Adebayor and Eduardo win as Arsenal lose

Results

Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
22 Jan	8:00 PM	LC	Tottenham Hotspur (A)	1	5	Lost

"Where is the English aggression?" Capello is said to have asked as he watched England fall to Croatia. English aggression is what won Manchester United the Treble, won Liverpool the Champions League and won the game for Spurs yesterday.

It works only occasionally but usually at the expense of consistency since consistency is about playing good football. Arsenal rarely show that aggression, they play football all the time. It works 90% of the time and is more consistent so the odds are much better and for that reason, I am prepared to take some of the losses without shame.

Usually, when my team is getting thumped like that, I switch off at a point when I think it is insurmountable – when I can't take it anymore. Interestingly, I did not do so last night. A lot of fans left the stadium early, I cannot condone it but I can understand. Good on you, that one die-hard fan with a ROCKY shirt that stayed on and refused to hide!

Another reason I watched yesterday was because apart from some sleepwalking defending I thought we were not being made complete idiots of. It looked like we could also score. But yesterday was one day when nothing went right for us and every bit of luck went to Spurs. Mind you Spurs played really well.

During this season, Arsenal have failed to connect passes well enough to score but have scored from headers, deflections, penalties (even some unfair ones) where we could so easily have gone against them. Again for that reason, we have to take the day when it goes for the other team – Bendtner's own goal, Fabianski caught by surprise so early in the game when he had come forward, the disallowed penalty on Diaby, etc.

Sometimes, losing is not such a bad thing if you have the right character to take it and move on. This game would remind Arsenal if any reminder were needed after Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Birmingham that nothing is for granted. Any fixture against any side should be taken deadly seriously if we have not already learned that.

A few winners emerged on the Arsenal side along with many losers or lessons. First, the pairing of Hoyte and Gallas will probably not happen again. Gallas is a top professional and this game will remind him that as far as Touré is absent, he needs to talk a lot more with his new partners and work harder with them to secure good teamwork.

Wenger will also probably tell anyone who is playing instead of Flamini to do as Flamini does – always challenge seriously if a player starts running towards your area. Challenge seriously means win the ball, stop the player or delay the player. It the one thing that Italian defenders and midfielders are masters of.

It's best to do it earlier rather than later because doing it early usually means less force hence no yellow card, just a foul if you get it wrong, no foul if you just do enough to delay the player and definitely resulting in a disrupted or lost attack for your opponent.

The game may not have been good for Theo's confidence. He takes on a lot. That shows courage but intelligence is deciding how much you can take on at each point. Bendtner will also be down but his got a lot of confidence and I hope it will be helped by the fact that he was not substituted.

Diaby has a problem – he finds the most difficult way to do the simplest things. In a fast moving game that should have actually suited Arsenal, Spurs turned out to be the best example of one touch football while Diaby and Walcott took too many.

Another realisation from this game is that Arsenal do not have a match winner. Hleb is one of my favourite players ever. Shoot me if you like but I hold Hleb in the same esteem as Zidane. But unlike Zidane, Hleb is not a match winner, he is just a very good player and that is why he will not win the World, European or Premiership Best Player or even lesser awards.

The players who stand out and win these awards do so because they have similar good skills like Hleb and some even lesser skilled but they can all win games. Kaka and Ronaldo of Manchester United are good cases.

Fabregas is not a match winner either. It is difficult to win games without Hleb and Fabregas but they will not win it by themselves.

So is it Adebayor? Well many of my friends think so but for me, the jury is still out. He is however, the closest we have although I would not be surprised if Eduardo turns out to be the guy before Adebayor.

Adebayor and Eduardo were the clear winners from yesterday. In Adebayor's case, it is because he is the only consistent scorer and has proven so from the bench as well as from start. The variety of his goals from headers, tap-ins, fantastic shots and passing is clear for all to see and is a great asset. Adebayor's weaknesses have been melting away in the past few months in a kind of improvement I have not seen since Thierry Henry suddenly looked like a bargain instead of an expensive player one season.

In Eduardo's case, his flexibility and ability to work well in different areas of the pitch is excellent. His movement is fantastic and he is also an assist guy. In this game, he kept popping up just around the defence and in midfield to pick up balls and selflessly distribute them or hold them much better while threatening.

Talking about improvement, Eduardo has realised already (where Baptista failed) that in the Premiership, the first thing he must master is protecting the ball when you get it because the Premiership doesn't give you time. Worth noting that Eduardo has been here only about 7 months and he is showing the adaptation suddenly that took many great players 18 months to fix.

Eduardo and Adebayor have cemented their positions as the first-choice strike force. In my experience, that settles a player or both players so that they can move to the next crucial stage – start building a partnership together because they know that it will be a lasting one.

This is a quite important phase and can only happen when players know this is their fixed partner. That might bear some fruit for Arsenal in the last 18 games of the season which is shaping out to be a big fight.

I have enjoyed watching the kids in the Carling Cup. In the past few seasons, they have been more relaxing and entertaining than the seniors and I had hoped they would win it this year. I suspect Wenger played a strong team in order to give them a chance to reach the final.

It's only the Carling Cup anyway and something that Spurs might actually have a shot at winning. But you never know with the English aggression – you score against such a team and they get even more aggressive and then get sent off.

As I said, English aggression wins games but it is inconsistent, it has brought England as much glory as sending offs that cost them dear. In Spurs case, they will be more confident because the aggression was matched by very good counter-attacking football. They've learned something from us from over the fence afterall.

Next up is Newcastle and Newcastle. A lot of aggression will be on the cards and I hope we can find football solutions for it as well as a better defence.

User Comments

slimbionic

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maya

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 10:20 PM - Reply

Ermm... Excuse me.. English Aggression?
Man Utd won the Premier League last season primely due to C.Ronaldo fine form.. Is he english?
Liverpool won the CL but their team is packed with Spanish players.
And first team Spurs won against out second team. Is that something to be proud of?

Joel Che

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 08:07 PM - Reply

I wrote this article before I found out details about Adebayor's behaviour. I don't know the full story yet but from what I have heard, Adebayor needs to be punished. From what I have heard his behaviour was extremely disrespectful and such behaviour threatens the stability of the team and needs to be stamped out because such an act can threatens the season.

gunner always and forever

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 07:02 PM - Reply

My cousin who is a big Chelsea supporter yesterday was slagging me about the loss. But he mentioned one thing that got me thinking. Remember last year when Arsenal lost out to Chelsea in the Carling Cup final? They then went on to ruin any chances of silverwear that season. they lost out in the Champions league, FA cup and lost a vital Premier league match that almost certainly kept them out of the title race. Jonah said that it would happen this weekend aswell with Newcastle and then the next weekend with Newcastle. The Kevin Keegan factor would come through. I've a lot of faith in Arsenal so HOPE NOT!

timao

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 06:17 PM - Reply

Good article. Eduardo does look fantastic at times, I just hope he start finding the net with the same frequency he did in Croatia! Once again we are going through a large chunk of the season without Van Persie, it seems like terrible luck as he is arguably our best player and was in brilliant form. The sooner he is back in action the sooner we will have a match-winner back in the team. Walcott rules! Don't let him go on loan.

fahmid

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 04:43 PM - Reply

dont agree that hleb and fabregas are not match winners

P38L0

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 03:04 PM - Reply

Interesting, but what about Van Persie?
If anything I think Wenger still fancies Bendtner and Van Persie together as much as Adebayor and Eduardo.
Maybe he'll have to have two separate strike partnerships...would also mean he doesn't have to play Adebayor and Bendtner together, which after the incredible incident on Tuesday (surely worth a mention...?)could be a good thing...!
Either way compared to Tevez/Ronaldo/Rooney or Drogba/Anelka/Joe Cole, Wenger's options are just not as good which is why those teams will probably win the title and/or the Champions League and Arsenal, I fear, will end up trophyless again, at least for another season.

Don_Eduardo

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 01:57 PM - Reply

Totally agree with Joel.
Only point missing is the sharp decline of Gilberto. It's been a ery long time since I've seen an Arsenal player give the ball away so frequently.
Maybe the time has come to cash in on him - whatever little amount we can get now.
And i say all this tinged with sadness, as he has been a fantastic player for us over the years. Highly under-rated, but those who know, know!

As for Theo, I think he needs to seriously up his game. It's all good saying he's still young and learning the game, but great examples of the fact that it can be done are Fabregas, Clichy, Denilson and Man U's Ronaldo.
When you're good enough, playing with quality players will no doubt improve your game. With Theo, he seems to be just stagnant.
Could it be that he is not as good as we thought he was?
I sincerely hope not, because we took a huge gamble on him.

One problem with English football has been the reliance on pace. Once a player is quick, he's reckoned to be brilliant, and the important bit called technique is pushed back.
Ronaldo has pace, but he carries that with technique. So did Henry!

But, after all is said and done, we need to win the next two matches, and win them well, for the confidence to return.

gerry burke

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 01:45 PM - Reply

i would totally agree with this article , lets learn from wednesday night and move on . no proper arsenal fan can complain , after all , we have been in seventh heaven since arsene arrived . so spurs have a chance of winning a cup , wow , they are welcome to it . take nothing away from the spurs overall victory , they certainally were the superior team over the two legs . the carling cup is a training exercise for our kids , they gain invaluable experience playing in this slightly inferior competition , but wednesday nights result will definately stand to the club , in the long term . as for those people who left early , well , i did not think us gooners were like that , but who knows , maybe they had prior engagements , such as watching shameless on the box . well done the arsenal kids , i for one am proud of you all .

J-Gooner

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 12:27 PM - Reply

Yea i think the points you have put forward are quite on point. But i dont think anyone has commented on Fabianski, i'm not saying we should have had a different keeper because its the CC but if we did, we maybe would have been in the game more. Because a few of their goals scored should have been saved. But i guess that just shows Wenger, Fabianski is not ready just yet.

Adebayor and eduardo brought with them a breath of fresh air for the whole team when they came on. I just wished Wenger put them on at the beginning of the 2nd half, the result would have ben different. Dawson cannot control Ade and King hasn't really played against him while he's at his best.

But i suppose aS Wenger said he now knows what level eah player is at.

J-Gooner

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 12:27 PM - Reply

Yea i think the points you have put forward are quite on point. But i dont think anyone has commented on Fabianski, i'm not saying we should have had a different keeper because its the CC but if we did, we maybe would have been in the game more. Because a few of their goals scored should have been saved. But i guess that just shows Wenger, Fabianski is not ready just yet.

Adebayor and eduardo brought with them a breath of fresh air for the whole team when they came on. I just wished Wenger put them on at the beginning of the 2nd half, the result would have ben different. Dawson cannot control Ade and King hasn't really played against him while he's at his best.

But i suppose aS Wenger said he now knows what level eah player is at.

tino89

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 12:21 PM - Reply

very good article. we do lack individuals thats bar van pers and thats why sometimes i hope wenger buys a player a la pires or henry that could take the game by the neck and do something magical. just like ronaldo for united. we need a winger who can do in the mould of quaresma or ribery that can beat 2 or 3 men as an alternative to pass pass pass....pass.

tino89

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 12:21 PM - Reply

very good article. we do lack individuals thats bar van pers and thats why sometimes i hope wenger buys a player a la pires or henry that could take the game by the neck and do something magical. just like ronaldo for united. we need a winger who can do in the mould of quaresma or ribery that can beat 2 or 3 men as an alternative to pass pass pass....pass.

J-Gooner

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 12:01 PM - Reply

Yea i think the points you have put forward are quite on point. But i dont think anyone has commented on Fabianski, i'm not saying we should have had a different keeper because its the CC but if we did, we maybe would have been in the game more. Because a few of their goals scored should have been saved. But i guess that just shows Wenger, Fabianski is not ready just yet.

Adebayor and eduardo brought with them a breath of fresh air for the whole team when they came on. I just wished Wenger put them on at the beginning of the 2nd half, the result would have ben different. Dawson cannot control Ade and King hasn't really played against him while he's at his best.

But i suppose aS Wenger said he now knows what level eah player is at.

Matt

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 11:54 AM - Reply

Good article mate - i agree with you totally.

Good to see you are not falling into the trap of slagging the team off - as so many blogs seem to!

Doyeon

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 11:41 AM - Reply

Great article Joel, I've always been a big fan of your articulate pieces on this site. You have an uncanny ability to put things into perspective. Keep up the great work mate!

aj

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 11:34 AM - Reply

A very good and thought-provoking article.

Although I hate to admit it, the tactics used by Spurs on Tuesday were absolutely spot on.

When they didn't have the ball, they defended in numbers and always maintained a good shape. Consequently, we had very little space in which to create chances. Given the fact that they generally had 10 players back, meant that, unless we had a similar number forward, we would always be hopelessly outnumbered.

So, what happened was that, when an attack broke down and we lost the ball, they could stream out of defence, getting both forwards and midfielders forward and put us in a position of a retreating defence in a race with a bunch of attackers. Success here depends on the quality of the balls played forward but you can imagine 50% at least arriving in a good position for the attackers, while the defenders are struggling, facing their own goal. It is not surprising really that they were able to profit from that.

To me, there were a couple of key ingredients missing for us.

First, as you mentioned, there is the importance of making tackles in the middle of the field and not allowing your opponents to stream forward at your defence. Second, we need to get the ball forward more quickly and be attacking the opponents goal before they get everybody back and well organised. In the preamble to the game, (or maybe on Arsenal TV) we saw some archives of great goals scored by Pires and Vieira against Spurs, which came from very rapid counter-attacking moves. I would like to see is using that tactic a lot more now.

LP

Posted on 24 Jan, 2008 at 11:13 AM - Reply

Adebayor consistent scorer? hilarious

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