenal's form is very contrasting with the opponents today. If it weren't for the fact that all four fullbacks are injured we would probably be scoring more goals and might have even got a result against Man City the other week. The only problem that I worry about is the lack of goals outside of Van Persie. While it was great to see Yossi Benayoun come on and score the winner against Aston Villa, its an occasion that has come against the norm of Van Persie providing the necessary finesse to get the team three points. I said it a few weeks ago but Ramsey really needs to step it up along with Arteta and Gervinho. Unfortunately though, the Ivorian won't really have a chance to overcome his profligacy in front of goal until after the African Cup of Nations. The other two however don't have that excuse and really need to get in amongst the goals more.
Ramsey has been particularly awful in front of goal. He wasted a great chance against Villa the other night and that came in a long succession of bad misses for the Welshman. He is fitter than he's ever been, being one of the first players to achieve over 100-miles of distance covered in the Premier League this season, but his position will be under very serious threat by Jack Wilshere - when he returns - if this wastefulness in front of goal continues.
By all accounts, today's game really should be a comfortable home win and if that's the case it will more than likely coincide with Van Persie equalling or even breaking Shearer's record. Wolves are a tough side despite their position in the league so the team will have to be prepared to match them physically for our passing game to overcome them. I'm going to be positive, seeing as it is that jolly time of year, and say that we'll win 3-0 with a Van Persie brace and one of the defenders to score off a set-piece.
Finally, I just want to say that it would be a fantastic achievement to go into the new year in a Champions League place. We all remember earlier in the season lingering in 17th place and being written off so it's exceptional to have turned that around so fast and to have the season back on track.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Reasonable But Disappointing
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Fulham Preview: Nervous is an Understatement
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Naked Hypocrisy of the PC Brigade
This is a piece I wrote for work experience in college a few months ago.
Over the last few weeks, political correctness has taken a turn for madness. Andy Gray and Richard Keys lost their jobs last week for 'sexist' remarks made off-camera about the female linesman, Sian Massey. They were sacked for a harmless jibe.
'In all fairness, women don't know the offside rule.' That's the kind of quip men make to each other when watching sport. Banter like that happens all the time, outside of sport too, between both genders.
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson makes plenty of jibes about the ineptitude of women drivers. He has yet to be sacked by the BBC. There's an entire TV show, 'Loose Women' dedicated to women talking about how stupid men are. It hasn't been cancelled.
So where is the line drawn? It's not okay to say women don't understand the vaguest rule in football (some referees have yet to fully grasp it) but it's okay to say they can't even drive a car? Obviously, if this is the way, there can't be a line, only different levels of tolerance.
The sexism argument is dominated by those with the thinnest skin, they shout above the other voices and take centre stage. This is where it is taken too far: when people get offended by the slightest remark. And when it is taken too far we go into the territory of ultra feminism or ultra masculism. And either of these mean that anything anyone says about the opposite gender can be considered as sexual harassment. Society can't work that way, there is a fundamental flaw in that logic whereby an alternative opinion becomes a criminal offence. It's insane.
What's really interesting, about the latest instalment of the gender-equality debate, is the hypocrisy of those who have fuelled it. The Sun, Karen Brady and Sky Sports have all condemned what Gray and Keys said. So if the Sun is anti-sexism, then their page-3 girls were hired for their expert opinion on current affairs. Karen Brady must agree because she writes in the Sun and her columns, fighting for women to be taken seriously in the business world, would lose credibility if that were not the case. And the 'Soccerettes' of Sky Sports must obviously be brilliant football analysts.
If the sexism argument was looked at through androgynous eyes, it would appear as ideology. Men and women are simply too different to treat each other as entirely equal. That isn't the only flaw in the argument, the people that argue it with the most venom are not innocent of sexism or double-standards and there is not a clear line between what's sexist and what isn't.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Nasri Guilty As Arsenal F.C. Is Sentenced To Third
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Time To Plan For Next Season?
Saturday, April 2, 2011
A Disastrous Result
Friday, April 1, 2011
(Insert April Fool's Pun Here)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Get Everyone Fit and It's All to Play For
I've been debating this result in my head for the weekend, reading various pieces from other blogs and just trying to come to some conclusion about our chances in the league.
We're still in it. There's no real debating that. If we beat United and match their results as well as win our game in hand then we win the league. No matter what way you look at that much, you have to admit it's still more than possible.
But when you consider everything, our chances seem slim. Particularly when you look at the defence. When we play the likes of United and Spurs, who's going to stop Van der Vaart or even Hernadez? We simply don't have the backline to cope with top-class firepower. So if we're going to beat those teams then their attacks need to have an off-day. Even if we got Song back, I don't think that would be enough because there seems to be a fundemental problem with how we defend. In a funny way I think having Walcott back too will help this because he does his fair share of tracking back.
The other thing you wonder about is our attack. We look toothless to out it mildly. Nasri's form has completely evaporated and RVP seems to be getting scraps at the moment. Arshavin had one of his good days against West Brom but that won't be enough. So we need Fabregas and Walcott back in a big way. Particularly Walcott.
Why him? Well without him, we look like a really slow side. Nasri has a bit of pace but we have no one in attack who could seriously burn a player off unless Theo is in the starting line-up. His pace takes him into positions that other players simply can't get to on time. He makes Eboue's passes look as good as Fabregas'. Simply put, we need him fit and on-form because he gives us another dimension that other players in the squad don't offer. Obviously, Fabregas is crucial too because we haven't dominated in midfield since we lost him to injury but, in my opinion, Walcott is key.
The internatinal break could not have been better timed. Providing everyone comes back from their respective teams without an injury then we should go into the final part of the season with an almost fully-fit squad. I can't predict what will happen but I'm confident that we can do it.
Saying that though, if we get anymore howlers of the proportion that Almunia provided then we really don't stand a chance.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Need. To. Win
I also said we could forget about the league title if we lost the next game to Chelsea... I really hope I'm wrong!
We'll start with the injuries. Vermaelen's season is over which is disappointing but looking at it, it was very optimistic of me to expect him to slot back into the team for the last few games and dominate everyone. Djourou is out for six weeks so I don't think we'll see his best again this season. Diaby has returned to his normal level of fitness (injured). And then Walcott, Song and Fabregas are out too.
At the time of writing, the team was announced:
Almunia, Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy, Wilshere, Denilson, Nasri, Ramsey, Arshavin, Van Persie
Ramsey!!!!!!!! In all seriousness though, I'd be surprised if he finished the match but I was afraid Rosicky would start in front of him today.
Also before I go into predictions, Arshavin has returned to best in the press as you'll find in the Daily Express (that's where I read it anyway). Sell him, Arsene.
As for the match, I'm nervous. West Brom have players capable of hurting us. They won't lie down and with Hodgson in charge, they'll defend stoutly and look to punish us on the break.
We need big performances from Wilshere, Nasri and Van Persie. It'd be unfair to expect too much from Ramsey and Denilson is lacking in confidence so as long as he doesn't make a major mistake, I'll be happy with him. Arshavin will be Arshavin. He'll either be lazy and give the ball away cheaply or he'll rip the West Brom backline to pieces. The former is the more plausible outcome nowadays.
I think we'll win. I don't think it'll be comfortable with the way things have been going lately but I'll take a 2-1 where the winner goes in off the back of the West Brom 'keeper's head. I don't care about style, just the three points today please.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Mediocrity Must Go
But I'm back now to report on the end of the season. In layman terms, we're in a big hole. The backline has now been completely ravaged and there's a lot of players who aren't performing. Nasri's good run has come to an abrupt stop and Van Persie doesn't look fit. Add that to the Fabregas and Walcott injuries and we're looking a bit stretched to finding goals at the moment.
But none of those problems would bother me as much if it weren't for the total lack of effort shown by our other players. Denilson has taken three or four steps back in his development. Diaby looks like he's hit the ceiling regarding the improvements he can make as a player (although injuries and suspension have hampered him in recent weeks). Rosicky looks twice Giggs' age; he isn't scoring and he isn't creating so what else can he offer us? And the only words that come to mind when I think of Arshavin is: 'Not fit to wear the shirt.'
All of these need to be sold in the summer. They're not good enough. Rosicky and Arshavin are gone past it. And how much more football do people need to see Denilson and Diaby play before they cop on and realise that they're never going to make it? You might say that they're good as squad players but they don't have the required work ethic to fulfil this role either.
And that's something that is seriously wrong with this side. There is no willingness to hunt down the ball and win it back. Wilshere is the only player that I've seen do it consistently. The rest jog around and 'look busy'.
Look to the Nou Camp game last week. Barcelona didn't pass us off the pitch, they tackled us off of it. They chased and harried Arsenal and won the ball back at a canter. That is something that needs to be embedded in this team. It is crucial to any success in the future. This team will never win anything unless they are all prepared to put a shift in.
However, it's too late to fix those things now. That must all be filed away until the summer. And it isn't all doom and gloom either. We play West Brom away this weekend and then there's an international break. Beat them and we'll end the little slump we've hit and we'll enter the break on a high note. Plus when the team returns, it should have its two most important assets, in Walcott and Fabregas, back. Also Ramsey is back! And he looked good for the time he was on the pitch against United.
The Alex Song injury appears to be a mystery. He won't be back for the game on Saturday and whether he'll return after the interlull is unknown. We need him fit because we are incredibly short in the backs at the moment and there may come a game or two where he'll be playing CB.
Vermaelen is working to be fit for the last six games. And if you look on the Arsenal website there's a few crackers in those in which his services will be much appreciated. But that's ages away yet so don't get your hopes up.
Now time for some special treatment for some players. First of all, Jack Wilshere is our player of the season. Commitment, desire and serious ability. The man has been carrying the torch for the team in the last two weeks and while his efforts bore little fruit, it is still greatly appreciated.
The other man is Bendtner. In my last post, I gave him a rollicking and he's done nothing to lift himself from this rollicked state. He missed a sitter against Barce and now seems destined for a new club. Good riddens. His touch on the ball is as soft as a cinder block and he's fooling himself if he thinks he can become as great as he claims.
If have anymore thoughts, I'll post them during the week sometime but I hope to get in a proper match preview of the West Brom game. Until then.