Arsenal's best defeat

Written by Joel Che on Thursday, October 2, 2008

Results

Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
27 Sep	5:30 PM	P	Hull City (H)	1	2	Lost

For the first time in my life, I applauded a team that just beat my team. It has never happened before even though a few teams have sliced and devoured Arsenal in the past with such class that it was hard not to appreciate. But with Hull, it was different.

Hull did everything that should be encouraged in English football. They did not rely on "clubbering" Arsenal off the pitch, being totally defensive or naively ambitious. They were controlled, played to their strengths and most importantly, played collectively with a hint of style. The week before, a memo from Wenger to his boys had been leaked. It talked about collective spirit, team and desire to win. It talked about what Hull did. Well done to them.

So here's how I started my last piece here "...The loss at Fulham reminded us that Arsenal team still has vulnerabilities – not least its own mental strength and defending high balls. Arsenal and Liverpool are the only top 4 teams that you can't bet on with confidence against a bottom team yet you can't bet against them if they were playing Real Madrid either".

Sure enough, Arsenal got beaten by Hull and won against a vastly superior Porto (compared to Hull). Sometimes it looks like Arsenal think that if they just pass the ball and play football, they will win. They seem to forget that the desire to win and mental strength are essential to winning. These characteristics were not displayed at all against Hull and unfortunately, neither was our defending of set-pieces.

I called the Hull game our best defeat because the opposition forced Arsenal to re-examine their desire. If we had been beaten by Chelsea 2-1, nobody would have called it sensational. Because it was Hull, everyone had to take stock. Wenger described himself as "physically sick" after the game. Hull made us realise things we should have learned at Craven Cottage.

Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Eboué were just lazy against Hull. Theo Walcott was ineffective, and even Bacary Sagna looked like Eboué at right-back. William Gallas was the only Arsenal player to show real desire to win. Wenger threatened changes but he only dropped Eboué.

We expect that Walcott is going to have up and down games so it was right to keep him. He was right to keep van Persie and Adebayor to give them a chance to show their reaction and he was right to drop Eboué. Eboué has worked hard to create competition on the right and as soon as Samir Nasri got fit, Eboué screwed up his chance to keep his place. The manager dropping him should make him think about his consistency – he's old enough, he's not Walcott and most of his problems are down to concentration.

Porto was a different game. The first 5 minutes of a game tells you a lot about how Arsenal are going to do. In the first 5 minutes Arsenal got in there so purposefully that they got an early warning from Porto's fantastic counter-attack. It told the players that absolute concentration was necessary.

van Persie's response was also good. He applied himself well as a support striker and took risks. He played like a 25-year-old.

Most interesting about the Porto game was the difference between Walcott, Vela and Nasri and the old Eboué. Nasri slows Arsenal down because he did not grow up with Arsenal football and because he has the technique to hold the ball in tight areas – pretty much like Hleb – so he does. The good news is that Nasri will score more and he's much younger than Hleb so he can still learn a quicker passing style.

Unlike Nasri, Walcott and Vela attack the smallest space available. They have no time for patience, if they see a gap, that's where they are going. Eboué has been good this season because he did precisely that. Walcott and Vela are annoying to defenders because like Ronaldo at Manchester United, you are guaranteed they will run at you every time they get the ball. When Walcott and Vela are on the pitch, the defenders work full-time. It is especially potent when Nicklas Bendtner is there too because the combined movement is too much for most defenders.

In Carlos Vela and Bendtner, I can foresee the best striking partnership ever at Arsenal brewing. Bendtner is infinitely cleverer than most people realise. Vela has got better movement in the final third than anyone I have seen at Arsenal for 12 years!

Vela and Bendtner are the future!

User Comments

23

goonnneeerss

Posted on 9 Oct, 2008 at 09:18 AM - Reply

Gooner 10, Why is everybody having to be the next Henry cant we just have Vela the key to trophies in 08/09 Im sick of everybody saying Walcott the next Henry Vela also the next henry.

Whens the new Cesc fabregas going to come about just take the payers for who they are and please stop comparing them to past players!

22

Seyiblack

Posted on 4 Oct, 2008 at 06:20 PM - Reply

Great piece of work but its nt that easy, Nik is technically sound but slow on the ball while ade is strong on the ball n nt gud enuf as a lone 9. 1 game vela n nik played together isnt enuf 2 judge the combo bt with ade's strength on d ball vela shud play 9 while ade plays behind him nik isnt strong enuf 2 do d job so its nik 8/ade 9 or ade 8 /vela 9

21

Bladerunner

Posted on 4 Oct, 2008 at 07:45 AM - Reply

Not a bad article

Well we all have opinons so here is mine, I have watched every game this year, on the TV I may add as 11000 miles is a long way to come to watch a game from NZ unfortunately.

I reckon we have a solid squad with a squad for the future. We don't need any more players and we don't want to end up like Leeds.? Bless them?

Up front we have many options especially when Eduardo comes back. Also we have got cover as Walcott and Vela can play up front, so with Eduardo coming back on the scene we will have 4 out and out solid strikers also some cover.

Song as I have said before will be the find of the season as Flam was last year. We have strength in the midfield even though its young and people have also forgotten about Diaby (who I call Viera).

I have said many many times I would love to get a trophy, but most of all I want to see the kind of football that makes Arsenal a pleasure to watch (this is probably the only reason that every Arsenal game has been shown so far in NZ)

Go the Gunners (from a distant gunner fan)

20

Yue

Posted on 4 Oct, 2008 at 03:36 AM - Reply

Among the top 4 premiership clubs, we have the most effective attacking display and the worst defending CBs.

What is worse is that Gallas is our captain. I think Wenger will be unlikely to change Gallas and replace him with Djourou.

I am just disappointed with Gallas this season. Other than that, I'm very happy with others performance especially Eboue and Walcott. Vela is surely the next to shine in Arsenal.

Overall, we have to show much more hunger to win the games. I really miss Thierry Henry's and Bobby's era, how many times will we worry of not winning the games when we were conceding goals? Lol !!

19

oswald

Posted on 4 Oct, 2008 at 03:33 AM - Reply

eboue should go

18

LTK

Posted on 3 Oct, 2008 at 12:11 PM - Reply

@Yue: I entirely agree with you.

17

Ateeb

Posted on 3 Oct, 2008 at 10:47 AM - Reply

Good article. However I think Nasri brings balance to the team which is needed at times. And him slowing down the game a bit at times, brings calm to the players. It allows arsenal to unlock the defense intelligently, and with more grace. With Theo and Eboue, sure they're quicker, but they also happen to lose the ball more often, which Nasri doesn't. And you're right the defeat was more down to mentality than anything else. Niki B, looks a class act. His final balls are absolutely amazing, better than any othre forward to me atleast. A bit of Bergkham in him. As for the partnership with Vela, I've been following them both since the pre-season, and totally aggree with you that they could form the best partnership ever seen at Arsenal. WIth Bendtner's final balls, and Vela's acute finishing.

16

David

Posted on 3 Oct, 2008 at 10:11 AM - Reply

Totally agree Yue's comment. Gallas is not a good CB and captain as well, may be good for LB/RB only. How many mistake caused by him? Back to famous back 4 - Dixon/Keown/Adams/Winterburn, how good are they? Compare Keown/Adams with Toure/Gallas, the last pair CB is the worst since Wenger's management period. Toure is good for CB but can't cover Gallas's stupid error. Mr. Wenger must be reconsider to search a good quality CB like Keown/Adams to replace ERRORMAN Gallas in next January when market opening. Gunner 4 Life. :p

15

Hardey

Posted on 3 Oct, 2008 at 09:40 AM - Reply

I cannot pretend to be a football afficionado but your pontifications gladden me in a somewhat silly way. i can only hope time proves you right (re Vela & Benddy-boy).

14

gt

Posted on 3 Oct, 2008 at 05:28 AM - Reply

Hats off to Hull for their comprehensive display. I am quite concerned that it's not our complacency that got us the loss; instead, we're just not good enough. With this defense and Densilson as the MF (don't get me wrong;he's been brilliant, but he needs to improve his defensive awareness urgently) we are bound to have more performances like that in the future. Unless Wenger addresses these issues, I don't see how we can compete for the title.

13

dave

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 11:30 PM - Reply

i have to disagree about bentdner he seems a little clumsy when on the ball but vela is brilliant and needs to start playing more games, kick ade off the line up if you have too. I think the partnership between fab and denilson isnt goin to well. some people may think differently but i think fab now it given the extra role of defending much more in a match. If he put song with fab that may work cause it allows fab to be the attacking mid he was last year. denilson and fab are too much alike.
lastly gallas needs a kick up the ass. Stop making mistakes and start seting an example for our young and talented squad

12

maori gooner

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 10:14 PM - Reply

I completely disagree on the Gallas comment, nothing makes me more annoyed but to see him charging forward like a striker. Against Porto we all knew if Porto got the ball they were going to counter and counter fast. Gallas needs to leave the goal scoring to the raft of talented strikers we have and concentrate on stopping the ball going in the back of our net!!

11

Bis

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 04:45 PM - Reply

I fully agree with Yue..Both the games that we have lost this season is because of defensive blaunders...and in both the cases, Gallas was the culprit...We are yet to Face the big three and the Villas..if our defence is the same against them, they will run all over us...I hope Wenger has an answer to our defensive (read Gallas) misery...

10

David

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 04:22 PM - Reply

Yes, Ade may has given the defenders a hard time marking him, but look at the chances he had missed and how many offsides he got to slow our attacks down. Wenger is using him because he can stretch opponents defence to their limit and give RVP, Vela, Nasri, Cesc space to score. Also the Man City game last term, as I recall it was Eduardo who opened the scoring with his fine finish. Given chance, Bendtner will be 100 times better than Adebayor, both mentally and technically. Ade seems to be easy to get complacent after scoring easy goals.

9

gooner10

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 02:48 PM - Reply

Vela the Next Henry...

8

phader

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 02:43 PM - Reply

VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE....I LIKED THE ANALYSIS OF SUM OF THE ARSENAL PLAYERS 2.
I RATE BENTDNER AND VELA VERY HIGHLY ALSO, BUT I STILL THINK ADEBAYOR IS THE MAIN MAN. BENDTNER DOSENT REALLY CLOSE THE BALL DOWN WHEN THE OPPOSION HAS IT, AND IN MY OPINION HE IS NOT AGILE ENOUGH.

ADEBAYOUR IS DIFFERENT, HE IS A WORK-A-HOLIC (IN SUM GAMES)....I REMEMBER THE GAME AGAINST MAN CITY LAST SEASON WHEN WE WERE AWAY FOR HOME, HE PLAYED UPFRONT ON HIS OWN AGAINST RICHARDS AND DUNNE.. AND GAVE DEM A HORRID TIME...ALSO SCORED 2 GOALS..

I ALSO REMEMBER WHEN WE BEATS MAN UTD AT OLD TRAFFORD A FEW SEASONS AGO, RIO SAID AFTER THE GAME ''ADEBAYOUR WAS A HANDFULL, IVE NEVER HAD TO WORK SO HARD''

SOO FOR ME I WOULD KEEP IT AS IT IS, ADE AND VAN PERSIE..

7

Jimbo

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 01:42 PM - Reply

Interesting article! I think it a little too soon to jump to conclusions regarding a Bendtner/Vela partnership, although thier attributes do compliment. With the return of Eduardo we have enough quality and the right amount of 1st team strikers (4). Vela and Walcott need to stay on the wings to terrorise full-backs with Rosicky and Nasri. Eboue should be used as cover for the midfield and for Sagna at right back. The left foot options of Vela, Van Persie and Eduardo complete the balance. You know it makes sense!

6

double-you

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 01:05 PM - Reply

totally agree with analysis especially of bendtner.

5

john

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 12:48 PM - Reply

maybe i would applaud if we were 15 points clear and it didn't make a difference

4

pissed off

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 12:45 PM - Reply

Wenger get us trophies

3

goooonneerr

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 11:44 AM - Reply

I clapped them aswell but i clapped Arsenal aswell as a message that we will fight back and we will not dwell on the hull city subject and if we beat Sunderland on Saturday we can put hull city behind us and move on.

2

JT Gooner

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 10:57 AM - Reply

Clearly thought through article. I agree with you that Nic and Vela can only portend something good for the future. With the current strengthening partnership between Ade and RvP in the meantime, the future looks good. Did I fail to mention the central midfield patrtnership thats developing between Cesc & Denilson?
I also like Alex Song. With him in the midfield holding role, we do not need Flamini

1

Yue

Posted on 2 Oct, 2008 at 09:57 AM - Reply

Gallas went forward when he noticed that we conceded a goal made by his stupid error! How many times in the premiership games we conceded just because of his mistakes?

When we are not scoring, he went in front to help, yes, this is a good footballer personality in him. But what we want more from him, is firstly to defend well enough first. He is losing his people many times during set pieces. What is the use of a CB who doesn't know how to jump to win the ball? No matter how many times he can score, it is useless if he can't defend well.

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