There are many ways of looking at this game.
Some people will be frustrated. They’re likely to call this a horror show. They’ll say the Gunners were extremely lucky to go through. It’s not a completely wrong opinion but I won’t call it fair either.
Others will say it needed some ability to win despite playing with 10 men for so long. They might point to the fact that Manchester United struggled against similar opposition, City have drawn their game with a similar team, and the Tiny Totts have been well and truly spanked albeit by a Premiership side. They’ll also say that qualification is what mattered and the second string deserves credit for grinding out a result. I’m more inclined towards this opinion even though the game was quite frustrating to watch, especially for a few minutes in the second half.
Undoubtedly, there will be some who’ll say there were too many changes while others who might say there was one change too few. Nasri picked up a bad injury and will be missed for two-three weeks at least.
I thought Arsenal started brightly and looked in control right from the start. Bendtner cut in from the right and got a shot away in the third minute. A really good opening came in the 12th minute when Arshavin ran into the box and fired a low cross. It was deflected and probably put the Dane off as he was free in the six yard box. Soon after Arshavin tried his luck with a couple of strikes, one of which hit the post.
Arsenal got the lead in the 22nd second minute after Chamakh played Bendtner in. The Dane’s strike across goal was going wide but it went in off a defender.
Arsenal lost some impetus after scoring the goal and after Nasri limped off. The visitors grew in confidence and created a number of chances off set-pieces and counter attacks. Their best opening of the first half came from a counter attack down the left channel when Gibbs was caught up near the opposition penalty area. Only a last gasp tackle from Squillaci did enough to take the ball away from a striker set to score a tap in.
The game changing moment came in similar fashion when Gibbs was again caught making a daft forward run. Arshavin lost a dribble and the visitors were able to move from the edge of their box to the Arsenal penalty area with a couple of touches and within seconds.
Squillaci committed a professional foul and was sent off. I thought the decision, while technically correct, was a combination of some factors – sympathetic decision making by the ref for a lower league team that is down a goal, he is an Arsenal player, he is a foreigner. If his name had been Gary Neville or indeed Jamie McCombe, Squillaci would have stayed on the pitch with a yellow card. Those who like lazy arguments will again bash the defender but I don’t want to criticize him for his nationality, his name, and certainly not for the club he plays for!
Arsenal held on till half time and Arshavin again went close soon after restart. Rosicky was beginning to have an impact on the game in the second half and consequently came in for some rough treatment from the opponents.
Soon after Huddersfield started dominating the match. They won a succession of set-pieces and Arsenal were all over the place defensively. It wasn’t an individual problem but more of a systemic ones as no one was blocking the crosses once the corners or throws were taken short.
Almunia made a phenomenal save to keep Arsenal in the game. Arshavin made an incredible last-gasp tackle to deny another Huddersfield player. But the equalizer was inevitable and came from a corner in the 66th minute. Diaby was marking the goal scorer but couldn’t get off the ground.
Having made two forced substitutions (Rosicky for Nasri, Song for Chamakh) Arsene didn’t have many choices. I thought he took a brilliant decision in introducing Fabregas for Diaby.
Immediately Arsenal looked more composed and found some teeth up front. Bendtner went close with a header in the 70th minute. The Dane again got a great chance in the 73rd minute after some good work by Arshavin but was denied by a defender’s lunging block. Koscielny and Rosicky also had good shots blocked.
Arsenal got the winner in the 86th minute from a spot kick. Interestingly, the defender wasn’t sent off even though he was clearly the last man. Arsene deftly avoided controversy by saying it’s understandable inside the box but he also said enough to hint that he was not amused by Clattenberg’s decision making.
I thought there were a number of positives in this game. The work rate of Arshavin and Bendtner, the composure shown by the team in the final 20 minutes, the belief that they can win even with 10 men, Almunia showing he is a true professional with real character, and most of all a result that all the wealth of Man City wasn’t able to achieve.
Individual Performances
Almunia: One excellent save and some other good catches and saves. Couldn’t have done much for the goal or for the chances that went wide. Not bad for a guy who has been out of action for so long.
Eboue: Was very exciting every time he ran to the opposition box, unbearable after he reached there. Should have done better in defence but no major bloopers.
Squillaci: Will be some fans’ favourite villain but I don’t blame him. Made one big tackle to prevent a goal and one mistake that might have proven costly.
Koscielny: Continued on his excellent form. Can’t really blame him for the way the team was defending.
Gibbs: Extremely poor. Made far too many ill-advised forward bursts. Late in the game he was completely switched off and the visitors got a lot of joy down the left as he rarely got into the right positions to block the crosses. Some of it can be explained by inexperience but the youngster will have to show a lot more focus if he wants to take his chances.
On the whole, for a largely second string back five, this was not a bad performance. If it had been 11 v 11 Arsenal would have been quite comfortable despite the mistakes by Gibbs. I was disappointed the youngster wasn’t told to curb his runs even after the team got the lead.
Diaby: He was good on the ball but his passing in the final third was quite uninspiring. Should also have done better in the box while defending set-pieces. As we’ve seen with him in the past, will need some games to get back to speed.
Nasri: Was linking up well with Arshavin before his injury. Was dropping deep and taking more responsibility. We have to hope Diaby’s return can make up for this loss.
Rosicky: Looked sharp in the second half. Dominant every time he got on the ball. Played really well with Cesc in the final 20 minutes. Should have done better defensively.
Denilson: His lack of pace was caught out every time Gibbs went forward. Almost gifted a goal with a back pass to an opposition striker. Didn’t offer enough in attack or defence as his limitations were magnified by the large number of changes to the side.
I thought the midfield was fairly decent till the sending off. Denilson was looking weak on the left but the defenders would have dealt with it after half time had it been 11 v 11.
Bendtner: Excellent work rate all over the pitch. Got lucky with the goal but created the luck with his effort. Was lively and threatening right till the end. Needs better concentration to improve his conversion rate as he gets into very good positions.
Chamakh: Got an assist but I was disappointed with his overall contribution. Should have moved around a lot more.
Arshavin: Excellent work rate, was always looking to create or score. One tackle that had me rubbing my eyes in disbelief. Will probably take Nasri’s position in the team.
Subs: I’ve already covered Rosicky, Song was steady but didn’t attack enough headers, Cesc made a big impact and scored a vital goal.
Bentner as usual missed goals anyone else would get
ohk hotshot, but still he is an arsenal player and ur just dimbhead….(“dimb” get it???!!)….the thing remains, we don’t watch other team’s player misses, we only watch them score goals in highlights. Hence, comparison can’t be made. Did u watch tavez miss a sitter against sunderland???it was empty goal and he blasted over.
One of many horror shows Desi, you can`t rely on their form, every game is a lottery. So, big Cesc comes on to save the day AGAIN.
On the salaries they get every single one of them, including the goalkeeper ,should be capable of scoring from the spot.
Without Nasri I expect Everton take the points.
one loss in 10 hardly represents a lottery and the only the only thing you should be expecting from everton is a blue bus parked firmly in front of there goal line.
keep ur aussie BS off the afc blogs
Did you see Man City V Leicester or Notts county? United V West Ham or Southampton? No team can keep on playing games every 3 days in such a physical league and perform wonders consistently.
Cesc came to save the day just as Giggs and Nani did a day earlier. It happens all the time but it seems some fans have poor memories.
Everton are a very good team and have consistently troubled the top sides in the last couple of seasons. It will be a tough game but they might shade it with the support of the negative Arsenal fans.
I’m not sure if their memories are short as much as they are selective memories!
It sometimes feels some fans have a go at the team more so to be right in their “punditry” about the status of the team or players. For example, I don’t think Squillacci is one bit of a bad player, made some mistakes… but also had good moments. So many fans are so keen that he is useless, and I can see it coming him proving them wrong sooner than it will take Denilson, whom WILL prove many if not MOST Arsenal fans that he is a FANTASTIC player.
BENDTNER DID IT!
Everton also played a full fledged side against Chelsea to yesterday and so their first 11 shouldn’t be that fresh compared to our first 11.
And you’re probably forgetting that we went to Goodison park and beat them 2-1 so i expect a decent performance against them
I only fear Saha because he has the capability to score wonder goals even though he’s not in very good form
Also i don’t understand how a team of 10 scoring 2 and conceding 1 is a horror show
I agree that our second string is not playing eye catching football but there is a reason we are playing the second string. 1 is the fatigue factor and 2 is in case of injuries we want the replacements to be inform
Now i don’t believe you can honestly say that Arshavin or Bendtner haven’t improved in this game and when they fill in for Nasri it should not impact the team balance too much
We need the subs to hot form with so amny crucial games coming up
I don’t believe the rubbsh you have written here. Squillaci is abysmal. Almunia, apart from one great save, was poor, Eboue is utterly useless, Bendtner too and Denilson is not even close to being good enough.
We were at home against a side two divisions below us and we nearly blew it. The problem is that bringing in one or two of these squad players is fine but 5 or 6 together just doesn’t cut it.
And now what? Song is on defensive standby for three games after the idiot Squillaci got himself red-carded. Should have let the guy go through and try to score; same mistake as in Paris with 11 men we always have a chance.
“Song was steady but didn’t attack enough” if he had and they had scored you would have berated him for not sticking to his defensive duties.
You usually write a good analysis but this is unbelievable
Sorry but you can’t even read a complete sentence and understand it in the right context. “Song was steady but didn’t attack enough HEADERS” – I thought he could have done better defensively with so many crosses coming into the box. I don’t blame him much as all Arsenal defenders are weak at that so it was just an observation.
How do you expect others to take your opinions seriously? It’s easy to say X was poor, Y is utterly useless. Many will say the same about the quality of your opinion if you don’t bring the right perspective and balance.
I really am not sure what you’re on about Squillichi would only miss a game as only violent behaviour warrants a three match ban and for the game against everton we’d have Djourou back and don’t even tell me that almunia was bad, he singlehandedly (no pun intended) kept us in the game and I don’t see what more could he do. Did you want him to score or something?
Almunia…goes to show Arsene should think very hard before shipping him out.
I’d keep Almunia around. If anything he makes an excellent deputy for Fabianski (unless of course Almunia wants to play in Turkey in which case)
Almunia has always been a great goal keeper… and like all keepers, you are much more prone to make mistakes if your team doesn’t defend well. We don’t have half the defensive problems we had last season so there is no reason why Almunia should play bad.
All THREE keepers are feeling much less nervous and hence are performing better. Fabianski has already won many fans over. It’s Manuel’s turn.
squillaci seems to carry a bit too much bad luck with him, although the guy who got him sent off did transform in to messi for 5 seconds. i cant believe nasri started, like you say lets hope diaby helps fill the gap. chamakh seems quite strong sometimes but mostly got pushed about today. almunia did make a super-save but i think his attempt to save the goal was a bit dodgy. good to finally see rosicky spraying the ball around, his turn and through ball to a.a was vintage ‘little mozart’ stuff
It was Denilson’s half-hearted challenge that allowed Hunt (the fellow that made the run) all the time and space in th world to make such a run which on first viewing may seem brilliant but is nothing more than routine
It wasn’t Denilson’s fault for God’s sake. Gibbs was nowhere. There was a clear pass down the touchline that Denilson had to block. It would have been very difficult for Denilson to win the ball there because there was just too much space for the attacker. Denilson showed him toward Squillaci and Koscielny who were caught a bit flat footed. Squillaci made a terrible error to bring him down. Let him through on goal and let Almunia try to collect it or even let him have a shot. Let him score even. Going down to 10 men is much worse.
did u guys noticed eboue at that instant of time??? he was jogging back, no midfield player was to be seen anywhere near the ball, there were only 2 defenders against 2 attackers and it was hardly a lightening counter-attack stuff.
Above things show lack of chemistry and understanding between our 2nd string. I don’t know, but one can easily say, that was “pass the buck” sort of stuff. May be they were increasing their chances of playing in 1st team by decreasing chances of others.
No one sensed the danger.
Denilson was in no position to track back(not that he could have) and others should have realized that.
I agree, and if Eboue had actually ran to get back (he seems really lazy recently) Squillaci wouldn’t have been the last defender and wouldn’t have been sent off. I have always been a fan of Eboue, but he seems to have become lazy recently and stopped defending, although he’s still good going forward.
Yeah if Eboue had been closer it would have been different. But the simple fact is against Arsenal it can always be given. Even in this case we could see that the ball was knocked in one direction and the attacker was trying to run around Squillaci. Who can say for sure Koscielny won’t have recovered in time to support?
I’m fairly certain the three factors I mentioned in the post played a big part in the red card. Did you notice Clattenberg’s face when he was giving the card? The expression was intriguing to say the least.
I’ve seen the game twice now. I read some blogs and match reports that were published shortly after the game finished before watching the game for the second time. As such, I was particularly looking at the players that got a lot of stick; Gibbs, Squillaci, Denilson, Chamakh and Bendtner.
1. Almunia had an OK game
2 Eboue was (as always) variable. He is a truly athletic player who made some really good runs that ended up in nothing.
3. Squillaci; Weak. Watching it live, it looked to me the sending off was a bit harsh. However, after watching it frame by frame in slow motion, there can be no doubt that it was the correct decision.
4. Koscielny: Another acceptable performance from him.
5. Gibbs: I believe he has been unfairly criticized. For me, it looked like both full backs were told to go forward. Gibbs had several very good interceptions.
6. Diaby: After a lengthy spell on the sidelines, it was good to see him back. Made in my opinion some poor passes and wrong choices. Still, the quality in running with and the fighting to win the ball, shows us what he can bring to the team.
7. Denilson: He has qualities, else one of the best managers in world football would never have played him. He makes himself very often available for other players so they can make easy passes to him.
8. Nasri: He was less involved than what I expected from a player of his quality.
9. Bendtner: Yes, he misses a lot of chances but look at what he contributes with. One of the reasons is that he is often in the right place to receive passes and crosses.
10. Chamakh: A poor game today.
11. Arshavin: Had a very good game. Creative, challenged the opposition, made runs AND made that amazing definsive tackle. I do hope he is on his way back now that we’ll be without Nasri for 3+(?) weeks.
—–
12. Rosicky: A good game. He was consistently fouled by HT players.
13. Song: Another solid performance.
14. Fabregas: What A Player… Showed the quality and made the impact AW was looking for.
I had been looking forward to this game as I was expecting an enjoyable game without too much stress and some good goals. We all know now that it wasn’t to be. Nasri , our player of the season so far, out injured until March, but we did get into the next round.
Agree with you about Gibbs making good interceptions. But overall I thought he didn’t show enough maturity. It reminded me of the problems Clichy had initially. I get a feeling the coaches haven’t worked on a system here and have left it to the players to work out the best options. Because of that, just like Clichy before him, Gibbs will probably take some time to work out how to time his runs while playing with Arshavin and Denilson.
Ultimately the primary responsibility of defending is on the full-back. And unless he makes a meaningful attacking contribution forward runs are not enough justification for leaving the flank exposed.
I agree with you about the sending off as well. Based on the letter of the law it was a red card. But I’m not happy with the selective application of the letter of the law.
And where are all those who called for Gibbs to start ahead of Clichy?
Gibbs is a talent but he still has a learning curve to follow.
Probably crying for a new left back
Desi. Well done with the ratings couldn’t have agreed more especially with denilson. I have always been one to defend players like denilson but my God he was SH*T. I have never seen a performance that poor OMG. He could not even perform the basic functions of a DM. I can’t remember him collecting the ball from an opponent, they breezed past him like he dint exist. Wen he lost d he dint even look bothered he just strolled. Am pretty sure if frimpong dint get injured denilson would have been playing for the reserves. D performance was poor 2day but we got the result against all odds n dats how champions play.
This is why I look forward to reading your blog desi!…very objective!…u are absolutely different from all those emotional clowns who call themselves “fans”… Sometimes I wonder if this isn’t wenger’s blog bcos u sound just like him!…lol please keep up the good work. So far you are by far the best arsenal analyst I have seen on the web. Cheers
Vic, totally, absolutely and wholeheartedly agree with you!
Me too.
Thanks.
To be honest I can’t wait for the day Wenger starts writing/voicing his opinion as an analyst/pundit. It will be analysis at a level we have never seen before.
Right now as a manager he has to control a lot of what he speaks. But for now I’m happy to benefit from his managerial prowess. Punditry can come later when he doesn’t feel physically capable of doing the managers role.
Once again, I agree. He is such a bright person.
Bendtner proved again that hes not good enough.Shame on him for trying to claim that own goal.
Bendtner may not convert a lot of chances but with at least he gives a hundred percent every time he’s on the field.
I’m sure you wouldn’t have been slagging him off when he was our only available forward available last year and filled in seamlessly
No! Its shame on you for writing such absolute trash. Are you truly an Arsenal fan, seriously?
Your analysis was insightful contrary to the views of another reader. A suggestion; perhaps you should include your rating of the manager for each game in addition to the players. Comment on the appropriatenness of the shape he employed to start the game; any changes made in response to the game as it unfolds; the tactics he employed; the timing of moves he made both tactically and thru personnel. Obviously, the actions of the Manager definately impact the performance of the team and the individual players. He is after all “the boss” and his moves should be judged according to the results obtained.
A suggestion…
On another note the state of affairs re Chamakh has also become an issue. This confident, hard working, clever and effective striker has been transformed into a shadow of the player we watched and enjoyed in the first few months of the season. He is now hesitant, completely lacking in confidence who seems to be at a loss for what to do and where to go. His first touch has virtually vanished, he can no longer handle cleanly the ball in his feet nor does he seem to want the ball on his feet and, he is reluctant to face up to a defender and attack him one on one. What has happened to this promising young talent that joined the team such a short time ago.
On another note, Arsenal is still in the hunt for 4 trophies which means a very heavy schedule of games in the next 6 – 8 weeks. We all know this and know the physical and mental demands this schedule puts on our players. We desperately need a strong central defender to complement the defenders we currently have on the team. We need some capable insurance, some backup for a beseiged backline.
A clone of Djoureau would be perfect but frankly we have been very fortunate to see him develop as quickly as he has done this year. We need to move fast to sign one of a number of players, already identified by Arsene and his team of talent scouts, to provide the cover we need. Arsene has a list of qualified players, we neede to act and act fast.
We are in an excellent position to win one or more of the trophies we are competing for but we are so exposed… The next few months see a very busy schedule of games for the team and we all know tired players make mistakes and are more susceptable to injuries.
Arsene knows this yet better than all of us and acknowledged the need to acquire a defender back in early Decedmber before the transfer window even opened. BUT NOW, he seems willing to take a huge risk by DOING NOTHING rather than making a modest investment that will minimize the risk and enhance the odds of success for the team.
I, and most Arsenal supporters find it inconceivable that Arsene has rationalized to himself and to the Arsenal board that DOING NOTHING TO DEAL with the obvious shortcomings, is the preferred course of action he wishes to follow at this point in time.
It makes no sense to follow a pennywise pound foolish strategy like this at this point in time. WHY is he taking this course of action?
The bafflegab that he has been providing as of late to support his non action is absolutely meaningless and frankly insulting to the intelligence of Arsenal supporters everywhere. ” We cant find any? Waiting for them to knock on our door. Can’t find a perfect fit to complement our existing talented defenders. We don’t really need one any longer etc, etc… “.
We all know these answers are inappropriate yet he throws out little one liners like this and then moves on to another subject without taking questions.
Arsene knows perfectly well who is available. He also knows that we do not need “perfection” at this point in time.
Fact is, the majority of the people on his list of possibles are superior to the unfortunate Squillaci and would be in far better playing condition than our recovering Vermaleon if he is able to play at all in the next few months.
Why he won’t invest $5-20 million dollars, if necessary, to ensure that he takes the best possible shot at success in one or more trophy hunts is a real mystery? His inaction on this issue is a frustation to the loyal supporters of the team.
Do you not think he owes it to the team and the Arsenal supporters to bring in a solid defender now?
Signed
A frustated, deeply concerned, long time Arsenal supporter
Very good post man, Arsene seems to be willing to take a very big risk on an oft-injured Djourou playing at a high level throughout this season and I still don’t understand why he can’t even make a loan signing.
About Chamakh, I completely share your bewilderment- the only thing I pray for is that this period of uncertainty and lack of confidence is natural considering how surprisingly well he played in the first 2-3 months of the season given the notoriously long time it takes for foreigners to settle in. I also think it could be that we sacrificed RVP getting back into form and Chamakh getting rest for a prolonged winter period for what we see right now and it comes around to help us at the tail end of the season when RVP’s skillfulness and Cham’s strength bail us out and lift us to some silverware (or at least, challenging seriously for something).
Right now, there’s only one swear word stuck in my head: D***lson*#&%!
Interesting point about Chamakh making a big difference at the end of the season. I feel he needs to work on his play while facing the goal, he’s pretty good with his back to goal. This seems like a good time for him to train on those things and then he can deliver late in the season.
I get bone-achingly tired of this brainless “why does he DO NOTHING, why doesn’t he SPEND” crap.
He is DOING SOMETHING – he’s looking for a loan player – and he doesn’t just SPEND because he’s not employed by Arsenal Football Club just to keep idiots like you (and me) happy.
And it’s a good job too because if he bought all the 20-mil players everyone wants him to, we’d either be the new Real Madrid, the new Citeh or the new Leeds – and I’d much rather we stayed the Old Arsenal.
When all are fit, we have 4 centre-backs who could all reasonably expect to get in to the first team. 3 of those are great, Squillaci’s good enough.
A squad DOES NOT NEED more than 4 first-team ready centre-backs.
If we’re talking about potential purchases then what the squad needs, if anything, is a versatile defender/midfielder who can cover for Song and fill in at left back, right back or centre-half if pushed. Pardon me for swearing, but someone like O’Shea, Corluka or Jagielka.
Such a versatile player is hard to find, and I for one don’t want Wenger to panic-buy in the January window.
I’m more than happy with his solution of trying to find a loan CB until the end of the season, and if it doesn’t work out you know what, I’m happy to give him something called “the benefit of the doubt”. If you haven’t heard of it, you should try it: it’s something that you use when you have no idea what’s really involved in a given situation.
I’m not a paid-up member of the “Wenger Knows” club, but you can count me in to the “Wenger Knows A Damn Sight More Than You” society.
Benefit of the doubt – very important concept that some fans refuse to acknowledge.
I have no doubt Wenger tried to get someone in but the options didn’t work out on one or more criteria.
Keith,
Thanks for the suggestion. It’s a very good one and I will try to incorporate that. The articles tend to get long so I will have to find a way of condensing the content if I have to do that consistently.
Re Chamakh, my thoughts are along the lines of your observations. I’m not sure what has happened to Chamakh. It could be that he is trying to develop some other skills in training and has not been able to play the way he did initially. It could also be an issue of coordination as he has played in weaker, second string teams recently.
Regarding buying a defender, I said in the summer that Arsenal needed one more versatile defensive player. I still stand by that opinion. There are plenty of options and variations that we can have in attack but in defence we could do with one more body.
Wenger obviously has his own thoughts on this, probably based on years of experience and seriously objective analysis, so I don’t want to second guess his reasons.
One thing I feel is that Arsenal are not likely to get any really useful player below 20M in the current market and that might be a big block for Arsene.
The red card is the mistake of Gibbs and Denilson. Denilson couldn’t win the ball from Hunt but after he skipped past him, Denilson didn’t even move. I didn’t see Gibbs in the picture at all. Kos distracted by the player on his left and Squillaci left like deer in headlights. Kos might have done better in that situation but it is what it is. If someone still believes Denilson is acceptable as the main DM and a cover for Gibbs, they are utterly wrong. I can get behind AA23 because he puts in his efforts but Denilson is such a lethargic zombie, I turn into blind rage. Nothing is as annoying as a player who doesnt work hard when needed to especially midfielders.
The midfield worked when Nasri was on the pitch. I thought one of Song or Wilshere should have partnered Diaby. Rosicky-Diaby-Denilson with Eboue and Gibbs as full backs is not a balanced side.
Also, Denilson is not your sixth choice midfielder. He is third for the DM position.
Well we got what we needed and lets focus Everton now.
Denilson was the main culprit for the goal can’t help but he proves time and again he is not good enough weak physically mentally ,you may call me a sexist there
DENILSON…. The worst player in the field…..
I think it goes back to what I mentioned some threads back that whilst Wenger has a good idea (as we all do) who the first team is, he is yet to know his best ‘second team’.
To my mind, sans Fab and RVP, we should always have Song starting.
This particularly as :
1) Denilson cannot hold on his own and Diaby is just back from injury (never mind is lapses)
2) Squillaci is just back.
Of course to be fair to Wenger, we were playing Huddersfield and he must also (crucially) keep a tight eye on exposure to Song which brings me to my main question…what if Song gets injured?
Hmm that wasn’t suppose to be a smiley face, more like an extremely perturbed face was what I was going for.
Something like this?
Damn! You can’t get that perturbed face (smiley) now, can you?
We’ll be fine inshallah.
Problem with Denilson is that his confidence COMPLETELY vanishes once he makes even a small mistake. Ok fine he made a HUGE blunder yesterday passing the ball to the striker of the opposing team (thank god we werent playing barca!!) but still he should be able to put it past him and get on with the game.
I probably might get bashed for saying this by all u, but i actually thought he played well until the blunder. He was connecting with the defense well, always coming deep to get the ball, and kept the ball moving. He basically did what scholes do for ManU (minus the long passes/shots), kept things ticking. But after he made the mistake, he was all over the shop. And the thing that irritates me the most is that once an attacker passes him or a near by team mate, he doesnt close down or even TRY to catch up!
Anyways the point is, he should try getting on with the game after making a mistake, its a quality every top league footballer should have!
Interesting observation. Arshavin lacks confidence too but do you see him slogging his ass off after he received some flak? That is the thing that bothers me about Denilson. This is a pro level sport. There is a lot of competition for his place and it should only motivate him. If you don’t have the mentalilty to deal with it then you don’t belong here. See a psychiatrist. There are plenty of good ones or go to a different league or a lower level team where you can feel better. Not here. Not in my club.
Frustrated with my players? Go read some Stratford Coldspur blogs. You’ll come back and support us with renewed vigour.
Here is one amusing piece about their signing of the season, LOL
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/226271/Tottenham-s-Rafael-van-der-Vaart-class-fading-fast/
I’m literally starting to fall desperately sick everytime I see Denilson’s name on the teamsheet- the highest compliment I can give him is that he could be an ok player in a much slower league that doesn’t need great physical qualities but I have to admit that time and time again, he looks absolutely appalling.
We’re playing against a team two divisions below us and this dude continuously loses his man with no super skill being shown by the opponent, the guy is always miles behind play and I’m not surprised Cesc was mad at him the last time, I’d go one step further and say that he’s more than slow, he’s way behind any mental level to be playing for us.
I can’t even get angry at Squillaci or Gibbs (who had an absolute stinker) but this Denilson issue is killing me- we send Ramsey away (even for a month) to give games to this turd who right now is not right for our team in any way, thank heavens that Wilshere has come up in leaps and bounds in this particular position this season or we’d be s**tting our pants every day we had to play important matches with Denilson in place of someone else.
I really hope this ends up being some patient work of art from Arsene but there’s no way on earth I see it- even with Song some years ago, he always seemed to have that physicality but was lacking strongly in wise decision making- I don’t ever see Denilson entering into any significant role in our midfield in the next 100 years: I mean can someone say what in the world he is meant to develop into? An attacking CM, a roving DM a la Flamini, WHAT??????
I really hope this doesn’t mess up a promising and not-supposed-to-be-another-developmental season as I really think we have what it takes to stun a lot of folks (even Barca) this year but any opportunity would be lost in the hands of our substitutes. Denilson, for me, is the representation of all that is wrong with our reserves (he is quite simply wack and even the hard work he attempts to put ends up hurting the team more than helping). I just hope Wenger reconsiders bring some experience at the CB position and Ramsey comes back fitter and able to contribute if we’re decimated by injuries.
Moving away from my ridiculously long rant, I think the team today (overlooking 2/3 horrific performances) needs games like this to build their confidence in the event that some of them have to come in to replace our starters. I’m glad Andrey seems to be getting back a bit cos he’s more than likely taking Nasri’s role in the next 3 weeks and it’d be lovely if he found his scoring touch against Everton, N.Castle and especially Barca. I was really happy with Rosicky getting about and holding the ball up, hope he chips in with a goal very very soon. Eboue will always be Eboue. In particular, I actually think we played much better than all our rivals this weekend (City, Man U, Chelsea) and spurs (if they think they fall into that category)- the red card changed a lot and added to the flaws we’ve always had (defending set pieces and high balls). We should be happy that a weapon like Cesc shows how permanent class is, thankfully RVP and him have missed their share of games this season and we’ve coped well- here’s to them being fit for the rest of the season!
didn’t read it completely, u get down rating for writing an article in the comment section.
and it was a rant…agreeable though, but we just can’t look in arsene’s mind, and thank god for that.
Denilson is just Awful. He was as bad as ever yesterday. What does Wenger see in him ffs? Arshavin’s tackle to save a goal was brilliant!
A fair assessment.
First and foremost, we got through – good. But regardless of the result it looks like Nasri will miss the first leg against Barca – bad.
Cesc provided inspiration off the bench, even before the penalty – good. But perhaps we are becoming overly reliant on him – bad.
Denilson was not as bad as many seem to think – he completed something like 95% of his passes yesterday – but equally he adds so little in an attacking sense, and he is a liability defensively. He’s a contributor as a squad player, but no more.
And if this turns out to be Almunia’s last game for us, then at least he leaves us with a memorable final save. Good luck to him.
http://thearmchairsportsfan.com/2011/01/31/fabregas-penalty-allows-hamstrung-arsenal-to-shake-off-tenacious-terriers/
Does anyone know who Arsenal will play in the 5th round?
brothelona – fa cup 5th round – carling cup – farca
loanus.
In between those fixtures we will be hopefully fighting for league title. To win all those we need every one…and every one…and more
Away to Leighton Orient.
Jai Ho to Arsenal
hey desi, rating thing is really coming off nicely, i guess. It at least tells which comment to focus on, either negative or positive and then form two extreme sets of view. And then we can know what most fans think,why they think such thing and how can u change the general ingnorance shown by some of the fans.
Just a request to regular members of this blog, don’t shy away from commenting due to ratings. Every comment that u post helps building a healthy discussion.
future is bright and it’s definitely not red or blue or white…..
wow!!!, there are 3 or 4 articles in the comment section…..this proves my point, this is one of the best blog around.
I completely agree.
Good to see Arshavin playing well after making ‘those’ comments. Hope he continues to play well. Will replace Nasri certainly.
Bendtner can only get better, he is 23, and needs some game time.
Many players have got their deserved rest. Everton played Chelsea on Saturday, so physically, we have an advantage. And is Cahill out due to the Asian Cup?
Anyways, should be another good week ahead for us.
Another great article Desi, keep up the great work!
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