Gunnerblog

Swansea thoughts: Ramsey does too much and Theo doesn’t do enough

220 comments January 16th, 2012

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

I am not a fan of blaming referees for poor results…
…especially in a match like this, when Arsenal had ample time to get back in control of the game.  Slow-motion replays may have shown that Nathan Dyer was guilty of simulation, but in real-time it looked very much like a clumsy tackle.  When you become the first side to score twice at the Liberty Stadium this season and still conspire to lose, the signs suggest our major flaw was a familiar one: a feeble defence.

Still, I’d rather have Sagna back than a substandard signing…
Inevitably, there will be calls to strengthen the squad.  I understand why: Miquel and Djourou struggled at full-back against the pace of Dyer and Sinclair.  But with the likes of Sagna and Gibbs now just a few weeks away from returning to action, I’m just not sure if players of the requisite quality are available in this window.

If I thought Arsene could buy or loan a better reserve full-back than Djourou or Miquel, I’d be all for it.  But none of the names I’ve seen so far – Wayne Bridge, for example – meet that criteria.

Aaron Ramsey was suffering from acute Gerrard-itis…
I don’t doubt Aaron Ramsey’s work-rate.  I have more faith than most in his technical ability.  Where I do think he has plenty of room for improvement is on the mental side of the game.  That’s understandable: he is only just 21.  Unfortunately, after the departure of Cesc and with Wilshere’s injury, he has been a handed a huge responsibility as the main creative midfielder in our team.

Ramsey’s problem is that he tries to do too much.  I’ve always said he reminds me of a young Steven Gerrard, in part because they occasionally seem to share a desire to win games on their own.  Yesterday, on Welsh soil and with the crowd on his back, Ramsey’s head wasn’t quite right.  A footballer can try too hard.  Sometimes he would benefit from keeping his cool, and keeping it simple.  He will learn.

Theo Walcott has regressed in the last few weeks…
In the early part of the season, Walcott was one of our few commendable performers.  Since the win at Chelsea, however, his form has dropped off considerably.  His goal yesterday was his first since that game in October, and a rare moment of quality in another average performance.  I have never bought in to the claims that he is a “good finisher” – for every good goal there is a horrendous miss.  In his brief cameo yesterday, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain showed that he already has more awareness and technical ability.

Thierry Henry…
…impressed me on and off the pitch.  I thought he looked sharp and dynamic when he came on with half an hour to go.  Unfortunately, few of his team-mates seemed to be on the same wavelength.  Henry passed the ball with more speed and urgency than almost anyone else on the field – but often no-one had anticipated or made a run to match his vision.

As for him having words with an Arsenal fan who had booed his own team, I say that’s fair enough.  Robin might be the captain but Henry is probably the most obvious link between the fans and the players, and if he is prepared to take on that sort of responsibility then I’m all for it.

Fulham defeat shows the need for Henry

479 comments January 5th, 2012

I don’t, like Arsene Wenger, blame the referee for our defeat at Fulham.  Nor do I blame the Fulham players who targeted a player struggling on a booking: I would hope Arsenal would do exactly the same thing.  I don’t blame Johan Djorou for being sent off, or Francis Coquelin for being out of position when Bobby Zamora volleyed home the winner.  When you line-up with two out-of-position players in your back four, you have to accept there is a chance you’ll be punished defensively.  Instead, you need to make the most of your attacking opportunities.  And that, I believe, is where Arsenal fell down.

Let me start by saying that Robin van Persie is exempt from criticism.  He has been outstanding this season and the fact he went a single game without a goal cannot possibly be held against him.  But on the days when he doesn’t score, it is even more vital that the players around him take advantage of any time and space afforded to them.  For my money, the other two members of the front three, Theo Walcott and Gervinho, are currently not doing enough.

Both players are quick and have reasonably intelligent movement, so inevitably find themselves receiving the ball in promising positions.  All too often of late, however, their final ball or decision-making has not been up to scratch.  In Theo’s case, I feel his confidence has dipped slightly.  He’s talking up the number of assists he provides for Robin van Persie, and rightly so, but when played through one-on-one against QPR he seemed to be more interested in trying to square for his Dutch mate than finishing the simple chance right in front of him.  He seems to be in danger of contracting Hlebitis.

And then there is Gervinho.  I’ve watched the Ivorian winger with intrigue over his first few months in England.  I’m conscious of how long some foreign players can take to settle, and have been hoping some of the inconsistencies in his game would iron themselves out over these winter months.  It does not seem so.  Already in his short Arsenal career he has produced enough outrageous misses to banish any memories of Nicklas Bendtner’s private collection of howlers.  His decision-making is erratic and his final ball variable.  He reminds me of the old adage about Andy Cole: he would always score, but he’d need five opportunities to do so.  Gervinho occasionally produces vital contributions, but in the meantime so many simpler chances to make the difference pass by the wayside.  His defenders will point to his stats (4 Premier League goals and 5 assists), but some of those assists simply hit Gervinho on their way to the goal.  They were far from deliberate.

I’ve not given up on him and I see the value he brings to the team in terms of his work-rate and interchanging of positions.  But were he and Theo more effective in the final third, we would have been out of sight against Fulham by half-time.

If Thierry Henry is to be available to face Leeds on Monday, his registration needs to be completed by lunchtime tomorrow.  It cannot come soon enough.  The combined goal tally of Walcott, Gervinho, and Aaron Ramsey (who has played right behind Robin, almost as a number 10) barely reaches double figures.  It is less than half of RVP’s total.  Anyone who can add some much needed confidence and quality to our attacking play is very welcome indeed.

I know you’re not half as quick as you used to be, but hurry up Thierry.  We’re waiting.

Squad continues to thin as injuries commence

100 comments July 27th, 2011

You know the season is well on the way when Arsenal start picking up injuries.  A squad which is already braced for several departures in the next month has been hit by a couple of injury blows.

The first bad news is that of a cruciate ligament problem for 19-year old Conor Henderson.  The Irish midfielder was filling in at left-back against Cologne when he twisted his knee in the final seconds.  Arsenal.com say he’ll miss “a minimum of six months” – the player himself has already written the season off on his official Twitter account.  It’s a shame as the very fact he was in Germany was indicative of how highly Arsene rates him.  Hopefully he can follow the lead of Emmanuel Frimpong, who suffered a similar injury only to fight back in to first-team contention a year later.

Theo Walcott also returned home early from the German training camp with an ankle problem.  Arsene said:

“It is an ankle injury that comes and goes. We need some more investigation because sometimes he’s completely free of it and sometimes it affects him. But we had to send him back because he couldn’t practise any more.”

Whilst it doesn’t sound like a serious problem, any recurring injury is a bit of a worry, and without wanting to panic anyone it sounds like the sort of thing that might require surgery to resolve.  However, I’m sure Arsene will want Theo fit at the start of the season, so any major treatment will doubtless be put off now.

If Theo does miss the opening games, Arsene could be reliant on Russian forward Andrey Arshavin, who has targeted 15 goals for next season.  Although the player has been heavily linked with Galatasaray, I can’t see him being allowed to depart at a time when the futures of fellow playmakers Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are in so much doubt.  Arshavin has looked sharped in pre-season and could be an important senior member of the squad in 2011/12.

Another player heavily linked with Galatasaray was Ivorian full-back Emmanuel Eboue.  However, the latest news from the Turkish media suggest his move may be off after Arsenal raised their valuation of the player to £7m.  That seems an improbably high price, so at this stage it could just be media tittle-tattle.

One man who is definitely loping towards the door is Nicklas Bendtner, whose Dad suggests he is inundated with offers.  Personally, I don’t care he goes so long as we get a decent fee – one that is reinvested in the squad.

Reinvested, perhaps, in one Juan Mata.  Valencia and Spain’s attacking midfielder has been consistently linked with Arsenal throughout the summer, and with the Cesc Fabregas saga coming to a head, Madrid-based daily Marca have suggested we’ve gone as far as to meet the buyout clause in his contract.

Mata would certainly meet a lot of the criteria for replacing either Cesc or Nasri, but for now let’s take these stories with a pinch of salt. So many times in the past we’ve questioned the authenticity or motives of Marca when printing stories about our players – this very morning they also ran a story suggesting Cesc is on “strike”, which simply isn’t true.

Finally, raise your mug of tea because Gunnerblog is seven years old today.  Thanks to all who have read, through its many incarnations.  Lets hope we can make this year the best of all.  Any maybe have a trophy too.