Arsenal V Liverpool: The Final Nail Or A New Dawn?

Firstly, I would like to thank all of you who shared some well articulated thoughts on yesterdays post. I guess most of the rational fans agree that our problems are complex and cannot be stated in one or two off the cuff statements. I’ll return to that discussion after the Liverpool game.

In Liverpool, we face another strong defensive unit and a team that has reverted to prioritizing defense after a failed and flawed attempt at attacking football in the early part of the year. Our fragile and injury plagued attack faces another stern test after scoring just one deflected goal in the last three games. We will definitely not get too many chances and unless our key players are clinical enough we won’t have much to rejoice. Hopefully, Arshavin will build on his scoring streak against the Mugsmashers.

Our mental strength will also be under scrutiny after demoralizing defeats against the title rivals. I have not been fully convinced by the body language of some of our players and we could pay the price for some off-key performances. On the other hand there is a case that our problems against Chelsea and United are more psychological than football related. In that case we could start another positive run with a good win against the Scousers.

Our defense will again be tested by long balls, counter-attacks and devilish strikes and set-pieces by Gerrard. On a positive note the absence of Torres, Johnson and Benayoun should be beneficial as all of them have an ability to run at the defenders, something we have struggled with recently.

Liverpool are a team that likes to come out with a high tempo and we have to make sure we don’t go down early on to another sloppy goal. The longer the game continues without a goal or if we get an early goal our chances of winning will increase.

Here’s an interesting piece of trivia – We have played a third vs fourth game twice at home this season, once against the tiny tots and once against Villa. Both games ended 3-0 to the Arsenal. Cesc was phenomenal in both games and scored a sublime goal in each.

This result will decide if it’s the final nail in our title challenge or the start of a strong run. United and Chelsea have tough games and could easily drop some points. If we can win this one things might not look so bad with a dozen games remaining.

There isn’t much Wenger can do with the starting line up. I doubt if Bendtner is fit enough to start so we might see Arshavin continuing in the controversial role. Walcott will probably be on the bench after a poor game against United and I think Eboue will offer better balance on the right side. Rosicky might come in on the left in place of Nasri.

The team I would like to see is,

Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy; Song, Cesc, Diaby; Eboue, Arshavin, Rosicky.

If Song can do a good job on Gerrard, Liverpool will be restricted to set-pieces. Unfortunately, we cannot be confident of keeping a clean sheet even in that case. I am thinking of a 1-1 draw or a repeat of the Anfield result.

What If Arsene Had Signed …

Well, it’s that time again. We’ve lost to a title rival and it hurts like hell. It hurts so much that the internet is full of hundreds of experts who know all the answers. We have a mind numbing barrage of Wenger didn’t buy so we are screwed posts asking for his head. I tried to look for an article that clearly showed what our problems are and which player would solve those issues. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, I didn’t find even one.

Before I proceed further let me be clear, I wanted to see new signings. As I wrote in this article at the beginning of December, I was hoping we get a Center Back who can play DM and if possible a striker. Sol Campbell partially answered the first requirement but we couldn’t get a marksman.

All the argument in the media and the blogosphere seems to be about spending big. People conveniently forget that most of our best players were small money signings. Amongst the few who have cost money, Nasri has now lost favor. When he scored a few initially, he was hailed as a huge improvement over Hleb, now after a few poor results he is no good. A couple of Chelsea like games and we might soon see Vermaelen classified as a flop as well!

That’s the fundamental flaw with people who think signing big names is the be all and end all of football. If we’d spent big on let’s say someone like Villa, he’d have been hailed as a savior but if he’d struggled to adapt to the league he would just be another midget and a wasteful signing. It’s too easy for anyone to criticize the players once things go wrong and hype up someone as long as there is no accountability. Frankly, could anyone have rationally predicted that the likes of Berbatov, Shevchenko and Robinho will be such flops. What guarantee do we have that any big name is just going to walk in and change our fortunes?

The second point is, how much choice do we have? Chamakh, Remy, Traore, Carlton Cole, Kenwyne Jones, et al. are not in the same league as Drogba, Rooney or Van Persie. So where do we find the real class player?

I asked myself, “what if arsene had signed a goalkeeper?” Let’s say Given for example – Could he have saved any of the goals against United or Chelsea? What’s the point if he couldn’t have! (And no, I don’t think he would have saved the first goal. He is three inches shorter than Almunia and the ball would have sailed over him and Park would have scored at the back post!) So before we slag Wenger for not signing a keeper, we must be rational about how it would improve the team.

My point is not that Almunia is a great keeper. When you live in a house where none of the windows has a proper latch, there is no point spending money on a high end lock for the front door! It makes more sense to fix the windows first.

Then I asked myself, “What if Wenger had signed a striker?” Apart from David Villa, I couldn’t think of a top class player who would be ready to step in. And we don’t want another midget do we!?

When people criticize our lack of strikers against Chelsea they forget that United failed to score at Stamford Bridge even with the likes of Rooney and Berbatov. They also fail to notice that Chelsea have conceded only five goals from open play! We also fail to see that Drogba didn’t have too many chances but he was clinical, Arshavin wasn’t. So how do we know any other big signing would have done much better!?

Set pieces are our weakness but it would be extremely naïve to think that it can be solved by buying one striker. In fact it is another clear example of an area where we need to improve and the work is to be done on the training ground.

I have spent the whole week thinking which signing could have changed our results against United and Chelsea. Frankly, I can’t think of anyone who would have. A lot of work on the training ground on defensive drills, on set pieces and some psychological therapy might have.

Of course, Wenger is responsible. The buck stops with him. There can be no denying that. But is it fair to question his judgment on buying players!?

Comical (and painful) Defense 2 – 0 Toothless Attack

When the manager of the winning team says something like, “we didn’t play well, but we didn’t have to” there are some serious implications.

Last week we were discussing the need for signing a proper defense coach. Perhaps the team realizes that Wenger doesn’t understand this problem and decided to give him further proof.

Right from the start our defenders looked nervous as Chelsea started with a higher tempo. When the hosts won the free kick I had a knot in my stomach. Surprisingly, Theo got his head onto it but could only divert it for a corner.

That Terry can rise above our players and win a header is not a surprise. Isn’t that one of the main reasons we put two men on the post. What can you do when one of them decides to go walkabout!? While watching live, I couldn’t believe that ball went in as I desperately searched for the man on the post.

The replays showed Clichy moving to the near post but failed to catch the ghost he was following. One thing was proven, in the movies when they show that ghosts can be caught on camera … well, that’s just Bull. Not only did the camera fail to capture Clichy’s phantom, it also failed to pick up the ultra hot and sexy apparition that had captured the imagination and complete attention of Alex Song. No wonder Chelsea have such a strong record at home!

At this juncture I must say the Arsenal players raised their game and started looking more of a threat. Cesc picked out Arshavin with a peach but the little Russian hit it straight at Cech. As we were moving the ball around and Chelsea held firm, there was always a danger of being caught on the break.

If the opposition plays well on a counter you give it to them fair and square. But when you concede a goal because your defenders run around like headless chicken and four of them can’t deal with two strikers … well, you just blame the ghosts.

Anelka made a good run. Agreed. We had Gallas and Sagna to deal with that. Why would Clichy and Vermaelen get attracted towards the center leaving Drogba with acres of space!? Lampard didn’t even have to put a great pass, I could have made that pass. Shocking!

Okay so Drogba got the ball. Big deal. Lets Close him down. How can we close him down when both defenders are taken out by one simple step inwards! Sheer stupidity and lack of basic defensive awareness.

Another example of horrible defending was around the 85^th minute when Chelsea got a free kick. Lampard squared it and Anelka was free around our penalty spot. Free as in nobody-within-miles free! Out of respect for Wenger he blasted it over but that’s a different matter.

Clichy, Vermaelen and Song were the culprits this time around. Does it make them bad players? No, it doesn’t and that is precisely why we need serious efforts to get at the root of our defensive problems. It’s not as simple as buy a goalkeeper or buy a DM. Even if Wenger had signed three players in the January window this result wouldn’t have been different. That hurts and that needs to be addressed so that the boys can finally become men.

I won’t get into further details of this game but will give the players credit for fighting hard. This certainly wasn’t as bad a performance as we had against United, but it could easily be down to Chelsea taking it easy.

One worrying aspect was that Cesc and Arshavin both seemed to give up at times during the second half. Were they tired or was it something else? I think we have serious psychological issues and Arsene needs a specialist in this area to get the team back on track. (Yes, I know some people think that buying can solve all our problems and will bring the belief back. I’ll talk about that in a different post.)

Individual Performances

Almunia: Those who have already formed a strong opinion against him will find faults with him even from this game. I don’t see how he could have done anything about the goals. And no, you cannot stop fiercely hit shots from that distance. All you can do is put a hand out and hope that it hits.

Sagna: Didn’t offer anything going forward.

Gallas: Looked nervous initially. Doesn’t have the personality or the ability to lead the defense.

Vermaelen: Had a good game overall but was really poor for the second goal.

Clichy: Shocking! I’m really hoping we get to hear his side of the story, if it exists and even if it has supernatural elements. Was better going forward in the second half. Shades of the old Clichy there.

Song: Worked really hard. Had to run all over and contribute a lot in attack as well. Very costly mistake for the first goal.

Diaby: Looked good at times when in possession. Went AWOL for parts of the game. Should have marked Terry better for the first goal. He can run at defenses like Bolton but doesn’t have much to offer against the bigger teams. Certainly far better than Denilson.

Cesc: Tried hard, looked frustrated and gave up on occasions. Looked like he ran out of ideas. Why do we make him take the corners?

Nasri: Work rate was decent but lacked penetration. Missed a great opportunity to score or play Walcott in. Such moments can change the game.

Arshavin: Should have finished better. Doesn’t have the stamina to play at full tilt in such games. Big players have to perform in big games. Disappointing.

Walcott: Looked clueless. Very poor tactical decision to start with him in such a big game. Was in a great position when Nasri got through but never got the ball.

Subs: Bendtner offered a different dimension but he is seriously out of touch. Rosicky looked lively but couldn’t do much. Eboue looked threatening at times and would have been a better choice to start in place of Walcott.

Chelsea V Arsenal: Forgone Conclusion Or A Pleasant Surprise

Arsenal visit Stamford Bridge a week after our title challenge has supposedly been transformed into a disaster. Many supporters have already decided that this game will result in another humiliating defeat taking us out of the title fight and dumping us in one for third and fourth place.

Given our recent record against the big teams and Drogba’s record against us it’s probably a logical conclusion. Football though, has an inherent ability to defy logic and some of the optimistic fans amongst us have good reasons to hope for a pleasant surprise against the Blues.

Not least of which is our result in the same fixture last year when very few really gave Arsenal a hope. The other feeling I have is that both Cesc and Arshavin are due a big game. This is one aspect where we have struggled to some extent in these matches. While the likes of Drogba, Rooney and Ronaldo before them rose to the occasion, our star players haven’t stamped their class on these games. We won at the Bridge last year when Van Persie delivered.

Too many of our key players talk of winning something but don’t deliver in crunch games. I realize that often our defense fails and we concede stupid goals but we also tend to miss chances at the other end. It’s been a while since all Arsenal players have given a hundred percent in a game with our title rivals and these are games where you want the players to raise their game.

Our back four will have their work cut out. They cannot be as poor as they were for Chelsea’s first two goals at the Emirates. Defenders have to take responsibility and not put the onus on the goalkeeper all the time.

We also need to find a solution for the Denilson problem. He has been woeful in the last few games and seriously weakens our midfield. I guess Wenger might put a half-fit Diaby in his place. In case Diaby can’t make it the other option would be to bring Nasri into the middle. The risk with that is that the Frenchman’s defensive discipline isn’t exactly better than the Brazilians. The advantage is that Nasri is physically stronger and a better passer. At the very least I would like to see Ramsey replace Denilson.

Up front Wenger has decisions to make. According to the manager Bendtner isn’t fully fit just yet. That leaves Arshavin to lead the line once again. Walcott might be another option but he doesn’t look ready to start centrally in a game as important as this one. The young Englisman could come in on the wing if Wenger decides he needs to give Denilson a rest. Eboue could also offer a direct threat from wide on the right.

From a Chelsea point of view all the focus in on Terry but I am more interested in the fact that Essien will be missing. In the game at the Emirates Ancelotti played both Essien and Obi Mikel in a clear sign of respect for the Arsenal midfield. It will be interesting to see how they line up at home.

Arsenal should have the advantage of not playing in midweek as Chelsea would be recovering from their tough trip to the KC Stadium. At least this time Arsene cannot get away by saying the players were not sharp enough!

The game might also be decided by mental strength. Our players are under pressure as their credentials are questioned and an unpleasant record against the title rivals is slowly building up. Are the players impatient? Inhibited? Anxious? We need each and everyone of them to be fully focused and play the game on our terms. Too often we lose control of the pace of the game and start playing into the opposition’s hands.

Mathematically this game might not decide the title challenge but mentally it is likely to. Clawing back a nine point deficit would require nothing less than a miracle while a three point one would set us up perfectly. This one has all the makings of a classic six-pointer and I have a feeling both teams will be happy with a point.

The team I would like to see is,

Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy;  Song, Cesc, Nasri; Eboue, Arshavin, Rosicky.

My guess is that both teams will share a goal and a point.

Arsene’s An Artist In A World Of Engineers

We’ve had some good discussions over the last three days or so. One point that seems to be shared by some, including myself, is that Arsene isn’t tactically as good as the likes of Mourinho, Hiddink and even Fergie.

I have to say I don’t claim to be a tactical genius or have better footballing acumen than Le Boss. Having said that, I do feel all of us have a right to an opinion and to analyze the work of people who might be far superior to us in their chosen field. The following piece is just my take on the work of some of the top managers of this era.

First, let me focus on Arsene. How many times have we heard him talk of players creating magic on the football field? Isn’t that what attracts a lot of the neutrals to Arsenal? For what else is free flowing football with intricate passing and seamless movement if it isn’t magic!?

I think Wenger is from a rare breed of managers who give their players freedom on a football pitch, freedom to express themselves and impose their personalities on the game without compromising the team work ethos.

I feel this is the reason most of the players who have played under him hold the Frenchman in such high regard. It is also the reason we see such a unique footballing approach from Arsenal. When the team is in full flow, almost every goal is different and every creative move unpredictable.

Of course, this is based on a foundation of strict training, diet and so forth. I see that as an artists effort to ensure the materials used in the creation are flawless.

On the other hand, the flaw, if we can call it that, with this approach is that Wenger doesn’t like to spell it out for the players. He doesn’t mark any boundaries on the pitch. That’s the reason we see our DM’s or Center Backs marauding into the opposition territory. At times this freedom turns out to be fatal. Some of us call it tactical naivete, others accept this failure as a fundamental part of an artists work while the most prosaic amongst us would consider it stupid or incompetent.

Now let’s contrast this with Wenger’s contemporaries. With due respect to their achievements I consider managers like Mourinho, Benitez and Hiddink to be the Sith Lords of Anti-Football. In simpler terms they are the footballing engineers.

Mourinho, for instance, spent hundreds of millions to produce what can be considered the most boring champion team in the history of football (Yes, my knowledge of football history is very limited.) His teams always went out to make sure they never lost. Is it a surprise that the players who prospered in his regime were the likes of Terry, Makelele and Essien!?

Similarly, Benitez was another who sent out eleven men to defend. I don’t have the exact quotes but Ryan Babel, a short while after his transfer to Liverpool, said that he played 20 yards deeper under Benitez than he did at Ajax. Rafa is probably one of the few managers who can take a prolific center forward like Kuyt and convert him into a hard working right sided defensive midfielder. I am sure Robbie Keane will have a similar story to tell when he decides to open his mouth about his time at Anfield.

Don’t we all remember the scoreless draws their teams played out. Games that were decided by a freak goal on a set play. Two teams utterly devoid of creativity and canceling each other out all over the field.

This is not an attempt to criticize these managers. They have their own styles and those who can appreciate it support them. Those who value results more than anything else will never find a better messiah than Jose.

Hiddink is a similar manager. He put an eleven man wall against Barca and only an incompetent referee and a profligate Drogba prevented him from winning the Champions League semi-final. It would have been a great achievement in some eyes and a great shame in some others.

Most recently, Fergie engineered a victory at the Emirates with much the same tactics that Rafa has been using against his United. How predictable are these teams!? We know that every opportunity they will spread the ball wide and try to cross it in. They will always have players rushing into the box to get on the end of it and if they can do it often enough, eventually one or two will go in. Of course, there are some other tactics but just as easy to define.

What makes it somewhat easier for these engineers is that football is essentially a defenders game. That is the reason we don’t see a cricket score in a football match even when a Premier League team plays a third division team. If you put enough men behind the ball chances are you will keep most of the attacks out. If you collect top quality defenders chances are you will convert your home ground into a fortress.

Defending is something you can define. Players can be told exactly what is to be done. You do enough drills with top players and your team becomes impenetrable. It’s not rocket science exactly but it’s highly scientific and predictable.

Creativity on the other hand is beyond definition. You need vision and imagination to be creative. The only attacking moves that can be planned are set-plays. That is exactly the reason they are called set-pieces! (and perhaps the reason why we suck at set-plays )

The modern world of football is highly result oriented and the Engineers are the ones who are most likely to succeed. You put two highly clinical and skilled players like Rooney and Ronaldo in front of a tightly knit defensive unit and you get a Champion outfit. But it is also the reason why the Artists like Wenger and Guardiola are so important, they bring the game to life.

I, for one, am happy to live with the odd tactical mistake for the sake of that rare moment of magic.

Understanding Wenger’s Transfer Conundrum

Just before the January transfer window Arsene came out with a statement that he is looking for a striker. With a long term injury to Van Persie and inexplicable delays in Bendtner’s return to fitness most of us were worried about the striker situation at the club. Needless to say, expectations were high.

Now that the transfer window has come and gone, we have been knocked out of the FA Cup as we were forced to field an understrength team and following the abject performance against United, it is not surprising that many fans are confused, even agitated, over our apparent lack of action in the transfer market.

Somewhere in the middle of January, Wenger did start talking of us being top scorers and downplaying our need for a striker. After initially talking of his interest in finishing business early, this change in tune led me to believe that he has tried and come up short.

The loss against our title rivals has been painful for everyone and unfortunately it has given fresh ammunition to the doom and gloom merchants. Their single biggest argument has always been our lack of signings. So now we have people calling Arsene a liar and some even going to the extent of calling for his head.

I am one of those who don’t mind questioning Wenger’s actions but have enough faith to believe that he will always do his best for the club. The results of my musings on our transfer activity or should I say inactivity, are as follows -

• Arsene must have explored his list of hot prospects and rejected them for one or the other reason
• He might or might not have inquired about the really top class strikers
• He must have explored various loan options, free transfers and fringe players

Of course, this is just my opinion and I might be totally wrong. In any case, here is my reasoning behind these conclusions,

Firstly, we have been linked with players like Chamakh, Traore, Remy and other young prospects. There seems to be enough truth in those links and Arsene obviously seems interested. However, none of these players is going to walk straight into the first team and make a big impact on this season’s results. It is quite likely that Wenger asked about them and realized that right now it’s not worth investing in them and his time would not be well spent following them.

Secondly, I am not very sure about how many of the really established strikers were available. In one interview Wenger did mention that Villa was not available. Given the Spaniards price tag, some people might scoff at the suggestion that Arsene would have shown interest. I prefer to give Arsene the benefit of doubt and feel that he might have made an inquiry even if the price he offered was way short of Valencia’s expectation.

Finally, in the absence of top quality strikers and the relative futility of signing youngsters the last resort would be to look at loan options and free transfers. Names like Van Nistelrooy, Huntelaar, Adriano, et al. cropped up during this period. The problem with the former United man is quite obvious, Huntelaar remains an unproven prospect and Adriano has not played in a big league for a while now. My guess is that Arsene analyzed the players available and decided that no one fits the bill.

Some people want a signing for the sake of it and there isn’t much you can say to them. I hope that those of us who like to be rational can see there wasn’t much that Wenger could have done this January.

Arsene has a strong view against spending just because we have the money. I tend to agree with him on that. There is another important aspect that people sometimes forget. We might have 30-40 million available at the moment but we do not have unlimited funds.

To put this in perspective, United were able to sign Berbatov for an astronomical sum and can afford to put him on the bench. They could also spend huge amounts on the likes of Hargreaves, Anderson and Nani and forget about them for a couple of years. Chelsea had a budget running into hundreds of millions and could easily make a 30 million mistake called Shevchenko. Man City have also spent hundreds of millions and a lot of that will prove to be a colossal waste.

Unfortunately, Wenger has money to spend but he doesn’t have money to waste. When Le Boss signs someone he has to be extra careful that it’s not a lemon he’s investing in. Nor can he invest 15-18 million on players for future like United have done with the likes of Nani, Anderson, and others. Wenger can only spend 3-5 million on such players.

Chelsea and Citeh are the moneybags, United have had a huge stadium for years and have also had a much bigger global brand. Arsenal are only just seeing the benefits of a big stadium and the slowdown in the property market last year also affected our plans. If all goes well on the property front, we might have a much larger budget in the summer.

Seeing the likes of Arshavin and Vermaelen in the team, I am convinced Wenger will spend big if the right player comes along (Still I don’t expect a 80 million bid for the likes of Ronaldo/Messi.) Till that happens, the least we can do is show some respect towards a man who works hard every day to build a successful Arsenal.

Is Arsenal’s 4-3-3 A Flop?

I am not a big fan of formations in football. That is not because I am some genius who can think beyond the best managers and their formations but more down to the fact that I am a commoner and can’t really see much sense in a formation when most of the players are free to roam wherever they please.

My rudimentary understanding of a formation is that it’s something we see when a team doesn’t have the ball. When a team is in possession players move around, the full-backs push forward and depending on the team’s intentions and talents we see different attacking shapes which are quite different to their supposed formation.

On the other hand, once the ball is lost teams form their lines to defend. Here is where the formation comes in handy. It earmarks the positions and areas that players have to defend depending on how the opposition moves the ball.

In this light let’s discuss Arsenal’s supposedly new 4-3-3 system. Firstly, it’s not new. As Wenger and some of the players have told us, we tried this formation towards the end of last season including the Champions League semi-finals.

Given our improvements this season, especially if we leave out the events of the last few days, many would consider this formation change to be a success. We have scored 60 goals and are just one good performance away from being right in the title challenge. I can’t deny any of our improvements, in fact I am delighted by them. I feel we have done well against a number of teams and in spite of our injuries we continue to challenge at the top.

So what’s this talk about the change being a flop. Leaving aside our general progress let’s focus on some specific games. Starting with the Champions League and FA Cup semi-finals last year we have played Manchester United and Chelsea six times. All have been losses, some really humiliating ones. These are the results that led me to question the merits of this formation. (I am leaving out the draw at Old Trafford as I am not sure we played with this formation in that game)

These results are not an isolated data point that can be ignored. They form a significant and worrisome trend, one that can affect our title chances in the future. I guess it makes sense to analyze the merits and demerits of this formation.

The reason why this formation works against smaller teams is that it plays to our strengths. We get a chance to free Cesc and have more creative players in the final third. We also have more players getting in behind the opposition and the fluid movement of the front three and our attacking midfielders pulls teams apart. On good days, we also tend to make good use of the width offered by our full-backs and the wide players.

As the teams are forced back, our center backs have a relatively easy task of marking a lone striker. Overall there are quite a few problems with our defense, as I had mentioned in yesterday’s post, so even in good games we tend to concede a goal or two but in most cases we manage to out score the opposition.

Now let’s compare this with the games in which we have serious problems. Apart from our problems against the title rivals, we have faced serious challenge from the likes of Fulham, Aston Villa and Manchester City. Challenge not in terms of our league position but in terms of a fight for a result in the game.

Is it a co-incidence that most of these teams have attacked us through the wide channels? To me our struggles are down to the fact that this formation leaves our wings exposed and teams with quality in those areas find a way to trouble us.

Is it a co-incidence that we look really vulnerable on counter attacks and look like conceding every time? Chelsea, United and Citeh got results against us because they had top quality finishers in their team. Fulham and Villa challenged us but couldn’t quite apply the finishing touch.

I don’t blame our full backs or central defenders for this problem. In the modern game almost every team provides some midfield support to the defenders. Unfortunately, with our formation and given our personnel, we aren’t always fully equipped to do that.

If we look at the last game against United, the visitors had three central midfielders each of whom was physically and technically capable of playing as a DM. Park on the left wing is also a disciplined, hard working and tough tackling winger. Chelsea played the likes of Essien, Obi Mikel and Ballack in midfield.

On the other hand we play with the likes of Nasri, Rosicky, Cesc and Denilson. While the first three are extremely skillful and technical players, are their defensive abilities and discipline even remotely close to that of the opposition players? I won’t waste time and space talking about Denilson.

So, we have a fluid attacking formation that works against smaller teams but always leaves the back door open. This back door has been exploited time and again by our title rivals and makes me feel really vulnerable against any team that has clinical finishers and top quality defensive midfielders.

The way I see it, we can win games against most of the smaller teams with any formation but we cannot possibly do much worse against our immediate rivals than what we are doing with the present system.

Unless Arsene finds a way to plug these holes, we will continue to struggle against the bigger teams. A tactical change in formation and/or really hard defensive training might be the solution.

Arsene Must Sign… A Proper Defense Coach

Most people want Arsene to sign a striker and/or a goal keeper while some want a defensive midfielder. I don’t deny the fact that any or all of these signings would strengthen the squad. Well, that’s the whole point to signing players anyway. Having said that, in my opinion, the most important signing would be a defense coach.

I know that we have people like Pat Rice and Boro Primorac on the coaching staff but I am not sure what their exact roles are and how much time we spend on defensive training. In the recent past we have lost quite a few big games and have looked really hopeless in some of them. While people have their favorites, I don’t think changing one or two players is going to make a big difference in these kind of games.

There are several basic problems with our team

• Too many players, including some defenders, are really poor at tackling. In other words, the opponents can skip past them with ease.
• Most of our wide players and full backs don’t really know how to block a cross (Just see how many of our crosses are blocked by the first man and compare it with how many we block)
• I haven’t seen many of our defenders throwing themselves in front of an attacker to make a block.
• Too many of our defensive headers are weak and fall in the danger area
• Our defenders are not very good at attacking the balls in the box and put too much responsibility on the goalkeeper. (See the number of balls we put into the United box and how many times did Van Der Saar have to come for them, even from corners and set-pieces?)
• Too many of our clearances are scuffed and cause further defensive problems
• Hardly any of our defenders can win a one on one with an on rushing attacker
• Our players switch off at critical defensive moments
• Most of our defensive players don’t know how to commit professional fouls or fouls that break up play to snuff out chances of counter attacks
• Attackers can easily receive the ball and hold it in and around our penalty box
• Too many of our players shirk responsibility. When we have two or three players closing down an opponent with the ball, each player waits for someone else to put the tackle in

Don’t get me wrong, even if the list is long, I am not saying our players are no good. Most of them are top quality and we are so high up in the league in spite of these problems only because our players have great ability while in possession of the ball.

Unfortunately, those qualities are not enough to win the big games. We need a stable defense in these games because the opposition has a lot of quality in attack with some clinical finishers. A lot of these issues are also the reason why our goalkeepers struggle a lot.

I am not saying that Almunia is a great keeper. At the same time I don’t buy the theory that all three of our keepers are no good. So when all three of them struggle, one must ask why.

Let me give a few examples,

• At Old Trafford, Rooney won a penalty against Almunia and most people put the blame on the keeper. In my opinion the problem was with Gallas who had a two yard head start on Shrek and still couldn’t get a tackle in. The tackle was there and often in the past Toure used to make these tackles but Gallas never tried and put the onus on the keeper. To me Gallas shirks responsibility quite often and the keeper ends up in trouble.
• Similarly, look at the first and second goal against Chelsea. Both the balls came in quite close to our central defenders and they couldn’t clear them. In fact, Vermaelen put one in. I don’t see such balls going past Terry or Ferdinand.
• The second goal from Rooney this Sunday should have been blocked by Vermaelen. So often we see the likes of Carvalho and Terry flying in to block a goal bound shot. How many times have we seen our defenders do that? (I am not defending Denilson or the other problems that led to this particular goal, but once all that had gone wrong the last defender had to do better)

I can go on and on with examples where our defenders get it wrong. The point is not that they are not good players and these are, in themselves, not really big errors. But when you put them all together they cause a lot of problems.

I am convinced that any goalkeeper who plays for this Arsenal team will struggle simply because there are too many small, small weaknesses in our defensive game. Unfortunately, once a player struggles and makes some mistakes his confidence is affected and it’s a dangerous negative spiral.

Arsene has to really focus on these issues in training and if necessary get a specialist coach to sort these issues out. We might not be able to change this in time for the next match but we desperately need a long term solution if we are to consistently challenge at the top level.

Naïve, Dysfunctional & Timid Arsenal 1 – 3 Experienced, Organized & Clinical Manchester United

Before the game I was quite confident of a good result in this game. We have been playing well and the team sheet showed that except Van Persie this was perhaps the best starting line up we have. Within five minutes however, I was really worried. In spite of Arshavin fashioning a couple of openings for himself and making Brown look like a school boy it seemed to me that we were sitting back!

I am not sure whether we were “inhibited and tense” as Arsene said or it was a tactical decision. I doubt that Wenger would come up with the tactics of sitting back against the opponents who had lost 5 of their last six visits to the top four sides. That means most of our players were really nervous and for this kind of a game, our playing style, and given our defensive vulnerabilities we just could not afford that.

United got in behind us quite easily and quite often in the initial minutes. Mostly from the left. Some might consider this a problem with Clichy. I think Nasri was caught in no man’s land too often and there was no left sided DM cover as Denilson was hopeless. This put a great deal of pressure on Clichy who ended up making some mistakes. It was only a matter of time before United scored.

The first goal came from some excellent play by Nani. He tends to get inspired against Arsenal. Is it a great mystery or could it be down to something as simple as most Arsenal players’ inability to put a tackle in.

The Ronaldo wannabe went straight through Nasri and Clichy. How many times have we seen that when two or more Arsenal players close someone down they tend to wait for someone else to put a tackle instead of taking the responsibility themselves. Perhaps Song is the only one who takes it upon himself. This is a really deep rooted issue and one that Wenger must address if this team has to have title aspirations.

Even after his initial bit of trickery, Nani had a lot to do or maybe not, as it was Denilson on the edge of the box. The way Denilson was mesmerized just by body movement tells me how bad the Brazilian is in a defensive role. This gave Nani a clear run into the box.

Contrary to what some people believe, Almunia’s positioning was not poor it was good. If he had been any further back the near post would have been exposed. If Nani had scored on the near post Almunia would have been criticized for being too far back. The Spaniard has a simple problem now. People have decided he is not good enough and will find faults no matter what happens. To me, there was little the goal keeper could have done as the cross was excellent. Another skill that we desperately need to learn.

After the first goal went in we were forced to throw men forward. So whether it was tactical or just out of fear, we could not sit back anymore. The second goal showed why we had reasons to be afraid!! Our defending on counters is woeful. As I have mentioned in the past, we fail to maintain a good attacking shape leaving large holes for the opposition to exploit. This has very little to do with the formation but boils down to each individual player’s reading of the game.

Firstly, how easy is it for any striker to receive and hold the ball in front of our defenders? Rooney, though halfway inside his own half, had so much time to receive the ball and keep it while Nani pulled away. This is a simple matter of poor defensive technique and is common to almost all our defenders. Other top defenders attack the ball aggressively when a striker is about to receive it and this is another area Arsene must address.

Secondly, even when the ball was played to Nani there was plenty for him to do and we had bodies behind the ball. I was gutted by the effort put in by Denilson. He was ambling back and allowed Rooney to sprint past him into a good position. How can anyone defend him by saying he reads the game well and makes vital interceptions! If ever there was a time to make one, this was it. I was also a bit disappointed that Vermaelen didn’t throw his body on the line to block Rooney’s effort.

The third goal came from a similar counter. Denilson had a horrible first touch and then went AWOL. Rooney was able to receive and hold the ball in front of our defender. Then he was able to play it back to a team mate who lobbed it forward for Park. Really school boy level of play that was enough to carve us open. Too many of our players get attracted to the ball but cannot put a tackle in. Too many of our players don’t know when to give someone space and when to close them down. Hardly any Arsenal player knows how and when to commit a professional foul.

Three goals down, we put a disjointed effort to come back into the game. By now United were taking it easy and allowing us possession up to their box and clearing anything that was floated in. Some people, of course, cannot see beyond the need of a big tall front man but our problems were more down to a lack of cohesiveness and in the case of some players, a lack of effort.

We scored from a deflection as a handful of individuals worked hard. I was particularly impressed by the work put in by Gallas and if he had better awareness of where the goal was we might have scored the second, setting up an interesting final few minutes. On the other hand the visitors had plenty of chances on counter attacks but they couldn’t find the finish. This only highlights what I have said many times in the past – scoring a goal is difficult and needs multiple mistakes from the defending team and some great skill from the offensive team.

As it stands, our title challenge is in tatters. Before these four games we had discussed that whatever happens, we cannot lose to our title rivals in this period. A draw with Villa and this loss has put us in a situation where we need multiple slip-ups from Chelsea and United. I am a staunch supporter of this squad and Le Boss but it is difficult to see us coming back into the title race after such a showing. I doubt if the players have enough confidence and spirit to deliver under pressure.

When we lost to Chelsea, it was after playing well and dominating the ball. This defeat on the other hand was a complete mess as United had 58% possession at the end of the first half. The next two games are very critical and the fight for the title could easily be changed into a fight for third and fourth place. Worrying times ahead.

Individual Performances

Almunia: Was fairly decent. I don’t blame him for any of the goals.

Sagna: Efficient in defense as can be seen from the limited number of attacks down our right.

Gallas: A hardworking and solid performance. Couldn’t have done much more.

Vermaelen: Was poor for the second goal, could have done better for the first one as well.

Clichy: He is not match fit and doesn’t have his positioning right. Gets caught in no man’s land far too often. We need him to deliver on both fronts but right now he is struggling.

Song: My player of the match. Don’t want to imagine the scoreline without him. Worked really hard, was everywhere.

Denilson: I don’t like saying this about any Arsenal player but he was utterly useless, a serious liability in fact. Partially at fault for all the three goals.

Cesc: Struggled to get into the game as United played with three defensive central midfielders. Our play was tentative and off the ball movement was poor so we cant blame Fabregas too much. He tried as much as he could individually.

Rosicky: Really poor work rate and off the ball movement. I expect more from an experienced campaigner. At times, he has the tendency to stand and watch in stead of making an effort to get involved.

Arshavin: Worked really hard and created our best chances. Might have been too eager to deliver in a big game. Those who think he missed a number of chances should also count the number of chances Rooney missed. The only difference was the United front man got a lot more and better opportunities.

Nasri: Very poor positioning and work rate. Not sure if he is fully fit or not but he must do better both offensively and defensively.

Subs: Walcott is not a natural and cannot do wonders in such a game. Bendtner is out of touch and cannot come into a big game after a week of training. It’s not difficult to see why he didn’t start. Should we have played Eboue ahead of Sagna in this one?

Arsenal V Manchester United: Just Bring It!

When I started watching football this was the biggest game. In my mind it still is. With due respect to the North London Derby, which is always a game immersed in history, this one is more of a history-in-the-making kind of duel. There’s always something going down when these two giants of English Football meet.

Given the way the league is shaping up, this is a big match for not only Arsenal and United but Chelsea too. The Blues are sitting at the top and will be hoping for a stalemate that would give them a chance to pull away. Arsenal and United know that they have to use the present opponent as a stepping stone to reach within striking distance of Chelsea.

I am quite excited for this one. We might see Cesc, Arshavin, Rosicky and Nasri in tandem and that’s a bunch that can carve any opposition apart. It’s been a while since we beat the Mancs comprehensively and this might just be payback time.

To me, on paper, our team looks far superior to that of the visitors. Apart from Rooney, I am not sure if any United player offers a genuine threat. Giggs and Scholes can’t last the full duration anymore. Nani, Valencia, et al. are just not in the same league. Ferdinand will be missing and Vidic has been quite shaky ever since Torres taught him a lesson. Some might consider Fletcher’s persistent fouling and the Referee’s bias towards the visitors to be just as big a threat as their striker. I cannot argue with that, we just have to deal with it.

This game is about translating our superiority into a big result. Too often in the recent past we have dominated big games only to come away empty handed and at times even embarrassed. Often it has been a case of us committing hara-kiri rather than the opposition deserving a win, Diaby’s own goal in the reverse fixture being a case in point. Right now the league is just as complicated as the economy and we cannot afford expensive gifts to the opposition. If only the team could learn to be as miserly as Le Boss himself! (Be a Gooner, Be a Giver does not apply to the performance on the pitch, gentlemen.)

Tactically, this game will be a tight one. I expect Fergie will put three central midfielders all of them pre-dominantly in a defensive role. He might also put Park and Valencia, who must be quite fresh, on the wings making it a strong defensive midfield supported by two wingers capable of quick breaks. United have caught us on the break quite often. The Champions League semifinal was decided by two early counters. With Sol Campbell likely to replace the injured Vermaelen, I’d be a little worried if we played a very high line. On the other hand, I am hoping Sol will help us deal with set-pieces better.

Undoubtedly, Song will have a big role to play. If our full backs bomb forward, he will have to track the United wingers or midfielders who come forward to support Rooney. Song will also have to re-establish the link between defense and midfield that was broken in his absence.

The first few minutes will be crucial. We need to come out with purpose and establish our superiority. An early goal will do wonders as it will force United to be a tad more open. By the same measure, we can do without any early slip-ups. Conceding the advantage to a title rival in such a game due to a lapse in concentration or hesitant play would be a cardinal sin.

Another interesting tactical aspect is the striker’s role. Will the young Dane finally get his chance? Many of us want a big, strong Center Forward and I have no doubt about his abilities. However, if I was the manager, I wouldn’t start with Bendtner in this game. He is too rusty and at the moment his first touch isn’t good enough. United defenders will nick the ball off him far too easily and that might break down many of our attacks.

The team I would love to see is,

Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Campbell, Clichy; Song, Cesc, Denilson; Rosicky, Arshavin, Nasri.

Some might say we should play either Rosicky or Nasri in the middle in place of Denilson and play Bendtner up front. I think that’s a good option as well but we must not forget that as far as Arsene goes, Denilson is irreplaceable

Are you with me in sensing a season defining triumph then!?