The main problem is not one of personnel
Add comment February 1st, 2010
Several players failed to perform at the required standard yesterday. Denilson, Almunia and Clichy were the most obvious, with arseblogger taking their performances apart with a clinical precision not unlike United’s counter-attacking. However, I’d also consider Nasri and Rosicky as fair targets: they were ineffective and absent defensively.
Arsene acknowledged that the performance was off-colour and that individual mistakes were made. Speaking to the press after the game, he said:
“It is difficult to take but easy to explain because we were poor offensively and defensively cohesion-wise. We delivered an off-the-mark performance completely and that is why we were well beaten today. We gave them always too much room, we were naive.”
He’s right. Our defending yesterday was not good enough. But our defenders, with the exception of goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, are.
Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna and William Gallas are all France internationals, and Gallas in particular has been decorated with honours at every level of European football. Thomas Vermaelen, meanwhile, was near faultless yesterday, as he has been for much of the season. Alex Song, playing in the holding role, showed composure, strength and commitment. And yet we conceded three goals – and it could have been more.
By contrast, look at the Untied backline we faced. Patrice Evra is arguably one of the world’s best, but the opposite full-back, Rafael, is a mere rookie. Johnnie Evans has potential but is not yet top class, and Wes Brown was made to look a fool by some of Andrey Arshavin’s footwork. Their midfield contained the likes of Park and Fletcher – grafters who can’t hold a candle to Nasri or Rosicky in terms of talent. And yet they’re an infinitely more solid outfit.
The problem with our team is not one of personnel. The answer is not to just sign more defenders. Arsene has made a philosophical decision that this team is about possession play and attacking. Defending is a secondary consideration – our aim is to score more goals than the opposition. When we fail to do so, we will stand a pretty good chance of losing.
To improve the team Arsene needs to instill in them a desire and pride in keeping the opposition at bay. What made the 4-3-3 so dynamic – and, to be frank, so effective – at the start of the season was the pressing high up the pitch done by the attackers. Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner, both of whom have been conspicuous by their absence in recent months, were particularly good at closing down the play and pressuring the opposition, forcing them in to mistakes which we were able to capitalise on. Yesterday, United were allowed to advance freely in to our half, as the attacking trio of Nasri, Rosicky and Arshavin failed to impose themselves on players whose ability would have been sorely tested by that kind of pressure.
The transfer deadline passes in an hour and you can bet we won’t be making any signings. Instead, the manager must now reinforce the importance of graft and commitment – something it seemed he had managed at the start of the season but which has since faded away.
If he doesn’t, then third is the best we can hope for this season.
