This would have been a difficult game even if we were in good form
As it was, off the back of that dire display against Norwich, I fancied Schalke from the off. The German side have some very good players, and came in to the game off the back of a morale-boosting victory over Dortmund: a side good enough to beat Real Madrid last night.
I make that 180 mins without creating a decent chance
Last night, our first shot on target came in the 93rd minute courtesy of 17-year old substitute Serge Gnabry. By my count, that makes for one shot on target mustered in each of the last two games, neither of which you would even stretch to calling a ‘half-chance’. The defensive frailties are nothing new, but this lack of attacking threat is unfamiliar and alarming. The last time I can remember an Arsenal side looking this impotent was just before the January transfer window in which Arsene pulled his finger out to sign Andrey Arshavin.
Andre Santos had a stinker.
If you head down to Hackney Marshes on a Sunday morning, you will occasionally catch sight of me taking to the field as a leaded-footed, positionally naive left-back. Alternatively, you could just watch reruns of Andre Santos’ performance last night, as he huffed, puffed, and struggled his way though a truly torrid 90 minutes. I was alarmed to see that he repeated his trick of standing several yards behind the defensive line, allowing Huntelaar to be played onside just as Grant Holt was on Saturday. In the first half, Per Mertesacker kept us in it, but eventually the weaknesses of those around him were exposed.
I don’t see the sense in dropping Giroud.
I know he hasn’t set the world alight, but I really don’t think there’s any point in persisting with Gervinho as a lone striker. Last nights horror show showed that ‘Goalvinho’ is not a viable long-term option. Why not play Giroud and at least allow himself a chance bed in? Rotating him in and out of the side simply harms his confidence, and right now we haven’t got a better option than the Frenchman.
Gervinho is not consistent enough to play for Arsenal
Every so often he will do something fantastic. More often than not, he will run in to blind alleys, away from his team-mates, and give the ball away. Gervinho is a maverick. He is not capable of cohesive team play. His head goes down, and one has the impression that he himself barely knows what he is going to do with the play. Players like him have their place in the game, but it is generally in mid-table. Sides who see little of the game, and require a game-breaker to do the unexpected. Arsenal are an intelligent, possession side. That is not Gervinho’s game.
Arsenal desperately need to sign a striker.
See previous two points. I’m not sure this requires much expansion. In a world in which Demba Ba is available for just £7m, there is no excuse for Arsene not bringing in a reliable front man in January.
The AGM will be a feisty affair.
Already last night there were chants of “6%; you’re having a laugh” and “Ivan Gazidis: What do you do?” (albeit with inferior punctuation). One can understand why, especially when you face the unavoidable question: Did we really sell Robin van Persie to play Gervinho up front? I don’t think it’s all bad. There were signs just a few weeks ago that this squad has plenty of ability. Arsenal don’t have the familiar excuse of inexperience to trot out; this is a mature side that should know better. Get back to where we were on Saturday and the picture won’t look quite so ugly.
I am struggling to see what Wengers logic was when he bought Podlski and Giroud in the summer. Not because they are not good players, but because they seem to be random buys and not bought to fit our style of play or a system for them to play. I feel a bit sorry for Giroud.
We seem to lack any pace or penetration on the wings (Walcott and Gervinho are not the most reliable producers and the former is probably off in Jan and has no desire to play there).
What is the point of Ryo loan at Wigan where he barely plays? He may not be our saviour be he showed at PSV and Bolton that he could be direct and effective and has more experince than the talented but raw Gnarby.
Let’s not jump into the liferafts just yet. We’ve had two poor games which have coincided with the lack of Gibbs. He brings attacking balance and energy to the side. We lost to Norwich. But in the first 30 minutes it wasn’t working. We go into the Shalke game with the same team, bar one striker in exchange for a developing midfielder … it did not take long for Shalke to realise their opportunity, and they took took it.
If you are going to play a 17 year old, then play him. It should not rest on his young shoulders to reScue the game in the last 25 minutes. Get Gibbs back, and at least one of the missing midfielders and things will look a whole lot brighter.
So were Gervinho and Santos any worse than Ramsey last night??? How come they get singled out and not he??? And where was the support from Podolski and defensive midfield for Santos? Where was the tactical awareness from the bench to switch things around when things weren’t going great. How come Bouldie could/was not allowed to respond to the realities of the game, but compelled to strictly follow a pre-game script.
I don’t get. Isn’t this the same team that beat Liverpool few weeks ago? What changed now? Have they lost interest in playing football? Would they prefer to do something else but without the money they make now? I have seen worse teams put on amazing performances all because they had the SOUL to do it. This team has no soul. Tallent is important, hard work is important, tactics are important, but without soul you got nothing, and that is all we have NOTHING. I would go in the dressing room, half time, and slup every one of them with all my streght just to WAKE THEM UP!
We lack so much spark and penetration when we dont have a typical box-box player. Coq had a decent game but he is a DM for me. Gervinho can be a nice impact sub to play on the wing but to start against a well organized team as a striker wont work. Ramsey RW yeah what to say.
Article left out the most important point of all: Wenger out
a.ramsey is the cause of arsenal defeat. i cant say more. the team selection is worst.see the statistic when a.ramsxy played.his passing mean less and not create any chances. simply passing game without mission.another one andre santos. he also a useless.
I think we all knew that was coming last night, Schalke are on form, we are not, simple. The chopping and changing of Giroud upfront is a complete joke on Wenger and the coaching staff’s part. A guy who cost £13m, is the only genuine option at CF as has been shown lately and a guy who’s lacking confidence after struggling to settle in needs to be shown faith by the manager, a run of games to get him going and to get used to the players around him, who knows when he starts scoring which is hopefully very soon, he may even bang them in and be a huge hit but unless he’s given a chance we’ll never know. Put any striker on the bench every other game and take him off when he does start is not going to get him where he and the team needs is it? Over to you Wenger. Hopefully he buys a striker in January and preferably not from the French league, Llorente would be nice, dont want Lopez from Atletico, doesn’t get enough goals.
The current squad is not good enough. Wenger and Ivan Gizzheadis keep taking the same old shit, how the club is run better than anyone in the world and we will be able to compete with anyone in the next year or two, and that Wenger gets the profits to spend every year if he wants but he chooses not to use them blah blah blah. I’m sick of hearing it, if the squad is good enough it would win things and they never do so something isn’t right. It’s not down to luck or decisions as he usually says, 8 years cant be full of bad luck etc.
The current squad have far too many losers that have been shown far too much faith for far too long by Wenger, he’s got to start making tough decisions for the good of the team, not to protect a players feelings because he doesn’t want to tell them their shit. Look at Rosicky, perfect example of a player that should have been shown the door long before now with all his problems, when he has played he was never the same, years worth of wages could and should have been saved but instead he waits for him to return after 2 years or so and then gives him a new contract which he duly signed and then returns to the injury table. That is what is wrong with this club. Abou Diaby is another, yeah his best years are ahead of him but he’s 26, be lucky to get 50 games before he turns 30 at this rate yet he’ll get a new deal no matter what on 70-80K a week and if he stays injury free and reaches his potential then he’ll be sold to a bigger club.
Aaron Ramsey has gone backwards, he never was the greatest youngster but was decent and after more than a year out came back and 18 months on he is no better now than before, infact i’d say he’s getting worse. His first touch is heavy, he cant play one touch football, he loses possession on more than 50%, doesn’t score, cant tackle, is often lazy, he needs to spend a while in the reserves IMO, harsh but its needed throughout the club not just him.
the GK is still a massive problem, nothing can be done at the moment but in january a top GK is needed before anything, Szczesny is the best we have but he’s got his fault, he’s the future for us but the competition is pathetic, Mannone is not a top level GK and Fabianski is never gonna be a No.1 unless he leaves which is what he should do after not getting a luck in. Their not kids anymore either, 26 Fabianski and the guys never bothered going out on loan to learn his trade and then he wonders why he makes schoolboy errors.
Santos is woeful, we knew that from the start as he was a panic buy. Cant defend and has no football brain at all, he made the same mistake last night for the first goal as he did for the goal on saturday, talk about not learning your lesson yet he’ll probably still walk into the team for the QPR game, why bother changing when you can still get your place.
upfront we have no width, even when the FB’s get forward and cross into the box we have either 1 man or none in the box, look at ManU, RVP Rooney and Hernandez all get in the box looking for goals, we get 1 man tops and that’s it. Podolski has a great left foot but if he never uses it whats the point having it? When the ball comes in from the right he should be breakin g his neck to get in the middle and get a goal, same with Gervinho or whoever is on the right, Giroud has to start every game he’s available for IMO, i’d even like to see Bendtner here now and i never thought i’d say that but atleast he gets in the box and gets chances, yeah he misses most of them but at least he’s getting them which is something we’re not even creating at the minute. Arshavin should be staring games and given a chance for once, cant be any worse and at least he’s creative. Cazorla is too good a player to be playing with this team, the things he does dont always come off as the players round him are not good enough, he’d be a world beater at one of the big 3 teams.
Hi Gelbs
wenger and gazdis always spinning the same old shit. kroneke is only intetrsted in money. champions league is what we need to attract the top players spins wenger. heres a question someone should have asked wenger. what top players he ever signs due to the champions league. what a prick this guy is
Those are our worse players: Ramsey, Santos and Gervinho.
This team needs a coach… We DO NOT HAVE ONE at the moment.
I don’t want to comment too much because we all know, and i apologise for the slang, it was a TOTAL “COCK UP”…
Anybody who still “In Wenger we trust”, he or she is as deluded and as idiotic as him.
The problem is that we are in a hole ( with the same players ) and Wenger do not have the tools to get us out.
He is in “love” with MEDIOCRITY, so infatuated with Ramsey ( weakest Welsh I have seen in my life ) and Gervinho ( the worse skilled Ivorian I have ever seen )…
Santos is not a football player, he is something else.
Mannone is not a goal keeper, he is at best of championship quality.
I want to say that we need some quality reinforcement quickly but we all know it is not going to happen.
Wilshere? Well the boy has not play for 14 months… It would be crazy to burden him so easily.
Diaby??? Diaby who???
Why is Wenger so stubborn in playing Gervinho as a striker?? I would even try Podolski if he does not want to play Giroud.
Wenger id deluded, false, weak, arrogant and tactically retarded.
With the player we have we need to change the way we play and make sure we can protect Carzola in the middle ( but not with Ramsey because he avoids contact and hide from the game… He must be coward even in real life )….
Gervinho is not consistent enough? He has one good game in ten if that. Nothing to do with consistency. He’s just shit.
I think this was plain to see last season. But you wrote a blog pre season explaining that you thought we’d see an improvement in him. On what basis, I don’t know? But at least the penny’s dropped now. Unfortunately, it takes Wenger 3 to 4 years of persevering with shit players to realise they’re not up to it. So let’s give Gervinho another 18 months at it. We’ll get the odd good game from him, and the AKB’s will be all over here vindicating Wenger’s decision.
You were also a fan of Santos? Again, on what grounds I don’t know? Fat, useless piece of dross blowing out his arse all night.
Arsenal desperately need to sign a striker? How many more goes do we give Wenger trying to get it right? Chamack, Park and Giroud were supposed to be the answers? Forgt Demba Ba, we are restricted to buying from Ligue 1. Where the hell do we look next? St Etienne?
Let’s not panic just yet. Heads back in the sand until Saturday, and a good result over winless QPR will mean we’re back in business and turned the corner again.
hey you fellas think wenger has been telling porkies ….i could swear the emirates trophy cabinet is empty …where is this trophy for champions league qualification lol…………….lol the whole game was piss poor last night considering the norwhich game and how the players were going to put things right ….it is now just laughable really …ramsey and santos were shocking and gervineo not much better ..we deserved to loose last night as we did at the weekend , qpr have some fight in them and will definately be looking to beat us, hopefully wenger see’s sense and plays wilshire as we are in desparate need and drops ramsey as he has been shocking
Have you mugs seen the Opta stats. Gervinho, Arteta, Cazorla and Podolski did nothing last night and Coquelin and Ramsey ran blood to water trying to help the pass and walk merchants—-again!!! Wake up.
I have a day off today.
Wenger out
One the notion that Gervinho is not consistent enough for arsenal it makes me wonder which players in this squad is? For me Gervinho has been pretty good compared to Giroud, Ramsey, Santos, Podolski(who seems to be overrated), TV5, Mannone, Shezza etc. They are all the same, inconsistent. The only players who have played well so far is in my view Per, Jenkisnson(although we expect less from him), Arteta and Cazorla.
The biggest dissapointment so far is TV5, I have never rated him, he is djouroe with more goals. He looks cool at times and scores a few, but he is rash, tacticaly unaware like the rest. I wonder if he plays poor on purpose to get a under the odds transfer to barca.
It’s a new team, we need to give them time to gel.
Like maybe 3 seasons.
Oh but we usually can’t keep half of our team each season…
Tough.
Pingback: Transfer Update: Ba, Adrian, Djourou & No Theo Talks | Gunnerblog