Arsenal-Mania

Arsenal's thin squad is a myth / What we lack as a team

By Joël Che on Saturday, April 12, 2008

Wenger has come for a lot of criticism about the size of the Arsenal squad now that the title race is out of our hands and we're out of Europe. It is a question I have been mulling over for a few months now, even when we were doing okay.

There is quite a reliable or decent short term back-up for every position apart from left back. Apart from central midfield and central defence, it is not cost effective to buy experienced cover for every position (unless you are Chelsea and have money to throw around). That is why most teams cannot cover for multiple injuries in the same area like Arsenal have had with van Persie, Eduardo and Rosicky.

I have come to the conclusion that the squad is not too small. This is the biggest squad I can remember for 11 years. In my view, the problem is that Arsenal lacks quality in attack and that's it.

Arsenal's defensive problems are exaggerated by the failure of the attack to score goals when they have chances or to score goals at crucial times.

I wrote an article here called "Adebayor benefits from Schevchenko effect at Arsenal". Many people wrote to say Eduardo was not the same as Schevchenko. That was not the point.

The point was that Eduardo moves in the box in such distracting and clever ways for defenders like Scheva that it allowed Adebayor to score more just like it did for Drogba. It allowed Adebayor to get the kind of chances that he could not miss.

Nobody missed Rosicky or van Persie a lot when they were injured because Eduardo could cover and Adebayor could score. When Eduardo's leg was broken, all of a sudden it became painfully clear just how multiple injuries in the same area can affect a team. Adebayor stopped scoring and we had all kinds of issues with getting width into the team.

This Arsenal team has a poor attacking force. Partly due to multiple long term injuries – i.e. no partnerships have been able to form and partly because the attack doesn't get the best out of the midfield.

When Thierry Henry was at Arsenal or indeed when any good striker is in a team, you start noticing that everyone tries to find them even when they are in impossible situations. This is because strikers train their midfielders.

If a striker makes a good run whenever a midfielder has the ball, they will learn to pass to him immediately and quickly and even blindly in assumption that he is making the run. Robert Píres and Dennis Bergkamp used to pass the ball where they knew someone would be without even looking because Píres, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira and Henry were all making runs.

Arsenal's new strikers run into midfield instead. It has made Alexander Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Francesc Fabregas poorer at killer passes. The new strikers have trained the midfield to be bad at making decisive passing.

The direct effect is that Adebayor has to rely a lot on his touch in crowded areas (something he is not good at) and the second effect is that the midfielders cannot see those players like Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo when they do make good runs.

In fact Hleb hardly looks up further than 10 yards when he has the ball. Everyone who gets the ball hardly has the chance to create anything with it because it tends to arrive a little late and therefore in a crowded area. Theo Walcott created an easy chance in a non-crowded area at Anfield. That was a collectors' item this season, not only because of the play but because it was nearly unprecedented to see so many Arsenal players in space.

If Arsenal's attack was as efficient as Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool's in terms of chances to goal ratio, we would be miles ahead.

There are 2 things you need from each player. First is that they know what to do in each situation – i.e. they can make a good decision in each situation – and secondly that they have the courage and quality to execute that decision. If one measures Arsenal players on these two key characteristics, we don't come out so bad but we are not as good as the competition.

Fabregas, Gaël Clichy, Flamini, Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Rosicky, Eduardo, Bendtner, Denilson and Walcott are the only players in my view who know what to do and have the quality to do it (or at least they always try to do what is right rather than bottle it). Problem is that 3 of them are not in the first team, another 2 have been out for a long time, none of the rest are forwards and Arsenal went into these crucial games with only 2.5 of them since Flamini limped off at Anfield.

These players above are the kinds of players you want in your team. They are the players you want in big matches. They are more direct, will try to do the right thing every time, even if it fails but they will not fail more than they succeed because they have quality. Torres could have passed the ball out of the situation surrounded by 3 Arsenal players but he decided to make the keeper work. It was the right thing to do; he knew it could have been saved or deflected out but he did what was right.

Walcott could have easily tried to pass the ball sideways at Anfield because knew it was so tight he could lose it and cause a Liverpool counter-attack. But he knew we had to score, we had to go forward, it was the right thing to do so he went for it – he took responsibility. He could have lost the ball but he did what was right.

You then have the players that have the quality to execute everything they want but don't seem to always know how to make the best decision (they never seem to do the right thing all the time). Hleb and van Persie fall into that category. Abou Diaby is here too but he will get out of this place and join the top group next season I hope.

When Hleb miscontrolled the ball in the final minutes of the Liverpool league game, people bemoaned the lost chance thinking Hleb would have scored had he controlled the ball better. Nonsense, he was never going to score.

He knew the best thing to do was shoot first time but he knew it could go to row Z or get deflected, he feared he would miss so he tried to control it and cut back (pass the buck to someone else) and that's why he lost it. He feared the right thing so he did the wrong thing.

Then finally there are those players who neither have enough quality to do all they want nor do they have the capability to make a good decision all the time. Adebayor, Eboué and Gilberto suffer from both in severe quantities. Kolo Touré, Alexander Song and Philippe Senderos suffer more from one than the other and their inconsistencies are usually down to lapses of concentration than lack of skill.

If one is going to do well, a team needs to be drilled to make the right choices and follow them up. I don't believe Ashley Cole is better than Clichy (if Clichy played with Píres and Henry – he would do as good). I don't believe Lauren is better than Sagna. I don't think Vieira and Gilberto and so much better than Fabregas and Flamini. But what was different in the old team was that they all made good choices and had the courage to go for it. They made runs and their team mates looked for them. They never bottled it, they tried and failed sometimes. They did things early – made up their minds early and went for it.

I have never requested a big money signing at Arsenal because I don't believe collecting players is what competition is about. Arsenal fans love the football the team plays and logic says that good football delivers results. We have to realise that this season, football has not really delivered results for us. Crucial goals have been scored from corners and scrambles to give us 2-1 or 1-0 wins. Basically, this season football has delivered us chances – dozens of chances that have gone unexploited and graft has delivered narrow results.

This is not to say we should throw away football and turn into a Mourinho style team, what it tells us is that we should get the right players convert the chances so that we can deliver results from the way we want to play. Most of the players mentioned who have both key characteristics are still very young. Right now, they are just getting frustrated by the lack of reward for their work. We need to get someone to finish their work off.

I don't think it matters much that Arsenal are naïve at the back sometimes. That Senderos lost Hyppia and that Touré forgot Babel or that Clichy made a bad pass at Birmingham. All of that is small stuff – it happens to good defences.

It only becomes big and significant when we miss so many chances that we have to rely so heavily on clean sheets and a whole season of zero mistakes at the back – that is unrealistic. Arsenal under Wenger is never going to be a clean sheets team just like United is not a clean sheets team. What Arsenal should be and the only way it works under Wenger is to be a high-scoring team.

We need some very serious forwards – they invariably cost a lot but we can afford it. We need those to get us showcasing our football while supporting it with results and trophies. The money we lose by going out early in the Champions League, not winning the league and the effect it has on players like Fabregas is a lot more compared to the cost of a player like Eto'o or Torres. The annoying thing is that those players would probably prefer to play at Arsenal than Liverpool and their contribution would be much bigger at Arsenal because they would have twice as many chances to score.

Our squad is definitely not too small. But we need those players who are good at decisions and executions to be on the first team and we need the rest as squad players. Most importantly, we need to buy one or two deadly finishers no matter how boring they are. We can afford to have one boring player in an exciting team if it rewards our work. After all, most teams have 8 or more boring players.

So to Old Trafford Sunday. I don't know van Persie since he has been out for so long during his Arsenal career that I really cannot be sure how good he really is. Sagna is missing and Senderos can have a really good day or a very bad one.

When Flamini and Sagna are missing then we're as good as a mid-table team. Mid-table teams have beaten United this season but they cannot afford to let Chelsea catch them or start a downward run now with the Champions League semi-finals in sight so it will be tougher on Arsenal than ever. I would play Song instead of Gilberto; put Walcott and Bendtner on and let them go for it.

User Comments

71

Aleks

Posted on 15 Apr, 2008 at 09:15 AM - Reply

Regardless of others' comments about this article, I feel this piece is right on the money...There is no other team in the world that created as many chances as Arsenal did this season, clearly stating that the ability or lack of to finish these beautifully composed works of football that were such clear opportunities was indeed the missing element for Arsenal! Even the likes of United and Chelsea had there share of defensive mistakes...It's amazing how most criticized Sir Alex for spending so much on Hargreaves and after sunday I can only recall the invidious smurk(yes i was jealous that such an overpriced player picked the perfect moment to take the iniciative over the world's best and score such a priceless goal) on all the Man Yoo fans at the pub! Even I, a die hard gooner, at times would find myself scolding Wenger in my own mind for not making 1 or 2 more signings this season, soon thereafter, realizing as I would watch each game that this was not the problem...

70

gunsandpowder

Posted on 15 Apr, 2008 at 04:49 AM - Reply

this is total rubbish. hleb is a good decision maker and so is van persie. actually van persie is the best decision maker, try and remember when he played alongside henry. hleb is just not a scorer. he is very good but just not a scorer. eboue is good at only rightback. and its true that defensive errors occur more if your attack keep losing the ball and disrupting the confidence by not scoring

69

Arnie

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 08:22 PM - Reply

Fantastic Article, We need to buy more people upfront than we do in defence, We need relible people who will take responsibility

68

RedDevil

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 07:26 PM - Reply

better luck next seaseon

67

Anas Jumare

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 02:31 PM - Reply

Whan I dropped my suggestion last Wednseday,i thought it's done away with cause it is not worth publishing,but now am very much happy knowin that I have so many persons who do share same view as me.I wish the manager sees this.we surely need some dead good strikers like Torres[which could be Aguerro] or Huntelaar, I know they will fit in well.I made thi suggestion at Arsenal.com but never got a reply.Our strike are one reason why Cesc cannot win the BallonD'or.

66

jack

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 01:30 PM - Reply

i cant understand why no one wants ronaldiniho to come to arsenal he will only cost about 15-20 mil and will add pace and goals to are midfield and importantly experience we also do good business with barca we don't really need a striker but we do need a defender maybe at center back

65

jack

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 01:28 PM - Reply

i cant understand why no one wants ronaldiniho to come to arsenal he will only cost about 15-20 mil and will add pace and goals to are midfield and importantly experience we also do good business with barca we don't really need a striker but we do need a defender maybe at center back

64

Sbakht

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 06:24 AM - Reply

awesome.....

63

charles teya

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 06:09 AM - Reply

nice article i agree with u and i think if we get deadly finisher we will win something next season def

62

Daniel

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 05:57 AM - Reply

Hleb is the best.

61

Suhail Nazir

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 05:56 AM - Reply

I totally agrees with this artical. What you have said, is 100% true regarding arsenal's strike force!
Arsenal's midfield and strikers don't understand themselves as much as they were when arsenal won premiership last time, with pires, launberg, bergkemp, vierra, henry. Its too worrying for arsenal at the moment. During this situation, your defenders do get a lot of difficult time because evry time your midfield gets the ball, it quickly lost possession due to misunderstanding.It should be improved for th 2008-2009 season

60

Suhail Nazir

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 05:53 AM - Reply

I totally agrees with this artical. What you have said, is 100% true regarding arsenal's strike force!
Arsenal's midfield and strikers don't understand themselves as much as they were when arsenal won premiership last time, with pires, launberg, bergkemp, vierra, henry. Its too worrying for arsenal at the moment. During this situation, your defenders do get a lot of difficult time because evry time your midfield gets the ball, it quickly lost possession due to misunderstanding.It should be improved for th 2008-2009 season

59

Swish

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 05:36 AM - Reply

Too much foreplay.

Your article drones on and on about weaknesses that aren't really there, it was basically just a huge build up to no conclusion.

Unless the conclusion is to sell half our team and buy new players.

May I suggest Football Manager 2008 as an alternative to watching a real life team?

58

P

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 05:21 AM - Reply

Width - not that argument again - do you not remember the vast open spaces out wide at Highbury where we played 50% of our matches every season for a hundred years - this season was the first we have consistantly scored headers under Wenger so someone must be finding space out wide

57

Pete

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 02:23 AM - Reply

A lot of this article is correct, but give Arsene credit where it is due Arsenal have been continued to challenge for the title because they have in the past and continue to numerous create opportunities in every game and have defended well. Too many supporters have forgotten that Henry, Bergkamp, Wright etc missed more than their fair share of chances throughout their Arsenal careers, with Henry probably the most guilty (remember Wenger only has three league titles) and to mind I only felt entirely confident when Pires was through on goal of all the Arsenal players under Wenger.

Most supporters knew that Van Persie would good injured again, Hoyte is not good enough and no one likes Eboue (no composure in front of goal) but no one would have predicted that Gilberto and Djourou would turn bad, that Toure would return braindead from the ACN, that Traore would not build upon previous season outings, that Rosicky, Denilson and Diaby would be permanently injured so no rest for Fabregas or Hleb, that Bendtner (fourth choice striker) would end up with so much expectation for his first season in the top flight and that Eduardo would settle so quickly and then break a leg. The squad at the start of the season looked maybe good enough for a fourth placed finish, but at the end of the season three losses in a league campaign (only one bad performance away at Boro’) shows the current squad with all its inadequacies is definitely something to build upon

56

vedder

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 02:06 AM - Reply

Nice article.l think arsenal need to offload some players and get one or two big names.Someone like Kaka or Benzema and a genuine leader like Tony Adams

55

nyot

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 01:48 AM - Reply

Agree. The prev arsenal team,Vieira,Pires,Ljunberg and I can say everyone can score goals in open play other than Henry.That is something really lacking now.Its getting more like Barcelona.Full control but lack finishing

54

nyot

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 01:39 AM - Reply

Agree.The prev arsenal team,Vierra,Pires,Ljunberg and I can say everyone can score goals in open play other than Henry.That is something really lacking now.Its getting more like Barcelona.Full control but lack finishing

53

Yusuf

Posted on 14 Apr, 2008 at 12:09 AM - Reply

[In response to 'UR Dumb'] No replacement for Fabregas and Hleb? But they are two of the hottest players you can get! Man U have a replacement for Ronaldo and Rooney have they? Liverpool have capable players of replacing Gerrard and Torres?!

52

David

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 10:50 PM - Reply

I am really sick of some of these headless chicken playing for Arsenal. How many chances does Adebayor need to score one goal? Toure again looked stupid against Rooney and Ronaldo; Gilberto is invisible as usual; RVP looked useless; Each game of Arsenal now is heartbreaking. And the fucking refs, they always have ways to reward ManU penalties.

51

DG

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 07:52 PM - Reply

We can be wasteful in attack as we create so many chances in a game, but at the same time there aren't many games in which we don't score. Attacking is not our big problem, the main issue seems to be the inability to not concede. I don't think there have been too many games where the opposition have created a host of chances against us, it is just that usually with the ones they do create our defence isn't solid enough to keep them out.

50

DG

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 07:52 PM - Reply

We can be wasteful in attack as we create so many chances in a game, but at the same time there aren't many games in which we don't score. Attacking is not our big problem, the main issue seems to be the inability to not concede. I don't think there have been too many games where the opposition have created a host of chances against us, it is just that usually with the ones they do create our defence isn't solid enough to keep them out.

49

Andrew

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 06:44 PM - Reply

I think this is complete rubbish, the Squad is paper thin in quality, we have the numbers but many ofthem are not up to teh required standard. Indeed some of the first 11 aren't.

None of our Goal Keepers are good enough. At left back the cover is not up to it, At Centre back I don't even believe Gallas is good enough anymore and teh back up is poor. AT right back clearly Wenger believes the cover is not good enough hence he playes our best CB there. In Midfield Rosicky is a waste of time permanently injured. Gilberto and Denilson are not up to it, Bendtner isnot the required level yet. Also right off RvP as he has not played a full season in 5 years, complete sick note.

48

Carlitos

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 06:34 PM - Reply

I must say i disagree with most of the article. I think it's made much too complicated and over-analysed.
And to say we're as good as a mid-table team without Flamini and Sagna is completely ludicrous. Utter non-sense.

And yes i do think our squad is too thin. In terms of quality anyway. We have plenty of quality yes, we know that, we just don't have that quality in quantity.
Having to play a central mid. at left mid. is a problem in itself.
You simply know then, that the balance in your team isn't quite right.

And for me, a bench with players such as Hoyte, Walcott, Bentner, Denilson, Diaby, Song, Senderous, is by no means champions quality, as harsh as it may sound. For all their potential and talent, it just doesn't cut it for me.

47

David

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 03:26 PM - Reply

I totally agree with you. Those players you mentioned in the top bracket are playing with their head, while the others are brainless, like Adebayor, Toure, and Eboue, all should at least be dropped to the bench when we have new comers next season. If Wenger had splashed cash to get Torres, Eto'o, or even Tevez, we would have scored 50% more goals this season for sure. When in the past, we usually scored in the first 30 min to kill the game off, so we got either 3:0, or 4:1 scores very often. BUT now the most popular scores were 1:1 and 2:0. When the strikers didn't score on numerous chances, suddenly one defensive error would normally ruin our game plan, which we've always seen this season. HOWEVER, I doubt Wenger will make major striker signings. He might 'believe' Eduardo would come back as before, Adebayor would improve, RVP would stay healthy finally, and 'we got Walcott as another striking option'... stubborn professor

46

mustaz

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 02:33 PM - Reply

i think the real reason is we lost someone who can easily find space in the penalty box and tap the ball in. we lost rosicky and eduardo. In defence, i find that whenever didn't played sagna, we lost someone who can be both full back and centre back. And most important thing is we don't have someone like bergkamp. someone behind the main striker..who can provide passes from nothing to something...well..that's my opinion

45

ichigo

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 02:05 PM - Reply

Nice team analysis. Made me realise some points after my head was cleared of anger and disappointment.
Too bad about the people slating you. I feel your pain and frustration. You are just analysing the big picture and people just bite your head off. To thouse who want big names and expensive superstar signings go support Chelsea, Man Utd and Real Madrid.

44

Dillan Patel

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 02:00 PM - Reply

You compare our squad with man utd's scholes out,: anderson, carrick,hargreaves in, ronaldo out, nani in, Saha they have got quality we have got nothing. Cesc Out, (may aswell give up) gilberto in?! GET THE POINT WENGER, every year we get big injuries but it always seem worse to us because we have no decent replacement

43

Tree_of_Smoke

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 01:48 PM - Reply

There is so much wrong with this article I don't know where to start !
You make claims without substance and then spend 3 paragraphs talking about these claims.
Here's a tip, if you make a claim back it up with some references / examples.
Adebayor does not come back into midfield too much. He always plays off the last defender's shoulder. Hence he has the most offsides in the Premier league and the champions league. He also drifts to the left quite alot.
Second, Hleb is well capable of making telling passes of more than 10 yards.
Example Adebayor's miss at Anfield last tuesday, he was put through with just the keeper to beat, Hleb hit a great pass to him around of about 25 yards.

The problem for us is when teams defend very deep we can penetrate them, we need better quality on the wings.
Are squad is Ridiculously thin ! We have our first 11 and then after injuries we had maybe 2 or 3 guys to cover for us.
We're not far away from being where we need to be, but we need to buy.

42

Nikhil

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 01:30 PM - Reply

Best I ever read. The truth has been said by you and all the Arsenal fans can see it. We need to make the right decisions and do what is right. Fabregas should start shooting fromlong range coz that is what he is best at. When Cesc scores we never lose. Against Milan he scored and we won. Beautiful article and this is 200 times better than your last one about Did Arsenal Surprise You? Hope we win.

41

truth_hurts

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 01:01 PM - Reply

absolutely spot on. Never really thought of it like this, but you articulated your point so well. I call it killer instict as a a lot of our players will go for the safe option rather than a direct and productive option. Excellent point about Walcott as well, he does often lose the ball by running at opposition defences but in essence he is doing what a wide player should do and perhaps no other player in our team could have created that chance for Adebayor against liverpool. Excellent point about hleb as well. I would love to see a killer join usnext year it doesn't even need to be a striker for me but a player like ronaldinho who is available and surely would love to play in a side such as ours. Ronaldinho is a direct high scoring midfielder that we lack.

40

Deji

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 12:52 PM - Reply

I agree with your article and must commend you for the good work. However, I think a lot of people do not understand Wenger's Policy in buying players and its a policy that has seen us miss loads of quality players. The problem is not the cost of the player (we got Reyes for almost 20million years ago when that was a very high amount of money, even Theo at 16 was got fpr so much too!), the problem I think for Wenger is the cost of KEEPING the player. He probably will not keep a player above the 60k/70k weekly wages. I am sure thats why we've lost out on players like Torres (who recently revealed Arsenal wanted to buy him), C.Ronaldo (who the Boss himself he wanted to buy), etc. In a recent interview, the Boss himself confirmed the issue is about the high wage demands. For me, I think for next season, Wenger needs to bring in a ruthless striker. Someone like Eto who I am sure will want to play for Arsenal. Remember, next season we'll probably have only the compliments of RVP (I pray he is fit), Bendtner (if he is not sold or loaned) and Ade. Eduardo should be back for xmas but will he be able to get back into form within such a short period (I hope we've learnt from RVP's case). My Wenger...over to you

39

gooner

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 12:51 PM - Reply

STUNNING READ!!! well said

38

jones

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 12:19 PM - Reply

interesting aricle. the schevchenko effect is something i never thought about and it's a very good argument. however i don't totally agree with what you have written. Refering to players who know what to do and have ability to do it. I am not convinced walcott should be in this category. i also think gilberto should be, even though he has had a poor season.
i also think your dismissal of our defensive frailties is a bit blind sighted. regardless of how well we play, arsenal tend to score goals(only 2 league games where we haven't this season). thus meaning we need to keep more clean sheets, to win a trophy.

37

Girish

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 10:51 AM - Reply

Spot on about forwards.. Adebayor definitely needs a clinical finisher to support him, else he drifts into midfield and anyways he is not a poacher... But the bigger problem are our wingers and central defence. Invariably, we get defeated in every harmless long ball (drogba at stamford, crouch at emirates)and its irritating to concede goals that way.. And then we have our wingers. Lets get one point clear. Eboue as midfieler. Comeon, that guy cant score one nor can he create. Its dumb to have him cos he provides defensive cover than walcott. HE has to go.. And our summer signing has to get a real good winger, who can score (like Pires). Our team can afford only one Hleb!

36

Abba

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 10:48 AM - Reply

thats a fantastic article thanks

35

Sara

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 10:14 AM - Reply

For those of you who say our attack is fine by quoting statistics, I will like to remind you that those many goals were scored in the first part of the season and the midfield contributed heavily to those goals. To those who insist the defence is the problem comparing it to how many goals Man Utd have conceded I would like to point out that Arsenal have been scoring goals at the last minutes - that means our defence is under so much pressure during the game. Manchester Utd have been scoring early and even when they win 1-0 they are usually attacking till the last minute while the other team is defending. Their defence is rarely under pressure. Not many defences will cope with the pressure of lack of goals where Sagna and Clichy have to start going forward to become wingers and running back to defend. Our defence has made mistakes but they are generally OK. Our attack are putting pressure on them by never letting them relax with crucial goals and critical moments. Score before half time, score after half time etc.

34

Simon

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 08:37 AM - Reply

Fantastic article!

33

UR dumb

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 07:04 AM - Reply

I dont think ive ever disagreed with an article as much as this one. Having a deep team means nothing, when your back ups suck. We have no one that can effectively replace fabregas, and helb.

And our defense does suck. We are near the bottom of the chart in shut outs. And our GD suffers herendously because we get scored on so often.

Scoring isnt the problem. Your an idiot, we are 2nd in goals scored this season. Our defense sucks.
Bendtner is utter crap. Mid-table striker at best.

32

Ayman Elkady

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 05:06 AM - Reply

i totally agree with you
but i have a point of view
eboue in right back postion is one of the best players in this postion in the world
he lacks some concentration
toure is not as bad as u say he is one of the best
center backs in arsenal history he is a good anticipator plus good at the offensive tasks
what is a totally disaster adebayour
he is 0 percent effective
he even go with the ball wide
he dosent shoot
his pass is awfull
he had tall legs only

31

Xm

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 04:49 AM - Reply

I feel you on this one. Need a big name at Arsenal that was a big name before he came to Arsenal

30

James

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 03:28 AM - Reply

You can also make the point that there's been a lack of width since Rosicky got injured. Unlike in years past, Arsenal now play too narrow and predictable. Eboue and Hleb dont give you the width and counter- attacking efficiency of Pires and Ljunberg/Wilton. Instead, Hleb, Eboue and sometimes Cesc lose the ball in dangerous areas. Toure has been a disappointment this since the African cup-incidentally where his performances were highly questionable. Replace these: Eboue, RVP, Rosicky, Hoyte, traore, Diaby, Gilberto, Song, Bentner. Buy quality striker, right winger, CM, LB, and CB.

29

Robin

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 03:21 AM - Reply

So much truth in this article. We lack end product quality.

28

Femi

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 01:08 AM - Reply

Before the die-hard fans start 'stoning' you, I'd like to commend you on this article. You got it spot on. The referees didn't 'rob' Arsenal, but Arsenal was too wasteful upfront and paid the price dearly.

27

Femi

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 01:03 AM - Reply

It's clear that if you gave Arsene Wenger a suggestion that he knew was correct, he would still REFUSE to implement it 'cos he didn't have the idea originally.

26

kenada

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 12:28 AM - Reply

Have to admit I totally agree, for me the weakness is upfront. Ade comes back into mid rather than make forward runs, thus condensing every thing up so we get that pass pass around the box effect.
I know everyone calls for an out and out winger and I in some respects do to, but when have arsenal ever played with a traditional winger. That said anyone would be better than eboue in that position currently.

25

BM

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 12:17 AM - Reply

This is one of the best story's i've read in a long time about Arsenal. I agree a 100%, Wenger could learn from you!

24

cHoWiiE

Posted on 13 Apr, 2008 at 12:06 AM - Reply

dude, i suprisingly agree with you,....

we do need some good forwards... someone who is like torres but a cheaper version so to speak.. i think we need a new centre back too.. someone aged mid 20's .. senderos keeps me on the edge of my seat and im turning away from the tele wenever the ball goes near him! bendtner..hmm well i can't really say his crap because he has hardly seen any game time ..he reminds me of an adebayor a couple years back... i think in time he will get some confidence and back himself..if only his performances were as sharp as his mouth! FINALYY.. i reckon get rid of gilberto... Henry had his time and he left..lgunberg..pires..viera.. and Gilberto has been running past his used by date.. give song a go.. his like bendtner in that he has hardly seen any game time..and with more play he can only get better...

Let's home next season Arsenal fans are greeted with a couple of new faces in the right positions..and that some players are gone!

23

liang sen

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 11:41 PM - Reply

nice article.totally agree.recall it the day arsenal with henry,pires we got many freekick to goal,now i don't think so.

22

jj

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 11:31 PM - Reply

mate the real prob is not goals it is how we defend as a team! it also does not help in a perverse way of having so much possession as it actually means there is less room. adebayor useless? give the guy a break for more than half a season he has been the one with fabregas and flamini to get things going and i would not be shocked if he went and scored the winner tomorrow as is a specialist in big games. we need two players and that is it. get caceras and ben arfa/diego and we'll be flying next year but thats the problem as i can't see wenger doing it.

as the title has gone even if we win i thing theo needs to start every game to achieve some type of consistency in his game. watch this space as i really do feel with a couple of aquisitions of similar quality to eduardo and sagna we will clean up next year with the luck that is always needed to succeed and which we have not had. football is a funny game but keep believing it really is a matter of time before we flourish.

p.s hoyte, senderos, lehmann, gilberto, song to be cleared out as a little warning to the rest as they under no kneejerk reaction are not of championship winning quality

21

Snail

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 10:30 PM - Reply

Too many words.

20

Ole Gunner

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 10:05 PM - Reply

I agree our squad is not thin but you're still VERY WRONG.

We have no problems in attack. We're still the second highest scoring team in the league-and have scored more goals overall. 102 this season. Our strikers have scored more goals than any attack in the league except Tottenham's. Even with the injuries.

We recently have a problem in defence. That much is clear. BUT OUR ATTACK IS OUR STRENGTH AND IT IS DEVASTATING!

19

Cloista

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 10:03 PM - Reply

Have to say, great write up. I personally would put van Persie in that first group, or certainly when he's match sharp, as he's one who takes responsibility. No it does not always come off, but most of the time what he tries is what he should be trying.

18

Ndich

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 10:03 PM - Reply

Why is Alex Song not been given a chance is he injured i watched all Cameroon matches at the Africa cup of Nations and he was awesome for Cameroon and only after being injured in the final did Cameroon lose. He even made the team of the tournament

17

MIchael

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 09:17 PM - Reply

Excellent analysis. I find myself getting exasperated with the performance of the beloved gunners; your analysis is spot on. Wish Mr. Wenger could get a piece of this.

16

Stone

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 09:05 PM - Reply

Really good article. You are making true points here. We need a world class striker. Adebayor is good but don't even try to compare him to Eto'o or Torres. If we could get Torres for 40 millions, it would be worth it. That guy would be the perfect player.

Eduardo and van Persie are our best strikers but they will be injured the majority of next season. Ade is good enough to be a squad player. He is really good but we should not have to have him as a starter. Bendtner will be much better in 2 years time and then we have Walcott. Every single time I have seen him play up front he is so good. If we don't beat United, then I want him to start as a striker for every game that is left. If he gets a run of 10 games, he will score 6-8 goals, no kidding. He is what Fabregas needs.

15

Tel

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 08:59 PM - Reply

Here here. This is exactly what I've felt too. Nobody has been willing to shoot in this team of late.

They fiddle-fart around the box. Nobody tries the shot unless there's space or it's vitality important. It frustrates me to no end.

Wenger needs to get someone who is not afraid to take those chances. As the confidence gains, the success rate will get better.

14

Peter

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 08:51 PM - Reply

Smart article.
Van persie if he is ever able to shake his injury problems will become the player we need.
He can be decisive and bring the best out of the players around him
Ur right, the team without eduardo or van persie does lack that up-front movement you were talking about and it seems they try to set up to get midfielders into the box to finish the chances.
Unfortunately Fabregas doesnt seem to be consistent enough at finishing to make the most of this now but Im positive hel become that.
Walcott or Diaby could learn to do this from a wide area on a regulary basis perhaps, like Pires used to.
The defense does seriously lack a aerially dominant, Campbell-character as well. Its essential in the Premiership. I think Senderos was seen as this sort of player..

13

LionKing

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 08:32 PM - Reply

Good article man. Good points

12

Attasmani

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 08:15 PM - Reply

very very impressive article, i can see you point.
We should really go for eto'o this summer i think there'd be a possibility of bringing him to the emirates.

11

gAv GaV

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 07:50 PM - Reply

your telling me 2 goals isn't enough goals to win a game or even draw at anfield? we onceded 4 goals!!! thats not good enough and the first was because of senderos and the second you could say that aswell. we need to improve defensivey not offensively. we've only failed to score once in thel eague against portsmouth and we've scored the 2nd most amount of goals in the league but defensively we've conceded the same amount as everton! that tells you the story.

10

Rob

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 07:47 PM - Reply

Disagree in the main. We let goals in against nearly every opponent in every game. We may have been missing RvP and Rosicky but defensively there are clear issues.

9

Eldaddio

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 07:42 PM - Reply

Mate, you say some good stuff. But, I think it is down to a lack of depth & experience in the squad that has left us where we are. Look at this Feb, and last Feb, and you can see that after the Xmas period, then Cup & European games, that any injuries have a heavy toll on the rest of the team. That's because we don't have enough players of experience in the squad. Add to this that we also have some sub-standard or non-performers, such as as Eboue or Senderos, and you can see where the problem lies. Yes, we've had some awful luck (Eduardo, Van Persie, bad pens) but we need to add some quality & experience. If we had zero injuries all season, then I would say we had enough. But, that's not going to happen, is it. We are, at the end of the day, competing with Liverpool, Chelsea, and Man Utd. and nothing is going to change that.
We play the best football. Fact.
We haven't won anything for 3 years, going on 4. Fact.
Our squad lacks depth and experience. Fact.
We need to spend some cash in the summer. Fact.

8

Anon

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 07:40 PM - Reply

Very insightful. I much agree.

7

Silver

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 07:17 PM - Reply

Thank you Joel. This article is spot on! i share your views. the problem is that, we create so many chances and at most times we score nothing, and thats because of poor skills of Adebayor as our main striker. we need a prolofic, techinical and pace wise wise striker like Henry was, Torres is and Et'o. otherwise the defance is not so much bad, thogh we need a woodgate like defender to ensure that Senderos doenst play first team football. Otherwise, thanks and greetings from Africa (Rwanda)

6

gt

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 07:17 PM - Reply

I totally agree with you about the lack of a lethal finisher. My gut feeling told me our title challenge was essentially over when Edurado was injured. But at the same time we need scorers from the wing like what Freddie did awhile ago. Walcott can be one, but I feel he's best suited to play forward. Hleb can't shoot, and Eboue is erratic. And don't expect Vela can adjust to PL within 3 months next season; not everyone is Sagna. Bendtler is a bright prospect, but he needs to be sold for the sake of team morale (I am not suggesting he's at fault though).

5

Silver

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 07:13 PM - Reply

Thank you Joel. This article is spot on! i share your views. the problem is that, we create so many chances and at most times we score nothing, and thats because of poor skills of Adebayor as our main striker. we need a prolofic, techinical and pace wise wise striker like Henry was, Torres is and Et'o. otherwise the defance is not so much bad, thogh we need a woodgate like defender to ensure that Senderos doenst play first team football. Otherwise, thanks and greetings from Africa (Rwanda)

4

CaribKid

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 07:08 PM - Reply

Well written article but your basic premise is incorrect. A lack of defence is what has cost Arsenal.

Arsenal is unable to eke out those 1-0 wins like Manchester United and this has resulted in a host of draws and numerous loss of points. Defensive lapses have resulted in teams winning or drawing with us late in the game when they have a lead. MU has 20 scoreless

Take into consideration that MU's tally of 70 goals is only 7 more than Arsenal but they have conceded 10 less goals which makes that a goal differential of 17. Arsenal is second in the EPL only to MU in goal scoring and goal differential. When you also take into consideration that MU have blanked their opponents on 20 occasions, 8 times more than Arsenal, one can only conclude that defense has been the primary difference between both teams.

While your reasoning on our offensive problems are quite accurate and well substantiated it still Arsenal's inability to defend which has cost them dearly this season.

3

Rich

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 07:00 PM - Reply

You've only got it partly right. We have cover on the flanks, but none of those players are real wingers and they don't offer any actual width. Diaby is a central player, Eboue is a full-back and Theo is a striker.

Our starting defence isn't good enough, let alone our reserves. If it were, we wouldn't be forever giving away leads.

2

Gunner 4 Life

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 06:56 PM - Reply

Surely Van Persie's too good to be a squad player though. When he is playing, he's our best striker-he had more goals than Adebayor when he was fit and last season I think he finished as our top scorer (or maybe one behind Adebayor) despite being out since January.

I do think that the strikers' inability to take chances can tire out the defences who make more forward runs and so they become fatigued and may lack concentration but apart from Adebayor most of our strikers take their chances (Van Persie's looked rusty since he came back though), especially Eduardo.

I agree that without Flamini and Sagna we are not that great but if Eboue plays at right back as he did last season then we may play well. Song's also been impressive recently but I do still think that we have a lack of cover at the wings because we were playing central players there to begin with (Hleb and Rosicky) and after Rosicky was injured we played Diaby, Walcott or Eduardo on the wings and none of them are wingers.

I think Van Persie usually makes the right decision but if he doesn't he's one of our few players who can make up for it by showcasing some amazing skill. Eduardo has made very good decisions and has not been selfish if he knows a team mate's in a good position but I think that Adebayor has a tendency to make passes into players without much room and he often makes bad passes, but it cannot be denied that he has improved since last season and he has had to play as a lone striker a lot but is better with someone like Van Persie or Eduardo alongside him because they compliment each other.

1

Evans

Posted on 12 Apr, 2008 at 06:53 PM - Reply

Good article. I reckon if we had a striker with the footballing brain to take up good positions, make intelligent runs and remain onside, such as Torres/Benzema, then Fabregas would have about 10 more assists this season. The amount of times that Adebayor is offside is ridiculous. Whilst he has done really well for us this season, he is not a top class striker in my eyes; he is not in the bracket of Torres, Eto'o, Ronaldo etc. I think we need to be ruthless in the transfer market. A left winger who can stay fit wouldn't go a miss as well. But again it has to be someone of real quality.

I think we've really missed Van Persie this season. Whatever your doubts are about his quality (i think he is arguably the best player at the club) he is one player who can make something out of nothing. He can create one moment of magic to break a teams resistance. Whether its from a setpiece or a bit of skill that the likes of adebayor and even eduardo could bnot pull off. We only really have hleb who can do such things but he - like you rightly say - is too afraid to shoot. I think we are missing those players who can do something out of nothing.