Barnet thoughts: Koscielny better bulk up, fast
20 guns July 17th, 2010
1st half XI: Fabianski; Nordtveit, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Traore; Frimpong, Wilshere, Rosicky (c); Emmanuel Thomas, Simpson, Arshavin
Goals (videos): Arshavin 2, Simpson 16, 42
In last year’s friendly against Barnet, Andrey Arshavin was knackered after just five minutes. With that knowledge in mind, he made sure to offer his most telling contribution after just ninety seconds. Slipped in by Tomas Rosicky, he dummied to shoot, sending the goalkeeper tumbling, before walking the ball in to the empty net.
It was the high-point of a performance that was typically mercurial. Barracked by Jack Wilshere for failing to track back one minute, he curled a sumptuous effort against the bar the next.
The bickering pair were the main creative force during the first half. For the second goal, a thundering Jay Emmanuel Thomas challenge started a move which ended with Wilshere cutting in from the right and laying on a simple chance for Jay Simpson - who, whilst somewhat one-dimensional, can finish.
Late in the half, Arshavin found a sprint which showed how quickly he can move when he fancies it. It took him half the length of the pitch, before playing in Wilshere, who tucked back for Simpson to tap in. The best goal of the day.
I was impressed by JET and Emmanuel Frimpong, who showed real enthusiasm and power. Frimpong played as a tough-tackling holding midfielder, whilst Emmanuel Thomas cut in from the right wing to great effect. If JET is ever going to make it at Arsenal, this is the season in which he has to make some impact. I hope he gets a run in the Carling Cup.
At the back Thomas Vermaelen was typically imperious, aside from one right-footed shot which drew applause for soaring right out of the ground. He played alongside Laurent Koscielny, who worries me. I don’t want to panic anyone, but he just does not look like the sort of centre-back we need. I remember watching Vermaelen for the first time in this fixture last year, and although he didn’t win every ball, his bravery, determination and athleticism were clear. Watching Koscielny, it was obvious why he called his “physical strength” his biggest weakness. He is about the same height as Vermaelen, but so much more wiry. His build and gait are akin to Mark Randall.
I’m not writing him off: this was a nothing game. I’m sure he’s a fine footballer. But as a physical type, I’d prefer to see Johan Djourou ahead of him in the pecking order. Or better yet, a gnarled, battle-hardened centre-half who knows this country and its challenges inside out.
2nd half XI: Mannone (Szczesny 68); Eastmond, Djourou, Miquel, Gibbs; Lansbury, Henderson, Nasri; Walcott, Chamakh, Barazite
Goals (video): Nasri 75
The second half was an altogether quieter affair - partly because Arsenal lacked the creative vibrancy of the first, but also because Barnet attempted to sit back and avoid embarrassment. That fate eluded defender Daniel Leach, who trod on the ball, allowing Samir Nasri to steal in and coolly finish for our fourth and final goal.
Nasri was busy in a central midfield role, linking well with Theo Walcott, who ought to have done better when set free behind the defence. That said, his speed and movement (odd to think of those as two different things) were impressive. Hopefully we’ll reap the benefits of his summer break.
Johan Djourou looked assured at the back, whilst Conor Henderson showed off some neat left-footed touches in midfield.
Vito Mannone and Woijech Szczesny shared the goalkeeping duties in this half. There was no sign of Manuel Almunia - Arsene apparently excused his absence on account of ‘illness’. I would buy it had I not heard the very same excuse used by Arsene before. I’m like a suspicious teacher, refusing to believe the dog has eaten his homework, again. My curiosity is only heightened by the fact that the other high profile absentee is also strongly linked with a move away from the club - Eduardo.
If Eduardo were to move on, it looks like we’ve found an able replacement in Marouane Chamakh. Tall, strong, and with the touch of a rapist so tender you wouldn’t know it was happening, Chamakh gives us a genuine alternative to RVP through the middle. It was 4-3-3 today, and he played that central link role to perfection. The reason Arsene is reluctant to play Nicklas Bendtner there is his retention of the ball isn’t quite good enough - the same, fortunately, could not be said for Chamakh. Excited to see more.
45 Comments Add your own
1. Anonymarse | July 17th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
You don’t want to panic anybody ? Don’t worry mate. Nobody with any sense will worry about knee-jerk assessments made on the back of 45 minutes in a friendly against Barnet.
2. silent stan | July 17th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
well said anonymarse
3. GilbertoSilver | July 17th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Nothing knee-jerk about his physique. Be interested to see how that changes before Anfield.
4. GilbertoSilver | July 17th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Sorry: nothing knee-jerk about worrying about his physique.
His physique may well include jerking knees. It is definitely to early to tell on that front.
5. Mo | July 17th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
I think what’s in his head is the important thing..this is not aimed at u gunnerblog but I think in this country too much emphasis is placed on physique (remember last summer everyone saying verm not tall enough etc)..cannavaro is among the legends & he’s five foot bloody nine..
Ok rant over!lol
tv5 one of last yr’s best signings..chamakh for free could be signing of this year..wenger does it again
6. KTbird | July 17th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
much better than last year, innit
7. GMR | July 17th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
I’m sure there are plenty of tall & strong strikers playing in France, Chamakh was one of those & judging by how disappointed the Lorient fans were that Koscielny left, alongside all the rave reviews I seen about him since looking online, I’m pretty sure he handled it ok.
What I did notice today is that several of our younger players have bulked up, hopefully this is something Wenger has introduced into training because it’s an area we were lacking & one he wouldn’t pay attention to. I remember him saying a few years ago that putting on muscle bulk slows them down. Lets hope he’s had a change of heart about that.
8. DAF | July 17th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Sorry to bring Cesc up on the 5th or 6th comment, but I was VERY pleased with what Wenger had to say on the matter post-Barnet.
Not the fact that he stated he wasn’t interested in selling Cesc - that much we know. What pleased me most was the way he said things like “the talk has to stop…we didn’t want it to start…” and “..it is better not to add anything to what has been said…”
This mirrors almost exactly what Cesc himself was quoted as saying the other day “It is better to say nothing more at the moment..” (or something).
Sounds like they’re singing from the same pre-ordained script. The fact that Cesc is agreeing to toe the line is a very positive sign. I’ve said all along that (ALL along - as hard as it was to do so when baited by my Chavski mates) Cesc is not being sold this summer.
Actually - more interesting - did you see the lumps under the shirts of the Arsenal players at the back (nape) of the neck.
Clearly something was strapped on underneath. Is this the satellite tracking technology Wenger referred to a few months back?
9. DAF | July 17th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
…or the 8th comment (see above)…
10. mrswoo | July 17th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
You haven’t mentioned Miquel.
I thought he was rather good at his job.
As well as being easy on the eye.
11. GilbertoSilver | July 17th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
I’ve seen Miquel for the U-18s before.
He’s big, technically proficient and very confident. I like him.
12. Mag | July 17th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Did anyone else notice that the arsenal players were all wearing something under their shirts? I’m guessing it’s something to do with tracking their steps per game, vital stats, part of the new approach to resolving the injury problems. Or they might be weight vests just curious, anyone else notice?
13. gooner girl | July 17th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
“with the touch of a rapist so tender you wouldn’t know it was happening”
What the fuck is this? do we have to have ludicrous sexism just cos its footie??? I think we dont’.
14. Boehm | July 17th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
solid game,give wilshere the chance and let him play and he will shine.he have great skills and a required aggression.walcott must be not so mournfully and gibbs its a far better player than clichy.
15. raoul | July 17th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
re: “Did anyone else notice that the arsenal players were all wearing something under their shirts? I’m guessing it’s something to do with tracking their steps per game, vital stats, part of the new approach to resolving the injury problems. Or they might be weight vests just curious, anyone else notice?”
I was wondering to … there was this strange shape on the upper part of their back… anybody seen something like this before?
16. BronzeMonkey | July 17th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
@gooner girl - couldn’t agree more. Crass in extreme. Poor misplaced attempt at humour imo. Not required.
In terms of the game, wasn’t there but good to see us keep a clean sheet! Hope we’ve seen the last of Almunky and not buying that old bloke from Fulham has to be a positive. Still need a new Number 1 but hope it’s not one of the keepers putting in a poor display in South Africa. I’d be happy with David James for a year to be honest. Better than what we have…
17. NorwayGooner | July 17th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
With the high backline that Arsenal uses, you cant use the average strong defender that other teams use. The CD needs to be fast in recovery, have fantastic vision and be great 1 vs 1.
18. Goonerharmony | July 17th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Figures, a bird has an issue with the rapist comment. I agree, the analogy could have been better, but get yer panties out of the wad they are in.
19. Arsejoel | July 17th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
@ Norway Gunner
I completely agree. Arsenal needs quicker, smarter defenders who are good on the ball to play in their system, and the one thing from the Barnet game that stood out for me about Koscielny was his quickness and anticipation at reading and intercepting passes. Kos is much quicker than Djourou, but it will be interesting to see if he can stand up to the likes of a Blackburn free kick.
What was really interesting for me was seeing how well Wilshere played in the Diaby role behind Rosicky in midfield. Diaby has his ups and downs, but Wilshere should be given a run in the team, especially at home and against weaker opponents.
20. GilbertoSilver | July 17th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
That analogy is not sexist.
Still, sorry you felt offended.
21. Deccas | July 17th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
The lumps under the jerseys will be GPS tracking devices,something they should have been using a long time ago.
22. titan49 | July 17th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
I am surprised no one has mentioned nordveidt. along with frimpong and jack i thought they were the best youngsters on the pitch. considering how tall havard is he is ridiculously fast and good on the ball. also, his positional sense is excellent as he was never caught out despite playing out of position.
23. cescsational | July 18th, 2010 at 1:35 am
I went to this fixture last year as well and Vermaelen was no more impressive than our latest defensive recruit, who in that game looked pretty susceptible to the long ball. I’m not going to worry about him until at least a few more games down the line, interestingly, Djourou actively worried me as he made some alarming errors. As an aside, Frimpong and JET were both thoroughly impressive.
24. cescsational | July 18th, 2010 at 1:38 am
To clarify, in the last game it was TV who looked pretty dodgy at set plays, not Koscielny…
25. Gooner4life&beyond | July 18th, 2010 at 3:37 am
That rapist comment is very sexist (I think it quite safe to assume you weren’t thinking of a male rapist being very tender with another man’s butt) and well dodgy, what were you thinking exactly? Bizarre really.
26. idiots | July 18th, 2010 at 4:31 am
The rapist comment was hilarious…I’m amazed at how sensitive you lot are….it’s the internet for fucks sake LOL
27. Arsenal Future Manager | July 18th, 2010 at 5:54 am
1st Team:
Szczesny
Sagna - Koscielny - Vemalean - Clichy
Song - Diaby
VanPersie - Fabregas - Arshavin
M.Chamakh
2nd Team:
Mannone(Fabianski)
Eboue - Djourou - Campbell - Gibbs(Traore)
Denilson - Ramsey
Walcot - Nasri - Vela(Wilshere)
Eduardo/(Bendtner)
Almunia and Rosicky can be kept as back up for a year or 2.
28. A routine run-out. «&hellip | July 18th, 2010 at 6:39 am
[...] going into any kind of great detail on the game as for a better report on it you should check out Gunnerblog whose Gilberto Silver attended the [...]
29. GoonarSawUs | July 18th, 2010 at 7:04 am
What was evident from that game is that Theo Walcott is still just as bad as ever. Great pace but predictably always goes on the outside, gets shepherded to the by-line then lumps in a hopeful cross that 9 out of 10 times doesn’t pick out anybody. He’s been doing this for the last three years. When is he going to learn?
30. Surprised | July 18th, 2010 at 7:44 am
I know two people who have been raped and it has really damaged them badly. Its far too common and it creates havoc in the lives of people it happens to. So your analogy of the tender rapist, which may seem clever (Chamakh was slick, smooth and graceful AND lethal, penetrative and brutal) is lamentable.
31. left | July 18th, 2010 at 8:53 am
maybe if your wife or daughter got raped,you wouldnt see it as a joke.sick site.sick comments.
32. GilbertoSilver | July 18th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Final comment on the subject: the analogy is based on the footballing phrase ‘touch of a rapist’. It was a phrase many Arsenal fans applied to Adebayor in his time here.
It’s an unpleasant phrase, and one I’m deliberately subverting. If you’re really not prepared to see past that, then you can just be offended. I can’t legislate for that.
33. alb1 | July 18th, 2010 at 10:52 am
The rapist comment is not in any way sexist, it isn’t gender specific at all. It’s just a really shite ‘analogy’ and a pathetic attempt at laddish humour. Why talk him up as being tall and strong and then say he’s got a shit touch anyway?
Crap blog
34. DAF | July 18th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Love the blog, and like your insights Gilberto Silver, but I guess the lesson is not to use words like rapist in any context whatsoever here.
True, you can’t legislate who it offends - although it is offensive to me too - but it also detracts from your main blog message, which is a shame.
Otherwise - keep up the good work and look forward to hearing you on an Arsecast sometime soon.
35. redstar | July 18th, 2010 at 11:25 am
GS, it shouldn’t be your last word on the subject. You should do the decent thing, step back and admit an error of judgment. You’re a classy, intelligent writer and that’s beneath you. The subversion doesn’t work - lacks context and as a bloke you just can’t be subversive on rape. Having read your site for a couple of years now, I reckon you’re smart enough to see that.
Just acknowledge that it’s up there with the holocaust and a few other subjects that are too personal and painful to be tossed around that way, then we can all get on with enjoying your great site… and the silky skills of our new Moroccan friend.
As good as Frimpong looks, I still suspect we need that holding midfielder for when Song gets broken or needs a rest.
36. gooner0609 | July 18th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Well fellow Gooners did you all get a glimpse of your future.
Yesterday we saw maybe 5 or 6 players that will be Arsenal 1st teamers in the very near future and will be superb.
Jack, Frimpong, JET, Harvard, Simpson, Chesny, all look to have the makings of the part.
The last team to have that kind of young core was Manure back in the ’90’s and look what happened.
But they are not ready yet you say. Maybe not but the likes of Rosicky, Eduardo, Denilson, Bac/Eboue and all the GK’s have the required internal competition so the standard has been raised.
We are only one experienced centre back short. So Jagielka or Sol, please step this way.
37. gooner0609 | July 18th, 2010 at 11:42 am
PS and they willl be captained by Ramsey who will be our hero for years to come.
Oh and we did not even mention Gibbs.
Arsenal and England have it made.
38. mac | July 18th, 2010 at 11:51 am
J Djouro will start with TV at Anfield.
39. Dom | July 18th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
I can’t believe how sensitive some people are. I thought it was a very ‘Jeremy Clarkson-esque’ bit of writing.
Great match report though, and thats what needs commenting on. Think Kos will bulk up over the season.
40. alex | July 18th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Barnet game was like seing Arsenal playing drunk. But it being the first pre-season game, it’s ok. Few things I noticed. Emmanuel Frimpong looked to me as a ready replacement for Song, if the Cameroonian is uanble to play. Tall, strong and very well diciplined. The kind of hard man gunners’ midfield need. Definitely one for the future. Arshavin showed his brilliance yet again. His work rate leaves a lot to be desired, but his magic touches and skills are more than enough to prove his worth to the team. His pass to Wilshere was amazing. Perfectly exectuted, great vision. And talking about Wilshere, definitely a up and coming star at arsenals midfield. Would be nice to see an english central midfield duo in Lansbury - a hard working box to box midfielder, and Wilshere - a creative forward running playmaker. Chamach looked good, and Djourou is a definite first choice ahead of Kocsielny. Also, Rosicky showed good tendencies, hoping for him to have a good season. Nasri as well. No test for any of the goalkeepers, so nothing to be said there. Nordtveit also showed some good moves, hight hopes for the yooungster.
41. Am | July 18th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Rumour has it that Everton have rejected our offer of Jagielka.
42. chris | July 18th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Hope Frimpong makes it - Project Youth needs to be producing people pretty soon.
Agree with the people who think the rapist analogy is dimwitted and do not get drawn into intellsctualised justifications of it, really.
Whta’s to say? Men (and very occasionally women) who put their desires ahead of their respect for other people rape women when they can because they’re more powerful than their victims and because they think they can get away with it. Many are impotent, most ae cowards - if you want to compare your striker to a rapist (the sexual language is more obvious than subtle) then you’re comparing rapists to Prem strikers.
a rapist who tries to be considerate during the attack islike a burglar who takes your best stuff but doesn’t trash the house - EXCEPT HE’S RAPING YOU (or your wife/ partner/ daughter - of course he wouldn’t be raping you, would he? without being sexist…………..).
43. gun_1 | July 18th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Truly shocking and inappropriate analogy.
A great blog, but you should apologise asap.
44. KyonoRocks | July 21st, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Oh come on! Get the sand out of your vaginas and lighten up. As GS said, it’s a play on the COMMON FOOTBALL PHRASE ‘Touch of a rapist’. Everyone knows it!
You guys make me want to support Blackburn or a team without a bunch of whining babies who hurt their little feelings.
45. CondoFucks | July 22nd, 2010 at 11:45 am
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Touch%20of%20a%20rapist
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