Gunnerblog

United Preview: Points required; Pride essential

122 comments January 22nd, 2012

Arsene is not really the sort of manager to deliver a rousing team-talk before a big game.  Fortunately, today, he doesn’t need to.

All he need do is print out the following, and tack it to the dressing room wall.

I’m sorry to have made you look at that again.  But it’s important we do.  It’s important the players do.  And it’s important Arsene does.  On that day, Arsenal let down themselves and their supporters.  That simply cannot happen today.

I don’t necessarily expect a victory.  Arsenal come in to this game in the familiar position of being out-of-form and embattled with injuries and African absentees.  What I do expect, however, is that Arsenal play with passion and a desire to avenge the humiliation suffered in August.

In the aftermath of the Old Trafford game, I said:

“What sickened me more than anything was to watch this team perform without pride, and without belief.”

The last few months have seen a steady process of recuperation, interrupted by a recent blip.  Arsenal need to fight, to battle, and to allow the fans to banish the memory of that shameful day from their minds.

Our team is dependent on two fitness tests: one for Thomas Vermaelen, and one for Thierry Henry.  If fit, both could start.  Vermaelen is reportedly the more likely to make it, and would come in at left-back for Ignasi Miquel.  That could be vital – United’s main threat comes from their wingers in Nani and Valencia, so our makeshift full-backs will have to be at the top of their game to cope.

If he’s ready to go, Henry could start ahead of the out of sorts Andrey Arshavin.  Suggestions two hours before kick-off, however, are that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be handed a first Premier League start.  Chamberlain actually made an inauspicious debut as a substitute in the 8-2, and after a relatively impressive cameo at Swansea could be thrown in to the fray today.

At least if he is, we know he’ll play with courage, and with fire.  His team-mates had better do the same.  They owe us that.

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.

Thoughts on Arsenal’s festive sandwich

43 comments December 28th, 2011

‘Tis the season to be jolly. And then less so.
Arsenal have just completed a festive sandwich of fixtures. On the one side, a wholesome and thoroughly rewarding victory away to Aston Villa. On the other, a rather stale draw at home to Wolves. In the middle, of course, was a big fat Christmas. Hope you had a great one, wherever you are and whatever you might be celebrating.

Alex McCleish is the enemy of football.
Anyone who watched our game against them on Wednesday last will surely concur. This man must be stopped: he seems to suck the joy out of any club he takes over. His Villa are a horrendous side – seemingly as dull on the eye as the Birmingham City team he led to relegation last season. On Boxing Day, Sky sought to outdo Scrooge himself by screening just one game: Stoke vs. Aston Villa. It was apocalyptically bad.

Yossi Benayoun deserves more opportunities.
His headed winner at Villa Park was a rare example of an Arsenal player coming off the bench and making a genuine different to the game. Supporters are tired of seeing the uninspiring sight of Marouane Chamakh or Andrey Arshavin preparing to take to the field. Benayoun guarantees hard work and, of late, real quality. His display at home to Wolves was another example of what he can offer the side.

Arsenal were denied by Hennessey’s brilliance rather than their own incompetence.
A point at home to Wolves is a frustrating result, particularly when the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool have both dropped points in similar circumstances, but on this occasion I think arseblog has it right: we have to offer congratulations to an outstanding performance by the goalkeeper rather than blame ourselves. These freakish results will occasionally occur – it’s only when they become regular that there is genuine cause for concern.

Four points from Villa and Wolves is not a bad return.
If we go on to beat QPR and Fulham, which is not an unrealistic target, 10 points from 12 available will look even healthier.

Whisper it quietly, but Spurs don’t look likely to collapse anytime soon.
Whilst of course we ought to try and pursue and overhaul them, I’m increasingly of the belief that the real battle for Champions League qualification is between us and Chelsea, and for fourth rather than third place. Spurs look very strong indeed, and I don’t perceive Liverpool to have the strength in depth to mount a sustained challenge – particularly in light of Luis Suarez’s ban.

Thierry Henry could be the best available option to strengthen the squad.
Of course there are better strikers out there than a 34-year old who plies his trade in the MLS, but how many of them are available in January? Very few. It’s not worth investing millions of pounds in a substandard player who will make a limited impact – you could argue we’ve already done that with Chu-Young Park. Bringing in Henry would give us a viable option from the bench as well as providing a lift to everyone at the club. If it happens, however, it’d have to be soon. No point waiting to look at other options until the end of January then letting Henry go back to the states after a fortnight.

–

Right. The next game is QPR at home on New Year’s Eve, after which we’ll be able to put a very rocky 2011 to bed.

City 1 – 0 Arsenal: No points but plenty of pride

905 comments December 19th, 2011

Thomas Vermaelen reacts after another near miss at the Etihad

Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

Our first trip to Manchester since that fateful day in late August was always going to carry a certain weight.  Back then, a very different-looking Arsenal side had left thrashed, embarrassed, and ashamed.  This time, we might not have brought back any points, but we can at least hold our heads up high on the back of an impressive performance.

It’s indicative of how far we’ve come.  Since Old Trafford, we’ve added experience, steel and belief to the squad.  Arsenal entered yesterday’s game as an unfancied underdog, and ended up trading blows with a the richest club in world football.  It is typical of Arsene Wenger’s relentless ambition that after the game he was disheartened at what he felt was the end of our title challenge.  Personally, I have felt for some time that City will win the league at a canter, and that in any case our bad start was far too big a handicap from which to launch a bid for the championship.  A Champions League spot, however, remains a realistic target.  In August, even that seemed unlikely.

We started somewhat shakily, as it swiftly became evident that City are the strongest side we’ve faced in some time.  The movement and skill of the likes of Silva, Aguero and Balotelli had our defence chasing shadows, and twice we relied upon impressive saves from Wojciech Szczesny to keep the score at 0-0.

Alex Song was yellow-carded for a cynical trip after just ten minutes, and spent the rest of the game walking a precarious tight-rope.  It was a tight-rope that the likes of Micah Richards attempted to topple him off by throwing themselves to the ground every time Song even thought about going in to a challenge.

As the half wore on, we settled and began to offer a threat of our own.  The pace and movement of Gervinho made him a constant menace, but he suffered from the now familiar flaw of failing to convert promising opportunities in to final product.  When he did muster a shot on target, Joe Hart was able to turn it away at the near post.

Having reached half-time at 0-0, there was a growing sense that Arsenal could pull off a major result.  However, our momentum was disrupted when, just two minutes in to the second half, Johan Djourou was withdrawn with an injury problem.  The Swiss had been doing a fine job at right-back, but his withdrawal meant shifting Laurent Koscielny on to the flank.  Vermaelen stepped in to to the centre alongside Mertesacker, and substitute Miquel played at left-back.  It’s odd how injuries seem to strike in one particular area – we’re now without our five first choice full-backs (Sagna, Jenkinson, Gibbs, Santos, Djorou).

The reshuffle worried me.  In an ideal world you’d bring on a like-for-like player, as it’s very difficult for a defender to reorientate himself during the game.  And so it proved just five minutes later, with Koscielny caught out of position, leaving Balotelli free on the left flank.  He skipped inside a cautious Song and fired in a shot with Szczesny parried.  Aguero was first to the ball and his header was poked in by David Silva.

At this stage, Arsenal threw caution to the wind a little earlier than was necessary, and were very nearly punished.  As men poured forward in search of an equaliser, City had several opportunities to extend their lead.  Fortunately, we were spared.  Samir Nasri, who had been afforded a rare start by City, made his major contribution to the game when he overhit a simple pass across goal, preventing Balotelli from tapping in to seal the game.  Bizarrely, the City PA announced him as Man of the Match towards the end of the game – a stupid, inflammatory decision which clearly had nothing to do with what had transpired on the pitch.

It was clear we had them rattled though.  A fierce Walcott drive was tipped over by Hart, and Robin van Persie chipped home, only to be flagged (correctly, but marginally) offside.  On another day Micah Richards’ handball might have been deemed purposeful, or Van Persie might have connected truer with Gervinho’s cut-back.

If you were to fault anything yesterday, it would have been the lack of convincing attacking options from the bench.  City were able to call on the likes of Edin Dzeko.  We, however, were forced to gamble with Arshavin and Chamakh, both of whom are woefully out of form.  There are increasingly fervent whispers that Arsene will look to strengthen the attack in January, with Thierry Henry one of the names most commonly-mentioned.  However, signings aside, one does have to question how long someone under performing as badly as Arshavin can prevent the exciting Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from superseding him in the pecking order.

In all honesty, our biggest goal threat after Robin van Persie probably came from Thomas Vermaelen.  The Belgian had headed on target in the first half, and late on he saw one side-footed effort from the edge of the box tipped over by Hart, before bending a thirty yard strike just outside the post.  Hart performed well on the day, but even he would have been unable to keep that effort out.

And so the day ended in defeat.  Arsenal now have to pick themselves up in time for Wednesday’s trip to Aston Villa, who surely can’t be as poor as they were in a lifeless defeat to Liverpool.  Alex Song will be suspended, but fortunately we will be able to rely on the sure-footed Mikel Arteta.  I thought the Spaniard was brilliant in Manchester: disciplined, intelligent, and composed.  The more one sees of him the more one wonders why Arsene waited so long before taking the plunge.

My overriding sense from the City game is that these sorts of occasion need hold no fear for us anymore.  The scars of Old Trafford were entirely invisible: this was an Arsenal side playing with belief and a sense of entitlement that they belong on this stage, at the top table of English football.  Between now and the end of the season, we need to pick up enough points to snatch fourth place and ensure we remain there.