Playing 4-6-0 leaves Arsenal in the dark
30 comments January 11th, 2006
Yes, it may only be the Carling Cup.
Yes, it may only be the first leg.
And yes, it was not our full strength side.
But even so, last night’s performance was unacceptable.
Wenger’s descision to attempt to play 4-5-1 with Quincy as the lone front man, rotating with Reyes and Ljungberg on the wings, was crazy. Lupoli and Bendtner, both recognised front men, were both left on the bench. Thank god we’re being linked with two powerful strikers in the 6’3″ Georgios Samaras and the 6’8″ Nikola Zigic.
I think we created one chance, which Freddie Ljungberg, as usual, missed. We were rubbish. The young back four, featuring kids like Senderos, Gilbert, and Djourou did not disgrace themselves in the same way as the rest of the side. Manuel Almunia too managed to impress. But this is probably because we, as fans, expect less of these players.
It was guys like Freddie, Hleb, Reyes, and Gilberto who were the chief offenders. What’s becoming clear to not just the players but the fans is that there is no competition for places. We desperately need new faces. We need to make those more established members of the first team work for their shirt. The youthful nature of our squad means that anyone over 26 is basicallly guaranteed a start. For a club the size of Arsenal, this is a terrible state of affairs.
Come on Arsene. I know this is a period of transition, but we all know that being “in transition” simply means “not being as good as you used to be”.
All that matters in football is the present moment. That’s what we’ve always told whingeing Liverpool fans.
Let’s not become like them. Let’s not fall behind. Please.
