jeromelee
Well-Known Member
Had a rather indepth discussion with 2 fellow gooners about the chelski match and how we lost.
At first all the usual angles were looked at. The strategy, the subs etc. But somehow we all seemed to agree that Arsenal lost because of the lack of english players that day. True we had sol and cole at the back, and that's why our defense did indeed look solid.
I know we've got some great players in Paddy, Titi, Pires, Reyes, etc but there's no longer enough English players in the squad. All players in Arsenal are great but it's a well known fact that English players have the most heart. Ask any football enthusiast from way back (those whose been football fanatics since the 60's etc) and they will tell you that the English players while some are really skillful, most play purely from the heart. It is the English passion that lends strength to the English game.
I mean, look at Sol and Cole. They played with heart. Never giving up. Running non-stop all night. Same with Parlour when he's in the game. Parlour is by no means a "flair" player unlike Paddy or Pires but what he contributes is passion. Never giving up any challenge, never slowing down even if he losses the ball etc.
I think AW has done a great job with the team so far. Fantastic beyond expectations. But I also believe he really needs to groom more England youngsters to try to ingrain into the team. When MU started being great, it was from the youngsters like the neville's, butt, beckham, scholes.
Even against chelsea in the CL, I personally felt the best players for chelskis that night was Lampard and Terry. Terry single handledly thwarted so many of our balls into the penalty area. And Lampard although not as skillful as Paddy, showed tonnes of heart. Just look at the replay of the Chelski v Gooner game. Cole, Sol, Terry and Lampard really stood out by their non-stop running and full commitment. And even when Joe Cole came in you could see his full commitment.
Dun get me wrong, of course I'm not suggesting that foreign players aren't good. Dun flame me or anything cause I'm not particularly criticizing the team or anything like that. I'm just saying that there must be balance in the team. After all, this is called the English Premier League. You want to get the fans into the game? Field a couple more young English players. They always play with heart and they always bring out the best in the fans. Nobody can sit through a match, watching their fellow countryman running his pants off and not cheer the hell for his team.
I think Arsenal could do with a little more English power. Someone that can dig deep and find the reserve strength when they're really tired and down in the dumps to pick up their game and run at their opponents.
Makes sense?
At first all the usual angles were looked at. The strategy, the subs etc. But somehow we all seemed to agree that Arsenal lost because of the lack of english players that day. True we had sol and cole at the back, and that's why our defense did indeed look solid.
I know we've got some great players in Paddy, Titi, Pires, Reyes, etc but there's no longer enough English players in the squad. All players in Arsenal are great but it's a well known fact that English players have the most heart. Ask any football enthusiast from way back (those whose been football fanatics since the 60's etc) and they will tell you that the English players while some are really skillful, most play purely from the heart. It is the English passion that lends strength to the English game.
I mean, look at Sol and Cole. They played with heart. Never giving up. Running non-stop all night. Same with Parlour when he's in the game. Parlour is by no means a "flair" player unlike Paddy or Pires but what he contributes is passion. Never giving up any challenge, never slowing down even if he losses the ball etc.
I think AW has done a great job with the team so far. Fantastic beyond expectations. But I also believe he really needs to groom more England youngsters to try to ingrain into the team. When MU started being great, it was from the youngsters like the neville's, butt, beckham, scholes.
Even against chelsea in the CL, I personally felt the best players for chelskis that night was Lampard and Terry. Terry single handledly thwarted so many of our balls into the penalty area. And Lampard although not as skillful as Paddy, showed tonnes of heart. Just look at the replay of the Chelski v Gooner game. Cole, Sol, Terry and Lampard really stood out by their non-stop running and full commitment. And even when Joe Cole came in you could see his full commitment.
Dun get me wrong, of course I'm not suggesting that foreign players aren't good. Dun flame me or anything cause I'm not particularly criticizing the team or anything like that. I'm just saying that there must be balance in the team. After all, this is called the English Premier League. You want to get the fans into the game? Field a couple more young English players. They always play with heart and they always bring out the best in the fans. Nobody can sit through a match, watching their fellow countryman running his pants off and not cheer the hell for his team.
I think Arsenal could do with a little more English power. Someone that can dig deep and find the reserve strength when they're really tired and down in the dumps to pick up their game and run at their opponents.
Makes sense?
