From Martin : Pires
Just some general musings
Robert Pires was a player so good he had his team mates bowing at his feet upon picking up the Premier League title
Pires has always had me thinking to Ozil, not so much in style – as Pires was very unique, particularly in how ran – but more the artistry, that layer of brilliance that others will never reach, an artistry that you provide the best environment to flourish.
Pires was surround by spiky and talented warriors, Ljungberg, Bergkamp, Vieira, Lauren, Keown, Cole, Henry, Parlour, Sol Campbell. In fact pretty much the whole the team could look after itself, had huge desire to win, and found ways to win on desire alone, IE: Portsmouth away when the title was already won to remain unbeaten.
Pires in that team just had to focus on his game, not lead in anyway except by his play, and he flourished.
But if you put Pires in this team, he would have many games like Ozil does. When the team looks fragmented and off the pace, and then so does Ozil too.
Where is the framework for Ozil to flourish?
Wenger managed that special team and saw true spirit and heart up close, so how can he say this team has spirit?
In recent history it does react with some good performances, so you could see that as validation of Wenger’s comments, but the cycle is always short, they find some attitude, they go into certain games on the front foot, Theo will talk about mental attitude and strength after, but after a handful of games!!
Do talking your talking on the pitch, not after a few games, as it’s never sustained.
The Arsenal that turned up at Old Trafford is a performance that every Arsenal fan knows is in the team at any given moment, and there is only one way to disprove that, and that’s to put together a full season of committed performances, not a handful and coast the rest
Graeme Souness was a proper footballer, spiky, talented, driven, and he talks a lot of sense and does praise Arsenal football, but for years now his frustration at the casual attitude in some games has been palpable and has mirrored mine for a long time now.
If Wenger and team want this to go away, there is only one way to do it, on the pitch. You don’t convince selves and others you have mental strength by talking about it over and over again, but shutting up and actually proving it!
All Arsenal fans are so exasperated at the weekend performance, it’s become the way.
But at the the most telling time, when Arsenal fans are unified in how feel and want to vent it, ANR crashes.
Arsenal now have 10 cup finals to play.
The ’98 team put that run together after a patchy first part to the season- it starts tonight.
Myles says:
Thierry Henry was an an artistic powerhouse athlete and a very prolific goalscorer. But not a warrior.
He almost never took a kick and rarely went for a ball that wasn’t 70-30 in his favour.
Did Henry ever score in a final?
People with mental strength don’t witter on about it every week for 16 years.